#conviction apparently

[arkiwii]

It's also a reference to Conviction's bio, where they invented, and put into practice, the trolley problem (as the train problem, because trolleys hadn't been invented yet)

oh yeah that too, i forgot that files were a thing for a second

wait, PUT INTO PRACTICE-

[reachexceedinggrasp]

Danny 'I don't do weird' Pink frustrates me as a character, because I'm honestly not sure whether he was supposed to have an arc or not.

His primary role is as a foil for Clara's arc and, in aid of that, as a mirror to the Doctor. A solider with survivor's guilt and a man of action who can't stand by when people need help etc., in some ways he and the Doctor have a lot in common, but he's also a very grounded and circumspect personality versus the Doctor's being fantastical and adventurous. Danny isn't curious and doesn't want to pursue new things or experiences, instead he wants to be fully present with and grateful for what he already has. The Doctor is incorrigibly curious and always interested in new things.

Danny is someone who desires nothing more than an ordinary life, and looks for beauty and satisfaction in the normal things and people around him. He wants his world to be small and quiet, he values the mundane things others might take for granted. He's normal, patient, dependable, simple, honest, etc. His reaction to trauma hasn't been to disavow the things which lead him to that event, or to seek out stimulation to avoid thinking about it, it's to be thoughtful and cautious and somewhat rigid so he can always apply the mindset and skills he retained from before he was traumatised.

He's very firm and unbending in his worldview and in his self-image. He doesn't seem to ever reassess people once he's decided what he thinks of them. He's not unreasonable or unwilling to compromise, he is in fact maybe too reasonable, but he is implastic. He's extremely even-tempered except for around his identity as a soldier, which he's prickly about, but still pretty quick to let it go as long as he's not being deliberately antagonised.

So anyway Danny represents this other path, and this opposite response to the horror of war and making a catastrophic mistake, but he never learns, he never grows and he and Clara are never much on the same wavelength about anything. He's supposed to be stability, the things she 'should' want, the 'person she's supposed to like', the safe choice, the presentable life which Clara feels like she has to have. He's orderly and ordinary and that's what she wants from him. She has to control her image, her future, and her options.

And their simple relationship, once it exists, functions well as the contrast to her complicated and tumultuous relationship with the Doctor while the companion power dynamic is being dismantled and rebuilt so they can be emotional equals. But like, the set up is confusingly executed.

Listen- they have zero chemistry, they have nothing to talk about and have to resort to talking about work, every conversation goes instantly off the rails, they rub each other the wrong way, there is never any reason for them to keep reconciling and trying again to connect. Like. You are not hitting it off! and keep offending each other bc you're not compatible! Quit!!

Clara is forcing it, that makes complete sense with what she's going through, she's trying to take control of her life and her emotions, trying to prove to herself she's not pining for the Doctor and at the mercy of his whims for her life to be full and complete. She doesn't want to need him or to be dependant on him. She doesn't want to be the heartbroken sadsack whom he abandoned at Christmas or who will take whatever scraps he'll throw her. She wants to control his position in her life and control how she feels about him. Hence her assigning him a specific day and confining their adventures on her own terms. She's trying to keep the Doctor compartmentalised. Having an Appropriate Human Relationship means she's successfully put the Doctor in his box (lol) and neutralised the chaotic power of her feelings for him. I mean, obviously not, but that's what she tells herself.

But what is Danny doing? Why does he keep pursuing this when it's so clearly not a good match?

Again in Listen, and much more so The Caretaker, Danny illustrates that he does not know who Clara is, he's wildly wrong about her and what she's like, and he's very high handed about it as well. He's convinced that the Doctor is taking advantage of her, that the Doctor is domineering in their relationship, that she is not a person who wants to be put into challenging or dangerous positions, that the Doctor is pushing her to takes risks and become a leader where that's not her nature. None of this is true. Clara was always a decisive, assertive, strongly driven person who seeks out new experiences and naturally assumes a leadership role any time that's necessary; she relishes being challenged and facing the unknown. Her blow up with the Doctor wasn't about him 'pushing her too far', it was about him failing to support her when she needed him and condescending to her as a human rather than treating her with the intimacy and equity their bond and history together demands. It's personal and it's about their emotional relationship. It's not about making hard choices, it's about having to make hard choices without her partner being honest with and emotionally available to her.

