#which is something of an exaggeration/oversimplification

[shredsandpatches]

Let's all enjoy this picture of Ncuti Gatwa and Edward Bluemel as Christopher Marlowe and William Shakespeare in Born With Teeth

[vigilskeep]

can you talk about misinterpretations of wynne and zevran's dynamic??? i'm chewing on your analysis

i think it’s a very basic case of people simply taking what is said at face value, in a way that comes up a lot with your classic zevran misinterpretations and uhhh oversimplifications. zevran and wynne’s banters are full of his classic exaggerated flirtations. all of their banters hinge on this joke and they’re very funny. but i’m always mildly stunned when i see people taking that as... zevran actually literally just being horny AGSHSKKSKS

i don’t think people give zevran enough credit for how clever he is at dancing around the other companions. nobody ever really gets one up on him. i can think of one specific instance in banter where i do think something gets under his skin, which i think oghren of all people manages essentially by accident the one time he’s actually not really trying

anyway: wynne opens their first banter with “you must know that murder is wrong, i assume.” it’s very wynne; she makes a judgement and announces it as fact. zevran is slightly stunned by this and also how funny it is: “i’m sorry... are you speaking to me?” with this incredible disbelieving pause because, like, he’s the party assassin. but he’s also playing for time quickly on how to react to this out of nowhere. wynne then explains the simple narrative she’s constructed that joining the party is due to a crisis of conscience on zevran’s part about being an assassin. and zevran immediately jumps into exaggerated agreement, and once he gets a better idea, the first of his flirtations with her, until she gives up in exasperation. it’s an evasion tactic zevran is very, very good at and has been doing to you, the player, since his first appearance on screen. he wants to play on the characters he performs when they’re useful shields, whether it’s the victim or the flirt or what have you. but also always with that ironic air that he’s clearly doing a bit; there’s the charm of letting you in on a private joke, but also he needs everything to be a faintly ridiculous game to him, so he doesn’t have to be affected

zevran keeps this joke up for the full extent of his banters with wynne through the whole game, because he finds it wildly entertaining, of course, and because he has no interest in ever inviting the conversation she wants. he so badly doesn’t want to deal with her asking this that he decides to run this bit into the GROUND, and starts doing it pre-emptively to ward her off even after she stops trying to instigate the conversation. bc wynne may be a good way off the mark, and, ironically for someone wanting zevran to take this seriously, not able to imagine that his life and feelings may be more complex than assumed (absolutely classic spirit behaviour once again), but she is needling at his reasons for leaving the crows, which is the last thing wants to be honest with anyone about

making the assumption that zevran is flirting with wynne out of genuine interest is, to me, the same mistake as thinking zevran when you first meet the warden is flirting out of genuine interest. this is how he knows to stay alive. if he let his guard down, he’d be dead; if he wasn’t charming, he’d be dead; and if he ever stopped to dwell instead of being the “eternal optimist”, always instinctually grasping at one more chance to live another day, he’d be very, very dead. he’s not going to casually discuss vulnerabilities for someone else’s peace of mind and he definitely doesn’t have the kind of insecurity to need to explain himself to people who don’t know him or what they’re talking about. so, rogue evasion abilities activate! it’s time for him to dodge! which is what he spends the entire series of banters doing. but also he’s just still finding it funny throughout. she just gives him so much ammunition. it’s like taking candy from a baby. zevran loves an old and terrible joke repeated for several months solid, they age like wine to him

i also think wynne’s comments are a light jab at how zevran does get read by players. he’s not ashamed of being an assassin. there’s this great line in one of his dialogues with the warden that asks why he shouldn’t continue to do what he’s good at when so few have come by his skills “honestly”, as he believes he has. there’s a tendency to characterise him and characters like him as, ah, the guilt-ridden victim in need of a pure-hearted saviour to show him the light, etc etc, but that’s never been who he is. there’s no ending where he suddenly quits being an assassin lmao

[cruesuffix]

i've noticed that @yeotozaki and @rentherainbringer have actually never showed my anon rants, and rather tiptoed around showing it. i want you to engage with this properly if you wanna defend your stance.

1) "the erosion of rock as a genre isn't because of fandom, it's because of uninspired bands."

first off, no one is saying fandom single-handedly killed rock. what HAS happened, though, is that the cultural perception of rock has shifted, and that affects how it's made and consumed. rock's essence (danger, rebellion and rawness) has been sanitized. when a genre loses its edge, it loses its meaning. this has happened across multiple waves: arena rock bloating into corporate schlock, grunge collapsing under its own disillusionment (and posers wearing nirvana shirts and not knowing the band), punk being stripped of its bite for hot topic kids, etc.

the problem isn't just that rock bands today are uninspired (which many are), but also that the culture around rock has transformed. if you take a genre that was about visceral, primal energy and turn it into something aesthetically cute and domesticated, it's going to lose impact. if the loudest discourse is not about the music itself but about "wouldn't it be fun to slap some bows on their pictures?" that's a shift.

no one's saying girls posting edits are killing rock, but when that becomes the main discourse, it reflects something bigger: rock music has been declawed.

2) "women have always been the biggest supporters of rock."

historically? yes, women have been a huge part of rock's success. but so have men. you act as if women were single-handedly carrying the genre while men sat on the sidelines. that's demonstrably false. the idea that men only started liking the beatles at sgt. pepper's is an absurd oversimplification. the band had plenty of male fans from the start (musicians, artists, intellectuals, and casual listeners). you're right that rock fandom has often had a strong female presence, but the framing that men "hated" rock bands just because women liked them is exaggerated. sure, there was sneering at pop hysteria, but plenty of serious male listeners were there from day one.

also, let's be real: bands didn't make it just because of screaming girls. they made it because they were good. Talent, songwriting, innovation, that's why they endured. the beatles didn't stay relevant for 60 years because of beatlemania; they stayed relevant because their music evolved and had depth.

3) "fandom doesn't ruin the rawness of rock."

fandom itself? no. the TYPE of fandom that prioritizes aesthetics, shipping, and parasocial fantasy over music? yeah, that DOES alter how a genre is perceived and engaged with. when you remove the music from the center of the discourse and replace it with personal fantasy, it DOES change how people approach the art. rock was never meant to be a cozy, sanitized plaything. it's supposed to be ugly, sweaty, primal, electric. of course, people can engage with it however they want, but there's a difference between engaging with rock music and engaging with a romanticized projection of rockstars.

groupies WERE a part of the scene, sure. they were muses, facilitators, and sometimes even behind-the-scenes power players. but they were never the main event. the music was. if you shift the focus from the music to the personalities of the musicians, you get something different. something diluted.

