#of thinking 'outside the box of their own personal biases'

[funkytoes]

everyone claims they want people to think more critically abt stuff in general, especially in this digital age, but i get the feeling most people (yes, even very left leaning people), while claiming that we all need to use our critical thinking skills more often, actually only actually want people to think "in a way that confirms their personal biases" and not like, y'know, what is required of people to ACTUALLY use critical thinking skills, which is, in fact, ironically, the Opposite of using critical thinking skills 🤔

[wheelie-sick]

was curious about your opinion on terminology: i, a bipolar person, am technically fine calling myself and identifying as bipolar. but i also think the older terms do a better job of describing my experience? like i feel like “dysphoric mania” describes me so much better than “mixed episode.” and manic depression makes more sense to my brain. but i’m also young so people expect me to be in the know with whatever mental health terms that are in vogue rn. anyway, i was just wondering what you thought about these terms and the policing of how ppl talk abt their own mental health

[disclaimer i know the dsm is bullshit and psychiatry is an oppressive system]

I think mentally ill people have every right to define their own terminology for their own mental health. it shouldn't be up to psychiatrists to determine how we talk about ourselves and that might mean that people's terminology is inconsistent but that's okay! because part of autonomy is autonomy over language. I think people not only should but need to respect the preferences of individual mentally ill people. psychiatrists do not get to define us and our communities.

I think that the way mentally ill people police other mentally ill people's language only aids the control the psychiatric system has over mentally ill people. I think it's worse when someone without a specific mental illness does it. we know the language we prefer and we should be granted the presumption of knowledge over terms. often people approach people using terminology that deviates from the DSM with "education" because they assume that whoever they're talking to just isn't aware of the "correct" terminology. the assumption that we are unaware of our own language often stems from biases suggesting we cannot be knowledgeable about a mental illness unless we conform to what psychiatry says about us

I do also recognize that it can be helpful for outsiders to have a "standardized" set of terms to use for broad statements. while I think mentally ill people get to use whatever term they want with their broad statements I recognize it's different for outsiders (though honestly I could write a whole essay on the divide between mentally ill and not mentally ill and how these boundaries are made up somewhat arbitrarily. some people clearly fit in one box or the other but many people exist in grays because people aren't made for boxes. for the sake of this post we're pretending that there are clearly defined boxes) this is especially true when you consider the nuances of some terms and their histories (and often their histories of harm) I think it's helpful for people who aren't intimately familiar with a community to have a "default" set of terminology to fall back on because not everyone is going to be incredibly knowledgeable about bipolar terminology but might still need to refer to bipolar disorder and people with it.

TLDR: people should respect the terminology of individual people. psychiatrists do not get to define our language. mentally ill people policing other mentally ill people aids psychiatry. it helps people without a specific mental illness to have a set of terminology to fall back on when they're unsure.

short answer: use whatever language you want, it's your mental illness!

hopefully you were looking for a long response 😅

[sophiaphile]

Dream Scenario accurately depicts how some people don't have empathy or compassion for other people until they have something similar happen to them. It also captured how frustrating it is to be boxed in and marginalized for things that are outside of a person's control.

Paul (Nic Cage) is a straight, white tenured professor teaching university courses on evolutionary biology.

He repeatedly invokes Rationality™ (as if rational thought can be fully divorced from emotion or normativity). At one point, he cuts Tim Meadows's character off and scoffs at him when he thinks Meadows is considering the "lived experience" of the students who are having heinous nightmares about Paul.

Early in the movie, his wife says she's not having these dreams, but she says that if she did, she'd want him in David Byrne's big suit coming onto her (or something like that I think). He laughs at her fantasy, not listening to what a real life woman is telling him she wants because it is inconsistent with the cultural messages he receives. After he criticizes her, she frustratingly says something like "fine you have a big cock, is that what you wanted to hear?"

He is an evolutionary biologist who thinks that he is smarter and more logical than everyone else. In a lecture, he discusses how zebra's stripes don't blend in with things in their natural habitat; it is a little baffling at first glance why they developed them, but when zebra are in a group their stripes protect them from easily being targeted by predators.

Human psychology (which Paul seems to reject as a field of study) might seem counterintuitive to nature. Given that we are rational beings, why would we judge things based on appearance when we know that there is evidence otherwise (these are just dreams or socialized biases about class, race, gender, etc.; we think we should know better)? Unfortunately, our own psychology is not always clear to us, and there are things going on below the surface of our stated beliefs and intentions, even if we haven't done the work to reflect on it.

On the other hand, developing a defense against traumatic events (real or imagined) can be a healthy defense mechanism, but such thinking is also harmful to those who get thrown under the bus for the group to feel safe (the singled out zebra and society's scapegoats). The dynamic is not fair, but it does make sense despite seeming irrational or arational.

He wants his academic work to be acknowledged, but he is famous for appearing in peoples' dreams. He is frustrated that he can't control his image or the narrative around it.

He hates that people make assumptions about him based off of their dreams, which he has no control over. He doesn't want to be boxed in. He starts to lose his status due to the box he's being put in.

He loses his job, and his wife also loses work opportunities because she's married to him. He continues to spiral and not consider his wife or kids' pov when they ask him to stop feeding into the media hype. He makes decisions that actively ignore his family's reported feelings and experiences because he feels he knows best. His wife leaves him.

Eventually, he is such a social pariah that only Jordan Peterson, Joe Rogan, France, Tucker Carlson, etc. will have him, but he doesn't want to be associated with right-wing hate.

Because he is boxed in such a stifling way, he can choose only between railing against his box, which gets him nowhere and leaves him with no financial prospects, or conforming and being allowed to participate in society in some compacity (much like people who are marginalized due to their perceived social identity).

Paul didn't care about other peoples' experiences (his wife and kids' reported lived experience of being uncomfortable and wanting him to stop what he was doing) because the system was serving him well enough that he didn't feel the need to question it, which is also why during his downfall, he threw in the school admin's face that he has a PhD and she just has a BA (even though she had her master's); he wanted to reinforce the hierarchy that had served him until it singled him out (via society forming bias against him based off things outside his control, like most marginalized people).