Clara was always an adventurous person, willing to be spontaneous as long as it's on her terms, and excited by the prospect of authority and responsibility. The danger and challenge isn't an unfortunate side effect or a risk she has to take to see amazing sights, it's part of the appeal. She lied to Danny by omission when she said she went off in the box to 'see wonders', not just because the real reason is that she's in love with Doctor, but also because she doesn't just want to be a tourist. She wants to get involved and save people, she wants things to sometimes go pear shaped. She enjoys and craves that part of it too.

Danny is also wildly wrong about the Doctor, but this is understandable and would be fine except that he's never corrected? He never learns better? What's the point?

In Death in Heaven Danny goes out still wrong about the Doctor, still condemning him cruelly and unfairly while knowing nothing about him. He had a point with some of his original rant, there was actual insight there, but it's buried in assumptions and bitterness and then Danny keeps tripling down on the assumption. The one which doesn't understand that the very thing he's shitting on the Doctor for (being willing to lead and make hard choices that must be made in order to save people) is something the Doctor has in common with Clara. And always has. The Doctor didn't change her or push her into that, that's who she's always been.

What is the point of Danny calling him a blood-soaked general and mocking him, calling him an officer as a pejorative again, and again because the Doctor is trying to save the planet. Like, memory check, that's what Danny is mad about. The Doctor doing everything in his power to save literal billions of lives. Doing it for no reason, out of altruism. Doing it while always trying very hard not to fight or kill anyone. Doing it even at enormous spiritual cost to himself.

I don't understand how we're meant to find Danny sympathetic in that moment, because he comes off like a complete dickhead. And it's all the more frustrating because in the intervening episodes Danny has been eminently reasonable. As I've discussed before, we're exhaustively shown that Danny is 100% okay with what Clara claims is going on, that he doesn't want to get in the way of her friendship with the Doctor, that if it really were only the relationship she's pretending it is, there would be no conflict. He's the one who encourages her to make up with him after Kill the Moon! He tells her to go on travelling and it's fine!

Even when he discovers she's been lying to him and cavorting with the Doctor behind his back (again despite him telling her it was fine with him!), he's calm about it and repeats for the millionth time that all he wants from her is honesty. The truth. Which is the one thing she can't give him because Clara knows their entire relationship is built on the lie, they're only together because of the lie. The truth is, as Moffatt said, that Danny never stood a chance. There is a conflict between the two relationships and she's always going to choose the Doctor.

And that does come out, she gives the whole speech to Danny, not knowing it's him, finally being honest. And he seems unsurprised by it, which makes sense because on some level he definitely always knew ('do you love him?' 'no' 'really had enough of the lies'), but then nothing comes of that. Clara just soldiers on, going right back to pretending this relationship wasn't a façade doomed from the start, and Danny allows her to pretend. He goes off on the Doctor, but not in a way the Doctor actually deserves at all, and just sweeps her confession under the carpet. Letting her get away with it again. True to form, I guess! he always did. But shouldn't we make progress?

And it's like... I hate that he dies on that note. It feels like he dies in denial. I guess you could argue it contributes to his decision to not come back, but that feels like a disservice to the character. Saving the kid is important to Danny, it allows him to atone for his greatest mistake, but he didn't need to change or grow to accomplish that and it doesn't provide any closure to his actual role in the narrative, which was as Clara's foil. Clara is off the hook, free to go on lying to herself about their relationship. It's not addressed in Last Christmas, either, it's only barely hinted at.

[musclesandhammering]

If you ever wonder how easy it is for people to get sucked into cults, just search the tag of the most popular ship in any fandom.

[bourbonificould]

How’s The Drawing?