4) "you wouldn't have rock without women or black musicians."

i'm so fucking tired of this talking point. i've argued against this 7364648490383735363839383635474949474474844464749474484474 times. YES, rock's roots are undeniably in black music (blues, gospel, R&B). that's not even a debate. sister rosetta tharpe was pioneering distorted guitar long before white rockers ever picked it up. chuck berry laid the foundation. but acknowledging roots doesn't mean ignoring what happened afterward. rock evolved. it became its own entity. and while female musicians contributed plenty, the foundational sound of rock (the riff-heavy, aggressive, rebellious ethos) was overwhelmingly shaped by MALE musicians. that's just a historical fact.

5) "if you don't like fandom, get off tumblr."

this is tumblr's biggest logical fallacy: the idea that because a platform has a dominant culture, dissent isn't allowed. that's nonsense. rock IS about rebellion. it's about going against the grain. if you want a space where nobody challenges the prevailing narrative, that's the opposite of what rock stands for. anyway, have you ever heard of free speech? i have as much liberty to not like / criticize what you do as much as you do to like what i dislike / criticize.

hi brandon!! i feel like i’ve already answered most of your point in my last ask, but since you obviously didn’t read it and fully understand it, i guess we have to do this again.

1) first of all, that quote was directly semi quoting yours. second of all, in no singular way is fandom shifting any sort of perception of rock. saying so is stupid. rocks problem is the bands themselves that aren’t at all innovative these days. if anything, the perception of rock is that it’s dead, not that it’s sanitized. saying that the fandom sanitized rock is crazy to me, because through fandom i’m always learning about bands i’ve never heard of! the problem is the music industry only lets more radio friendly bands on the air and only gives bands like gvf more attention. the true bands that are raw and “heavy” aren’t getting the attention they deserve. it’s madness to assume some girls putting bows on their fav members are “sanitizing rock.” i’ve seen plenty of ppl on here also discussing their fav bands extremely critically, discussing aspects of their careers in ways most rock publications wish they could. also… i would say the cultural response to rock has still been favourable… about older artists. maybe you should be begging these newer bands to start coming up with something rememberable instead of putting out ford f150 add music. no one’s ruining rocks “reputation” than the mutant wannabe led zeppelin bands that bring nothing to the table. don’t come here and tell us we are what’s shifting the attitude towards rock, cause that’s not at all true.

(also if you seriously think rock isn’t still seen as dirty and disgusting… maybe you live under a rock. ppl still don’t engage with rock because of the belief it’s satanic… that means it’s still taken seriously. no amount of girlie girls thirsting over rock stars is going to change that. you… do know girls have been thirsting for rock stars since like… the 50’s right? has that ever changed how ppl think of rock? FUCK NO.)

2) i’m not framing that men hated rock bands. i was telling you that most men hated the Beatles until they went heavier. example: nikki sixx himself said he hated the Beatles cause he thought they were too “clean cut.” he only started engaging with them when they put out the white album and went “heavier.” that’s just one example out of a million. many men also hated the Beatles cause their girlfriends were obsessed with them. that is a very true phenomenon, men hating artists cause their girlfriends/sisters/mothers/ any girl they interacted with liked them. i never said there wasn’t a single man that liked the Beatles, i was saying majority men didn’t like them, which is true. i also never said men didn’t like rock as a whole, which you would have known had you not skimmed my response. there were plenty of rock bands men were the majority fans of, which brings me to my next point:

3) women, whether you like it or not, help a band tremendously. pentagram, a doom metal band, is just starting to get popular because of tiktok. that band has a majority male audience and yet… hasn’t blown up til now. that band is popular in the underground scene but hasn’t done anything other than that. is it hardy to assume that bands have more success with a majority female audience?? come on, you know how this industry works. i’ve said it before, rock bands market themselves off of sex. plenty of bands have already said “sex sells.” why do you think i keep saying female audiences keep bands afloat? while men would rather gatekeep their favourite bands (name three songs doesn’t make ppl want to know more about a band, it just makes ppl hate you!) and keep them in the clubs rather than the stadiums, it’s the women that follow these bands around states that help them get to the stadiums. that is a fact, not an opinion. also… when band members throw themselves at groupies (especially underage groupies), i’m allowed to assume that was the biggest thing they cared about, besides the music. like vince neil said “i was in a band to score chicks.” see how there was no mention of the music ;)

4) i’m just going to say this. i have to constantly remind a lot of you rock fans that music was made by black artists (especially black WOMEN) because you all like to ignore history actually. rock was never a white genre, no matter how many white musicians come into the genre and put their own spin on it. rock is about diversity and inclusion not exclusion. when you undermine the power of women i fear i have to tap the damn sign and remind everyone of who exactly created this genre. that’s all :)

Lastly,

5) i said “if you don’t like fandom, then why are you here?” cause… seriously. if you claim to hate the thing you keep ranting and raving about, why are you engaging with it? makes me think you actually love it here and love the fandom you’re secretly apart of. if you didn’t like it you’d ignore it like a normal person would. but here you are arguing with a bunch of teenagers (the ppl you originally fought with at least) and some random person on tumblr dot com that can’t believe you took the time to write all of this. like… there’s so many other places to engage with the rock fandom on. go on reddit (since you seem like the type of person to be on that site), go to twitter. you have freedom of speech just like we do. we’re not going to stop “cringey fandom behaviour” cause it doesn’t exist and you have no authority to criticize what people do on their blogs.

also, what exactly is the rock fandom on tumblr doing that other fandoms (say, in movies or tv) aren’t doing? it’s the exact same thing, you just think some rock band from the 60’s is this all encompassing legion of gods that are literally just old ass men that made good music. treating fandoms like they’re destroying their legacy is laughable. they’ll all be dead soon and will be projected as legends no matter if a bunch of teenagers girls shipped them with each other or not. get over it.

you say you don’t think fandom has destroyed rocks reputation, but you continue to talk about how fandom “negatively” impacts rock, which it doesn’t. so it’s either you think fandom is harmful to rock or you don’t, and it’s very clear you do. still, no one is forcing you to engage in fandom, and if you want to listen to rock and talk to like minded people, find a place for you to do that. stop engaging with parts of the fandom you don’t like and you’ll see how much your life improves! stop coming here and getting mad when you see parts of the fandom you don’t like when this is the “parts of the fandom you don’t like” website. i’m not telling you that cause i don’t want you to express your opinion, i’m telling you that cause i know nothing you say will change anyone’s actions or opinions so you might as well find people you actually want to engage with somewhere else.

thanks for coming to my ted talk, and pls… if you don’t read this fully and understand what i’m saying, don’t make that my problem!

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

AITA for not liking when my boyfriend tells me no (in some contexts)?

This is something that kinda made me blow up recently and i wanted to know from an outside perspective whether whats upsetting me is insane or not.

