#making posts with multiple links is such a travesty

[roosterbox]

hey! found your blog the other day and i love it<3

do you have any arthut/eames fic recommendations? i rewatched the movie a week ago and can't stop thinking about them

(sorry about the wait!)

First of all, hey there! Hello! Glad you found me, and glad to know you liked Inception. Hard to believe that it’s still drawing so many people in, 14 years on.

Second of all…

Oh baby. Oh man. Not just fic recs, but A/E fic recs? Yesssssssss my time has come.

First, there are a couple of writers whose entire oeuvre you should definitely check out if you haven’t.

Lolahardy, whose Dreamhusbands work is vast and varied, but here are a few of my own favorites (important note: no links because Lola’s fics are currently locked, but they are easily findable if you have an AO3 account, and you should definitely check out all of them, not just the few I mentioned here!):

In Every Universe - the fic that will never die, lol. So many great A/E stories here, but for me, the biggest draw are the other JGL/TH ships contained within. My personal favorite is Forrest/Evelyn, who I almost love even more than A/E at this point. Also, so many tropes and kinks and whatnot. Safe to say, I’m positive you’ll find a lot of different things to enjoy!

Le Mal Du Pays - this one is just lovely. I reread it again for this rec list and boy… still amazing. The chapters set during canon are so good, it’s like watching the movie again, but with the added bonus of actual A/E in the plot, you know?

Love is Strange - A/E by way of Dirty Dancing! I love it when you can enjoy an AU based on a very specific property even without having seen said property. For example, I adore everything about this fic even though I have never watched DD, not even once, lol.

OneWhoSitsWithTurtles, whose A/E work is never anything less than stellar and beautiful, and regularly makes me cry. Also, they have works in other fandoms that are equally worth checking out!

Christmas Without You (Is a Christmas Not Worth Having) - the best. The pinnacle. If ever you (or anyone else, for that matter) were curious about what my favorite A/E fic of all time is? Here’s your answer.

Dream of Me - This one is just beautiful. A simple little somewhat canon-compliant love story. So sugary sweet at times, it runs the risk of being tooth-rotting. But I’m always willing to take that risk.

39 Days to Fall in Love - the survivor AU you didn’t know you were missing. Seriously, it’s so good it might make you want to watch Survivor if you haven’t already, even if you know there’s no Arthur or Eames in it, lol.

Lullaby - Hands down, the saddest A/E fic I have ever read, and certainly in the running for saddest fic period. Seriously, it’s beautiful and worth reading but don’t go in without some tissues.

The Bumblebee and the Flower who Fell in Love - Also very sad, but so very whimsical and sweet besides. A/E works well in seemingly silly setups like this.

And now, for a few more individual recs. Mind you, a lot of my recs are a bit older - I really need to go back and peruse through the ship tag to find new stuff to bookmark - but hey, something something wine metaphors, lol.

End of the Road - this one is so cool. If you like Mad Max Fury Road and ever wondered what it would be like if you combined it with A/E (sort of) and some A/B/O Dynamics, you can’t do better than this.

Quiet Desperation - a lovely little A/E and 00q crossover story! I would read an entire series of this if it existed.

Next Big Thing - A/E as judges on a HGTV reality show. Classic! The exact kind of fairly low stakes drama I can get behind. No spoilers, but my favorite character is Misty Rainbow. For one scene in particular. If you read it, you’ll know exactly which one. Also I wish this show was real.

The Party - heavy subject matter in this one (heed the tags), but getting through the rough stuff makes the eventual fluffier bits almost extra sweet.

Out of Reach - a recent addition to my ranks, but absolutely beautiful. The emotions are so palpable and heartfelt.

And… would it be completely shameless if I included a couple of mine? I don’t like to toot my own horn too much, but since nobody else ever puts me on their reclists, why not, right?

Darling I’m Killed - my somewhat still ongoing Inception/Bond crossover. There are two sequels, and I have no concrete ideas for more yet, but there’s potential.

(I Would Like To) Paint the Way a Bird Sings - the Paint Shop AU that wouldn’t quit, lol. Still can’t believe I actually finished it. Four ships for the price of one in this fic!

Other inception fandom peeps, feel free to reblog and add any fics or authors you like! Especially more recent stuff because I am such a fandom oldtimer, lmao.

Thanks for the ask! I love recommending fics! Also thanks for the follow!

Happy reading!!

❤️

[bassiascoparia]

THE TRAVESTY OF THE VIRGIN GODDESS ATHENA

Note: red highlighted parts are important and must be read.

This is a link to a post that beautifully talks about Rick Riordan's horrendous portrayal of Athena and the other goddesses down below-

It's a must-read. Please read it.

ATHENA SHOULD NEVER HAVE HAD CHILDREN IN THE FIRST PLACE

Rick has made many, many egregious writing decisions. I can't say which one is the most horrible, but a leading candidate is the fact that he chose to make Athena, a virgin goddess, have children.

For the shocked Pikachus who have had the utter bliss of not having to know how Rick Riordan ruined Athena, yes, Rick made Athena have children.

She doesn't lose her virginity though-she has brain children formed from the thoughts of her and her lover, which she considers the purest form of love.

And this is terrible, because the Ancient Greeks equated virginity to not bearing children and not marrying. If Athena bears children, then how can she be a virgin?

Yes, Athena's children ARE HER CHILDREN. They are explicitly called her children. And she's said to be their mother. That means that she's not a virgin anymore.

And Athena's virgin goddess status and refusal to marry reinforced her role as a powerful goddess who was independent. Marriage symbolized subordination to a husband, so by not marrying, Athena's autonomy and power were shown very clearly.

Athena's key qualities-wisdom, strategy and war-are associated with rationality and independence, which were not associated with love in Ancient Greece. If she loved men, then she would be unable to retain her identity as goddess of wisdom and war.

Virginity oaths for goddesses were taken very seriously. When Artemis came close to loving Orion and breaking her oath, Apollo decided to kill Orion and risk the long lasting wrath of his sister rather than having her break her oath. That's how serious they were.

And this is already so terrible, but you know what the worst part is?

She doesn't tell her lovers that she's going to give them a baby. She just forms the baby and then DUMPS it on them, which is horrible, because-

ATHENA IS THE GREEK GODDESS OF WISDOM!

NO GODDESS OF WISDOM WOULD DUMP A CHILD ON AN UNPREPARED MORTAL'S DOORSTEP AND FORCE HIM TO RAISE THE CHILD WHEN HE DIDN'T WANT TO!

IF RICK HAD TO MAKE HER HAVE CHILDREN, WHICH IS ALREADY SO HORRIBLE, THEN HE ABSOLUTELY SHOULD HAVE MADE ALL THE MORTALS WHOM SHE HAD CHILDREN WITH REQUEST HER TO AND GIVE THEIR CONSENT TO THE PROCESS!

And Athena did not even have to have children in the first place.

ATHENA SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN A BAD MOTHER

Also, even if Rick was inexplicably desirous of going through the terrible process of making a virgin goddess have children, did he really make ATHENA, goddess of WISDOM, think that Annabeth would be well-treated and cared for with a single father who was unprepared and did not even want her in the first place?

Athena was a bad mother to Annabeth simply by creating her without her father's permission and placing her with a father who did not want her, thus leading to Annabeth being neglected and abused. Athena knew that Frederick didn't want a child and still created one and made him raise her-she didn't even give Annabeth away to an adoptive family who would most likely have raised her better.

On some level, she knew that Annabeth would be traumatised-even Frederick would be traumatized by her actions. That makes PJO Athena a horrible person and a bad mother.

She did claim Annabeth, but she also let her wander the streets even if she guided her to help-and that help was two other traumatised children.

And to say that she let her children fight their own battles-a seven year old shouldn't have to fight their own battles when their battles are monsters and living on the streets. Gods have been shown to break laws multiple times, so why didn't Athena do this? Zeus wasn't watching all the time and he's pretty much the only one who enforces these rules.

And when she deems one of her children worthy, she gives them a Mark and sends them to find her statue, despite knowing that it's fruitless and that all of her other children have died.

Just read this post-it explains a lot.

Let me digress here and tell you a little something about Myth! Athena.

Athena had an adopted child in the myths. His name was Erichthonius, and even though he was a product of an attempted rape on Athena, she adopted him as her own, wishing to make him immortal, and frequently protected him. He, in return, honored her by founding a festival for her (Panathenaic Festival) and setting up a wooden statue of her on the Acropolis. Their relationship was a very good one-

So tell me, why would Athena conceive a child without asking the father for permission and then force him to raise a child despite knowing that he did not want to?

Exactly. Real Athena would never do this. Rick's Athena would. Note the difference, please.

Of course, this is just another frustrating portrayal of a Greek God as a bad parent which continues throughout the PJO series-then again, that is its core foundation. Still, thought I'd write this section just to set things straight.

HOW SHE'S INCORRECTLY PORTRAYED

Athena is quite vilified in the original PJO series and all throughout the franchise.

First of all, she disapproves of Percy's relationship with her daughter. This is at first understandable, because he's a son of Poseidon, her archnemesis, and at first glance she might not like him.

But something annoying here is that she always gets bad moments with Percy, threatening him if he dared cross her, while POSEIDON NEVER GETS ANY BAD MOMENTS WITH ANNABETH.

In fact, Real Poseidon is more likely to be the person who hates Percabeth given his mythological characterisation, though he would lay off Annabeth for the sake of Percy, because he loves his children very much.

Setting that aside, my real concern here is how Myth! Athena would not do this.

Real Athena, would judge Percy based on his merits and not his parentage.

Of course, she might threaten him if he crossed her or her daughter, as befitting of a goddess, but she wouldn't continue to judge him based on his parentage. Once he proved himself, she would help him and not threaten him.

In fact, in some versions of Theseus' myth, including the one used in Percy Jackson's Greek Gods, he is a son of Poseidon, so Athena actually helped a son of Poseidon, that too in the PJOverse, so it makes no sense for her not to help Percy when it's for the good of all of them.

She also helps Bellerophon, a son of Poseidon, in the myths. In fact, she does this in the Riordanverse too, so why she would hate Percy after helping Bellerophon and Theseus?

PJO Athena also tells Percy to stay away from her daughter during a war, when romance should be the last thing on her mind.

I mean, if Athena told Percy not to get distracted by Annabeth and focus on the bigger picture which would be beneficial to everyone, I'd understand, because she's the goddess of war tactics and wisdom.

But no-her message explicitly tells Percy to stay away from her daughter because she didn't like both of them together.

And yes, she doesn't like Percy because he's too loyal and he was apparently supposed to choose a dear friend over something more important when she thinks that he should choose the big picture but his loyalty never causes any serious consequences and everyone is fine in the end, so this is absolute nonsense and it's not a good reason for her anymore.

Let me digress and tell you a little about real Athena here.

The REAL Athena would help Percy commit war crimes if it helped their side win. Hell, she'd play matchmaker for him and her daughter if it somehow helped them win (well, Aphrodite could do that, but you know what I mean.)

Real Athena was a patron of Odysseus who was a literal war criminal. Actually, she was considered to be one of the most important gods in the Odyssey. She even helps Diomedes by blessing him and directing him to wound the god Ares as well as the goddess Aphrodite (Who caused the Trojan war).

Also, Real Athena is considered a patron of heroes. Not only that, she helped tons of heroes. Odysseus, Hercules, Perseus, Jason, Bellerophon, the Argonauts, Achilles, Cadmus, Tydeus and Theseus.

She also aided several women such as Penelope, Eurynome, the Danaids, Menippe and Metioche and Nyctimene the last of whom she turned into her sacred symbol, the owl.

Athena was also believed to have invented every kind of work that women in Ancient Greece did.

The only time Athena abandoned a hero (Tydeus) was when he committed cannibalism-before that, she planned to make him immortal, in fact, but left him in disgust when she learned what he had done.

There was so much that Rick could have done with her status as a patron of heroes-have her help and advise Percy and Annabeth on their quests (indirectly so as not to risk her father's wrath). Helping Annabeth get over her prejudices and chastising her for letting her jealousy of Rachel almost ruin her chance for a successful quest.

Not.........whatever the mess that PJO Athena is.

And yes, I know that she's thought to have helped Percy in The Titan's Curse-but she just gave him a useless platitude. That was barely help at all. The only time she really helped was when she sent Hermes back to inform Annabeth about Plan 23. For a wisdom goddess of war tactics, she is surprisingly little help in the war.

And in Heroes of Olympus, a lot of people blame Athena for her cruel treatment of Annabeth while it was in fact Minerva who gave Annabeth the Mark. Athena was severely split between her Roman and Greek form and was unable to properly think at the time.

THE SUBTLE YET CONTINUOUS WAY RICK TURNS US AGAINST ATHENA

And it's clear that Rick continues to denigrate Athena-not just by using which myths he wants (Medusa being turned into a demon by Athens after willingly doing it with Poseidon in her temple in TLT, and now Ovid's myth in the PJO show) which he's allowed to do-

but he also actively takes the myths and twists them to form his own version.

Confused? I'll elaborate.

In case you didn't know, there's a Percy Jackson book called Percy Jackson's Greek Gods and Heroes, where Percy rewrites a lot of myths from the Greek Mythology.

I'll give you some advice-just skip it. It tells you about the myths, yes, but it's quite biased, and if you don't know the real myths, please read the real ones first and then read these if you really want to.

You see, if you think that it's just a book, you're wrong.

This is written in a biased fashion and subtle comments like these turn you against certain gods and goddesses that Rick doesn't like.

When Aphrodite arrives at Olympus, Rick writes all the women as immediately thinking, 'Oh, I hate her because she's the most beautiful of us all.' Not the goddesses. Just the women.

This is also shown with Ares, where Percy calls him a bully, loser and a jerk. He also says that he wanted Poseidon to beat Ares up when Ares was defending his daughter from being raped by Poseidon's son because apparently it would have been awesome to watch.

This is shown with Aphrodite as well when Percy outright states that he hates her and twists the stories about her by rewriting the narrative and adding subtle comments to make us dislike her.

It uses terrible sarcasm which is concerningly childish for a grown writer. I don't know what Rick has against Ares or Aphrodite. He definitely has a hate boner for Ares.

Sorry, I digressed a little bit there. Returning to the subject of this essay-

Athena is featured in some of the stories in this book. In one, Athena and Poseidon compete to be the patron of Attica. When Athena says that she has an idea as to how they can settle this peacefully, Rick writes- 'Typical. Athena always had some sneaky idea.'