[sleepinglionhearts]

Conversations about literature

[astralleywright]

oh, when Orym looked right at Imogen, days after his talk with Fearne abt what to do if she switches sides, and tells her, "I'm not worried about you." and Imogen didn't insight check him, or push into his mind; she just believed him. and I believed him as well, even though it could have easily been a lie, and then Liam confirmed that Orym really did trust her when he said that. he really did believe that Imogen would stand by the Hells, and she did. she looked her mother in the eye and she didn't waver. and it's not specifically because Orym trusted her, but his trust really does mean something to Imogen. she sought him out that night for a reason.

and now the solstice is still happening but things are so different, and Imogen is one of the most vocally opposed members of the Hells to Ludinus, and the Ruby Vanguard, and Predathos. they're bad. they need to be stopped. she'll kill her mother, kill herself, if that's what needs to be done. her questions and her doubts are gone- or at least, hidden away.

and if they are not, if she's suspicious in any way, Orym has personal orders from the wise and benevolent Tempest (and she is wise and benevolent, is the thing!!) to remove her from the situation however he sees fit. to "do the thing," in the parlance used in Orym's conversation with Fearne, a phrasing acknowledged as vague even at the time. Orym, who loves Imogen, and who shows her kindness and empathy, and who stared the fathoms of nuance and pain defining the actors in this conflict in the face and rejected it in favor of revenge just last week. Orym, who told Fearne she would have to "do the thing" because he couldn't - I always assumed it was because he knew he couldn't match up to Imogen on his own, but it could just as easily be that he couldn't bear to do to her what he thinks would need to be done. Imogen still doesn't know they had that talk. the leash has been held so loose that she didn't even know it was there.

[horsegirlcahir]

sᴋʏʟᴀʀᴋ — "there is nothing more pathetic than a sorceress in tears."

[snowyfrostshadows]

"#like. luigi. buddy. what species of goat do you think has sharp teeth and a preference for meat???" Look, Luigi definitely strikes me as the guy who met goats one time at a petting zoo that happened to have an especially agressive/horny/rabid goat suddenly deciding to try to eat his entire hand. He's probably still convinced goats are only eating grass instead of hunting because it's easier.

I. Honestly forgot petting zoos were a Thing....poor Luigi....

[cigarettedolly13]

Now that I’m more awake and able to coherently speak about this subject, I do think that Kamala won the debate objectively. She was well spoken, spoke coherently, and actually did talk about her policies. Do I like that she’s sticking to the stupid “Israel has a right to defend itself” and “we need to have the most lethal military” garbage she was saying at the DNC? No. I hate it actually. However, I really liked what she had to say on the subject of abortion and reproductive care, and I liked how she called out Trump’s lies, and attacked his ego, which is probably why he was fucking losing it because he can’t handle his ego being attacked whatsover. When I say he got absolutely cooked on that stage I mean that shit. That orange motherfucker was seasoned, marinated, stuffed in a crockpot and cooked over the goddamn oven for 90 minutes until he was ready to be served to a family of seven. That’s how badly he lost.

That being said, this shit just proves that the DNC needs to fucking listen to their voter base more. They were told for months that Biden needed to drop out, he did, and that was quite literally the best move they could’ve possibly made in this election because look where we are now. The democrats actually have a chance of winning because now they have someone who despite holding a lot of the same policies as Biden, can actually communicate, doesn’t hold the political baggage that people like Trump, Biden, and (Hillary) Clinton had, and isn’t a decrepit old man. So in turn, the debate happens, Trump employs his usual strategy of blatantly lying and acting deranged for media attention, and because Kamala isn’t doing that and is actually answering questions, talking about her policies, and even baiting him, which he fucking falls for every single time (she literally got him to admit he got involved with the taliban), and in turn actually lets Trump say his insane shit and go on his rambles instead of trying to shut him down…which is literally working in her favor because instead of him getting to further push the narrative that the media is silencing him or whatever, she’s just letting him make an ass of himself on national television, making herself look much more normal in comparison. Will that sway everyone? Obviously not, Kamala is not a perfect candidate and frankly I highly doubt she’ll actually do half the shit she says she’s gonna do because that’s usually how politics goes in this country, BUT, if I’m looking at this debate from the perspective of a random guy that knows very little about politics or is just getting involved for the first time, I would feel much more compelled to vote for the person who isn’t acting like a raving lunatic onstage and deflecting every question.