My (23F) boyfriend (23M) has the speech habit (and it's not just him, theres plenty of people who do this, i just talk to him a lot) of saying "no/youre wrong" whenever i say something that's half-right (like an oversimplification) or i say 2 things, and 1 is right 1 is wrong. And it really fucking bugs me because it makes me feel SO stupid and he does it when im not even wrong!

Most recently, i answered a quiz question that was like "if the year the roman empire fell were a wavelength in nm, what part of the EM spectrum would it be in?" And I knew the roman empire fell in 476, and i knew that was the visible light spectrum (which was the correct answer!). I then went 1 further and said "i think it would be red light."

My boyfriend then gave me 0 credit for answering the question right and said "no. it's blue light." This wasnt a quiz with any stakes btw, he just sent me the question because he thought it was funny and he knew id be able to answer it. But hes been acting like i answered that question totally incorrectly even though the actual literal answer was visible light, which i got correct.

This made me really upset that he would just shut me down and say "no" when all i did was get confused about which colors had which wavelengths. But he stands by saying i was wrong because "well, you WERE wrong." And he does this all the time about everything! I like to simplify/summarize things or exaggerate for effect, and he considers me doing that to be "wrong," and it really fucks up my ability to speak with him because it feels like he's shutting me down. And it makes me feel stupid as hell. Like ill be talking about a show with 8 seasons, so I'll say "that show had like 20 seasons, of course they were gonna have some bad episodes" and he'll say "no it didnt" and then ill say "okay like 10 seasons" and he'll say "no it didnt" and then what the fuck am i supposed to say? It feels like hes just trying to shut me up rather than listen to the gist of what im trying to say. But he says its because im just wrong about something and he's "letting me know," but there are SEVERAL better ways to let me know about that.

Tl:dr am i the asshole for getting offended when my boyfriend tells me im wrong about something whenever im half-right or exaggerating for effect?

What are these acronyms?

[jeannereames]

Hiii, I hope you're well.

As far as I understand, the idea/debate of whether Alexander and Hephaistion were lovers goes back centuries. As far as I know, it was the roman writer Klaudios Ailianos in 'Miscellaneous History' who first called them lovers.

But how did it come about? Did it come out of nowhere? Why exactly did some Roman writers consider this possibility, that they were lovers?

Alexander and Hephaistion in Roman-era Authors

We’re not actually sure who first (unambiguously) called them lovers. Aelian’s comment postdates one in Arrian’s writings on Epiktatos, which also claims it, not to mention the not-so-subtle hints in Arrian’s biography, where Hephaistion is compared to Patroklos (the only Alexander historian who makes that comparison, btw). Arrian was probably dead before Aelian was born. Similarly, Curtius implies it in his history, as well, although it may not be meant in a good way, there. Curtius is (probably) even earlier than Arrian.

We must remember that Alexander was an object lesson by the Roman era—mostly as a cautionary tale, but sometimes for good, too. That lent itself to oversimplifications. Seneca uses him to talk about uncontrollable rage with the murder of Kleitos, and excessive mourning with his reaction to Hephaistion’s death. He was also used to warn against overweening ambition and Too Much Drink. In short, all examples of “excess,” which was a big Roman no-no, and a Greek no-no, too. Sophrosunē (self-control) was much lauded; so also Latin disciplina. Plutarch presents the young Alexander as a shining example of sophrosunē, thanks to his Good Greek Paideia (education). But success spoilt him. While not a Roman, Plutarch lived under Roman rule and was part of the Second Sophistic—as was Lucian, who’s even more harsh towards Alexander. His “Dialogues of the Dead” includes one between Philip and Alexander where Alexander is presented as a pompous ass. There’s another dialogue just below, between him and Diogenes, which is more of the same. ATG comes out better in the dialogue with Hannibal and Scipio (and Minos).

But all that gives you some idea of how Alexander was used as (negative) exempla. Plutarch in his “On the Fortune or Virtue of Alexander” goes the other way and presents Alexander as Ubermensch. It was a standard piece of rhetoric from Plutarch’s youth, so shouldn’t be taken as his opinion on Alexander. He was showing off his speech-writing chops.

This is how Alexander was used by the imperial period and why certain anecdotes about him were repeated over and over. Hephaistion wasn’t remembered as Alexander’s chiliarch and right-hand guy, but as Alexander’s beloved friend and alter-ego: Alexander too. The story of Hephaistion and Alexander before the Persian women was quite popular, popping up again and again, sometimes to show Alexander’s generosity but sometimes to show the vicissitudes of fate (Oh, how the mighty have fallen). The nature of such anecdotes is their very malleableness. They can be used and reused to make several different points.

Hephaistion wasn’t unique. All the bit-players around Alexander came to symbolize something for stock usage. And the move from dear friend to lover isn’t a big one, in the game of ancient rhetorical telephone. 😉

It may also reflect reality. But that entails determining whether it’s the removal of prior coy language, or exaggeration for rhetorical purposes. That’s not at all straightforward.

Greeks were somewhat reticent on certain matters, and “Friend” could have romantic overtones in the right context. It’s the problem of “When is a cigar just a cigar?” Ha. In this case, when they met would have a lot to do with it. Were they indeed friends from their youth (as Curtius claims)—or only later, once Alexander was already in Asia (as Hephaistion is never mentioned in our sources about Alexander’s youth)? That’s why Sabine Müller thinks they didn’t meet until Alexander was an adult, and Hephaistion came from Athens, wasn’t just of Athenian descent. They would have met too late to be lovers, although Hephaistion was still very dear to Alexander and a perfectly capable commander (on that, we agree). By contrast, I do think they met as boys, and were lovers, and that attachment persisted into their adulthood (although perhaps not the physical affair). And that comes down to which sources we trust, and why: the historiography.

[kylesvariouslistsandstuff]

Stats Time! Europe Saves Disney in the '70s

The so-called "Dark Age" of animation, and especially Disney's, the entirety of the 1970s and a good part of the 1980s... The span of films made in the post-Walt years from THE ARISTOCATS (1970) all the way up until - depending on who you ask - THE BLACK CAULDRON (1985). Some extend it further, counting THE GREAT MOUSE DETECTIVE (1986) and OLIVER & COMPANY (1988) as part of this "Dark" age or "Bronze" age or whatever.

I feel like those labels are an oversimplification...

While the general consensus is that the films made at Walt Disney Productions' animation wing in Burbank after the completion of THE JUNGLE BOOK and before the release of THE LITTLE MERMAID are relative low points for the company or that those films are just not-that-great (which is all subjective, I know at least one or two folks who make a case for this age of Disney being an "underrated" one), this was **not** a period of box office failure. That's for sure. Every film except THE BLACK CAULDRON made its money back. It is presumed that the Frankenstein-job clipshow feature that was 1977's THE MANY ADVENTURES OF WINNIE THE POOH also did pretty well...

