#but you are also capable of unfollowing people who have these discussions

[beemovieerotica]

here's a take you can cancel me for: it's exhausting when transmasc spaces require censoring of any mentions / discussion of pregnancy or periods under the premise of not wanting to trigger people. because I'm sorry but if you are specifically in a space that exists for the discussion of the unique issues facing trans men / afab people then you cannot prioritize your own discomfort to shut down normal everyday conversations. you cannot hold your inability to regulate your own social media consumption over someone discussing their own body, not yours, because you have framed dysphoria as the universal hallmark of the trans experience and cannot fathom when a trans masc person would be glad or excited about the prospect of getting to have their own child, and other people are sharing in that joy. there are servers and chatrooms for people who are not comfortable discussing any aspects of what the vast majority of adults experience where you would be welcome to talk about sanitized topics.

[doomsdaydicecascader]

What would you say was the thing that really shifted your opinion on postcanon stuff? I remember reading your long form posts about it and finding them pretty eloquent and interesting given the information I had (and I admit they did nudge me to me to end up not reading the epilogues along with the sheer length and my own squeamishness, though of course you also gave them their due when you felt it was fair)

if i'm being real, it's primarily interaction with other homestuck fans - my social media spaces tend to be pretty heavily curated, i basically only follow people i trust to be intelligent, since like. there is a level of comfort and complacency with social media? i don't like following new people, i don't like unfollowing old people. so i just dont branch out that much.

but i joined the mspfa discord in........ may of last year? while i really enjoy playing the role of like, i compared myself to solaire of astora once. guy who is there to help. i enjoy doing that, there is fun in that. i have spent many hours over the past months explaining homestuck plot points in ways that basically only i would and it is largely, pearls before swine, because the fact is that people dont want to understand post-canon, they don't want to like, pick at it critically, to understand why the decisions were made, they want to hate post-canon. and this is a very critical difference between me not liking post-canon and the majority of people hating post-canon.

and there is something to be said about experiencing homestuck as it is perceived by other people, to really solidify what i liked about homestuck post-canon, because there was stuff i liked to begin with. and seeing people who hate it without good reason frustrate me! genuinely, if you had to see the same "i heard jade has a dog penis" discussions every 2 weeks from some sprout who showed up only to be mad, you would start to defend it too.

like, i actually delayed that second blog post at the time because hatred for the team was flaring up again, for whatever reason, i don't even remember. but i remember putting it off because i didn't want to contribute to people who were blindly angry about homestuck^2

there are reasons to not like post-canon, lord knows there are plenty. i actually stand by basically everything i said about it not actually working and the times where it goes too far. in the second blog post, not the first one. but like, there is a total and all-encompassing difference in what the conversation is, "yeah, the meat and candy thing doesnt really work and dirks graphic suicide is ill-considered at best" doesnt matter at all when the level people are operating on is "say a plot point as a joke, make people mad, have fun circlejerking over how bad it is"

part of it is also that in the process of writing my own comic, it kind of comes with the territory to be less precious about the characters. like, team slime, my home discord server, watches movies every saturday. for a while, our theme was musicals, and eventually, we watched hamilton. and i realized that lin manuel miranda writes alexander hamilton in the exact way i am always afraid i am writing jane and vriska, like. just. truly relentlessly protective of them. and so being less precious about these characters means recognizing the flaws therein, not being afraid to write them just being kind of disasters. i still am pretty precious about them, but its a work in progress. you gotta get your hands dirty with them, and that puts it in context of respecting when others do the same

like, there are still a lot of really glaring flaws in post-canon, dont get me wrong, but theyre not insurmountable, and it helps to have spaces like burning down the house for me to express directly like. what i wanted out of homestuck. post-canon is not what i want it to be, but when has homestuck ever given anyone what they wanted without any complications whatsoever

and i think it is genuinely capable of being extremely good - this recent update (yiffy overlooking the rosemary drama) is extremely choice! i genuinely love how everyone involved is characterized, the panels are flashy, it puts to bed really stupid shit, like. its unbelievably fucking good how the problem kanaya has isnt "rose had another kid with jade in secret, our marriage is in shambles" but "jane knows about this kid", like. the absence of infidelity conflict is refreshing and says so much about everyone involved. and i have been thinking nonstop about how rose and jades daughters takes after caliborn of all characters. like. "you hope they eat each other alive" with the perspective of like, a caliborn grin is such an INSANE direction to take yiffy! holy shit! its awesome!!!!!!!!

[night-wyld-system]

SAS/JAS/Dude's Ableism, Abuse, and Fakeclaiming

Since I originally didn't have my name behind this I think some people didn't realize or see this post and how awful it was... sysmedsaresexist aka justanothersyscourse aka Dude fakeclaimed my human trafficking and cultic abuse, spread slanderous lies about me with the knowledge they were lies, and engaged in ableist attacks against me back on September 8th- this person still gets recognition. I still have to unfollow accounts reposting from one of my abusers- and one who attacked me publicly. @awiltedroseconfession was me.

You can see the entire post where they attacked me with an ableist word that are currently under debate if it is considered slur or not- as well as the areas in which they lied about me to my own face HERE.

I am not addressing 1/4 of SAS's attack on me because it's them discussing a separate situation I was not part of merely someone who pushed forward another person's allegations on. This I am now uncertain of who is telling the truth. So I won't be pushing them forward here.

Yellow highlight = ableist slur/insults/ableism Red highlight = fakeclaiming Blue highlight = lies

Let's start with this first image. Immediately a lie off the back. IIRC every single mod told me they were NOT a RAMCOA survivor and they still have never said otherwise- you are just a fucking dick who wants to punch down and lie about me while larping as if you're more oppressed than you are- which is funny considering how often you project the idea of "larping oppression" onto others.

You are not well versed in this topic and that is fucking clear from you literally lying about the contents of the screenshot WHICH YOU SHARED. This is from Allison Miller's book Healing The Unimaginable. It does not in fact claim you can get false memories- it claims the opposite. Hearing from fellow survivors makes survivors wrongfully think they are experiencing false memories if they remember similar because RAMCOA survivors often are so in denial they'll cling onto anything. Like I currently won't accept I was trafficked up until 2020 because "well I was fat then so obviously it didn't happen checkmate so it ended in 2013/14" which my therapist laughed at because it's such a delusional way to engage in denial and an alter without the denial told her about it. (This is also aided by people like you who make them believe that any memories similar to others mean they're making it up because "well I heard about it before". Which fun fact you did to us- you have permanently fucked us up and traumatized us we have to take time away from recovery from being trafficked to be able to recover from your abuse to be capable of healing because you manipulated me into thinking my flashbacks were me making it up for attention).

You blatantly lied about being able to trick people into believing they're victims as that never happens. You have a delusional episode isn't false memories- me not being dead does not equal me oppressing you because your disorder is capable of making you have delusional beliefs. I have psychotic episodes and breaks but you don't see me using them as "well I can get false memories of x" because I'm a normal fucking adult and not someone who thinks they should never be held accountable. Because ya know... you lied about the screenshots contents which is provable by anyone who reads the damn thing you yourself showed. Nice trying to weaponize an activist who speaks out against the harm caused by the narrative of false memories' words against me though cause uhhhh that made it so fucking easy to debunk you. I thought you cared about misinfo but guess that was another larp huh.

The first line highlighted is also a lie. it was not banned in the rules but every-time someone talked about it you and others told them to in not so colorful language as I use- to shut the fuck up.

That is a lie- I was not in a bad place. I was away from my abusers- I was in college in a dorm and doing better than I had ever been before. Other mods of survivors network later went on to peddle this false narrative. This individual KNOWS for a fact this was the case they are lying to everyone and they know it. I am literally the person in question, who are you going to believe- me who has proof of my dorm residency or fuck face over here pretending I lived with my abusers?