................Really?

This wasn't a sneaky idea. Athena literally said that she had a fair idea for a competition-both of them would create gifts and the mortals would decide which one was better. How is that sneaky?

In Percy Jackson's Greek Gods, he writes her as a romance-hater (242-243 page no). While there's no evidence to indicate that she likes romance, making a virgin goddess who's heavily implied to be aroace hate romance is very aphobic. Not everyone aroace hates romance-that is a negative stereotype.

Of course, Rick promotes these stereotypes, so what can I expect from him. *Sigh*

Rick subtly makes Athena seem unlikeable like this. It's one of my biggest frustrations-that he makes gods that he doesn't like evil in one way or another through blatantly incorrect misinformation or subtle denigration like this.

All right, so moving on to the more serious story in which Athena is deprecated yet again. It's called 'Athena adopts a handkerchief'.

Brace yourself.

So in the original myth, after Hephaestus catches Aphrodite cheating on him with Ares, he's pretty depressed.

So when Athena comes to him to comfort him or ask him for weapons, Hephaestus literally tried to climb on her and RAPE HER, and she DEFENDED HERSELF from him. A woman defending herself from a man trying to rape her-that's what it was.

But Rick specifically writes Hephaestus begging and pleading and oh so miserable, even when Athena clearly walks away and yells at him to stop. And then Hephaestus cries into her bare leg, and she kicks him away in disgust.

We're supposed to root for Hephaestus here, and even if we aren't, he's still portrayed in a sympathetic light, which is completely fucked up.

Let me tell you something. If a person is crying and begging for your attention and walking after you and grabs you, whining, even after you clearly and firmly tell them not to-

You can defend yourself from, even physically. Doesn't matter if you're a girl or boy or if they're a girl or boy. You have every right to kick them away. Now matter how pathetic they seem, they are still knowingly coming after and harassing you.

But there a lot of people that don't think like this. They feel bad for men who seem 'pathetic' and often denounce women who reject men like this, even though the women have every right not to want to be with men, even if the man seems pathetic and lonely.

Rick wrote Hephaestus to seem pathetic (he literally called Hephaestus poor guy WHEN HEPHAESTUS WAS TRYING TO RAPE ATHENA) and Athena to be cold and bitchy for not acquiescing to Hephaestus' wants, thus flipping the script to make us feel bad for Hephaestus and disdain Athena.

And yes, even if Athena was ultimately written to be the one in the right here, most people will favour Hephaestus and disdain Athena in this narrative simply because of the way their behaviour is written.

It's ingrained in our brains and psychology-let men off, blame the women. Nearly everyone thinks like this-it's practically the default way for society.

I'm not saying that everyone thinks like this. There are very good people who don't think like this or are working on their behaviour and thoughts...........

But they're a minority. There are too many people who default to the 'men good women bad blame women automatically' mindset, even the supposedly progressive ones.

Rick knew the original myth and instead, he chose to twist and write it like this, having us root for Hephaestus instead. That HAS to tell you that the guy has some form of misogyny about Greek Goddesses.

Red flags for Rick Riordan? Hell yes. This was published in 2014, so we can only hope that he's improved on his behavior a decade later, but considering the recent changes in the show, I don't think it's happening.

ATHENA ISN'T ALWAYS WRITTEN BADLY IN PJO

Now, I'm not saying that Athena is always demonized when she shows up. She has a few good moments in PJO and there are some good parts to her.

She realises that Typhon was a distraction and convinces Zeus to send Hermes back, thus greatly helping the demigods.

(But this is overlooked because Rick made her tell Percy to stay away from Annabeth for no good reason. He didn't have to do this at all-but as a very wise person once said, this was another way of trying to distance Percy and Annabeth but not knowing how to properly do so, and of course, Athena becomes the scapegoat who must take on the blame here even though Poseidon could have also said this, thus giving him an actual moment that shows that hey, he's not all-good, Percy and readers!)

She does love Annabeth, as seen when she guides her on the streets to help, immediately claims her at camp, gives her the invisibility cap, appoints her the architect of Olympus itself and compliments her in front of the entire Godly council and many demigods too.

When Annabeth is in Tartarus, she speaks to her and tells her that she did well and gives her a message to send, indicating a gesture of trust, honour and respect from mother to daughter.

(But she was also a bad mother to Annabeth for reasons I've stated before in this essay. She neglected her, forced her to stay with an abusive father, did not bother to find an adoptive family for her, etc)

In Percy Jackson's Greek Gods, she instructs Cadmus on what to do with the dragon's teeth. She rightfully blinds Tiresias for staring at her while naked and not immediately looking away and covering his eyes, but then gives him a walking stick and lets him understand the language of birds so that they can direct him when she learns that it was an accident.

She also helps Percy on his quest in Chalice of the Gods by sending Ganymede and the cart that Percy's hiding in back to the kitchens to save Percy.

It's just that...........her portrayal in PJO had some serious problems. It was hideous, horrendous, ghastly, frightful, atrocious, shocking, appalling, grievous, gross and a whole of lot of other synonyms to match. And she is more often than not criticised and hated on for her bad moments than she is noticed for her good moments in Percy Jackson.

CONCLUSION

I know that Rick is free to use whichever version of the myths he wants, but I just want you to see that he denigrates her and portrays her in an appalling manner. Making her have children without the father's permission and forcing the children onto them and making her neglect her children was absolutely unnecessary and Athena did not need to have brain children.

Now, I'm not saying that Athena isn't portrayed in a positive light. She does have good moments in Percy Jackson, but what I want to say is that a lot about her characterization in Percy Jackson is absolutely egregious for the most part considering her actual mythological counterpart.

Athena is the only virgin goddess who has children, and she's also the only virgin goddess who's portrayed as an adult. Coincidence? I think not. In fact, if Rick hadn't made Athena have children, he would have made her a child too.

He turned Hestia into a child for no reason at all, so it's not entirely implausible to think that he would make Athena a child too-probably use the stupid excuse of 'children learn better and their brains are more flexible than adults' brains!'

(I don't want to give him any ideas.)

To conclude, Athena more often than not demeaned in PJO and her overall portrayal is absolutely ghastly when compared to her mythological counterpart. There are a few good parts to her, but not many, and her portrayal in such a famous pop culture series that has impacted so many people will be an eternal tragedy.

@superkooku

@cynthiav06

@fandomloverangel

[whoishotteranimepolls]

Fandom Observation Funny tags: One Piece Warlord Crews & Other Antagonist

Due to character limits the funny tags post has had to be broken up into multiple parts

This post contains the tags for the other Warlord Crews and some miscellaneous antagonists that didn't fit neatly into any other category, like Caesar Clown and Arlong

Donquixote Pirates

Doflamingo: "Dofy's got some wierd (potentially fun) energy but he would NOT treat you well he'd be awful", "The psychopathic pimp on a shoestring budget. Seriously dude, San Diego Zoo called and they want their flamingos back. That coat is so last season.", "fashion travesty", "Doflamingo dresses like an eye test and will probably steal your credit card by the end of the night not because he needs the money. because he finds it hilarious", "Mingo is just a spoiled frat fuckboy who's too full of himself to be interested in anyone/anything else", "a balding white man", "evil florida man my beloved they dont understand you", "Budget Pimp who robbed San Diego of their world famous Flamingo flock"  “I am fucking wheezing, poor Doffy, good thing we're there to make him feel (laughing on the floor) king of the bedroom again🤣🤣🤣🤣” “Doffy has an unresolved Oedipus Complex... how obvious can you get? His mother died and he killed his father for failing to protect his family. Of course he wants an older lady who will take care of him but also tell him he's being a little attention-seeking brat.  take care” “You cannot tell me Doflamingo doesn't have mommy (affection/obsession) and daddy (loathing/hatred) issues.” “Fuckin Doffy 😍😍😍🤤🤤🤤” “Doffy would cry seeing how far ahead of him rosie is. Full on midlife crisis”

Trebol: “who the FUCK voted for trebol i just wanna talk for a minute”

Rosinante: "my insane clumsy tall dilf", "wife material", "he has cringefail dad swag", "rosi is everything to me actually. I would climb that tall clumsy king like a tree", "the klutzy mime", "he has that pathetic depressed clown vibe thats irresistible", "He's the epiome of strong but silent, he's the asshole with a heart of gold, he has everything", rosinante is hot tho and his clumsiness somehow enhances it", "I've said it before and I'll say it again I WOULD climb that clumsy king like a tall tree want to kiss him until his silly jester makeup is all over me too",��CORA MY LOSER MALEWIFE WIN” “Cora got a silly boi/man rizz, he is no one's turnoff it's all on 😁” “CORA YOU SAD CLOWN WIN” “ROSI I BELIEVE YOU CAN WIN THIS ONE#PLEASE MY LOSER WIFE HAS TO WIN” “cora is unironically so hot cora is the classy cunt server to doffys bad bitch cunt server he honestly eats that black coat and pink shirt combo he somehow makes that hat look good” “I mean Cora’s on fire far more often than” "I am loyal to the guy who actively sets himself on fire", Plus an entire mini fanfic someone wrote in a reblog of one of the polls about him link here

Thriller Bark Pirates

Perona: “my beautiful goth queen needs to prevail” “Weirdo goth girl Perona the map”

Other antagonists

Arlong: "Y'all are too afraid to recognize the truth too afraid of his drip, his swagger, his saw nose, to admit that he's hot also live action arlong?!?!the only sexy fishmen," "arlong looks like a toxic florida frat bro," "I legitimately think there's something wrong with me sometimes due to how bad I want arlong the rancid personality enhances the appeal", "yall are p****" arlong is sexy put some respect on his name look at those lips the laugh the hair!" “I said what I said he’s like wine better when he’s older” “everyone on this site is a COWARD monsterfuckers when the Arlong stans come out”

Alvida: “Live action Alvida would make me question my sexuality, if I didn't already know i'm bi.”

Caesar Clown: “He gives me insane gender envy” “The horns The eyes The hair That pale creamy skin with barely defaults and mark for a man of his age Skinny as i like Love his make up His laugh is so funny Fuck his devil fruit is so cool and so useful ( even in the bedroom) I want to cheer up that pathetic whimpering mess and hear him rambling about the most awful things in life He is smart and passionate So yeah, pretty much the ideal wife to me. Wdym Drug test on children and chemical warfare? Meeeeeeh i've done worse, i buy my clothes on Shein (jk)” “Half the reblog tags being fellow Caesar Clown truthers. There aren’t many of us, but we won’t shut up” “caesar solidarity give our piss baby a chance#<3” “voting for Caesar even though he is objectively not the hottest give him a chance” “HOW IS CAESAR SO FAR BEHIND ON THIS i don’t care what he did to those children he’s hot” “thank god caeser is annihilating that asshole FUCK HIM UP CLOWN BOY” “at least Caesar Clown is kind of serving cunt” “I can somehow overlook the horrible things Ceasar has done when placed next to the worst father in history” “CAESAR MY BELOVED BABYGIRL pepper sprays judge choke bitch thank fuck caesar is winning he'd be so pleased with himself and rub it in judge's face” “bad parenting is never hot but warcrimes sometimes can be caesar gets my vote”

[griseldagimpel]

Harrow, Nona, and Kiriona Gaia's Skin Color

This is from Nona the Ninth, from when Nona (who's body is, of course, Harrow's body) sees Kiriona Gaia at Ianthe's broadcast:

Their skin was rendered pallid in those hot lights, with the same weird, waxy-quality: warm-coloured skin that should have been a similar brown hue to Nona's, except there was something wrong with it.

"Pallid" means pale, and that makes sense: direct lighting can make brown skin appear lighter. "Warm-coloured" refers to undertones. For art, if you did multiple layers, this would be yellows, oranges, or reds underneath the brown, which is exactly how Gideon's skin is depicted on the English-language cover of Gideon the Ninth*. But here, Kiriona is not only under a bright light but also dead, which is affecting her appearance.

There are also Muir's extra-textual tumblr posts and fan casts (link: https://tazmuir.tumblr.com/post/187901634998/hello-i-loved-gideon-the-ninth-so-much-and), which can certainly be useful to artists, but even if we're just talking what's described in the core text, Harrow, Nona, and Gideon aren't alabaster lily white. It says it right there: "brown hue".

* For those not aware, there's a long problem in the publishing industry of white washing and colorism when it comes to depicting characters of color in the cover art. Authors generally have very little creative control here, and the artists are often working off of a description provided to them by someone, rather than from the actual book text. The English-language covers are generally pretty good for The Locked Tomb series. I had envisioned Nona as maybe a couple shades darker than the cover of Nona the Ninth depicts her, but that could just be the lighting used. The covers for release in Japan, however, are a travesty.

[ineffable-hyperfixation]

If you people don't start reblogging art (and writing!!!) I'm gonna start biting you

Look at this shit

These are the top 4 today, LESS THAN HALF of the people who liked it have reblogged. That first one especially makes me want to chew glass

Oh! But those are in the top today! So surely everyone will see them!? No?? A lot of people don't go into the tags! And also think how many more people would see them! You can only like something once! Even if every one of those only had 1 follower that's still roughly 300 more eyes on the work!!

But those are new, you say. Surely the older stuff isn't like this? Incorrect! Let's sort by top of the last year

TRAVESTY *bops you all with a newspaper* that last one is one of my all time favorites (I'm going to list them in a reblog, because I know sometimes too many links kills a post) it's an amazing piece of art and look how little love it has

It has FOUR TIMES more likes than reblogs???? Think how many people could've seen this artist's amazing work!

Excuses I see:

It won't fit my blog: a) you can make multiple blogs! This is my side blog, I made it in October, tagged things appropriately (used the good omens tag for a bit, I've dropped it now since), and have gained a nice handful of followers! That wasn't the point but I'm glad you're all here (hai!)

b) it's your blog! Use it how you want to!! "Oh people will unfollow me!" this isn't the I have followers klout website. This is the have fun and hope you can make someone else's day fun in the process website. If it sparks joy, reblog it!

I don't wanna upset op with spam: that does not happen here. Artists, writers, and bloggers love seeing you. Go nuts

Reblogging is time consuming: you can quick reblog (on mobile hold down on the reblog button and swipe up to the blog you want, sorry idk how on computer but I know you can) reblogging is only time consuming if you want to comment or tag. If you're willing to leave a reply you should have time to reblog! (Commenting and replying both have their place, it's ok to reply only while still reblogging!!)