After all, if one of those 1970s movies were to lose money, then the animation unit could've circled the drain. Heck, BLACK CAULDRON's performance brought about discussions of shutting down Disney Animation. That's all it could've taken... One movie losing money, and that would be the end of that. Animation was often at the mercy of indifferent executives who saw it as something too costly and something that just had a hard time drawing in audiences.

Finding box office stats isn't easy for older Disney animated films, you usually come across exaggerated or inflated numbers of some kind. (For example, THE JUNGLE BOOK did not make $73m in North America in 1967/68. The total was closer to $13m. Maybe $73m was the number it adjusted to in like, the 1990s?) International numbers are even muddier, but sometimes, you do find some juicy helpful information..

More recently, I discovered just how much the European box office helped Disney's animated features soldier on during a transitional, rollercoaster period...

I have often pointed out on here that France and West Germany were where these films usually made bank, big time. THE ARISTOCATS, ROBIN HOOD, THE RESCUERS, and THE FOX AND THE HOUND were all massive there, Top 10 hits. I mean, given that THE ARISTOCATS is set in Paris and the French countryside, it being a blockbuster in France is a given. Despite some Americanization (Southern-accented dogs, the very late '60s-looking American hippie cat in Scat Cat's gang, etc.), a lot of which likely bypassed in the movie's French dub. But yeah, French moviegoers rewarded each of these movies nicely, as did Germans on the West side of the Iron Curtain. This all came off just how *huge*, like ginormous THE JUNGLE BOOK was in West Germany and how big it was in France...

Even THE BLACK CAULDRON did pretty great in France. THE RESCUERS outgrossed STAR WARS... STAR WARS... In France and West Germany, in the same release year... Wild, huh?

Meanwhile, these movies did not crack the Top 10 in America in their respective release years. THE JUNGLE BOOK would be the last Disney animated movie to make the Top 10 domestically, until BEAUTY AND THE BEAST... Some 24 years later.

The UK box office was also quite charitable. THE ARISOCATS and ROBIN HOOD did exceptionally there, THE RESCUERS did well too. Unusually, THE FOX AND THE HOUND did not break the UK top 20 in its release frame... Maybe that one was a little too American? Too gloomy? I couldn't tell you.

Speaking of the UK box office, that's where the homegrown WATERSHIP DOWN shined. It only did, as far as I know, fairly here in the states.

Don Bluth's THE SECRET OF NIMH was a minor success in France, ditto AN AMERICAN TAIL. According to some reports out there, Ralph Bakshi's HEY GOOD LOOKIN' did pretty well in Europe despite a nonexistent run in the U.S.

Fascinating... Other countries to the rescue, it seems.

[wakeupthemembersofbylernation]

There are so many things wrong with this post, I don’t even know where to begin.

“It’s like you actively want him to be a terrible person… it’s like you actually think Will is petty enough to be jealous about Mike’s love confession to El”

This is such a strange thing to say because what are they even attacking here? They’re not attacking the concept of canon reciprocated Byler; they’re attacking the literal text of the show- Will being in love with Mike- and twisting it so that it’s somehow “petty” for Will to be a real human being- a real human teenage boy, mind you- with genuine feelings. Is he supposed to feel no emotion at all? Loving Mike and feeling heartbroken doesn’t make him a terrible person? What are they even saying? And to call it “petty” when Will did nothing but show how selfless he was all season? When Will is the one who repeatedly pushed Mike Huckabee together and encouraged Mike to keep monologuing even as it dug his own romantic grave and visibly killed him inside? You don’t have to ship Byler if you don’t want to- it will still be endgame tho, lmao- but why can’t everyone unite on feeling empathetic and compassionate towards Will and the impossible situation he finds himself in? Why is there such a Mad Libs instinct to downplay Will’s CANON feelings for his lifelong best friend?

“… when it literally saved her life.”

It literally didn’t? I’m not saying it played NO role in the battle at all- that’s a separate debate- but I guarantee you the thing that gave El the strength to fight on was NOT Mike finally saying I Love You in an incoherent monologue where he said nothing specific about her, repeatedly emphasized her superpowers, and also talked about the Benny’s Burgers T-Shirt that almost swallowed her whole when they met. If any aspect of Mike’s monologue inspired her, it was the “Fight! Fight!” portion as she looked to her best friend Max and gained courage to continue fighting for her. Her true love. Not Mike’s “love confession,” motivated by Will’s painting, which they didn’t even talk about after. This isn’t a Disney movie. The cosmic Midleven love didn’t save the world. The gates opened. Max fell into a coma. The heroes lost. Hawkins fell.

“You think Will is such a bad person that his sister is dying and he’s thinking “gosh, I wish Mike loved me instead”?

Will contains multitudes. He can both deeply love his sister and want her to live, which is why he’s pushing Mike to continue monologuing, while also wishing Mike loved him instead. Which again, is a CANON, central aspect of Will’s character, not something Bylers are just making up just to ship two characters together. Of course, Will wishes Mike loved him. Will Byers adores Mike Wheeler, AND he adores him enough to attempt to rip the bandaid off so that your rapidly sinking ship can see one more day and his bestie can be happy even though he’s clearly not. That was like the entire point of their S4 storyline and why Will was so emotional every time Mike talked to him.

“According to your theories, [Mike] has been stringing Will’s sister along for over a year while actually being in love with someone else”

According to what theories? That’s such a weird oversimplification and exaggeration of Byler theories. It’s a straw man argument. No one, not even those who place Mike the furthest possible point on the Kinsey scale, believes that “stringing Will’s sister along for over a year” is an accurate description of what Mike has been doing. Do they have no compassion for the complexity of the situation that a queer Mike would find himself in: the possible internalized homophobia, the definite confusion, the likely terror and uncertainty, the guilt and self-hatred, the butterflies that probably feel like pterodactyls? The two people he’s closest to abruptly move away across the country- his lifelong best friend who he might feel something more for and the girl with superpowers he’s literally dating and trauma-bonded to and whose dad just died?

“If Will got together with that theoretical Mike that would make him an asshole”

Good thing you’re right, in a roundabout way. That theoretical Mike doesn’t exist and is based on a strawman you made up. Mike literally can’t be “stringing El along” since neither Will nor El have been present in Hawkins. But even if they had been, and even if he had consciously chosen to lie to El about his feelings, and even if Mike has made mistakes- which he obviously has: he’s fourteen and a human being - it still wouldn’t make him an “asshole.” He’s just a scared and confused queer kid trying desperately to stay normal, trying desperately to stay afloat. Somehow our theories make Mike seem like an asshole to you, but Mike being rude and weird to Will for no reason (not even being able to hug him!), Mike not being able to tell his girlfriend he loves her and openly gaslighting her about it, and Mike crumpling up romantic letters from El with no explanation all make him perfectly valid???

