#at this point i have zero tolerance for their crap

[thefirstknife]

Seeing some of the latest whining over on Twitter, I think I've realized part of the problem: the content creators who have made playing D2 their life think it's "too easy" and that "toxic casuals are ruining things" because they refuse to admit they're simply too skilled to find a huge challenge anymore. But instead of rebranding to something else and moving on to learn a new game where they'll face challenge and struggle they continue to insist that the game is bad foe catering to "the lowest common denominator". Some of them also seem kind of entitled? Lime the idea that any no-name players (aka people who aren't Big Names in the fandom) could possibly do amazing snd outplay them feels like they're being cheated out of what they're "owed" as their Top Player Bragging Rights? But not everybody who puts in the work to get good at the game engages with the fandom, either. It just feels a lot like some of them think "I put in the work to master it, so nobody else should be allowed to match me and also it needs to keep up with me because I made this game my life". Feels very weird and entitled to me. And I say this as a person who has played some games so much that the highest difficulty settings are a breeze! I just accept that I've mastered it and move on when I want challenge.

Oh yeah, the new elitist dickhead whining is live in the community and it's the same thing as always. Agreed with what you wrote! I think streamers just literally want things to only be "difficult" for them and impossible for everyone else so they can feel special. They can deny it all day long, but there is no logical reason to want FEWER people to play an exciting competition and for FEWER people to feel like they can complete it. Because if people feel like they can't, they won't bother. Why would I waste my time? I'm not getting paid to play the game.

Day 1 raid race is a community contest, meant for the community, aka all players. It's not "special contest for top players only," it's a contest for everyone. It's supposed to be something everyone tries out and does their best, as well as something that is reasonably achievable for more than a grand total of 12 players.

Over the years, Bungie has been hard at work turning raids into an activity that more people will want to play and finish. Including adjusting the way day 1 race is happening and when. They WANT more people to participate which is evident through lowering the amount of grind needed to be ready and moving the race to the weekend, and now extending it to 48 hours. This helps everyone; the community and the devs.

More below:

The moment the day 1 raid race is accessible, that means more people will attempt it and more people will realise that they ARE good enough to raid and complete the contest mode. When the raid race is locked to a power level grind that nobody outside of people playing the video game for a living can achieve, that drastically reduces the number of people who will enter the race. When the raid race is releasing in the middle of the week, nobody outside of streamers will be able to compete. Now, day 1 raid race is no longer limiting in ways that we, the players, can't control.

This means more people can attempt it and at that point, we're dealing with pure numbers. More people attempting means that more people will finish. So when streamers are whining about "numbers," they're whining about the simple hard cold unchangeable logic of math. More people than ever are playing, more people than ever are attempting, more people than ever were able to watch the whole race and figure that they have a chance, and then they had plenty of time to try. This resulted in more completions than ever. Very little to do with the raid being "easy." It wasn't. It was accessible.

There are probably incredibly good players out there who couldn't participate before because they didn't have time or weren't available off work or couldn't ruin their mental and physical health over a 24 hour video game contest. There are probably perfectly average players who can still complete the raid race if they have more time to practice.

And this bothers content creators, because it's telling them that they're not special. Some Joe Shmoe with a 6 year old PC and $5 headset might be incredibly good at Destiny, possibly even better than them, but he didn't have time to compete before. Now he does, because Bungie removed the limit that a player can't control and the content creators are fucking mad as hell because Joe Shmoe, 47, a dad of 3, can finish the contest mode.

They keep insisting this is not the reason they are mad; they're mad because.... uh.... Contest mode is supposed to be SUPER HARD and it's an EXCLUSIVE EVENT that happens TWICE A YEAR!!!! And like. Yeah? Joe Shmoe has the same feeling about it. Joe Shmoe also gets two days a year to participate in a community event. Again, content creators are slowly learning that they're not special and it's a hard hitting truth. Also if more people are playing the raid race, then they're not watching them. That's gotta hurt as well. It's at least 5 fewer subs.

I am so fucking done with their bullshit and their repeated attempts to demean everyone's accomplishments by yelling about the raid being easy and bad and whatever. They are sad people with a void in their hearts.

The raid was absolutely hard. More people than EVER attempted it and MANY haven't been able to complete it. The raid wasn't "easy" in the sense they mean it (they mean easy = bad), it was different. It required different skills and it had a different goal and a different fantasy to invoke in players. Every single one of those bitches used every known cheese and meta tactic to brute force every damage phase and every mechanic, to the point of many of them not figuring out an entire mechanic in the final encounter. They straight up did not understand a mechanic and then dare to say that it was easy. But yeah. They were grasping at every broken build possible and then whining about it being easy. Well I did it with 30 resilience. I am better.

They are absolutely entitled. They feel like they are owed everything in this game because they've been here since 2014 and that if the game is not catering to them, then it's objectively bad. Literally, as you said, they've mastered the game and they're bored of it. But hey, there's money in clickbait about negative stuff so they will keep being miserable playing something they obviously don't like anymore.

I'm so done with those assholes. The raid was an absolute BLAST for me. It was super fun, it was really difficult and it took a long time to get it done, but my team did it, even through a horrible bug that cheated us out of a clear 10 hours early. The raid is SUPER fun, it's an excellent new addition to the raid roster, super helpful for newer players and newer raiders. The mechanics are really smooth and simple, they don't require a lot of callouts, but still rely a LOT on coordination of the whole team. Incredible work threading the line between an incredibly fun raid that is also accessible to everybody. I'll be doing it a lot, it's a really chill experience that still gets your adrenaline going. Bungie did an amazing work with it and I absolutely love it.

I cannot FATHOM a mindset that people have where they want people to NOT be able to experience raids. The most bizarre thing in the world to me. Raids are PEAK content in the game that devs spend a lot of time making and that is currently not being played as much as they want, which is actually a problem resource wise. Since they take so much resources to create, but aren't being used, it's a shame.

This raid was absolutely made with that in mind. They want more people to play to raids. This raid is "easy" in the sense that it is accessible. And there's nothing those assholes hate more than accessibility, I guess. God forbid people who paid for the expansion get to play the expansion. That includes the day 1 contest mode race absolutely. It's for the whole community, not for 50 people with a twitch.tv account.

Every content creator whining about this is a bitch who does not care about the health of the game or the community. They want a game made for them, and only them. They think they own it and that it's good when only 3% of the players play raids. They want every regular player to suffer and leave, to not have fun and to not experience these amazing activities.

They want the game to die.

[mcbride]

Daryl Dixon Rewatch S1E01 - L'âme perdue

i have some thoughts, but before we get to it and explore the episode, i just wanna point out that the writing is what stood out for me. after seasons of mediocre writers and writing on TWD, it felt like a breath of fresh air. that ain't saying much, but it's a big improvement. also the cinematography, plsss!!

i will digress, this will be long, boring and full of spec for s2!!! read more after the jump...

the best part of it for me was Daryl. Daryl is finally using his words, keeping some things close to the vest he ain't no longer wearing, but he is actually speaking up, telling shit how he sees it, being his observant self, and not taking that religious crap bullshit they trying to feed him. he is also done with it all, and his goal is always and will always be getting back home.

"You deserve a happy ending, too." the ep starts with Judith voiceover, which is repeated in Daryl's feverish dream, and once again by Laurent. Carol isn't mentioned directly, but you can feel her presence throughout the episode. it's sort of a quiet energy that hangs in there whenever Daryl mentions he wants to get back home, he needs to use the radio, he needs to get to that possibly active port. and of course, her smiling face in his dream, with one of the last things he said to her "it's not like we are never gonna see each other again."

