#but as long as you’re aware of this and using your critical thinking skills

[lovewritteninthestrands]

it’s actually not difficult to say “thank you for calling me on that! I’ll keep that in mind going forward” when you say or do something unintentionally bigoted and ppl will almost always appreciate that you’re listening and trying to change your bad behavior instead of being a dick and doubling down. i think being able to do this when the person criticizing you is doing so in good faith is indicative of maturity.

[baby-girl-aaron-dessner]

Hi, I’m glad you’re bringing this topic up without it feeling like you’re going to be rude—in fact you’re being kind about it.

I do wish she’d speak up on a lot of topics. I live in the south, but am not a “typical southerner”. I’m a queer liberal. I would’ve loved for her to say something about the reproductive rights that were taken away from my state the very week she played multiple shows here, but she didn’t. Or to have voter registration available at the venue.

But back to Palestine, which is an absolute genocide. I’ve been torn wondering if I’m simply wanting her to speak up on it because it’s what I believe is right—or do I think it would effect change? I don’t know the answer to that, but you seem better versed than I am, and I guess I’m hoping this is a safe space to ask that. What would we hope comes from Taylor speaking out about this? I am trying to think critically about this, so I hope you won’t see this as me disagreeing. I really do wish she would. I just don’t if what we’re asking of her would end up being performative for the public, or would it effect real change to save lives in Palestine?

Hi anon, firstly, I’m so sorry to hear that your reproductive rights were stripped from you and your fellow citizens. If there’s anything I can do to help – whether that be signing a petition or donating to women in need – please let me know.

Secondly, I do want to make sure this is a safe space for swifties (especially those of us who are minorities and often feel overlooked in the fandom) to express their thoughts because its important that we use our critical thinking skills as opposed to following someone blindly and without question (we’re not sheep, after all).  

To answer your questions, “What would we hope comes from Taylor speaking out about this?” and “would it effect real change to save lives in Palestine?” there are 2 main points worth discussing.

Firstly, the most obvious point is that Taylor herself believes in activism and has stated that "I need to be on the right side of history". For reference, please see her Miss Americana documentary, her Rolling Stone interview on discussing white privilege as well as a bunch of other times she has made her stance clear (Tweets about Trump, interviews in her Lover era, her speech during Pride Month etc.).

Unfortunately, because she no longer participates in activism and hasn’t for a long time now during the peak of her career, it’s fair to criticise her previous activism during her Lover era as performative or selective.

It begs the question, “Does she no longer care about standing up for what is right?”

Secondly, to answer your question: yes, speaking out and doing the right thing matters and makes a difference. And there are three reasons for this:

The principle: to be on the right side of history

Safety of the oppressed (recently, Swifties have been caught committing hate crimes against minorities and doxing Palestinians)

It makes a difference (e.g. donations feed the hungry and poor, awareness leads to better voting outcomes which in turn leads to better policy decisions).

I’ve already spoken about the first point.

The second point is especially relevant following recent events where Swifties have harmed minorities (see below). In this case, it’s important for an influential leader of a powerful fandom to make their stance clear on a genocide so that innocent people don’t get harmed.

And the third point is that activism matters because it creates a real impact. For example, The Weeknd recently donated millions of dollars to families in Gaza which means people who are starving and are victims of genocide can at least be fed. Because Taylor is a billionaire, she has the capacity to spare a few dollars to feed those who are starving like her celebrity peers – Gigi Hadid, The Weeknd, Dua Lipa etc.

This is especially important for Taylor because the IDF and the State of Israel use her and her music in their PR strategies (see their post about her bodyguard on the social media account of Israel). This is similar to when Trump and the Republicans actively used her in their PR strategies and spoke about how much they liked her and so she became a darling of the extreme Right. That was until she came out and said she was against white supremacy and showed public support for the Dems.

Finally, as @placeinthisworld so eloquently put it, “friendly reminder you can love taylor swift but still be critical about her silence about politics and current events because tbh it’s pretty obvious where her values lie now”.  Here are other Swiftie’s who are more articulate than me:

Anyway, I hope this answers the question of why her fans (including me) are disappointed in her decision to remain deathly silent on genocide.

[schro4444]

Ohh the idea of them pooling their skills together to create better disguises together is brilliant! the mimicking voices was probably Chikage (I imagine you'd have to have been training your voice constantly for a looooooong time to get the huge vocal range needed for that...I wonder how she became a thief actually, iirc she targeted corrupt corporations) but I bet it was Toichi who could do all kinds of interesting things with it - throwing his voice so it seems he's speaking from somewhere he isn't, making it seem as though it's far away or right behind you or simply making it carry (to his audience!), and yeah the acting through body language and reading ppl bc he needs to act like it was all part of the plan if a trick goes wrong and needed to improvise, and be able to read his audience to control where their attention goes and pull off misdirection. Also he probably does have very good spatial awareness, I cannot beLIEVE he went through LASER NET with a CAPE AND TOP HAT, he's RIDICULOUS

"as long as you're feeling agile enough" Chikage is, in fact, the one who was good at acrobatics while Toichi did a lame little side shuffle, she probably knew parkour too. Also ik it's not realistic but I was suddenly assaulted w the image of Chikage teaching Kaito and Toichi parkour and acrobatics together at the same time and Kaito being better at it than Toichi jhdgjsgf. bby Kaito probably used his parents as a jungle gym tbh, imagine talking to THE Kuroba Toichi, best magician in Japan (best magician in the WORLD Kaito corrects vehemently), all the while a 6 yo is doing a handstand on his shoulders or smth

Also I'm not surprised in the least that talking his way out was his plan, his advice to Kaito was "turn your critics into your fans" and THESE critics were out to ARREST THEM yet it STILL WORKED. absolute madlads

YESSSS perfect!! the ultimate combination of skills!!! I wonder how she became a thief too. like. was she raised in it? was it circumstances? revenge turned vigilantism? IDK!!! clearly she was tired of it by the end, but she also clearly was having fun. pls I need the prequel so bad

I think about the hat a lot actually. it’s so tall. between the hat & cape and the bandages OVER THE EYES you have to admire the kurobas’ commitment to the aesthetic

LAME LITTLE SIDE SHUFFLE SHFHDHD poor man. but you’re absolutely right. LISTEN I’m absolutely certain that chikage taught kaito parkour by pretending it was gymnastics practice or obstacle courses or something similar, so it’s not a huge stretch At All to include toichi in those lessons. that stuff is so hard to learn as an adult, too… cue 6yo kaito doing full trapeze acrobat moves with chikage while toichi does his absolute BEST to learn a back handspring before his next heist

toichi turned “fake it til you make it” into a successful international phantom thief career, it’s a magician’s Greatest ability. now kaito can do it too but Also with the help of Actual Crime Skills (everyone say thank you chikage)

ventriloquism TOTALLY has practical use in magic. okok I’ve actually thought abt this before—for toichi to be the best magician ever, his shows would need to be WILD. bc irl magicians can do some insane things. I think he totally just did the most bamboozling acts where he’d make himself disappear and then have his voice appear from 5 directions at once, or use ventriloquism + magic to convince people that inanimate objects were alive and talking, stuff like that. worldwide magic sensation kuroba toichi disguises himself as you in real time and then he calls your mom using your voice while escaping from a straightjacket. etc.

WHICH OF COURSE leads DIRECTLY to kaito using this nonsense to become the most chaotic little nightmare child EVER (beloved). he is a terror to his classmates and his parents are actively part of the problem. aoko comes into the house like “kaito where are you” and she hears “I’m coming!” from upstairs and then he appears directly behind her. she screams and goes to tell on him to toichi but toichi does the same thing to her. chikage apologizes for both of them using their own voices. this is just what it’s like in the kuroba household. when kaito gets in trouble at school they’re 100% the kind of parents to be more disappointed that he got caught, not about the fact that he was building a confetti cannon at his desk

[runningfrom2am]

“You were scared. Of him.” BABY BOY DID YOU EVEN HEAR WHAT SHE SAID ABOUT THE GAMES??

how i love when there’s a letter to feel guilty about, from beyond the grave.

“Or that if you’re out on cold nights when the breeze chills your skin, you’ll think of us.” THERE IT IS!!!