“This is specifically about the “canon Byler trutherism crowd” that insists Byler is gonna happen in season 5.”

Well, I mean, of course there are Byler enjoyers out there who don’t believe it’ll be canon or who lost faith after volume II and never regained it (we welcome back all prodigal children at any time), but yeah… one of the central aspects of our ship especially following season 4’s pretty transparent Byler plotline is the belief that it will be canon, not because of any arbitrary or “delusional” reason but literally because the narrative is setting it up and televising it. But you got me, I guess?

“Mike just suddenly ditches El and gets with Will”

Strawman. Stop it, you know no one is arguing that’s what will happen. We believe there’s a nuanced and beautiful storyline being set up. And most of us believe El will break up with Mike first. But regardless, there’s nothing sudden about Byler in season 5 when Mike has always looked like he wants to risk it all and kiss Will.

“This is only directed at the one’s I’ve seen bashing I Can't Believe It's Not Butter! constantly and harassing Mulan II blogs and just overall bad fandom etiquette.”

Says the ship that constantly sends out insane, unhinged homophobic asks and openly trash talks Will, wishing death on him and calling him slurs? You won’t catch any misogynistic anti-El asks sliding into your DMs. Look- I’m not denying there are toxic Bylers out there. No fandom is composed of saints. But when you survey where the vast majority of the “bad fandom etiquette” comes from, it’s pretty lopsided lmao.

[somerabbitholes]

hi lol this is kind of weird to ask i know, but i wanted to take history for college and when i told my parents, they told me that most people who take history (and literature) are either a. people who want to take civil service and need to study more seriously for that i.e. not really taking history seriously or b. people who dont know what to do so they take the easiest option/women who just need to study until they get married, and basically that i would be surrounded by people who wont take the subject seriously, which could then affect my own seriousness. bc you have taken history i wanna ask you if thats like actually true or just an oversimplification or exaggeration?

we're 12 people in my specific combination of courses, and all of us want a PhD at some point, which is sort of an implicit assumption at the master's level: if you've made it this far, you're sticking with the subject. not all of us are looking to teach, but we do want to be part of the larger project of history. there are, of course, people who want to join the civil services but that doesn't mean they don't care about what historians do. for a lot of people i know, the civil services are just a stable job that'll give you money to support research and everything. like if you join the MEA through the whole civil service apparatus and are at a certain level, you get a grant for a PhD in the field you're interested in. so the thing about people just there for the job prep is a huge oversimplification; it's obviously a lot more nuanced.

but that stereotype also doesn't go away, even when you're part of academia: there's a sort of runnning joke in my department that most people who study ancient india do so because it's less investment and it prepares you for the exam, and there's sometimes a latent contempt for those who are just there too, but that's just an assumption and it goes away when you actually talk to someone who's studying for the exams. (because the problem isn't really that people who want to join the government aren't 'serious enough' about history, it's that academia and the bureaucracy work in ways that makes reconciliation or doing both so difficult). i'm not even going to touch the women thing because not a single person i know is killing time until they marry.

and i know you're not talking about this, but i just want to point out that history is not easy or self-evident. there's a very frustrating but very common assumption that all we do is read dalrymple or other popular historians or just go over chronologies until we know them perfectly. and as much as popular writing would have you believe that history is something "anyone can do" if you've got "a good story to tell", it is still something that needs training, there's value in being trained to read archives and write in a way that can be both critical and literary. people spend years extracting truth and building coherent narratives out of maddeningly disparate sources. it's more complicated than you think and you realize that the more you do history.

i don't think you need to worry about being surrounded by people who aren't serious. i'm not saying you'll never meet those people; i'm saying it won't be extraordinarily different for history. every field has them and that's just how it is. but you'll also find classmates and professors who care deeply about the subject, and they'll all love it and care about it in different ways, and that makes it so, so worth it.

i hope that helps & i'm sorry if i went off.

[thebreakfastgenie]

Normally I'm all ship-and-let-ship but I don't even think you SHIP Hawnk, so. As funny as this idea might be, and as much as I actually find homophobic gay Frank funny in some ways... the idea that Hawkeye of all people(!) would compromise his morals to that extent for the bit is... I mean he isn't fucking around when he says he hates Frank. Frank isn't just a problematic guy, he's an out and out fascist. How is that not comparable to the nurse? Hawkeye REALLY liked that nurse too, and she was ten times more attractive to him than Frank. Kissing and flirting for the bit, sure. Actually sleeping with him? Are you saying this just to be edgy?

I would never say something just to be edgy. You should know me better than that. I would say something just to be funny. But that's not really what it is, either. Not anymore.

Hawnk is a crack ship, but I do ship it. I hate that it's real but it is real and it's extremely entertaining and kind of grossly fascinating. Haven't you ever had a crack ship before? It's fun.

I take issue with the way you emphasize "Hawkeye of all people" but I'm not sure I can articulate why because I do think he's deeply committed to his principles but... I don't know. He's a human being. And because this is a crack pairing, it's based on a slightly exaggerated version of early seasons comedy protagonist Hawkeye.

I don't think Frank is an out and out fascist. That nurse was a dedicated bigot. Frank is right wing to be sure and he is undeniably dangerous. But Frank isn't very sincere in any of his beliefs. He values a kind of masculinity he does not have and does not succeed very well at performing. He's a coward. He's also extremely pathetic and absolutely desperate to be liked.

Hawkeye may not be fucking around when he says he hates Frank, but there are multiple episodes where he gets along with Frank temporarily or feels bad enough for Frank to do something for him or take his side. Whatever Hawkeye feels for Frank, it's not pure hatred, and I think it's a disappointing oversimplification of the show to suggest that it is. Hawkeye does give a shit what happens to Frank, even if he doesn't want to. I don't think it's possible for someone who cares as much as Hawkeye to share a tent with someone for [static noises] years without developing some kind of a bond, even if it's akin to Stockholm Syndrome.

Crack ships are all about exaggeration within certain limits, so the exact mechanism by which I see hawnk happening is basically Hawkeye flirting with him, kissing him, etc. and just going too far. They're playing gay chicken and no one stops. Hawkeye would also absolutely have to be pretty drunk. But the drunk, horny, bored, torturing Frank combination? With Hawkeye's fanon level sluttiness? I do see it as plausible, on a crack ship level.

I am simply here for a good time. I'm not trolling with the hawnk posts; it's something I find deeply amusing. I'm not trying to get a specific reaction or any reaction at all. When I reread them I think they're funny.