Wow someone with a more severe presentation of DID, PTSD, and C-PTSD gets triggered daily when that's actually really fucking normal for that disorder and severity? That means I'm evil right? It surely isn't ableist to try and make me out to be a bad person for uhhhhh being disabled (sarcasm). Or can only you be disabled now?

You did no such thing you did not gently try to tell me shit and you know it. You're a weasley little liar dude /ref. You knew I was enrolled in therapy at that time- I was in treatment. You all told me I was either wrong or to shut the fuck up. The only reason it came up in the syscourse channel the one time is because SOMEBODY ELSE started the conversation but of course you want to make me look bad... and for what? To save your own hide? People who matter haven't budged an inch. My partners won't cave to you and neither will my friends.

"You became more and more unhinged by the DAY" holy fuck my guy... ableism from sysmedsaresexist/justanothersyscourse color me surprised. Nah we all knew you had it in you. But considering words like crazy/unhinged/deranged/psychotic/etc are currently being discussed on whether or not they're considered slurs you seem WAY to ready to call me that. You wanna call me the r slur so bad. OOOooooo. But really though this is just demonstrating how vile this person is.

I was raised in a cult and this person even if they hadn't read any of my posts was iirc directly told that by me and acknowledges that somewhat in past parts of the post. I know what lovebombing is and I consider this to be fakeclaiming my trauma.

LMFAO you mean bullying, dogpiling, silencing, and berrating me when I didn't cave into your "expert opinion uwu"? Because that was what y'all fuckers did. It's not reasonable to claim you ever fucking helped me be pro-endo. No I'm pro-endo in spite of you

And there we go just calling what I was public about on that account turned out to be a cult that trafficked me a "conspiracy theory" which is ya know one of the most vial things.

Same person has been defending an endo system getting sent a death threat (like an actual threat of genuine violence) because the endo system "reacted the wrong way" to it and somehow wanting people who threaten to kill others to be isolated is awful but telling someone their trauma that also intersects with several other survivor's never happened because "well tehe I know more about you than you uwu" is fine.

Oh and one last sidenote--

The reason I kept crawling back to syscourse is cause of what I said in the post this fucker reblogged to attack me on. The envoirment made it so I would lose my (at the time) only system friends if I stopped being involved, hope this helps.

[finelinens]

why tf you putting wincest on my dashboard in 2023….weirdo

i don't have a desire to respond to this in an abrasive way despite the aggression i feel from you, so i'm going to respond as genuinely as i can. wincest is a make-believe interpretation of a story about make-believe characters. as tumblr's favorite poet, richard siken, once said:

i enjoy fiction. incest is a very common theme in fiction, and has been for as long as fiction has existed. therefore, i am capable of enjoying incest in fiction. it is a great vehicle for storytelling, and in supernatural it's deliberately hinted at and poked-fun at in a way which adds more unsettling and emotionally compelling layers to the characters and their dynamics with each other. fiction is a medium through which we can only hope to capture a glimpse of humanity, and that includes the uncomfortable and disquieting and forbidden and grotesque.

personally, i’m not going to call people "weirdos" or belittle them in any other way for their fictional interests because i am a decently well-adjusted adult and i know how to mind my business. i also know how to avoid things i don’t want to see online, and it's actually pretty easy to do so. the rest of my followers who have seen me posting about the incest themes in supernatural have either simply kept scrolling, or sent me asks to continue the discussion in a thoughtful manner. hopefully you've helped yourself out by muting my supernatural tag or simply unfollowing me, whichever suits you.

i hope that in the future you're more willing to approach strangers with kindness rather than disgust. have a nice day!

[jaeheewillalwaysbemyfav]

How Obey Me Shot Itself In The Foot: Michael, Part 2

MASSIVE WARNING FOR DISCUSSION OF RELIGION. Specifically of Abrahamic religions (Islam, Christianity, and Judaism) and their shared God. I am doing this in a media analysis context, not to shame any particular religion or anyone’s particular beliefs. If that makes you uncomfortable, feel free to not read this post, stop reading at any point, and/or unfollow/block me. DO NOT try to start religious discourse on this post or in my askbox/DMs, I will clown on and block you.

Also spoiler warnings for a ton of different Obey Me lessons.

Intro (X), Michael (X)(you're here)(X)(X), Conclusion (X)(X)

This section is the beginning of a three part analysis of Michael's character. I promise this will eventually connect to why Raphael should stab MC with a spear in a non-horny fashion.

Michael, He Who is Like God

A Michael whose characterization draws primarily from his connection to God and his role as God’s representative to the angels is a Michael rife with divine contradictions. Because, for the purposes of this silly analysis, God has two main roles to fulfill: the moral paragon, and the powerful tyrant I mean ruler. 

I can’t speak to the specifics of how this manifests for Islam and Christianity, but from what I’ve seen, God is consistently both a “carrot” and a “stick”, capable of giving amazing gifts and inflicting terrible punishments, and these are inexorably linked. For example, the story of Exodus is the story of how God delivered the Jewish people out of slavery in Egypt — by inflicting 10 (or 20, or 50 or 200— depends who you ask) plagues on the Egyptians. All of them. Including, most famously, all their firstborn sons, no matter how old or how responsible for the slavery of the Jews.

God is the protector and saviour of the Jewish people. God is the torturer and murderer of the Egyptians. 

(Not to get Too Real in an obey me theory post, but if God or anyone’s way of helping my people is to subjugate others, I Don’t Want It.)

This is one of the big “issues” with monotheism as a whole: if you have only one god, that one god is responsible for Everything, good and bad. You worship that god not just to receive good things, but to avoid having bad things done to you, whether it’s implicit or explicit. As a deity, this conflict can be excused as “God works in mysterious ways” or “everything serves a greater purpose”.

However in the context of interpersonal relationships, a powerful figure who controls your life and keeps you in line with promises of lavish gifts and threats of great harm, as well as demonstrations of what those threats might look like against others… is an abuser.

On that note, goodbye religious people, if you somehow made it this far!

How does this relate to Michael?

Well, this Michael is taking God’s place narratively. This means that while God (or Father as they call him in Obey Me) is technically the one who sentenced Lilith to death and banished the brothers from the Celestial Realm, Michael is at the very least upholding these rulings. As far as I know, Obey Me hasn’t actually 100% confirmed that Michael was Lucifer’s equal and opposite in the Great Celestial War, but given his biblical role as such, it’s not a big leap to assume he was. 

Under this lens, the way he talks about and treats Lucifer, Mammon, Simeon, and Luke takes on a very unflattering light. 

With Lucifer, we see a sibling rivalry that started out lighthearted and became a bitter civil war, one that still has many lingering feelings involved. Michael does seem to miss Lucifer, but it’s unclear if he actually misses him, or misses the idea of him, the him he was before the war. There may also be an element of bitterness there in that Lucifer left not just the Celestial Realm, but Michael himself. A duty they once shared is now resting entirely on him, and that’s gotta be tough to handle.

Does that bleed into how he treats Simeon, an angel on the fence of falling who couldn’t quite make the jump, one of his few close allies left? Does he perhaps view/use Simeon as some kind of replacement for Lucifer? He seems to foist a lot of responsibilities onto Simeon, much like how he did with Lucifer, including another one of his protegés, Luke. Is it a demonstration of trust, or a test of loyalty?

Speaking of former protegés, Mammon. With Mammon, based on how the aforementioned demon talks about Michael and Raphael, it’s clear they thought of him as a “problem child” who wasn’t worth “fixing”, hence Michael “giving” Mammon to Lucifer to deal with. As still-a-morosexual-help pointed out, it’s quite possible the punishment he subjected Mammon to was isolation in an enclosed, dark space. That’s a hands off, but still terrible thing to do to someone.