“Alas, that love, so gentle in his view, / Should be so tyrannous and rough in proof!” the way that this is their relationship summary-

the fact that he sent the bread and the water only to buy her trust back is very reasonable and therefore disturbing.

SHE WOULD HAVE DIED WITHOUT HIS MOTHER’S SCARF!! she still cries for ruining something coryo gave her even after last night. I AM UNWELL!!

i just know that lucky and dr gaul are both losing it at the back for not having cameras in the vents. they’re very close to the end of the games yet they cannot see what is happening.

even the girl who had planned to stay still and wait for her end resorts to survival when fate knocks on her door and there is too much to lose.

okay we’re gonna rock with the same numbering system for this one bc we have SEVERAL points to go over.

(also i did have to reread it rq before i answered this bc i wrote and edited this like two weeks ago lol)

1. i mean,, at least he’s kinda self aware HAHAHA. actually very SELF aware and not very contextually observant rn. like babe you KNOW how terrified she was already and now the only person in this whole place who she trusts has started swinging too?! ZERO critical thinking skills.

2. yeahhhhh yk i had to do it 🤭 at first when i was writing it i was like “this is way too wordy” but then i was like “raye,,, duh words are her whole thing don’t be dumb” so i let it go on as long as it needed to haha. like i can see it SO vividly like it was probably hard to read i just KNOW she covered that whole sheet in writing without an inch to spare. i also feel like for her it wasn’t enough, but she would never complain or dare ask for another sheet.

3. title drop let’s goooooo (there will be more i think i do this a few times lol)

4. no bc that quote was so perfect i’ve been sitting on it since i started writing this series it’s been rotting in my notes waiting to be used and i just 🥹 of COURSE that’s what she would use as her real confession i’ll actually puke ab it.

as much as he thought the monologue was a confession, it really wasn’t. he heard what he wanted to hear, that she loved him and cared about him. which she does, but her intention was to beg and plead with him to be good and stay that way. she had no receipts besides his namesake and where he lived to base this theory off of, but i think after they discussed the tragedy of coriolanus at length she just wanted to hammer home that he is not what his name would suggest. this letter though was the realest confession she would give, through written word, and i think that’s very real to who she is, especially being so far from home and her family and her safe space.

5. pretending that he wanted her to help jessup was literally all he could do!! to him, what’s the alternative? give her the cold shoulder in the most vulnerable (likely final) days of her life? he couldn’t do that even if he wanted to, i think. i don’t think it successfully buys her trust, but i do think it is so motivational for her to just know that at the very least he is still there.

6. omg yeah me too i am SICK. she’s crying and apologizing knowing damn well he can’t even hear it or see what she’s doing but she feels just awful even though it means she would survive. as if that’s not the whole reason he gave it to her. he gave her the go ahead to use his mothers scarf to kill someone if she had to- and she feels that guilty about using it to save herself?? i’ll puke ab this actually she is so sweet. she cares about him so so deeply and i think a massive part of her fear, that kept her up all night, was that that fact that she loves him cares did not change.

7. yeah they did NOT think that one through and ik it’s just eating dr. gaul ALIVE bro. this could also be the beginning (assuming the games do continue- who knows) of the trackers that monitor heart rates and vitals of tributes.

8. OKAY YES so i’m gonna tie this into point 6 too bc i feel like that’s the manifestation of this internal battle she’s having. if she had originally planned to give up her life at the very beginning, i can so easily see the guilt that she’s feeling over every little thing she’s doing to preserve her own life beyond that point. so not only is she ruining his late mothers beautiful scarf, she’s also betraying herself. the “old her”, if you will. she shouldn’t be alive anyways, she will die soon anyways, so it feels like a waste to ruin this scarf in the process when she likely believes it will be peeled off her dead body regardless. but she still does it.

she told herself that coryo was what changed that plan- that she wanted to win for him, but i don’t even know that that’s fully true. maybe it was about saving herself all along, but she felt too horribly guilty about the circumstances to even admit that to herself. especially now that she’s starting to devolve mentally, she opens the compact knowing that its contents will kill the boys that are after her, but immediately she’s going “oh, it looks like salt” and committing to that narrative so desperately so she can hide from herself that now not only is she ruining the scarf to save herself, that she’s also directly causing fatal harm to others which she has always sworn she would never do.

[musicfeedsmysoul12]

A Talking To

Summary: Shinsou's homeroom teacher wants to talk to him about training for heroics. It doesn't go how anyone would expect.

Note: This was an exercise for me in trying to write a character I like (Shinsou) critically. It is Shinsou Critical and uses an OC to do so. It does not go as far as some fics do, but I had a good time trying this out.

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 Shinsou Hitoshi had been waiting for a few minutes when his homeroom teacher finally showed up to her office. Gas Attack, or GA-Sensei as most called her, looked at him apologetically. 

 “Sorry Shinsou, had to deal with some crap thanks to the internships coming up,” she said. The very tall and muscular woman opened her office to reveal a simple room with a desk and chairs. Gas Attack was one of the few teachers who had their own office, with most preferred the more traditional style of sharing. Hitoshi knew though that Gas Attack’s Quirk was behind her sole office. Poison Gas had her only ever breathing out deadly clouds, meaning for safety reasons she didn’t share an office so she could eat comfortably. 

 “I heard some heroes were offering internships to Gen Ed,” Hitoshi said as causally as he could. He hoped that was the reason for his meeting.

 “Second year students yeah.” Gas Attack said crushing his hope. The woman let him into her office, following after. She sat at her desk, removing her tank from her back so she didn’t have to sit uncomfortably. “Alright Shinsou. Do you know why I asked to meet with you?” 

 “No,” Hitoshi said. It had been sudden, her request, but he didn’t think it would be like that time with his teacher in middle school who wanted Hitoshi to mind control someone else. 

 “Shinsou… you’re aware you’re on wait list with the rest of your classmates correct?” Gas Attack asked. 

 Hitoshi scowled at the reminded he’d failed the entrance exam because the stupid exam was stacked against people like him. who had Quirks that didn’t work against robots. Only to stop. “Wait what?” the rest of his classmates?

 “… Shinsou, you do know class C is the class for students like yourself who applied for Gen Ed and heroics, and who got wait listed for the heroics program right?” Gas Attack asked. “I know Nezu and I both talked about it at the beginning of the year. Though I’ll admit that orientation got very long…”

 “I… no.” Hitoshi could admit he hadn’t been paying attention. To bitter. “How did Ito not get in?” He couldn’t help but ask, mentioning the girl with laser eyes.

 “Same way you didn’t. She failed the exam.” Gas Attack said. “I know you students seem to be fond of complaining about how unfair the exam is, and I’ll give you that it is biased towards flashy Quirks but we have an invisible student in 1A this year, and a student who just talks to animals. If you’re smart, cunning and skilled the exam can be passed.” 

 Hitoshi nearly flinched. His mom had posed a question to him after watching the sports festival, if he was so certain he’d failed the exam because of his Quirk being a bad match up, how did Hagakure get in. The boy hadn’t been able to answer. 

 “I suppose this actually explains a few things to…” Gas Attack muttered. 

 “What?” Hitoshi asked.

 “Shinsou, why haven’t you taken advantage of the gyms here? Why haven’t you approached me or any of your other teachers about advice for training?” Gas Attack asked. 

 “… what?” Hitoshi repeated, baffled.

 “Shinsou, it was all in your syllabus. Please tell me you didn’t just ignore it,” Gas Attack said in a very disappointed tone as Hitoshi squirmed. He’d thrown it out the first day, to angry at being denied a place in heroics. “This explains everything I wanted to ask at this meeting.” Gas Attack sighed. 

 “What was this meeting about?” Hitoshi asked. If she'd already made up her mind, something had to be going on.

 “There are three ways people can become a hero at this school. Start off in heroics, transfer in or receive specialized training to gain a recommendation for the licensing exams.” Gas Attack explain. “Also explained during orientation.”

 “You just said it was long,” Hitoshi said in embarrassment he'd missed that. “I doubt anyone else heard it.”

