#i dont think most people understand how complicated having that kind of power is

[the-crimson]

Ok ive read many takes on both sides and gathered my thoughts on the whole Dream vs Quackity war in reguards to his tweet.

Dream should not have made this tweet. The entire way he presented the tweet was intentionally written to stir up drama and anger within his fans. Adding a “don’t harass anyone uwu” at the end does nothing to placate the anger he deliberately stirred within his fans. He created this tweet to elicit a negative response from the fan base to force Quackity to respond. It’s immature and irresponsible considering how massive both of their fan bases are.

80% of his tweet was personal information that has zero purpose being in this tweet other than to stir emotion and rage. He cold have literally just said:

 “I’ve been trying to talk to Quackity about our SMPs so that they can coexist and be unique from each other but he hasn’t responded. I don’t want there to be any conflict between our two servers or fan bases and the sooner we work this out the better.”

And even then, he would still be using social pressure to get Quackity to respond - which is not how the situation should be handled - but it gets the exact same message across without all the emotional manipulation.

Quackity’s silence in regards to the USMP and the lack of leadership he’s shown with the QSMP is also making the situation worse. This drama has been building for literal weeks and Quackity has not addressed it or taken steps to prevent it.

First, his refusal to acknowledge the USMP at all caused his fans to lash out at Dream for being a copycat (i don’t have an opinion whether or not this is true, i don’t have enough information, but their reaction was completely inappropriate regardless) which caused a huge schism in the fandom over literally something that could have been prevented with a single tweet or retweet.

Then, Quackity does the bare minimum of removing a racist mod but doesn’t hold any of the cc’s accountable for how they interacted with the mod and doesn’t address the fact that the mod caused harm within his community. Many fans rally behind this silence and deny that the mod was racist at all which alienated even more people in the fandom. Quackity needed to address these fans and the growing toxicity within his fan base as the leader of this fandom he created but he didn’t

And now we are brought to the current storm. Dream fans and some neutral parties are whipped up by his intentionally pathos heavy tweet and pitted against fans who have blind loyalty to Quackity. Unstoppable force vs immovable object. And all the neutral parties in the middle being drowned in the drama.

This is an entirely avoidable situation and both Quackity and Dream played a part in making it worse. Both fandoms need to seriously go outside and touch some grass. Dram stans and Quackity stans are equally toxic and terrible and yall need a serious reality check.

You don’t know Quackity or Dream. They are not your friends. You are literal pawns in their personal conflict. Wake up.

[convoloutedinjoke]

competitiveness and rules brain and mortal fear of becoming a disposable outsider going hand in hand in hand < ---------- is thinking about the loneliness again

[wintersettled]

Honestly the way different archons in genshin impact have such different interactions with their nation is very interesting to me, especially with how its further expanded in fontaine recently.

The archons who are closest to the way we traditionally (in the west) think of a god (ie. all-powerful and on a completely other level of existence to humans) would probably be Barbatos first, then Rex Lapis.

Barbatos/Venti having churches dedicated to him and not appearing (as far as most are aware) in society for centuries is very similar to how the christian god is seen, as someone worshipped but never directly interacted with on a level beyond the spiritual. Meanwhile Rex Lapis/Zhongli has tons of myths and stories dedicated to him across lands and made appearances for years until his "death". In this way he's somewhat comparable to Greek gods (or even Jesus, to keep the christianity analogy going). He's far more openly entrenched in humanity but still remains separate and "above".

It's more-so with the three other archons we've encountered that our understanding of what gods must be like in teyvat based on Rex Lapis and Barbatos is totally altered with Ei, Furina, and Buer, all three being the "replacement" archon for their respective nations.

Ei, the third archon we meet, takes a direct role in Inazuman government as the Shogun, a totally different approach than the previous two which i find more similar to various rulers claiming divine right of kings. Also, despite not being the original electro archon most dont actually know this because Ei took on the identity of her sister, who died during the calamity. I think Ei taking on her sisters identity definitely helped her maintain her "divine authority" where other archons (buer) failed to maintain it in their nations.

Speaking of Buer/Nahida, you'd think the whole changing the past to everyone except descenders thing would complicate our interpretation of her but it doesnt at all. I think the reason for this is that destroying the previous archon in irmunsul didnt actually change the past. I also dont think the wanderer/scaramouche actually changed the past. I think they just changed peoples memories of it. but anyway. Nahida also takes on a governmental role at the end of sumerus archon quests while still remaining a somewhat holy figure. She was obviously shut out/disregarded following the passing of the previous dendro archon, unlike Ei she wasn't able to maintain her authority. After the archon quest however, her position in government kind of reminds me of the queen of england early in her rule. There was still a democratic governing body in the prime minister and other representatives but she maintains power.

Furina/Focalors also reminds me of the queen of england but at the end of her career instead. Furina appears to be more of a mascot in fontaine than a proper ruling body. It actually seems that the machine and neuvillette hold more authority that she does. Obviously we havent really explored fontaine much yet (its only been out a few days but im loving it) and we've only gotten so much info from the archon quests but as far as i can tell, furina appears to be kind of scrambling to live up to the previous hydro archon who was seemingly so well liked that fontaines people are repenting to this day. (as am i misremembering or did they say the previous archon didnt side with celestia but her people did?? what!?). Its even actively pointed out how people in fontaine do not view their archon to even a similar level as people in other nations (i mean their archon does meet and greets and is very reckless with her accusations but-).

anyways 👍 yes.

TLDR: zhongli + venti = traditional gods ei + nahida (now) = government furina + nahida = queen of england idk also i dont think they actually changed the past, just people interpretation of it. btw whats up with the fontaine profecy and the whole "they sided with celestia" thing??

[vechter]

what do you think it would take for dick grayson to kill?

a lot of people think he takes "killing" very lightly and he would easily commit murder on anyone who hurt his loved ones but i don't think it's that easy. it's way more complicated than that. i thought you could make a post on dick and his connection with his morals and how he perceives things?

i totally understand if u dont want to or if you need some time to construct the post <3

okaaaay. a couple of thoughts on this but the first thing that comes to mind is this set of panels from nightwing (1996) #112:

this is his voiceover right at the beginning of the renegade arc and it's written by devin grayson. while i don't agree with all aspects of how she writes dick, i think this one is a fairly accurate depiction of what dick himself thinks of his morals.

this is coming right off the blockbuster saga so dick has lived that moment where he froze and let tarantula shoot blockbuster:

the thing with dick's no-kill mentality is that he adopted it from bruce but it's way more nuanced than that.

bruce mentored him in his most formative years; he taught dick almost everything there is to know about vigilantism and crime. but the thing is, dick was an entire person before he met bruce! most of his inner strength and determination and will power is a reflection of being raised by mary and john grayson till age 8/9/10 (kat actually has a wonderful meta about this). panel below from jla (1997) #76:

it's what makes dick so different- it's why nightwing is a beacon of hope, why he's the guy every superhero trusts.

on the other hand, bruce is staunchly dogmatic in his moral code. for him, to take a life is essentially becoming a part of the senseless violence that took his parents from him in that alley. he will never be the same if he lets himself give in. and if he's not the same, he can't be batman (panel from batman 1940 #650):

dick, however, is different in the way he approaches this. while you cannot understate his adherence to no killing, his loyalty to bruce supersedes all. just look at his first thought after letting blockbuster die in nightwing 1996 #93:

did blockbuster deserve to die? yes. did dick himself think that? yes, for a brief moment. but that's the thing about vigilantism- it's all about split seconds and moments that are lost before they're ever held. it's why all of them have to hold themselves to such strict standards.

there have been several instances where dick has threatened killing when it's his loved ones in danger. panel from new teen titans (1984) #18 (lil nebulous bc i can't remember if he was under brother blood's influence or not):

but i think one of dick's chief characteristics is how deeply he values control, which brings me to dick killing the joker.

see, the thing is dick's moral code is deeply influenced by his desire to protect his loved ones. he gets angry when they're hurt. but this protective rage often wars with his desire to stay in control! if you read joker: last laugh (2006) #6 through that lens, it gets rlly interesting:

we see him state that this isn't the way. but his anger is driving him:

dick's reaction is soooo fun. it's not really about the joker being dead, it's about how he lost control and let the joker win! it's not about the joker, not really, it's about what it says about dick. if dick is not in control, can he trust himself? what does it say about him that he let his rage get the better of him?

