#complicated in that they actually seem difficult to use and complicated in that they're explained in terms that don't make any sense to me

[willlmesh]

cant even pirate project mirai fuck this stupid baka life

[descendant-of-truth]

Sooo has anyone else noticed that Chaos Sonic seems to know things about Sonic that he logically shouldn't?

He constantly brings up Sonic's failures, describes him as looking "sad and pathetic" and being "tragic" when Sonic doesn't even look upset, and seems to have inherited chili dogs as his favorite food to boot.

But the Chaos Council doesn't know about Sonic's biggest failures. They don't know that he feels sad about anything, or that he likes chili dogs. Not even Nine knows these things in detail, and even if he did, we're not given any indication that he told the Council anything after giving them the initial idea for Chaos Sonic by accident.

And yet, he takes every opportunity to poke at Sonic's insecurities, even targeting his friends and blaming him for getting them hurt.

How does he know Sonic well enough to make these kinds of targeted remarks? I like that he can, it leads to a lot more interesting interactions than if he couldn't, but what's the in-universe explanation?

Well, Sonic absorbed some of the Prism's energy when it shattered, and Chaos Sonic was created mostly with the energy from the shards. While this could give them a sort of mental connection, it doesn't seem to go both ways, and I have a slightly more specific theory for how it all works.

That being: I think the Prism itself knows Sonic. Which is kind of a bold claim, I think, but hear me out.

First of all, the energy that's in Sonic's body (once tempered with Nine's tech of course) adapts his gloves and shoes to his environment in ways that'll protect him. New Yoke doesn't require anything special, but the Boscage Maze has tall trees that are difficult to climb, so it gives him retractable claws. No Place is filled with water, and Sonic can't swim, so he gets hover shoes to keep him afloat even if he falls in.

That's a suspicious amount of intent going on there, isn't it? And they appear the instant Sonic enters a new world, so he doesn't even encounter the obstacles his clothes are protecting him from before getting them. It's like the energy already knows what the world is like and what Sonic's capabilities are.

Secondly, Shadow reacts physically to the giant sparkly specter of Tails that shows up in the void, which tells me that those are all Actual Things that the Prism conjured up.

And that's. kind of weird, right? I just assumed these were symbolic of memories flashing through Sonic's head, but I guess they're also flashing through space itself, which I will admit did get a laugh out of me the first time I watched it

(They might not be "memories" exactly since we never flashback to when these lines were originally said, but they're certainly Something that came from Sonic's head so my point still stands)

Finally, when the Chaos Council uses the Prism energy to make the Giant Eggman, it specifically takes the form of the original. That didn't come from Mister Doctor's imagination - that's how Sonic remembers Eggman.

Not to mention, they keep hammering home how uniquely linked Sonic is to the Prism, so why not have it be the other way around? I'm not saying that the Paradox Prism has to have any kind of sentience for this theory to work (in fact I'd be surprised if it did), but it could be acting as a sort of container for data on Sonic, just like how Sonic is a container for its power.

And if that's the case, then it explains how Chaos Sonic knew so much; he's tapped into that very data bank from the get-go. It also complicates the question of how to restore the Prism a bit, because yeah Sonic might have to put his energy back into it, but does the Prism have to give anything back to him in return?

Regardless of the answer, I'm really looking forward to learning more about how the Paradox Prism works (and also any potential future Chaos Sonic appearances because I loved every moment he was on screen)

[miraculouslbcnreactions]

So if Adrien were to get an antagonist like Marinette and Chloé (or Alya and Lila in your case), who would you pick?

For me, I would personally pick Félix since he and Adrien had some personal connection as family and it did felt like there was some potential for a possible rivalry between the two in his debut episode (before the writers screwed Félix’s character by a lot).

(Post that spawned this ask)

It really depends on what format I'm being forced into. Félix is like Lila: great in serialized content, terrible choice for episodic content.

If we're allowed to go the serialized route and have plots run for multiple episodes, then Félix could be a great rival. You'd need to do something to rework his character, though, because right now his motivations are really confusing. If we go with the senti stuff, then there's not much to base the rivalry on or even many plots you could do. Let's quickly pitch an alternate Félix to show you what I mean.

Félix and Adrien are the same age and we know that Emilie was the older twin, so maybe the boy's maternal grandparents are still alive and have yet to decide who to pass their fortune and titles on to: the traditional bloodline heir (Adrien) or the kid of the daughter who stuck around and followed tradition (Félix). This could be an interesting path if we give Félix all the same interests as Adrien. If they're constantly competing to be better and Félix is constantly sabotaging Adrien at big events.

For the sabotage to be clever, it would need to be set up in more than 20 minutes, otherwise Félix would just feel petty and opportunistic, which is the problem with Emotion. Félix just shows up and seems to go crazy because truly setting up his invasion of the Diamond Dance would have required him to have screen time across several episodes. That screen time could have been minor, but it was still needed. Maybe Ladybug and Chat Noir keep looking for Félix as a subplot, leading us to have multiple episodes end with a quick look at where Félix is and what he's doing.

While we're on the topic of canon changes, compare the family rivalry setup to canon and you hopefully see what I mean by lack of a motivation or even ways to show the rivalry off. What opportunities does canon Félix have to show how much better he is? He and Adrien seemingly have nothing in common apart from their looks, making it somewhat difficult to compare them. You need those common interests or big showoff moments for a rivalry to work. You also need to feel like Adrien is better than Félix and canon didn't do that. Félix is smarter and more of a go-getter than passive, gullible, naïve Adrien. Every encounter between the boys sees Félix win.

There's also not much to support a read that Adrien gets more love or attention. Amelie is doting. Gabriel and Nathalie are cold and distant. So why does canon Felix delight in tormenting Adrien? What is Felix's goal with things like trying to assault Ladybug or telling Adrien's friends that Adrien hates them? Even the season four final is really weird. Felix already snuck into Adrien's room. Why did he need to officially switch places with Adrien? Just dress up as Adrien, commit your theft, and go home, dude. That's way less complicated than agreeing to leave the country as your cousin. (So much of the season four final is written around forcing Ladybug to lose that it's actually kinda funny. So many things make no sense.)

When figuring out how to rework Félix, you also want to keep in mind what motivations are driving Marinette's antagonists. You don't want Félix to feel like a Lila or Chloe clone. You want him to bring diversity to the table. His motivations should be unique to him and his relationship to Adrien.

If we have to stick to the episodic format where character motivations and plots can be explained and resolved within 20 minutes, then I would not use Felix. Instead, I'd have some fun with how oblivious Adrien is and give him a bunch of "rivals" for Chloe's attention. To match our theme of diversity, while Marinette and her antagonists never get along, Adrien could have a string of rivals with each one ending the episode either no longer interested in Chloe because they realize she's a brat or still interested, but no longer hating Adrien because they realize he's a total non-threat. Less interesting than the Félix stuff, but potentially a funny running gag no matter which way you play it.