 “Six of your classmates approached me about gym time and training plans. Three asked about apprenticing with someone and one has already been offered special training,” Gas Attack said. “When I was asked about you I said I didn't think you were ready and so far nothing has proven me wrong.” 

 “What?!” Hitoshi jumped up. “How can you say that?! I got into the final round of the sports festival and it was just because of that monkey and perf-Quriked-”

 “Shinsou, do not use slurs in front of me!” Gas Attack said, her voice carrying. He froze, eyes widening when he realized what he'd just said in front of a teacher. Shit.

 “I… I didn't mean it. I was just angry.” he said quietly as he sat back down. He didn't mean it. It was just… easier to use those as descriptions. He didn't mean them meanly. 

 He wasn't a bad person. 

 “Don’t lie,” Gas Attack sighed. Hitoshi flinched. “I don't think you're actually anti-mutation like you just hinted but I do think you're pretty damn Quirkist Shinsou.”

“What?!” Hitoshi felt hurt by that. He wasn't Quirkist! How could his sensei say that?! He thought he had a teacher who understood him given the first day of classes she laid out who she was. Government Hero Gas Attack, part of the military and used as a last resort when death was the only remaining option. She was on a watch list because of the risk of her Quirk. He thought she understood.

 “Present Mic was muzzled for most of his childhood. He's talked about it openly yet last week I heard you talking about how he doesn't understand discrimination after he told you off for commenting on Ito’s complaints about her eyes.” Gas Attack said. Hitoshi remembered that. Ito complained about the stinging in her eyes which led to her complaining about how people reacted to her Quirk. He'd said she should shut up about Quirk issues. Then Present Mic and…

 Hitoshi had forgotten about that. That Present Mic was muzzled for a portion of his life. Because people didn't like his Quirk. 

 “You complained about Cementoss telling you off about using your Quirk on your teammates in the Calvary battle and said he doesn't understand how hard it is with your Quirk when he's been buried alive by classmates for his. All of this is public knowledge Shinsou. I know you know it.” Gas Attack said. Hitoshi remembered that to.

 Cementoss told him it wasn't heroic to brainwash people to work for him, that doing so showed a lack of teamwork. Hitoshi had been angry. What did the man know about having people refuse to work for him? It happened all the time. But… he forgot about the interview on why the man was scared of enclosed spaces. How his classmates hated him that much. 

 Yet that… that wasn't…

 “Its not the same!” Hitoshi said and it wasn't. They were treated like crap sure but it wasn't like how he'd been treated by people! They didn't understand how it was to have to face fellow students refusing to answer questions, teachers nudging people to make sure they weren't controlled or people trying to convince him to use his Quirk for their benefit! They didn't understand had it was for him.

 “What about me?” Gas Attack asked. “My parents abandoned me at age five and I bounced around the foster system which tormented me. I'm on a watch list just in case and I have to eat alone because of my Quirk. I have to routinely go in when murders happen around my place to show I didn't do it even as a hero. Do I not understand how it is with a Quirk people call villainous?” 

 “I never…” Hitoshi stopped. “I’m not Quirkist.”

 “Using a slur sure says you are and despite what you think? Perf-Quirk is a slur used against people who have traditionally attractive Quirks. Meanwhile you have no idea what goes on behind closed doors.” Gas Attack said. “I had an army friend who had a super strength Quirk. Flashy, cool. Her husband used to beat her and assault her every time he could. She killed him when he tried to hurt their son. Another friend of mine has a Quirk that let her sing perfectly. She was forced by her parents to be a teen idol where she faced sexual abuse as well as physical before she ran away to join the army.”

 “I…” it wasn't like that. Kids like Midoriya or that Bakugou asshole got everything in life while Hitoshi only ever got looks and people edging away. Sure, he'd never been physically harmed. His mom would murder anyone who did that, but he never had a comfortable childhood with lots of friends. His own dad got uncomfortable with his Quirk all the time. 

 “It's the same thing.” Gas Attack said. She learned forward in her desk. “I think you're a good kid with heroic potential. I also think you're a bit Quirkist and someone who needs to realize you can't just use your Quirk and expect results.” 

 “You think I can be a hero?” asked Hitoshi softly.

 “I do, expect you focus on that,” Gas Attack sighed. “I said a teacher asked if you were ready for specialized training. I said no due to my worries. They said I was wrong and I said I'd set up a meeting for this.” she motioned to the two of them. “I was actually hoping you'd prove me wrong, and that I could sign off on you receiving training. However Im not.” 

 “Please! I'll do anything to be a hero,” Hitoshi begged. She couldn't deny him this. He wanted to be a hero more then anything! He'd earned it! He got so far into the sports festival! Not like Ito and her stupid eyes or the dog faced… 

 Hitoshi froze, his mind realizing what he'd just done. Another Quirkist comment was made in his mind. What…

 Gas Attack couldn't be right. She couldn't be. She just couldn't. 

 “Therapy,” Gas Attack said. “We have ten therapists on staff, I arranged for a meeting with one of them.” she grabbed some paper from her desk. “Plus I want you to show me you're dedicated before I sign off on anything. So there's a training program for you. Follow it. We’ll talk more in the second semester.” she handed the papers to Hitoshi who clutched at them desperately. He wasn't Quirkist. He was a good person, better then so many others. He'd show her! He would!

 He had to. 

-0- 

 Gas Attack sighed as she entered the staff room. Aizawa was waiting like a vulture for her, Present Mic and Midnight sitting with him. 

 “Who was right? I was. Kid is nowhere near ready if he's calling a mutation kid names and saying shit like perf-Quirk.” she said to Aizawa who stared at her in shock.

 “Oh shiiiiit,” Mic muttered, though he didn't seem surprised. Kid’s comments to him were probably fresh in his mind. Kid just had to whine that Ito, who could go blind, didn't know anything about hard Quirks. 

 Teenagers, thinking they're the center of the world.  

 “That can be treated while training,” Aizawa said.

 “It can be if he'd showed dedication to training himself before,” Gas Attack went to sit down with the three. “He outright admitted he hadn't paid attention or read the syllabus. Kid was unaware that C is the waitlist class or anything.” 

 “Wow.” Midnight said. “I mean I think a lot of people don't but like shouldn't he try to pay attention if he wants to get into heroics?”

 “Youd think. Honestly, I think the kid will be a good hero. He's just in the bad habit of relying on his Quirk to much and having a victim complex. And he's pretty Quirkist against people he views as having acceptable Quirks. Hopefully he grows out of it.” Gas Attack shrugged.  “I was surprised you wanted to train him given how much you claim to hate people coasting by with their Quirks.”

 “Claim?” Aizawa asked, catching her word usage. Good.

 “Yes claim. After all, that Bakugou kid in your class may work out but he certainly seems to think having a strong Quirk is all you need as a hero.” Gas Attack said. “Hell Nezu sent me his file, shows how worried he is about it.”

 “… oh fuck,” Aizawa said, covering his face.

 “Whats wrong?”

 “I read the files during the second week so I don't have biases going in. Other then medical files I mean, I know about Kaminari’s ADHD and the such. But…”

 “Oh shit.” Gas Attack said. “Wondered why the kids haven’t been in extra lessons or something. Hell I was surprised Bakugou hasn't been put in my class for a wake up call while you go around claiming a mark is on his record to scare him.”

 “… I need to read those files.” Aizawa sighed.

 “Should have first week of class,” Gas Attack said blandly, causing the man to flip her off. She grinned in reply. 

 “You gotta be more on top of this shit Shou,” Mic sighed.

 “I know, I know,” Aizawa groaned. 

 “Do you?” Midnight asked sarcastically. “Cause it's every year.” 

 “Shut up,” Aizawa sighed. “GA, want me to try and see if Shinsou would go and get special training without permission?”

 “Now? Kid would, he's a dumbass teenager,” Gas Attack snorted. “Give it a few weeks, see if he's still desperate after a couple of sessions.”

 “Think he'd learn that fast?” Aizawa asked.  

 “Eh, maybe maybe not. If he doesn't it'll be second year before I even think about speaking of extra training.” Gas Attack shrugged. “We’ll have to see. But you need to read the files and look into the kids who want to be underground. Why the hell were you looking at Shinsou for that?” 