"witchy shit;" "dead priest and creepy kid," "you've been fucking with me," while putting his finger in Isa's face and storming out to borrow some cool weapons will always be hilarious to me, but it also felt like genuine Daryl is back. this is the Daryl we fell in love with. he is changed by his experiences, but he is still the OBSERVANT dude with the sass and zero tolerance for bullshit. i like this Daryl, so i will thank Zabel and Norman for bringing him back to us!

NOW let's get to the spec: i think the first episode tells us all we need to know about what is really set to happen, it's so in your face, you may not even notice and just assume they are talking metaphorically - i'm talking about the nuns, the nest, the kid, the whole conspiracy you shouldn't see coming.

for some reason it will probably never be clear, they think Daryl is the one, the messenger to deliver the new Messiah, and he's got an important role delivering the kid to the Nest, like he is the only one who can do it. i mean Isabelle watched Daryl fight and lose, and now she thinks he's Messiah's protector. PLEASE, bitch! maybe he is chosen simply because he is American, he made it across the Ocean, he must be special??? ok, i'll buy that.

now when Mother is dying she agrees Daryl is the one (to protect Laurent) and says "reasons are everywhere." YES, there's a reason Daryl had to come back to protect the kid, there's a reason he doesn't get on that boat to return home, too - and that reason is CAROL is coming. he cannot leave, she's coming to him, and i believe that TOGETHER they are the ones supposed to save Laurent.

WHY Carol, you ask? Daryl just may be to close to the Nest, their people to see them for who they are - some sort of cult who believes "the kid is the cure for a sick world," Mother's words. but how are they dangerous??

they literally tell you, if you're listening. the monk, possibly Losang, says the kid is special, says the kid is the NEW Messiah. Isabelle tells Daryl they need to take the kid there cause he needs safety, teaching and nurturing UNTIL he is ready. ready for what, Daryl asks. ready to be the new Messiah and lead the REVIVAL of humanity.

now Laurent said they had walker!Father Jean there because they were waiting for him to rise again. say what, kiddo? but Father can't rise again, cause he ain't special, he ain't the new Messiah. so there you go, i think the Nest, they're planning to turn Laurent and wait for him to RISE again (be the cure) with help from praying and poetry. maybe the good guys ain't so good.

and this is exactly why the kid is also valuable to Genet. perhaps she also wants to test whether the kid is special or not, knowing his history.

i can see Carol making it to France and figuring out their nefarious plans in like the first 5 mins. and that's why she needs to come to help save Laurent. that would pretty much bring their story full circle, and allow them to deal with the guilt and the trauma of not being able to safe loved ones.

[sgiandubh]

As usual you to try connect things that have nothing to with Sam and Cait to prove your fantasy. You have zero direct evidence proving relationship, marriage, children with Sam and Cait. ZERO. You are also admitting if people on screen are involved they are terrible actors. Give it up. As Sam again is off on vacation alone next week, beginning traveling for the next 8 weeks alone for various appointments which have nothing to do with Cait

Dear (returning, I suppose) Beauchamp and Fraser Anon,

Unlike other people in this fandom, I do not need to invent aggressive Anons: you provide the material almost on a daily basis, using the same old, same tired arguments. A very primitive harassment technique, indeed, that pushed many reasonable people in the shadows.

Because this is what y'all want. One of yours had the courage and honesty to write it down, just because a fencer (who should have known better) went on to engage with your faction. She got this response:

Note I did not publish the handle of the person who wrote this. I am only discussing people when prompted or when necessary. I usually discuss problems - and this is a big problem.

In other words, 'believe what you want, but verboten to write or discuss or even question'. I think it says a lot about your degree of tolerance and your democratic values. Or lack thereof.

I did not connect anything. I simply posted something and left it on the table for debate.

And now you invite me to 'give it up'. Because I piss off many, many people on both sides of the Great Divide and I am perfectly aware of it. Exactly what you want me to do, of course. Exactly what I am not going to do, Anon.

So, for the last time:

What really pisses you off is that I always did things my own way. Refused to post funeral pics. Refused to endlessly discuss the number of children S and C might have. Refused to disclose (completely against it) and discuss (unless absolutely necessary to do so) legal documents your side always ends up by revealing one way or another. And you do so usually via Anons, because you have no clue of what they really mean and you think you know (and you don't). Oh, and lest I forget: refused to judge C's attitude or behavior towards this fandom. Because Anon, I honestly don't know how I would react (if I were her) with all the bullshit you managed to ventilate their way and/or the brutal pressure under which she is living her life.

For all these reasons and then some more, you have decided I have to leave this fandom. Because this page, notwithstanding its mistakes, annoys the crap out of you. Because it strives to bring up reasonable dialogue, not circular discourse. Because it took upon itself to answer your insults: usually with irony, something that somehow escaped you. Because it managed to prove that when you deal politely with likeminded people, differences between factions of the same community can be put, if only for five minutes, aside. Because it also brought (or tried to) a new, no nonsense perspective informed by who I am and what I do. And because it is read on a daily basis by people who began to feel encouraged and valued simply for who they are: kind people, sharing a similar point of view of a given situation.

So guess what, Anon? I am not going anywhere.

Live with it. I can live with the daily dose, for sure.

I am also absolutely impressed by the illiterate confidence (I am sick and tired to correct your bad grammar and spelling) with which you suggest to be in the know of S's travel agenda or C's whereabouts. I should also hope someone, somewhere, financially rewards your efforts: if not, maybe you should ask them for a raise, or something. You surely are a very, very dedicated troll.

[meanbossart]

i’m so intrigued by grodderick, do you have any information on him you’d like to share?

Ohhh I'm so glad to hear that because I fucking love Grodderick LOL here's some character fun-facts!

He's about 6'8" or 6'9", making him the only character that's taller than DU drow so far in A Novel Experience (if you don't count Do'zynge because he's cheating)

He's in his early thirties.

He stopped drinking about 4 years ago and now only enjoys a little devilweed here and there, maybe a cigar whenever Nathanya gifts him a box.

Speaking of which, he has a bit of an infatuation with Nathanya but has basically zero hopes of it ever going anywhere.

He's a follower of Ilmater, though believes in a quiet form of worship and so doesn't really mix in with the church.

He tries very hard to divorce himself from half-orc culture.

He's fluent in Elvish and tries to maintain the accent in common for reasons that relate to the fact above.

Because of his history, he's a pretty non-judgemental guy and lets people make their intentions known before making assumptions based on race, that said, that doesn't mean he won't poke a little harmless fun at you or exercise basic common sense, for that matter.

Similarly, he has a high tolerance for people giving him crap based on his own race and history, as long as they don't mind having it flung back at them. In fact, he generally prefers the company of people who speak their mind bluntly.

The tattoo across his throat spells out SLAUGH, which means ‘mud wallowing dogs" and his basically an orc slur (got that in jail LOL). The one on his stomach says "TALIBUND'. He also has the Ilmater symbol on the side of his neck.

Aaaaand backstory dump below because I felt like it:

Grod (as his buddies call him) was raised by a human mother who lived as a recluse, being that she was largely ostracized for getting together and having a kid with a half-orc, who eventually left her to raise Grodderick on her own. This instilled a lot of guilt in Grod as he grew up and he took off of his own at around age 14, basically going no-contact with his mother for several years before they reconnected and began sending letters back and forth. At that point in his life, Grodderick made a pretty seedy living within the underground-market and as very effective debt collector.