[b-blushes]

not entirely clear reflection about disability and 'hobbies' and perceptions of the intersection of those things in relation to more serious circumstances 👍

thing i think i have been somewhat finally been able to put into words is like. okay everyone has limitations in their life to a lesser or greater degree. lots of factors you might have limitations within (financial, disability, etc) when i'm genuinely enjoying things, i'm genuinely enjoying them. the 'problem'? these things are not necessarily the things that i would be doing if i was not disabled. doesn't make those things bad! i'm still enjoying them! just challenging emotionally when someone is looking at snapshot of your life, seeing X 'positive'/'fun' thing you're doing only because the rest is either deliberately or by circumstance hidden (e.g you don't see me being unable to do daily life things because they happen to me alone in my house, i do not tell you about certain upsetting thing going on in private etc) like 'oh you are having so much fun you are doing good 👍'. it's like, i am making the best of 'it', and often in the recent years of my life i would class 'it' as somewhat bad. still cannot express enough my gratitude for those things. like the ability to find and have the capacity (physical, mental, financial) to do them? literally lifesaving, not a metaphor. also for some periods of time i AM purely having fun, rather than the typical 'feeling very unwell but doing X instead of [variety of things that would be harmful or not presenting me with an opportunity for a positive emotion, etc]. not to say there are, for want of a better word 'pure' and 'not pure' versions of doing an activity, the activity is the same in both situations. the circumstances are different though. difficult because it feels like for me atm the Xs are directly as a result of the bad 'it'. it's hard for me to separate the two! idk what the 'point' of this is, just a feeling i've been having. it feels like 'doing X because i had the freedom to choose it out of a world of possibilities' and 'trying to find something that will give me some respite and determined to make X happen to try to achieve this, and now i enjoy X' are different to me! doesn't make X any less enjoyable or authentic or whatever! just feels very linked! like 'you are so strong' 'thanks it was that or die' type situation i guess? idk! also very easy from an outside perspective to just see the various Xs and use them to explain away or ignore the circumstances? 'you can do X so it can't be that bad', 'if you were that unwell then you couldn't do X', etc. really really hard to do positive things when they're seen as a negation of your real and serious circumstances sometimes. also true that there are people for whom the various Xs aren't even possible. also true that the various Xs are often literally and explicitly things i've been asked to do therapeutically as part of various treatments. they are also still 'hobbies'!

idk. difficult situation when people's perceptions of you and thus their expectations of you are based purely on their perception of your Xs, and there's a cognitive dissonance situation going on there. and then it's also like okay. it would seem that to break this, if i want to be seen accurately and wholly, it's complicated. person might feel lied to or mislead. person might not believe you. you likely will need to share your worst moments for them to believe you. you didn't share those moments with them before. why. it's a whole thing. makes it difficult to want to be known by people sometimes. I guess one antidote to this is sharing the bad things as they are happening more. tricky though when those circumstances are not always ones where i'm able to communicate well, or that people actually. want to hear about! or maybe i don't feel like i can handle other people's feelings (or un-asked-for advice) at the moment i am experiencing them. etc. it's a whole thing :P i'm doing 'fine' rn nothing has changed, the whole thing is just something i've been thinking about while i'm getting tested for more 'serious' conditions and am waiting for test results, and considering more radical life changes i might want to make. i'm feeling like it might be difficult to get some people on board with those life changes, or that, the difficulty will be 'emotional difficulty to me to have to petition other people to believe the full extent of it, which i have, either circumstantially or deliberately, been hiding from them, for at various times either my own or what i determined as for their wellbeing.' NOT VERY FUN. i can do it. but i wish i didn't need to. and idk how much it is as a result of decisions that i 'should' have made differently if i wanted a different outcome, or just naturally occurring as a result of all the stuff that's been going on.

anyway it all boils down to "sometimes you will be increasingly more unwell and disabled across a long period of years and someone will make hugely incorrect assumptions and be like 'oh it's nice that you do so many hobbies you must be having a good time generally' and you are like. '(lying) yeag.'" hahahaha. but this conversation has real consequences other than you just feeling invisible.

also like yeah i am having a nice day doing hobbies at home. THAT'S BECAUSE TODAY I AM LITERALLY UNABLE TO LEAVE THE HOUSE BECAUSE I WENT OUT AND HAD A HAIRCUT THAT SOMEONE ELSE DROVE ME TO AND FROM THIS WEEK AND THAT'S THE ONLY TIME I'VE BEEN OUT. okay i'm fine about this. and i am trulyyyyyy having a nice time doing said hobby.

[stonktronk]

I both do and don't wish that they'd written Tom Paris' character as Nick Locarno, as they seem to have considered at one point.

I am very interested in guilt and shame as themes, and I think Nick in Voyager would've been a very interesting exploration. Guilt and shame is what Tom's story begins as, so you can see the outline of Nick's character there... but I do feel like it would be a different story.

We have Tom explain the event that got him removed from Starfleet only once, if I recall correctly. And when he explains it, he says that the deaths of the other people in his mission were due to "pilot error." A Starfleet pilot making some "error" during a mission (Tom's background) is a much less disconcerting image than an upperclassmen intentionally rallying younger students into a dangerous stunt (Nick's background).

Both characters try to cover up their culpability, but Tom voluntarily confesses afterwards. He chose to speak up even after he "got away" with his cover up, which shows us that he wasn't willing to lie about those deaths for the sake of his career. That's not something we get from Locarno. Nick pressures younger students -- whom he's responsible for leading -- into lying, and he only owns up after someone else comes forward... his actions are more difficult to swallow than Tom's.

All that to say, Nick's backstory is just more disturbing, imo. Not only were his actions more unethical, but he was also a young adult when he did them. Knowing that all of this happened among children makes it that much more painful. And none of this is to mention that the Voyager audience would've actually seen this character do the bad thing they're known for.

Honestly, I think Voyager shied away from reminding the audience of what Tom did. He only recounts it once, if I recall correctly, and a lot of his character beats about guilt are made to orbit around a vague sense of failing to be what people expected of him. This is no less real a story, and it is a good story imo. I don't think it's necessary that Voyager make everything about a particular event for the guilt theme to be worthwhile. All that to say, changing Tom out for Nick wouldn't have been a small change. It would've made his story quite different, and -- inevitably, I think -- more challenging to watch.

If we'd had Nick, we would've had a character with a whole TNG episode dedicated to giving us intimate knowledge of his deeply unethical decisions. The advantage is, it would've made the shame he struggles with in Voyager more visceral. The audience would not easily forget how immoral his actions were, nor how committed/confident he was in doing them. Any moment where he expresses guilt would hit much harder, because we'd actually be familiar with the events he's feeling guilty about. Remembering how Nick's actions affected Wesley -- not to mention, being able to put a name to the person whose death he's responsible for -- would've made it easier for the audience to feel the anger and resentment towards him that other characters in Voyager do. And honestly, I think that would make the theme of shame more real.

Shame is such a beast to live with. When you enter a room, you feel (accurately or not) that the people around you don't think you deserve to be there. It can be physically painful to just be seen when you feel that way. We could easily imagine feeling that way, if we were being asked to put ourselves in Nick's shoes. And that would bring us to the question, what is Locarno left to do, knowing that he did something inexcusable? Shame complicates everything. If you come to believe that you don't deserve to be among others at all, how are you mean to live? How are you meant to engage in the world and be someone, let alone become someone? That's an extreme way of phrasing things, sure, but I think we see moments of Tom feeling this way in Voyager.

In the Threshold episode, Tom tells Janeway that he believes she and the crew are lying when they say good things about him (aka, when they indicate that he deserves to be there). During the plotline where Tom leaves Voyager as part of a secret plan, he quite convincingly pretends that he doesn't believe he fits in on Voyager anymore-- it's a performance, yes, but I think it's implied that Tom knows what to say because he's felt this way before. And then there's the episode where Harry enters an alternate universe where he never boarded Voyager, and he meets a version of Tom that says he hasn't cared about his own future in a long time.