Tagging things intimidates me: people carry on entire conversations in the tags, people leave the wildest shit as tags, people have confusing tags to organize their blogs, people leave absolutely no tags at all! You do not have to tag things!!

I have my likes turned on so people can see: you look like a bot, stop that. Empty blogs get blocked! I'm begging some of you to please reblog something. No one goes straight to people's blogs to look exclusively at their stuff (....ok well some people do but most people just scroll their dash)

Likes are bookmarks! That's it! Or a way to interact with some random thing someone said about their day that you can tell they don't necessarily need reblogged. This isn't twitter, where (apparently?) reblogging something is kinda frowned upon. This isn't instagram where likes mean everything. This is Tumblr, and it survives on reblogs!

[amusedunderclock]

Talking About Pokemon Openings - "I Wanna Be a Hero" (2003), "This Dream" (2004), and "Unbeatable" (2005)

The continuation of my posts about every Pokemon anime opening song. The link to the previous part is here. There might be some edits to previous parts going forward. Especially when the official links to songs keep getting removed.

From the perspective of Tumblr, it's been a moment. However, I actually talked about these songs back in February over on my Bluesky.

This should be a sign that I plan on continuing this. Part of the reason for the break was that I don't like doing things for a franchise during that franchise's hype cycle. But if we're being honest, their current cycle doesn't seem to be getting that much hype. But also IRL stuff got in the way. It's somehow still getting in the way all these months later. So I opted to do this in spite of that.

Pokémon: Advanced - “I Wanna Be a Hero”

I like it.

It has a more unique techno sound. It introduces the region and the premise of “resetting” while giving it some respect. It has buildup to the end of the song. One may argue about its tone for the first episode, but that’s unavoidable.

Let's address it. It's odd for one of these songs to straight up specify it's Ash Ketchum being talked about, but it makes sense.

The song talks about a fish out of water. He has experience, but there's more to learn. If he starts fresh, he'll rise from the unknown even greater. I love the idea.

The actual anime doesn't care about that interesting premise though and Ash only dropped everything because “new region to sell”.

That meant a bunch of critics who watched Johto or even just Indigo kinda constantly shit on it and the Ruby and Sapphire games as a whole.

Yeah I’m not doing that.

3rd gen became some ultimate scapegoat online, at least in the past. It apparently ruined the childhoods of mfs pushing 40. When 5th gen was (wrongly) shat on, people responded with “3rd gen’s the real travesty”. So many people in the community used to argue that 3rd gen didn’t deserve remakes at all. The shade gets ridiculous. Like at it's worst, these are just normal ass Pokemon games.

I wasn’t cynical enough to believe as a kid that the anime was treating this whole new region thing as an afterthought.

As an adult, it’s still weird to argue at least for Hoenn. Because if that were true, they wouldn’t have even bothered having Pikachu in critical condition as a cliffhanger.

Back to music.

At this point, I'll say that this singer is pretty straight forward. My comment about him peaking at “Born To Be a Winner” might hold some weight imo because his vocal riff for “Hero” is in autotune. Although admittedly, this was before T-Pain so it might’ve been just a cool effect.

This is really the point where the "PO-KE-MON!" at the end of each song started sounding more standard with the whole chorus and everything. Sounds okay here.

The question will always come back to “Would this get viewers hyped?” and I don’t see why this wouldn’t.

Does the theme song match the visuals? Yes, but I’d say not as well as others.

As a song to start the region, there is something kinda comforting about the visuals. Perhaps a more effective use of shading at play. But animations are sped up from the Japanese opening. And the whole “I wanna be a hero” part doesn’t really come into play visually.

That might be an additional criticism. “I wanna be a hero” is what the song builds to. It’s what brings the hype. Yet is that Ash’s goal, or just a byproduct of him being a good person who happens to help people out while on the journey? The lyrics building up to it don’t mention the hero thing.

This was the first Pokemon opening to not get ANY sort of extended version. Also the first theme to not appear in a movie. Not the last tho.

Probably even more of a shame than "Believe in Me" because I think the lyrics and it's structure are better here. It sums up multiple things at once.

I think the song getting more talky only benefits it. I can see someone thinking this walks a line between trying to force lyrics in vs. sliding on a beat. But I think it's the latter. The voices multiplying in "Take a step and I'm on my way" elevate the song.

But with that explanation, you can see why I wanted a second verse. Maybe that verse could've had May/Max's POV. Then it can still lead to "I wanna be a hero" but the definition of hero can be more broad. Meaning more protagonist than anything, without having to say it.

There was more potential left than I would've liked, but it's an overall entertaining song that conveys it's message solidly in 45 seconds. It's a song that epically says "The heroes don't know everything, but the will to learn makes them heroes." At least that's what I think.

Pokémon: Advanced Challenge – “This Dream”

This theme song is pretty high up there. I’ve never seen anyone debate that. The delivery of the first line followed by the guitar makes this stand out by default. Not since “I wanna be the very best like no one ever was” has a first line felt THAT epic.

The song has a more epic buildup than “I wanna be a Hero”. I like that it invokes the idea that there’s difficulties ahead and the heroes are ready to endure. Sometimes viewers just wanna get stuck in, and this song says to unite with each other and they will achieve great things despite the long road.

Can’t really think of a lyric that isn’t good. I doubt these days a Pokemon theme would use the word “die” in any context. So This Dream still stands out.

If there is anything I can say about the Hoenn era, it wanted viewers to have an unyielding willpower in the face of struggle. That makes all the songs hype af.

The visuals are fantastic. Might be controversial to say that since it speeds up a LOT of the footage from the Japanese opening. But I think they edited it better than Advanced did. It’s basically a music video at that point. I don’t think they could've improved.

So...there’s no extended/movie version of This Dream. That sucks. That said, for a while, certain theme compilations used fan lyrics. Seemingly confusing it with the official version despite quality difference. Those lyrics kinda work, but also contrast too much from the original.

Like after describing the original, the fan lyrics mention running and hiding. Which in any context kind of undermines the idea of the first verse. Then he rhymes "On" with "On" which isn't ideal.

But then again, this was probably just some teen in 2010 writing this and at least it has effort. I applaud that.

Back to the official version.

What the hell?

Seriously, if there were ANY Pokemon theme that didn't get a full version but deserved one, This Dream was it.

I can only assume it was because Destiny Deoxys didn't play the theme in the Japanese version. Similar with Jirachi Wish Maker.

Why tho?

They probably thought these movies weren't worth the effort anymore. They went straight to DVD in the West starting with Jirachi. Wouldn't necessarily stop 4Kids but they were on autopilot and just aired these on KidsWB.

Most of those Hoenn movies I never saw in any full capacity. Despite me getting great grades, I had to attend Saturday school.

Just to make a tangent, they also had us do after school bullshit as well, so I could barely relax with the after school KidsWB lineup or anything Toonami. Then I lost cable. I grew up like shit and the only escape I had, school took it away for no reason since I got A+ scores without all the tacked on nonsense.

Fuck them LMAO.

Somehow in the bullshit, I learned Destiny Deoxys was coming on TV and told Saturday school to fuck off. I thought it was....well it was better than being at school that day lol.

I know there was a battle in a futuristic city. This Dream might've been able to fit there, even the short version because I think the battle gets interrupted.

But I guess why try to force it?

If there's anything left to say…well apparently the creators of the music didn't properly label credit for this song and the next theme. But it's the same people. Let's be real. Copy/Pasting the names over and over on songs that weren't doing The Pokemon Theme's numbers woulda felt tedious. Probably not an excuse though if any kind of royalties were attached to these.

I'll end this part by saying this. I don't know if it was their intention or not. But I feel these 3 Hoenn songs played back to back tell a story. I think none of the other regions do that with their anime themes. So I congratulate the writers if that was on purpose. But we'll get to Unbeatable in order to fully explain what I mean.

Pokémon: Advanced Battle - “Unbeatable”

This has been in my head since it aired in 2005.

No that is not a joke. That is just how much I like this theme.

To bring back the idea of “Championship Songs” because that’s what this is, this is the best Championship Song hands down. No doubt in my mind.

From the Ooh chant making yet another memorable melody that’s endured 20 years.

To the specific Hoenn references.

To what’s probably the smoothest insert of the title with the crowd going “ADVANCED BATTLE!” Somehow it feels way more earnest than most later crowds in these songs.

The song even has shit talking. "They can never win, but they sure can try." This song wants you excited to watch some battling.

Tbh, this song signifies a lot of things. An end to the 4Kids era, the end of the Hoenn League, the last time this singer shows up after 5 songs in a row. A bunch of stuff. To me, whether 4Kids intended to or not, they sent this era off with a banger. Their first and last Pokemon themes are peak. This whole era of the catalogue is great.

To say this lines up with the visuals is an understatement. This is straight up a music video. Even more than This Dream. It uses the clips from the Japanese equivalent PLUS uses clips from the Japanese Battle Frontier opening. Speeds up parts too. I'm sure someone is mad about that, but I can't find fault in how this came out.

This led to the grandest opening they ever made lol.

This has Ash battling multiple legendaries like it's nothing. This has virtually every legend/mythic up to that point. It has 4th gen Pokemon throughout it that hadn't even been in the games yet. Apparently this opening literally has the most Pokemon both by species number and individual count. Meanwhile it also shows a little of the sillier characterizations while not being intrusive. It also has throwback characters.

Hell it even has foreshadowing for the series and the movie. This opening has scale on a different level. Meanwhile it still has time to have fun. I don't know how much you could ask for a Saturday Morning cartoon opening.

That said, we're gonna go address some smartasses real quick.

Time to address it. "This song Unbeatable actually sucks because Ash loses." Yeah and Apollo Creed beat Rocky in the first movie, but you don't see people saying the first Rocky theme is ass, now do you? You don't wanna go there because a deep dive will truly reveal how ass the WHOLE anime is.

Now if you want a simpler argument that all 3 Hoenn songs are collectively clickbait, I mean it has some merit. All 3 songs combined imply Ash starts from nothing and grows to finally become a Pokemon Master after so long. I get that.

But shit, at least the three songs HAVE a motif, unlike future songs.

I don't think you can really convince me that's a bad thing that the music creators wanted to give this shit some grace that the actual show doesn't.

I mean, come on, Ash lost to a fuckin Meowth. A Pokemon he regularly battles, isn't even connected to Hoenn or Sinnoh, its just sus all around.

That's my issue criticizing the song. How about you just blame the anime for not meeting that standard of character growth and instead being a toy commercial?

"The anime never promised Ash winning" well it should've promised something after Johto and it didn't for over an additional DECADE. While we're talking about that, I don't think Ash winning in recent years makes "Born To Be A Winner" all of a sudden have a good title after a mountain of losses.

But let's say it did. No one knew Ash was eventually going to win. In fact, most people kept up the argument that Ash should just always lose the big one to teach kids a lesson. Acting like previous seasons didn't already beat that lesson to death. Syndication and streaming services exists to rewatch those. But in that case, which was true for the longest time. "Born To Be A Winner" would just be an innacurate title altogether. But is has NEVER gotten the same criticism as "Unbeatable".

As for the song itself, might as well address the smaller shit. Unbeatable can dip into simplicity. Remember when I referenced someone saying this singer just did the same song over and over? Well this and Master Quest have parallels. I don't deny that.

I just think Unbeatable is better executed.

Unbeatable pays off the dangers and unknown scenarios stated in "I Wanna Be a Hero" and "This Dream". Ash and friends survived all that, and are now thriving here.

Frankly, I woulda just had Ash win here, go back to Kanto, win the Battle Frontier, and make a new protag. But that's another convo.

Lucario and the Mystery of Mew - "Unbeatable"

Been so long without it, you'd think I forgot about the movie version.

The movie version only enhances the song. 3 lyric segments were added to the song. So you know they thought they were cookin when they made this. All of them great. No complaints.

Although I might as well complain because there's no official link.

Tragic.

Substitute:

I mean, I like Lucario starting with the anime. So hearing Unbeatable in a movie starring it, yeah seems cool.

…

Saturday school.

But even then, Idk if 4Kids ever aired it before losing the rights. Plus I lost cable.

Welp.

Still, I looked it up.

Does Unbeatable match the visuals in the movie?

Yes? It's not some epic scene to begin with. I'd say the aerial moments give it some emphasis. But it's a weird mixture of shots getting away from the action and the focus turns to Mew's transformations from the same angle. All of this in a medieval Colosseum that could in theory work for rock, but not when you cut away from the fight that much. Tone's off.

But we're at the last stop at the station. So I'll say it once more.

I will genuinely miss when these songs had attitude. When they were willing to talk shit, at least on a basic level. Focusing at least somewhat on the battling. Make it sound like Ash has SOME confidence in his winning ability.

When it comes to this Hoenn trilogy, I think it's great. The singer sticking around was a working formula and gave it consistency while the songs still sounded appealing. Simple as that. I appreciate it as a possible arc of being willing to learn, having determination, and paying off in the end.

"What about Battle Frontier?"

...

.......

............

Next time I cover the themes Battle Frontier and Diamond and Pearl. Watch as I probably get insults thrown at me. However I did further research.

Anyone remember Pokemon Chronicles?

I thought that simply didn't have a theme song. A reminder that I didn't have cable. At most, I saw most of 1 episode way back when it aired. Turns out, it has 2 themes in the West.

We'll get into both of those, as well as Battle Frontier and Diamond and Pearl. What was going to be a 2 song post will now be a 4 song post.

There's too many good moments from these Hoenn openings to post a GIF of. So instead, here's that Medicham scene from This Dream that Pokemon fans are obsessed over for some reason.

[obeysme]

NSFW and sfw headcannons for a relationship with Simeon and diavlo? Boys a adorable but I feel like they arent someone to mess with 😅😅 Your writing is legendary btw♡♡

relationship headcanons for simeon are here.

i adore diavolo to bits, it’s a travesty that i haven’t written anything for him. at least i have now! warning for explicit sexual content under the read more; if you’re a minor, do not interact with this post or you’ll be blocked.