 “… can we blame lingering concussion?”

 “No.” 

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Notes:

 Shinsou does not fall for the trap and instead works his butt off. He gets the training with Aizawa who is also training Ashido, Shouji, Tokoyami and Midoriya! 

 Aizawa also does read the files and make his apologies to Izuku cause Holy shit he fucked up. Bakugou is watched closely and he fails the final exam for hitting Izuku (they were put together with Izuku’s permission). He then flunks the extra lessons for leaving the cabin to try and fight when they warned them all to stay inside. He's put into class C, and the empty spot in 1A is fought over by the ten students who were already trying. Shinsou doesn't get a spot just yet, but he does eventually much later.

-Gas Attack is an OC who was used because Japan usually has the homeroom teachers only do homeroom and because I wanted a character who has been heavily hurt by how society views their Quirk. Gas Attack is always being second guessed and only joined the military along with heroics in the words of Kaiden Alenko: ‘might as well get a paycheck for it’ because they're watching her anyways. She's been retconned slightly by me for reasons.

-One of my biggest pet peeves when reading Shinsou critical stuff is how they write him as a complete monster who'd use his Quirk on everyone for stupid reasons. He's a jerk, but hot damn are you doing exactly what you say his stans are doing which is making things up to make him seem a certain way. Sympathetic or monstrous. Either or. 

-It's hard for Shinsou to argue against him not working out so I had him mostly focus on the response of Quirkism. He's very stubborn but he does see where Gas Attack is coming from and hates it.

-I don’t think Shinsou would double down after this. Rather I think he'd be so determined to prove GA wrong he realizes she's right and tries to be a better person. 

-Aizawa isn't the center of this piece but I included him for more detail. He’s at least aware he fucked up even if it's because of his injuries. 

-I also retconned the kids actually having a mark on their record cause that’s just awful. They scare the kids with it which isn't much better but once they become better they tell the truth. 

[ripplestitchskein]

Heey I really like your Stolitz and Helluva Boss Takes! They are very insightful and interesting to read. Your circus theory is adorable :)

I’m wondering, why do you think this fandom in particular is… so rabidly against media literacy. I too am an old trooper from the Destiel days and I remember the days when internet fans would beg for more complex characters that have grey morality. Also when people would BEG for gay representation like this. I’m so confused man. The “vivziepop critical” hashtag just makes me depressed. So many people seem obsessed to criticize this show and I don’t get it. I haven’t seen this much hate since Twilight. Also did the mistake of checking twitter… Also, why do people act like one person did everything when animation is a highly collaborative medium and there are 100+ creator names at the end of each episode? I’m so confused because I’ve enjoyed the show so much and went online to find fanart and fanfics and found… insane levels of hate and projection?? Why does everyone and their dog want to cancel this woman for making an animated TV show with millenial style sensibilities? Why are they saying the writing is horrible and atrocious when I personally think it’s better than Family Guy, Big Mouth, American Dad and many other adult animation show’s writings? I’m so curious because I’m from Eastern Europe and it feels like something particular about american culture doesn’t click to me in all of this…

Thank you so much Nonnie! If nothing else I might illustrate Blitzo’s little circus with everyone in their roles. I’m working on a Stolitz piece I am VERY excited about but maybe after that.

As far as your question. Whooboy is that a question I have both given a lot of thought to and found no real satisfactory answers, but I have some ideas.

I think it’s a mix of things and I think a huge part of it is the medium and the accessibility of the creators combined with the show reaching a huge internet audience other fandoms don’t really normally touch.

The audience numbers for both of the Spindlehorse/Vivziepop properties are ENORMOUS. On the main channel alone an episode will reach 20+ million views. This doesn’t include other channels that take the same episodes and put them on their channels and reach several million as well. The Nielsen numbers average around the 18-20 per episode but Nielsen ratings are a flawed metric especially with internet based media. We’ve seen some of the Amazon numbers as well and they are insane.

We also live in a time where people are under an extreme amount of scrutiny all hours of the day, the likes of which we really don’t have a comparison for in human history and we have a independent creator who was largely available to that fandom for a long period of time. A lot of media properties are corporate, are sanitized and managed by large PR firms. I think VivziePop said some things before she had fully grown and developed as a person that people latched onto as a core belief system, something the internet is really good at. There also isn’t a lot of grace given to people who change their views after taking in other viewpoints and information. If you say something it will live on in infamy and I think some of the hate stems from that.

I went into it a little in this post here that I just don’t think people are aware of the creative process that goes into making such a thing. An indie creator has to be way more transparent than a corporate entity to get the funding they need and that transparency builds expectations with people who can’t grasp that plots and characters change as the story actually develops. They are very used to prepackaged, sanitized and complete productions and this messy and chaotic realtime creative process is very foreign to them.

Critical thinking skills are also a precious resource in humanity in general, and when you’re dealing with a fandom this large you have more people who lack those skills than normal. These two shows do not spoon feed their audience, a lot of things are in the details and hidden under character complexities and I genuinely believe that they aren’t used to not being told flat out “this is what is happening. This is how the characters feel about it.” By the media they consume. We’re also dealing with two different shows with similar visual elements and comparisons are made between the two while ignoring the actual shows themselves. A great example is the chains in Hazbin for Angel and Husk being compared to the chain in the drug hallucinations in D.H.O.R.K.S. They are not remotely the same, or for the same reason but because they are visually similar, being from the same team people really thought they were on to something while ignoring the actual content and dialogue of the scene itself. Meme culture used for wrong imo.

Having characters that do “problematic” things, say “problematic” things and behave in realistic and nuanced ways is hard for people to separate from the creators or the fans. Any whiff of perceived “toxicity” is jumped on like rabid dogs. They believe it’s a reflection of what the creator and fans actually WANT in real life. It’s purity culture run amuck and it’s a HUGE issue. Like actual fascism in action and it’s extremely concerning to me but what can I do but continue to engage critically with what I like and provide analysis while enjoying it?

There is also this sense of competition in fandoms. My ship is less problematic than yours. My blorbo is a better person. Etc. It’s the silliest shit.

There is also a huge wait time between episodes. In a binge watching culture, or a serialized tv culture where seasons are completed and then released all at once or on a regular schedule with maybe a week or two between it is hard for the audience to retain what they saw previously and connect it. They also build up expectations and have months to sit with them only to be disappointed when it doesn’t play out how they wanted. The Sherlock fandom was notorious for this. The years long gap between seasons let things fester and rot and now we have a show like HB that will go months between episodes and take years to tell a story.

Being completely honest almost all the criticism I’ve seen is not rooted in actual problems with the show but people saying “if they had done X and X and X it would have be a better show” but because the show didn’t deliver what they specifically wanted it’s “not good”. Or they don’t realize it is delivering that, just at a very slow pace.

I think it can best be summed up by a lot of the internet are what me and my partner call “baby brained”. I don’t mean to be dismissive of real criticisms but I haven’t seen any that hold water yet that aren’t rooted in the things I’ve mentioned above. If I’m presented some I’ll engage with them logically and will use the text to determine their validity.

I have more thoughts on this but this is already pretty long so I’ll save it for specific posts on this subject. But like I always say, just block them and do things that make you happy with the things you love. You don’t owe them your time or your attention and the creators don’t owe them anything either.

[enneagram-reblogs]

A few things to know about Type One.

From NineTypesCo by Steph Barron Hall.

Common Underlying Motivation: To be good

→ This motivation is not about being the best, and it’s often not even about perfection. Instead, 1s are aiming to find a deep sense that everything is good: all is well in the world and in themselves. The good they are seeking is about virtue, integrity, righteousness (but not self-righteousness), and fairness, and it contains warmth, balance, and the flourishing of all of humanity. For some 1s, pushing toward a standard of excellence and perfection feels like one way to get there, even though that’s not what they’re ultimately seeking.

Frequently Avoiding: Being "bad" or being the last to know when they're wrong

→ 1s often have a fear that they are somehow irredeemably corrupt or deficient, so they work incredibly hard to avoid this. They are also so keenly aware of things being imperfect that their inner critic might pop up and remind them of allllll the imperfections. Then, when someone else points out an error, they’re not the last to know they were wrong.