the only other canonical instance where dick kills someone is creighton kendall in nightwing (1996) #146. but the thing with this one is that it's different from the other two. dick is very much in control of the situation. in fact, it's pretty much premeditated:

tomasi's run is excellent, prolly one of my favourites, but for some of the events that transpire, you don't really get any kind of introspection on them. and dick is very much an introspective guy, even if it's introspection based on his warped perception of himself. so, i'm a little unsure if he feels any guilt about this or if he thinks it's a justified call. because he did plan it out by letting kendall drag him across the water, soaking his wings and timing his own jump.

so, i think how dick would approach the situation is very important. if it's something like the joker or the blockbuster, where dick is lost to senseless rage or emotionally spent from deaths he blames himself for, dick will never forgive himself. but for a guy like kendall, where it's the only viable last resort, dick will not have the same level of self-hatred and guilt over it.

i think this conversation with babs in nightwing (1996) #53 is a pretty good summation of what moral philosophy he adheres to:

but to be fair, dick kills the joker literally 10 issues later and then blockbuster comes into his life soon enough to blow it all up, so maybe this is a slightly rosy view of what he thinks is the right thing to do.

which is why the monologue in nightwing #112 is such a good articulation of his evolving code. dick has been in a position where he has surprised himself more than once so he doesn't hold the same view about the infallibility of his ethics any more.

all this to say, dick will absolutely not easily kill someone who has hurt any of his loved ones. the only time such a thing would be tenable would be in a moment of great emotionality or him facing the absolute worst kind of sophie's choice, and even then- the odds of him killing someone are laughably low. remember, this is the guy every superhero trusts indubitably and whose resolve is too strong to be darkened!

[zvtara-was-never-canon]

https://www.tumblr.com/dragynkeep/723731318921363456/i-dont-really-understand-the-argument-that-aang

Thoughts? No pressure, don't read if you don't want

"The Lion Turtle saves Aang from making a hard decision" It literally didn't. Aang full on said the words "I have to kill Fire Lord Ozai." He is not happy about it, but he is willing to do it. Even AFTER the Lion Turtle gives him an alternative he still almost does it anyway while in the Avatar state, only stopping himself at the last minute. And even BEFORE the Lion Turtle he had been willing to admit "Fire Lord Ozai is a terrible person, and the world would probably be better off without him"

Aang WAS willing to do the same as Gyatso and take a life if absolutely necessary. But he had a different option, and he took it - again, after seriously considering going for the "just kill the bastard" route.

Could the Lion Turtle have been set up better? Yes. But that doesn't change that fact that Aang's view-point was challenged and he concluded that pacism does not have to mean "just let the bad guy kill everyone", and to say that he didn't is either complete dishonesty or an admission that this kids show was too complicated for you to understand.

"Aang is not only responsible for himself" Neither was Zuko. Yet he let Ozai live when he had the perfect opportunity to kill him - even better than the ones Aang got for most of his battle with Ozai - because he believed it wasn't his fate. Where is the hate for Zuko?

And where's the hate for Iroh for going "Oh, even if I could defeat Ozai, history would see it as just a brother killing another brother for power?" yet sending his nephew to a potentially fatal battle with his niece for the title of Fire Lord? Where's the hate for him for going "Well, what history will think of me is more important than me at least backing up the Avatar?" Why didn't Iroh, the White Lotus, or any of the adults so much as offer be by Aang's side in the battle?

If everyone is throwing the responsibility on his lap, then Aang is the one to decide how he's gonna handle that responsibility, and if other people got a problem with that, they better step the hell up and take charge for once.

"This might be a kid's show instead of Game Of Thrones, but people still died, so it could have had the main character save the day by killing the bad guy"

Buddy. Buddy. Come on.

Avatar TELLS us Ozai disfigured his son, and we see the scar on his face, but it doesn't SHOW us the gory details. We KNOW people died, and we see bodies, but we don't see burnt corpses, people being crushed under rocks and bleeding to death, or hitting the ground after a fatal fall. Nick downright had the writers change scenes before they were animated because they were considered "too violent." They even cut away when Sokka slices a watermellon with his sword because the watermellon in question was representing a human head - it wasn't even a human being!

Kids shows have very specific, often kind of absurd rules - Teen Titans is infamous because Cartoon Network let the villain kidnap, torture, and try to murder to murder the heroes and even be implied to be a pedophlie and we see him burn away a teenager's clothes, yet he HAD to be called "Slade" instead of "Deathstroke" because "Think of the children!"

Saying "Nickelodeon is never gonna let the good guy save the day by murdering the bad guy" is not at all absurd just because they let the writers get away with other tihngs.

And once again, even if they COULD get away with that, they still wouldn't do it because as the anon so kindly pointed out, Aang's arc and the entire theme of mercy the show had from the very beginning do NOT allow that ending to make any goddamn sense.

Characters saving the day through murder is not inherently more "mature" or "more satisfying to watch" than the hero being merciful, and this kids show is not Game Of Thrones, GET OVER YOURSELVES ALREADY.

You like a kids show. A cartoon for 7-year-olds. A show in a children's network. Just because it didn't talk down to it's target audience doesn't mean you can expect it to deliver stuff it never promised you in the first place.

[multifandombullshitbabes]

21

24

27

And

30

LET'S FUCKING GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

thank you so much, I shall answer these prompts NEOW

21: Fics you wish you could find more of?

Oooohhh more fics involving Gwen, that's for sure. When she's written right she's one of the strongest, most relatable characters imo, 'cause all she wants is for the world to be right and just and kind and everything wants to prove her wrong, but she won't back down from her views. I would also adore more Elyan, just in general. And complete rewrites of the show 'cause the one I'm reading right now is so good I might do one as well. Also modern au's where they're all like secret badass spies or smth, 'cause those are so fucking cool (i am accepting fic recs for ALL of this, please feed me y'all)

24: Everyone knows that fandom doesn’t like uther but what are your feelings about gaius?

I think 1) we need more concrete info about how he was when he was younger, but 2) i think he is severely complicated and wanted what was best of merlin and morgana, but failed the two while also giving them a ton of love. With morgana, he just didnt want her to pursue her power lest she become uther's next victim, cuz gaius cares for the pendragon siblings like his own. With merlin, he was just trying his best with his overpowered nephew, who alos has a destiny regarding his people's genocide's son, and he just doesn't know what to do half the time, kinda like merlin. I didnt like how he lied to merlin n morgana, how he gaslit her and how he made merlin hide and become so anxious abt his magic (and we see what that looks like season 5), but i get it. I really get it. I dont know what i wouldve done if one wrong move could mean the death of two kids he considers his own. I bet he was scared all the time and hated himself for it.

27: Modern Merlin headcanons, if any?

OH BOY. OHHHH BOY. So many. It really depends on what au i have for modern merlin, but I'll give you a few generals:

he's a teacher of sorts; i like the idea that he's kinda collecting magical anomalies and teaching them how to understand their powers and being, since he knows what its like to be afraid of urself, so he's a personal magic teacher. I also rly like my magic elementary school au, since its merlin teaching magic to a bunch of kids, which is adorable

he has officially one cat, a black one called Midnight, that accidentally became immortal along the way and now hes severally attached. I say officially since hes also friends with any other animal that he might come across and they recognise him if he passes them again. disney princess fr

he's figured out his gender and he can turn into a woman if he wants; she looks exactly like merlin, same height, same weight n muscles, the hair is longer cuz merlin likes it that way and her voice is deep and gorgeous

his favourite weapon is a staff or any long distance fighting weapon of the sort; also he looks cool as fuck fighting with it, but thats just a bonus

I'll stop here but i have SO MANY MORE

30: Side character death that makes you the maddest?

Elyan. There was, quite literally, no need for it. I was gonna say Lancelot, since we did not get enough of him, but his death made sense for his character. Elyan? What the fuck was that? It was just for pain and nothing else. What did it add to the story if not just a sad funeral scene and thats it? It just felt like they wanted him gone n found a way, and that pisses me off. I feel like him saving gwen and living would've given such a complex situation when she turns evil, 'cause what if she "confides" more n more in her brother, creating a rift between arthur n elyan, which then creates a rift between arthur n the knights, which would just isolate him further n make him suffer, which is what morgana wanted!! we couldve had protective brother elyan! I think i just wanted more knights in general.