What Tom does in the show is work through those feelings of shame in order to collaborate with others on Voyager, and I am intrigued by the idea of Nick going through the same character arc. I think it would necessitate some darker scenes than the ones we get with Tom. It would have to involve him developing a different moral compass than the one he operates with in The First Duty. I think it would've fit into Voyager's themes, though, and Star Trek's general theme of hope and human growth.

All that said, it would be emotionally excruciating to watch. And that's why I'm both disappointed and glad that they didn't write Nick in Tom's role. Would I be interested in that story? Yes. Would it be easy to watch? No. Would Voyager have been able to pull it off? ...I don't know.

Anyway. If I ever seem overly enthusiastic about Nick Locarno, this is why.

[the-mountain-flower]

Hey, you guys chose one of the true ones :) (post I'm referring to)

Ok so,

In my mid-teens, I needed braces. This was more complicated than usual because A) of how big my overbite was (I needed a whole separate set of alignment stuff in my mouth before I could get braces), B) I was in the midst of severe depression and having trouble brushing my teeth regularly, C) one of my baby teeth would NOT come out (eventually had to get it pulled out) and my adult tooth would NOT come in (they had to burn some of the gums away and basically force that one out, which actually wasn't nearly as bad as it sounds), and D) they decided I needed tads. This story is about the tads.

Chances are, most of you won't know what tads are, and they're definitely not common (apparently uncommon enough that an entire office of dentists didn't know what they were looking at, but I'll get to that in a bit). Basically, they're used (at least in my case & this is how they explained it to me) to sort of pull up the top row of teeth so one's smile is more teeth less gums. The tads themselves are literal screws they put into the gums and attach to the braces.

I thought this was highly unnecessary. I knew very well just how much I needed braces and while I wasn't happy about getting them, I was looking forward to the positive effects it would have on my teeth (and you know, really not wanting them to continue growing as crooked as they were). But this seemed like way too much for something I honestly didn't care much about. However, the orthodontists recommended I get them. And, importantly since I was in my mid-teens and didn't exactly have full bodily autonomy, my parents decided I needed them.

So I got screws in my gums that were pulling up and being pulled by the braces. When I say it hurt more than basically any period pains I'd felt, I mean it. It was probably the worst pain I've ever experienced. Needless to say, I hated it so so SO much. (Don't even get me started on how much more difficult it became to brush my teeth even though I needed it more, plus I had to use this awful mouthwash; and eventually because of the difficulty with keeping them clean they got infected and I had to get them removed a little earlier than I would've otherwise, but on the bright side even though it was hard to tell with the swollen gums they said that it looked like they'd done their job good enough and I probably wouldn't need them anymore, meaning they probably wouldn't be replacing the tads when my gums healed. That ended up being the case, and I was done with that shit FOREVER!!! So imo, the pros outweighed the cons on that one situation.)

I think the subject of this story is the ONLY time I got any kind of joy from those things. And it was more the amusement of the situation.

See, dentists and orthodontists are different areas of tooth-care stuff. For obvious reasons, the dentists knew how to clean and examine my teeth with the braces on and the like, but you can't expect a dentist to have an orthodontist's expertise and vice versa. Still, I didn't expect the reaction I got. The first time I went to the dentist since I got braces, was while I had those goddamn tads in. And apparently, no one there knew what they were. (I think I heard one of them say they'd heard of them, but that was it.)

So they took the x-ray of my teeth, and the dentist doing so asked what those things in my gums were. I said very bitterly that those were the tads, to which they asked what those were. Understandably surprised that they didn't know already, I told them that they were basically screws in my gums attached to my braces. The dentist brought in another to get a look at the tads in question, and before I knew it everyone in the office at the time was around me and my x-ray, curious and asking me and my mom questions about the tads.

With my social anxiety, I probably would've been really self-conscious about this (I'm still not quite sure why I wasn't? maybe my bitterness abt the tads overruled my anxiety abt being the center of attention and the state of my teeth? idk), except I thought it was really funny. This was an entire office of experts who specialize in tooth care, and yet this was apparently the first time any of them had heard of this, and I, in my mid-teens and very far from an expert, was answering questions for dentists about it.

So yeah, I thought it was pretty funny :)

(Checked with my mom to make sure I got the details right, and they were mostly dental hygienists. The dentist in charge knew what the tads were, but hadn't seen them before. Still funny to me)

[deservedgrace]

part of what makes explaining evangelical cult stuff so difficult for me is that a lot of tactics are only as effective as they are because they work in tandem with other tactics, and it requires a lot of explaining and context that's hard to talk about in a way that's coherent lol

example: i'm going through a transcript of a sermon from the church i used to go to and one of the things they did was talk about confirmation bias. thing is, they gave the webster dictionary definition and went "that's super confusing so let me break it down for you" and gave other definitions and examples and ended up with an example that wasn't really of confirmation bias, it was basically just having positive associations with certain things. and then they talked about using "confirmation bias" to have positive association with things throughout your day to remind you of christ

and i think a lot of things are pretty obvious surface level issues, like landing at an insufficient definition and understanding of confirmation bias, not engaging with the term as its meant to be used, treating it like something you have to lean into in order to further your relationship with christ

but the preacher also made an effort to make it seem like this incomprehensible and convoluted concept, both in language ("you guys are like 'confirmation bias? what does that mean?'", "that didn't make sense either lol, okay let me try to give you an example") and intentionally giving confusing definitions and using examples that don't really fit what confirmation bias is

and i can't help but think that's not a coincidence when a frequent argument i see against evangelical christianity is pointing out the confirmation bias that's kind of embedded in the culture. i can't help but wonder if making it sound like a really difficult concept to grasp makes it easier for people to dismiss those arguments because "it's super complicated so they probably don't understand it." i can't help but wonder if equating confirmation bias with Positive Associations and Thing You Should Be Doing to Help Your Relationship with Christ will only make members think outsiders' criticisms of it is an attack from Satan trying to tempt them. i can't help but wonder if making it seem like something that's impossible to understand deters people from looking into it on their own. i can't help but wonder if the pastor was trying to send a message (even subconsciously) that "you couldn't possibly understand these things on your own, you need the church to do it for you"

but like, all of these things are only effective because outside/alternative beliefs are demonized. you're taught "worldly" people are evil and satanic. you're taught you're supposed to be dependent and obedient to god/the church. you're told not to "fall victim to worldly thinking". you're taught non-believers think they're smart and knowledgeable, but they're actually foolish and don't know anything

and those things are only effective because you're told the church has the absolute truth. you're told you can't question doctrine. you're taught that doubting is sinful and you falling into your human nature and risks your salvation. you're told outsiders are empty and broken and incapable of real happiness or peace or goodness or love. you're told that you're like that too, by nature, and the only reason you're not is because you're here

and these things maintain effectiveness by using music, prayer, meditation, speaking in tongues, etc to alter your mental state. encouraging fasting and sleep deprivation and otherwise denying your needs to induce emotional states. using hypnotic methods. claiming brain chemistry is the holy spirit

and like, in my case of growing up in it, it's as effective as it is because the church is shaping your morality, your reality, your thought process, your beliefs, your common sense, your critical thinking skills, all of it. because you're not allowed access to outside perspectives. because you're constantly emotionally dangled just above the flames of hell. because you have to listen to and trust the adults around you or else they'll drop you in. because even if they do that, you only have yourself to blame for being sinful

like, how do you explain all that? that it's never just that one thing?