Now back to the present. To Luke. Luke, who was chosen to go to RAD, a program run by demons dedicated to promoting peace between the three realms. Luke, who has very deeply entrenched ideas about what demons are like. 

Luke, who is Michael’s protegé. 

If Michael is, in fact, on board with the exchange program, and its corresponding goal, why is Luke so prejudiced against demons? Where did it come from? It’s not Simeon, who does display some disdain for demons but tries not to let that affect his usual behaviour and later admits that his prejudice is just that. He seems to want Luke to be more open to demons, he’s just hands-off about teaching him.

So that leaves Michael, someone Luke clearly admires and trusts. Though not as much as he once admired Lucifer… hmmmm… Could there be a personal motivation for Michael sending Luke to the Devildom, to see a fully demonic Lucifer in action?

It seems to me like Luke being sent to the Devildom wasn’t a genuine attempt to open his mind, but more as part of a further grooming tactic: to let him see how dangerous demons are and further entrench his negative opinions about them. 

And I can’t even get into the fucking angel bangles because that’ll be a whole rant in of itself. Short version: FUCKED. UP. MIKE.

So this Michael is trying to fill some really big shoes and is struggling hard. To compensate, he delegates a lot and has extremely high standards for his subordinates. He also has an issue with control because of this. He is the head of the Celestial Realm and thus not only does he have to perfectly embody its values, so does everyone under him. And God help them if they don’t.

But that’s not really fair, is it?

[veggie-dailies]

This is going to be a very rare non-Veggie post here, but I need to speak up.

Now, as my pinned post says, Christians are more than welcome to follow this blog and interact. I do believe that Christians, like almost everyone, have the capability of being kind, compassionate people of integrity, even if I don't identify as Christian myself anymore.

I was raised as a pastor's kid, so I'm not unfamiliar with Christian beliefs and theology. I could get into a discussion about how Christianity is seen as the successor to Judaism by several major denominations, how Messianic Jews make many Jewish people uncomfortable, about the colonialist attitude of modern Israel itself... I'm still learning about those things myself...

What I'm going to say is, Palestine is going through a genocide and illegal occupation by Israel. This is a non-negotiable fact. Whether you're pro- or anti-Zionist, whether you believe that the modern state of Israel is necessary for the second coming prophesied in the Bible, whether you believe that Hamas are terrorists or not, you should be horrified by how many innocent people have been starved, shot, bombed, and murdered by the IDF.

If you believe that every life has value, that includes Islams- who, by the way, are also Abrahamic, and find comfort in the stories you do, and believe in a God who made them special and loves them very much.

I don't know if there is a god. But some of you believe in a god, and I need you to think about Palestine deeply and seriously. Consider the other side of this situation. Watch videos. Hear their stories. Learn about their culture.

If you decide, after all that, that'd you'd still rather be complicit with genocide, then unfollow this blog, or block me.

- Mint 🦋

[cupcraft]

heya cup!! i just want to hop on your post because ive actually been thinking about this kinda thing for a while now and i rly loved reading ur post bc i think you expressed everything in a really nice, respectful way!

personally, i am not at all a big crit enjoying person lol, bc of my demons (makes me v stressed for whatever reason lmao), so i tend to have discourse, crit tags blocked bc they kill my personal vibes etc. i will admit i've unfollowed people before for not tagging their crit lmao, but most of them time i will click through to see whats up, and i think most of the time, i do enjoy reading some crit, esp when its not like, my whole dash lmao, and esp when it comes from a place of love!! (hell im a cfiances main i think my entire mutuals circle only grudgingly accepted the csapnap book lore as canon like two months ago like i get cc's making Choices in regard to lore i do!)

crit is so so good and i love reading it from people who gen love the characters!! its always interesting to hear, and if im not in the mood, i can always block it lol. i love hearing people pick stories they love apart and analyze them, because i know they're doign it with great love in their heart. i remember after the ctubbo caimsey lore all my ctubbo mutuals got in a huddle and talked about why they did or didnt like the lore, and it was really fun to read!! it was so clear they really do love all the characters and enjoy cctubbo's content, even if they didnt like the choices made, and even if i personally enjoyed the lore (<- sick little ccabinetduo main) i really thought they made a lot of good points that i really enjoyed hearing!

but i think a lot of the time i can get really frustrated with "crit" is when its tinged with a weird sort of distaste for the cc's writing the characters, and perhaps in a bit of a unfair/petty way, i get really frustrated when i see people who often extremely, unfairly critical of people like quackity or karl, and their storytelling and ability to create character arcs. i feel like karl esp has gotten so much of this (which is personally so odd to me bc i feel like he's just a pretty likeable guy even if you're not into his content, but i digress sfdjkla 😭). so much "tales" crit is really irritating to me bc it feels really clearly like barely disguised dislike for cckarl seeping into a discussion of ckarl.

esp when i see people writing crit of a character that they do not main or usually talk about! there was a post a while back that was, like character crit of cq (apologies if this is too much of a vague to post lmao), and it really frustrated me, not just because i dont like it when people are mean to my little boy, but because it was clear that the author of the meta did not understand the lore they were talking about. they were completely misrepresenting a character morality and behavior in a way they absolutely would not be doing if they had watched the arc from cq's pov. and i know they're capable of writing well written, interesting, respectful meta and even crit bc they do it for characters they love. but when it comes to characters from cc's they personally dont like, the crit is. bad. its bad. like if you dont like their lore, dont watch it, dont post about it!! like curate your experience please!! but it feels like you dont enjoy any lore they could even do and you dont want to put in the effort to do so, so please do not engage with their lore!!!

tldr, well written crit w love for the characters always in mind always good!! (also the great majority tbh!!), crit for characters op hates the cc's who play them bad!! (a v small but really upsetting portion that has rlly turned me off the whole genre of post!)

hey soap thanks for your additions to this discussion :)! i really liked what you wrote here and agree with most of it. Because to the point of people who dont like a character writing meta i generally dont mind and if really do mind its chances those people have been blocked by me (it really depends on the take for me personally so in taht regard i do understand your frustration a lot! this is /nm btw).

And yeah the pt of my post isnt that you cant dislike ppl's posts but that i just want to open up the discussion how we can all coexist healthily within this sphere of analysis. And i dont blame you for disliking certain genres of posts in your experience even though i do still like those genres myself (with some nuance ofc).

At least one positive thing to do in situations of what you said (at least what i do) is write meta since i do understand the character (or like to think i do ig insome instances). which maybe would help people learn and change their view. I used to have really bad c!q and c!wilbur opinions ngl and i read a lot of meta ppl posted about them who did understnd their characters more and now people i think generally i have good takes on cwilbur so thanks to the wilburian meta-ers ig sldfjsdl!

all /nm gen liked your additions and stuff i hope you hav ea great day soap!