You might not know that…

→ Not all 1s feel like perfectionists, in the traditional sense of the word. Many 1s are more concerned with fairness, accuracy, ethics, and clarity than they are with “perfectionism,” but it can easily be labeled as perfectionism from the outside. 1s frequently feel a lot of pressure to make things right, to make things better, and to reach a standard that may or may not be possible.

→ Most of the time, 1s genuinely want your feedback, and they’d like to hear what you think, especially if you’re in a relationship with them. They want to be the best partner/friend/sibling/etc., but it can be difficult to hear feedback when their inner critic takes it and runs with it. Being extra gentle, while still being clear, is always appreciated.

→ Many 1s spend a lot of energy ensuring they are appropriate. The anger or rage they feel beneath the surface about all the things that are wrong in the world feels inappropriate, so they work to repress it, and it often leaks out as resentment and frustration. But anger isn’t necessarily a bad thing! Anger gives energy, helps set boundaries, and offers willpower to make the world a better place. When 1s become more able to feel and release their anger, they can use it for good.

→ We all think of 1s as industrious, idealistic improvers, but there’s more to them! They can also be fun, excitable, silly, and spontaneous.

→ Sometimes the pressures of life weigh on them, and they feel responsible to fix everything. In this mode, it’s really difficult for 1s to loosen up and have fun, but that fun side exists!

→ 1s can be very black-and-white about a lot of things in life. Often, this is a tool they’ve needed to keep themselves in line. If there are strict boundaries around right and wrong, they can move through life without too much angst, as long as they stay inside those boundaries. This helps them stay free of mistakes and ensures they won’t be harshly punished (by themselves or others). Most of the time, 1s who want to grow are working to step out of this rigidity, but it’s a long process to learn that while these skills have been necessary in the past, they might not be helpful for the future.

And BTW…

→ 1s have deep emotions, and even if they’re not always able to articulate them, they exist under the surface. It sometimes takes time to be able to express what they do feel rather than what they should feel.

See the image version of this post!

[bthump]

This isn’t specifically about you and more about the anons, because I’ve noticed that you sometimes get requests to respond to meta posts other people make and something about that makes me a bit uncomfortable. Since your meta posts are widely liked by a big part of this community, it sometimes feels like you’re being kinda requested to „debunk“ other meta posts. Diversity in opinions is so important for a good fandom atmosphere and some of the anons you get seem to wanna stir up hostility and I don’t like it. Since I like some of your meta posts, but also find myself agreeing with other people, I just feel weird about this dynamic, you know? How do you feel about it?

I think that's a fair concern but honestly, I don't see it as inherently a problem. This might be my 00s internet bias here lol, but I tend to view meta on a public platform as fair game for response or external commentary - which includes my own posts. My meta is here to be read by anyone who wants to, and to provoke thought and discussion, and that's generally what I assume of others' meta as well.

Like I recognize that attitudes have changed in the era of mostly unmoderated spaces and reblogs and the lack of diverse comms with their own norms and discourse running rampant lol, and so it's often considered automatically rude to disagree with people now, but I think that can only extend so far. Like, I don't reblog posts just to disagree with them (unless they're a friend and I know they're cool with discussion) because I know it sucks when you keep getting notes from people who are liking or reblogging the take you disagree with, but I don't think that should mean not discussing other people's meta at all, as long as it's done respectfully of course.

And I understand why someone might want a second opinion on something they read. I think everyone should think for themselves and form their own opinions, and I completely agree that diversity of opinion is important in any fandom. But not everyone has confidence in their own analysis, or the learned skills for criticism, and I think it's reasonable to seek out other viewpoints and decide which seems most correct to you, or use them as boucing off points to figure out what you believe. I definitely don't want to be the only Berserk meta blog out there, and I'm more than happy to agree to disagree with most people. I'm not an authority on the story lol and people are free to agree or disagree with me however they see fit.

That said, I'm always a little wary about tone and intent, especially in Berserk fandom, because I'm not here to get into arguments and I try to make that clear. But I take most asks in good faith. Sometimes I might go a little too far with that lol, but honestly I'd rather come across as naive than hostile. If I found out that someone was trying to start a fight between me and someone else, or was using my posts to dunk on someone else, or if followers of mine took it as a cue to harass someone, I'd absolutely say something and stop answering those asks. (Hopefully we're all chill enough over here that this doesn't happen, btw. As far as I'm aware I've never incited anything like that and I've personally only ever seen fandom arguments started by people mad about Griffith fans existing, but tbf I also don't pay attention to whatever's happening outside of my dash.)

But yeah I don't think that's what's happening here, and I don't want to assume someone's trying to start shit unless there's clear evidence for that. Like in the last ask I got like this, the anon did specify that they agreed with the post they wanted me to comment on, and were just seeking more opinions/wondering what my own take was, and I think that's reasonable.

Idk, this is definitely one of those things where I know there are different valid opinions about etiquette. But I generally abide by the 'do unto others' rule, including here. I blog with the expectation that anyone can read what I write and agree or disagree, and that I might inspire other discussion. Sometimes I get nervous about being linked to notably hostile fan spaces, like the berserk reddit, but it has happened with virtually the same motivation as those anons (what do you guys think of this person's take?) and ultimately I'm fine with it, and even a little flattered.

All that said, at the end of the day I do think that it would be best for anyone who sends an ask referencing someone else's analysis to be specific about what they want to know, rather than a general 'what do you think of this?' question. Both because it shows why you're asking and what you're interested in and leaves less room for doubting your motivation, and because it makes it easier to answer.

[rainbowsky]

Hi Rainbow, recently hatched turtle here--thank you for your levelheaded contributions. I have a question that has less to do with ggdd and more with the projects that they are separately involved in. I can't help but feel that gg's projects, at least the ones I'm aware of as an international fan, are a little blah. Lots of commercials and a small number of dramas that, while entertaining, are probably not doing much to sharpen his acting skills--with the notable exception of "A Dream Like a Dream". I would hate to see him typecast in romantic comedies and costume dramas for the rest of his career. IMHO, to date, dd has undertaken more interesting and varied projects--and I say this in the best possible way, these guys are not competing with each other. Do we know if gg has an agent who works to find notable projects for him? It goes without saying that I would also love to watch and hear a lot more of dd, the singer/performer! TIA!

Hi baby turtle! 💛🐢💛

Thanks, I’m glad you’re enjoying my blog. 😊

It’s strange to hear this, because it’s usually DD who gets criticized for not having enough variety because of all the nationalistic/propaganda projects he’s been involved with.

It’s important to remember that GG’s career took an unfortunate year long hiatus and was nearly destroyed during the whole 22/7 fiasco. Who knows what projects were slated for filming that year? We will never know the opportunities he lost back then, or what he might have filmed had none of that ever happened. He’s bounced back incredibly, but ‘lest we forget’.

I would also disagree that his projects are ‘blah’. The Wolf, despite some pretty glaring flaws, was fantastic AFAIAC. Ace Troops has also been quite good - at least, what I’ve seen of it so far. And dare I mention The Untamed and his outstanding performance as WWX? I mean... Anon!! Plus he’s also done some interesting variety shows along the way. If you haven’t watched his season of Our Song, you’re missing out.

A Dream Like a Dream is also a huge achievement for him as an actor, and likely one of the single biggest opportunities for him to stretch his acting skills of his entire career. That project took up a lot of his time last year, both for rehearsals (remember, it’s an *8 hour* play) and touring, which should show how dedicated he is to truly working hard as an actor.

Most other up-and-comers would have gone for lucrative TV drama projects which can be completed in a few months. He dedicated a significant amount of time to a live theatre project that paid next to nothing, but gave him the experience of a lifetime. I don’t know about you, but I prefer that he spends time on a rewarding project like that, than give us more TV dramas in that time, no matter what they are.

GG has made interesting choices in his career, and with the exception of Oath of Love (my review will be finished one day, I swear!), I think they’ve been pretty solid choices given the stages his career has gone through. And some of his upcoming projects definitely look interesting. Don’t be so dismissive of costume dramas. Some of them are amazing.