His mother made a point to raise him to be pretty well educated, so he stood out as having a good mind for business and strategy among his peers ( and especially among other humanoid races who often expected less of his intellect) and made a relatively comfortable living. He sent a lot of the money he made back to his mother, and the rest of it he spent on passing pleasures like drink and gambling. He was good friends with a few other half-orc and had a couple of short-lived relationships, which usually ended with the other person being frustrated with his choice in career and leaving, since he had no desire to be romantically involved with anyone in his circles and his partners were often kept in the dark about what he got up to.

After several years of this, his mother at some point stops answering his letters, and upon returning home to find out why, he learns she has passed away and left him basically all of the cash he ever sent so he had something to fall onto of when he inevitably decided to pursue a different kind of life. Grodderick took this money, severed most of his past ties and spend a little while traveling until he ends up in Pran, where Nathanya hires him as muscle, and eventually begins to rely on Grod for all sorts of work after having taken a liking to him.

[distort-opia]

I always wonder how does joker manage to hold up in a fight with batman, hes usually depicted as a lanky guy, so how does he hold up going against the super buff tall man that bruce is?

That's an excellent question, and one comics have never been very keen on answering. Joker's fighting prowess tends to be what the plot needs it to be, but overall he's indeed been shown as capable of holding his own against Batman... when he actually puts his mind to it. Most of the time he enjoys getting the crap beaten out of him, so there's plenty of instances where Joker doesn't look like a challenging opponent. However, Joker's fought more people than just Batman, and he's been shown to be a good fighter.

With Joker's backstory and past being a mystery for so long, it's tough to say how exactly he came to be a skilled fighter. Now that the The Killing Joke backstory is canon (as per Flashpoint Beyond), one wonders how the broke comedian ended up being able to eventually last against Batman in a fight. My theory on this is rooted in my personal timeline of Joker's past, which is an amalgamation of multiple comics that have dealt with his origin stories. People tend to think "well, if TKJ is canon, then Zero Year or Streets of Gotham can't be true", but I believe all these stories do ultimately fit together. I've got a bigger meta post on the subject of Joker's past here, but the bottom line is-- there's canon support for Joker having lived on the streets and (unwillingly, and then possibly willingly) being part of the mob. After being placed in the foster care system, it's likely he continued being active in gangs and engaged in other criminal activities like robberies.

So, I think Joker learned how to fight in his youth out of necessity. After running away from home, he grew up in a very hostile environment. It wasn't something nearly as structured as Bruce's years of traveling and training with various masters; most likely, Joker had to learn how to fight in order to survive and protect himself. Although it's possible he did have some kind of training, if he grew up in such close proximity to gangs. Maybe that's how he got so good with knives.

It thus makes sense that Joker had a decent fighting background to begin with, and as the years went by he got better and better. I haven't gotten around to making a second part to the meta about Joker's past (yet), but what follows is that, after being placed in foster care, Joker eventually tried to have a normal life. He finished highschool, he went to university and graduated, then got a job at ACE Chemicals. He married Jeannie... and then everything went to shit again. To be honest, I like this because it makes a lot of narrative sense, and tragically so. Unlike Bruce, Joker never had a normal life, or a normal family. He started out as the opposite to Batman, once again-- in poverty, with an abusive and hateful family that he either killed or ran away from. So eventually he tried to have a family of his own. He tried to be happy and stay away from crime, but following his dreams was impossible without money and resources, so he went back to it... and then Jeannie and his unborn child died. No wonder he broke. And after falling into the acid vat and becoming Joker, he also gained what's undoubtedly a very high pain tolerance, and some kind of metahuman durability (because he's survived so many lethal situations it's ridiculous, at this point).

So! If you combine masochism, high pain tolerance, a street fighting background and a complete lack of fear, you get Joker's hand-to-hand combat style. He's got this advantage over his opponents as well; he doesn't get scared, and pain doesn't stop him the way it would most people. He's thus very unpredictable.

It has to be said though, that Joker doesn't like getting his own hands dirty. He has goons, people that do the hard work for him, sidekicks. He uses laughing gas, acid sprays, hand buzzers, he uses guns and other long-distance weaponry a lot. As a character, Joker was never meant to be a match for Batman's bulk and fighting prowess-- the point is exactly that he isn't, and yet still manages to win. At his core, Joker is more of a mastermind, a brilliant manipulator with heaps of charisma; hand-to-hand combat is rarely his method of choice.

[silver-heller]

No More Jokes

Hi hi! Welcome to my self shipping blog! My name is Nightmares, or Silver, either or! I am a 22 year old, asexual transman (he/him), plural self shipper. I am okay with sharing (except for alters). I am a lover of villains, and enjoy anime, animation, and comics. My favorite genres include historical things with good characters, horror, mysteries, and romance. My main F/O is M/ordecai H/eller from L/ackadaisy, but I am okay with sharing him!

Please read the DNI before following me! Liking the post reassures me you have.

Ao3 / F/Os / Lacka FOs / NSFW / Lacka College AU / Silver Bible / Hazbin Self Ship Blog

User box template can be found here.

You will be fed to the pigs if you (DNI if)...

Note: I will probably only follow you back if you show a genuine interest in my stuff and I like your stuff in turn (aka we could have a conversation together). I am a bit picky about moots, but you are always welcome to follow of course.

If I block you, I block you. I try to be vague when it comes to vents and vent about the behavior, not the person, but ultimately it is your responsibility if you see crap you shouldn't when you're blocked.

You don't like villain F/Os or have an issue with villain F/Os being made soft. I won't argue with your preferences, but painting it as "bad writing" or "not canon" due to a difference perspective is just crap.

You are a minor. Sorry, I'm just not comfy with minors following or interacting with me.

You are a bigot (homophobic, transphobic, sexist, racist, antisemitic, etc.) or you romanticize characters being bigots. You will be blocked on sight. Exclusionists will also be blocked.

You are a map, proshipper, or ship adults with minors. I am also not comfortable with shipping with animal characters that are just animals with no humanoid features (ex: shipping romantically with a character like P/ikachu is gross, anthros like M/ordecai are fine though), incest ships, people who ship with real people, and so on. I am not comfortable with characters that have canonically assaulted someone, are predators, or child abusers.

You unnecessarily dictate how others write characters, especially asexual ones (pointing out the use of bad stereotypes is not this and completely understandable).

You are not plural safe. (BTW I use the term plural, please use this term, not D.I.D). I have a zero tolerance policy for not only people that are negative about/to plurality and systems, but also people that misuse plural experiences for their own entertainment. Some examples would include:

Featuring characters doing things very similar to "switches" because you find it funny/to show they're "mentally unstable".

Have your character talk to "people inside their head" to paint them as crazy.

Treat an evil alter ego or persona as another personality.

Painting alters or alter equivalent characters as evil.

That shit isn't for your singlet characters and it definitely isn't for your "crazed" or "violent" characters, and alters deserve to be treated kindly.

There is some media I am uncomfortable with and I will block you if your F/Os are from these sources: SAO (sword-art-online), R/ayman, J/ekyll and H/yde, and H/arry P/otter. (These medias make me uncomfortable for one reason or another it's not always for moral reasons, please respect that even if you don't understand).

Other wise we should get along just fine!