[haveyouseenthisskeleton]

Can you tell us how your boys feel about kids.

I saw that blue doesn’t like children so I got curious.

Undertale Sans - He's not very expressive so it's hard to know, but he likes kid a hell lot. They're funny, gullible and they somehow takes everything he's saying for true which leads to the best laughs of his life. He's a bit nostalgic too of the time it was just him and Papyrus.

Undertale Papyrus - He loves kids, but it's not difficult because he loves everyone. But his kid especially. He's going to make sure they never miss anything to the point he can get a bit protective and it's certainly not an unhealthy way to cope with how painful his childhood was in the streets :D

Underswap Sans - Oh god, please no. Children make him so nervous. He's very uncomfortable around them, and he usually lets S/O take care of them if he has some one day. He is full of insecurities, way more than he thinks, and the fact his brother almost died from starvation when they were younger probably is the cause of that. He prefers to stay away.

Underswap Papyrus - He loves children, he wants children. He's one of the best dad to have, very loving and attentive, and he's working hard on his insecurities with children, to the point they completely disappear sometimes. He's just dad material.

Underfell Sans - He's a great dad, he just doesn't know it... Red spends more time thinking he will be a horrible dad and not enough realizing all the kids in the neighborhood likes him and sees him as a sort of father figure. If he ever has a child, that will be the revelation of the century for him lol.

Underfell Papyrus - He loves children but he's way too protective so when the kids reach the teenage era, he might struggle a lot with this. He wants all his kids safe and it's a bit obsessional. Other than that, he's a great dad. A little strict, but patient. He explains things very well to kids too.

Horrortale Sans - He loves kids but kids don't love him all the time :( He's always sad when he accidentally makes a child cry in the street because he's big and scary. He's nothing but a huge teddy bear with his own kid, with a bit of feral paternity lol. He's very nice, but threat his kids and suddenly you might die lol.

Horrortale Papyrus - He loves children, but it's hard to keep up with their energy. He has too many health problems to raise kids, or that's what he tells himself because he has no self-confidence. He's a gentle giant. He's lecturing kids a lot though. He's definitely a dad-strict-mom deep inside.

Swapfell Sans - See that squirrel girl from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory? That's his kid. Nox has a dad girl who always comes looking for him when she has any problem and he will say yes to any of her temper tantrums because that's his little princess. That's his baby girl and he will fight anything trying to take her from him with his fists lol.

Swapfell Papyrus - He's that Dad who doesn't seem to really care about anything, but it's actually not the case. He likes when kids learn things by themselves, so yeah, the kid is going to get hurt, a lot. But they will draw on all his bones too, cooking explosive cakes, paints the walls of the house... Rus is a fun dad.

Fellswap Gold Sans - Uh, no thanks. Kids make him too anxious. He's struggling with Coffee already, he doesn't need more people he needs to watch over obsessionally, thanks. Or he could take the opportunity to, you know, see a therapist about this. But, uh, not today.

Fellswap Gold Papyrus - He's going to give his anxiety to his kids lol. They all have a very strong bond when they are together. However, if one of them is missing, everyone is panicking, father including, and it turns terribly wrong. Every time. That's going to be complicated lol.

[brujitaadinbo]

They say that mothers have a highly developed sixth sense for everything and let me tell you that I fervently believe it. I just checked this after watching Ahsoka with my mom, she has no experience in SW, she never watched Rebels and it was her first time watching the series, just like when she watched The Mandalorian, she deduced a lot of things just by watching.

I can only tell you that I always base myself on the facts and what has been seen on TV.

Sabine definitely feels something more for Ezra and it is not simply a "sisterhood" I love that both here and in The Mandalorian they show you the characters in their worst moments, in depression, in their duels and in some way they also show you that sometimes what they want or need the least is what actually helps them, or it's what they want or need.

Bo Katan did not want to see Din again and technically managed to save his life, give him back his planet, build a beautiful relationship (because it is, canon or not, they combine very well and hate will not change my mind) And above all, return some glory to the Mandalorian people.

Sabine lost her family and doesn't want to know anything, she lives her grief and a very particular one, she distances herself from everyone and takes refuge in Ezra's home, she takes care of his things and unites hers in that hiding place. Grief can be experienced in many ways but let's be honest, when you lose a family member, especially a brother, it is hard and very difficult but unfortunately life has to go on, it is very different from when a mother loses her child or when someone you lose your loved one.

Sabine shows it in every moment, it hurts her not to know what happened to Ezra, she is immobile, the pain does not allow her to move forward. My mom, seeing this, asked me, who is Ezra? Why she miss him so much? I replied, you have to keep watching, I won't tell you anything. But in particular we both agreed that when Ahsoka showed hope to see him again, with the map, Sabine came back to life. He regained the shine on his face.

We also agreed and you can see that Ahsoka had that feeling all the time, that knowing, that Sabine had an irrational need to see Ezra again. That's why he says it more than three times. Until the moment he says, Can I count on you? Somehow he doubts and senses that Sabine did not destroy that map.

That's why Baylan convinces her to go together to Peridia, for his "lost friend" despite all odds. That's why Thrawn also tells him so. "that foolishness of finding your lost friend" and she answers "you would never understand" because Sabine has always been defensive about the feelings she unconsciously shows towards Ezra and does not recognize them even when she is exposed. That's why she hide them and I'm sorry, but I do have a brotherhood with someone, very close, I don't care what they think, I show my affection because we are brothers. I explain?

It doesn't make sense unless they're setting up something big later.

The best thing is the moment of Sabine and Ezra's reunion, the hug that "according to them" doesn't prove anything, but the sighs I could hear, well, why hide what you feel? My mother told me "They hug each other very affectionately, it doesn't seem like their friend, it seems like it's the boy they like"

Also when Ahsoka already finding these two, she tells Sabine "Looks like your bet paid off" In the end Sabine feels good because she found Ezra in some way or another, that irrational foolishness calms down and even her use of force is shown magically… coincidence???

I don't believe it. and to conclude...

Sabine prefers that Ezra go home, the whole situation becomes complicated and at least she knows that he is alive and well, her heart is calm. Now he knows that he should be with Ahsoka, she is his teacher in a way, she gave him back the hope of finding Ezra, of seeing him again. He has to be with Ahoska because thanks to her she was able to see him again.

To affirm that Ezra and Sabine only see each other as brothers is to deny the facts and deny what was experienced in Rebels, the development of the relationship of these characters and above all to deny that Sabine prefers Ezra to the galaxy.

I'm sorry but I will also send this ship and not abandon the DinBo, only time will tell us who was right or at least what will happen to all of them.

this is the way....

[karamazovposting]

On incommunicability

I saw a post that mentioned how Ivan is so radicalized by child abuse and yet hates Pavel so much and I want to talk about it because I genuinely think about it a lot (I clearly have issues), but I'm making my own post because I don't want to randomly come rambling into a stranger's notes.