* SFW.

being in a relationship with the future king of hell has its benefits; diavolo showers you in lavish gifts and trips, taking you to the best establishments in the devildom and showing you around

he’s a romantic and has you swooning without even meaning to; he compliments you often, practically waxing poetic about how wonderful you are and how happy he is that you’re his and vice versa

likes to surprise you often; if it’s your birthday, for instance, you can bet that he’ll throw you a surprise party at his castle. even if there’s no occasion, he’ll reserve a table at ristorante six without your prior knowledge, in the hopes of seeing you light up when he takes you there

the kind of sap who stares at you from across the room, especially when you don’t know it, and smiles softly to himself at how lovely his partner is

not at all the jealous type; he’s confident in himself, as well as your relationship

that said, he can be a little possessive in the sense that he enjoys seeing you in clothes he bought for you or having you on his arm at parties, so everyone knows that you’re with him

doesn’t mind public displays of affection, quite the opposite in fact; he likes linking arms with you or wrapping an arm around your waist, kissing you briefly on the cheek or mouth, and giving you the occasional hug

when tired or stressed, he wants nothing more than to rest his hand in your lap and close his eyes for a little while; his tense shoulders relax the moment you run your fingers through his hair

he’s curious about you and what your life is like in the human world, listening to whatever you’re willing to tell him about yourself with rapt attention. he recalls everything you’ve told him perfectly, from your favourite colour to the name and breed of your pet

* NSFW.

has a fairly high libido, so expect multiple orgasms in one night

if you didn’t have a praise kink before, you just might have one now; praise drips from diavolo’s tongue like honey—he’ll tell you how wonderful you look spread out beneath him, how good you’re making him feel, how he’d been thinking about this for some time now

makes eye contact with you whenever possible, looking at you adoringly; he doesn’t want it to feel cold and impersonal, he wants to know he’s doing this with you and ensure you remember that too

loves to hoist you onto his lap and thrust up into you; he enjoys hearing you whine so close to his ear, leaning back to see your face twitch and twist in pleasure

prone to mischief and teasing; don’t be surprised if he suddenly takes your arm and guides you away from his own party to have his way with you in a nearby room

quite talented with his mouth, he’ll go down on you for as long as you like

would love to christen his throne with you (because come on, the king of hell has to have a throne), whether by having you service him on your knees or seating you on his lap

very adventurous in bed and always up to try anything at least once; he’s open to what you like or want to try out, and he’ll let you know the same with no hesitation or shame

[spaceorphan18]

Kurt Duets Ranked

Part 2 of my Kurt Performances series, we move onto duets -- which will probably the least exciting of conversations, because this isn’t going to be much different than my Klaine Duets rankings.  I didn’t go check that, however, so we’ll see how I feel about them now that more time has passed.  

Meanwhile, the thing about the duets section is that while there are a ton of great songs in this one, it feels limited.  Glee didn’t like to stray from what it knew worked, and therefore, we get Kurt having only a handful of duet partners, and only two of them make up a majority of the songs.  It’s unfortunate that we didn’t get more Kurt and Mercedes duets, but even more unfortunate that Kurt didn’t sing with a larger variety of people.  I mean, could you imagine a season 4 Kurt/Santana duet? Or something season 1 or 2 with Kurt/Quinn?  Lots of possibilities, little room for experimentation.  

That said - I do enjoy a vast majority of these songs, and like the solos, most of them complement Kurt’s story nicely.  

Kurt Duets Ranked:

27. Candles (Original Song, 2x16)

You guys can’t seriously be surprised by this, right? As with all of these numbers, I went back to listen to see if I’ve changed my mind.  Nope.  And here’s the funny part - I actually do like this song.  But the arrangement, production, and context of this number is terrible.   My theory is that Original Song had so many songs in it that they were rushed to get this one done.  Coupled with the fact that that the arrangement was redone (by Darren? - idk, Darren’s usually better than this.) and probably rushed means that it was just sloppy by the time they got to production.  

From a music point of view, the arrangement is not complementary to either of their voices, and both of them clash on harmonies and go out of tune multiple times throughout the song.  On top of that, the emotion of the song is completely off.  It’s a break up song -- purposely more tailored for the Finchel story line at the time -- but doesn’t mesh well with Klaine’s getting together story.  It feels awkward and out of place, and one of those times where I think who ever picked this song made a bad choice.  

I know there are those out there who like it -- and that’s great! Don’t let me slow you down.  But it will remain a weak link in an otherwise solid discography.  

26. Get Back (Tina in the Sky with Diamonds, 5x02)

While this is way, way better than Candles, I do think it’s a weaker number for Kurt, and Kurt/Rachel, seeing that you’ll see they have some fantastic numbers coming up on this list.  Not a favorite Beatles song of mine in the first place, not helping is the fact that this song should have a grittier and harsher sound than either of these relatively more classically trained vocalists can give it.  

There is some fun with the choreography (weird NYADA piano tuning thing aside - that’s not how you tune pianos...), and Kurt and Rachel’s voices mesh just fine, but the rest of songs on the list just offer a bit more.

25. Memory (Old Dogs, New Tricks, 5x19)

This one is... rough.  And it makes me sad to say that about a song picked specifically by Chris Colfer.  For Kurt’s part, it’s a perfectly adequate rendition of Memory, though I think it lacks any of the deeper emotion that Kurt normally brings to his solos.  But marring it further is the addition of June Squibb (who doesn’t have the same caliber of voice) and the fact that the scene itself is a bit of forced sentimentality.  I get what Chris was going for in the script, but we’ve barely met these people, and they’re not memorable enough for us to get a tug on the heartstrings that this song wants us to have.  The scene just kinda falls flat. (I’m sorry Chris!)

24. Lucky Star (Old Dogs, New Tricks, 5x19)

I promise, I’m not picking on Chris, even if the two songs he specifically wrote for himself are down here at the bottom.  At least this one has more entertainment value even if I think it’s not a great performance.  Kurt flying around as Peter Pan is super cute, and the song choice works relatively well with the scene.  Once again, though, June Squibb’s Maggie is not a vocalist (And that’s fine - she’s a super cute old person), as well as this is bogged down in that weird sentimentality Memory was going for.  It’s not really good, but at least it’s entertaining.

23. Story of My Life (The Back Up Plan, 5x18)

On a list featuring the what works and doesn’t for Kurt’s performances, this one just... oy.  First of all, technically, the boys sound fine.  Their voices mesh just fine, as usual, though Blaine’s voice is better suited for these slightly melodramatic boy band numbers.  It’s a fine song to listen to in the car.  Watching the performance, though, is rough.  It’s done that way intentionally, to fit the context of the story -- and while it’s supposed to be comedic, to me it comes off as awkward and cringeworthy.  Kurt has some odd performance choices, but normally a good performer, and this makes him kind of a bumbling idiot for the sake of the story, to the point where I rarely ever watch this one.  I get what they were going for, and enjoy the song as just a song, but am not really a fan of the actual performance.

22. It’s Too Late (Jagged Little Tapestry, 6x03)

This one I definitely have some mixed feelings about.  The song is fine, albeit a little on the pop-y side, though that’s intentional for the theme of the episode.  And it’s the first time one of these songs directly commentating on the story that’s actually going on with Kurt.  On the one hand, the angst of the scene is played well, and these boys pining for each other works for this part of the story.  On the other, the vocals are a tad on the generic side (though these boys always sound great each other), and I’m still not sure I understand what was going on with the fantasy element during the middle of the song.  Still, it accomplish the feel the story needed, which is why it gets bumped up here.  

21. I Am Changing (New Directions, 5x13)

We only get two Kurtcedes duets on this show, which is a damn travesty.  But what makes it harder is this one is, well, a little one sided.  Mercedes freakin’ brings the house down with her half of the song -- clearly Amber Riley deserves all the credit she got for doing Dream Girls.  Kurt, on the other hand, sounds a little rough here.  I’m not sure if it’s because Chris’s voice changed during the show, and it actually got deeper, or if it’s due to the weird production values of season 5, but Kurt’s solo verse is a bit harsh and unrefined, and not in a good way.  Mercedes saves it and steals the show, and when the two come together they sound fantastic, but this one gets dropped a little further down because it’s just not a strong one for Kurt.  Add to that the fact that they’re trying to make Rachel and Santana be friends again, and the song is unfortunately a weaker one.

20. I Believe In A Thing Called Love (Frenemies, 5x09)

Look, I love Elliott, and I love that Adam Lambert came onto the show.  He and Chris had some great chemistry, which actually does show through this performance.  It’s fun and crazy and a bit out of Kurt’s normal repertoire, but that’s okay, because Kurt lets loose a little, and it’s really fun to watch.  No - Kurt can’t match Elliott when it comes to the heavier rock material -- this is much better suited for Lambert than it is for Colfer, and there are times when Kurt kind of gets overshadowed and out performed, but that’s fine.  We get to see Kurt pole dance - I think that’s justification enough to have it where it is on the list.

19. White Christmas (Glee, Actually, 4x10)

Believe it or not, out of the three Christmas duets Kurt and Blaine have, this is my favorite to listen to.  I love this song, and I love this arrangement.  They sound gorgeous on it as it highlights the strengths of their voices when singing together.  My biggest issue is, really, with the scene overall.  Look - it’s not easy choreographing people who aren’t used to doing routines on ice skates, and I get that.  But due to that fact, the performance ends up being a lot of shots of people who aren’t Kurt and Blaine, and that’s a shame.  The other two Christmas duets are much more in sync than this one, and this one is really being held back by the technical difficulty.  Still - I like the song, and the context that it’s in, which is why it’s as high as it is.  

18. Let it Snow (Extraordinary Merry Christmas, 3x09)

While lower than it perhaps deserves, upon watching it again, I know I’m placing it higher on the list of Klaine duets.  It’s an incredibly hard number to do with all the dance steps and vocal runs, and the two of them nail it while being in character as their characters and as the Christmas special characters.  I’m kind of in awe at the technical ability of this one, and it’s a shame the writers didn’t always play to Kurt and Blaine’s (and Chris and Darren’s) strengths.  It’s not a personal favorite of mine, nor does the song hold much weight with their story, but it’s an incredible embodiment of what makes Klaine - Klaine, and showcases how well they can work together when given really good material.  

17. You Make Me Feel So Young (New, New York, 5x14)

This is one of those songs that I go back and forth on, and really could write a dissertation on it, because I think there are a lot of elements both internal and external going on, which makes the onscreen performance... weird.  But I feel like that would get way too long for the likes of this already too long post.  So, I’ll say this.  Vocally, they sound fantastic together, which is why I think it deserves to be up there on the list.  It’s also one of the few times that we get to see genuine domestic Klaine being themselves with each other, which is also very cool.  My issues with the acting and directing of the scene are very nitpicky, and it all lines up with my growing consensus that one of the weaker elements of season 5 were the musical numbers, but if y’all want more, I’ll do another post on just this song specifically.  For now, I’ll just say that I enjoy the good things about the song, even if some of it leaves an awkward taste in my mouth.

16. Animal (Sexy, 2x15)

Animal is one of the few truly comedic performances Kurt gets to do.  Between the silly sexy faces, euphemistic foam, and overkill addition of plastic balls, it’s hard to take this one very seriously, but that is the point.  Both boys sound great on it, and it’s a lot of fun to watch -- being cringy in a good way.  I really don’t have any criticisms of it besides I just prefer the others on the list just a bit more.  But we’re getting into that territory where I think all of these songs are solidly good, and on any given day, I could rearrange the whole list.  

15. 4 Minutes (The Power of Madonna, 1x15)

The second, and original, of the Kurtcedes duets, this is the first time in the show that Kurt gets to turn his sexy on, and it’s really awesome that they give him the chance to shine in such a way.  Despite the fact that Kurt is doing the occasional weird hand gesture and choreography in this one, he and Mercedes play off each other incredibly well, and it’s a shame they never let these two really get to do anything once the juggernaut of Hummelberry came along.  No, the song isn’t the best for Kurt’s voice, but sometimes it’s the spectacle of what’s going on during the number rather than how it sounds.  

14. Love is a Battlefield (Tested, 5x16)

Showing that not all Season 5′s numbers were, well, not up to par as everything else, we’ve got this Klaine duet, which might be one of my favorite pieces of choreography and showmanship on the show.  I really don’t like the song, at all, which I know goes against the grain of a lot of you, but it’s a testament to how powerful this number is visually that I’ve ranked it so high. (It’s about anger sex guys, and more sexual than the scarcely few sexy time-ish scenes we actually got.)  The boys sound great on it, and the layered acting in it is pitch perfect.  I love this duet, even if I’m not a fan of the song.

13. Ding, Dong, The Witch is Dead (The Purple Piano Project, 3x01)

Well, there is a reason Hummelberry was what it became, and this showcases that to perfection. The song isn’t worth much story wise, but it does show just how wonderfully these two play against each other, as well as sounding great together.  This song is playful and light and the perfect showcase for what real talents they both are.  I have my issues with Hummelberry (really, I do) but I can’t deny that they’re standout performers together, and everything about this number comes together to show that off.  

12. Perfect (I Kissed a Girl, 3x07)

Look, this list is subjective.  Yes, there are a few that stand over the rest and a few that are really not that great, but most of Kurt’s duets, like his solos, are really all solid performances.  And I just happen to really love this song.  I’m not going to defend Blaine’s questionable rapping or the context this song is performed in the episode.  But what I will say is that I love what the lyrics have to say about Klaine’s relationship at the time, and the fact that they both (but especially Kurt) sound so great here.  Plus, I enjoy jamming out to this one in my car.

11. Daydream Believer (Dreams Come True, 6x13)

This just happens to be one of my favorite songs ever, and I’m so glad this got to be the last Klaine duet.  I have no issues about how well they sound together.  As cute as they are dancing with the kids, I do wish the context would have been totally different -- I wish that they were singing this to each other -- or their own child.  But I still think it’s a pretty meaningful song, and I love it, so here we are.  

10. Just Can’t Get Enough (I Do, 4x14)

I unabashedly love this song.  Sure the song is rather repetitive and is going on during other people’s plot lines, but every time I hear this one, I just want to get up and dance along with it.  The boys sound great on it, and they get to be rather flirty in the moments that the camera is actually on them.  If only the had more screen time, I probably put this one higher near the top.  