[mousegard]

so i had some thoughts about ai art a while back on twitter, based on my experience with music, and i decided to write a bit more about those thoughts:

i first got into making music in 7th grade or so with a trial version of fl studio (back then, i think, it was still called “fruity loops”), though in hindsight i couldn’t really call what i was initially making “music.” all i was doing was taking midis from vgmusic.com that other people had made, applying fl studio preset synth patches and soundfonts to each channel, and exporting them as mp3s to upload onto the newgrounds audio portal.

back then, fourteen years old and drunk on my own power, i really thought that made me a music producer. i just thought to myself, "wow! technology is so cool! i can make masterpieces (that sounded like utter crap because i had no experience in actually creating music) without putting in any effort, all by myself (by stealing someone else's hard work with zero credit)!"

this practice was colloquially referred to as “midi-ripping” and it was something the actual creators in the newgrounds audio community would get pretty peeved about, partly because it was ripping off the people who had actually put hard work into sequencing and arranging midis of their favorite video game songs, partly because it was disrespectful to people who actually put effort into their own vgm remixes and arrangements and tarnished their work in comparison, and partly because it was flooding the audio portal with unlistenable garbage.

needless to say i felt very hurt by these (entirely true) gripes and felt very aggrieved and persecuted, as fourteen-year-olds are wont to do. but eventually i realized that the actual music artists on newgrounds who had real talent and made their own amazing songs, whether original or vg remixes, had a point and that if i wanted to be a part of the community that would be tolerated, let alone respected, i had to set midi-ripping behind me and start actually learning the craft and making my own stuff. i had a great time on the audio portal then. i had even more fun than before because i was actually participating in the artistic community now! even if i wasn’t really all that good! and i was getting better and better every day!

but i could have gone down a different path. i could have doubled down and refused to grow. and if i’d done that, i’d have ended up like the people today who are doing the same thing with ai art that i was once doing with midis from vgmusic.

because it isn’t about art for them, actually. it’s about instant gratification. midi-ripping excited me because i could create music with almost zero effort, skill, or personal investment. i didn’t know enough about the medium or the craft to discern why my output was bad and soulless, i just wanted to take “the easy route” to creating things. and because i was midi-ripping, i wasn’t actually learning anything about composing music, so i wasn’t actually gaining much skill at all. i was stagnating.

this is somewhat related to a type of person that shows up a lot in creative communities (or rather kramers into them and gets promptly laughed out of them), commonly called the “ideas guy.” they have all these ideas but none of the skills to execute on them, so they look for people or software tools that can do all the work for them for free. they don’t want to write, they just want to “have written.” they don’t want to make a video game, they want to “have made a video game.” these people typically either grow up and realize that there’s no magic button to press that can make your creation for you and they can’t get people to slavishly recreate their grand vision for free, or they go on to become incompetent project managers so they can live out their dream of telling people to do things for them.

and similarly, fourteen-year-old me didn’t want to make music, i wanted to “have made music,” without learning how to actually create something and express myself through it—which requires a lot of practicing and learning and other things that take time and effort. this is the same thing i see with ai art aficionados who cling to the title of “artist.” they want to “have made” art without actually going through the training and soul-searching that it takes to actually express their ideas or the frustration that often comes with trying to bring those ideas to life. that leads to bad art.

if you want to write, you have to learn how to write. you have to keep writing stuff. if you want to make music or mod a video game or any other artistic pursuit, you have to learn how to do those things and you have to practice them. you don’t have to be good at any of these things, you don’t even have to be competent, but you still have to do it. that’s how you learn how to really express yourself and what’s in your heart, and how you learn to refine your creativity and create better and better things.

that’s not to say that the technology, in a vacuum, is entirely useless. at some point in the future, ai could be a useful tool for helping artists augment their works and push their vision even farther. there are a lot of tools like that already for all kinds of artistic expression. going back to music, i can’t play guitar and i don’t have an orchestra at my beck and call, but i have sample libraries that can make reasonable facsimiles of those things, and although they do a lot of work for me, they also demand their own unique skill sets to use effectively, and i’ve put a lot of work into learning how to use them as well as i can even though i'm still nowhere near as good as a professional.

and on the topic of video games, rpg maker helped me make my own video game without knowing how to code, and sure it wasn’t a big video game and it was a bit janky, but it was hard work, i was satisfied with it once i’d finished, and it gave me a lot of insight into what making video games feels like (i.e. frustrating) and taught me to have more appreciation for my favorite video games when i play them.

maybe someday ai can be that sort of tool, but i feel extremely pessimistic about it at this point in time. for a lot of reasons. but especially because its biggest proponents right now tend to sound like people who were like me once and just never grew up.

i know it’s hard. i know it’s embarrassing to start out at something and be bad at it, especially if you’re older. i know that making stuff is frustrating and every creator has wished they could pull what’s in their imagination right out of their head and put it out there without putting in any effort at least once.

but there’s no shortcut that can take you right from the starting line to the finish line. there are things you can do that can help you run faster or farther or make running easier, but you still have to run.

[thessaliah]

I knew U Olga would ruin the story since her ugly clown face appeared in Olympus.

Huge anti U Olga-rant below. 

I don't know what possessed Nasu to think U Olga was a good idea. It's just. Okay, I guess is the BB version of Olga. All CCC villains were kinda gag characters that were cringe as hell, in design and mannerisms (BB, the Egos, Kiara, Eliza), but like... the setting of CCC was more or less unserious from the beginning with the Student Council crap, the bb channels, etc. There were threats, but like the atmosphere of the writing was more outrageous than a mute tragedy. Cosmos in the Lostbelt was, meanwhile, a bittersweet story where Guda's and Mash's fighting for survival leads to horrible choices of erasing entire worlds and people which weighs into their consciousness. Even with some levity moments, there's a tragic hint all around which weighs them down. Suddenly Nasu dropped this clown upon us in what was supposed to be a tense moment and climax.

It's like he inserted BB into Heaven's Feel. I love BB, but I think if I read HF with BB, I would hate her guts because she'll be literally a bloody sore thumb that destroys the quiet tragedy setting with her nonsense. It's disruptive and not in a good way.

After how this character singlehandedly destroyed Fate/Grand Order part 2 main story for me, I have no face to think Nasu is a good writer. LB6 is a fluke at this point, and he was carried by other writers in part 2. Like the opposite of part 1. I have zero interest to see how things are solved now besides the Bluebook sorted-out plot. I'll skip the story after that's done not to inflict myself on bad writing and roll for Servants I like. It was barely tolerable to go through LB7.

It’s kind of insane how he had this gorgeous setting, a proper tragic character as Olga dying to be explored to bring forth actual complicated feelings from Mash and Guda from the idea she’s their enemy and what they can do about it (instead of turning them into her unambiguous brainless drones), and he phoned it in so badly. Like sweetie, Olga, I’m sorry. You’re safe in Sanda’s hands at least.