Thank you so much for this ask, I yapped a fuck ton but it was funn

[noxale]

Why people like "Ascension" from a psychological point of view.

\N: A message from me, the post itself starts with the word "START". Hi, It's not my post and it's not my words. But I think it would be helpful to understand it. I can see how the situation already seems better (?) maybe I just don't go on reddit. But I feel like this post just still needs to be. From myself I want to say thank you to all neutral, calm players and just those who have fun. Thank you Ascension scares\dont like a lot of people, but people aren't picking it because they want dom-sex (not the only reason for sure) and haven't understood anything "character theme" with their head. Things are different, complicated and there can't be just one theme. Everyone has their own emotions and life experiences. Stephen Rooney didn't dictate the character's theme like in class. Also, the BG3 game is positioned "...or make chaos in the world, you decide", "Great paths of evil". Hi's neutral Author to both endings. Evil and Good - you play hero or villain. Here's how I understand it.

layered and complex. For example: Poetic justice for neutral evil, in an evil way it is evil, and still complex (not black and white). Power (just any power) corrupts, ambition as Jupiter - dangerously. Freedom is nice, permissiveness - not so much (but this game is all nice).

But that's not what we're talking about. Here's a little essay, (a little emotional, but emotions are like that) why people do "Ascension" from a psychological point of view. START\\\

You know what, i wrote this "little" essay and decided to leave in some treads on Asc Astarion, because I got triggered and annoyed by this drama enough to feel like i need to share some thoughts about toxic vampire love thing in name of education for everyone. If you like it, feel free to repost it anywhere you want. (\\\N: which I do)

So, what this dark romance fantasy is about for me personally, (even though i prefer spawn romance, i absolutely understand the appeal of asc Astarion because honestly, i was all about this kind of romance during my childhood and teenage years, hardocore the Phantom of the Opera girl is here, inside your head) and why it's also healing route for some players, and no, it's not about kinky vampiric banging.

1) A lot of people feel extremely worthless and insecure, lonely, like no one really cares for them at all. It's a very deep wound that hurts and it's difficult to overcome even in perfectly loving, healthy and supportive relationship with a good partner, and even with therapy. So fantasy about a vampire, being obsessed with you so much that he is ready to do absolutely anything just to be with you for forever is really comforting. Also, you don't have to think too much about your imperfections, because for him you like a center of his vampire heart. Besides, you sympathise with him - it's like a selfcomfort mirror, i love this monster despite everything, so in a way, i accept myself despite any flaws i see in me. 2) Safety. When the world around you feel like a wilderness, full of monsters, it feels like only the most terrifying loving monster can protect you from it. He is powerful and protective, and i am so precious to him, that he will set the world on fire just so i would be safe. 3) Responsibility. As you may see, this kind of relationship have daddy issues vibes and codependency, and in real life, you can't just fully submit safely to anyone, I don't think i have to explain why it's a dangerous idea to seek this kind of relationships in real life. You have to stay a grown up independent person and seek safety for yourself without expecting someone to come and heal all your wounds. But this is fantasy, so finally you can use this as a comfort fantasy with no fear about being taking advantage of, without shame to be called childish and etc. 4) Independence. Spawn ending is very terrifying for anyone who has issues with feeling safe and independent, because some of us prefer violent power fantasies over "we have each other and that's all that matters", second of all, this ending also has some shady co-dependency undertone to it that can be triggering for some people. I love Spawn Astarion a little bit more more than Asc and yet my heart stayed absolutely broken after running away from the sun scene, and i hate that he is so dependent on Tav. Larian owes me some emotional refund after this.

5) SA trauma: it wasn't even seen as possibility for healing way by writer, but it is for some. Asc Astarion feels like he is the most powerful creature in the world, and he is fully controlling everything that happens between him and Tav, so finally, it's a kind of situation where there is no chance of him being abused again. It's one of the reasons why some people become Doms in BDSM-dynamic relationships: finally, full control of the process and a partner, who trusts then enough to fully submit, trust issues is also big deal in Astarion story of healing. I find idea that that only Subs can enjoy Asc Astarion a little bit naive. Because, well, some news for you: Doms like it too because they understand why he is so eager to be a top :D Unrealistic, not the healthiest way? Probably! But this man and this love is not real anyway. Yes, i think many of us, especially folks who went through therapy and a lot of self-reflecting are already aware that it's basically romanticized version of narcissistic obsession and in real life this is creepy, but it's not real, it's a fantasy. People use BDSM to heal, romance books and all other forms of art to deal with their inner demons and it's absolutely normal. Even if someone is blind to see what is wrong with Asc Astarion, I highly doubt that toxic bucket of shame and aggression are able to help see anyone problematic side of things. Do you know who is usually up to romanticize toxic dynamic in romance? Victims of abuse. In real life, if you just scream and yell at any poor girl/boy/whatever about how stupid they are for believing that their abusive partner really loves them, people will either break down and cry or tell you to f!ck off and they will have every right to do so, but they won't see what's wrong with their partner,in whom quite often victims of abuse see their only source of love and safety in life. Hells, I am so sick and tired from this "white cloak knight saviour from cycle of abuse" toxic flood in this fandom. If you really want to educate people - do it with extreme care and compassion. Real life healing is not working like it's with Astarion in the game,few right dialogs and boom, dude is on the right path. It takes enormous amount of patience and love, be kind to one another, and stay safe, darlings. Being toxic on Asc fans you are not helping anyone, you just hitting your superiority complex button in your ---. To heal others with their lethal dose of poison, it's hilarious /Sorry for the wall of text, sorry for grammar, English is not my first language/

\N: That's it. I hope this essay makes someone realize that those who choose Asc also have deep feelings, thoughts, and personal experiences in life. They have the right to think differently deep than most about video game, history, and any art. And discussing the canon to in different ways. It's Dark Fantasy, complex topics. So especially The Canon. I am enjoy learning new, different opinions. Also I hope this helps anyone who has felt uncomfortable with the toxic wave. I'm going to try very hard not to look at the responses to this post for my personal calmness. All the Best\

[libbee]

About air lovers

Air men (moon in gemini/libra/aquarius//moon in 3rd/7th/11th house)

1. Racing thoughts, if I think it I will speak it, I need to speak, no I cannot think internally I need to speak, tell, blurt it out to someone.

2. See, unless you stimulate me, please dont try to befriend me. I am volatile and versatile. If you are not a quick thinker, chatty, conversationalist, how will we connect and bond? How will we stay friends? What do we talk about-you ask? We talk about history, universe, biology, business, science, news, cinema, TV shows, your pet, my pet? No, we dont talk about how I feel, we dont talk magic, we talk concepts and ideas. Emotions are magical, you see. How those witch babes manipulate energy for spells, I am a "how to make friends and influence people/rich dad poor dad" kind of person. Please dont tell me about your healing powers, I am a metacognition/neuroscience kind of person.

3. You are either fun or boring. Sorry, I cannot see anything else that makes a person worthy of my friendship or relationship. My partner is my best friend, we talk, share our thoughts with each other, laugh out loud, we are constantly texting. I only date people who are mentally stimulating. Though I am not too romantic and I dont offer emotional intimacy, but I can offer you a fun time and belly full of laughter. Sorry sir, we dont do inner work here, we dont do self reflection here, we are not that deep. We are all about ideas, thoughts and reasoning. Emotions make things messy and complicated. Y'know I dont have that stability to sit down and get in touch with my feelings. I can be meeting new people in that time, that's just who I am. So if you are someone who's looking for emotional vulnerability, emotional sharing of insecurities and complexes or trying to make me spiritual then I cannot do that, please find someone who is compatible with you. I am not spiritual, I am logical. Sorry, I dont understand what you mean when you say that you are feeling shame/fear/anger, I just dont let feelings trap me, I just move on to the next thing. I dont understand what healing means, I am just not meant for these things. I dont understand what you mean when you say soul or spirit or divine or energy, are these not just words? Where is the proof they exist? You're intuitive? Hmmm, I am more of a thinker type. You're into astrology and tarot? Oh, I am an economics nerd, there is so much to learn and understand in the real world, why are you lost in virtual, spiritual, magical world?