[the-insomniac-emporium]

Bound Blood (Cassandra Dimitrescu/Reader, Soulmate AU) Pt. 5.5 Bonus

Fandom: Resident Evil: Village Rating: T+ for language Warnings: None Summary: Local feral human spends some time with their new family. Four short bits featuring Daphne (Maiden OC), Bela, Lady D, Daniela, and a surprise guest. Enjoy. Previous Chapters: 1: Sharing Is (Not) Caring; 2: Bloodbath, Baby!, 3: Haunt Me Dearly, 4: Portraits For Ghosts, 5: Heart Of The Matter

5.5: Family

i.

“Wait, you’re telling me that you came here willingly?” You asked, mouth agape, eyes wide. It felt like every time you talked to Daphne she had something incredible to say. Which was, of course, why she was your favorite maiden to talk to. That, and the fact that she had adapted so quickly to your ‘charming personality’. So far she was the only servant you had been willing to be honest with. Mainly about your feelings regarding your blood bond, but also just about your relationship with Cassandra in general. Something about Daphne simply made her incredibly approachable. From what you had heard, you weren’t the only one to think as such, with her being fairly popular among the castle workers.

“More of us do than you might expect. Some consider it an honor to serve one of the four Lords, and Castle Dimitrescu is certainly… nicer than either the factory or the reservoir. Personally, I came here for a friend of mine. She, well, had less of a choice. I couldn’t bear the thought of her being here without knowing anyone, so it felt like I only had one option. Can’t say I regret my decision, if you can believe it,” Daphne explained, folding laundry all the while. At the same time, you carefully sort through the not yet washed clothing, separating them into two baskets. After all, you wouldn’t want Lady Dimitrescu to end up with a pink dress! Technically this wasn’t your job, nor did you have a job at all, but you hated having idle hands- especially when talking to someone who was working. At first Daphne had protested, but she had given in upon realizing just how stubborn you could be.

“That’s… impressive. I mean, holy shit, that's a real ride or die friendship right there. Is she, uh, is your friend still, you know, around?” You stuttered, cursing your tongue for asking such a thing. If the answer was no, you were going to feel like a real asshole. Which, admittedly, you had a tendency to be. But this wasn’t one of the times where it was intentional. Thankfully, Daphne is all smiles, and even seems amused by your spluttering.

“Yes, we’re even roommates. Well, us and five others. Possibly with a sixth one on the way, if we ever get someone to fill the empty space,” she replies, pausing to think. Then she’s back to work, refusing to waste any time. “Speaking of roommates… I know I said I’m not one for gossip, and I meant it, but a little songbird told me that Cassandra seems to be in a much better mood these days. Are the two of you, well, getting along? It would be nice to know that soulmates can overcome even the roughest of introductions.” There’s a hint of something odd in her tone, and you take a moment to wonder what she’s (unintentionally) hinting at. Had she met her soulmate, only for things to go poorly?... Before answering her, you make a mental note, deciding to see if any of the other maidens had a scar across their nose.

“It’s not like she and I are dating or anything. We’re just, you know, not hating each other. Currently,” you said, shrugging. But Daphne raises an eyebrow at you, and you find yourself instinctively feeling guilty, somehow feeling small next to the shortest person you knew. “Alright, alright, we might have… Okay we kissed. And promised each other not to die, because having your soulmate die hurts like hell. Also maybe she showed me her mom’s art collection and I made a joke about the titty sculptures because holy shit, this house has a lot of titties.” At this, Daphne bursts into laughter, grinning from ear to ear.

“Amen to that, for sure.”

ii.

“So… fan of science, I see,” you say, awkwardly, bouncing a little on your heels. Next to you is the eldest Dimitrescu daughter, who had unexpectedly joined your table in the library. There were several other places she could have sat, with both more comfortable seating and more workspace, but for some reason she had chosen here. So far she hadn’t said a word. Hell, you hadn’t spoken to her since your first meeting, where she had suggested killing you. Naturally, you weren’t quite sure what to make of her. Something told you that she felt much the same about yourself.

“Fan of oversimplification, I see,” Bela counters, after a few tense seconds. Then she sets down her book- a heavy text about Romanian avian fauna- to give you her full attention. “It would be more accurate to say that I enjoy studying biology, particularly the branch of zoology.” Well, this conversation was certainly… happening. Honestly, you couldn’t tell whether she was legitimately judging you, or merely chaffing you for her own amusement.

“You’ll have to, er, forgive me for being overly broad. Consider it a side effect of my nerves, those themselves being due to our unsavory introduction. In case you don’t recall, you put that sickle of yours into my shoulder,” you reminded, with a sarcastic smile. To your surprise, Bela chuckles at this, almost as if fondly remembering the incident. Seriously, you think, why did my soulmate have to be from this family?

“Staying silent was an option. Perhaps that would have suited you better?” Bela says, now clearly teasing, smile much more genuine than your own. Knowing she had a point, you’re quick to blush, mildly embarrassed.

“Touche. I am curious, however, why you decided to sit next to me in the first place. I certainly wouldn’t have tried starting a conversation if you hadn’t,” you explained.

“Like I said… I enjoy studying zoology,” Bela replies, with a sly grin. It takes you a few moments to understand the intended implications. Once you do, however, you’re giving her a hard stare. Then you scoot your chair a few inches away from her, in exaggerated movements. “Don’t worry, I was only joking. Though you certainly are an interesting human. Much more, hmm, cheeky? Compared to the servants, at least.”

“Somehow I get the feeling that they simply prefer being alive, as opposed to not being as snippy. Except maybe Daphne, now that I think about it. Very sweet, that one,” you muse. “Regardless, I think I’ll return to my book now, for it lacks a tongue, and is therefore less likely to taunt me.” Doing just as you had said, you open the book, holding it a bit higher than what would be comfortable, so that it becomes a ‘shield’ of sorts. Nothing was quite as satisfying as subtle body language.

Accepting your words with a shrug, Bela also resumes reading, turning to a bookmarked page. Roughly an hour of relative quiet passes. Neither of you so much as glance at each other, not even when she drops the pen she had been taking notes with. In the end, you are the one who leaves first, and finally the silence is broken. You give your goodbyes, and Bela returns them politely. Though you do not know it, she sets her book down as soon as you leave, pausing to think about you. Now that things had ‘calmed down’, it was reassuring for her to know that you weren’t always full of spite. Still, you held onto your cleverness (for the most part), leaving her with no doubt about the universe’s decision. You were her sister’s soulmate.

iii.