[heptasepta]

trans day of visibility and other thoughts

i have mixed feelings about this because i really dont know if im trans (nb) or not (cis guy). this isnt actually the first time ive questioned my gender, since i presented as a trans woman during 2020-2021 during covid. basically ive kinda liked the idea of being a girl for a while but certain circumstances made me untrans myself.

the first thing was that i was lazy and didnt want to go through the hoops that was mtf transitioning. also the thought of going out in public as a trans girl was scary but at home it was fine. i know this sounds cowardly but i just didnt really want to deal with that kind of crap so i just didnt. the second and arguably the more important one is that i think i falsely attributed the source of my unhappiness with being a cis guy and not the lack of a strong support circle and zero intimacy with people close to me.

while I do have friends, both online and irl (these days i talk more to irl friends) i still feel somewhat empty as well. not to mention the friends i made years ago dont really keep in contact with me. i try to reach out sometimes and we talk about whatevers been going on but after that its not much else. then they move on, only talking to me when i initiate something to them. i know this is also my fault too because i sometimes dont reach out to talk but it actually really sucks when youre too socially anxious both online and irl so any attempt at socializing comes across as desperate or inexperienced (with how to talk online) like genuinely i feel like im still stuck in 2021 despite the covid lockdowns being over years ago. i also never share anything about myself, not to my family, or people online. because of this i dont really know who i am and its been like this for years now.

i have doodles and papers and text documents full of ideas but i never share them because theyre always in a state of incompleteness and i dont want people to see what my work "couldve" looked like rather than what it actually looks like, without any proof that there existed earlier versions that id rather not talk about since i believe it shows a its imperfection which i know is a stupid thing to believe but at this point i dont really know. hopefully someday ill get it out there but for now, no.

also theres the fact that i really want to make stuff again but i havent, which i keep blaming on being in school but i think its just an excuse for me to keep doing this rigorous anime and video game consumption. i made myself basically a schedule for watching anime and playing video games that i follow diligently. the video game schedule isnt as strict but idk i feel like the past 5 years ive done nothing but watch content or whatever and not creating anything. i keep telling myself that once i "catch up" to enough shows/movies/games/whatever but its just an endless cycle at this point, also considering how slow i watch things, usually one episode a day is all i can tolerate so i dont know why i keep doing this. or maybe im lazy/depressed idk???

i dont really know what the future holds, i just hope i can get out of whatever this is.

[floridareptiles]

How to treat a bearded dragon's injuries

One of the most popular issues with disturbing looking amazing snake flourishing is the wagered of impaction. Impaction is caused when your reptile can't deal with its food, subsequently causing a blockage of the dealing with gatherings. This is ordinarily accomplished by lacking average circumstances and an improper eating plan. Before you run off to the vet, two or three home fixes have been displayed to make real progress in minor cases.

By the by, horrendous making is the head wellspring of impaction inside beardies, this issue can emerge in even extraordinary settings. For example, expecting you have safeguarded a reptile that had a serious stomach-related issue ahead of time, its dealing with parts will undoubtedly becoming affected later on down the line, paying little mind to what the consistent circumstances it is living in.

"Anyway, how should I say whether my reptile is affected?"

The fundamental thing you will find in an impacted staggering snake is an absence of craps. Tolerating you contribute energy each opportunity to your pet, you will see when things become "conflicting". Bristly Winged snake More vivacious beardies ought to pass stool basically consistently by virtue of the immense level of bugs they eat. bristly winged snake accessible to be bought Grown-ups, obviously, may fundamentally go once every 7-10 days. Once more this relies upon your particular winged snake and what is "standard" to them. Tolerating your grown-up will be close to about fourteen days with basically no developments, you could have an issue.

One more remarkable indication of impaction is feeling the stomach of your pet. Feel for any abnormal peculiarities or hard spots. Once more assuming you routinely handle your pet, it will be even more clear for you to close how their stomach ought to feel when exceptional. dull brutal looking mind boggling monster You should likewise consider how much food they are eating.

A brumating winged snake won't eat a ton by any means, hence not hypothesizing that they ought to pass a stool as frequently as could genuinely be expected.

A more serious case would on a very basic level hatred your pet's development. harsh looking winged snake open to be repurchased leg loss of progression is a typical result of an influenced mind blowing beast. In the event that you notice your beardie's back legs aren't moving, or working, get them clearly to the vet.

"I think my shaggy-winged snake is affected. How is it that it could be a good idea for me to reply?"Here is the cycle I have used to assist with exonerating a couple of influenced reptiles all through the long stretch: Quit directing them bugs

Outfit the reptile with several drops of vegetable or olive oil through an eye dropper. On the off chance that you can't blend them to swallow the oil with near no other individual, have a go at blending it in with unsweetened ordinary thing purée.

Run a tepid shower and award them to sprinkle for practically 30 minutes.While sprinkling, cautiously rub the stomach from nose to ceaselessly vent.Get liberated from them from the shower and put them under the flourishing light.Rehash on various occasions dependably until the impaction passes.

This system has wound up ideal for me at this point. In a little while, in the event that your beardies haven't passed the impaction a few days after this treatment, then move them to a vet right away. What this approach does is assist with hydrating your pet while relaxing the impaction through the midsection back rub and oil. You could need to serious areas of strength for deflect during this time also. Offer youth food rather than the standard serving of salad greens, and be certain they are getting a great deal of liquids. Pedialyte and Gatorade turn out ideal in this way.

Bristly impossible beast flourishing is something sensible to hold in line expecting you know what to zero in on. In any case, even the most experienced experts run into an uncommon issue at times. Then, having several stunts open to you will turn out to be useful. These tips won't simply enraged another vet bill, yet keep your pet solid and blissful by interacting with you to quickly make a move. Everything thing you can manage is to contribute energy to your pet for the most part, this way you will rapidly see when something isn't convincingly on with your reptile.

For more info :-

Sumatran Blood Python

Elongated Tortoise

Jayapura Green Tree Python

Ivory Sulcata Tortoise

[tnlbarth-blog]

Aug 4 2023 - 6:16pm

Warning: All people places and things resembling any real people places or things are merely coincidence and are not to be taken as such.

One of the hardest parts of trying to improve myself is figuring out my emotions and how to handle myself while they are dysregulating my body. This has been one of the things I have had a hard time with since I was a child even before trying to better myself.

I have gotten better in these past few years but I still struggle. I have a hard time specifically with anger and agitation. When I get angered I have a hard time staying calm. I don't get angry very often anymore now that I am able to get myself to walk away from angering situations and ignore people trying to purposely upset me. But once I get to a point where that stuff isn't working I let people know exactly how I am feeling.

I don't shout and throw things or hit people. That was stuff a much younger version of me did. I also found out that those things were a part of melt downs I was having and since I learned that I have been able to learn how to avoid that. I haven't hurt a person in a long time. I have developed great coping skills that help regulate my mind and body to help in those situations.

Unfortunately those skills don't seem to have any effect on me after I have lost my temper. I have found it beneficial to either leave to calm down or not talk to the person I have been angered by.

Recently, in the past month or so I have been able to interrupt my emotions from getting too bad by verbally telling people what they are doing is upsetting me. I usually am able to communicate before I lose my temper and get angry at them. Unfortunately these people I am surrounded by, my family, don't seem to think what they are doing is bad enough to warrant me getting mad.

Most of the time I do my best to ignore what they are doing due to the fact that they usually do or say things that are very triggering to my CPTSD, Complex Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. Or they are just blatantly abusing me, like mocking me when I do express my feelings. My mother did that this morning.

I told her that I didn't appreciate her pushing my boundaries yet again

She made a high-pitched whiny voice saying "ee ee ie eh eh!" While she waved her hands in the air and rocked her head from side to side.

She does this often and it's very upsetting for the person she is doing it to. Today I told her as much.

She told me she was "trying to lighten the mood"

It's very frustrating trying to communicate with her when she doesn't respect me or my voice. My mother is very emotionally immature. And in general very immature.

Today she pulled his behavior with me knowing she would get a reaction. I am sick which is making my ability to handle and/or tolerate unfair treatment and bullying basically zero. I am unable to regulate my emotions let alone think straight. And again the whole time she was doing it she was smiling.