As for the sort of team he has behind him, despite some problems earlier in his career he has a solid team now and I’m sure he gets all the support he needs. I don’t think anyone knows who is scouting projects for him, but I’m sure he gets a truckload of offers. And while he likely gets good advice from the people around him, he is the one making the final choices.

Anyway, Anon, as a new turtle I’ll forgive you for doubting GG’s choices. He’s had a lot of adversity other artists haven’t had to contend with, and he started out as a graphic designer with very limited performance experience (just some stuff in college). There are not many artists who could bounce back from what happened in 2020, and the fact that he bounced back so spectacularly is a testament to how good he is - both as an actor and as a person.

He’s come a long way, he’s improving all the time (never mind the fact that he's already so good) and I think we have every reason to be excited about where he will take us all next.

[aspd-culture]

Why is it that people think that being kind or compassionate is incompatible with antisocial personality disorder? Even in some of our own circles, it feels like pwaspd sometimes think choosing to be kind or compassionate is like antithetical of our disorder and idgi. Like. I realize we all have our own sort of fucked up disorder but like.

The choice to be kind and compassionate is just a choice and it’s often the most sensible one, if you’re looking at it from a selfish standpoint. Like sometimes I feel like saying being sincere or kind or compassionate being incompatible with a certain disorder just feels like an excuse to alienate and dehumanize that disorder. Like it may not come easy to us but it’s still a choice and I feel like that still has value?

Also why do people keep using the self-awareness thing as a point against us. I’ve met plenty of people without our disorders (speaking generally of cluster b but especially aspd and npd) who have no self-awareness and plenty of people with our disorders who are painfully self-aware and are capable of self-reflection.

Also critical thinking is just a skill anyone can train and have and part of the skill of self-reflection is the skill of critical thinking, so if I am capable of being pathological to a degree of destructiveness towards others, how then am I somehow incompatible with being pathological enough to assess myself and others with a.. let’s call it, benevolent point of view. Is it not our responsibility to try and do better? It feels anti-recovery and dehumanizing to say that we’re incapable or inherently incompatible with those things.

I agree with basically everything you said here. It is blatant internalized ableism when voices in our community push the idea that we are unable to be compassionate and kind and self-aware in a positive way, and it is blatant ableism and demonization when people outside of our community (prosocials) push the same ideas.

Thankfully, it is not a large percentage of pwASPD who believe the harmful ideas you spoke about. It's another loud minority situation. Those type of posts gain a lot of traction and begin discourse, which gets pushed to the top of algorithms. I would argue much less people than it appears in the tags actually believe that type of thing, but because elitists tend to get more attention than most pwASPD do online, elitist ideas tend to represent us even when we don't want them to.

One part of this I think is people who are truly antirecovery. It is no secret that plenty of pwASPD are under the belief that they cannot, should not, or simply do not want to recover. Those same people tend to want others with ASPD to follow suit so they can say it's because of their disorder and not accept responsibility for the choice to be antirecovery.

Another part is definitely jealousy. Recovery is hard, hard work and it takes a long time, but it is easier and faster for some people than others, especially if you caught your symptoms earlier than most. Because these people either don't want to do or don't believe they are capable of the hard work pwASPD who are in recovery have done, they push the narrative that those people must not have had ASPD to begin with. This could not be further from the truth, and negates the serious effort those of us who are in recovery put in constantly to work through our trauma and biases to get to a healthier place in life.

A third place I think this may come from is misinformation spread by professionals. I myself have mentioned more than once my previous therapist who told me "people with ASPD don't seek help". The idea that everyone with ASPD is antirecovery or incapable of recovery is sadly one many professionals not only agree with, but actively push. That means that at least some people you see saying this probably got that idea from what should be a reputable source. Medical ableism is rampant against ASPD, and this is one way it shows.

No matter where it comes from, the sentiment is just wrong. PwASPD are responsible for recovering. It sucks, and it takes time, but being antirecovery is a guarantee you will hurt someone in your life in the future. That's just not acceptable. We can't traumatize others and claim it's a result of our trauma. We each need to learn to be at least a neutral force in the world, if not a positive one. It's not easy, but it's doable. I believe in all of you.

Like I said though, the antirecovery pwASPD are generally a loud minority, and do not represent the majority of pwASPD both irl or on social media.

[villainanders]

Thank you so much for making me aware of the DA2 full dialogue mod!! I've always hated not knowing what's going to come out of Hawke's mouth lmao. Are there any other mods you'd recommend for any of the DA games?

Hi anon sorry for taking so long to answer this!! I don't really play DAI on PC because my poor baby computer can't take it but listing the mods I use for the other games below the cut:

Origins mods:

ZevranASAP – Most important mod in all of Dragon Age. Get Zevran right out of leaving Lothering instead of having to complete one of the treaty quests first 

Lady Aeducan the Non-Warden – Second most important mod in all of Dragon Age. For my GirlAeducan havers. If you’re playing other origins, references to Endrin’s middle child/Bhelen’s sibling will be female or gender-neutral. Also replaces the corpse implied to be Brosca’s in Jarvia’s hideout with a skeleton

Morrigan Restoration Patch – Restores cut Morrigan content

Extra Dog Slot – Important!! Take your dog with you without using up a companion slot

Skip the Fade – Loved the Fade the first two times I played, was over it by the third. Skip the maze stuff and go straight to your companions’ nightmares (you still get the increased skill points)

Grey Wardens of Ferelden – Replaces Wardens’ armor with the Grey Warden armor we see in the other games (and allows you to purchase Grey Warden armor and weapons at Soldier’s Peak and Vigil’s Keep)

Isabela by Fialka – Isabela appearance more consistent with DA2. Frankly she still looks pretty pasty in my game but I think it might be the lighting I have. Either way she’s closer to the Izzy we know and love :) 

Dwarves are Not Mages – Replaces the mage robes some of the dwarven nobles wear for SOME REASON with noble clothing

Bug fixes:

(A bit less sexy but this game is so janky I'm morally obligated to list these)

ZevRing – Fixes glitches with Zevran romance and gives you a ring you can actually equip

ZDF – Fixes various dialogue glitches

Jowan’s Intention Fix – Fixes glitch that prevents an encounter with Jowan from triggering. Haven’t played with this one yet bc I just found out about this glitch in my last playthrough, I never told him to leave before (sorry king)

Silverite Mines – Fixes glitch that prevents you from reentering the Silverite Mines in Awakening

Sigrun’s Roguish Past and Law and Order Fix – Fixes infamous (and much accursed by me) glitch that stops Sigrun’s personal quest from triggering if you’ve started Law and Order

Joining Ritual Fix – Fixes glitch where the final Awakening companions’ Joining won’t trigger  

DA2 mods:

Full Dialogue Interface – As you know, replaces the infamous dialogue wheel with a more Origins-esque dialogue interface

Female Hawke Movement Animation Tweak – F!Hawke’s walk is replaced with M!Hawke’s instead of that cartoon sexy lady shit. Can also give M!Hawke F!Hawke’s walk for shits and giggles.

Kidnappalooza – Makes it so your love interest (if not in the party) will be kidnapped in Best Served Cold instead of your sibling. Absolutely critical mod for girls who love drama and romantic rescue missions (me). If Kidnappalooza has 100 users then I am one of those users. If Kidnappalooza has one user then I am that user. If Kidnappalooza has no users then I have finally stopped playing DA2. 