4. I need variety. You can be the most mentally stimulating person in the world but I still need variety. I just need variety. It is not about you, it is about me. Conversations, connections and chatting give me validation, they are fuel to my engine. When I am with you, I wonder what am I missing out on? Please dont feel sad about it, see that's why I dont like feelings. Life is supposed to be fun not serious. I need to try out new things and meet new people. More I try, more I learn. I like mental and emotional freedom. I like playfulness and joy of living. Let's hangout for lunch tomorrow? That's how I like to bond and connect with you. I am not shallow, the right people will understand that I am a very fun and smart friend. You have emotional needs, I have mental needs. We are different. "Let's hangout for lunch tomorrow":

5. LMAO, that's my new joke. My mom was like... and my dad was like.... lmao, seriously that was so funny. You dont like jokes? You're offended, triggered, taking it personally? What even.. How can someone not like jokes? Laughter is the best medicine, my friend. I self actualize with jokes, I roast myself, I twist events to make them funny. I want people to have a fun time with me. I dont know how people can sit in silence and paint or draw or meditate for hours or enjoy their own company. I would rather play video games, watch TV, write some essay or shoot some video for YouTube or tiktok or Instagram-I need motion, movement, to do something. Next task ✅ Next task ✅ Next task ✅ I get bored if I stay at one place for too long.

Air men (sun in gemini/libra/aquarius//sun in 3rd/7th/11th house)

1. If you want to torture me, keep me isolated in a room. Social groups are where I thrive. I cannot stand solitude, simply because being solitary means to sit with my emotions, thoughts, insecurities, complexes and face them. I cannot do that, I just cannot.

2. Fortunately, my life theme attracts many opportunities to make friends/socialize/meet a lot of people on daily basis. Astrology not only tells personality traits but also life event patterns. 3rd, 7th, 11th houses deal with other people, networking, public interactions, connections and relationships, you see the association? Some are born lone wolf, we are not. I can never be a monk, I dont have the emotional discipline for that, though I can be your travel partner to Thailand when you visit a monastery, I love to explore new places.

3. I need you to like me, I am really good at studying others. I like to keep a lot of connections, I like to network with people, people are assets, friends for life, there is nothing much in life. Hanging out with friends, being around people, socializing makes me feel alive, rejuvenated and meaningful. I am a bit of chameleon, yeah so what, you are too. People are not one dimensional, what is this obsession with authenticity? Do you even know who you really are, duh!!

4. When I meet someone, I notice their desirable qualities, what makes them attractive, what is their best quality and I internalize that, make it my own, morph myself into a desirable person. More similar we are, stronger our bond will be. I know I am not authentic but it is simply not my nature to be so. Please appreciate me for what I am capable of offering you. I can be a really nice actor though, I have the charisma and versatility for it.

5. They call me charming. Because my personality shines. I am the person people approach when they are at the cashier. I am the person people approach when I am just minding my own business. I appear desirable, friendly and safe to people. You wouldn't approach an intimidating, stiff, serious person, will you? Let's see it this way, water man and I enter a bar. Bartender greets both of us. Water man emits vibes that provoke uncomfortable emotions, insecurities and traumatic memories in the bartender. But I emit vibes that are comfortable, friendly and safe to feel. I am more approachable. This is because I dont spend my time exploring my depths, complexes, psyche. I am the person who runs the community, I run the entertainment business, I run the economy. If everyone sat down to do self introspection and inner work then who will take care of the material world? See-leave it to me, I can handle that. 

6. Though I make a loyal partner when I am mature. I am loyal because cheating is too much of mess for me for too little return. I am not really obsessed with power, I am the sigma not the alpha, we are equals, I dont want to be superior to you-I dont want power over you. I want to be your friend. I make love with my friend. You are my friend and you are my lover. I dont like power games. Though if I have fire/water placements too then I can be power centric otherwise I am just the equal dynamic type. I am a very balanced type of person.

[beesmygod]

JJBA PART 5, VENTO AUREO IS THE UNDERBAKED MESS I CAN'T STOP THINKING ABOUT FIXING...PART 2

FIX 2: WHAT DO YOU DO WITH A PROBLEM LIKE GIORNO?

thats the homo photo of my dad

answer: i dont know.

the unfortunate and honest to god truth of the matter is that the protagonist of JJBA part 5, giorno giovanna, fucking sucks.

what if that little shithead from the twilight zone episode "it's a good life" was gay and watched "goodfellas". you might think "wow that sounds great" but, well, somehow it's not.

it is months later and i have been struggling with writing this for a bazillion reasons: i got sick, real life events occurred, i had to work on comic, i died, etc. but the most strenuous reason of all in the end was facing the impenetrable, tangled, and deeply complicated gordian knot that is the little ladybug loving bitch named giorno and not knowing where the fuck to even begin.

i had to think long and hard about how to approach the problem of "giorno giovanna". he is like a diamond of sucking ass: multi-faceted and beautiful in his perfection but is, ultimately, just a stupid fucking rock from the dirt. he completely lacks the innate charisma and personality inherent in previous jojo protagonists AND antagonists; despite having both the joestar AND brando gene pools to pull from, he manages to snag a net total of 0 personality traits. this problem is multiplied 100 fold once he starts actually doing things to move the plot along and the universe repeatedly bends itself like a pretzel in order to gift him undeserved and unrewarding (to us, the audience) win after win after win.

his theme goes hard as hell tho

if you were to ask me what is wrong with giorno, i would have no problem making a long and detailed list of why i want to slap the little cinnamon rolls of his head. i have no idea how to organize that list into a more coherent form of criticism that points at the overarching structural weakness of part 5. part 5 really, really wants you to like and root for giorno. it hinges on it. his victories are explicitly supposed to be emotionally and morally gratifying. they are instead trite and annoying.

for years, YEARS, my only experience with the entirety of part 5 outside of infamous panels and the most basic information about the story, was this incredible, evergreen and laser targeted tweet:

i thought this was a funny shit post. all i knew giorno had some kind of "life creation" power. what i didnt know was:

giorno says this exact line and then turns cars into frogs so that they (the bad guys) cant catch them (they do catch them)

giorno's power IS fucking stupid

i fucking hate him

he should stop using it

abbacchio was right. he was right about everything

how DO you talk about giorno? giorno's blandness permeates any situation he has the misfortune of attending and the parts of the narrative where he's missing for one reason or another are significantly improved by his absence. in comparison with the deuteragonists (bruno bucciarati) and tritagonists (the members of bruno's squad in the mafia family passione), he has all the flavor of a communion wafer. his character arc is non-existent. emotionally, he might as well have just gone to the store and back by the end of the story.

and, look, araki likes to play fast and loose with how powerful a stand is or what its abilities are. im not here to measure power levels or fucking whatever stupid shit people get up to. the more wild and insane he gets with his incredibly "unique" ""understanding"" of science and geometry, i'm 99% on board for. but giorno's stand, gold experience, is whatever the narrative needs it to be at any given time with no consistency. it's OP as hell long before he gets the 11th hour power boost; his stand has the extra trans-dimensional ability to remove any tension from a fight scene. through this, gold requiem can destroy the psyche of the audience, truly making it the most powerful stand of all time.

people used to love to bitch about not understanding how the villain's stand works in this part, but if anyone tells you they understand what the fuck THIS means they're lying to you.

anyway, there is only one solution i can think of when it comes to how to approach this: assess the major story beats in order. i think jumping around in the progression of events to highlight individual flaws in the character will not adequately impart the suffering one feels as an audience member while the narrative yo-yos between being rollicking good fun and being at the mercy of the little 15 year old twink with god mode on.

and so, having made it past koichi's tiny ass role (and his tiny ass) in the story and addressing how we can proceed, we can cover bruno (a genuinely wonderful character), polpo, and the wasted character building opportunity of the piss drinking scene, which vexes and infuriates me to this day. [thinking about the piss scene and getting mad again] ooooh!!!!

[wuzetianadmirer]

Obey Me x Queen Reader

Warnings: slight yandere and implications of foetus murder

I'm basing this off a C-drama I love; Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace

As a woman, a daughter of the Qing Emperor you had few options. It didn't help that you were the daughter of a low ranking concubine and not an Imperial Consort. You most likely would be married off to somewhere far away, to a chieftan or duke or any other noble. However, you knew you could do better than marry a good man. You decided to become Emperor yourself. After the death of your father, your half-brother had been crowned Emperor. Oopsie! If only a mere servant didn't poison him on his wedding night! And one by one, the Imperial sons were either killed or implicated and banished. The Imperial daughters were married to obscure men of the Empire. And officials began disappearing.

