#thats a can of worms

[ultlien]

The Scourges: well this is awkward. Everyone: filled with dread. Eclipse: why she kinda....

[mouseratz]

I think something that a lot of people fail to accept is that.....people need to be treated like human beings regardless of situation. "fat people are ok....if they're healthy" "addicts are okay....if they're successfully recovering" "homeless people are okay.....if they're trying hard enough/they're not addicts/they're not gross" . like none of these conditions take away somebody's humanity. but when you add these "ifs", you do make respecting someone else as a literal fucking person conditional. empathy or just any level of understanding is seen as something that has to be Earned in these situations . and it sounds so simple, even obvious, but then you think about it and it is just a really widespread line of thinking.

[stardoopy]

Great Ace Attorney ancestor headcanons can be so self indulgent

[heartorbit]

a fool and a sinner

[msexcelfractal]

I used to believe that bugs were little robots. Lots of people do, it’s the prevailing opinion next to “i’ve never thought about it”. Then I watched a mother wasp mourn her child. An animal who stretched after a nap and did little dances when her daughters returned from flight. Now she is opening her fourth capped hexagon and finding a pale white stillborn. She grasps the baby gently in her jaws and does not put it down for over 24 hours. Carries her loss, pacing back and forth the length of her enclosure. It is not the behavior of a robot.

So I think about the prior odds. Scenario A, bugs are robots. Why do I believe that? Because they are so tiny. Because if they are not robots then my world [where “insect exterminator” is a job title and I can buy a can of mass death at home depot] does not make sense. They must be insignificant.

The wasp makes me reconsider. Scenario B: her kind are like mine. cry when we are sad and happy when we play. Has this feature evolved many times? Or is it common to all the children of the precambrian worm? Every shark in the ocean swimming in their own feelings. Every bird and every cat knowing the thrill of being alive? The wasp made me realize that my whole moral picture is wrong. We’re not alone on this planet,

[clownkissersinternational]

Hannibal: Tell me will, does your act of rescuing worms from the pavement represent an attempt to play God, to exert your power and control over the natural world? Or is it an acknowledgment of our responsibility as intelligent beings to act as stewards of the earth and its creatures, to use our abilities to help and protect those who cannot do so for themselves?

Will, soaking wet from the rain, shoveling worms into his pockets: I am going to KILL you

[a-sketchy]

persona misogyny is so fucking wild. ignoring literally everything else about the entire rest of the games, every single s.link with a female character is like “entirely for having been born a woman i have had to work twice as hard for a fraction of the benefit. even now, i am stripped of my agency in a position i never wanted in the first place” and/or “i’m put on a pedestal by the people in my life because of my looks. men see me as an object to be conquered, women hate me for ‘stealing’ ‘their’ men. if i’m withdrawn i’m a bitch, if i’m friendly i’m easy. because of this, i’m alone” and/or “because of my personality or hobby or lack of cooking skills, i feel like i’m failing at femininity. if being a woman is something i can fail at, then where does that leave me? i’m scared at the loss of my identity and place in society”

like very consistently they present female characters with complex thoughts towards their place in society as women, femininity as a whole, and facing issues stemming from misogyny, and then the payoff is always “my problems were entirely my own fault. i wasn’t strong enough, i was a coward. but now, i’m gonna work hard to be exactly what society expects me to be (which is what i want to be)! i’m gonna do better at femininity (which is still something tangible i can fail at)! i’m going to try hard at making friends (which was my fault for not doing)! all my problems are solved through personal responsibility (that im totally culpable for), effort (which i previously was not putting in), or you, a man! i am Happy and Satisfied with this outcome, can i be Your woman?”

and like hello? why are we here. what the fuck are we doing. why do we keep doing this every single time. can we not do the constant lukewarm attempts at criticizing misogyny so you can jerk off to your own thoughtfulness, while ultimately reinforcing patriarchal systems and brushing off any deeper misogyny-bred issues as a lack of deference to one’s rightful place in society? like maybe don’t do that? for fucking once? just an idea

[3-aem]

the shibuya arc is almost over, i still cant believe it started off with 5 episodes of teen gojo and suguru having the best and then the worst time of their lives all to the back drop of a slice of life setting. I think i will always chose to live in those first 5 episodes they dedicated an entire marketing campaign to.