My mood has been in the trash since last night. I have been sick and I am the only one in the family that takes care of the pets which doesn't help. I got up late today and was behind on taking care of my cat. I have to take care of the pets while sick every time I get sick (even when i had covid) and that preemptively makes me angry. It would be so bad if it was only my cat but I have to take care of my brother's dog and my mom's outside cat too.

All I wanted was some real honeycomb from a local farm and I asked my brother to bring me to get some. My whole family knows I can't have the crap that calls itself honey from a retail store it makes me ill. But my mom, knowing this, asks me if I want the store bought stuff instead. And from the outside it doesn't look all that bad until you find out I have told my mom over and over again for literal YEARS that fake honey makes me sick. She while doing this has that spiteful vindictive smile on her face knowing what she said would upset me especially since I literally just told her yesterday that store bought honey makes me ill.

My whole day I have had an attitude and my mom could sense it. She exploited it and it worked. No matter how good I am at controlling my emotions I get she will always find a weak spot.

Regards

TNL Barth

[askaceattorney]

(Previous Letters)

Dear Dawsongfg,

Chief Mod Edgeworth: Your letters are at least less cringy to the point they’re tolerable now.

Aside from that, I do agree that Apollo’s sprite was great and one of my best works.

(Referenced Letter)

Dear Trearoos,

Chief Mod Edgeworth: 

Fixed it. However, I ask you to report this in the comment section of the post. It’s easier on the smartphone.

(Referenced Letter)

Dear Trearoos,

Chief Mod Edgeworth: 

Oh yeah! It’s been a while since I’ve played it and I always favored Sayori. She was always so cheery and bright. Not to mention I’m a sucker for best friends turning into romantic couples.

Co-Mod: Same!  I’ll always be of the opinion that Natsuki is best girl, but Sayori is best girl for the main character.

Dear Lupin Fan,

Chief Mod Edgeworth: I agree the crossover would be fantastic, but I’d rather it be given its own separate crossover like Professor Layton vs Phoenix Wright. I’d also rather it be a crossover of a Sherlock Holmes game with Lupin. 

Having a three-way crossover wouldn’t hurt, but you are talking three major players having to share an equal role. If there was a follow-up to The Great Ace Attorney Resolve, I’d like it to either focus on Ryunosuke and Susato building their own law firm or have it be Barok and Kazuma focus on their adventures.

(Referenced Link)

Dear Anonymous,

Chief Mod Edgeworth: Ah, I see. Thank you for explaining this to me.

(Referenced Letter)

Dear Dawsongfg,

Chief Mod Edgeworth: My hatred for the anime has nothing to do with Manfred von Karma caring about Edgeworth or not. It’s the fact the anime made so many changes from the game that make zero sense and leave more questions than answers. 

Do you know what other version of Ace Attorney had Manfred von Karma caring deeply about Edgeworth? The live action Ace Attorney, which is superior to the anime in every way. Let me give you a comparison. 

In the live action version, the scene of the crime of DL-6 took place in the evidence room and there was no earthquake. Obviously, being this was a live action adaptation made under a very low budget, it makes sense. However, despite this change, they made sure the scene of Gregory Edgeworth’s murder carried the same weight and tone as the game. Because this took place in the evidence room, the scene made it seem like Gregory was destroying evidence, leading up to the bailiff attacking Gregory, then little Edgeworth picking up the gun dropped to point it at Yanni Yogi. Even if this is a change from the game, it gives the same weight and feeling that Edgeworth really could have been the one to shoot his father. Even young Edgeworth fainting suddenly could be taken as his trauma having thought to have killed his father being so severe that the stress made him pass out. It’s even set up in a way to where even Gregory might’ve truly thought his son accidentally shot him in attempt to shoot Yanni Yogi. So, while there were changes, it makes sense from a visual medium in live action low budget film. 

On the other hand, you have the anime that has the advantage to animate the scene of the murder of DL-6, yet skip the earthquake and Edgeworth’s trauma of it for no reason. The anime does this. It always takes away the trauma and weight Edgeworth went through in the game. Not to mention the animation is crap. 

Dear Charicla,

Chief Mod Edgeworth: It was about four months ago.

Dear Miraz van Nohrr,

Chief Mod Edgeworth: I’m from Texas.

Mod Justice: Same here.

Dear Dawsongfg,

Chief Mod Edgeworth: Judging by the date, I’d say you’re talking about the Christmas banner?

Thanks, I guess? Though, this banner has been around for years. I might update it a bit depending if I ever find the time.

Dear Anonymous,

Chief Mod Edgeworth: 

Damnit Apollo, every single time, we have to get a new duck tape and bubblewrap. I ain’t got time and money to buy us a new window.

Dear Glitteringlyyours,

Chief Mod Edgeworth: You’re likely reading past letters from Dawsongfg about last year or so ago. They’ve since started sending normal letters.

[cursedcomics]

Dream Job: Writing the Legion of Super Heroes. Pt. 3

Fans are split on the inclusion of Kal-El as Superboy.  As “MightyGodKing” points out in his blog, there are a couple problems with including Superboy.  1) you know he survives to be superman, so that allegedly removes the drama of his involvement in a fight.  2) It has become popular to think the Legion became better because Superboy left. That is a popular opinion among a lot of Legion fans. With that in mind, if you include superboy, you are including this “limiting element” and the fans will rip you a new one for catering to “intractable” very old fans.  If you create or use another character as “the superboy character” old fans will hate it and new fans will still rip you.

I am going to say all of that thinking is wrong.

To create a timeline that all legion fans can tolerate, you have to have Kal-El Superboy in the Legion.

It is as simple as that.

Not including him turns off a huge chunk of your fan base. 

You don’t have to use him all the time, but he has to be there.  “MightyGodKing” argued quite compellingly that Supergirl makes a ton more sense than Superboy in the Legion on a day to day basis.  I totally agree, but you absolutely need the real Superboy present.

People like to throw out the Levitz run to point out the lack of need for Superboy.  

Go back and re-read the Great Darkness Saga --- the generally acknowledged high point of that run.  Superboy and Supergirl were all over that story.

Look at the end of five years later to really get it.  With the world winding down to zero hour and the legion reboot, superboy flashes back into existance and gives a rousing speech that pulls all of the legionaires out of depression.

Those two elements are it in a nutshell.

The Legion may kick the crap out of the JLA, but both teams have “allegedly” a strongest member who also happens to represent due north in morality in the DCU. 

Kal -El.

I don’t particularly like Superman.  He’s kind of boring.  But I love Superboy --- a young Superman who hasn’t figured it all out and makes decisions --- always defendable ones --- with his heart as much as his head.

Superboy is the moral compass of the Legion.  That is an incredibly important element when you think what the Legion represents --- a future where good ideas have won out over bad ones.

You can look at Mon-el and Supergirl and argue that maybe they make sense as moral compasses.  I think they do to a lesser degree, but Legion Kara adores and worships Kal-El’s decision making.  Mon-el is Kal-El’s “first follower”.

Moral north in the DCU is Kal-El.

And I also reject the argument that including him weakens the stories.  Young Kal-El is literally “our eyes” looking at the strange future of the Legion. He opens the door to seeing the SF nature of the 31st century through 21st century eyes.

I think he is also a determinative factor for fans to evaluate villains.  Let me explain.

Tharok would give the Fatal Five specific instructions not to kill Kal-El as it would eliminate Superman and change the timeline.

Mordru would just assume he could fix it with his magic if he killed Kal-El.