Anders Awakening Gold Earring – Gives that poor man his earring back after Bioware stole it from him. As if he hasn’t gone through enough 

Isabela Curly Hair – Gives Isabela curly hair and optional piercings 

Repeatable Romance Scenes – Replay romance cutscenes/animations between Hawke and their LI. Will also play romance animations from other romances with your current LI (meaning you could get an animation from the Hawke/Merrill romance between your Hawke and Anders and visa versa with all the LIs)

DLC away – Puts the DLC items into storage for you because. It’s annoying to do it yourself

Anders Romance Dialogue Overhaul – A few tweaks to the Anders romance. Notably a Friendmance kiss before the final battle and a scene where Anders tells F!Hawke about Karl

Anders Automatic Romance Armors – Gives Anders romance armor as well as a house robe when he’s in your house :) 

Ellise Herald MOTA replacers – Replaces that godawful MOTA party outfit with this sexy little black number

Sleeping Cat for Anders – Anders gets a cat. Very important

The Covert Mage – Gives apostates staffs that masquerade as other weapons and puts them in plain clothes instead of being out and about on the streets of Kirkwall in mage robes

KS Hairs for DA2 – More hair options for Hawke :) 

Zevran Restoration Project – New face for DA2 Zevran’s ugly ass

Dialogue mini-mods – Various dialogue tweaks to choose from

Bug fixes:

Import Vault fixes – Fixes various bugs from importing DAO saves to DA2, notably ignoring romances and thinking poor Nathaniel died if you left him at the Keep 

Epilogue fixes – Fixes some bugs with the Varric and Cassandra cutscene at the end of the game

Zevran Romance Dialogue Fixes – Zevran will remember he’s in a relationship with you and not fuck Isabela as you helplessly watch

Planning to use:

Some mods I haven’t fully used yet but have been meaning to! Started playing with the first one on my current run but thought it was crashing the game so I removed it (then turned out that it wasn’t the problem RIP). These are bigger changes so you should use them on a new game. 

Kirkwall Expanded – Adds new quests, shops, crafting opportunties, and more! Also dwarf lady NPCs for my fellow dwarf fans (Note: Since DA2 doesn’t have a force load option, this one’s kind of a bitch to uninstall part way through a playthrough)

Playable Elfs Beta – Haven’t played this one yet but am excited to! Exactly what it says, make Hawke an elf with new elfy meshes for their family

[gothprentiss]

have severely cooled, really to the point of annoyance, on that post that’s like “you can see the seams and cogs in bad media more than good media and that’s why i love watching it!” first of all, skill issue, get your fun up; second of all, skill issue, good media has exactly as penetrable a facade as the bad stuff. (this unless you’re defining “good” as “works for me” and “bad” as “doesn’t work for me”, which i think is facile but certainly no more arbitrary than my own taste and judgment so hats off to ya.)

i feel like you see this a lot: “sound editing is really only noticeable when it’s bad” or things of this sort. largely it’s about technical or formal stuff, which we normie non-industry guys have no real reason to understand. this is of course observably whack, and i think borne of a certain style of interacting with film + tv (misplaced valorization of a sort of reality effect) as well as not really thinking about most genres, or works in general, as being crafted. like, seeing the wheels fall off is not your first sign that the car is carefully engineered to move! i cannot stop thinking about this. if you start with the premise that a movie is a thing that has been put together from the ground up, the idea that you can best see how it works if it is unsuccessful is super wild.

like, on one hand, it is recognizably how we work: it makes me think of the bill brown thing theory line about how we only notice the thingness of an object when it stops working for us— like how a window you can no longer properly gaze through (cloudy or something. cracked. someone’s painted over it or taped up a flyer for an uncompensated and sketchy psychological study) is more notable as an object when it’s lost its function. so presumably a bad movie becomes an object of scrutiny when it isn’t immersive and transportive.

on the other hand, though, you cannot tell me you haven’t been part of the way through a movie and cottoned onto something it was doing, and then never lost that awareness, even as the movie is entirely successful. i remember having cronenberg’s crash on and being agog at the sound design— like it sounds horrifying, even as it is remarkably attuned to quiet, soft sounds, and makes hushed moments feel like collisions. or the other day i saw crouching tiger, hidden dragon, which similarly has really turned up the silence, though without a resulting violence. instead you get these really beautiful moments, like when the twanging reverberation of the blade blends into the rising soundtrack.

the point being that as far as i am willing to look, these are way more interesting, notable, and real moments of pulling the curtain back than, say, a scene being done with poorly-synced ADR because you couldn’t hear the actors or something like that. and analogize that to all features of media which can be successful or unsuccessful. there is some kind of desire to praise things as seamless, natural, real, never arresting or disjointed or obvious in their artifice; or so immersive that they permit no critical thought. maybe there is also the desire to recuperate Bad Media as formally interesting in its failures, which is, i guess, fair, but speaks to a sort of embarrassment at the notion of failure which i think sucks on a different level. really i think so long as you have special rules for how good and bad media work and can be perceived to work, and these rules are very binaristic and rely on a weird opposition or polarity between Good Thing and Bad Thing, you are depriving yourself of a) some amount of dynamism or novelty in your ostensibly analytical viewing experience, and b) fun!!

[thevirgodoll]

Hi... So, I just feel quite lonely lately. Most of my friends barely talk to me if they ever do at all. I made a new friend but honestly I don't think we'll be very close... We aren't very similar. I tend to stress out over this but it seems I should make new friends. The issue is that I'm probably autistic and struggle with making new friends, too.

Do you have any advice? :>

It might just have to do with self esteem or thinking I'm too boring...

Sorry for the dumping 🤍

This will be long because friendships are so very important to me… I feel like this generation has the hardest time building a community and blame themselves.

While I’m also neurodivergent and understand this struggle completely, you have to stop shitting on yourself for that while you’re ahead. Internalized ableism is not fun and makes life significantly harder. (/s).

This may sound rude but I promise you most people do not care. People are inherently selfish and do not think of you so harshly the way you think of yourself. Most people are too concerned with themselves and their own reality to analyze your traits negatively the way you’re doing right now. Those types of people are very rare and not worth listening to anyway. /gen

I mean, this is why I post what I do. See how you’re doubting yourself? This is why building a narrative based on your inner critic is unhealthy. This is also why some people genuinely think they don’t deserve friends or it’s impossible to make them because they truly think in their heart that they are unworthy. This is you at the moment and it breaks my heart because I used to be you and sometimes I fall short because making friends is really difficult. /gen

You need to speak to your old friends about how they behave. Either it’s not personal and y’all need to establish boundaries or it is personal and they’re not cut out to be your friend. I find that as we get older establishing wants and needs for friendships is difficult because we expect them to already know like in the early stages of high school. This is something I remind myself daily even at my age. /gen

But if you already have tried to have that convo regarding your boundaries for your friends to no avail, then it’s time to let them go…you’re meant to outgrow people and some people are only here for a season and won’t make it through the storms. You have to learn that anyone who feels this way is missing out. /s

And you have to remind yourself that making friends shouldn’t be so serious. People put so many expectations on someone that will more than likely be an acquaintance. Everyone will not be your friend…most people will be incapable. Some people are just good for going to the club, some people are good for emotional support. Stop putting regular people under the friends category because most of the time they won’t live up to that and you’ll be disappointed. /s

Plus…if someone will become a true friend, you have to give them the chance because friendship trauma can only be resolved by new friendships.

Even with differences, for people that prove that they can go the distance and appreciate the differences y’all may have in personality, they’re crucial to keep. You may never know how you and this new person can teach each other and cultivate new skills that the other doesn’t have through the lack of similarities.

You have to make a list of wants and needs in a friend and decide this year how you want to move forward. Stop doubting yourself…remember that’s not what we do here.

I’m sure you’re a sweet person because you made it here on my blog and everyone here is genuinely an Angel. You are brave enough to be introspective. Going inwards instead of projecting it onto others shows your character…but sometimes that introspection can lead you astray and think you’re the problem because of how self aware you are. /gen

Don’t change the core who you are just to get someone to appreciate it because that’s how people lose themselves in everyone else and never recover. Sending you a virtual hug. Don’t let your heart be troubled!!! Good things are on its way. /gen

Now let’s get you dolled back up because you are a hot stankin’ mess for thinking this way. Come on now, you are wasting time hating yourself and crying and life is passing you by. Let’s wake up and be fr beloved. Don’t make me take your Dollhouse key away. /j /hj /nsrs

[swolesome]

First of all, just wanna say I absolutely adore the work you’re doing on YouTube. It’s so fucking good. You explain masculinity issues so well and witch such empathy. I fucking love it. As both an ace man and a hyper-empathetic and emotional one, my own relationship with masculinity has always been a very subversive one, but your videos help educate folks like me just as much as the folks who have bought into the toxic patriarchal gender norms assigned to boys and men.

Now for my question

What do you think are some of the most underrated examinations of masculinity?