It is ironic because Paul keeps talking about the zebras, but he can't apply the same logic to human beings and that was his hubris. He thinks psychology is bullshit, but it does make sense from an evolutionary standpoint, just like the zebra's stripes do.

He took his privilege for granted and didn't realize he won the social lottery by being white, straight, and upper middle class. He scoffed at the idea of "lived experience" and griped that people need to grow up and that they are too sensitive.

Ironically, the discrimination he faced was his lived experience and other people didn't care because they couldn't help the way their brains formed negative associations with him/his image.

He wanted people to acknowledge his lived experience and check their biases towards him that were informed by their nightmares, but he ignored his wife and kids' lived experience, and he was unwilling to consider whether he was biased in his thinking that he knows best or that they were being too sensitive.

The final scene was crushing. He goes to his wife in a dream to give her the fantasy she described earlier in the movie: him in the DB over-sized Stop Making Sense suit. I wonder whether the suit was maybe meant to symbolize that Paul needed to let go of thinking he was right about everything and that all life adheres to Rationality™ (and instead adheres to a kind of logic he previously rejected). He needed to stop trying to make sense and be more open minded to others' views.

[whereconfusionisarhyme]

okay the way the fandom draws hobie brown is such an interesting indication into the way subconscious racial stereotypes play into characterization and it's,,,it's just interesting.

now, i spend A Lot of time in this fandom. and something i've noticed a lot of is hobie brown being drawn HUGE. like, they're making mans into a TANK. and he's just,,,not that??

like yeah, he has broad shoulders, and he's tall, but that's literally just most any black teen boy let's be honest. if you look at his actual canonical character design, he is LANKY. and yet everyone is drawing him super buff. now at first i didn't think much of it--people like buff men, and fanartists are always gonna take some liberties (honestly, i love when they put their special little twists on the characters). but as i saw it more and more, it bothered me more and more and felt a lot more indicative of some underlying biases within the fandom.

hobie being mischaracterized and stereotyped isn't shocking or new, but that mischaracterization leaking into physical depictions of him is! not to get too deep into it, but throughout american history*, black men have not been able to protect their loved ones in any way other than physical thanks to slavery and horrid mistreatment within an inherently racist system. thus gave birth to the trope of the big, aggressive black man who solves his problems with his twists. and after that, the big aggressive black man who is actually a sweetheart on the inside, but just has raging anger issues (and probably an abusive father as well).

*im aware that movie!hobie is not american and that not the entire fandom is either, but seeing as a large chunk of it is, and are going to be viewing hobie through an american lense, i think this is an appropriate connection to make. also, african slavery was very much a thing outside of america as well. also ALSO, the rest of the worlds perception of black men is affected by american (and english) views just because of how huge the two countries are within the global landscape.

now, the reason this was even bothering me at all in the first place is because when i first watched the movie, the fact that hobie wasn't overly muscular was super novel to me. i was glad that we got to see a black male character who was strong without taking strength from others, loud without obnoxiously talking over others, violent without being aggressive, assertive without being framed as forgetting this place or naive about the world. in terms of personal experience, it pisses me just that bit more than the last time whenever i hear my father insist to my (very sensitive and emotional) brother that the proper way to deal with any and every problem was by fighting. i was glad my brother (severely lacking in good black male role models) got to see this cool guy, someone you're meant to look up to, who is strong without being ripped and punching all of his problems. that black masculinity is more than how well you can fight.

so, the way a lot of the fandom forces hobie into this box, this preconceived idea of what a black man (or boy, more like, but the erasure of childhood from black kids is a topic all its own) should be, just. sits wrong.

[yes-i-write-fanfiction]

Wait! The ask box is open? Oooh I have a request~ You don’t have to do it if it makes you uncomfortable or if you think it’s cringe! But, um, do you have any Yandere h/cs for TFA (or any version really) Swindle? I’m morbidly curious on how he’d behave

-The main thing about Swindle is that he is manipulative. He knows he's not the strongest, not the fastest, not the smartest. But he does know how to talk. How to twist the truth into fitting his narrative and make people think they got what they want.

-Swindle also knows what people want. Everyone has a currency, something that matters to them, that they want. For some people it's power. Others want attention. Adoration. So if he wants someone the first thing he's got to figure out what their currency is.

-Once he knows this, then he can put his plans in action.

-He'll butter them up by appealing to their desires, telling them what they want to hear. Confirming their biases. Anything to make them feel comfortable, in control and confident. People are easier to manipulate when they feel comfortable because then they will never suspect something is wrong.

-By providing them with what they want, Swindle will essentially make them dependent on him. This means they will always come back for more, return to him on their own volition. But there will always be someone else out there that can provide the same thing he does, some knock off that thinks they are a big fish. To ensure that he's the only one that they go to, he'll have to eliminate the competition.

-Sometimes it's simple. A few rumors here and there, credits given to the right person that can make a story more believable. Ruining someone's reputation is easy for someone like Swindle.

-If that doesn't work, well, there's always the hard way. Not hard for Swindle, no, he won't really have to do a thing. He'll simply hire someone else to do it. Maybe offer Lockdown a new mod in return for offing one of his rivals. Again, he knows what people want.

-Once he's made his target fully dependent on him, Swindle can start the second phase of his plan. And that is to isolate them. Hog more of their attention, more of their time, until they start to see other people less and less.

-Make them insecure, afraid of the outside, of everyone except for Swindle. Tell them about the ugly side of the world, all the dangers he's seen, the evil that exists out there.

-After this has been achieved, it's easy to stash his target away. They will willingly go with him, listen to what he has to say without doubting him for even a single second because they trust that he knows best. He's always told them what they wanted to hear, after all.

-Everyone has their own currency and Swindle is no different. He's infamous for his love for money. Can't get enough of it, always has to have more. But recently there's been something else that's managed to compete with this longtime obsession of his. A person. And everyone knows that once Swindle wants something, he will stop at nothing to get it.

[dreadful-home]

Meenah's Feferi AU

Old rant about it, cleaned up:

Meenah is who becomes The Condesce and it's implied that Feferi is who becomes Meenah's more peaceful-reigning version of her ancestor, right? So in that case, why isn't Feferi more like the ruler from Meenah's timeline? It could've made her a more interesting character.