Who was doing this? You!

You had all the right people in your pocket. You had disposed of those who were unneeded.

In the span of two years, you had seized control of the Qing Court. Elevating your mother to Queen Dowager and yourself as Emperor. A female Emperor? There hasn't been one since Wu Zetian! You were strongly opposed but within days, those kind if thoughts were quelled. It was a blood bath, whether it was a necessary one, you did not know.

You had everything now.

Power was in your hands!

You married powerful men and secured your position.

And after five long years, you are your beloved King Consort were expecting. You were finally pregnant! You could establish your own dynasty at last.

But you were now in the Devildom. How frustrating!

I imagine the Mc to look like this:

Lucifer

Yeah, he didn't really care at first.

The only royalty he acknowledged was Lord Diavolo.

He didn't quite regard your ambitions with much interest.

But when you showcased your amazing leadership skills, as well as great diplomacy, and managing to quell those annoying noble demons, you got our boy falling fast!

He then started to understand your situation better, and you began to reside in him too

He too lost everything after the Fall

So now the both of got somebody to relate to

At times, you'd discuss certain politics over a glass of demonus

He also shared some tips as to how you could strengthen your hold over others

Has mixed feelings about the bae

On one hand, you want to go back to your husband. Everything you worked hard for shouldn't be in vain

But on the other, when you first came here, you were beyond stressed. Rarely did you let yourself relax

He decided to help you

And while you may not agree, you can have everything you'd want here. He'd make sure of it!

You want power, he'd make sure you'd dominate the Devildom.

And dont worry about the kid. He himself has unofficially adopted six demons under his care, what's another

Best dad/husband material if you ask me. (Better than the Emperor in the actual show)

Mammon

Man just wants to scam you out of your crown and jewellery. But as a powerful woman yourself, you decide to out him in his place

You, a human, put Mammon in his place. Kneeling at your feet, your heel atop his head.

Man would be lying if he said he wasn't whipped!

After that, he's like a puppy, following you around.

He listens to your story and how you had to struggle and conive your way into power.

He respects that. He's just sad, that a person as brilliant as you had to prove your worth tenfold before anybody aknowledged you

He was the first demon to form a pact with you. Thus, he wants to be your everthing. Your forst man as well as the person to take care of you

But that little bundle in your belly complicates things.

Nevermind! He'll just have to the best dad there is. For both your happiness and his.

Treasure, if you think you can go back...you've got another thing coming...

Leviathan

Your an Emperor?

Thats so cool! Totally OP

Was a bit sceptical at first as you didnt know shit about video games, much less technology.

You're alot like Simeon in that sense

He starts teaching you how to play videogames

And lets just say, you might have been rocky before but you're slaying it now

Especially since you have good critical thinking you can make quick counters

You find that you have a liking towards otome games.

They're similar to the fact that they're alot like dealing with people at court. Kiss up to a few people and destroy the ones that aren't needed

He thinks your so cool.

And after hearing you life story as to how much you had to give up in order to get where you are today, he's just in awe.

Promises to be your bestest friend as well as godfather to your bundle of joy

Satan

Doesn't really care, much like Lucifer

At first, that is

Everyone is astounded that you handle his anger so well

Must be because you're used to having to deal with hot heads

Especially those who didn't deem you worthy as Emperor.

Satan is firmly neutral towards you

Until he discovers your shared love of literature

Is is impressed at your prowess of poetry and appreciates it. Finally, somebody to confide in

Then he finds out, because of your constant strive for power, as well as your status as Emperor, you had to time for pets. Especially not a cat

He decides to change that

And suddenly your living quarters are now a pet shop.

Not to say you hated it, you're already having baby fever due to being....um...pregnant, but now you're having kitty fever!

Our man is definitely in love

Which makes him feel uneasy about your pointy belly

Contemplates killing the babe once its born, but holds himself back. He doesn't want all your hard work to be for nothing

Definitely helping you reclaim your throne if anybidy opposes you in the near future

Very angry about you going back to your husband but keeps it in

Cant loose a good friendship over this, now can ge?

Asmodeous

This echantress is set on seducing you.

Only your resolve is strong

He tries his best, only to realise that his charms don't quite work on you.

Nevermind that, your fashion sense is so chic!

He then decides that you need a makeover. Dont misunderstand him, you're beautiful as is, not as beautiful as him, but all that stress isnt good for you honey.

Insists you get nine hours of sleep

All that court shenanigans and running the empire has given you bags inder your eyes. And are those wrinkles! Honey, I'm gonna get you the best spa day of your life!

You become fast friends, surprisingly. Even you are baffled.

The both of you share makeup tips. He even introduces you to modern makeup as well as cosmetics and fashion.

You insist on wearing longer dresses and do your hair up. You sport long, elegant clothes. And while you think its fine wearing your hair loose every now and then you ultimately stick to your roots.

And while he insists that you'd look stunning in anything you wore, he ultimately respects your fashion choice.

He even replicates traditional Qing dynasty qipao. As the Avatar of Lust, he does have connections to all the high end fabric stores.

And in respect to your status as Emperor he insists that you only dress as the best!

He even manages to get someone to make a few sets of liangbatou for you (the type of headdress Qing dynasty women wore)

Is excited as to being an uncle! Definitely going on a baby shopping frenzy

Practically your best friend!

Beelzebub

I personally think he thought your crown was made of candy.

Cant blame this baby boy

He once even thought you were made of white chocolate with how smooth your skin is

Has tried eating you

Your glare, made his mouth go dry

You're much like Lucifer as to how you baby him sometimes.

You're quite tall yourself but still look like dwarf next to him.

A bit confused as to why you ate so little, even offering your food to him every now and then

He thinks its the pregnancy hormones.

Makes sure you're eating well, cuz honey, you're not just eating for yourself but for your kid too.

Definitely sees you as Lilith.

This hunk of a man swears nothing bad will come to you.

Much like Asmo, he wants to be an uncle so bad

"(Yn), you haven't eaten yet? Are you craving something. I'll go to Hell's Kitchen to get it".

Belphegor

Doesn't give a shit

Just sleeps

Only after Beel stats giving you attention does you pay a shit

You look like one of those prissy nobles

Literally doesn't care that you're an Emperor

Does that mean you can sleep all day?

Is horrified that you tell him that you barely get any sleep due to the stress.

A bit worried at first, cuz you look older than you are

Subtly tells you to get some shut eye. He even puts a spell on you in order to get better sleep. Makes sure your bed is comfortable.

He takes a bit longer to finally start caring as he isnt exactly the most proactive.

Same as Beel . Sees you as Lilith

Not too enthusiastic about your being pregnant. It just means a baby's gonna keep him up later on. But still cares. Definitely tries his best.

On the same side as Beel, Asmo and Levi; wants to the kids uncle.

Overall, you've got seven demons on your side. Quite useful incase there was any opposition on your part. Your kid is gonna have the best uncles!

[0ystercatcher]

ok now that i have a little time. time to post about my america journey. this ones about restaurants and service work. im sorry in advance but also im not because im objectively Correct.

dear american friends. tipping there is bullshit, retarded, insane, fucked up. restaurant service does not need to be that involved, complicated, annoying or intrusive. yes i understand the us kind of sort of runs on its service economy, yes i understand work is work, yes i understand often its corporate policy and yes i still fucking hated it. there is genuinely no good reason for anyone to be paying 15%+ ON TOP of the actual prices at a restaurant. yes yes i undeerstand the wage issue yes oh all powerful american yes you deserve to be properly compensated for your labors but the way youre also just supposed to accept random customers are the ones who owe you 15%+ MINIMUM (and some places had like an 18% minimum, for real what the fuck) is genuinely crazy to me. im also going to be real min wage in wa for all tipped workers is the normal min wage so you cant even bullshit me w the federal rates or whatever. its a crazy policy. it makes no sense in the vast majority of cases and it makes servers ANNOYING ill get into this also. again yes i understand the reasons people often bring up as to why this is the case but i still simply disagree this is the best way to do this.