[harringtontmaa]

ok everyone, i’m going to talk for just a second about the potential dynamic between steve  &  billy hargrove,  &  why  i like to explore it. under a cut for those who are just not interested.  inspired by years worth of writing  &  character discussions with my beloved @hargrovetm​ ~

obviously i don’t think billy’s actions were good,  &  neither does steve.  i mean, who knows better than steve how dangerous billy really is ?   he stepped in to protect max  &  lucas both from him at the byers house,  &  would do it again.  there is no universe in which steve excuses billy’s actions that night, or says they were the right thing to do.  i’ve honestly never seen anyone argue that they were. but here’s the other thing :  who knows better than steve that sometimes humans do shit that is just plain not right when they’re not at their best selves ?  i mean, in s1, steve used homophobic slurs toward jonathan, insulted his family, including his currently missing brother, initiated a fight with him,  &  got him arrested.  he also behaved disgustingly towards nancy.  &  everyone loves steve’s redemption arc  —  me included !   i recognize those actions of steve’s as wrong,  &  so does he.  &  he goes back  &  does what he can to make amends,  &  he tries to do better from that point on.  which is all anyone can do as a human : try to be better than they were the day before. i know that in the canon, it isn’t implied that billy tries to make amends,  &  i suppose that’s the story the duffers wanted to tell.  but i also think that the whole point to rp is to explore what  might have  happened in canon if some elements were slightly different,  or to fill in the gaps between what canon gives us.  &  i genuinely feel like steve, of all people, might be among the only people in billy’s life willing  &  able to look him in the eye after that night  &  say :  what you did was wrong  &  you should feel bad for it,  &  you should apologize for it,  but you can also choose to do better starting right now, if you want to. who knows what might have happened if someone had said this to him, telling him directly that he is capable of changing, instead of just isolating him further ?   as of season 2,  billy is seventeeen years old  &  currently trapped in an abusive home environment.  as a survivor of parental abuse myself,  it rubs me the wrong way a little bit to imply that it is somehow “too late” for billy to learn to be better  &  start to heal, especially if he did happen to have someone who could honestly call out his unacceptable behavior without writing him off entirely.  &  based on his own growth arc  ( &  his sometimes too - forgiving nature in general ),  i think that steve is in a unique position to be able to offer that to billy. &  yeah, i like to explore concepts like this in rp with trusted friends.  of course, i do see why people would be triggered by billy as a character, but everyone deals with trauma in different ways,  &  what triggers one person might be healing for another.  if folks don’t want to see billy on their dash, they have the absolute right to blacklist / block / unfollow as needed to feel comfortable.  but i also know that the people who write billy  ( or write against him ) are full human beings with complex lives outside of tumblr. i don’t know most of them, but i personally can see how writing a character who is trapped in the cycle of abuse escaping that cycle  &  learning to grow could be extremely cathartic for those who have been in similar situations.  &  tbh, we should all just do our best to treat other users on this site with empathy anyway, regardless of our personal feelings on the characters they write. even making this post feels a little bit like kicking a hornet’s nest, because i know this is a polarizing topic for folks,  &  i absolutely am  NOT  looking to restart the same old discourse.  but i am also a bit sick of feeling nervous to post about their complex  &  nuanced dynamic that i think is interesting to explore  &  have been writing for years.  if you disagree with anything i’ve said in this post, i encourage you, as said above, blacklist / unfollow / block as you see fit.  there will be no hard feelings.  go in peace,  &  i genuinely hope you enjoy your tumblr rpc experience more for it.  &   if you’ve made it all the way to the end of this dynamic commentary turned rant about treating others kindly, thank you for reading.  i love you.  ♥️

[into-the-daniverse]

General PSA

I’ve seen a number of Arcana blogs following me lately so I feel the need to put this out there.

I do not support Nix Hydra, and their past or current devs/admin. They have a consistent history of creating and/or supporting racist, antisemitic, and sexist content, and they routinely attract people with similar ideologies and only lift those voices up while silencing voices of POC and other marginalized communities.

I will not be going into further detail, because at this point, all of the work has been done already by others who have done more research than I am capable of in explaining Nix Hydra’s actions against the mentioned communities—most of which can be found by searching the Arcana game tag or the company’s tag. 

However, I am also very much not in support of the Arcana fandom as a whole. This blog has been OC-centric for the past seven months, and the only Arcana content I support is that created by my mutuals and close friends, all of whom know how to interact with diverse and sensitive topics in respectful and thoughtful ways. Many newer fans of the game, or new to tumblr fans have no concept of the harmful stereotypes and ideas that get constantly recycled here and I am very much over them, and over explaining why they’re as harmful as they are.

This includes (but is not limited to)

Treating Lucio as a misunderstood trauma victim incapable of taking responsibility for the wrongs he has committed against almost every other main LI in the game

Infantilizing Muriel and/or treating him as a “savage” character who has no idea how the world works and needs to be saved and brought to “civilization” by the MC

Villainizing Nadia, the mature brown woman in a position of power, as a greedy, violent person who is the “real” villain, and leaving her out of posts with the other LIs

Referring to Asra, the canonically nonbinary LI with gender specific terms such as “man,” “boy,” or “husband” when no such terms are ever used for him in the game

Ignoring the Jewish coding behind the Devorak siblings—specifically the antisemitism around the design of Julian—and continuing to use them in posts about Christian holidays/concepts/AUs

If you have followed this blog in hopes of seeing more Arcana content, or assumed that because I haven’t said anything recently about Nix Hydra I support them, I would ask that you unfollow me. At this point I don’t want to interact with those who do not respect POC and minority voices, and I don’t want them to be interacting with anything I create.

This post is not an invitation to start discussion; I am not interested in any kind of debate. 

This blog is for me to post about my OCs, my friends’ OCs, and the worlds we have created together, all of which are far more nuanced and diverse than anything Nix Hydra could ever dream of creating. If you aren't interested in any of that, or if you take offense to anything said here, feel free to exit stage left.

[maxemilianverstappen]

Are people here who claim to be Seb fans even his fans lmao... I followed blogs in hopes there'd be photos/gifs of Seb and discussions of his career... Had to unfollow a bunch of them after one them typed out a whole ass essay mentioning how the two drivers have become friends overcoming their rivalry and even though Seb got beaten... And I was like hold up, I didn't know Seb has only been in the sport since 2015 when he started driving for Ferrari, and that F1 has only existed since 2014, because according to quiet a few Tumblr users there is only one driver capable of winning races🥴 like darling, some of us saw Sebastian Vettel win 4 championships in one of the most competitive eras of the sport while fighting off multiple world champions, including the driver you think is unbeatable lol, and on a grid where the difference in pace between the top 3 and sometimes top4 was less than 4-5 tenths of a second, and not like the hybrid era, where even this year while Mercedes and Red Bull were within a tenth of each other on most race weekends, everyone else behind them was slower by over half a second... like with most of these Seb's fans or those who claim to also be Seb fans, I feel like they also probably believe the bullshit the media has fed the audience... Literally saw someone claiming to be his fan quoting Fernando Alonso from his interview with Lee McKenzie in 2013, and I was like babes, nando was just jealous and talking out of his ass, why are you using that as the parameter to judge someone you claim to be a fan of??

Most of these people are definitely here for the grid dad vibes lol, and to fetishize him, like I wouldn't wanna kink shame people, but if the entirety of your Sebastian Vettel fan existence is just making him an object of your own shipping fantasies, and then acting all baffled and offended when he does not give fodder to your delusional ship, then may as well not call yourself a Seb fan blog and confuse people into following you.

Most of them just gave me brain rot, and it was even more hilarious seeing some of them type out PSAs about how they don't agree with what Seb has to say and give him a benefit of doubt, and he is saying it because he was a RB driver... And I am like, man he just named the driver he'd like to see win the championship, why are you lot acting like he has just given a statement on something worldly important that is problematic and is harming a community? Get a grip... Team LH and Sewis ain't any minority 🤭

And the buffoons saying he is jealous, sorry honey, my man wanted to fulfill his childhood dream of winning a championship with Ferrari, and not statpad wins and poles, and rejected Mercs advances in 2017/18&19, with a signed pre-contract being thrown in the bin... He is much happier and content with driving for the team he wanted to since he was a kid, and not for a team that comes in and leaves the sport depending on the head start they can get over the others so they can build dominant machines and lobby regulations according to their whims.

Anon, absolutely all this and then some more!! I am sure most of these people are new fans who have no idea what the hell has gone down between Seb and all his rivals in the past. Or if they really claim to know it all, then they just don't care about it and ship people for the aesthetics and brownie woke points of it.