9. Somebody Loves You (Transitioning, 6x07)

A lot like Just Can’t Get Enough, this duet is flirty and adorable and I love everything about it. They sound great together and, as usual, play off each other well.  On top of that, the song itself plays nicely into the Klaine story of the moment, which I appreciate.  It’s not a perfect performance, but an incredibly enjoyable one, and that’s what matters.

8. American Boy (The Untitled Rachel Berry Project, 5x20)

Are either Kurt or Blaine suite for Rap and R&B? No, not really, but do I care? No.  As you’ve probably noticed, I love these flirty duets, this is one of the best ones.  Sure, they don’t really capture the style or tone of the original very well.  But they’re having a lot of fun out there and being adorable while doing it.  And Kurt simulates having sex.  I mean, do I really need to say more?  But really - I actually enjoy this song a lot, so there we go.

7. Popular (2009, 6x12)

This is easily the best performance of Kurt’s limited performances in season 6.  Kurt and Rachel haven’t head a duet together since Season Five’s Get Back (interesting right?) but they’re able to turn right back on the magic that was going on in the earlier seasons.  This song is near perfection -- the acting is solid, the performance is layered -- being both comedic and a commentary about the both of them, and they sound wonderful together.  This is truly a treat for the end of the series, and I’m a little sad the rest of the season didn’t put as much effort into its musical numbers.

6. Come What May (Girls and Boys on Film, 4x15)

The thing about Come What May, for me, is that it’s deeply a romantic song - and shot (intentionally) in a very movie-like way.  I love so much about this, from the staging, to the bit of flashbacks setting the tone at the beginning, to the misdirect and reveal that it’s really Kurt’s fantasy and not Blaine’s.  Vocally, there are a few weaker spots towards the beginning, but that can be overlooked when visually and lyrically there is so much wonderful things going on here.  I love when a performance can have layers to it -- and this one say so much about Kurt as a character and the head space that he’s in, while being deeply romantic without being vulgar, that it firmly takes a spot near the top of the list.  

5. Got to Get You Into My Life (Love, Love, Love, 5x01)

The thing that’s so great about good Klaine duets is their push and pull of each other.  This duet has a ton of that -- each of them playing against each other in such a flirty way.  They sound great, they look great, the number has a ton of energy, and the bright tone is a nice change from all the somberness that came along with season 4.  It’s a visual treat as well as a aural one, and nearly flawless in execution, which is why it’s ranked so high on the list.  

4. Rockstar (New, New York, 5x14)

Is this really one of Kurt’s best duets? Technically, probably not.  I don’t really care - I. Love. This. Song. Really, I listen to it all the time, and it’s just a song I never tire of.  It’s really Adam Lambert’s show, and Kurt is kind of dancing around like the littler brother of the rockstar that is Elliot ‘Starchild’ Gilbert.  And I do think Kurt and Elliot’s voices mesh rather well -- even if Kurt’s overshadowed a bit here.  But that’s all fine - because this song makes me happy for no other reason that it does, and that’s a fine reason to be near the top of the list.  

3. Baby, It’s Cold Outside (A Very Glee Christmas, 2x10)

I keep trying to think of reasons not to put this as the number one Klaine duets.  I keep looking at the list thinking that something else about one of the other duets will stand out more, and I just can’t.  This scene and this performance is damn near flawless.  I’ve already talked about this scene at length, and I really don’t have anything new to add, but here’s the thing -- this song sounds wonderful, the game of cat and mouse they play with each other is one of the best scenes on the entire show, and I can’t say enough at how brilliant and layered and amazing this scene is.  Hands down, best Klaine duet, and one of the best overall duets on the show.  

2. Happy Days Are Here Again/Get Happy (Duets, 2x04)

The thing is, about this duet, is that it’s iconic.  Just hands down iconic.  Not only were they able to take an old school mash-up done by Babs and Judy and make it their own, but they gave it the same amount of power and emotion the original had as well. I don’t think it’s easy to sit on a stool and make any kind of song engaging but these two are able to do it.  They sound flawless on a technically difficult song.  There’s subtly and nuance in the performance.  There’s balance and give and take. And contextually, it fits in nicely with where each of the characters are at.  On top of that, it’s a really great arrangement of these two songs in the first place.  I have nothing but good things to say about one of my favorite songs and favorite performances on the show.  And while Hummelberry has so, so many issues as a friendship -- their ability to make amazing performances together was not one of them.

1. For Good (New York, 2x22)

I went back and forth on what the order of the top three would be -- they could easily be interchangeable they’re all so good.  But here’s the thing about this one.  I feel like this one just takes an extra step up in, well, everything -- the performance level, the context, the layers of emotion woven through this song, it just hangs itself up a little higher than the rest of them.  Yes, Kurt and Rachel sound as good as they ever do -- playing off each other and meshing with each other brilliantly.  But this song is a grand musical theater piece that they pull off masterfully.

But on top of that... The weight this song has is given is higher than pretty much any other song on this list.  it’s a perfect fitting song that punctuates their paralleling journey throughout the season.  This song is a final statement and thesis of everything that became before it, and because of that, I’m ranking it as the best of Kurt’s duets.  

[luminousbeansarewe]

what are your takes/version of how the sequel trilogy went down? because i also have my own version in my head, not.... that, but im really interested in the ideas other people have had for it

hoo boy there’s a lot of ground to cover here lmao i will try to keep them as short as i can... i also enjoy multiple versions of events and outcomes for the sequels as long as they’re in-character so i’m not trying to say no other version of the sequels is good or cool bc only a sith deals in absolutes amirite? (i won’t apologize for that dumb joke.) first the jumping-off points:

first of all, i fully support Force-sensitive Finn. even if he didn’t become a full-blown Jedi, if the entire concept of the Jedi was reforged and we don’t see him become the kind of Jedi we saw in the prequels (more on that later), i see him as someone who was attuned to the Force in a way that is similar to how i conceive of Barriss; empathetic to the suffering and joy of others. this would drive him to defect from the Empire and fear it, too. i also saw him becoming a reluctant leader for the rebellion, and there’s a GREAT fic which i’ll link here that riffs on the idea that he creates a spark within the stormtrooper ranks and more and more of them begin to defect... which i love

Rey being a nobody is cool to me. the ONE character moment where she became super relatable for me was when she realized how frightened she was of her own Force abilities. but i don’t think she has to be the legacy of Palps to have that. she doesn’t need supercharged powers to be spooked by them in a post-Jedi Order world where the most recent memory anybody has of the Force is Vader. (also Rey being a Kenobi seems more out of character for Obi-Wan than anything else lol he was pretty committed to the ways of the Order even after they were destroyed, plus he already had one kid to furtively watch over... just imo). this also ties into my expansion on the Force.

Poe being not a carbon copy of Han. i think Leia looked after him, found him somehow after she sent Ben to the Jedi Academy and was a motherly figure in his life. i like the idea that he was a little shit, and she’s the one who taught him to turn his reactive defiance of authority into bravery when fighting for the rebels. i think he looked up to her, wanted to be a leader like her. i saw him in the position of generals like Akbar by the end, as he learns to balance risk-taking with steady leadership. I wanted to see that growth, how those leaders are formed, see Leia get to impart her wisdom to someone. (also i fully support Finn/Poe and Finn/Rey/Poe, i’m not a committed shipper so i’m down with no romance at all between them but those ships are choice af and Stormpilot is all Oscar Isaac wanted anyway, so...) plus can u imagine the dichotomy of Ben the fallen son with Poe, the “adopted” son who became what Ben couldn’t? the guilt of Leia for not knowing how to teach her son about the Force, doing better half-raising a nobody who had the same shitty attitude as Han when they met but no Force ability? THIS IS JUICY CHARACTER CONTENT

Rose was given cheesy lines to introduce an important topic: that fighting is all well and good but throwing away your principles defeats the purpose of the fight in the first place (an important theme in the Clone Wars era, too.) she was there to be the voice of the truly little people in the gffa, who we don’t hear much about in the other trilogies. Finn’s sensitivity puts him at risk of the sorrow-to-hate arc i described for Barriss; Rose is there to be the empathy that sustains hope rather than becomes a crushing weight. i love the idea that she might rally volunteers from blue-collar places (like... Lothal, for example?) and spearhead the notion that the New Republic should be very different from the old one, calling out the fact that working conditions didn’t change with the shift from republic to empire and the First Order simply took it to an extreme that left her and her sister with nothing else to lose.

Ben Solo, hoo boy. so here’s the thing, we don’t KNOW Ben Solo. we were expected to want him to be redeemed because he was the son of Han and Leia, and that’s it. that’s lazy as fuck. him killing Han in the first movie (if it happened it should have been in movie #2, that’s how fucking second acts work) was an excuse to shock people, subvert the ‘i can’t kill my own father’ thing, and make sure we knew he was “evil” even though we’re supposed to also want a redemption arc? you have to read the Rise of Kylo Ren comics to learn that he was a) hounded by the voice of Snoke in his head from childhood, manipulated by it, which is horrific bc it’s like grooming... or b) that he felt HUGE pressure as a legacy Force-user to save the galaxy, lead the New Jedi Order, etc. these are much more empathy-generating and we should have learned them in TFA. echoes of Anakin much? which is why i think him being redeemed in a way other than self-sacrifice (which made sense for Vader given his long history of being a terrible person, knowing it was too late for him in the end, and really just wanting to save his son rather than “become good again”) is more interesting than him just falling (which is too much the same as the prequels.)

it should have been Finn’s call, a moment of Truth that held the balance of Finn as either falling prey to darkness or learning forgiveness, whether or not Kylo got redeemed. Finn and Rey working together to get to that point while Rose and Poe took on the military aspect of the Big Finale would have been great. Finn with a lightsaber to Kylo’s throat, feeling the temptation to murder him instead of making him face what he’s become in a meaningful way? Rey trying to urge him away from darkness as she’s been tempted before, but this is the first time Finn’s really been tested, and he was the one who so often reminded her of her own humanity? Rey calling up Rose’s point of creating a new paradigm instead of recreating the old one, of Poe’s growth or Leia’s willingness to take Ben back showing it’s possible? shiiiiiiit

the rest is going under a cut!

SO... given those things as a basis...

there being no scene where Force-ghost Anakin bops Kylo on the head (but you know, more subtly and with gorgeous metaphor ofc) was a travesty. we needed some version of that, also imo that reaffirms that Anakin was the chosen one... as him redirecting his grandson away from that path would be restoring hella balance

Snoke should have had his own fucked up backstory, if he was even there at all. a dark sider fucking with Ben Solo is reasonable to me, but Snoke could have been someone who looked up to Palps as much as Kylo supposedly looked up to Vader. that would have been interesting... maybe there are multiple “nobodies” who are being touched by the Force, just like there always were in the prequels era, but some are going dark with no Jedi to try to convince them otherwise? or, maybe Snoke’s life was ruined by the Empire and he chose to become the beast that harmed him, whereas Kylo becomes the version where you think you want to do that but then realize that it’s just as bad and you still have empathy and regret what you’ve done?

Thrawn being the main military antagonist, since they couldn’t be arsed to make Hux into anything but a sniveling baby fascist (despite his really upsetting backstory of an abusive father, also found in the comics... noticing a trend here?). Thrawn was already established and beloved in the legends. why would you not use him. whY?? he’s like a foil for Tarkin. contention between him and the Force-users in charge (Snoke and Kylo) would have been VERY interesting, esp with the character of Thrawn in the new canon seeing the Empire as a ‘necessary evil’ and now maybe having the potential to make it into something else? how’s JOINING WITH THE NEW REPUBLIC for a subversion of the classic tropes, Rian?????? you fucker????

if Thrawn’s history is “too storied” for a bunch of cowards to "fit” into a new movie trilogy, invent another antivillain to take Thrawn’s place whose history is a little more concurrent with the sequel era... you cowards

Luke fucking off after his failure isn’t out of character IMO. he was THE STRONGEST JEDI EVER and his star pupil still fell? maybe he broke under the same pressure Ben did. maybe that’s what allows him to reach back out towards Kylo and reconnect, admitting his failure. i want to hear more about him cutting himself off from the Force bc i LOVE KOTOR 2 and Kreia, but maybe that’s too much for one trilogy to delve into meaningfully, i dunno

Han fucking off after Ben wrecked the temple isn’t OOC either. i think Han was always a little frightened of the Force, the way many non-sensitives are. I think he was critical as a father, because he was critical of himself and Han is the king of projection. i wanted more of the dysfunctional relationship between him and Ben.

if Kylo kills Han, the scene needs to show more of the fact that Kylo actually regretted it, which Snoke only alludes to in TLJ, foreshadowing his future. i rewrote Han’s death scene for a friend and got a lot of good feedback about it so maybe i’ll post it here sometime. i can get behind a version where he doesn’t die, too, i just haven’t fleshed it out in my own head.

i like the idea that the Jedi Order needed to be remade, and that Luke saw the failure of the old order when he saw Ben turn like so many of the Jedi in the Order did. i like that Rey and Finn might spearhead this, and maybe Kylo’s role is to know the dark side intimately enough now that he can actually teach how it works, how to deal with it... how inevitable its temptation is. because...

in this canon, i don’t think the Force has light or darkness. i think it’s Force-users who do. it is their internal landscapes which cause them to “fall” or be redeemed or not, after all. Finn can attest to the same, so can Rey and Luke... so like, all the Jedi need DBT therapy or something i guess. lmao hold the dialectic, you nerds

the Force has shown time and time again that it cannot be “balanced” so maybe it is ourselves who need to become balanced instead

the Force is chaos, a never-ending series of colliding butterfly effects that to us will always and inevitably be seen as turmoil, cause and effect on a cosmic scale. if you drink too greedily of its power, or try to exert total control over it, by its nature it will consume you because it is beyond your mortal ken. whatever you hunger for, the force will give you more and more of it until you are overwhelmed, drowning in it

this is why peace was a central teaching of the Jedi... peace, the antithesis of chaos, which can only ever be created from within, the eye of the storm which must be sought time and time again

anyway thanks for coming to my ted talk? i’m always down to hear other people’s ideas for these characters tbh. and always down to get more into these topics if you want to know more... esp as it relates to the failure of the Jedi Order, or KOTOR 2 and Revan and Kreia, or OF COURSE my OCs because Sol has a very interesting relationship with the Force.

thank you for this ask lordimperius!! ^_^

[auntynationalsblog]

On The Death Penalty

20/03/2020. Four out of the five (six, we don’t know whether Ram Singh killed himself or was killed) convicts of the infamous Nirbhaya rape case were finally given the noose. However, if we take a closer look, we’d notice that they didn’t die in 2020. Their fate was sealed seven years ago when the public, the politicians and the media displayed an insatiable thirst for their blood, hence proving the regressive nature of the world’s largest democracy.  