The League of Super Assassins would believe what they were told, that Kal-El is just a Daxamite R.J. Brande hired to impersonate the legendary Superman to give the Legion more support on earth.  They would be happy to try to kill him.

People like Nemesis Kid would just want to kill Superboy because he would see Kal-El as “just a guy.”  He just would not accept that a rando like Clark Kent could be as important to history as he is made out.

And that’s what you’d find.  Pragmatic villains would decide to surrender to Superboy and the Legion rather than risk killing Kal-El.

The truly power hungry or disturbed villains wouldn’t care. 

in the real world, I can make the argument to editorial that Kal-El needs to be in the Legion and explain the financial value it creates for DC.  

I know there have been several reasons DC has resisted this over the years.  I have compelling contentions that can illustrate the increased value of such a move and strategical ways to satisfy their business goals which may seem at odds with this.

[elinor-taylor]

A Troop 2.0

There was no scenario in which Squad Leader Rickett would allow A Troop to fuck this up again. Fair enough, they'd made the mistake of being too recruit-heavy, utilised too many Faretheewell civvies to make it work last time around. Local knowledge, she told the group as they cruised in formation, was all well and good until the fighting started. Then what you needed was firepower and the willingness to use it.

This was a hummer squad now, she said, first and foremost. And hummers didn't tolerate the kind of west gate crap the forest flutterers did. Magic or no magic it was time for action. They'd be as well not to forget who they were.

There was zero chance of that. And no point bringing Green 5 into it either. Rickett knew the image of their last squad leader's decapitation had been permanently branded on the eyes of her team, as it had on her own. And while it was true that a healthy dose of fear proved a good motivator, pure white-knuckle terror did not.

Hummers were tough but not without feeling.

'Faij. Varla.'

'Boss?'

'Check around the well at ground level. I want to be damned sure nobody snuck in or out. Got it? Nobody.'

'Aye, Boss.' The young gunwings dropped out of line and disappeared through the canopy.

'Bomber. Klick. You too. That's a lot of ground to cover. You see the biggun, plus or minus the gobshite, hang back. Await my word.'

'Boss.' The second pair zipped downward toward the forest floor, following the first.

'Free?' Rickett turned to face the young hummer who'd been angling all season to be her second in command. She made a point of not softening her voice. There could be no favourites out in the field.

'Boss?'

'Get to Janet's Table,' Rickett said. 'That's where they were headed. At least we learned that much from the last recon. If they're still there, stay low. We'll catch you up after a sweep around what's left of the village.'

'Boss.' Gunwing Free tapped her feet together and darted away. But not before curling up the side of her mouth in a secretive half-smile that told Rickett their encounter the night before was still at the forefront of her mind.

Rickett didn't reciprocate. She didn't much fancy her head taken off.

***

A shout came from the direction of the shrine just as the sun tipped the hills, casting shadows through the treetops, darkening the woodland below. The girl and the goblin had indeed been there, yes, but they'd moved on. Where they'd moved on to was anyone's guess as the path split off in any number of combinations from there. Something like a vascular system were you to view it from above, which at this time of year, with the trees still laden with leaves, you could not.

'Fuck's sake.' Rickett made the drop from cruise height to ground level in a flit, stopping just short of the ferns, then humming carefully down to her feet. There were some skills that came with being partial west-blooded, at least, so as the only member of the troop with a lick of green to her name, it fell upon her to pick up the scent from there.

It irked the hardened soldier to have to rely on her repressed woodland traits. She would scrub them from her insides if she could, lest she be mistaken for one of those softling shitters. She was so sick of their run-and-hide attitude to what was going on in their own lands. So you dropped your guard, opened the doors and let them in, and now you wonder why you got what you got? Boo-hoo. Pick up a weapon and fight, you dumb fucks. (It was no accident that Borealis had chosen Rickett for squad leader, given they shared a common view on that).

'How long, Boss?' Free asked, from a safe enough length away to ensure any possible retaliatory sparks from the squad lead wouldn't reach her.

Rickett pulled a fern frond from its stalk and sniffed it. She looked about the clearing at the floral offerings. Resting against the stone table, tucked between the sprawling mix of pink and yellow honeysuckle, she spied a humble bunch of nettle flowers. 'Not long enough,' she said.

She felt it then, the subtlest of waves in the air, rippling trails left by a recent disturbance. 'That way,' she said. 'Find them and bring her to me.'

Free didn't need telling twice. 'Yes, Boss.'

The young gunwing called to the others, rallying them together and guiding them away through the trees with all the leadership of a worthy second in command. There was no mistaking her aspiration, or how much she enjoyed her work, both of which might impress or alarm depending on your perspective.

When Rickett was quite sure A-Troop were out of sight, she turned back to the shrine. 'You can come out now, ladies,' she said, shaking her head.

Slowly, Eryl and Mae Skylark crept out from behind a large outcrop of knapwort, where they'd been hiding since the girl and the goblin left some several sun blinks earlier. The sisters met the soldier with heads bowed. They fully expected the worst.

Squad leader Rickett reached out and placed a firm a hand on each of their shoulders, and the rogue forest fairies, eyes closed, held their quivering breath.

Rickett was intimidating beyond measure. Encased in her full combat gear and weaponry, she could blow a jumping flea out of the air from twenty black heifers away, and you simply didn't argue with that.

Well, we're done, Eryl thought.

Agreed, Mae though back.

Rickett paused for a moment to gather herself. 'Don't do that again,' she said.

[larentsaloud]

In this version, Thyme knew he was wrong but does not know how to go about fulfilling his mother's expectations. Also, his mother seems to give a pass to his violent tendencies and anger.

Gorya is not there making Thyme change...she is there setting an example to Thyme ' in the right direction'.

This version is moving from girl making guy better person to girl supporting the guy to be a better person.

That’s a valid point. He also explains his impulse control issues, like not being able to wait to get what he wants, when he’s bandaging injured Gorya. She mockingly laughs at his pile of junk that he has accumulated. But he takes a serious tone and says: ‘everything would be better if i could control myself’ or something to that effect.

I imagine that his mother tolerates the outbursts, because she sees them for what they are - cries for help - but has no emotional capacity to tackle the root cause. Instead she continues to tell him he disappoints her and thus opening the wound up. Which is why hearing Gorya tell him he hasn’t changed hurts him so much. His need for validation from her is sky rocket high.

He craves affection, but really what Gorya does is what nobody else could: and he even acknowledged this himself. She stands up to him. MJ and Kavin try, but there are spheres they cannot reach.

It’s Gorya who rough handles him into submission, physically. Although emotionally she does the opposite, she provides a soft landing.

That’s why this version takes the pressure off the woman to ‘change him’ and he has the aspiration to get better, to be worthy of her.

What I like, is that Gorya’s interactions with him always come from her true self, whether she’s mad, happy, doubtful, scared, hopeful, thrilled, overwhelmed or longing—she never backs down to his pertinence. As such she teaches him by example on how to be true to himself.

She’s also flawed and by no means does she have it all figured out. She lies, she also uses violence on others like him. She doesn’t say or pretend to be perfect. But her values are aligned with her actions and she knows when to apologise and when to tell him to cut the crap.

They’ve done something special in this series i adore every second of the production and i have zero complaints so far.

♥️

D.

[the-cult-of-russo]

gotta know how u think billy would be as a dad with his kids :D

I had so many requests for Dad!Billy headcanons 😭

I hope you're ready for this chaotic ramble.

Please remember this is my Billy I'm writing

-

You know those parents who take like a million pictures of their kid and show them to everyone? The kind that talks about their kid nonstop to anyone who'll listen? Their family, friends, the poor random old lady at the store that just wants to buy some damn milk.