[carnivalcarriondiscarded]

weeee fantasy au scribbles look at these Guys

[sneckoil]

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(shop link in replies)

[shadowqnights]

crazy how everything about mcd is so much more insane when you apply what i call the dog rule and that is when they are all dogs now in some way shape or form: an analysis.

when garroth is purebred, a hound made to serve, that does not know how to do anything but heel. he has purpose. he is sleek and well-groomed because he has to be, because he has always been tended to. a dog that falls into desperate spiral when that dynamic shifts - because who is he, without someone to follow, protect, love? a dog that becomes flea-bitten and hungry when he runs because he was never taught to take care of himself, to be his own master. he falls apart. he needs this, he knows, but what is he without someone to own him? a dog that cannot lead any kind of pack or family because it is afraid to understand the kind of animal it is if not in submission. if a parent, a teacher, he is promptly punished by his students as cruel reminder that he is not allowed to find joy in anything other than what his makers intended. a dog so desperate that it offers up its own leash to whoever will take it when things crumble - even if it means turning back to distasteful company. as long as it is held at all. time and time again, he tried to tend to the younger, weaker. he tried to feed them and lick their wounds - and time and time again, only to be mauled in turn. no more, he thinks. life was simpler when he was mindless, just four paws and a purpose. if that was what he was bred for, what business does he have pretending?

when laurance is a stray but made out of love. his coat shines thanks to the love of his family, his sister. he is sleek and well-groomed with them. the nether breaks him in, turns him a little wild. gives him cause to show teeth when threatened. when he bites, he mauls. there is something wicked in his animal eyes. he goes for the kill. when he bites, something in him wants it to hurt - whether his prey or himself, he can't tell. a part of the dog believes the suffering is natural because its maker declared it so. the pain wanes in and out like the cycle of the moon; life is unpredictable. he is braced to survive, sometimes with teeth already bared to expect the suffering. constantly on edge, pacing, waiting for the next disaster. a loyal, desperate pet that will follow to the ends of the earth - a desperation that borders on obsession. he will eat you alive, if only you would stay with him, inside of him, never leave him. never look at anyone else the way you would him. don't put him on a leash - let him choose who to lope after. his leash, in fact, is in tatters. he can't be collared. he merely follows, hungry at the heels of who fed him. his sense of duty is not of obligation but of love, a sacred need to stay at the side of those who treated him with kindness and them alone. and worse, he is burdened with the constant fear that if left untethered for too long, that obsession might turn carnal - that if wronged, he may not kill to eat and feel full, but kill merely to feel the blood on his teeth, just to feel the pain. feel something. anything. that he might enjoy the taste of his loved ones. maybe a leash is the right thing. maybe he needs to be caged. he can't bear either thought.

when they both bite the hand that fed them. when they bite each other. when they are dogs and kind of made for each other.

dante is a dog. aaron is a dog. aph is a dog. katelyn? oh you fucking guessed it. ivy. jeffory. zane. yeah. all of them are dogs. welcome to the dog rule fuckers its exactly how it sounds. are you sick of the word dog yet.

[themistas]

going to scream. when castiel goes bonkers as god, powered-up over 9000, dean gives up on him one hundred and thinks he's no longer there. but sam, the blood-addict, lucifer's vessel, the freak, the one who is supposed to be evil, who has succumbed to 'darkness' here and there, knows, and doesn't. and castiel is still there, and in need of help. and what would have happened had sam not been there.

[techlove-1999]

i am going 2 be completely honest. the idea of yes man always and 4ever betraying the courier in the independent ending feels like blatant mischaracterization 2 me.

i can see it happening should the courier continuously do shit that he doesnt like. like blowing up the securitron army, allying the brotherhood with the ncr, etc. these are actions that will absolutely sour yes man 2 the player and under these circumstances, then yes, i can see him ousting the courier the first chance he gets.

but at the same time the game shows the player time and time again through his route that he very much genuinely enjoys your presence. he signs his printout with “Love, Yes Man.” he often greets you warmly, saying things like “I am so happy to see you!” and “Yay! It’s you!”

he even basically refers 2 himself as the courier’s best friend when going over the mark two update demonstration by saying “I mean, some of your best friends are Securitrons, right?” over and over again does the game show the player that yes man does genuinely care about them and regard them in a positive light. this isnt even mentioning the fact that the devs 4 the game straight up confirmed that when yes man mentioned his assertive update, he did not mean that he would betray the courier, but instead would only answer 2 them.

now, of course, not every courier is the same. not every independence playthrough is going 2 be one in the same, and thats the point. the ending is tailored 2 specifically what you want 2 do with the mojave’s inhabitants. you can blow up the brotherhood or leave them alone. you can make the boomers your friends or ally them with the enemy. this is the route where you get 2 choose what you want 2 do. and of course, that means allowing you 2 choose options that yes man finds unfavorable or detrimental 2wards not just your goals, but his wellbeing as well. and under those circumstances, it would absolutely make sense 4 him 2 take the reigns from the courier. after all, why would he want 2 work with someone who actively puts him and his goals in harm’s way?

but 2 say that yes man would always betray the courier ignores everything that the game otherwise sets up 4 your dynamic with him. it ignores every piece of dialogue where he regards you in a genuinely positive light, everything he does that shows the player that he really does value them. so why would he do that? why would he do that 2 someone he evidently likes spending time with, 2 someone he enjoys working alongside? what would he even have 2 gain out of doing something like that?

it just doesnt make sense 4 him 2 do something like that 2 someone he genuinely, truly cares about.