Look, I seem like I am hating on those Seb bloggers and the sudden Seb supporting LH fans because S/ewis is popular here and I don't like one part of the pairing due to reasons. True, this is a reason, but not the main one. I hate some other Seb pairings just as much, but most of the Seb bloggers from that side and the ''sudden Seb supporting LH fans'' are creating a narrative and not only believing it but also are serving it as the truth to the other new fans. And that's a huge disservice to Seb and how he actually must be feeling after everything that has ever happened.

They ignore history, they ignore blatant happenings of today and past and say that "They are the bestest of friends on the grid because Seb supports BLM and Lgtbq+ and environmental causes" as if the guy doesn't have enough brains to figure stuff out on his own or just can't support his colleague without being chummy chummy with him.

They say "Seb and Lewis look out for each other/protect each other/get angry for each other's sake" This one really requires some insanity to be mixed in. They say "They are the best bromance that ever happened" No Jan, they aren't even friends as they repeated many times and 2017-2018 seasons were quite nasty, but you need to read/watch some pre/post race interviews but you don't care, I know.

They say "They are together every race weekend and they must be meeting up out of the paddock, too." I think they are mistaking Lh with Kimi 😬 Oh, but Kimi's existence and his real bromance and friendship and history doesn't fit into their narrative, so they pretend Kimi doesn't exist.

The LH fans say they like Seb as Lewis' only rival. Sure Jan, because for reasons Seb wasn't able to win that fucking 2018 title, so he is harmless now and of fucking course he is his best rival. Btw, you should go eat Fernando and Nico's asses... They say they like Seb, but they post Seb's pics together with Lh's and body shame him because of his hair and pecs just like they did to Max. They love him until he says he supports the other driver for the title fight. Meanwhile the Seb blogs side ignore what Seb said and how much rapport is between him and Max in their previous encounters and even feel possibly ashamed of it, ahahaha. Fuck...

Fuck I really hate this. I am so sick of their narrative and so sick of it being force fed down my throat. Shows the power of demagogy. So, I am only following a handful of Seb bloggers now.

[thealexchen]

One Year On: Life is Strange 2 Critique

December 3rd, 2020 marks a year since Life is Strange 2 ended. I was inspired by @smitethepatriarchy‘s text posts (here, but there are several other answered asks worth reading) and @suhaplays’s text post (here) criticizing Life is Strange 2 to write a critique about how Life is Strange 2 handled certain themes and social issues.

(tw: gun violence, police brutality, animal death, incarceration, racism. In this essay, I use the word “queer” in a reclaimed sense, as a queer person myself. Of course, spoiler warning for all five episodes of Life is Strange 1 and 2).

A year on, my feelings about this game have soured... a lot. When the game was first announced, I was overjoyed that our new protagonists would be two Latino boys. Finally, we would have a culturally meaningful, groundbreaking video game with people of color and their experiences at the forefront! 

Then the game was met with immediate backlash and I utterly exhausted myself defending it for weeks on Reddit and Tumblr. Throughout 2019, as the episodes came out I became increasingly disillusioned, frustrated, and disappointed with where the story was going. I couldn’t figure out why I felt so damn miserable while playing this game.

Then in the summer of 2020, when Tell Me Why began rolling out pre-release material, I noticed that they posted a Q&A about transphobia, gave content warnings, and discussed at length about their collaboration with GLAAD, Checkpoint, and the Huna Heritage Foundation to make the game with sensitivity and proper research. I cannot speak for trans and gender non-conforming people on whether Dontnod succeeded at doing so with Tell Me Why. But Life is Strange 2 did… none of that.

Essentially, I realized that the reason why I was so frustrated with LiS2 is because it focuses way too heavily on a trauma narrative. This comes off as insensitive to players of color without any content warnings or extensive research.

Sean didn’t have to get kidnapped, kicked in the face, and called a racial slur by a gas station owner. Daniel did not need to watch his puppy get mauled by a mountain lion for the sake of a “difficult choice.” Sean didn’t have to lose his eye for the sake of heightened drama. Sean didn’t need to get called a racial slur and humiliated by his native language/beaten in the desert for refusing to sing. Daniel didn’t need to get shot— twice. Hell, all of “Faith” probably could’ve been cut— how is a church cult that brainwashes Daniel and beats Sean half to death relevant at all to the story?

Even if not all of the game’s violence was racially motivated, the consistent trauma that Sean and Daniel endure does not make for positive representation— or even good characterization. There is a difference between sympathetic characters and well-written characters, and trauma does not make Sean and Daniel any more complex or likable-- just more fucking traumatized.

LiS2 is more grounded in reality, but that also makes plot holes that much harder to excuse (Daniel’s powers being spotted, most of the Parting Ways ending, Sean’s prison sentence). But most of all, it grounds all of Sean and Daniel’s pain and trauma in reality. 

There is no magicking away a town-destroying storm with time travel. Sean can’t keep his dad alive by ripping up a Polaroid. After Max unlocked her powers, she was still a Blackwell student, reconnecting with Chloe, taking photos, saving lives, and uncovering a murder mystery. After Daniel unlocked his powers, the Diaz brothers lost everything. 

The game never lets you forget that Sean and Daniel are homeless, wanted, constantly in danger, and that they are never getting their old lives back. It permeates the entire game, and for players of color, just reinforces a sad, miserable, grim reality about living in the United States. It is, as @smitethepatriarchy said, potentially triggering for players of color, and it is certainly not something I needed to be reminded of.

And the representation of POC? It feels shallow and ill-researched. It would only take a Google search to find out that Dia de Muertos (a holiday to honor the dead, no less) was from October 31 to November 2 in 2016, the year the game takes place, but Daniel only talks about Halloween in episode 1. Sean and Daniel never discuss any Mexican customs, foods, or holidays. Sean doesn’t speak Spanish with his immigrant father, only during a scene when he’s traumatized (again!) by two racists, and again when talking to Mexican immigrants— in jail. Daniel doesn’t speak Spanish at all. Most of their allies throughout the game are white, including Finn and Cassidy, who appropriate Black culture with their dreadlocks.

So what’s left? Sean and Daniel’s existence as people of color is, at worst, just a narrative prop to justify everything that happens to them. They are people of color on the surface only. In a meta-sense, the game only considers the color of their skin and their last names as what is narratively important… yikes.

I don’t have anything against people who genuinely loved the game and were moved by its messages and story. But I can’t help but feel bitter that white players have the luxury of only thinking of this game as a work of fiction and not feeling any personal reliability to Sean and Daniel’s racialized trauma.

I don’t regret playing LiS2, but I do regret all the time and energy I spent defending it in the beginning. I understand now that I shouldn’t let people’s opinions get to me, nor should I feel obligated to like or defend a game for its attempts at representation. But now, I think I understand how queer fans must have felt in late 2015 when Polarized released. After following the game for 10 months, to see that Chloe’s ultimate destiny was to die and Pricefield is another ship plagued by the Bury Your Gays trope (in the ending that the devs clearly put more work into) must have been just as disillusioning and infuriating. I understand why some fans were so quick to unfollow LiS or develop mixed feelings about the series, because that’s how I feel too after following LiS2’s development from September 2018 to December 2019.

Before I end, I will admit that Life is Strange 2 arrived at a time when I needed it. I still stand by my belief that DN did a great job characterizing Sean, Daniel, and Chris without toxic masculinity, which is the best thing they could’ve done for a male-focused follow-up to a game about queer women. I love that Sean is still a canonically bisexual man of color in a major video game and that DN didn’t forget their queer audience. I love the world and characters that DN built, but I still prefer AU fanfictions of their normal lives, without all that trauma. 