I've said it before, but Ivan is a paradoxical (I mean, other characters refer to him as such multiple times) person and that's exactly what I love about him and the dynamic between him and Pavel. In theory he wants to help people and in some instances he does, such as the whole making Dmitri escape prison situation and his encounter with the peasant in the snow, but when he has to get emotionally close in order to do so, like he would have had to do with Pavel, he doesn't. Ivan was the only one who could have helped Pavel, except he couldn't because he has issues and can only interact with others and love at a distance.

The difference between Dmitri's situation and Pavel's is that when it comes to the former, Ivan can still act at a safe distance and even through Katya and Alyosha, so it's not an emotional ordeal. There are a lot of feelings at play in this kind of situations and feelings are not something Ivan is good with, and I think it makes sense for him to feel such rage towards Pavel simply because that's what Ivan turns any feeling he doesn't know how deal with into, so I wouldn't exactly call Ivan a hypocrite as I think it's more complicated than that; pushing away people is all he does and it's coherent of him to do so with Pavel too. To me it also makes sense for him to fail to see the suffering children that the adults around him once were, as absurd that may seem. It's all about rage and the blindness that comes with it.

It's important to highlight that it's explicitly stated that even Ivan himself doesn't know why he feels so angry towards Pavel; I've always wondered about the background of Ivan's change of attitude towards him, considering they used to have a civil relationship and it's mentioned that they used to have intellectual conversations as well, and honestly I think it's because of Ivan and his comfort zone: when things become too much, he distances himself. It's obvious that he knows what his brothers' childhoods were like, he even brings up the suffering of children at lunch with Alyosha, he knows that it ties them all together and that knowledge, on top of the abuse, has impacted him deeply. Having Pavel keep trying to get closer angers him even more and, personal opinion here, it reminds me of the way Fyodor tries to get Ivan to talk to him in some passages of the book. On the other hand, Pavel tells Ivan he's just like their father because to him Ivan is in fact just like their father: another person who discarded him. And it all stems from a deep mutual misunderstanding.

I can't really condemn Ivan, just like I can't really condemn Pavel (or Dmitri); they're a product of their environment and to me The Brothers Karamazov is also a book about misunderstanding and incommunicability: sometimes there's just some sort of invisible barrier between family members that nobody can really do anything about, and sometimes you find yourself in something that is so messed up, so tangled and so much bigger than you that you just don't know where to start to fix it (you can't, not alone at least) and I hope you get what I'm trying to say as it's difficult to explain the very specific and complicated mechanisms and feelings in such dysfunctional family dynamics.

I've said before that I don't consider Ivan's character and story tragic and while I still stand by that, this is to me the tragic thing about him: he, who has empathy for and wants to help those who've been abused, could've done something to actually help a (now grown) abused child close to him, in his own family, but couldn't even try due to being emotionally neglected (and therefore a now grown abused child) himself. In the end his inability to break the cycle, which is itself part of the cycle, digs his own grave and that's incredibly fucking sad.

[mademoiselle-cookie]

Is Étoiles a bad leader?

No. If you just wanted to know that, my answer is no. You don't have to read the rest.

So in my completely impartial and not at all biased opinion, I'm going to explain why we are actually lucky to have him as a leader. (it will probably poorly age)

But first yes, this question does not come out of nowhere. This first day was hell for the Green Team and their chat (at least Étoiles' chat). I was watching his stream before stopping before the “teamwork” part. If it had been later, I wouldn't have watched the VOD. I literally put the last stream in accelerated, because it wasn't pleasant to watch and Étoiles was clearly not having a good time. It ruined my good mood and I abandoned the stream on the 2nd day because I wasn't in a state to enjoy it, even though it seemed to be exactly like the solo part of Étoiles during the 1st day, but vocally with the Blue Team, so without the stress of teamwork.

I'm not saying that Étoiles is perfect. It is obvious that he was not elected for his leadership abilities, but because he is the strongest (and he is green). He is kind, doesn't like to impose himself, speaks softly and is an introvert whose social battery runs out quickly (I'm an introvert myself and let me tell you it goes down very quickly in stressful/in unusual company/unpleasant situations). It also often happened that the other players talked over him (except Fit, no? It seemed to annoy him)

But I attribute the majority of their difficulty to two points:

Lack of luck A) Decisions which are good on paper but the circumstances of the event make them bad

It's a survival game. Taking your time to prepare is super important if it's possible. It's literally what allows you to survive properly after that. The Green Team farmed items, obtained and enchanted armors and weapons, collected food, made sure everyone had what they needed, created a well-hidden base... They then left as a group because it is more cautious and stronger... The problem is that not everyone plays like that. The other teams were much weaker (at this moment) so the fights weren't tense at all, they got lost very often due to their numbers, the majority of interactions among teams took place while they were preparing so they arrived too late for that ...

B) Lack of balance

The Green Ninjas are way too strong. There is Étoiles, the strongest on the server who is used to this type of game, Fit, who is also used to this type of game but with even more experience, Roeir who is much stronger than he looks like… In comparison, the Red Team doesn't have half its team and those remaining are mostly lore players, not pvp or survival. What would it have cost to take Étoiles or Fit and trade him for a red player who never comes? There would have been fewer calm and experienced people among the Greens but a penalty is not a problem at this stage. Etoiles were just complaining that they were too strong and that it wasn't fun.

(And really, at least the Reds are with people they're used to being around (the Twitch Rivals members are all there except Etoiles) and they're the crowd's favorites. The Green Team is either people who know their stuff and are quite solitary (Fit and Etoiles) or don't come in general (Kameto), or won't come much anymore because it's not their type of game (Antoine and Ironmouse). So it's less fun to watch. Imbalance is not just in the difference in strength.)

C) Languages

It's like that for everyone but on the Green Team, only Fit is a Native English Speaker, the language that everyone uses. Finding words is complicated, understanding others is complicated, and all that, added to the stress, made the situation even more difficult than necessary.

Hell is other people A) It's stressful

The players were teleported to an unknown island completely run by a person who hates them and wants to make them suffer, without their stuff, with one less heart line, to save their children, taking into account that an (unknown) team is corrupted and its defeat means the death of some eggs. Survival games aren't for everyone either, so some really fall completely short. Game or not, it's a stressful situation. And humans don't perform well under stress, and that makes us more aggressive and difficult to get along with. For teamwork, it's a real obstacle.

B) These players do not meet often

Apart from a few exceptions, the members of the Green Team do not often hang out together. They get along well but are usually with other people. Obviously, the bonds are less strong, and the knowledge to understand and manage others is lesser.

C) It's the 1st day

The first day of an inherently stressful and frustrating event, where team members do not necessarily know each other well. Obviously it's a disaster. We rarely perform really good the first time. At least the Greens didn't kill each other or go crazy.

But honestly, we judge the Greens on their teamwork because they were the only ones to do it. The Blues were working, but mostly on their own, the Reds acting as a team but they did not really "work".

But why are we lucky to have Étoiles as a leader? Because he's the nicest. He wants to play fair. He apologizes after killing someone, didn't want to kill Tina because the fight was way too unfair, asked his team not to burn other people's stuff because it's really annoying. This team is the strongest on the easy server if they try. Étoiles almost won on the 2nd day while being all alone. He would have succeeded if Elquackity hadn't messed up (chances are it was done on purpose to boost the morale of the Red Team). Roier wants blood, so does Fit. Yet Étoiles managed to keep them calm enough to farm and maintain some morals. If he decided to be completely wild, it wouldn't be a pretty sight.