[skitter-queen]

well ? how would ?

well for starters he probably wouldnt have kissed as many girls

[nyoomfruits]

... thinking about dad!oscar/dj!lando again.....

[queen0fm0nsterz]

What do you think are glitches remains?

This question is so simple on the surface but the second you start looking into it... the implications carried are certainly intriguing.

So. The Glitching Remains are, by definition (and presumed by their name), remnants of the past. They are what's left of someone who has been long gone. If you want a direct comparison somewhere else in the games, the Nomes and the Shadow Children are similar to what the Glitching Remains are supposed to rappresent.

The Nomes are a more... "universal" kind of remain. They are what is left of the body after it is ridden of its identity. They are still the result of death - see as the Lady cracks RK's bones and twists his neck during his transformation - but rather than being spiritual, they are the physical manifestation of it. Nomes have been around for a long time, predating even the Lady herself, so you could use this to point at the fact that this practice of creating/leaving remnants behind has been around for a long time.

(Concept art of RK and the Nomes in the Maw and a screenshot of the Nome in the Necropolis.)

Considering how they are treated in the Maw, I would not be surprised if they were also created to be workers elsewhere. Their number is quite elevated in the Nest - place which is implied to have held large numbers of children in the past - and wa have reason to believe that the Necropolis might have had some Nomes as well.

The Shadow Children are, however, a much more direct comparison to the Glitching Remains. Officially referred to as "the Masked Remains" in their theme, they are a spiritual counterpart of the Nomes: they are what happens when you force a remnant to live outside its body.

(A Masked Remain being blasted away. They are oddly adorable.)

I say "force" because they are not born spontaneously: unlike the Glitching Remains, they need to attach to a physical object to survive even as shadows. Once their mask is destroyed, they don't reform. This is what makes me think that they are not naturally formed, but rather created.

(I also have an ounce as to what their masks are made of... but this is not the time. Still, ever since I saw that petrified child in a cage in the Residence, I have not known peace.)

A parallel is drawn between the Nomes and the S.K. in Very Little Nightmares, where their Jack-In-The-Box can be found next to some Nomes mourning in front of pictures of children - considering the context, presumably their former selves before they got transformed.

(Tears. Many tears.)

The Glitching Remains are similar in spirit, but different in practice. Nothing sways them: they are not weak to light like the Masked Remains are, and they don't need to have a physical object to attach to in order to persist in the physical plane. That being said, they are devoid of freedom: none of the remains we meet walk away from places and some even appear to be "trapped".

Taking this into account: I think the Glitching Remains are the physical manifestation of the strong emotional distress one feels before or during death. Or even a strong emotion in general. I say this because of the many places where the kids are found, implying their untimely deaths, but some of these kids are seen repeating actions which have nothing to do with that. Either way, I think that in nature, they are similar to what the Thin Man is: a "ghost" made of static which carries on thanks to emotion alone. They are not on the same due to the difference in strength, hence why the Thin Man has a more physical body while the remains don't, but the basic idea is the same.

(A few example of Remains who I think are in the place of their death/where their body lies. There is many more, but I picked the ones I think are most obvious.)

Earlier I said that I believe these remains to be formed rather than created: this is because, while we do see Thin Man has the ability to create Remains, the fact that he's been locked up for so long, as well as many of these remains hiding in places unreachable to him, has me reason that most of them are most likely not made by his own hand. Rather, I am currently of the assumption that the air of the Pale City (and surroundings) is so strongly plagued by the power of the Transmission that these Glitching Remains can form on their own.

However, when coming in contact with Mono, his first instinct when coming close to them is to "absorb" them (exact opposite of what the Shadow Kids do with RK, might I add!) and they have no reaction whatsoever, which is another reason for me to think that these Glitching Remains are truly the purest form of remnant we've ever encountered in the franchise. They only do one thing, and that's it. They don't move from their spot and they're not aggressive: they're just a fading memory replicating either their last actions, or their last emotions.

((... Kinda like the Thin Man, on a much lesser scale. Again, these are two sides of the same coin here.))

I think Six not reacting to them at all is also quite interesting. There are a few instances where Mono can absorb them right in front of her and she doesn't seem the least spooked. I wonder if she can even see them to begin with?