So, I will continue to treasure Lyla and her 10 minutes of screentime (aka the only shred of Asian American representation I can get from this series). I still reblog LiS2 fanart to support the artists. I still support Dontnod, because as Tell Me Why has shown, they are capable of researching and writing stories with more sensitivity. And let’s be honest-- I’m still gonna be hella excited if Life is Strange 3 is announced.

But so many aspects of Life is Strange 2 were bungled that it came off as a remarkably average and forgettable experience. A year on, I don’t hate Life is Strange 2, but I am writing this to move on from it.

Thank you for reading.

[slightlyrebelliouswriter23]

Hi Em✨

I absolutely love your writing and your posts and I’ve been following you for a while now💕

I’m not sure about you but I feel quite uneasy/conflicted with the current rhetoric on book tok. I understand people not liking certain books but it’s been hard to see people slander books and the people that like those books/characters/stories,etc. I get that criticism is needed for certain themes or values that appear in books but reading is loosing some of its escapism for me:(

Reading in context (fictionally and in the real world) is always needed but sometimes I just like a book because of the characters or it’s story and not necessarily that it checks all the boxes for being perfect.

Tbh, as much as I love certain books, some of them have become tainted for me and I genuinely wish I didn’t I read other people’s opinions on them.

Book tok is great for reccs but I can’t even filter it out of my feed at this point. I kinda wish toxic fandoms also looked inwardly because as much fun it is to engage with fans and people that are apart of that fandom, some people take it way too far such as sending hateful anons to creators (such as you🥺) or calling books trash when they’ve been super influential or important to people.

I guess my little rant is over but I was wondering if you had any opinions on this or have any sort of guidance. Is there a place I could get reccs or how can avoid all of this rhetoric that can affect my view of a book.”?

Stay safe and have a good day✨💐

hi there, nonnie! thank you so much for the kind words, i really appreciate you 🥺❤️❤️

first off, i want to say that i 100% understand this. i never really got into booktok specifically because i had a feeling it was basically going to be book twitter 2.0 where everyone is just ripping into each other constantly. i don't like being influenced by other people's opinions either, and the drama that seems to be obligatory baggage for most fandoms these days (with the exception of TFOTA, cos for some reason we are extraordinarily chill) just isn't for me.

it is, of course, essential that we continue to think critically when it comes to media. it's the only way we can affect change in a positive direction. but this also must be balanced with a willingness to be humble with our opinions, understand that they are just opinions, and accept that everyone consumes media for different reasons.

this also means we'll all hold different boundaries about what we're willing to consume, and where we draw the line for things we won't consume. granted, books might be the mirror through which we see life reflected, but they are not reality itself. to a certain extent, fiction is fiction. and different boundaries does not a bad person make.

speaking of drawing lines, i'm going to direct you to this post by @bookofmirth , which is mainly about ACOTAR/SJM/Palestine but some of what they have to say there is very applicable to this topic, and eloquently put:

"Some people can separate art from artist. Some can't. It's up to all of us as individuals to draw that line where we are comfortable."

i agree with this statement wholeheartedly. it is not up to randomgal4549 on tiktok/twitter to decide what eye should or should not read. the unmitigated gall of anyone to think their opinion should dictate other people's choices is highly presumptuous and quite frankly exhausting.

apart from maybe the bible/other religious texts, what a person reads is not a reflection of who they are or what beliefs they hold. we need to learn not to conflate the two, and start regarding each other once more as humans with complex thoughts and feelings, capable of introspection and growth, instead of little icons on our phone screens with immovable and absolute beliefs.

so that's my opinion on that. my main advice to you would be KEEP THINGS ORGANISED. what i mean by that is this:

curate your social media experience! it is YOUR responsibility as an owner of any social media account (including tumblr) to customise your space to fit YOUR needs. if you don't like someone's opinion/content? unfollow. if someone is rude/you don't like their vibe? block. if you find the things someone shares to their socials offensive? unfriend. this is setting boundaries, and the people who take any of these things as a personal offence are the exact people you want to keep a healthy distance away from. you decide who you follow and what you see on your dash. be protective of your space and who you allow to have access to your energy.

keep personal feelings separate from the public! i honestly can't stress this point enough. if you feel the need to rant about something that irks you about a specific book/author/person's opinion, keep these discussions in the DMs with a trusted circle of friends. it is psychologically proven that when someone feels attacked, they will double down on their og opinion, no matter if they realise they're wrong. thus, projecting high-strung emotions into public spaces such as twitter, while understandable in some cases, will only serve to further polarise people and hurt the very movement you're likely trying to bolster. blow off steam with people you can entrust with your emotions. NOT strangers on the internet.

designate time to learning about issues that are important to you! i strongly advise against turning to any fictional medium for moral lessons or life advice. if you can dedicate some time outside of your escapism to inform yourself about important subjects through educational resources that are specifically designed to Teach/Impart Knowledge, instead of giving an ounce of thought to Intrinsically Biased Information Received Second Hand, i promise you you'll feel a whole lot less obligated to other people's opinions.

if you're unsure about a particular book/author, consider borrowing from your local library, purchasing the book second hand, or finding an ePub copy.

for recs, consider booktube. i know it's probably seen as a bit old school by now, but the great thing about youtube is that you're not randomly/unexpectedly subjected to other people's shit opinions like on other social platforms. you have to click a link to watch the video, which gives you more autonomy in regards to what opinions you consume. my personal favourite youtuber is Khadija Mbowe. she's not a booktuber, per se, but her content focuses on in-depth critical analysis of media/society through the lense of WOC (specifically Black women), and i find her channel compelling as well as informative.

goodreads is also a great place to find book recs without the constant influx of opinions. if you can find yourself a circle of trusted friends to follow on there, you can't go wrong. my goodreads is linked in my bio under "connect" and you're welcome to follow me there. or not! it's your choice.

–Em 🖤🗡

[footballcloud]

Like Old Times - Anyone You’d Like

this is the first thing I’ve written in about a year now, but I hope you enjoy it nonetheless. I’m not sure how frequently I’ll post things and some might be longer than other. Happy reading my lovelies! Tell me who you imagined it with! xx

"I don't understand how someone could be on 'good terms' with an ex", your friend piped up, putting the phrase 'good terms' in air quotations, when the topic of your most recent relationship popped up in conversation. You playfully rolled your eyes given that she'd told you that a billion times already, along with several other people, but it wasn’t like the break up was messy. You two were still civil, there wasn’t any tension between you. So why couldn’t the two of you stay friends? "I don't feel the need to make an enemy out of every ex I have", you replied, earning a laugh from the other girls as you threw a wink her way since she had a reputation to be a bit of a firecracker, and everyone knew it.

"If this cocktail wasn't so damn expensive, you'd be wearing it", she retorted as you shot her a look as if to say 'yeah right'. She wasn't wrong about you still getting on with your ex though. He was still very much a part of your life. You'd text him good luck occasionally on a match day if it was a particularly big game, or if he'd scored, you even had notifications for his team turned on on your phone to see how they were getting on. His parents even sent you a card a bouquet of flowers for your birthday a few weeks ago. He became integrated into part of your routine and you didn't want to offset it. Clearly your girls were against it though, they were never a huge fan of his in the first place. Saying you could do better. Saying he wasn't the one. Saying that whilst keeping little rituals like that in your life was lovely and all, that you'd never get over him - but you were over him. Definitely. Nevertheless, they supported you through the breakup as if they'd never said a bad word about him. Although, you couldn't miss the unimpressed faces they pulled when he walked into the club with his a couple of teammates.