Unlike the hanging of Yakub Memon or Afzal Guru, the hanging did not spark widespread outrage. Of course, one could propose multiple reasons for the same. Activists were already immersed in a movement against laws that were aimed at systemically exterminating the Indian Muslim population. Many of my liberal lads ideologically against capital punishment didn’t raise their voices either, claiming that the heinousness of the crime was “too much” for their conscience to stick to the liberal side of the death penalty debate. “Imagine what the mother went through”, they stated.

I cannot speak for the mother, or for anyone in the family, or for any of the victim’s friends and acquaintances. It is more than justified for them to demand justice in the form of the death. But I can speak for liberals, for those who have some shred of objectivity left (Tablighi Jamaat showed that many don’t). 

We hear a lot of scattered arguments from today’s conservatives on why the noose, or the needle, or the electric chair is not only justified, but also necessary. I want to tidy up their poorly phrased arguments in a manner that can be constructively used to articulate my own arguments. The two arguments most stressed upon by the proponents are that the death penalty is “just”, and that it ensures “the greater good of society”, by deterring potential criminals (utilitarianism or consequentialism in philosophical jargon). I’ll start by talking about what they call justice, which I call vengeance. On this note, please welcome, our dear old friend, the one and only Immanuel Kant. 

Kant’s argument on the death penalty, unlike his three Critiques and the Metaphysics of Morals, is pretty straightforward. He believes in strict equality (lex talionis in Latin jargon) in the magnitude of the crime and the magnitude of the punishment. Of course, it begs questions like, should a serial killer who murdered twenty-three people be injected twenty-three times and resuscitated after each injection, or should a terrorist be blown up to pieces as an “equal” punishment? What about a failed bombing attempt? How is the doctrine of strict equality going to punish liars and cheaters? 

The argument of strict equality, basically, is not strict at all (understandably). The conservative interpretation of lex talionis can be stated as follows: Any crime which involves taking a life, or permanently damaging the soul of a human being, or a crime which shakes the moral fabric of society, should be met by a punishment proportional to that crime, and that punishment can only be proportional if it is death. When the liberal asks why, the conservative replies that no human has the right to take a life. The obvious (and weak) liberal response is inquiring about the criminal’s right to life, to which the conservative will paraphrase classic liberals like Kant and Mill, who argued that any human who violates another human’s right to life relinquishes his own. They can also argue that while a human can’t take another human’s life (even a criminal’s), a state, or a Leviathan can, because one of the main purposes of the Leviathan is justice. 

So it boils down to me proving that the death penalty is not just.   

Let’s begin. 

There are two types of cases to make against the death penalty - that it is unjust in principle, or it just in principle but unjust in practice. The first set of arguments claim that it is morally wrong to take a criminal’s life, while the second set claims that while such actions can be morally condoned, the application of such a system of justice is unjust as it systematically targets certain groups of people, while completely ignoring certain other groups. I myself am a proponent of the first one. Defending the latter is relatively easier due to conclusive evidence, so I shall begin with the first one. 

French sociologist Émile Durkheim, in his Two Laws of Penal Evolution argued that softening the standards of physical punishment is a sign of “progressive” societies. Such an argument should not surprise us at all since common sense has dictated most of us to call Saudi Arabia a “regressive” society due its refusal to abolish old-age methods of punishment like stoning, lashing and beheading. On the other hand, most first-world nations today, with the notable exception of the United States of America, have abolished the death penalty. India and China are not first-world yet, unlikely that India will ever be. Anyway, the idea that capital punishment does not belong to a progressive society is based on the liberal notion that the death penalty itself is not progressive at all, because it is immoral. 

Some of you might have watched Batman Begins. In his League of Shadows training, Ra’s Al Ghul asks Bruce to execute a murderer with a swipe of his sword. Bruce refuses, to which Ghul replies that his compassion is a trait that his enemies will not share. Bruce’s response might just be the greatest quote of the Dark Knight Trilogy, “that’s why it’s so important, it distinguishes us from them.” 

The point is that the death penalty brings us down to the moral level of the criminals. This is directly linked to Kant’s eye for an eye argument. If we take an eye for an eye, we respond to barbarity with barbarity. Hence, in our quest for “justice”, we become barbarians too, and justice loses its meaning and is replaced by revenge. Killing is responded to by killing, making everyone a murderer, and hence, immoral. 

The counter-argument is often the utilitarian/consequentialist one, that is, capital punishment would deter future crimes by instilling fear into would-be criminals, and therefore, even an immoral act like the death penalty has a morally acceptable outcome, that is, a safer society. But the utilitarians are rather funny in this debate, they’d be willing to hang an innocent man too if they had evidence that that particular miscarriage of justice would lead to a positive outcome in society (like fewer crimes), which is why it does not stand any chance against any deontological argument about the death penalty. 

But the most basic flaw in the utilitarian argument is the belief that the death penalty deters, it does not. Not only do statistics contradict the utilitarian claim, but with respect to India, think of the Ranga-Billa case. How many rapes have been prevented by sentencing Ranga and Billa to death? Proponents will say that even if the rape numbers did not go down post Ranga-Billa, numbers could have gone up, but the hanging did not allow rape numbers to spike. Such an argument is wishful thinking and mere speculation. 

The right to life is an inalienable right, god-given for believers, and a natural right for atheists. The only two ways this right can be snatched away is via God or via nature. It cannot be taken away by fellow humans, even if some fellow humans have entered into a contractual agreement with each other to form a Leviathan. Not to forget, it is irreversible, and thus the chances of a travesty of justice become much higher. A man being wrongfully imprisoned for a few years is nothing in contrast to man wrongfully given the electric chair. Please read about the case of Timothy Evans, who was wrongfully hanged in Britain for the murder of his wife and child, after which the death penalty was eventually abolished all over Britain. The actual murders were committed by the infamous serial killer John Christie, but that’s a different conversation. 

Some soft abolitionists argue that while the death penalty is morally just, its application in real life makes it an unjust practice. The simplest example to illustrate this in India’s case is Kuldeep Singh Sengar. This vile creature, along with his henchmen and relatives, raped a girl for over a month and murdered her father. Did he get the noose? He didn’t. Why? Powerful politician and an upper-caste Hindu? Most likely. That should illustrate the argument, that the death penalty is classist, casteist and racist. Forget intra-community violence, studies have shown that in the USA, blacks are much more likely to be executed for killing whites than whites who have killed blacks. This comes as a surprise to none, so why do the proponents keep their mouth shut about the explicitly discriminatory nature of the noose, the needle, and the chair?

Weak communities and minorities are easy targets. The truth is, the death penalty does not apply to white people, or the rich, or upper castes in India. Sajjan Kumar and Jagdish Tytler, notable Congress politicians who took part in the 1984 pogrom of the Sikhs, did not receive the noose. Kamal Nath was made Chief Minister. Babu Bajrangi and Maya Kodnani, convicted of committing unfathomable crimes in the 2002 pogrom against Muslims were sentenced to prison but are out on bail. The justice system is a joke. So do not put forward the case of the death penalty when its just application is unlikely in an unjust justice system. 

There are many other nuanced sociological arguments against capital punishment (like if poor people are more prone to crimes and hence capital punishment, is the state equally responsible for the crimes committed) that I shall not get into, due to the increasing length of this blog. But I’d like to end on a Kantian note. Kant proposed three basic necessities in his support of capital punishment. Proponents shout out the first one, but ignore the other two. They support Kant when he says that the magnitude of the punishment should be equal to the magnitude of the crime. However, they look the other way when he says that only the guilty should be punished, and all the guilty should be punished. Think about whether the last two are fairly applicable in today’s society. 

[felassan]

Top 5 (or 10!) Dragon Age characters? Or, if someone's beaten me to that, top 5 most interesting characters from any franchise or medium?

Cut for length. :> Multiple msgs answered here. Thanku guys, this was fun!

Felassan (surprise!!)

at the moment Solas; his situation, implications and narrative position is just so complex, overarching and interesting to me

I’d say this spot has to be tied between Morrigan and Cassandra

mmm it’s tough but probably Cole

Fenris

Anonymous said: bit hard to find your ask link, had to resort to typing it in the URL field :’> anyway give us your top 5 elfs

Decided to choose from among more secondary-ish elf characters to avoid too much repetition/overlap with the above, hope that’s ok.

..F….Felassan LOL

STRIFE comin in hot @ numba 2

Briala

Isseya and Garahel. cannot separate

Ameridan

I need a 6 in here for Velanna sry for cheating

Sorry bout that Nonnie. it looks okay in my browser, is it cuz text size is too small? the “currently reading” box gets in the way or?

rivainibabe said: Top 5 Dragon Age betrayals and why they suck. 😂

Patrick gave me Felassan and then took him away. this is a travesty

Anthem.. the reboot.. the pushed back start date lmao

Solas was a wolf and the Inquisitor was an Emerald Knight, they should have been natural compatriots dangit

Morrigan and Cassandra are straight 😢 my heart will never heal

Anders should have told the truth!! she would have helped you buddy

fatherjerusalem said: Top 5 Companions from the entire Dragon Age trilogy so far.

For this one I tried to think of in terms of like, who to me was a memorable companion that brought something different to the table, rather than just re-list my favs from the first question if that makes sense.

Alistair Theirin

Varric Tethras

Merrill

Vivienne

Sera

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[annashipper]

Belated Megapost - 09/04/18

Anna:  Sorry I’m so late in posting these, but I was away from Tumblr for a day and a half and this is what happens when I don’t empty my inbox.

~*~

Nonny Nr. 1:  "i'm fascinated by how many posts there are saying in effect, "this one did it for me, I no longer believe they have kids."--- sorry anon but where r u seeing this lol

Anna:  I thing it’s probably the fact that Ben and Weirdo seemingly left the pillows back in London to travel to Vermont for the Bunes’ wedding during Easter weekend (after leaving them back in London for a quick getaway to Finland on New Year’s Eve) and instead of rushing back, they took a detour to NYC to have dinner, go to the theatre, take a pap walk and then return back to London only because Ben had to be at the IW fan screening tonight Nonny.  Just a hunch as to why people who were on the fence are jumping over to the dark side.

~*~

Nonny Nr. 2:   Boy these two get vacations w out their kids every few months. I used to think that believing there were no kids was crazy and anytime I went that road I shook myself back, but I’m convinced these liars don’t have kids in their house. Unless as others have suggested there is something about them where they have been deemed unable to safely care for the two children themselves unsupervised there is no reason for constant vacations and time away.

Anna:  But ... but... but... sneaky pics at a restaurant, two pap walks for the price of one, and a night at the theatre for Ben.  The man has his priorities...

~*~

Nonny Nr. 3:   Maybe nonnies are right. I think the kids are real but maybe these two aren’t safe parents and can’t have them on their own. It sounds out there but they did sell one kids face to the media for an article calling Sophie pretty when they had an active stalker. Maybe they aren’t safe with children and can’t have them w out down third party present. That pic of Hal had other people in it. Maybe they can only be w them when someone is watching them

Anna:  Or maybe the man we saw next to Ben during Pilo 2.0′s Heath pap op was the baby’s father, and he was there to take him back home after the paps Ben seemed to be talking to in other pics from the set were done snapping pics.

Since you brought it up, remember when Sophie Hunter was craning her neck, smiling at the pap in NYC while her first born’s face was being photographed in HD (while presumably the whole family was terrified because of the Red Ribbon Stalker was tying ribbons around Ben’s flat) Nonny?  I do  :D

~*~

Nonny Nr. 4:   If Ben and she do ever split, and Ben wants to re marrying, I hope women keep this behaviour in mind. As far as everyone is concerned he has children and based on his behaviour he is a bad father. No one who is told to believe this parenting story of bens should ever allow him to father their children. He is not able to parent.

Anna:  At least he knows how to hold a baby safely, which is more than I can say about Sophie Hunter Nonny  ;o)

~*~

Nonny Nr. 5:   yeah, this is starting to get creepy. like legit creepy. the way these two constantly vacation w out their kids is creepy. i seriously think something is wrong w ben and sophie and that they probably are not mentally fit to be parents. i mean that. its too weird. a few dinners, fine. but the constant vacations and constant never being seen w the kids on a daily basis. something is up. i think the kids are real but i think ben can't actually have kids safely with him and sophie

Anna:  Like I told Nonny Nr. 4, at least Ben knows how to hold a baby safely.  The one time we saw Sophie Hunter hold one, she was carrying it like a sack of potatoes...

~*~

Nonny Nr. 6:   the fact that these two are vacationing away from their babies for every major holiday makes me thing someone else is raising them, and the few times that they supposedly had these kids out of frame were just visitations one at a time. i don't think the kids are in the house w ben and sophie anymore and no, suddenly seeing them w two kids won't convince me. there is some reason for the past few years they haven't been w them during major holidays and day to day

Anna:  Because both pillows are imaginary?

~*~

Nonny Nr. 7:   i believe chris was an oops on ppurpose by sh to trap ben, and then they just had hal cause ben figured he was stuck might as well make it work. they are only ever seen w one at a time. no major holidays w the family that we know of for some time ( the first one?), when they were w hal, there were people around that we joked were his real parents. he won't talk about them. what if the kids are being monitored by a third party, and these two can't be w them alone?   why else would they be on constant trips during the holidays w out them? the dinners and dates out i can undertand, but not seeing them arund town for years, add to that they seem to be free of the kids on holidays etc. im thinking the kids don't live w them full time

Anna:  What if the answer is much simpler and Sophie Hunter is not the exception to every rule of human gestation known to doctors and Harvey thought Weirdo had a grand idea at PSIFF and baiting the general public about an imaginary pregnancy would do the trick and get Ben loads of publicity?  What if when Ben lost the Golden Globe Harvey decided it was time to confirm speculation and Ben “drunkenly” sealed his fate at the after party?  What if the second pregnancy was Ben’s idea because he was desperate to convince people his totes for real, not PR stunt family was not imaginary?