Bottom line is the debate was entertaining as fuck, very memeable shit came out of it, and this just proves that the DNC needed to listen to their voters ages ago and should’ve never pushed Biden as a candidate let alone let him run again.

[fideidefenswhore]

Past events and characters inspire the works of writers of historical fiction in whatever form and, in so far as they seek to maintain that their central characters and events are 'real', all the authors, playwrights and directors find it important to defend the authenticity of the main events and actions. Catherine Delors, herself a historical novelist, has described the film version of The Other Boleyn Girl as 'melodramatic abuse of history' in its portrayal of Anne Boleyn as adulterous and incestuous. Frequently writers of historical fiction lay claim to being 'historians'. For instance, Philippa Gregory, despite her training in English Literature, has been happy to be called a historian as a result of her many novels about the Yorkist and Tudor periods.

The Debate on the English Reformation: Modern Biography, Fiction, and the Media, Rosemary O'Day

[spaciebabie]

IM WATCHING PHISNOM'S SMASH OR PASS FNAF STREAM AND HES SO BASED FOR SMASHING SPRINGTRAP FUCK YEAH ROTTING MAN WHO OWNS MY HEART AND SOUL DILF OF THE YEAR AWARD SMASH SMASH SMASH SMASH SMASH SMASH SMASH SMASH

[sparklehoard]

The guy who offed his girlfriend in Mexico from my town got a not guilty and he was quoted he's excited to be coming home 😬😬😬😬😰

[muzdiir]

the mc of the book im reading is convinced that a man could not possibly be a bad guy bc his "...strong bone structure was too clean-cut for someone prone to deviant behavior." completely disregarding the fact that he is a prisoner. in a prison.

[mariocki]

L'isola degli uomini pesce (Screamers, 1979)

"Oh, well, I can understand that a scientist like Marvin is ready to give his life for a discovery of this magnitude. But you don't give a damn about science, do you, Rackham? All you care about is the treasure down there, and I'm damn sure it won't be used to promote anyone's research."

"Yes, I'm afraid you're right. I intend to keep it all for myself. Dreadful, isn't it?"

[daisyachain]

Pentiment so far

Beautiful <3

The sentence-level writing is a lot more didactic and less subtle than some of the euro walking simulators I associate it with, but the overall structure is fun

I do have to credit it for trying to slip in a little education because it is interesting! It is comforting to be told that yes, the Abbey setup is anachronistic, we’re just trying to cram in some early Reformation stuff so we’ll have it be an isolated mountain holdout

The soundscape also is lovely, the cawing makes it a little ominous without going over the top

Andreas works well as a main character. He’s got enough railroaded dialogue that he stands out as a person rather than a cipher. He’s also an archetype that rings true, the young man who does try to treat everyone fairly and who is overconfident in his own righteousness. I’ve met this guy already a couple of times. He’s also the kind of guy who would ask inappropriately personal questions of people in a tense situation

I like that marriage hangs over Andreas’ head as a threat. It’s just a nice little bit of character building that serves to flesh out the setting as well. It’s not romantic; marrying represents a sort of business decision that will tie Andreas into a location, a trade, and a social status that he’s not necessarily ready to commit to. Love’s got nothing to do with it.

Pet dogs and kittys (:

The little kids are very cute

Demonstrates its research into the setting in a way that feels refreshing. Yes, monastic orders could be tyrannical landholders as well

I like that each dialogue tree gives you the option to be tactful without interfering with a story. It’s a pet peeve when a game forces the player to say something incredibly stupid and inflammatory without any reason other than ‘plot’. Andreas is just, righteous, and confident, but equally he’s a guy who has been around the block. He’s not forced to be an idiot in ways that conflict with his character

So far: solid but not groundbreaking. The workmanlike writing detracts a bit from the detail put into the other aspects of the game.

[salsflore]

i keep getting spoiled for the new archon quest but idc i'm so so sooo excited to play it through tomorrow ^0^