"What's he doing here?" One of them were quick to comment as he made his way in the direction of the bar to get in a round of drinks. "Probably come to celebrate the win", you struggled and diverted your eyes away from him in a desperate attempt to avoid eye contact, that was the last thing you needed to throw you off the flow of a good night. "Of course you'd know", another one of your girls piped up and elbowed you in the ribbed mockingly, making your group laugh once again.

"I think it's mine turn to get drinks in, who wants what?" You slid out of the booth and grabbed your clutch from beside you. Your friends weren’t stupid, they knew exactly why you were so eager to get the drinks in but there was only so many times they could tell you that you weren’t right for each other.

"Passion fruit martini please" "Make that two!" "Vodka cranberry" "I think I'll pass this time, thanks" "Mines a rum and coke"

You nodded in an attempt to look like you'd remember what they'd just told you, but the second you properly laid eyes on him at the bar, their orders fell out your head almost instantly. He looked as good as he did the day you two broke it off. Dark ripped jeans, dark shirt with the top few buttons undone and sleeves cuffed a couple of times to show his arms that were glazed with a rich tan from his Dubai holiday that you'd seen plastered across his social media a few week ago, paired with silver watch that he'd bought himself last Christmas on his left wrist and grey trainers with hair styled neatly like it always was.

'Jesus Christ, keep your shit together', you scolded yourself for staring for too long but before you could tear your gaze away from him, he'd caught you in the act.

"You haven't change a bit, darling", a smug grin appeared on his face, using your pet name that you hadn't heard in months, as he rested a hand on your back, making you suddenly deeply regret your choice to wear a backless dress when you jolted under his warm touch. "Looking gorgeous, as ever", he added and leaned down a little further meaning you could smell the familiar scent of his cologne and fabric softer of his shirt when you inhaled heavily to compose yourself. You’d intended on going over to him, but the thought process hadn’t got as far as to what you were going to say to him, nor did you know why you felt the need to interrupt your girls night out to see him.

"Thank you, congrats on the win this afternoon", you replied, thanking him for his compliment that could have easily been mistaken for a flirty comment. ‘You haven’t changed either’, you thought when his arms tenced slightly when he leaned against the bar, allowing yourself a subtle glance over him - but eager to not fall for his charm a second time so changed the topic of conversation quickly. "Thanks, darling. How have you been?" You made polite conversation for a while, just like old times. With the drinks order for your group of friends long forgotten and presumably the same for him, you made your way outside with him as he guided you through a back exit, his hand still on your back.

"Seeing anyone new?" He asked out of the blue, initiating a conversation that you really didn't want to discuss with him and it confused you as to why he'd brought up the topic all of a sudden. "Nope, not been seeing anyone for months", you popped the 'p' on nope. Your response made him raise his eyebrows at you, pulling an expression that, even after an 18 month long relationship, you couldn't read what it meant. You weren’t going to tell him that he was in fact the last person you’d seen as that might give off the wrong message that you weren’t over him.

"What about you? Surely you've had girls practically throwing themselves at you?" You scoff involuntarily, sounding overly bitter. Yuck.  Clearly your comment caught him off guard because it was one of the few times his cool, calm demeanour had flaked away, resulting in you looking flustered. "No one actually, how could I when I see pictures on your Instagram of you looking that good". He eyed you up and down, shamelessly flirting with you, passing the flustered feeling over to you as you shifted under his gaze for a second as he took in your appearance better than he could when you were in the club. Strappy heels that he knew hurt your feet but made your legs look incredible, that short backless dress that he'd be thinking of taking off you since the second he laid eyes on you, hair curled at the ends so it bounced below your shoulders blades and light makeup, because you had no one to impress - or so you thought when you left your apartment.

"If you didn't like it, you know where the unfollow button is", you told him, trying not to sound defensive. "Who said I didn't like it?" He was quick to throw back his response with his signature smile plastered on his face, the same smile that had you falling for him the first time. Whilst you mustered up something to say, he began to lean in closer again allowing you to inhale the same familiar mixture of scents that intoxicated you less than an hour ago. You watched his eyes flutter shut with parted lips as his head tilted to the side, it was a natural reaction of yours to mirror his actions as you leaned in closer too. His hand on your back pressed more firmly against it to pull you closer whilst one of yours instinctively went to run through his hair and then settle on the back of his neck. The kiss was tentative, neither of you really wanted to take control in fear of losing the other one again.

“I’ve missed this”, he said as he continued to move his lips against yours, snaking his hand round to rest on your waist. You pulled away from his abruptly after that and leant your forehead on his. “Don’t say or do anything you might regret. It’s the alcohol talking”, you stated and looked at him, lips almost touching again. “You saw me walk in, I’ve not had a drink all night”, he told you and pulled away so the warmth of his body no longer comforted you as the atmosphere around you both suddenly became heavy. He was right though. You were the only one that was intoxicated after a few shots and two cocktails.

“I want you back”, he confirmed bluntly and tried to make eye contact with you but you denied him. “Okay - but we need to talk about this, not here”, you gestured to him, he nodded in agreement as a group of people stumbled out of the door, after clearly consuming more alcohol than they could handle. It had also started to drizzle slightly, the moisture weighing down the loose curls in your hair. “Come back to mine? Please?” His gaze still on you when you met his eyes but were deep in thought given his invitation. You weren’t prepared to let him smooth talk you into his bed like you knew he was capable of doing, and catch feelings again, only resulting in you tearing yourself apart again when he dips out of your life. Over the months that you’d been apart, you’d learnt your own worth - he wasn’t going to have you that easily.

“Okay”, you nodded as a grin appeared on his face. “But only to talk”, you added making him laugh and sling an arm round your shoulder. “Of course, babe. What else?” He raised an eyebrow at you and threw you a cheek wink before knocking on the window of a taxi that was parked nearby. “Have I told you how good you look in that dress?” You jabbed him in the ribs and rolled yours eyes, hoping that the dim streetlights would hide your blushes. “Don’t you dare say what I know you going to!” You warned him, knowing he was going to make a comment about how he thought the dress would look better on his bed room floor. He threw his head back as a laugh left his lips whilst a hand casually fell onto your thigh when he sat down next to you, just like it had done hundreds of times before. You laced your fingers over his, content with the company you were in.

[pen-emue]

Why c!Techno is awesome actually, an essay

So lately I've been thinking about why I enjoy c!Techno so much, he's definitely one of my favourites on the smp. And since Tumblr is one of the few places where writing it out won't be preaching to the chore, I thought I might as well.

A lot of people on here hate him, and that doesn't bother me or anything. I'll just unfollow if it's really harshing my vibe, and usually I enjoy the analysis and agree with it. It really just comes down to what level you engage with the story on: how serious you take it. Do you watch it to be a deep story that evokes emotions like fear or sadness? Or are you just here for excitement, here for the spectacle without much emotional attachment to the characters?

If I was in the second catagory exclusively that would be the end of this post, but I'm just as much in the first catagory. I love engaging with the smp writing and characters on their level. So why do I still love c!Techno to bits, even when I'm mentally hanging out in the first catagory?

1) He's a well written character who can be understood.

A mark of a well written character is even if they are incredibly different from yourself, making choices and doing things you never would, you're still able to put yourself in their head and understand their thought process. For c!Techno, every time you can ask "why did he do this bad thing?" there's an answer that can be given. Even if the way he views reality is warped, from your perspective, one is still capable of saying, for example... "well he went to investigate Tubbo because Tubbo was in charge when they tried to execute him, and Techno is as a character always afraid, repeatedly and consistently unaware of his own power, and therefore not drawing the sense of safety he should from it."

This is in contrast to a Pure Evil Villain (tm) who also definitely have their place in fiction, but who it's harder to love as a character if your engagement with the media goes any deeper than "oooh exciting and powerful." At the moment an example of this would be Dream, who is an incredibly important character within the narrative, but any thought process of his must be entirely imagined by the audience. (For the time being.)