~*~

Nonny Nr. 8:   This is off topic but did anyone else not get the ending of TCIT. If u got it can someone enlighten me lol

Anna:  Julie gives birth to the child that was conceived when Stephen visited her at her cottage (presumably the baby will grow up to be the boy Stephen sees in the train).  Stephen knows that Kate is still out there in the world, and will always be in their hearts.   Hope that helps Nonny  :o)

~*~

Nonny Nr. 9:   boutique productions is a meaningless title, like all her other titles. it just means people could potentially hire her for a specific production, and it appears no one is hiring her. like someone else said, no one labours on a work only to have it not seen and not make money. Nothing has been marketed or made public, no one has hired her to do anything. its just a way to explain away why she has not directed anything, no plays, no operas, nothing in a gallery, no theatre showcases

Anna:  That’s not true Nonny.  James Byng hired her to read letters to an unsuspecting audience.  But yeah, in all seriousness, the silence on the ‘new work from Opera Director extraordinaire Sophie Hunter’ front is defeaning...

~*~

Nonny Nr. 10:   theatre operator? great! which theatre? plus theatre operator could be anything. is she in charge of sched the shows that are played? 'cause that has a different title. is she the janitor?

Anna:  I’m guessing the Fail was just taking the piss Nonny.  Much like when they forget her name and call her Rachel.  Or Ophie.  Or Turner.  LINK

~*~

Nonny Nr. 11:   Got a question for anyone who might know. Did the tabloids pull those pics of BC with Hal because the were faked by 1) having a kid that was not his, or 2) did they detect tampering with the photo itself?

Anna:  It’s anyone’s guess Nonny.  All we know is that the Fail had bought the pap set and decided not to use it, going for a stock picture of him as Sherlock instead.  LINK and LINK

~*~

Nonny Nr. 12:   'What was the reason behind all the fluffing of Sophie Hunter’s CV?' My guess is that both parties agreed it was necessary. BC's side couldn't have a gf that had almost nothing to show to the public or that her work history was a bit of a disaster. Too embarrassing & the media would have started digging into her past as soon as she was introduced. So fluffing it is. Sofa's side: for the same reasons I mentioned above plus she might have demanded it to further her non existent career.

Anna:  She looked soooooo good on paper (at least until we started digging deeper) and it turned so bad so very fast with the first stomp off...   :o/

~*~

Nonny Nr. 13:   Today's question proves you are the master of understatement, Anna! Because 'fluffing' doesn't begin to describe the travesty that is Weirdo's CV. Lies, both blatant and subtle. Plagiarism and the claiming of credit she never earned ... it all goes far beyond fluffing. That doesn't even address the joke of "Wimbledon Spectator".

Anna:  I’m not as harsh when I’m well-rested Nonny   ;o)

~*~

Mess Anon:   Okay after hearing they also went to Sleep No More and the speakeasy afterwards, I might start teetering towards the fake kids camp. No one brings their kids with them overseas to have them stuck in a hotel room while they go shopping, go to plays, bars, and out to have a vegan meal. It’s one thing if you are a working trip, but another thing if you’re out doing multiple things for pleasure. The poor kids only got to go to a museum for an afternoon. SMDH!  Mess anon

Anna:  Mess Anon, I back excellent chocolate chip cookies.  Step on over to the dark side  :P

~*~

Anna:  To the Nans and Antis still sending me angry asks, I’m sorry, but I don’t feel like playing with my food today.  I’m sure you understand   :o)

[ios-alaska]

Rites of passage pt 2

Chips You had so much going for you at the merge that I don't find it crazy that you were picked up on as a threat. I wish that we would have been able to play together in to the end, but I guess choosing Randy as your first opponent was a mistake.

Colin Okay, like, honestly, no matter what happens in any game ever I think you’re a genuinely super nice person and I really enjoy talking to you!! Your vote off was really sad for me because we had just parted ways in circle too early and I wanted to get to know you more and work with you more. Sadly we were on opposite sides at the start of merge and it couldn’t happen. I’m really really sorry for how it all turned out but I hope we get to talk or play together again super soon!!

Heather My theatre man who happens to be in the same show I am in. Those I love Bryan confessionals were true and you don’t know how much I was debating flipping and joining you to work with you. When I was kidnapped, only you and Aro really talked to me and I feel you and me formed a bond. I wish things could have worked out a bit differently and we could have worked together. Did I ever mention I love Bryan? Well I do. 

Rob wanted to work with you too, but I heard about the thing with Kathy and Aro, then I saw how quick you were to dump Nick. I idoled out Bryce, and you were so upset and wanted me out bad to avenge Bryce. So naturally, I try to convince people that you needed to go.

Chips You are one heck of a fighter and your dedication to staying in the game was something that helped you greatly in swaying the people as well as something that made you remain a threat until you were voted out. It's a tough role.

Colin Fuck, I think your vote off was the hardest one of the season for me. Whenever we play a game together I know it’s gonna be wild, because we’re both messy as fuck deep down, and this game was no different. Your vote off was messy. We didn’t really work closely together but when we tried it was messy.  All of our conversations were messy. And I loved it. I’m not even ass kissing when I say that you are probably the most fun and wild person to play a game with.  

Heather Premerge, I have to admit, you and I didn’t really click and you weren’t the most active. However, post merge, until you left, I feel we worked together, and I tried and wanted to keep you. Sadly I was unsuccessful. I miss dancing as you in the lip sync challenge, twas fun.

Rob You’re so feisty, and that’s what I admire about you. You never gave up and kept on fighting. I felt that voting you out was necessary for my game.

Chips Honestly, from the moment we talked I felt that I really wanted to play with you and when you shared those photos of your cat with me and allowed me to share mine I knew we would have to work together. Your flip on Randy was a crazy time and then your immediate ousting as punishment was too soon!

Colin Whew! Speaking of messy! Hi queen! I don’t know what our dynamic was in this game. I thought we were gonna be ride or dies the entire time but that just… didn’t happen! Our past dynamics in games have been enemies, frenemies, friends, and everywhere in between on that spectrum. I fucking love it. You’re so unpredictable and fun. Also, I genuinely think you might be, like, the most strategically minded person I’ve ever met. I’m sure we’ll cross paths again, and I can’t wait!!

Heather You were by far the best player this season, and the hardest decision I made this entire game. I trusted you so much, and you (I think) trusted me and I felt absolutely terrible afterwards. You were the mastermind behind everything up until your untimely end. I had a feeling people saw us as a duo, which scared me. It would give everyone a motive at taking a shot at us. I also felt both of us were working for people you clicked with, not necessarily my choice and I had to start playing my game instead of yours. I loved playing with you this game, and I really hope you understand my decisions throughout the course of this game. I’ve missed our conversations that have absolutely nothing to do with the game and I can’t wait to talk to you again once this whole thing is done with. Robbed Queen.

Rob A queen! I love you so much and you have helped me out in this game and in my personal life. You are beautiful, amazing, and you already know how I feel about you. <3

Chips I knew from a very early stage in this game that I wanted to play with you. You were fun to talk to and were very knowledgeable about pretty much everything. I greatly enjoyed having discussions with you and loved that you were always able to help me piece together my ideas. You getting voted out with a super idol is a travesty, but at least you left the game with flair and not a simple vote out.

Colin Whewww this one is probably gonna be the hardest one for me to find what to say. We didn’t talk much, but in what little we did talk I think I’ve probably sensed more strategic outpour from you than a lot of other people in this game. You’re super smart and I really did truly wanna work with you just because I thought you were such a strong force! Even tho u did, like, start rumors about me and constantly kept up the side vs side thing. But it was working for you! Until… it didn’t. I’m really really sorry you left when you did, but honestly you had the potential to win it all. 

Heather You were a really cool dood you know, but you were playing hard, and really shady. I heard multiple different names through the grapevine, and every name came back at you. I was never really able to see who your true loyalties were, because felt you threw their names out aswell. If I didn’t get you out, I could see you winning the game. BTW Nutella maybe overrated, but when your lactose intolerant ass can't handle it all the time, its the best thing in the world when you do have it and force yourself to suffer.

Rob We had such a rocky relationship in this game. We worked together, then tried to get the other out (we both knew we were on the bottom), then we worked together again, then I hear you wanted me out. You’re really _cool_ though and it was pretty epic that you left because of a super idol.

 Chips I feel like our relationship in this game was one where we were on either side of a brick wall. I wanted to get to know you but knew that I would likely not be stepping forward into the game with you. At the end I tried speaking to you as a person and not a game player because I wanted you to know that I did care for you as a person and that the only true problem with us linking up was a game barrier and not a social one. It's a true shame we could not work together because your ability to dramatize situations gave me life.

Colin WHEW. Okay. Hello. Can I, like, start off by saying I am SO sorry lksjgskj. We were working so well together in this game! And I truly did love it! It was the first time ever we’ve been able to work that closely and I had to go and fuck it up huh. But I felt like I did what I truly thought I had to do to get farther in the game, maybe I was wrong, maybe I wasn’t, we’ll never truly know tbh!! But anyway, I think you’re such a good, nice person and it really did feel so awful fighting against you and voting against you. I know you don’t take it personally but I’m gonna beg and plead and tell you again that it was nothing personal!! I think you’re amazing!!

Heather  I had a good feeling about you since the beginning of the game when we were making small talk about snow. Throughout the game, we always seemed to be on the same page as of who to get out, or at least I followed what you said in the beginning. You then became my ride or die. I felt like in order to protect me, I had to protect you too, because otherwise I would be alone. You played a great game, you robbed king you. I’m sorry I couldn’t help with your death in this game as I really wish I could have. 

Rob You were pretty scary in this game. People liked you socially, and you were able to win challenges. Plus, you were aligned with Heather and the two of you were threatening.  Generally speaking, you’re a _chill_ guy and best of luck trying to be a teacher.

Chips  I honestly love your memes and your style of shouting things. I never know when you're going to pop off and always looked forward to speaking with you. I am glad I was able to play with you for so long as I wasn't sure if you'd go the route of the inactive early on in the game. You are a fantastic person, continue to be great.

Colin Can we just say….. meme QUEEN? meme LEGEND perhaps? God, you’re an icon. We, like, barely spoke, despite both of us making final 5 and voting together a couple rounds, but I think that was your whole thing. memeing instead of strategizing. Which, in a way, is strategizing? I guess? But anyway you are fucking hilarious and it was so fun to play with you. I wish you were a bit more active throughout just because I really did love talking to you, but you played how you wanted to and I respect that!!

Heather Memelord. You were so spunky, outgoing, and an all around beautiful soul. However I feel you were inactive a lot in the game and I never got to see how you really played the game. I hope me idoling you out didn’t hurt you at all as you weren’t my true target. You will be mist and I wish you the best of luck in jury and can’t wait to get to know you outside the game.

Rob Kathy! You are so nICE and really funny. I’m glad that you had fun in disney and that we were able to work together for a while. The burgers are NOT big in Texas btw not everything is bigger in Texas 

[payment-providers]

New Post has been published on Payment-Providers.com

New Post has been published on https://payment-providers.com/lessons-from-20-years-of-ecommerce/

Lessons from 20 years of ecommerce

My first ecommerce site was a supplement to my brick-and-mortar shop in 2000. There was little online competition. Amazon sold only books. Most of my competitors were small independents like me, and it was easy to stand above the crowd. I advertised the site on shopping bags, on leaflets at conventions, and in an occasional magazine.

This post is the second in a series on starting and growing an ecommerce business. The first installment, “Launching an ecommerce business: the first steps,” I published last month.

As my online business grew, I hired a specialist company for search engine optimisation. (Note the spelling of “optimisation.” I deliberately chose a company in the U.K., as my customers were mainly there.) Soon I had doubled and re-doubled my visitors. The company taught me many things — the most important was metrics.

The author’s ecommerce site in December 2000. Source: Wayback Machine.

Learning the Metrics

An ecommerce merchant can gather many numbers about visitors — their behavior, where they land on your site, where they leave, how they search, and so on. A merchant can spend hours looking at this data and tweaking the site.

And I did.

Eventually, however, I concentrated on just two metrics: The number of visitors and orders. I drilled down on the orders to ensure they were profitable. That is the goal, after all: How much profit does the site make?

Over time I moved to pay-per-click advertising using Google AdWords. Metrics became essential, especially the conversion rate, which is the number of orders divided by the number of visitors. If a site has 100 visitors and receives one order, the conversion rate is 1 percent. The cost per 100 visitors must exceed your profit on that order or you are wasting your time.

If the conversion rate exceeds your competitors’, you can pay more for marketing. You could potentially double or triple your conversion rate by, say, improving your descriptions, images, and menu structure, and offering a no-quibble 30-day return policy (as examples). Increasing the conversion rate results in more profit from the same number of visitors.

Discovering Email

An email list drives conversions. Capture the email address of all customers and then offer products based on their individual interests. Targeted promotions have a much higher conversion rate. Assembling an email list was easy when I started. There was little or no resistance to spam and no regulations. Now, in 2020, merchants must explicitly obtain permission from each customer.

In my experience, the key to successful email marketing is restraint (not sending too often), relevancy, and list hygiene (promptly removing unsubscribes and bounces).

Order Management

As my business grew, a growing proportion of sales came from the website. Online sales were an extension of my physical shop and were easy to manage. As online sales increased, however, the process became more involved. Items sold in quantity on the Internet did not sell in the shop. Products and quantities started to diverge. Buying stock became more complex. The Internet allowed for pre-orders, which helped calculate order quantities. I expanded to eBay and Amazon. eBay was especially good at selling overstocks and collectibles, such as signed books. And sales from Amazon escalated, taking revenue from my own site.

Offering items in more than one place creates stock problems, such as selling a single product simultaneously on, say, Amazon and my own site. Order management is minimal with just one or two orders per day. But it can be a nightmare with many dozens per day. I chose software called Linnworks to manage orders from multiple channels. Linnworks tracked my inventory across all channels and reduced available stock levels as appropriate. It also automated shipping, fulfillment, and customer notifications.

Like many order management platforms, Linnworks includes features that I wished were different. It was cheaper, however, to bend my processes to the software rather than vice versa. I used Linnworks for many years, and it was essential when I began processing more than 100 orders a day. It easily paid for itself. However, Linnworks kept increasing the price. I had to move to a cheaper, less feature-rich alternative.