The Reds went completely crazy from day 1, while the Greens had enough preparations for a solid foundation when they reconnect. The Bolas might be the most fun to follow, but if you were stuck on the island, which team would you prefer? The crazy cannibals who eat each other or the strongest who help each other even if it’s boring?

[automanspareparts]

DIY Auto Repairs: Parts Every Car Owner Should Know About

Because sometimes the only thing standing between you and a $500 repair bill is a $30 part and some confidence.

Listen, we've all been there. That moment when your car makes a noise it definitely shouldn't be making, and your stomach drops thinking about how much the repair shop is about to charge you. But here's a little secret from someone who used to be terrified of looking under the hood: many car repairs are actually doable yourself, if you just know the basics.

The Gateway Parts (AKA Your DIY Starter Pack)

Before you dive into the deep end of auto repair, these parts are your beginner-friendly introduction:

Air Filters - Literally just pop open a plastic box, take out the dirty accordion-looking thing, put in the clean one. Shops charge $25+ for this 2-minute job.

Wiper Blades - Those streaky windshield marks aren't just annoying—they're dangerous in heavy rain. Most auto parts stores will even install new ones for free if you buy them there.

Headlight Bulbs - Why pay someone $50 to unscrew a bulb? Most cars take less than 15 minutes to swap these out.

Batteries - With a simple wrench and the ability to tell positive from negative, you can save serious cash here. Pro tip: take a picture of the connections before disconnecting anything.

The Money-Saving Middle Ground

Ready to level up? These parts might seem intimidating at first, but they're actually pretty manageable:

Brake Pads - I'm not saying brake work is super easy, but it's mostly just removing wheels, unscrewing a few things, and putting new pads where the worn ones were. The satisfaction of doing this yourself is chef's kiss.

Spark Plugs - With a special socket and a little patience, you can bring your engine back to life when it's running rough. Just replace one at a time so you don't mix up the wires.

Oil and Filter - Yes, getting under the car is involved, but a basic oil change is basically "unscrew plug, drain goop, replace filter, add new goop." The first time takes an hour, but you'll get it down to 20 minutes eventually.

Sensors - Modern cars have sensors for EVERYTHING. Oxygen sensors, mass airflow sensors, coolant temp sensors... they can cost hundreds to replace at shops, but often they're just a connector and a bolt.

The "Proceed With Caution" Parts

These repairs can save you serious money but require more research and patience:

Alternator - This electricity-generating wizard isn't actually that complicated to replace, but it can be buried in an annoying location depending on your car model.

Starter - When your car won't start and makes a clicking noise, this is often the culprit. Replacing it is often just a matter of disconnecting the battery, removing a few bolts, and swapping in a new one.

Thermostat - This little temperature-regulating valve is responsible for a surprising number of overheating issues. Replacing it can be messy (coolant everywhere!) but not difficult.

Fuel Pump - Located in your gas tank, this isn't the most convenient part to reach, but if you're facing a $700 repair bill, suddenly dropping your gas tank doesn't seem so bad.

Resources That Won't Make Your Eyes Glaze Over

YouTube Channels Worth Your Time:

ChrisFix (seriously, this guy explains things better than most college professors)

Scotty Kilmer (opinionated but incredibly knowledgeable)

EricTheCarGuy (detailed walkthroughs for common repairs)

Apps That Actually Help:

Repair Pal (get fair estimates before you start)

Torque Pro (connects to your car's computer to tell you what's wrong)

Car Parts (compare prices across different stores)

The Parts You Should Leave to the Pros

Sometimes, DIY isn't worth it. Here's when to wave the white flag:

Anything involving the airbag system (unless you enjoy danger)

Timing belt/chain replacement (one tiny mistake = engine death)

Transmission rebuilds (just... no)

Engine mounts (awkward angles + supporting engine weight = potential disaster)

Parting Thoughts (See What I Did There?)

The auto repair industry has an incentive to keep you intimidated and dependent. But with a repair manual, some basic tools, and the confidence to try, you'd be amazed what you can fix on your own.

The first time I changed my own brake pads, I saved $220 and gained something more valuable: the knowledge that I could figure things out myself. Now my go-to response to car trouble isn't panic—it's curiosity.

What auto repair are you most intimidated by? Drop a comment below and maybe we can demystify it together.

#CarRepair #DIY #AutoParts #SaveMoney #CarMaintenace #CarTips #Automotive

[litsnobconfessions]

Date: March 18-19, 2025

Day: 77-78

Content Watched: The Dragon Prince, Season 7, Episodes 5-9

Year: 2018-2024

Rating: TV-Y7

Run Time: 130 minutes

Let's start this time with the ATLA references. These include "hello, Terry here," which... is not my favorite. I guess it just feels like it's cashing in on "hello, Zuko here," and it's not improving on it or changing it enough to make it interesting for me. But there's also the moment when Ezran tells Runaan that he doesn't know how, but he's going to try to forgive him, which is almost word for word what Asami tells her dad in the last season of Korra. And, of course, if you didn't catch it, Zym's voice actor is Dante Bosco. This still doesn't explain what dragons can talk when, but it was a fun little scene.

Speaking of ATLA, I think I may actually like the themes and the storytelling of Dragon Prince more. I know that's probably an unpopular opinion, but the themes just feel so much more complex and fully realized, especially in this final season.

For one thing, Aravos feels like a more nuanced villain. I've talked about the villains in ATLA before, and how I feel they're a bit flat (with the main exception being Zuko, who is better classified as a hero by the end.) He feels much more like the villains in Korra, who, for the most part, have good ideas that they take too far. Aravos feels that it wasn't fair to kill a child to save the precious "cosmic order," and I'm inclidned to agree with him, considering these other elves haven't seemed to do anything to stop his tyranical rampage (not to mention the question I keep asking of why it's so important humans don't have magic in the first place). Nevertheless, he lets anger and hatred take over until what was a good cause became a campaign of vengeance and violence.

Karim actually reminds me of Kuvira a bit. He believes a change needs to be made to the kingdom and fights for that, but in the end, he becomes more concerned with his own power than fixing the perceived problems with the current regime, and in the end, his own selfishness is his undoing. For that matter, that's a good way to describe Viren as well. What may have once been a noble cause eventually gave way to a desire for strength and power, and by the time he realized how he had harmed himself in these pursuits, it was too late.

But I'd hazard to say that the villains in Dragon Prince feel even more nuanced than in Korra. For one thing, most of the Korra villains are already full out villains by the time we meet them. And even Kuvira has very little screen time before season 4. But I feel like we get to see more of the downward spiral of both Viren and Claudia (as well as Viren attempts at redemption.) And then there are all the heroes who do villainous things. I mean, Zubeia puts a hit out on King Harrow. Runaan actually kills him. Harrow himself helped Viren murder Avidandum. These are not heroic acts. But none of these characters are presented as particularly villainous. Instead, they're good characters who have let their anger get the better of them--just like Aravos. The Dragon Prince shows us that we are all capable of this, as well as showing how these battles begin within ourselves and how difficult the choices are to make.