2) He is very fun. Very epic. Badass anime character.

After some self reflection, I've realized I see him a bit like a force of nature. Like yes it's tragic that hurricane destroyed your home but you can't really be angry at the hurricane, that's just what it is. Within the story, he sometimes really does seem to function as a weapon, an explosive maguphin. I'm not saying Tommy saw him like that, I'm saying the narrative did. Like you summoned the war demon and it blew up the building your pentagram was in?... oh no... how terrible... I'm so sorry.

He's not necessarily relatable since most of us don't have the life experience of being incredibly powerful, but he's super interesting and exciting to see on screen. I always love the ridiculously overpowered characters in anime, and Techno fills that role for me on dsmp.

That's why I super hate when people attempt to bring things like real world anarchy and political discussions into this. The man said, and I quote "how can I sell you on massive anarchy from which the nation never recovers and just dissolves? And the world regresses into a dog eat dog world where only the strong survive and the weak live huddled in fear."

Is this the character you want representing your real world political ideology? Are you 100% sure? His character's not that serious guys... guys... it's just a video game... guys. That's why meta jokes work so well for him, because that's the kind of story he's in.

The show where Techno is the main character is very different in tone from the one where Tommy is the main character, which is different from the one where Ranboo is. And as much as I am very much here for them exploring telling dark stories, sometimes I do a double take and am like "damn you have really decided to go there, huh?"

And there's probably a reason I love both the Syndicate and Tubbo and Jack's nuke debacles so much. It's still lore, still a story, without quite as much edge (loving). Also I'd be upset if the edge went away. I just want us to peacefully coexist

[starrysamu]

i’m not someone with a huge following or anything, and it’s been a while since i’ve been here, but i’m sure everyone has heard about the state of the world right now. i wanted to use this platform to use my voice. 

i also wanted to take the time ask everyone to be respectful and use your voice during this time. there are two particular events i want to highlight: 

1) black lives matter 

black lives matter. i won’t hear it any other way, i won’t have it any other way. if you see it differently, feel free to unfollow me because i won’t be allowing for any other opinions. as someone who is still learning, however, i can offer what i’ve picked up along the way.  

as someone who is trying to do better and become a better ally, here’s some other thoughts i have on the situation: 

♦ the lack of solidarity amongst minorities in absolutely baffling. i’m not sure how else to elaborate on this other than that many minorities are not using their voices. your silent support is not enough. you have to do better.  

♦ the lack of solidarity in future healthcare workers is just as astounding. this is mainly targeted to the people in my life, irl. many of my peers specifically have been silent on this matter. please, please, please, use your voice. now is the chance to decrease the disparity in treatment and care for our black patients. how will you be a good healthcare worker if you can’t even support basic human rights. how.    

♦ nobody wants to see your selfies. that’s not to say you can’t go and do things like you normally would. use your platform for something more productive. if you’re not contributing anything constructive, don’t contribute at all.  

♦ criticisms against rioting and protesting: where was the coverage during peaceful protesting? the situation has escalated so dramatically that it requires this. black voices have been stifled for YEARS. it is not up to YOU how an oppressed group protests. criticisms against rioting and protesting minimizes the racism and oppression that black individuals have faced. if you are uncomfortable with violence, it is most likely because your privilege has protected you. and nb people - if you’re attending a protest, please don’t loot and burn things like it’s some free-for-all purge. your actions will be blamed on black people, defeating the purpose of protesting. 

♦ lastly, here is a collection of thoughts i have formed upon discussion: 

it may feel super fake/performative to share information that everyone else is sharing: however, those who agree with you might learn more, and those who disagree might reflect on their own opinions. information can spread to those who have not yet received yet either. 

you may not feel qualified to speak on these matters: i sure as hell don’t. it took me a long time coming, but i want to do better and be better. there is always a learning curve. all we can do is continue to learn and strive to do better.

you may not feel like you’re doing much or changing anything: i’m sure many of you have seen resources to help you take this a step beyond the instagram posts. if it’s within your capabilities, considering donating. advocating by signing petitions, making calls to your DAs, or protesting is a great way to stay involved. lastly, educate: speak on these matters, call your friends and families into discussions, read more about oppression and reflect on how your lifestyle is intertwined with institutional oppression.  

♦ to take it a step beyond, here’s some resources and action you can take (thank you to @/writeiolite for compiling these earlier): 

sign petitions, text or call, and donate. the link has all the information you need to take action! it’s very comprehensive. here is another comprehensive document with other ways to take action. 

educate: here is a very comprehensive document on how to learn more about systematic racism and black oppression. 

to other minorities that are struggling to find their voice, please check these instagram posts out. from these, i was able to find the strength to use my own voice. 

and for my black friends and followers, please take care of yourselves. here is a resource for mental health support. 

2) the anti-terror law 

this is something that has come to my attention very, very recently. i also am not very educated on this either, but from what i gather, this is a form of martial law without actually being termed as martial law - infringement of personal freedoms and rights. 

there is simply not much i can say because i am still reading and learning about it. i will update and edit as soon as i can get more information.

as previously mentioned, i am still in the process of educating myself on this topic. this is a great resource to get started, and is comprehensive on what it is and how you can help. please take a look at it!! to my friends living in PH, please stay safe. 

[thyandrawrites]

ok, so. I don’t wanna argue either, but this is getting out of hand so this is the last I’m gonna say on the topic and I will delete any further asks.

In that same tweet he also says “Bringing more children into an abusive household is wrong, but then again, maybe the abuse hadn't started yet.” Which. Is bullshit? Buying Rei to have kids and then training said kids since they manifest a quirk is still abuse? Downplaying it doesn’t make it less so? Endeavor kept training Touya even when he knew Touya’s fire burned him. That’s abuse. In fact, it started when Endeavor thought he could make an improved Endeavor 2.0 without a fire quirk drawback by impregnating a woman with an ice quirk. How is that abuse, you might ask. He doesn’t see his children as individuals. He sees them as extensions of himself. He denies their personhood and only sees them as a means to an end. Tossing away the “failures” is when the neglect started, but he was already abusive before that. He doesn’t see his kids as human beings but as properties. You don’t make kids to fulfil some kind of inadequacy within you. To bring life into the world means recognizing that child is an individual separate from yourself, with needs that don’t necessarily coincide with your own. Your child cannot be burdened by your ambitions or by your personal lackings. To expect that of a child who is dependant on you is toxic.

Now, about Rei. Sure, Caleb might’ve stated that she suggested having Fuyumi to appease her husband. That doesn’t mean he understands the severity of how abuse shapes people. He still victim-blames Dabi and Tomura, changes the nunce of their speeches to make them more callous, and justifies the violent takedown of villains for the greater good. To Caleb, victimhood is something that can be taken away the moment it inconveniences the masses. Just like Hawks when he killed Twice, who Caleb indeed justified. That’s abuse apologism. You can’t pick and choose who deserves to be a victim and who doesn’t. That’s not how it works.

another thing I want to clarify: I am a meta blogger. I discuss writing. Caleb’s translation is a form of writing. I find it honestly insulting that some of you are making it sound like I’m trying to cancel him for unjustified reasons. I’m not harassing him on twitter or telling people not to buy his translations or to stop following Viz. I’m not trying to sabotage his image either. I’m commenting his translation and how his personal bias affects it negatively. Turning a blind eye to the flaws of something I enjoy doesn’t make them disappear. I’m capable of critical thinking and that implies acknowledging both the positive and the negative elements in something. I talk about both because metafictional analysis is the purpose of this blog. Please respect that. If you don’t like my approach on stuff, you’re welcome to unfollow.