That's Billy.

He's such an unbelievably proud parent, his pride for his kids knows no bounds. It doesn't even need to be some kind of milestone worth celebrating, everything his kid does makes him proud. You better believe when his baby has an explosive crap and ruins their clothes, he's boasting about it the next day to Frank and the guys at Anvil.

-

He's incredibly protective. Murder is a possibility if his kids in danger. He wants nothing more than to keep his kids safe. If they're being bullied, it takes all of his willpower to stop himself from kicking the kids ass for doing that to his kid. He's not above picking a fight with the bullies dad though if they don't get their little shit head in check and also making it known to the principle that this shit won't fly with him.

~

"Mr Russo, I don't think you understand how serious this is. Your son broke a kids nose," the principle mutters with a glare.

Billy tilts his head, regarding the teacher with those unsettling eyes that has the old man squirming in his seat.

"You’re damn right he did," Billy replies seriously, a proud tone to his voice. His dark eyes cut to his left where his son is, practically his double. As Billy smirks, unable to help himself, his son wears the same one although he's lowering his head to hide his amusement.

"We don't tolerate that behaviour here, Mr Russo," the principle huffs. Billy's eyes harden then as his eyes narrow, sitting forward in his chair just the right amount to be imposing. The second the man leans back he knows it worked.

"You know what I don't tolerate? My kid bein' bullied. You assholes won't do shit to stop it, so I say let the little fucker get a taste of his own medicine. Serves him right for messin' with a Russo," he smirks wickedly.

~

He teaches them self defence, wanting them to be able to look after themselves if it ever came down to it. Naturally, for their 16th birthday, they're gifted with a big ass knife.

-

Billy as a dad is so stupidly soft.

We all remember the scene from the show, right? Where he's in the hospital with his mom and he says;

"Maybe you did me a solid, you know? I mean, the way I see it, you want weak kids, give 'em everything. But if you... if you want 'em strong... treat 'em hard."

When he has a kid of his own he realises just what utter garbage this is. The idea of all the shit he's been through making him into the tough son of a bitch he is today is born from trauma that he still hasn't dealt with. The way his brain tries to rationalise what he went though. To make it make sense instead of it being so goddamn senseless.

But if he's honest, more than he'd like to admit, he finds himself wondering just what his life would have been like if he grew up in a loving home. What it would be like to feel wanted and cared for. To rise to the top being helped and cheered on by others instead of clawing his way there with bloodied and dirty fingers, the weight of the world bearing down on him as he's beat down at every turn.

He never wants his kids to feel that way. Not even a fraction of how unloved and unwanted he felt. He does everything in his power to make sure they know just how much he cares about them. There's literally nothing he wouldn't do for his kids. They could turn up at home one day and confess to a murder and Billy wouldn't hesitate to ask where the body is so he can handle it for them.

-

Billy is ridiculously sentimental when it comes to his kids. Drawings go up on the fridge and when a new one takes its place, the old one goes into a box of many others that he can't seem to ever throw away. He has multiple pictures of his kids at his office, even some framed cute drawings they did for him. He's kept all the mementos from the pregnancy, birth and onwards. They're his little treasures.

-

Billy is super supportive of everything his kids do. He makes sure they get a good education but he never pushes them to do something they don't want to do. Despite the large college fund he's got for them, if they choose not to go to college, he doesn't pressure them. Instead, whatever hopes and dreams they have, he does everything in his power to support and help them. Whether that's moral and emotional support, money or even breaking a few jaws of people standing in their way.

-

Let's look a little bit at how he is throughout some of the ages of his kid.

Billy with a baby is a sight to behold. No one has ever seen Lieutenant William Russo so goddamn soft. Once he's got hold of his baby, you've got no chance of getting them back off him. You'd have to fight him. He adores holding his little one close, soaking them in. He's constantly holding them no matter what he's doing and baby carriers and wraps are a godsend to him. You'd heard about them from a friend and told Billy and you better believe by the time the baby's born that he's an expert on all things baby wearing. He's a perfectionist and carrying a baby wrong can be dangerous. He makes sure he knows how to do it right.

Just as he has little affectionate touches for you, he has the same for his baby. His large hand stroking their tiny head and little hair. His finger stroking their chubby little cheek. He's a tactile person and touch is grounding for him. It soothes him to do so with his baby and reassures him they're really there and that they're okay.

He's super attentive. Of course he works a lot but as soon as he becomes a dad, he doesn't stay late anymore and makes sure to have days off. The second he comes home, he's making a beeline for his baby, scooping them up with a grin. He loves to read to them, something that continues as they grow up. His weekends used to be restful or if he was feeling like a masochist, he'd work from home. But now weekends are his time to shine. By the time you wake up on a Saturday morning, he's already up with the baby, making you breakfast as he's got the baby attached to him via baby carrier.

As his baby grows into a toddler, each milestone makes him tearful and full of pride. He kisses any booboos that happen and he's constantly playing with his child. He has a pretty silly side to him that most don't get to see. Making his kid laugh and smile brings him the greatest joy.

He loves taking his toddler to the office with him. Everyone dotes on his kid and treats them like royalty.

When they turn into a small child, he watches with a proud smile and amusement as his kid wants to fight with his men, watching them 'beat' the shit out of them. The guys at Anvil are more than happy to very dramatically go down, and the apple doesn't fall far from the tree when the tiny Russo grins smugly at their 'win'.

Their first day at school and Billy's a mess. It's such a turning point and he doesn't know how to deal with how fast their growing up. But every achievement at school, even minor ones, and he's showering them with praise.

He encourages them to work hard and as soft as he might be, he is still the boss. He makes sure they do their homework and don't fall behind on their studies.

One thing Billy loves is teaching his kids stuff. Whether that's mundane stuff to help with school or teaching them shit he knows like survivalist things, because you can never be too prepared, right? He loves helping them with school projects and answering any questions they might have about one of the many things he's knowledgeable about.

When his kids moves onto those hard teenage years, the ones where everything feels so dramatic and world ending, he's a little tougher when it calls for it. Billy is no novice to rebellion, he has a rebellious streak of his own and marches to the beat of his own drum half the time. He respects that. What he doesn't respect or tolerate is behaviour that's going to fuck his kid over in the long run or self sabotage. He will be firm and a hard ass if he needs to be to keep his kids on a path where they don't get hurt or ruin their life.

Billy has a zero tolerance policy on drugs. After the shit with his mother, he won't budge on this. If he finds out his kid is dabbling in drugs, they're grounded until they're old enough to move out.

-

No matter what age his kids are, Billy loves them immensely. He wants to be the father he wished he'd had growing up and he pours all of his anguish and pain from his upbringing into it. Channeling it into the purest form of love for his kids. To break the curse that had hold of him. He won't perpetuate the cycle.

Being a father brings him a sense of completeness and peace he didn't think was possible for him to achieve. It fills the void that's been eating away at his soul from his lack of love as a child and he loves every second of being a parent. Even the hard moments.

-

Bonus:

The Russo's and the Castle's go on monthly camping trips together. Billy loves the outdoors, the mild survivalist feelings he gets from it without the real danger. He loves taking his kids there, teaching them everything. In his role as dad and uncle, he sits around the camp fire at night, the light of the flames dancing along his face as he very theatrically tells the kids a spooky story.

You and his kids are his immediate family but the Castle's are his family too. So he really loves it when you all get to spend time together like that.