Of course, there's something to be said about ATLA being simpler in this way. I like that Aang ultimately doesn't have to choose between his morals and ending the war. But I also like seeing Terry and Soren faced with the hard choices of how to stop Claudia. Like Aang, Terry believes there must be a nonviolent way of stopping her, and I appreciate this pursuit. But Soren, faced with the possibility of having to kill his sister, shows just how complicated conflicts can get. Honestly, it reminds me of numersou friends I've had who struggle with family members who they love, but also treat them poorly for being gay, trans, or their religious or political beliefs, etc. etc. Even if you're only faced with cutting someone out of your life, not killing them, it's a heavy burden.

On the other side of that, I like Amaya's conversation with Karim. I really like that Dragon Prince didn't try to simplfy things. Amaya very specifically does not say, "I used to hate elves, then I fell in love your sister. Now things are great." Instead, she talks about the work that it took to change, and how much it was worth it. I do think there's a nobility in those who hold out for their loved ones to change--whether it's Callum hoping his brother will forgive Runaan or Soren and Terry hoping Claudia might turn away from dark magic.

And then there's Callum and Rayla's final Big Choices. I don't know what it is about the moment that Rayla picks up Runaan's bow and yells, "my heart for Xadia!" Maybe it's just that I've seen in a lot of other shows and movies where characters can't kill their loved ones at the crucial moment. And not to say there's something wrong with that, I think I was just impressed that Rayla decided to do this. Though, I suppose, she made a promise to Callum.

Which brings me to... why Callum? We're told that if Callum uses dark magic one more time, Aravos can possess him, and then trapping him is a moot point. But it can't just be because he doesn't dark magic because then Aravos could possess Claudia, and no one is concerned with that. So why Callum? Is he just particularly suceptible to dark magic? Is it because he also does primal magic? I don't know. And I wish I did.

And while we're talking about potential plot holes, I do feel like I need to mention that Zym's super-flight-storm-powers kicked in at the nick of time, and Zubeia's wound didn't really have any stakes. The mushroom mage says, "oh no, have her back in a few days. She'll be fine." Of course, she dies in the supernova, so maybe that's a moot point.

Nevertheless... I said in my last review that season 7 is my favorite of arc 2, and I think the finale is my favorite episode. Even though the battle ends surprisingly early, I like how much they do in this episode, and how we get to see life carrying on. Quite frankly, even though it was a surprise, I really like the show ending where it does. In fact, this is one of my favorite types of endings--where the battle is won and the heroes are taking time to find joy in life, even though the war is just beginning. I suppose the messyness feels more real to me. This is how life goes. Things don't typically get tied up with a neat little ribbon. There are ups and downs and we carry on. In fact, this ending reminds me a little of Lost Girl, which ends a decade plus later, as the remaining characters are riding into battle. I guess I would say that for me, endings like this are filled hope.

Tomorrow, we start in on Australia's greatest export.

[ace-s-fave-tv-shows]

What I ship in mlp

This turned out to be an extremely long post. So I'm just putting the break here, but open at your own risk.

Mane 6 ships (as ponies):

Getting the (technically) straight ships out of the way, I do indeed ship both Cheesepie (Pinkie Pie x Cheese Sandwich) and Fluttercord (Fluttershy x Discord).

Pinkie Pie:

I see Pinkie as being more demiromantic more than anything else. Considering I don't remember her having any crushes in the series, and in the comics she only really starts to develop a crush on Cheese after they're already friends for a while.

Not to mention in the show canon, he's literally the only character Pinkie gets ship teased with.

Fluttershy:

Fluttershy isn't straight, but she is a monster fucker. Her monster of choice just happens to be a dude.

As far as I'm concerned if she didn't end up with Discord, she would have ended up with some other non-pony individual, like a dragon or a changeling. Something very clearly other compared to a pony.

Applejack & Rainbow Dash:

Appledash is the only instance of me shipping two of the Mane 6 with each other.

They do that thing where they start off as just friends but then over the course of a many years, and distinctly after most of those years being spent not dating anyone else. And Rainbow Dash moving into Sweet Apple Acres, because she already spends all her free time there so renting her place is a waste of money-

They are then forced to confront the fact that they've been dating for like 18 months and they were the last to know.

Rarity:

Rarity is difficult because I don't actually ship her with anyone in particular. Honestly, when we reach the end of series time skip, she gives off happily divorced woman who's confidently dating around at the time vibes. Like she could land another permanent partner if she wanted one, but she's just not interested at the moment.

Twilight:

The Twilight shipping situation is complicated, because I ship Pony Twilight with Human Flash Sentry. Their whole situation is just sad. He's the first guy Twilight seems seriously interested and he lives in another dimension who's portal only opens occasionally and she can't spend all her time in because she's got responsibilities in Equestria as a princess. While Flash Sentry eventually has to just get comfortable with this other girl (human Twilight) walking around with his crush's face and name and stuff.

I honestly low key love the idea of a post high school Flash Sentry going through the portal and more or less immigrates to Equestria, and then he and Pony Twilight finally get the chance to give Them a shot. Like maybe he even tried collage for a year, but just hated it. So when he heard an old classmate mention Sunset had taken a brief trip through the portal at school he's reminded of the Twilight he never got to shoot his shot with, and decides to take a leap of faith and sneak out that night to go through it before it closes.

I love a "You and me met in the wrong time and place, but if we get a second chance in better circumstances I'd really like to give Us a shot" romantic set up situation.

Having Flash do this as an adult, like a year into collage, solves the age weirdness that's always involved with Equestria Girls shenanigans.

Also Flash is canonically a sweet boy who adores her, and Twilight deserves something nice for saving Equestria from peril all the time.

All of this, and I've always wanted an inversion of Sunset's situation. Where she's born and raised as a pony in Equestria, but eventually finds that her place to belong as a human in a different dimension. I wanted a human character, born and raised as a human, to discover that his place in the world was in a different one.

Mane 6 Ships (human versions):

Applejack & Rarity:

Yes, I do indeed ship human Applejack and Rarity, but not their pony versions. Can't explain it, but this is better than pony Rarijack, just like how pony Appledash is better than human Appledash.

Pinkie Pie:

I don't really ship human Pinkie with anybody. Much like pony Pinkie she doesn't really show interest in anyone from what I've seen. Girl has no love interests to speak of as far as I'm aware.

Like maybe she'll end up with the human version of Cheese Sandwich at some point. If they ever manage to cross paths.

But the fact that human Flash Sentry didn't end up with Science Twilight, and Science Twilight actually got a different love interest. Along with the fact that I don't ship human Appledash at all really. Tells me that there are differences between the human and pony versions of these characters across dimensions.

Rainbow Dash:

Just like human Pinkie, I don't really ship her with anyone. Like I head canon her as being bisexual, while I see pony Rainbow as a lesbian, because Human Rainbow mentions finding a boy on the baseball team attractive in an Equestria Girls book. But that's really it.

Sci-Twi:

I ship Sci-Twi with Timber Spruce. A basic plant loving slacker boy, for the mostly basic nerdy girl. They like each other, it's cute, I don't really care enough about Sci-Twi as a character to come up with fanon ships for her.

Fluttershy:

I don't think human Fluttershy is going to get the confidence to start trying to date until collage. So I don't bother to ship her with anyone we meet in Equestria Girls canon.

I also don't ship Fluttercord for the human world. Primarily because I think as the embodiment of chaos, Discord is a being in the singular. I mean he's not even from the pony world, he's from the Chaos Dimension. And Discord is far too loyal to his horse wife to try messing around with alternate universe versions of her from parallel universes.

My Other Ships (back to Ponies):

If a ship has already been mentioned, I'm not going to mention it again.