“It’s official: I’m lost in a creepy castle. The universe hates me. Probably should have realized that sooner, considering how it decided to introduce me to my soulmate,” you mutter, scowling deeply, as you wander unfamiliar halls. How had you even gotten lost? Sure, you had taken a wrong turn, but it hadn’t taken long for you to realize your mistake! Evidently you somehow managed to make another one while backtracking. Now you were standing in the center of the corridor, hands on your hips, desperate for some maiden to come rescue you. What you really didn’t want was Cassandra to find you, because she’d make fun of you for the rest of your life. It’s not like she had specifically joked about you getting lost before. Except that was exactly what had happened.

A few minutes pass uneventfully. There aren’t even any distant sounds of life; no footsteps, nor echoing voices, nor the squeaking of floorboards. All you can hear is your own breathing. As well as the occasional sigh, admittedly. By this point, there’s a part of you that’s starting to panic. After all, there was a chance that the castle was big enough for certain sections to be abandoned. Hopefully that’s not the case, you think, I mean, they’d cut the power to those parts, right? Here’s hoping… With that in mind, you get back to wandering, figuring that you’d have to eventually run into a familiar landmark. Or better yet, someone who actually knew the castle’s layout.

When salvation at last reveals its holy visage, it is not in the form of a lowly servant, rather the muffled voice of none other than Lady Dimitrescu herself. Neither her exact words nor who she’s speaking to is clear. At first, you can’t even tell where her voice is coming from, but you quickly approach one closed door, then another, searching for the source. Several doors later you’re certain you’ve found her. By then you can tell that she’s not alone. Not wanting to seem rude by interrupting, you take a few steps back, leaning against the wall to wait. For the most part you still cannot make out what’s being said, but a few words do reach your ears.

“-expected more from you. How am I-” the voice gets cut off, not by Alcina, rather a sudden gust of air, akin to massive wings flapping. When the speaker continues, they are both louder and angrier. “Someone is listening. Have you not taken steps to ensure our privacy?” Then the door is swinging open, revealing your soulmate’s mother. At first she’s practically shaking with rage, but her expression turns to shock when she sees you.

“What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be with Cassandra?” Lady Dimitrescu asks, clearly stressed, as she steps into the corridor. There’s movement behind her, although you cannot make out any details. Besides, you’re quick to answer her, wishing to avoid her wrath (and that of whoever she was speaking to).

“I’m so sorry, Lady Dimitrescu, I was walking from the dining hall to Cassandra’s studio, and I took a wrong turn. I’ve been wandering for half an hour now. When I heard your voice, I thought perhaps I could, well, enlist your assistance. But you were busy, so I figured I’d wait outside. If I had-...” you pause, gulping, as the other figure steps into view. It’s a face you’re all too familiar with. One that popped up countless times through the village, and again throughout the castle, the owner’s name always spoken with acclaim, with worship. Mother Miranda, in the flesh, wings spreading out behind her, somehow cutting a more impressive silhouette than even Lady Dimitrescu. Instantly you’re falling to your knees, knowing that your sharp tongue was no match for this practical goddess.

“Who is this, Dimitrescu? Why isn’t their blood staining your claws?” Miranda questions, gaze never leaving your trembling form.

“This… this is one of my daughters’ soulmates. They were brought in with the last group of sacrifices,” Lady Dimitrescu explains, uncharacteristically hesitant. ‘Twas a true testament to Miranda’s power, as well as her influence, that she could make someone so powerful seem so weak. Which was exactly why you were shaking with anxiety. But to your surprise, the goddess does not immediately order your execution for your trespass.

“And already they know their place, hmm? Kneeling before me?” Miranda says, a strange smile dancing on her lips. Whatever anger she had been feeling a minute prior had faded, though you couldn’t even begin to guess as to why. Regardless, both Alcina and yourself are quite relieved, though neither of you are quick to show it. “Either they have a good head on their shoulders, or you still take care of some of your duties. Very well, they may live. For now. But I expect next week’s report to be far more favorable. I don’t need to remind you of the price for failing me.” With that said, Mother Miranda turned to leave, a swirling mass of dark feathers flying past you.

A minute passes, maybe two, before either of you feel capable of speaking up.

“Let’s get you back where you belong, yes?” Lady Dimitrescu says, quietly, before placing her hand on your shoulder to guide you. Tension hangs clear and heavy over both of you. Even as you walk down corridor after corridor, the feeling does not ease. At least not until you’re back in familiar territory, near where you had originally made your mistake, finally able to breathe a little. It’s here that Lady Dimitrescu pauses to speak once more. “Tomorrow I will assign one of the servants to give you a tour, in the hopes that this does not happen again. Furthermore, I ask that you forget everything you heard earlier, for it is neither your business… or my daughter’s.” You’re quick to nod, and with that she bids you farewell, leaving you alone. Now, you think, was it left from here, or right?

iv.

“I’m just going for a walk. Why do you care so much? It’s not like it’s any of your business,” Daniela assures you, despite the fact that all you had done was say ‘hello’. If this was her attempt at casting aside suspicion, she had done a terrible job of it. What made her so nervous? Was it even worth investigating? Only one way to find out.

“You’re rather bundled up, planning on being out for long?” You ask, trying to sound casual, leaning against the wall as you did. In response, Daniela pretty much stomps her foot. There’s something odd in her expression, however, that implies your question hit a soft spot. Certainly wasn’t what you had expected. “Don’t mind me, just trying to make conversation with my soulmate’s sister. Speaking of her… have you seen Cassandra? Is she, perhaps, going with you?” A little misdirection never hurt anyone. Probably.

“No!” Daniela replies, fast as a gunshot, too much emphasis to be unintentional. But she realizes her mistake as soon as she’s made it, and makes a clear effort to relax herself. “She’s probably in her studio, doing whatever it is she calls art, on the other end of the house. Besides, I don’t want any company for this walk.” For a moment you merely squint at her, unsure of how to proceed. In the end, you decide that it really is none of your business, being more than satisfied by what teasing you’ve already done.

“Alright, alright. Well then, I’ll leave you be. Just… be careful, yeah? If you get hurt, and your mother finds out that I didn’t stop you from going… not sure Cassandra could save me,” you say, with a shrug. At first Daniela can’t decide whether to be upset or relieved, but she seemingly settles for the latter, giving you a brief nod before heading outside. As the door shut behind her, you couldn’t help but wonder if you had done the right thing.

[derangedhyena-delphinidae]

numerous issues with “The Aftermath of Seaworld”

When I get time to do so (aka when I’m done with the documentary), I’m likely going to make a video version of this going into the details. 

But for right now, I’ve made this. Both as a guideline for me and so everyone can begin to get an idea of the severity of issues involved.