also once again sorry. servers are fucking annoying when everyones angling for tips. sorry. i simply do not want to be bothered 5 times while im eating my slop or whatever just to get asked if the food is good or whatever. im eating it just fine brother please just leave me alone. yes im being a cunt yes im getting borderline misanthropic with this but for real i find it crazy, insane, stupid, that people will genuinely respond to this with like. the vaguest arguments about how if you dislike eating out just dont. bc like i dont dislike eating out at all but this particular way of dealing w customers is like. fucking crazy. i want...to just enjoy the meal. this is where i could get into the other thing that deeply annoyed me abt the usa and once again im going to be evil but its the fake nice small talk w cashiers or whatever like look. look. i am not mean in person. i believe treating people who are just doing their jobs in your presence with respect and dignity are absolute necessities and i prommy i am very nice to people when i am consuming products or services. i do in fact, say please and thank you. but bro americans go crazy with it and yes yes corporate policy yes this and that. but oh my god i was sick of it by the end of the trip even if i was also getting better at it. i simply do not think you need to exchange a minimum of 2 unrelated pleasntries to begin any sort of transactional interaction though and again im not opposed to hi, please, thanks, thats obvious and necessary. but to be fucking honest i dont want the beloved talented barista who made me a delicious espresso to ask me if im having a nice day. i dont need it. i dont need to ask it back either this guys just working like what exactly are they gonna say. they dont need to be wasting their time like this. i am there for coffee or whatever the fuck else no offense to them obviously but we all know this is true. so why. why bother. why bother with any of this. the third world does just fine without it. why bother. i think this may have been the thing i disliked the most.

[steveharrington]

But we’re not told WHY they’re vecna’d. There’s no reason why vecna targets traumatized teens EXCEPT to make it even more horror-movie-ish. Why do they get trash compacted like that specifically? It’s implied that’s how vecna a powers work but why? No idea.

The show has left so many unanswered questions already and this new element (vecna itself!) just over complicates everything

And I’m actually kind of pissed bc Patrick gets vecna’d and we know almost nothing about him. But stranger things… hates poc

I actually kind of hate Chrissy because of how differently she (pretty white girl) was treated from Patrick (black boy). And. her eating disorder existed SOLELY for exploitative purposes just to cause an emotional reaction it’s not something that adds to her as a character it’s just there to freak the audience out, meanwhile other REAL LIFE ACTORS are being forced to starve themselves for the roles. We get it eating disorders are scary good thing they’re not real! /s

Acting like this new girl will be important focusing on her ed only to kill her off in the most horrific way possible… i don’t like it it feels exploitative especially of a real world problem this show is absolutely complicit in spreading

We got a LOT less development for Fred than chrissy and didn’t fucking. Languish in such a triggering topic I think he was the happy medium.

Regardless the focus on traumatized teens with no other similarities was already so random they could have just picked literally anyone with no special backstory and it would have worked just as well? At the end of the day Chrissy ONLY matters as motivation for Jason, who only matters as motivation for Eddie ( and since Eddie’s death did nothing like. It didn’t seem like he was saving Dustin’s life or anything) who only matters to make Dustin kind of sad? She died for man pain except the ultimate man pain was for some guy she never even met

Chrissy isn’t a person or a character she’s a bafflingly written INTENTIONALLY TRIGGERING and misogynistic plot device with an outrageous amount of minute details they could have given to any of the real characters. They didn’t have to spend 10 minutes pretending she mattered only to beat her to death with a rock and then run over her a few times for good measure

well first of all i am no authority on the topic of whether or not chrissy's struggles with her ed were done correctly and therefore i will not speak on it because its really....not my place as someone who hasn't experienced that!

as for why vecna targets people with trauma specifically, i think it serves a greater narrative purpose and that's depicted best through max's arc this season. vecna's whole backstory as henry shows that he was obviously traumatized himself by brenner and when he appeals to chrissy, fred, and max he attempts to persuade them to just give up/join him/etc because it's easier than carrying on. he's using their trauma against them. and then when max is faced with this threat of losing her life to vecna, it motivates her to want to get better and want to stop isolating herself from lucas and the group, she literally says "i don't want to go, im not ready" and it kinda overall like. saves her life! vecna acts as a narrative tool to explore mental health and trauma and guilt. imo it's much much MUCH more impactful for our characters to overcome him through their bonds and their desire to live despite what they've been through than like.....killing a monster of the week

obv you dont have to agree with me and that's fine but i don't think chrissy is like...a misogynistic charicature in the slightest. like i said before i really don't think chrissy's treatment in the show was uniquely different than fred's or even max's. i don't really understand how chrissy's trauma was "languished in" any more than fred's? i feel like they got equal screentime and fred's vecna vision was just as brutal as chrissy's, even if they talked about two entirely different topics. and if im being completely honest (again not trying to be rude or demean your view of the show, but you did send this ask to me personally so im going to give my honest opinions back) i think referring to chrissy as a "plot device" and not a "real character" is intentionally reading the show in bad faith.

this season is a horror season. people die like they do in any slasher movie. i understand if the vecna plotline isn't for everyone because like yeah watching characters who are already suffering die very tragic deaths is hard! but i think the point of vecna like i said before is to personify trauma, guilt, and shame to allow our characters to overcome those feelings. chrissy's death worked both to establish what vecna does and to involve eddie. but i dont think that automatically makes her a "prop" or a "plot device" because she's given a personality, she's given a lot of thought and care from the actress, she's given people who mourn her. i think it was genuinely one of the sweetest moments in the whole show when eddie dedicated his little guitar solo to her because it showed that her death affected him and in motivating him to want to kill vecna and save his friends from her same fate, it had meaning

[ugisfeelings]

Actually, I regret that ask. I don’t want to excuse the anthropologists and linguists, and thinking back over what I wrote that’s kind of what it sounded like I was saying. That is not what I meant to say.

,I’ve always found Kroeber allowing the Smithsonian to take Ishi’s brain after death disturbing and unforgivable, but I think it’s easy to simplify the story of Ishi’s years at Berkeley.

Gerald Vizenor, an Anishnaabe scholar of Native American studies at Berkeley has written a lot about Ishi, and his life at Berkeley, and about the choices he made about how he presented himself and how he told Yana-Yahi stories.

There was a terrible imbalance of power inherent in the dynamic where Ishi was living in essentially a foreign culture and needed to rely on Kroeber, Sapir, and the others, but at the same time he was also invested in their project of “preserving” his language and culture. (Of course salvage ethnography does not actually preserve culture��� recording isn’t enough. You need living, thriving people, and you need to dismantle colonialism.)

hi! thank you for writing and if it is okay to publish, i did not interpret your reply as an excuse for anyone and upon rereading my own post addendum, realize i myself did not responsibly articulate ishi’s time at berkeley with all the proper historical contingencies and respect i had wanted to. yes you’re right, ishi’s actual story is much more complicated than just the set of discourses i referenced and i was careless and obfuscatory in my shorthand (’studied,’ ‘specimen,’ ‘display’-- these were not the contemporary language to describe his tenure there until after death n i shouldve said/cited more). im glad you brought up gerald vizenor bc he was among the first to propose renaming a uc building after ishi, and i wish i had thought to at least link his incisive essay, “ishi obscura” (2001). anyways there’s much to address that i took for granted in my post, and i hope i can take this as an opportunity to clarify a bit here and direct to more sources—

first, to explain my own point of entry into this ‘discourse,’ i initially came of awareness about ishi’s story in 2020-- namely during the messy back-and-forth abt removing kroeber’s name from berkeley’s anth hall, to which my anthro/lit friends n i closely followed from the east coast as we engaged in our own institutional battles against [redacted]. much of the blog posts, internal documents, op-eds, and other journalistic coverages are still up online, which i revisited while drafting the post. they formed a lot of the more recent conservative “scholarly” perspectives insisting on ishi’s so-called happy “celebrity” status and kroeber’s “disordered mourning” decision to remove ishi’s brain, which i found myself unconsciously arguing w/ within the post lol (this is all from nancy scheper-hughes). this obvs came at the expense of fleshing out ishi’s own participation in sharing his cultural knowledge and hermeneutical agency in narrativizing his life story, but vizenor and norman denzin (building on vizenor’s ishi and the wood ducks, which i dont have a linked copy for) have made critical efforts to recuperate and deconstruct those figurations.