Ships that appear in canon:

Mr Cake x Mrs Cake, Maud Pie x Mudbriar, Big Mac x Sugar Belle, Bonbon x Lyra Heartstrings (a proposal happens in the background of an episode, they are definitely canonically married by the ending time skip), Cadence x Shining Armor, you know, all of the easy domestic classics.

What can I say, I love a stable long standing relationship with little internal strife and a lot of potential for domestic fluff stories.

Ships that aren't canon:

Trixie x Starlight x Sunburst, Trixie and Sunburst are both dating Starlight but not each other. Derpy x Dr. Whooves, Fancy Pants x Fleur Dis Lee, Vinyl x Octavia.

These are also mostly my more dramatic side ships. Like aside from the drama that I picture Trixie/Starlight/Sunburst to be at the start. I'm also one of those people who 100% adore the head canon of Fleur being Fancy's body guard and them falling in love on the job.

Ships that are neither canon or non-canon:

Celestia x alternate universe King Sombra. It happened in the Reflections comic story line, but as far as I know, Main Timeline Celestia and Alternate Universe King Sombra's centuries long love affair that eventually ends in tragedy isn't really mentioned anywhere else in canon. So as far as I know it's canon to that comic story, but not canon to like the show universe or the rest of comic canon.

[candyskiez]

for the toh ask game- 2, 12, 20?

2. Already put my first favorite, so let's do second! It's...honestly a tie. I know, I know, cop out. But I can't decide which I like more. The two I'm tied between are Willow and Hunter. They're just SOOO. God. I love them. Okay. I know Hunter is. Basic favorites wise, but I like him okay. He's such realistic abuse rep, realistic religious trauma rep, it's,,, man. Man. It's. God. He's just a guy who's trying so hard to be good and do the right thing that has the odds stacked against him. He's a little unhinged and not like, a perfect victim. He's mean, he drops uncomfortable details about himself not realizing he isn't supposed to, they show the messy parts of depression which is a fucking REFRESHER. Also I just. Have a thing for clones that find themselves. I have a thing for characters that grow beyond their programming. I like how they go "Actually, growing up believing you're the chosen one would, realistically, SUCK." He's also really fucking funny. He's a sad wet cat, he's an extremely complicated character, he's also a basic bitch. I love him. I want to put him in a washing machine. Fucking loser.

Tied with Willow! She's. Man. I didn't like her much at first, I just couldn't get into her. But I love her SO MUCH now. Seeing the "bullied girl gets stronger" trope except it acknowledges being bullied sticks with you for life, actually is so nice. I love how so much of her development and healing is from learning to stop repress her anger and her sadness. In her mind, people start liking her again when she's strong, so if she stops being strong NOBODY will like her. She equates half a witch Willow, being weak or sad or in anyway lacking, with losing Amity. If she isn't cool and confident, people don't want to be around her. If she slips up for a second, everyone hates her (in her mind.) She views her emotions as the remnants of "who she used to be" that ruined everything. Hell, she views Amity treating her like she's weak as treating her as who she used to be. Like half a witch Willow. Like someone who would deserve that treatment. She needs time to get used to her not being that pathetic anymore. It's INTERESTING. She's so interesting. Chews on her like a squeaky toy. She's everything to me. I love her.

12. Honestly? Difficult question. First one that pops into my mind is the "do not underestimate me" azura quoting, because god it is SUCH a Luz thing to quote her special interest as she kills the guy who wants her friends dead, love her. But what else hm. I think also Luz realizing her greatest want. It's so...man. Man. Because it explains so much about her. Why the camp hurt her so badly, why she immediately latched onto someone who seemed similar to her, why she wanted to have some set in stone path made specifically for her. It's also just such a beautiful scene. Camilia apologizing was SO FUCKING cathartic for me. Healed my inner child a little and I'm not joking. Having a parental figure apologize for trying to make their kid normal just. Healed something in me, man. It healed something in me. The egg hatching was animated so beautifully, the color scheme, Luz crying, it's so BEAUTIFUL. It's such a. Good fucking scene. Man. The neurodivergent generational trauma is so real and then breaking that....wah. Man. Hm what else. Honestly? The duet. It genuinely made me realize "oh hey if I'd die it'd probably affect people", and I know that sounds dumb but. In my defense I was really depressed when I saw that scene for the first time. It's so gorgeous visual wise, fantastic visual representation of what's going on, SO well done, the music is beautiful and always gets stuck in my head, it's just. Very memorable for me.

20. Hmmm, difficult. I think probably Willow and Amity and Hunter. Bullied kids, disabled kids, repressed rage and constant anxiety of being in an abusive household. The abandonment issues of losing a friend. It's just. A lot man. It's a lot. Yes I know this is also a cop out shh.

[crouchbackie]

last thursday I finished Crouchback by Carola Oman. it left me with a question: was he really a crouchback, or was he not? (I know he had scoliosis and wasn't a hunchback lol but the dilemma was there). The author gives us mixed signals on the matter all throughout the story, combining both Moore's portrait of Richard and real historical facts (the ones available at the time in 1929 ofc, and that's probably why we don't know if Richard is actually a hunchback or not).

I don't think she meant to restore his reputation though, unlike many of our contemporary authors. She's kinda neutral about it ig.

the story is told in third person and I struggled to follow the narration in some bits and bops, but it's understandable anyway. Most of it focuses on Anne of Warwick's thoughts and actions, but it can shift on other characters too. It follows the earl of Warwick's doings to put Eddy on the throne and ends with the battle of Bosworth. The absolute main character never really appears in the story but for a few scenes, he's mostly talked of. I recall feeling this tension to meet him and just never be satisfied; and he's almost without any personality at all. I mean, he seems so indifferent and emotionless: we don't get to know him. And I really did expect him to be a hunchback (cuz yes, that's my weak point, idk why, I like grotesque characters okay), but the author just kept silent about it, throwing hints on his posture, but never really getting to the subject.

Towards the end, I really just wanted it to finish, as Anne just started to feel extremely unwell, Richard was never present and everything was going bad. I mean, it was difficult to go on.

yeah, I'm not really satisfied with this book; I mean, I had been waiting to read it for a long time, and then found it almost, ALMOST, disappointing.

I still think it's a nice reading though, and well-written, despite its flaws.

As usual, I'm now stuck in a critical phase when I want to read twenty books at once and nothing at all. I'm facing too much stress and sometimes I feel like I can't pay enough attention to anything, so I don't want to risk and spoil the stories I can't wait to read :(

I'm actually reading "This son of york" by Anne Easter Smith, but I'm not liking it THAT much, it's a bit too...corny? and I see the author already provided us (as in, me) with empowered women (such as doctor Constance Lemaitre), or girls defying the custom of marrying well (margaret). Nothing wrong with the idea of it, I just don't like how the author presents it. I mean, characters and the author herself talk about it in too modern a way (???). I think she should consider the time they're living in! Sure, a woman could break free from the rules, but am I the only one that thinks her defiance still went through the influence of the context she grew up in? I mean, they're still women of their time. I don't know, it's a sensitive topic tbh, and I'm not sure I've explained myself clearly. Let's just stick to my complaint of it recalling too much our modern times, like a projection of the present on the past.

For the moment, I'll just stick to this book, maybe it gets better and I don't think I'm able to read anything too complicated anyway (as in, classics) :(