Having someone with absolute power that wants to do good by low-bloods and end bloodshed is a good concept, but otherwise, there's not much else to Fef's character and truthfully, it feels a little unbelievable to have a character like her in a world that is shown to have had such strong biases toward the blood caste. Having her be a morally exceptional outlier to the high-bloods seemed a little mysterious to me. What made her think outside her societal box? We don't get to know, but I wish we could've seen it. As it stands though, I had an idea.

If we followed a characterization more fitting of the fuchsia-blood in Meenah's timeline, we see that her society is less violent but still enforces a condescending, pitying outlook towards lower-bloods. It could've been cool to have a Feferi so out of touch with low-bloods that she shows some ignorance like Eridan, except hers would have stemmed from trying to impart goodwill on them (and it would backfire). It could have been a neat character arc to see her face her own biases and have her realize with her relationship with Sollux (and later friendship with Nepeta) how her views were in need of being adjusted just like Eridan's. It could've made a nice foil to him!

To have the two sea dwellers argue over their morality but both parties are wrong in different ways. Eridan wanting to destroy all lower bloods, Feferi admonishing him and saying they need to be protected because they're precious little things! Feferi doting on Sollux like a pet, not an equal, and getting her first dose of reality check from him. Sollux having a harder time with Aradia ignoring him and now also dealing with a fuchsia-blood endeared to him. Feferi always interjecting in conflicts to try to be the 'perfect peacekeeper' but making things worse with her mindset that 'higher bloods should be the bigger person and forgive the lower bloods because they are weaker. We shouldn't bully them.' It doesn't work and makes her insufferable! Im actually getting endeared to this made up Feferi, I might doodle her... (RIP I did lol)

But in conclusion, honestly, I haven't been around since the early years of fandom so I'm not sure if Im treading on an idea that was already discussed, but the thought of this different Feferi we could've had spurred me to make a post anyways. I really like the version of Fef that could've been ^^"

[golbrocklovely]

You say you like both boys, but you seem to be very biased towards Colby. Reading through you're blog you seem to take every opportunity to attack Sam and call out his flaws while letting Colby's slide even way back in your blog in years past. You say people baby Sam and attack Colby while doing the opposite yourself by babying Colby and attacking Sam making you a little bit of a hypocrite.

You should let people know you are more biased towards Colby so that they understand your answers to their questions might be weighted slightly in Colbys favour as people seem to be asking you for unbiased opinions on things when you're not unbiased at all.

usually with asks like this, i just ignore them and move on. but i have the time today.

i'll get all of the initial things out of the way first: everyone has a bias. shocking, i know. having a bias isn't a bad thing inherently, especially in cases like this where we're not talking about life or death topics. we are talking about fandom nonsense and nonsensical things like who's the better singer or who could be a model or what hair style looks best. who cares if i have a bias? none of this matters ! you're asking for my opinion, and this is what my opinion entails. if you don't like it, don't ask. or ignore it if it goes against what you want to hear. if you want someone to just agree with you, find someone that will. i'm not trying to change anyone's opinion, i'm just stating my own. and again, there's no such thing as an unbiased opinion.

out of all the ppl on this site that answer asks about sam, i'm one of the few that is actually nice to him. me calling out things that i think are a bit strange about him, or flaws of his, is not an attack. there are plenty of asks i've answered over the years where i have defended sam from anons who downright hate him (or at least sound like they do). i give him the benefit of the doubt a lot of the time. just bc recently i haven't agreed with the way he manages to not edit videos doesn't mean i'm attacking him.

i've tiptoed around saying my full, god's honest opinion about this fandom for a very long time, bc i think it's gonna piss some ppl off. but i think it's time i say it.

this fandom loves to coddle sam and full on hate colby. personally i believe that some fans that claim they love sam don't even like him. they just hate colby so much that sam is the only other option to them. that's not to say no one likes sam. i love sam. i care about sam. but that doesn't negate when he does things wrong imo. i don't have to turn a blind eye to them just bc i like him. and that applies to colby too.

the amount of asks i have answered over the years pointing out colby's issues in relationships, how he treats himself, his terrible choice in friends outside of sam, his ability to purposefully tease the fandom only to them complain about it, the times he has disappointed me, ect… i've talked about that ad nauseam. but so has the rest of the fandom as well. and not just on here; on sites that colby can actually see it on. ppl point out colby's flaws all the fucking time and no one cares. no one is coming up in my ask box saying "hey guys we don't know colby like that. let's give him a fair chance now." I'M the one saying that. but sam…. i have to walk on eggshells just to talk about in fear that someone is gonna get pissed bc i said he's a bit annoying sometimes.

let me point out some examples.

colby literally gets slut shamed very frequently. hell, there are ppl on here that do it often. i don't do it bc i would love for him to go out and have fun as much as he wants. but anytime he's even near a girl, it's "omg colby's at it again, acting like a fool. when is he gonna give it up and stop sleeping around?" but all of sudden bc sam is single it's "i can't wait to see sam hook up with girls. i wonder who his next gf will be." no issue there. sam was literally dancing up on a girl at jc's party, but colby's the one that gets called out for standing next to the same girl all night. okay then.

colby got berated on here a while ago for having a possible type - white, skinny, dark hair, light eyes. even tho he has been with girls that don't look like that. but bc it's believed to be true, he's a dick for having a type. sam literally followed like 10 asian girls in a row, some of which were onlyfans girls (which btw colby also got hate for following onlyfans girls so there's another example) and it was seen as "omg sam is so funny, what is he doing following all these asian girls???"

another prime example: kat is getting hate for writing music about sam. why? bc it doesn't favor him. bc it points out that maybe he wasn't the best the entire 8 years they were together. she has borderline albums dedicated to that man but all of a sudden it's an issue when she writes a song that doesn't metaphorically suck his dick. yall don't bat an eye when major artists shit talk their exes. it's tea, it's drama. but kat can't do the same to sam bc…. you like him?? not to mention, kat is now getting called a slut for talking to other guys (some of which are just her friends) when again at the SAME party, sam was with a girl and then admitted to hanging out with her after the party.

let's get into more, quasi serious, examples.