Payment Processing

There are now many providers that offer services to ecommerce companies. The fees of many of those providers are a percentage of the order value. I avoid these providers as the percentage is typically the same for orders of $1 or $1,000, for example. Why charge so much more for the $1,000 order? It becomes a travesty when the provider’s fee is more than your profit!

The one exception to a fee percentage is credit card processing. The processing companies take a risk, which increases with the order value. Nonetheless, it’s daunting to find an affordable processor that fits your business.

The one exception to a fee percentage is credit card processing.

When I started, I used the credit card machine from my physical shop for online orders. My ecommerce site would send an encrypted email with the card details, and I would type them in on the credit card machine. This was the height of security then. These days it’s laughable.

For many years I used a merchant account for online trading only. I paid set monthly fees for the privilege. I had an annual Payment Card Industry (PCI) scan and audit. I completed PCI compliance forms. I spent thousands on making sure my checkout was both seamless and secure so that shoppers did not abandon their carts.

Eventually, I gave up and switched to PayPal. Customers had to pay via PayPal by leaving my site and then returning to consummate the transaction. I paid a higher fee percentage per transaction, but overall it was cheaper. Surprisingly, my conversion rate increased, not decreased as I thought it would. Apparently my customers preferred PayPal.

If I were starting today I would use just PayPal or another well-accepted payment platform, such as Amazon Pay, Google Pay, Apple Pay, or similar. It avoids the need for PCI compliance and it shifts the security headaches to the experts.

Lessons

What did I learn over the years? Having a quality ecommerce site is essential. It requires excellent content, such as detailed product descriptions and clear pictures. Easy and secure checkout and excellent communication throughout the order process will bring customers back. A decent inventory system is fundamental so that customers are never told that we cannot fulfill their orders. And finally, produce a consistent email newsletter that customers want to receive. These are the foundations of a good ecommerce business.

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[thewebofslime]

October 9, 2019 (LifeSiteNews) – Back in June, Matt Walsh of the Daily Wire wrote a savage column titled “Now the Left is Normalizing Pedophilia Right in Front of Our Eyes.” The growing phenomenon of so-called “drag kids,” he pointed out, is normalizing the sexualization of children, with “the ‘drag kid’ who posed with a naked man, and the ‘drag kid’ who danced at a gay bar while men tossed money at him” being two of many prominent examples. Most recently, one of the drag queens at Drag Queen Story Hour performed a stripping dance for children. Yeah, you read that right. Walsh, of course, received immediate pushback, with some progressives even accusing conservatives who had the gall to condemn this public grooming of being the weird ones. There’s nothing sexual about this at all, they lied, and thus anyone who sees something sexual about stripper dances, posing with naked adults, and gyrating in outfits modeled after sexually provocative adult clothing is the one who should be ashamed for even thinking that this is inappropriate. It doesn’t matter how obviously grotesque the displays get—progressives will defend them. They’re all in, and they’re betting the kids. It gets worse. Two days ago, I spotted a tweet from renowned radical feminist Julie Bindel, who has recently found herself a constant target of transgender activists for her refusal to cede the word “woman” to biological men (Bindel has not only received threats of physical violence, but trans activists—biological men—have swarmed her recent events). Bindel had posted an article titled “Desmond is truly amazing—and hot!” with the comment, “Here is the founder of the Paedophile Information Exchange Tom O’Carroll (who I interviewed 4 years ago—he made my blood run cold) celebrating child drag acts.” Desmond, for those of you who don’t recall, is an 11-year-old child drag queen, and his performances are all the rage in the LGBT community at the moment. Tom O’Carroll is a British pro-pedophilia advocate, who was convicted and imprisoned for distribution of child pornography as well as multiple sexual offenses against children. His 1980 book Paedophilia: The Radical Case argues that adult-child sexual relationships should be normalized, and describes his own sexual experiences with children. Pedophilia, O’Carroll says (and he has had support from GLBT pioneers like Richard Green), is an orientation like gay or straight, and thus there are no moral grounds for preventing people like him from finding sexual fulfillment. “I am not interested in why I am a paedophile,” he wrote, “any more than others are interested in why they are ‘normal.’” I’m not going to link to his disgusting blog, but here is how O’Carroll—who, again, has been advocating for the normalization of child-adult sexual relationships for decades—sees the drag kid phenomenon: Let’s face it, when a pretty young boy tells the world he is gay and dances sensuously in front of grown men, wearing vampish dresses and makeup; when “she” strips off items of clothing or goes on stage scantily clad right from the off; when dollar bills are accepted as “tips” from an audience apparently wild with excitement; when all this is going on we are getting far more than just a celebration of gender diversity or an innocent display of precocious performance talent. And that’s great. It is wonderful that a rare niche has been found in the modern, developed world within which at least a few kids can truly be themselves, in ways that deny neither their gender feelings nor their sexuality. Being a drag queen, or a drag princess if you will, puts it right out there, in the open for all to see. It says, loud and proud, “I am a sexy kid, with sexy feelings. It’s totally cool for grown-ups to get turned on by me. I love it. That’s why I do this stuff. It’s great. It’s fun. It’s me!” Panicky conservatives, needless to say, spin it differently, desperate as they are to pretend that kids have no erotic dimension, or at least none that is self-generated. In their telling, performances such as Desmond’s and those of fellow artists such as “Queen Lactacia” (Nemis Quinn Mélançon-Golden) are a travesty in the worst sense: these are kids, they claim, who are being “sexualised” by exploitative adults hell bent on corrupting their supposed natural innocence. It isn’t just conservatives who recognize these drag performances for what they are. Chillingly, pedophilia advocates do as well. In fact, O’Carroll goes so far as to call out those denying the sexual nature of these performances and points out why he believes they are doing so: So why all the denial? Why the coy insistence that kids’ drag performance has nothing to do with their sexuality? Hypocrisy, basically. For decades now, gay politics has revolved around respectability, and that has meant aping hetero-normativity: gay couples with committed relationships, marriage, and parenthood, have become the promoted model; the old, carefree “promiscuity” of the gay life is frowned upon (if still a reality for many) and any cross-generational sexual contact with youth is now far more taboo than it ever was in the “bad old days” when homosexuality was a discretely practised underground phenomenon. Hypocrisy is detestable for its dishonesty; but on the other hand it works. Politically, it makes sense. Denial of the sexual element in kids’ drag performances has recently resulted in them being perceived as on the “respectable” side of the gender revolution, despite all the excitable right-wing huffing and puffing. While It cannot have been much fun for the Napoles family to be subjected to official investigation for child abuse, it is now becoming clear that they have gained a measure of support from the authorities. O’Carroll’s comments don’t need much analysis. Yes, he mocks conservatives—but that’s because he thinks we’re backwards, oppressive prudes who want to shut down events with the potential of assisting him in pushing his cause to the mainstream. In fact, he is giddy that thus far, polite society appears to be willing to let Desmond’s parents get away with enabling their son in this awful fashion. He defiantly agrees with what Matt Walsh wrote in his column a couple of months ago—but says that this is a good thing. Walsh is right. Pedophilia is being normalized right in front of us—and that is being celebrated by activists who believe that this is a step in the right direction. Jonathon’s new podcast, The Van Maren Show, is dedicated to telling the stories of the pro-life and pro-family movement. In his latest episode, he interviews Fr. Frank Pavone, the National Director of Priests for Life, the largest pro-life ministry in the Catholic Church. Van Maren speaks with Fr. Pavone about his experiences as a pro-life priest and leader. Fr. Pavone shares how his dedication to the pro-life movement began in high-school and continued while he was in seminary. After he was ordained a priest, he preached about abortion almost every weekend from the pulpit, leading to a profound impact on his parish. You can subscribe here and listen to the episode below:

[reneeacaseyfl]

The DeanBeat: Would politics make video games better?

As I watched my Facebook feed explode about President Donald Trump’s racist comments this week, I couldn’t help but notice that game developers are political creatures, just like everybody else. But if you looked at their games for political messages, you would think that they’re apolitical, concerned only with near-political game environments that don’t take a stand.

This subject flared up ever since Donald Trump was elected as the U.S. president, but his presidential misadventures have not yet inspired a masterful intertwining of art and politics in a video game. Perhaps we should not expect to see that happen because the interests of commerce rule the day. I hope we can overcome those interests because I believe that putting some form of higher meaning into video games is one way to make games as universally recognized as an art as other media.

Ted Price, CEO of Insomniac Games, took a stand against Trump’s Muslim ban in 2016, going so far as making a video expressing his company’s opposition to it. That was admirable. But there wasn’t a ton of contemporary political commentary disguised in a popular game made by Price’s studio, Marvel’s Spider-man.

Spider-man probably wasn’t the right platform for political commentary. We have seen other games come close to dealing with the topics of white nationalism, yet they have fallen short. Ubisoft’s creative leaders say that games like Far Cry 5 (about a religious militia taking over Montana) and The Division 2 (about a secret military organization preventing the fall of Washington, D.C. after a plague) do not make political statements.

Machine Games, the creator of the Wolfenstein series, was surprised to stumble on a political opportunity in its remake of id Software’s classic Wolfenstein games, which take place in an alternate universe where the Nazis won World War II. Much like Amazon’s The Man in the High Castle TV show, the Nazis have overrun America and the Ku Klux Klan is now allied with them to make things worse.

Above: Sophia (left) and Jessica are the daughters of BJ Blazkowicz in Wolfenstein: Youngblood.

Image Credit: Bethesda

But did this storyline — extended with this month’s pending release of the co-op game Wolfenstein: Youngblood — have anything to do with the rise of the alt. right, Ferguson, Gamergate, Trump, Charlottesville, and this week’s events? Not really, said Jerk Gustafsson, executive producer of Wolfenstein: Youngblood at Sweden’s Machine Games, in an interview with GamesBeat.

“We started work on that story in 2014. It was quite a lot of time before the game actually came out, and a lot of things happened in those years. In that game, we wanted to tell the story of B.J. growing up, his childhood,” Gustafsson said. “It was a very dark story, with his abusive father and dark themes in general. And at the same time we wanted to tell a story about what happened if the Nazis won the war and took over the U.S. Since that happened around that time, especially with Charlottesville, it came to a point where we got a lot of, especially with interviews and talking to media — it led to a lot more discussions around the political aspect of it than we anticipated when we set out to do the game. That took us a bit by surprise.”

In other words, Wolfenstein comes close to being a social commentary on Trump’s presidency and the parallels that many liberals see to the Nazi’s in his apparent comfort with white nationalists. But that’s an accident. The prescient storyline was … accidental. Those of us who really liked the parallels were just giving the writers too much credit for boldness.

The same goes for 2016’s Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, which depicted a world divided between “natural” humans and “augs,” or people augmented with cybernetic technology. Square Enix said that the similarity of the game’s slogan, “Augs Lives Matters,” was simply an “unfortunate coincidence,”  versus the real world slogan Black Lives Matter, as The New Yorker reported.

Once in a while, we get a game that is overtly political. In 2012, Spec-Ops: The Line acknowledged the horrors of war in a way that video games rarely do. Detroit: Become Human was set in Detroit and it clearly showed how bad it would for humans to create human-like androids and enslave them, as African Americans were once enslaved.

“Am I worried about technology in general? Yes. I’m more worried about human beings than about machines, though. It’s not a coincidence that in Detroit, we made the choice that the good guys are the androids and the bad guys are human,” said David Cage, cofounder of Quantic Dream, creator of Detroit, in an interview.

Above: Spec-Ops: The Line

Image Credit: Yager/2K

Such games are often criticized as too political, and not fun. Many fans, particularly those sympathetic to Gamergate, view the critics who want these games as “social justice warriors,” a pejorative term.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare will likely be controversial for the level of realistic violence it depicts, as well as the blurring of the line between soldiers and civilians in modern war. Studio director Taylor Kurosaki declared that the game was “ripped from the headlines” and was created to show “the world we are living in today,” Kurosaki said.

And some games introduce politics accidentally.

Amazon recently showed off New World, a game about the colonization of a new continent. But instead of fighting off native Americans, the colonists — who are the good guys — fight zombie-like creatures. Some critics noted that this sanitization of colonialism’s ugly reality was racist in itself, as it dehumanized the native Americans into beings that were easy to kill.

Above: Zombies in the New World!

Image Credit: Amazon

This takes me back to my days as an English major, when my professors posed questions about whether great works of literature had multiple layers of meaning, like The Wasteland (clearly, T.S. Eliot’s famous poem had those layers). But should they have political layers? Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, about the Salem witch trials, was surely inspired by McCarthyism’s Red Scare. Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle was a condemnation of the capitalist overlords of the meat-packing industry.

Sometimes this added layer of meaning makes us feel like the game is worth studying, and lots of game development programs in colleges are doing just that. That’ probably why The New Yorker and The Guardian wrote about politics in games this year. But does that diminish the fun layer? Or does it hurt the commercial potential of the game?

For sure, publishers are shying away from declaring that games have political intent because they want the game to have the widest potential audience. If only anti-Trump gamers bought Wolfenstein: Youngblood, then that would be a travesty for Bethesda’s bottom line. But this fear ignores another fact: We can outgrow the tropes of video game stories, and some of us want something like HBO. I’ll take a show like Chernobyl over a lot of feel-good television.

Above: Orwell: Ignorance is Strength is the second season in the surveillance game.

Image Credit: Osmotic Studios

I acknowledge that the main object is to make games fun, and I don’t hate video games that are made just to be fun. But I put myself in the camp of social justice warriors. Let those game developers who want to do so express their political views in transparent ways, even if their bosses want to shut them up. I sincerely wish that the crazy politics of Donald Trump would inspire someone to create a beautiful metaphorical treatment that gives us all some clarity about what all of this means.

I wish we could have someone in the game industry emerge, like George Orwell with 1984, or like the antiwar songs that emerged during Vietnam, to show us the way. We have some hope, as one small indie game studio, Osmotic Studios, was inspired to create a PC game called Orwell in 2013 — in the wake of Edward Snowden’s disclosures — about a surveillance society.

But that game hasn’t made as much impact as it might have, and it doesn’t have the kind of big-budget that the largest publishers can throw at a game. I would hate to think that indies are the only ones who can afford to take a stand. But I am grateful that they are there as a counterbalance to the deafening silence from the big game companies.

I believe that I’m raising a lot of questions without many answers here. But I hope to address them in panels that I may be moderating at Devcom in Cologne, Germany, and at Game Daily Connect in Anaheim. I hope you can help me find some answers.

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