There’s really popular ones like Breaking Bad and How to Train Your Dragon, but what’s a story that deals with masculinity really well that deserves more attention?

For me, I’d say RWBY. One of the major male characters starts out trying to be a heroic macho man but slowly learns to accept a role as support, and the entire show is very critical of the “Lone Hero making the hard choices” kind of thing we’re so used to and that’s usually very intertwined with male power fantasies

There’s even a character who becomes a villain because he’s so convinced he’s the Lone Hero who will Do What Needs To Be Done and he refuses to process his emotions or trauma, so he ends up being played like a violin.

That is so wonderful to hear, thank you so much for saying that! I love hearing from everyone about their perspectives, but it's especially motivating to hear from empathetic men who feel seen and empowered by the topics I tackle. I also love this question, and I'm not gonna lie, I had to sit on it for a long while and think about my answer. Speckle from Tuca and Bertie is one example who came to mind, though maybe that's a little too on-the-nose. The show obviously tackles a lot of oppositional sexism, and deals with some pretty heavy themes where patriarchal masculinity is concerned. I think Speckle is such a wildly important character specifically because he counters the negative representations of manhood by providing an example of a positive archetype. The fact that he isn't perfect helps in this representation. He's a regular person, he's flawed, he has his struggles, he misses the mark sometimes; but he acts from a place of love, he communicates his feelings, and he demonstrates a lot of emotional awareness and security. I think this deserves more focus because Tuca and Bertie has a lot of feminist themes, and it exemplifies the essential role that healthy masculinity and male expression plays in deconstructing patriarchy. Another example that I think gets overlooked is the EMH from Voyager. He quite literally goes at odds with his programming, both by developing skills outside of it, and by being confronted with the way it can affect his behaviour when he doesn't want it to. I think there's a really helpful reading of masculinity to be found in this; the way a lot of expressions of what it is to be a healthy, well-rounded person mean confronting our "programming" and addressing when we don't have the skills (or subroutines, as it were) to accomplish our goals and meet social needs. I have a project planned for the future that uses him as an example of male grief in media, and I'm excited to get more into his character and what he represents on that front. Lastly, Dr. Nerdlove has a fantastic video discussing the understated positive masculinity of two specific characters in Letterkenny that I adore, so I'll link that too in case you haven't seen it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AS6B8zEssuU

[welcome-to-green-hills]

Wait okay hold on. Why are you iffy about iqs mystery? Just curious.

Hey there, Darlin’!

I’m not iffy about the concept of what an IQ test us supposed to do, I’ve had them done in the past. The problem that I have with them is how they’ve administered. Originally, an intelligence quotient (IQ) was designed to help struggling students in France bring an awareness to what subjects in school that they needed to focus on the most in their studies. These tests were designed to reach specific age levels with the score reflecting how well the child did amongst others that took the same test. This was more like a benchmark test that used a 19th century belief that verbal reasoning, working memory, and visual-spatial skills reflected a general intelligence.

The problem here is that there isn’t a strong definition on what a general intelligence is—we all work and comprehend information that’s handed to us differently from one another. We all not the same. We should also understand that one can make data say anything. If you can make data say anything, then you can potentially change your test to have it suit a need. In this case, an IQ test can reflect the testing administrator’s needs. We see this today with sorting and organizing people into various groups. Believe it or not, humans love to organize and classify specific things into groups. The United States of America used an IQ test during for WWI for officer training with the belief of Eugenics in mind, later seen again in the United States for civil rights discrimination against ethnic groups.

During the mid-20th century, the IQ test was used by psychologists to evaluate other things rather than intelligence, such as depression and psychiatry conditions. Today, an IQ test is administered with proper testing questions that help eliminate a biased. They are still administered by a practicing psychologist, but sometimes used to help assist in diagnosing learning disabilities. An IQ test can be found anywhere today. We can do a quick Google search and find various tests to take that reflect our level of intelligence. These can be simple five minute tests, or they can be a couple of hours long for a certain fee that has an official stamp of approval by a psychologist. The test itself isn’t flawed, it’s how people use the test itself to generate data. Another caveat to be mindful of is that due to obtaining easier access to these tests, it’s easier to memorize the questions and answers. This would help prove that the human mind is capable of strong memorization skills rather than critical thinking and analysis.

I’ve taken two; the first one was at a young age when I was developing cognitively, the second was recently when the adult brain stops developing. This doesn’t mean that when the brain stops developing it stops learning, it just means that you’ve matured. You’re still learning as you grow older. The best time to take this test is when a child begin development and ends maturity development of the brain.

Here’s a Ted-ED video that goes a bit more in-depth of what I’ve talked about with using an IQ test.

[chryzure-archive]

Got any rants about how Chrysi and Azure interact/converse? 👀👀

i, in fact, have many of them :) at a basic level, chrysi and azure are known for back and forths, bantering that feels a lot like a fencing match—for example, chrysi’s “semantics” arguments, which azure acts like are exasperating, but he’s secretly delighted by them, because chrysi makes him exercise his debating skills and his knowledge on language—and their inherent ability to understand what the other person might be thinking without words. that last one is apparent even before they start dating. give either of them a dangerous situation and they have their own wordless form of communication. chrysi and azure somehow fashioned their own language before they figured out they were in love with each other (and subsequently, jacks feels distinctly left out whenever chrysi and azure have a reunion, in the aus where azure leaves chrysi to protect her and she goes on to date jacks instead. i can’t blame jacks for feeling left out. they’re not even talking in each other’s heads—it’s just the fact that they know each other so well that they can predict what the other will do).

the way azure interacts with people is very… distanced. he’s extremely proper and withdrawn, and a lot of people would describe him as someone taking constant stock of himself—mentally keeping himself contained, perfect, aloof. it puts a lot of people off and scared them a little bit. clearly, azure doesn’t have lots of friends. he gets a lot more mechanical the more he slips into his depression.

but with chrysi, he’s opening up to her like a sunflower to the sun!!! he still seems quiet and reserved—but it doesn’t have the same bite as when he’s in a room with unfamiliar people. you see a lot more of his wry humor peek out, the way he gently teases chrysi (and the way she’ll shoot back the perfect response, and how it surprises and amuses azure—he firmly believes his girlfriend is the funniest and smartest person in the world). so much of how azure acts around chrysi is a quiet softness, just reveling in her being near him.

he’s constantly got a hand in hers, or he’s got a hand on the small of her back, or he’s wrapping his arms around her waist and resting his chin on her shoulder, or he’s playing with her hair, or he has her in his lap… they like being close together all the time. i don’t think they’re really aware of it, either. it’s like they’re two magnets that keep being drawn to each other.

chrysi likes saying things that break azure’s mask of sleepy-eyed boredom (most people would actually think that azure has a half-lidded, disgusted look, but azure actually is jst. sleepy. all the time. very similar to how ppl perceive cats to be mean, but they’re jst soft and silly and sleepy :))—which does mean she’ll say things that amuse him or shock him. mostly she’ll horrify him (and it’s not like she’ll be telling him a lie. he jst doesn’t think she should’ve been allowed access to fireworks at 7).

none of their bantering has any bite to it either!!! it’s so obvious that it’s just a fun part of their relationship.

azure will sometimes pretend to be boring and rigid when interacting with chrysi as well! he’ll act like the rules matter or whatever, until chrysi will look at him like “dude. you used ur magic to cover up our breaking and entering last week. what do you mean, it’s illegal to hop this fence?” “i have no clue what you’re talking about.” “liar. i can see your smile. come up here before i decide to let the cats sleep on your side of the bed.”

OH, he’ll often say a long “chryseis” whenever she does something she shouldn’t, but he never lays into her, rlly (except when it’s important/she put herself in danger, like he told her not to/she kept critical info from him and when was she going to tell him? oh, never? how reassuring.) he’s too taken by her mischievous grin 😌

OH YEAH, chrysi let’s herself be so much more open with azure! she’ll act a lot more lighthearted! skipping around and twirling around him (he’ll provide whatever dancing skills necessary to twirl her, but he’s very lazy abt it because he’s sleepy… but she smiles so nicely that he doesn’t mind 🖤) and all that. she feels safe with azure and like she can let her walls down :)