who participated in queerbaiting? sam, colby, and brennen. who apologized for it? colby. who got yelled at for not doing enough and not being sincere about it? colby.

who got yelled at for not talking about jan 6th on jan 6th as it was happening? colby. who got called misogynistic for wishing happy international women's day? colby. who got called out for not posting links to reputable sources when stop asian hate was trending on twitter? colby. do you know what sam did? nothing. he didn't post anything until colby eventually did, the difference is he didn't get yelled at for it. he didn't get cancelled for it. am i saying that colby didn't make some fuck ups during this time period? of course not. but the difference between what was said to him and what was said to sam over the same exact situations is a bit confusing.

colby still gets called an asshole for the killing best friend prank, a prank that BOTH OF THEM participated in and were in on.

i have seen this discourse happen on twitter a bunch: a lot of sam fans wish that he got recognized just as much as colby does. but do you know what that recognition brings? a tremendous amount of hate. colby receives that DAILY for almost every decision he makes. he loses followers when he grows facial hair, he got a death threat so bad when he was getting cancelled that he left twitter for like a week straight so his mental health would go back to normal. kat's own fucking fans rejoiced when colby lost his journal and was emotional about it. there is a level of respect that sam receives that colby doesn't.

sam and colby fan accounts can exist, sam accounts can exist, but colby accounts get called rude bc they forget about sam, or they get told "it's sam AND colby." yet weirdly, who's saying that to the sam accounts? bc i have a sneaking suspicion no one is telling them "hey you pay too much attention to sam, give colby some love too." bc i'm gonna take a wild guess that you wouldn't have sent this ask if i favored sam over colby.

i could go on, but i think i've made my point clear: do i have a bias towards colby? sure. i've openly admitted to favoring him sometimes or saying that he's my type more than sam. but i'm also right when i say this fandom babies sam. colby gets a lot of love, but a fuckton of hate on top of it. there are things that sam has done that colby could NEVER get away with. the amount of times sam doesn't address shit and just goes quiet and ppl just move on from whatever drama it was…. that could only happen to colby in a completely different timeline. i love sam dearly, but me pointing out that sometimes he's out of touch or isn't the nicest doesn't mean i'm attacking him. i call out colby for the same shit but no one cares bc shitting on colby is an everyday occurrence in this fandom. sam is literally known as the smart one of the two. you don't think that in itself kinda proves my point? colby is literally seen as the dumb one. what about that screams unbiased??

[bloomeng]

here’s the thing about childe’s characterization… it’s complicated

For simplicity sake, most people break down his character into three major facets; Childe, Ajax, and Tartaglia. You see the problem with this is that by breaking him down into these separate boxes it treats each facet as three separate individuals, rather than components of one whole; which canon seems to treat these components as just parts of his personality, not separate pieces.

Childe is inherently contradictory which makes understanding his characterization tricky. It’s even harder to pin down when considering that he’s not the point of view character. We don’t really know what he’s thinking or feeling unless he tells us explicitly, except that’s not really his style. Even the character lines are biased because he’s not speaking candidly he’s still talking to the traveler. He’s not lying, and he’s definitely more open with the traveler, but at the end of the day we’re still missing pieces to the puzzle.

Most people operate on specific values that form patterns that then form who we are. Childe from the outside seems to contradict these sorts of patterns (like it’s hard to believe that Ajax’s values can coexist with Tartaglia’s, so how do we begin to figure out his “pattern?”) I’m sure his logic makes sense to him, but to the audience he’s constantly contradicting himself with his violence and then his subsequent empathy. What’s missing is the guidelines to his logic system.

I think it’s possible that we could figure this out if he was given more screen time, however, for the overarching plot, that’s not really necessary. He serves his purpose to the plot perfectly fine without us needing to understand his logic.  And I definitely think we have enough information to start to build interpretations of him. The only problem is that interpretation is inherently subjective so that’s where we start to run into issues with people fighting over Childe’s characterization.

I think the biggest reason that the debate around him in particular is so prevalent is because it’s hard to categorize him. But you know what’s easy? Picking one of the main three facets of his personality and just focusing on that. Now I don’t love when people do that however, there’s nothing inherently wrong with it. It’s not hurting anybody, but it does cause a lot of fights, because each facet is so contradictory and different from one another that you might as well be talking about a different person. Which frankly makes the whole conversation extremely frustrating to watch.

I don’t have a specific conclusion of Childe’s characterization. What I do have is my own interpretation, which would take another long ass post to explain, and I’m not sure I really have the energy to fight over this. What I do know is that Childe would love it if I started a fight on his birthday.

[tomodachipersonalitycentral]

Could you do some other Lackadaisy characters (old and new personalities) like Lucy, Nina, Horatio, Virgil, and Elsa.

And your version of Atlas as well?

I'll do my best! Some of the ones you gave me are tricky but I appreciate a challenge.

Lucy

Lucy is a Confident Designer to the letter:

Tackles any challenge head-on, and has great faith in their own abilities. Diligent, productive, and highly efficient. A master at coming up with a plan and putting that plan into action.

Lucy is the one who keeps Wick organized, and, even outside of her job, socially, she cuts through the BS to keep things on track and not waste anytime. Love that for her.

Nina

I find Nina kind of a tricky one. But probably Confident Designer as well:

Tackles any challenge head-on, and has great faith in their own abilities. Diligent, productive, and highly efficient. A master at coming up with a plan and putting that plan into action.

Nina is strict and traditional, keeping those around her, mostly Freckle and Rocky, in order and trying to stay organized.

Horatio

Definitely an Easygoing Softie:

Does things at their own pace in a genuinely honest and kind manner. Sensitive, emotional, and very in tune with the feelings of those around them. Highly empathetic, and also quite sentimental.

Horatio is a gentle and caring soul who only seems to want the best for those around him. Not to mention he is also skittish and sensitive.

Virgil

Closest I can get with him is Independent Free Spirit:

Comfortable doing his/her own thing and thinking outside the box. Unique, carefree, and creative. Laid back and does things their own way. Self-reliant and always thinking way outside the box.