i did write up a longer summary abt the impact of ishi’s death on the kroeber family, which was indeed devestating for kroeber and which leguin was likely most intimately impressed by and thus likely affected her public discussion later on, since she was born long after ishi’s death. i deleted it bc there’s a plethora of (understandably) sympathetic explanations for the kroeber family’s ‘silence’ on ishi, and i didnt think it productive to rehash scheper-hughes’ already tortured, naval-gazing apologia circulating on behalf of kroeber (and  which the kroeber sons themselves vociferously protested in their edited volume together). i can link some of the 2020 coverage but imo there are better and yes more ‘nuanced’ discussions of kroeber’s legacy not coming from a white woman anthropologist terrified of the ‘cancel culture’ mob.

and as you pointed out, there exists long and rich traditions of rigorous, indigenous-based critiques emanating from anthropology and linguistics. the traumatic conditions that kroeber, the boaisian school, and salvage ethnography emerged from and of their own fraught interventions into racial discourses at the time. ishi’s relationship with kroeber and their posthumous representations has been extensively re-evaluated, re-staged, etc--including kroeber’s sons editing their own collection of essays in 2003 after ishi’s repatriation. more recently, indigenous visions: rediscovering the world of franz boas (edited 2018) curates provocative perspectives from indigenous & black scholars.

finally-- i dont have a bg in literature nor do i read leguin’s fictional writing extensively by any means so i cant speak too much further abt her literary development and its critical reception aside from the anthropologists’  perspective (rip). i think my suggestions abt leguin’s latent politics came off as polemical and ungenerous, but i do consider myself indebted to her essays n shorter works for introducing me to anarchist politics and humanist inquiry in anthro. i recommend her books to students curious abt speculative fiction and radical worldmaking (which we should continue to do btw, learning abt kroeber should encourage us to read leguin not put her off), which is why i think it’s critical we not only explicitly "acknowledge” ishi as i concede leguin did (altho i rlly did use those examples to highlight how thin those mentions are but would b interested in more substantial writing on the matter given her brothers’ involvement) but encourage an analytical repertoire to think with the larger politics of representing ishi’s lifestory as intimately bound up in leguin’s own reckoning with civilizational-racial discourses and indigenous epistemologies... and perhaps to exercise some caution abt potentially espoused universalisms (there r some rlly interesting altho idk how persuasive anthro-based rebuttals against fedric jameson’s historicist analysis of her work). idt we should b as concerned abt morally evaluating her writing for evidence of settler ‘complicity’ and ‘exploitation’ (i semi-regret using that language now in the context of leguin’s own mediations), as i am abt how we should understand how leguin’s proximity to colonial abuse is inflected textually and animates the political horizons of her own literary narrations-- and our reception of it. it rlly is not abt her anymore but how we interpret certain so-called silences (again, not always ‘bad’ or complicit)--which is why im drawn to jameson’s ‘critique’ prev bc unless ive been misreading it completely (note 2 reread), actually appreciates n takes seriously the conscious world-production moves made by leguin’s the dispossessed and id would like to see a similar literary treatment of leguin’s anth debts too.

[thatone-highlighter]

hey i saw ur tags on that one fahrenheit post & i'd love to know more about base 6 (+ if you have any recs for understanding it) ! i'm not familiar with it but it sounds cool <3

Okay gonna be honest i have no idea what post youre talking about, but i am not going to turn down such a blatant chance to talk about bases so here we go!

So since 1. I dont know you or how much you know about bases at all (and you say you dont know much) and 2. I want this post to be as helpful as possible i am going to explain this as if you have never heard of a base before in your life, so if you’re more familiar than that just hang in there

So first off, what is a base? A base number is basically the amount of digits you have to represent a given number. For example base 10 would have 10 individual digits, base 12 has 12, base 2 has 2, etc you get the picture. The three main bases i can think of that most people would have at least some level of familiarity with are base 10, base 2 and base 60.

Base 10 is just your normal numbers almost everything is done in base 10 or if not is converted into base 10. Base 2 is binary, it has 2 digits 0 and 1. Base 60 is what we do time in, its kind of a bad example because we actually use base 10 to get the 60 digits you need but time and angles and all that stuff that caps at 60 or 360 is base 60 (pretty sure angles are technically base 60, could be base 360 but you get the idea).

Bases work by when you run out of digits in your base, the row to the left goes up one and you start over. For example in base 10 when you get to 9 thats the last digit so it ticks over to 1 and 0.(numbers in based start at 0 so the tenth digit in base 10 is actually 9 not 10, 10 is not a number in base 10, just as 2 is not one in base 2 and 6 is not one in base 6). The trend continues on as well, when you get to 99 it goes over to 100.

For general use tho, if you wanna know a base thats not base 10 you need to know how to convert it back into base 10, otherwise its only understandable to you or if you happen to come across someone who also knows that base. Warning This next part might get a bit complicated. To convert a non-10 base into base 10, you need to be a bit familiar with your powers, im gonna use 2 as an example because its small and easy.

Lets pick a random number in base 2, 1101001. So i have no idea what number that is those numbers mean nothing to you and nothing to me, lets make it mean something. To figure that out were gonna need our powers of 2,7 of them starting at 0. From right to left we can number the digits 0-6, and thats the power they are each get. The number im each of those rows (in this case 0 or 1) is going to be multiplies by 2 to the power of whatever power that row is, and then we add them all together. It should make a bit more sense in a minute after i do this example. So lets start from the left to the right.

1*2^6 , 2^6= 64, times 1 is 64.

1*2^5 , 2^5= 32, times 1 is 32

0*2^4 , 2^4= 16, times 0 is 0

1*2^3 , 2^3= 8, times 1 is 8

0*2^2 , 2^2= 4, times 0 is 0

0*2^1 , 2^1= 2, times 0 is 0

1*2^0 , 2^0= 1 (anything to the power of 0 is one), and then times 1 is just 1 still.

So now we take all of those numbers and add them together. 64+32+0+8+0+0+1= 105. So the number 1101001 in binary should be able to be rewritten in base 10 as, 105. And lookie if i chuck it in an online binary converter

So now that we know 1. What a base is and 2. The basic principals on how to convert based back into base 10, ill explain base 6, and then of course why i like it.

So base 6 is a base system with 6 digits, 0 1 2 3 4 and 5. When you get to where 6 would be, you write 10, because youve hit your limit of digits you dont have anymore you need to move one row to the left. There are other people who are more qualified and suited to tell you how to say what 10 in base 6 should be called than i am, but generally in my head i will just say the digits (example, instead of saying 14(fourteen) i would say 14(one four). Makes it easier not to get confused when you convert)(side fun fact 14 in base 6 is ten) and then if i say it out loud i will automatically convert to base 10.

Everything i said before with base 2 applies to converting base 6 into base 10, the biggest difference being because base 6 has more digits you wont get a small number represented with so many digits. Base 10 does use less digits to represent big numbers eventually but its a lot bigger than anything you would ever need to use it for. I personally have very rarely ever needed to go above 2 digits for what i use base 6 for.

One of the biggest reasons i like base 6, and what i use it for almost exclusively, is how it lets you count on your hands. So most people have five fingers on each hand yeah? And base 6 has five numbers (excluding zero). Therefor, using holding up no fingers as being 0, you can, using just your two hands, count all the way up to thirty-five. Just on your hands using your fingers. Thirty-five is a Lot more than the usual ten you can represent. Its really good for counting numbers that are just above ten you would normally have to just try and remember once you run out of fingers. You just count, every time you add one more after hitting 5 fingers, the “ones” hand goes back to zero and your “tens”(or i guess “sixes”) hand goes up one more, until either you get the number you need or run out of hands!

I hope this makes sense and is as informative as i want it to be! Im going to link some of the videos i watched that got me into bases and helped me learn if you would like to watch those. And please is you or anyone else wants me to clarify anything or has any questions feel free to ask! And inversely if anyone more familiar with bases than i sees an error i made please let me know!

Introduction to based and seximal(base 6)-

Elaboration-

(Also just in general would recommend this youtuber, they have a bunch of other very interesting niche sorts of videos like these ones on bases, i like the ones on W and hangman and also the entire conlang critic series)

[yesterdayiwrote]

https://www.tumblr.com/yesterdayiwrote/762167834490077184/i-do-think-certain-people-within-mercedes-should?source=share you guys will believe everything and anything anyways whether that's concerning george or mercedes or f1 in general 💀 lmfao and yes you're over invested in f1 and in george like most of us fans we dont know these people they're privileged enough and rich enough to drive these things to be in this kind of environment and these people, yes including george are in places like monaco where they dont pay taxes while the rest of the world ( excluding the rich and powerful ) are suffering in paying.

you're WAY too invested in george to a point it is being so parasocial, that man doesnt give two shits at all ( whether you defend him or not nor him giving two shits about you lets be real, these people in f1 do not give two shits about social justice keyboard warrior fans ) because if he were and we know how he is, he'd be leaving that team if he thinks he's not fit there or if they're not treating him right, he's a grown ass man, stop babying him.