This might be biased, but I very much see Virgil as Rocky if Rocky lets everything get to him too much. Virgil does things his own way without caring how others see him, and is more laid back than most individuals who try to rob people on the streets, though it's clear everything else makes him act jumpy and aggressive.

Elsa

She's very much an Independent Lone Wolf:

Comfortable doing their own thing and thinking outside the box. Self-sufficient and highly individual. Doesn't show a lot of outward emotion, but has a lot going on deep down.

Elsa keeps her feelings bottled up, feelings that have seemingly made her a bit of a shut in, and can be difficult to read due to her reserved and lonely nature. Elsa deserves a hug.

Atlas

So, as far as my version of Atlas and how I view him, Confident Go-Getter would probably be the ticket:

Tackles any challenge head-on, and has great faith in their own abilities. A determined self-starter. Cuts their own path in life, and doesn't let anything stand in their way. Quick at turning plans into action.

Atlas is confident and in the comic described as an "opportunist", which fits the Go-Getter description pretty well. If he sees an opportunity he is invested in, he will go for it.

[lost-eternity]

Fandom Matchups -CLOSED-

This is a matchup trade for @fourtyfourcatss. Regular matchups are still closed. Without further ado…

•──⋅☾Cabin 6 - HECATE☽⋅──•

I won’t lie. I struggled with this one. 

I think a large part of it was the fact that I wanted to sort you into Athena’s cabin however, I had just done an Athena matchup so I was slightly biased against doing another. Oop. 

Honestly, it mostly came down to Hecate and Athena for me. After much discussion with a few of my mythology buff friends I eventually settled on Hecate and here’s why.

You see, Hecate is a very tough parent. She expects a lot out of her children. She expects them to dutifully study and hone their craft to meet her high standards. As a result, those who are more likely inclined to cabin #20 would be those who are intelligent, bookish, and most important studious. 

You may be able to see where I encountered some issues here. 

Bookish, intelligent, and studious are all core characteristics of Athena’s children as well. That, paired with your ambition made it very difficult to distinguish between the two. So with such a degree of overlap between the two goddesses and their parental strategies (and the sheer scarcity of canon information on Hecate), I had to extract from the original lore. 

Firstly, and perhaps most importantly, I got the vibe that you were more intellectually inclined than athletically. At least, there were few mentions of sports or physical hobbies in your interests category. I figured that you would have included them if you found them to be an important enough characteristic of your personality or if you valued them at the same level as your intellectual pursuits. Athleticism seems to be in more of Athena’s domain than Hecate’s. 

Also, I think another key distinguishing factor is how you think. 

Athena’s children think more rigidly and tactically. They are focused on that which can be physically observed and oftentimes will outright reject the notion of things that extend metaphysically. Basically, if they cannot see, taste, touch, or smell it, it does not exist. This more close-minded albeit scientific approach to life allows them to be extremely knowledgeable but also can impede on natural creativity. 

Conversely, Hecate’s kids function with a certain degree of flexibility which ultimately promotes their creativity. As the goddess of liminal space, Hecate places heavy value on creativity, thinking outside the box, and decision-making. Hecate’s children are emotionally complex and knowledgeable individuals whose understanding of the world extends into spirituality. They are willing to embrace the unexplainable, willing to acknowledge and work with the metaphysical aspects of the world that someone from Athena’s cabin would simply refuse to acknowledge.  

Think of it like the Hermoine Granger VS Luna Lovegood style of thinking.

I think your mention of intuition is what really prompted me to consider placing you in the latter category of thinking methodology. A strong intuition and inner-directional sense is a core aspect of Hecate’s children. I’d even go so far as to call it the most important aspect shared by all of her children. 

Hecate is the goddess of crossroads after all, helping others make decisions when they come to a metaphorical crossroads in their lives is a core part of her mythos. I imagine this innate directional sense would extend to her children as well.

•──⋅☾Belief Manipulation☽⋅──•

I am going to be a bit more brief with this one as I went a bit overboard on the cabin sorting. I had a lot to say LOL. 

Okay, so this is a fun one. And probably one of the most potent powers I have dealt out so please make use of it wisely. 

I think you would have the power of belief manipulation 

Those with belief manipulation must be of unwavering conviction themselves lest they lose themselves to the potency of their own abilities. But beyond that, they must have a clever tongue and sharp wit. 

Their logical, well-disciplined minds have the ability to shake the foundations of a person’s belief, manipulating it and changing it to suit their narrative. This makes it one of the most powerful abilities one can possess. 

Belief systems are so deeply ingrained in a person’s psyche that the manipulation of it can change who that person is on a fundamental level. So much about what someone says and does is motivated by the beliefs they hold. To change that is to change them. 

Sure, you can use this ability for hijinks and scandals such as making a famous politician believe themselves to be a dog on national television- or you could use it to topple nations and shatter the foundations of societal framework. 

The choice is up to you. 

Weaknesses:

Must be in the sightline and earshot of the desired target. Earlier stages of this ability even requires physical touch. 

Difficult to undo once done. 

Certain limitations are present as a belief can be dispelled if physical, tangible evidence is presented to the target suggesting something contrary to the instilled belief. However, this depends on the target in question as some people are more susceptible to unquestioning faith than others (it is not easy to change people’s minds). 

[detectivehole]

hi i have a goth fashion question

i can't really wear boots for accessibility reasons and i don't like the look of those wednesday-ass soft-goth ankle platforms - what do about shoes?

i usually wear like, black sneakers, but i would really like gothy shoes...

it really depends on what kinda sub-style youre going for, and your own aesthetic preferences, on top of the greater specifics of your accessibility limitations, but you almost certainly do have a lot of options

first, i wanna say there are a lot of fun and easy ways you can customize your own shoes: adding bits of metal and beads to the laces, chains to the body of the shoe, spikes, buttons, patches, etc. i decorate my sneakers and skate shoes like that (there is plenty goth is a classic pair of black canvas shoes or whatever imo plain or decorated)

if you dont wanna risk ruining a shoe i suggest practicing stuff like adding spikes, bars, studs and whatnot to scrap fabric or even canvas shoes from the thrift store, but a lot of other mods like beads and chains or whatever aint permanent mods and can be done and undone easy.

also on the note of thrift shops, just go often and keep an eye out on the shoes, and think outside the box too. goth fashion isnt the absence of any color or individual items style as a rule or anything, so if you see something you like and think you could work into a look go for it

now diy and thrift aside: it sounds like you wanna avoid softer, overly fem fashions? as in not a fan of gothic lolita, pastel, or maybe the poofier side or romatic gothic? regardless id pay attention to the low... rise (is that the right word for shoes?) footwear of the mens side of victorian, romantic, gothabilly, and ig maybe hippy (is that what they still call it?) sub goth fashions, as those aint nearly as boot heavy as things like traditional, cyber, etc.

emo, punk, and metal fashion is worth paying attention too here as well since all of these subcultures overlap in fashion heavily and, again, those guys aint always as boot heavy. well they have their own share of boots but you get the idea

if you wanna get into more specific shoes, im personally a fan of the look of platform sneakers which are unisex in presentation and funny as hell in a very cool way imo. i have some Yosuke brand ones, and i find them to be quality. platform sneakers own, who doesnt want 4 inch tall gym shoes? also a lot come in fun patterns, colors, or with shiny metal bits already added

demonia creeper-600s (as in ones in the 600 line) may also be more your speed than other sets in the same creeper style. i think mens dress shoes are also a good source, particularly Delray, Hancock, and San Marco styles- but theyre all pretty good and im just biased. throwing in a kinda fancy lookin shoe to an otherwise casual goth-y look is always fun, and in my experience you can work them in effectively to basically all of the sub styles with just a little effort

if you really want the sorta... leg-coverage look a boot gives you could also get into legwarmers and i mean that. they come in lots of cool styles and colors or you can make or customize your own. i have some, its fun

i wish i could give better advise or help more, but i hope this is at least a rant full of google prompts that will help you in some way

[septembersghost]

Kind of random but saw that post you just reblogged and had a few thoughtsTM

So I'm a religious person, meaning I might be biased, but it is kind of weird to me the way western society in general will act like it's the biggest tragedy to not experience/like certain things. Or like you're not normal.

For example, there is an insane amount of people who will act like it's a horrible thing to not drink alcohol "omg you poor thing" or "you can never know what fun is" or "damn, you're missing out"

People will act like there's a problem with you if you haven't been intimate with someone by the time you're 19

people will act like it's weird if you've never tried a smoke (or weed even)

and that's always a bit insane to me, even outside of religion, because it's not just religious people that might not drink alcohol/smoke, etc...

like I don't understand why these are considered milestones or 'you're missing out' if you CHOOSE not to do them.

I don't understand why not drinking something that's unhealthy and could intoxicate you means you're a boring person who is deprived of fun when there's a lot of other things that can bring joy and fun. Like I'm sure partying and drinking can be a blast for many people, but that doesn't mean other things aren't equally as entertaining, right?

I also don't understand why there's an expectation that you have to be intimate with someone otherwise you can never be mature enough or have meaningful relationships, etc... and you have to do it as soon as possible. like that post said, what if someone isn't interested? what if someone is uncomfortable? what if someone wants to wait for the right person? why is there judgement?

Sometimes I feel like I'm being crazy thinking this way, because these ideas are just so prevalent; it's been such a big cultural shock.

(to be clear, I am in no way judging people who do these things,I just raise a different opinion, because I also feel like people who don't do these things shouldn't be judged for it)

the societal pressures centering around these issues are wide-reaching and bizarre and far too much for us to even begin to unpack, but there's a lot tied up with the exaltation of youth and there's a lot tied up with damaging double standards (gender-based and otherwise). many things upheld as "milestones" or "rites of passage" for measures of "maturity" ultimately mean very little, and vary in profound ways from person-to-person, and boxing individuals in by expectation of when something ~should~ happen (or whether it must at all!) is unhelpful. no one experience defines a person or their identity/importance/value/uniqueness/relationship to themselves and the world.

alcohol is perhaps the easier subject to use as a placeholder - i don't drink as a choice, i never have, but i have an "excuse," which is it being potentially dangerous with some of my chronic illness issues. that said, i shouldn't need a reason to justify not drinking, or not ever smoking or using drugs, it's no one's business, right? we do what we can for ourselves and our own bodies, identities, and/or values. but people act like you're somehow rejecting social convention and depriving yourself. no one should need to justify why they choose to abstain from anything - hence why that post said that supporting the choice to not have sex isn't only about ace people (though that very much matters!), it should be acceptable and not questioned or shamed for anyone! just like, as long as they're safe and consensual choices, no one should be judged for making a choice to participate in something either. sex positivity is intended to support autonomy and individual agency, thus shaming someone for *not* being sexually active is inherently antithetical to the concept as much as slut shaming is. the reason behind that ought not to be up for debate or judgment, and there needn't be this stigma of disdain/shame/pity around it either.

idk it's hard for me because there's a LOT that i've always been out of step with (and i don't have the cultural reasons and understandable shock that you do!), i've addressed before how i was always somehow both older and younger than everyone simultaneously - what adults called an "old soul" and what my peers saw as strange otherness/shyness/naivete, some of which i never had language for until i started to discover more understanding online, and i'm still continually trapped in liminal spaces, so i can't give you a reason for any of this since i struggle to understand it myself! but i definitely hear you and know what you mean and agree!

[mspenelopelane]

Do you think Kendall coment to Jess about PGN in Africa was racist?

This is a good question—and this moment speaks to something I’ve considered for a while now. I do think it was a racist moment. Kendall has grown up in a world where people look much like him. I think it’s accurate to assume he would be filled with unconscious bias. It’s also accurate to assume that Waystar Royco does not have a robust DEI program so that moments like this could be avoided.

I also think that he’s given himself a pat on the back for having a woman of color as his executive assistant—how it might make him different from his father, more progressive. Part of “I’d watch that” was almost like him implicitly asking her what he’s asked other women in his life “do you think I can do it”, wondering if he’s capable, what move should he make, if he’s worthy—if he’s pure enough. “I’d watch that—does that make me a good person?”

But then he still must grapple with his own biases. For instance, the “try harder” line directed toward Lisa Arthur. That line in particular was brought up during the conversation of women of color on Succession and how kendall tended to surround himself with them during season 3.