I've been torn between just putting a straight block on this or replying (because tumblr only lets you do one), but seeing as you think it's fit to come into my inbox and just send this shit to me behind cowardly anonymity, I just want to get this off my chest.

In the past few weeks, I've had anons telling me I care too much and I don't care enough. Telling me I'm over emotional but also telling me that I'm too cynical. Whatever I write I seem to get some form of shitty anon rushing to tell me how I've done or said the wrong thing.

I'm a fucking stranger on the Internet. I'm just some random girl with an opinion of no consequence, but I'm also a fucking human being. I try and be SO honest about my feelings and the facts are my feelings are complicated and messy sometimes. I've called myself out for being parasocial before. I've addressed multiple issues you've mentioned before because, guess what! It's possible to feel contradicting things! I've got a whole fucking essay on here from a few years back about how much the Monaco tax situation pisses me the fuck off (oh and guess what I got shit for posting that too!) I've admitted that whilst I try and be reasonable and logical that I'm not immune to my emotions and biases getting in the way, but I don't think I've done anything to deserve opening my inbox to this type of patronising, aggressive shit telling me what a dick I am actually.

If you don't like what I post that's absolutely fine. We all have posts we read where we think 'oop, don't agree with that really', but I am absolutely begging you to understand that piling in to someone's inbox, and hiding behind anon to try and make them feel shit about themselves by telling them what an idiot they are... its really not normal behaviour in any metric. I am not perfect. I'm not immune to doing or saying or thinking or feeling the wrong thing, so stop fucking expecting me or anyone else to adhere to some weird unwritten specific 'vibe' in order to be deemed "acceptable". Wouldn't life be fucking boring if we all behaved in exactly the same cookie cutter way?

[arodabi]

okay, i’m finally getting around to writing this, and uhh ill say its for aro week too. this is written as an aro person directed at alloromantic people. when i refer to writing, i’m kind of using it as a general term for creative works. Here’s me throwing my hat in on the question:

Can you ship aromantic characters?

and my answer is,,,,, actually a question. Why do you want to ship aromantic characters? 

I want alloros to realize that for a lot of aros, we do not get to see ourselves represented often. I can actually count on like one hand how many popular canon aro characters there are, and on the whole, none of their identities are respected. people constantly try to weasel their way out of actually writing aro characters, or they just ignore or deny their identity outright. fandom spaces (hell creative spaces in general) are at best not welcoming to aros, and at worst actively hostile towards us. So when the first question brought up when a character gets canonically confirmed as aro is “okay cool but can i ship them???” or “that’s nice but how can i still write about my fave ship that involves them??” i want to fucking scream. its a slap to the face and it shows that people really do not give a shit about aros. you say stuff like that and all i hear is “my fictional ship is so much more important than representing your marginalized minority identity” so instead of me just sitting here and saying “yes you can totally ship aro characters, as long as you’re respectful!!!” i’m saying “can you stop and think why you want to shove an aro character into a romantic relationship at the first chance you get?? maybe you have some arophobia you haven’t worked on?? maybe since we live in an amatonormative world, you’re letting that influence your views??” because that question being the first thing out of your mouth when you see a character you like confirmed as aro? that’s already disrespectful towards aros in my book.

So back to my question, Why do you want to ship aromantic characters? is it because you can’t write characters without them being in romantic relationships? or because you think a character without a romantic relationship is boring? Because if so, that’s a bad reason and it sounds like amatonormativity is rotting your brain. 

Is it because you just really like a ship with the aro character? Because you can write two characters with a strong relationship without writing them as a couple. A strong friendship can hold just as much power as a romantic relationship.

Is it because fuck aros, i will write what I wanna write and I don't wanna write this character with their canon identity? because then you’re just an arophobic asshole that needs to work on your shitty opinions. aro representation is just as important as any other lgbtqia+ representation.

Now if you’re reading this and thinking “well i heard aros can be in queerplatonic relationships!” I want you to think for a second. Are you writing a qpr or are you writing a romantic relationship with the serial numbers filed off? Have you talked to aro people or read stuff actually written by us? because, yes, some qprs can look a lot like a romantic relationship from the outside, but that’s just it, you’re looking at it from the outside. qprs are more than just “romantic relationship with extra steps”, and i think it’s really telling how many times i see alloromantic people saying they’re depicting an aro character in a qpr, not a romantic relationship, but then they never ever make any effort to distinguish the qpr from any other romantic relationship they write or draw. It just feels like qprs are getting used by alloros as a gatcha any time an aro person objects to how they depict (or don’t depict) aromanticism. if you want to write a character in a qpr then go for it! but you need to actually do research, talk to aros, get multiple opinions and not just take the first opinion that agrees with you and run with it.

“But what about headcanoning a character as arospec?” now i will say before i go into this, i am aro, not arospec, so if an arospec person wants to come in and correct me at any part here im happy to listen. but my problem when alloros bring up arospec identities is a very similar problem to how qprs are often depicted. I remember when Peridot Stevenuniverse got confirmed aro (she did, do not argue this with me) people were jumping over themselves to assure everyone that “a character getting confirmed as aro just means they are any arospec identity” which,, uhh,, not true? i mean if an arospec person wants to see a canon aro character as, say, aroflux, i’ve got no problem, aro and arospec people can do what they want really. but, i do have a problem with all the alloro fans who were spreading this. because, do you really see the character as demiromantic? or are you using that identity to deflect criticism from erasing aro identities? are you actually trying to write a good depiction of a demiro person? or are you just writing normal ship stuff and slapping a “uwu ive never felt romantic attraction until i met you! and now i will act exactly like any alloromantic person!” at the beginning? being in fandom spaces, i do see the occasional fic actually depicting an aspec identity (i say aspec her because aro is so rare that most of these examples i’ve seen have been acespec identities rather than arospec) but like 99% of the time, that’s written by someone who actually shares the identity. before you use our terms and identities to cover your ass when you erase us, consider not fucking doing that. consider listening to all aros and getting our thoughts and input. 

And last here is “but what about romance positive aros?” now i think most of what i’ve said previously can be applied here. the only thing i wanna add is, i think its very interesting that almost every time i see non aros depict aros, they always write them as very into romance, very open to be in romantic relationships, and very quiet about their aro identity. despite the character in canon not showing any of these traits. romance positive aros are good and important, but not every aro is romance positive. there’s quite a few of us that are romance repulsed, and alloros only depicting aros as super romance positive no matter what is suspicious to say the least. if an aro character is shown to be open to participating in romantic activities in canon then of course write them that way. but if an aro character is shown to be uninterested in, or even actively against romantic activities then respect that too.

so, to wrap up my thoughts in this ramble: please ask yourself why you want to ship aro characters so bad, because if the only reason is that amatonormativity has brainwashed you into not being able to write, or draw, or do anything with a character without them being in a romantic relationship, then you uhhh need to work on that, that’s honestly a writing/creative flaw imo. if you like the relationship dynamic between an aro character and another character, consider making them friends. friendship is not less powerful than romantic relationships. nobody is ever too old for the power of friendship trope. If you’re erasing an aro character’s identity because fuck aros, then fuck off somewhere far away from me and work on your bullshit. qprs, arospec identities, and romance positive aros are all very real, very important parts of the aro community, but please talk to other aros about them and actually make an effort to understand how these things work, dont just assume. And also don’t use these things as a way to erase aro identities and cover your ass if get called out. its disrespectful towards all aros.

The most important thing to do before writing or creating work with aro characters is to talk to aros, and not just the aros that agree with you. look up what a qpr actually is, learn how aros experience their arospec identities, talk to aros with multiple outlooks on romance. and if you can’t bring yourself to reach out, at least read through our own writings, whether that’s fiction, or informational posts, fuck, look through our memes if u wanna. Just please actually make an effort.

So, Can you ship aro characters? its complicated. look at trends in your fandom, question why you want to, and do research. Be an aro ally, listen to us. That’s really the most important thing.