We see in this season 4 moment an example of unconscious tokenism. He starts with mentioning international news, jess says she’d watch it, he gets more specific and chooses an entire continent with 54 countries and hundreds of cultures and languages. I suppose we could ask “why did he choose Africa first when probing Jess about what she would watch?” While he does list a handful of different regions, I can’t help but think he sees Africa as a monolith. “Like, everyday, what’s happening in Africa?” (And Roman’s reaction here silently calls out the ridiculousness of the line.) To immediately connect her with the continent of Africa is reductive and simplistic. But also, to consider: he’s struggling to come up with good ideas in this session and kind of ends up stepping into a biased place.

That being said, I think Kendall also generally recognizes the “Africa as the home of emerging markets” and would want to capitalize on that, and he’s also brainstorming ideas about how to reinvigorate a legacy media company—thinking outside the box, except he’s telling on himself: envisioning shows about “African” news is new (to him) because they hadn’t ever considered something like that before; he’s only recognizing the importance now because it can be monetized. Classic colonialist mindset.

[solarapplejuice]

steven universe thoughts: fusion

fusion is one of those things i think about a lot cuz it's so cool in concept. it's also a thing that's been criticized a lot, because, oh no! is it a metaphor for sex? please tell me it isn't otherwise SU is promoting pedophilia and incest! (stevonnie and steg respectively)

i personally think it is.

.

.

.

wait! i'm not going to destroy rebecca sugar with pitchforks because i think fusion represents *more* than just that. or to reword it, fusion is a representation of sex only when it's useful to tell a story or message about it. now, what business does that have being in a kids show? apparently to teach kids about the importance of consent and how people in power will try to control that or use it against you. probably not the dark or twisted message you were expecting!

the first time we see fusion as close to being a direct 1:1 as sex is the episode with the homeworld communicator tower thingy. we learn throughout the episode that peridot was never a player in this game; all along it was pearl rebuilding the tower, solely so she could fuse into sardonyx with garnet. for pearl, she feels weak on her own but so strong and useful with garnet. this makes garnet feel used, and retroactively puts every past instance of this into question. as it should! pearl abused garnet's consent, and now that it's dubious, she has every right to feel mad for being taken advantage of like that. most instances of fusion revolve around how important consent to it is, and how even when all parties agree things can still go wrong in the middle. amethyst comes to pearl's defense when she's caught since she can relate to desiring garnet's strength, but still feels uncomfortable when garnet demands that they fuse instead, both because of how angry she is and also knowing that she's the preferable alternative to pearl.

i think even if fusion was wholly a metaphor for sex, it would absolutely be worth examining closely but ultimately wouldn't be a blow to the show's image since the only thing it really says about it is what consent is and how it's a top priority. these are things that parents or proper sex ed should already be teaching kids. but if you're obsessed with the purity of your kids, you're leaving them to learn this stuff from the world. sometimes the world is nice and it's SU you learn from. other times you straight up get groomed, if not by individuals then instead by society.

that last sentence leads into the second way i think fusion is related to sex: the way it's controlled by culture. in real society or culture dominated by heteronormativity, it's easy to point at the average boomer and make fun of them for being a prude. this couldn't be farther from the truth; the reality is that the world wants you thinking about sex all the time. from a conservative perspective, there would only be cishet men and women in this world thinking about when they're going to engage in copulation to please God or fulfill some natural-biased destiny about having children. the only thing that's acceptable outside of this box is to ogle at women - *only* cishet women, of specific races and of specific bodytypes, by men. society LOVES sex, but only sex as defned by it and on its terms. the reality is that our society has always been projecting its own depravity onto queerness, a depravity that serves and continues heteronormativity, which is why the mere existence of queer sex or straight up genuine romance even among cishets is a threat to this current order. sex not for the purpose of having children is sinful, and sex not between a man and a woman is obscene.

homeworld takes this real world problem and puts a sci-fi colonialist spin on it: fusion isn't just persecuted by culture for culture's sake, but by the state for the state's sake. fusion, after all, leads to stronger and more powerful labor; multiple rubies make stronger guards, multiple amethysts make super soldiers, and while we never see it, i'm sure they have gems such as lapis lazulis fuse to carry out menial labor like terraforming and kindergartening with ease. homeworld LOVES fusion, but only fusion as defined by the diamonds, and existing on their terms. it draws a lot of interesting parallels with a certain scifi book about the US military taking control of the construct of gender for its own gains, but in both stories the message is the same about the real world; power and/or the status quo must erase queer relationships in order to maintain the relationships that serve it and its continued existence. gems may never fuse for any amount of personal reasons, and gems of different kinds fusing is blasphemous on the grounds of completely destroying the status quo.

once again, not exactly a bad thing to be teaching kids early on while withholding the physical details. once again, they deserve to know how the world will try to use their bodies against them, things that parents and teachers should already be teaching them! (it's worth mentioning since i've brought this up twice now, i live in the US so not only do we not have sex ed in our school houses but also not in our own homes.)

i have more thoughts on fusion, such as what i think fusion actually does in and for the story beyond just this, but this post is so long and already has all of my defenses for fusion as a concept laid out. i'll make a pt2 for this when im not tired (read: busy but procrastinating cuz i keep thinking about SU instead of doing shit like making art)

[mystery-salad]

🎮 🖊 🎄 and 🐷 for Tvelle and Call

Two of my hottest warriors yes thank youuuuuu 💖

🎮 VIDEO GAME CONTROLLER — what are three of your oc's favorite hobbies?

Tvelle's is pranks and games! Shenaniganry! In general given the extremely dangerous and tense atmosphere of where she works, she really makes it her goal in and outside of work to relax and help everyone else to relax too. She's great for morale and the life of any party. The third for her is blacksmithing. She's not professionally great at it, but she does like trying her hand at making her own weapons so long as a professional looks it over after to make sure she doesn't actually go out with a weapon that will break in her hands.

Call's favorite hobbies include:

- sparring, letting out energy along with the stretching beforehand and going over maneuvers afterward. It's meditative in a way.

- small 3d puzzles, like puzzle boxes or fidget puzzles. Things she can travel with that she can fiddle with in private, keeps the mind sharp.

- social drinking. She has a pretty damn high alcohol tolerance, and she enjoys going out for just a pint or two with friends and shooting the shit together.

🖊️ BALLPOINT PEN — does your oc have any tattoos? do they want any (more) tattoos?

Tvelle has no tattoos! Strangely one of the only things she didn't get up to in her massive rebellious streak. She just doesn't personally have a deep desire for any on herself. She does think they're neat though!

Call got a full torso/arms tattoo while in Cantha! There were a few reasons for it that get a lot deeper and too lengthy for a simple ask meme lmao. The style is organic branches and vines all growing from a tree that runs up her spine, gnarled and warped and almost animalistic in the forms like claws and teeth reaching out around her. The color scheme and general coverage matches her in-game tattoos!

🎄 CHRISTMAS TREE — what is your oc's favorite holiday?

Tvelle loves Lunar New Year! She would spend days in the team pvp zone kicking ass.

Call's a fan of Festival of the Four Winds, it's such a nice place to explore and she likes talking with the acolytes and discussing travels. Trading stories along with trinkets.

🐷 PIG FACE — what is your oc's favorite animal?

Tvelle always loves a good raptor! And she is biased given her beloved pet raptor named Sledgehammer

Call doesn't have one favorite, but she enjoys leviathans a lot. First time she saw a juvenile in Canthan waters? Those things are massive! It's wild that things that big are lurking in the depths, cool as fuck.

[icharchivist]

I feel like Sariel has low intelligence, yes (through no fault of his own, since the Astrals put a limiter on him that ended up not working right), so he can seem a bit slow, but he has great emotional intelligence. Which is ironic, since that is exactly what the Astrals wanted to remove from him. He's very empathetic and even though he can't always put what he's thinking into words, he feels so much. I am biased, but I choose to believe that he was the only one who saw behind Belial's facade

Yes, i rather agree.

Sariel was just... never in a situation where he could seek knowledge, nor have the emotional stability to put himself in this position. The Astrals put a limiter on him, which added to it, but i doubt he'd find time for reading a book after having been torn to shred on a battlefield again and waiting to recover knowing it will happen again the next day.

Sariel coped with the horrors by wanting to push away from his mind anything that weren't the horrors so he could dedicate himself to his purpose, and anything that made him think outside of that was driving him to despair realizing he was stuck. So IMO, this is typically the type of situation you can't even bring yourself to look outside of the box, because then it's just a reminder of how cruel the box is to start with.

And i mean, now he's in a better environment, NOW, for what. A year? a year on his thousands years of existence? and now he's starting to think a little more.

i didn't bring it up last ask bc i didn't know where to put it but, while he's bad at acting (because he is bad at acknowledging his own feelings, with, re what i was just talking about), he still managed to infiltrate the Mole Troupe, in no small part because he was thinking carefully on how to do that.

I think he doesn't have the words to express anything he knows: intellectual or emotional knowledge alike. He was never given the opportunity to. But out of his reasonings, or his behaviors, or the way he's starting to connect with others, it shows that he understands quite a few things, and perhaps more attunely than many, but just doesn't have the tools to express it.

Which is why, personally, as someone who's brain has been totally rewired by character arc linked to theater, i'm thrilled on the fact Falsch and the rest of the troupe managed to give him pointers not only for acting, but to understand himself. I think it would work well for Sariel to kind of rationalize this part of his thoughtprocess and basically, getting a way to solidify those thoughts in general so he can address them, or, at least, have a better attuned reading of himself.

And when it comes to Belial, i totally agree. I believe originally it is that Sariel cracked this facade to start with, because he kept taking Belial by surprise. And for what it is, Belial has always mostly been manipulating others by using their vices, their sins, the stuff they could feel guilty about. And those are all things he can't find in Sariel, and when they met Sariel was so depressed, that i think it genuinely took Belial aback and forced him to drop the mask. Not to mention how Belial also manipulates people in order to keep up a scheme or appearance, and Sariel doesn't care about either of it. and i think again, Belial would be in a situation where he can't approach Sariel with his usual way to set distances with others, because none of this works on Sariel. So he's forced to do the worst thing of all with him: actually be a bit earnest. And Sariel caught on to that, and Sariel looked further into that.

I honestly think Sariel knows Belial more than any of the others angels (except perhaps Lucifer but even there...) because he knows this side of him Belial has been unable to show off with the world. Because he had his own duties to carry as well.

I've said it before, i'll say it again, i genuinely think Sariel is perhaps the only possible path to redemption Belial could get. Sariel could also just decide to mostly be at Belial's side (but now that Sariel is starting to get himself a support system and Belial is no longer the only person who was nice to him, i doubt he would this easily as he would have at the end of 000) but if there's one characters who can get Belial to drop the facade a little and try to be better, it's him.

And Sariel is at least... aware that something is afoot? He can perhaps not word it completely but he keeps thinking something is up with how Belial saved his life while pretending to be an asshole about it. He wants to understand, but it also means he figured out that Belial had some plan while doing that, and i think a part of him understand it means Belial cares and he needs to know for himself.

And if anything, i think the fact Sariel as we know him now is constantly seeking for knowledge, to know how to do stuff, that he became a detective which means he's working on his deduction skills, when he's working on acting he's working on his relationship with people, on understanding them, on how to communicate with them emotionally and just in general, he's learning more about emotions, how to process them, how to see them in others, how to see it in characters, all of that.... is that Sariel is now in a position in which he can reclaim all of those things that would have been meaningless in his previous life, but now allow him to be his own individual.

I think it's really that Sariel never had the tools for it when he was in a toxic environment, and never was in a mental place where he could justify wanting to seek them out. Now that he is in a positive environment, he's free to do whatever he wants and he's seeking this type of things, and despite it all, he is learning fast. It's not like a switch was flipped, he still has a very long road to go considering just how far his development was stunned by his circumstances, but the fact he has the ability to pick up this many new things now and work on it shows he always had at least the base work for it in place.

All he needed was a more positive environment that wasn't trying to kill him every single day.

so yeah, just. many thoughts. Sariel is smarter than we give him credit for, if only emotionally speaking. That's my take on it.