Researching things is time-consuming and can be very difficult - believe me, I know. But I’m of the mind that if you’re making content with the intent of educating people, you have a responsibility to perform a certain level of due diligence. It IS okay to express uncertainty or doubt if you have it. It is NOT okay to confidently assert things that you do not know with certainty.

The video has an anticap slant, and I’m obviously not disagreeing on that front. But again: if you’re gonna go through the trouble of teaching people something. Bare minimum... please make sure it’s actually correct. *** 1) x ‘founded in 1964 and based out of Florida’ -  ???? Seaworld definitively began on the west coast, in San Diego, CA. And given that the first park opened in early 1964… things came together before that. Uh? 2) x ‘four people founded Seaworld [...]’ For one… it wasn’t originally conceived as a restaurant, it was originally conceived as an underwater bar/lounge. Two… calling the four guys involved in founding the place “frat brothers” is fucking ridiculous and completely overlooks a) how each was actually involved and b) the overall significance of their contributions to the field as individuals. Hint: like it or not, they were important and did a lot! 

3) x If one is going to bring up SWBGCF/rescues while talking about the literal founding of SW, it gives the impression that it’s been around for that duration. It hasn’t.  It’s actually a bit unclear when SW started an organized rescue program, but the Fund itself and all that it did came about much later. The rescue information and how it’s presented is actually INCREDIBLY complex, nuanced, and has a fascinating history (from a “bad company behaving badly” perspective). Oversimplifying this, to this degree and in this misinformative way, does the facts of the situation an INCREDIBLE disservice.  

4) x [assertive statement about what the name Shamu means]  ….Uh actually there’s several explanations for the name Shamu, and the most likely one IMO seems to be the “she-namu” one, not the “friend of Namu” one(? What is this even based on.) 4b) It’s not quite clear if she’s saying “Namu was the first ever orca to be displayed and perform shows” or or Namu was the first to be displayed and, like Shamu, performed shows. Either way, Moby Doll was the first to truly be displayed to the public, not Namu.

5) x ‘Namu died after one year in captivity and you’d think that this might deter Seaworld from doing the same thing again…’ Seaworld truly had nothing to do with Namu. And they leased/took possession of Shamu before Namu died. ‘Again’? What?

6) x “Now, PETA paints a pretty disturbing picture…” [while showing Okura’s artwork] This video segment is, and this is putting it nicely, a pile of poorly-researched BULLSHIT.  -Yes, PETA talks about Shamu’s capture, re: the harpooning of her mother. This Youtuber cannot apparently be arsed to look more than 1 Google search into this, as she proceeds to dismiss the information as potentially fabricated. There are two detailed accounts of Shamu’s capture that I’m aware of - in books - and though they have some slight conflicts, it’s absolutely NOT in doubt that the female who was very likely Shamu’s mother was 1) harpooned, 2) died from her injuries and 3) this had been done to make her easier to catch/locate because there was a fucking buoy attached to the harpoon. Which she dragged around for at least 24 hours prior dying.  So maybe don’t dismiss that as PETA hysteria, maybe TRY to determine the truth of the matter, which would inform one that it is both true and completely horrifying.  -In addition, Okura is an awesome individual who has worked very hard to create a variety of informative artwork for our cause. Okura is NOT associated with PETA and it’s borderline libel in my eyes to use their artwork in this dismissive manner when the primary sources of it can be easily identified online, with full explanations and everything. Do I take special offense to this because of the misuse of artwork? Absolutely. Artists get disrespected enough online. I’m tired of it. This kind of laziness IS NOT acceptable.

7) x ‘timeline is fuzzy about when Shamu died’ …………… it’s…. It’s really not … newspapers are pretty clear about it…..

8) x [complete and utter oversimplification of the lifespan issue, which is not acceptable for anything published in 2020. It just isn’t. If you’re going to bring it up like this, either do the legwork and get into the weeds or stay out.] 8b) [same for reproductive ages. sigh]

9) x if we’re going to talk about when Cornell was involved with Seaworld it’s very important to specify when Cornell was involved with Seaworld and not make it seem like it’s present tense.

10) x “both were rescued by Seaworld” - uh? no. Zero orcas have been rescued by Seaworld. Literally none. The infected-jaw orca was Sandy, whose story is complex and certainly does not involve Seaworld until much later. And many of the orcas in that time period had bullet wounds, often only identified post-mortem because they didn’t seem to hurt the animals much. Also, unflinchingly blending 70s captivity ethics with modern ones is also complete nonsense? 

11) x [tilikum coming from sealand] inhales I am going to make an entire video centered on this fucking subject because it’s one of the single most profound arguments for Seaworld being garbage as assessed by US government agencies in the 90s yet everyone utterly fails to mention this. Why?!

12) x what on earth is this nonsense re: quoting a quote from Zimmerman’s article - which has already been removed from its original context, so the original context is not available - and then penalizing the quote for existing as if Zimmerman’s article were the context? That is offensively disingenuous. I honestly don’t know what the original context is, either - but it’s wildly inappropriate to act as if the Zimmerman article is.

13) x this is relatively minor but ‘Paul Sprong’? You literally have his name on the screen. And then mis-reading his age too? While asserting it from a static article published years ago? Effort? Where is it?

14) x ‘another trainer, Peter’ ….. Ken Peters…. 

15) [weirdly glossing over the widely-available list of orca-trainer injuries/aggressions, despite it being central to the point.] 16) x This pilot whale outrage certainly happened but it was pretty clearly Blackfish that started the cascade of woes for Seaworld. Who has ever asserted this?

17) if you’re gonna just rehash blackfish, tell people to go watch blackfish.

18) x I’ve already gone over the context issue with Seaworld calling out Howard’s statement in Blackfish here (point 23). Which is to say, IN CONTEXT in Blackfish it’s clear what Mr. Garrett is talking about but, divorced from that, it sounds incorrect. But this Youtuber AMPLIFIES the issue by doubling down on the assertion with “no record of a killer whale doing any harm to anyone in the wild.” The surfer event should always be mentioned. Yes, there’s absolutely room for doubt. But there’s also a clear demarcation between an accidental attack (eg mistaken identity, as was likely for the surfer) and intentional one (eg the incidents at marine parks.) Why do people kneecap themselves on this point 18b) please stop acting like Luna represents orcas in general.

19) x “Howard, for all of his research…” … while referring to David Duffus’ b-roll and statements. Uh. 20) x Apparently this Youtuber has single-handedly resolved the dorsal fin issue. You know, the thing that hasn’t been properly researched ever, that has been subject to a ton of debate, that isn’t 100% settled for a variety of reasons, and almost everyone talks about in terms of theories and likely possibilities.  21) x Alexis Martinez wasn’t “torn to shreds.” In a space where even moderate exaggerations are often penalized harshly by the opposition, this kind of blatant nonsense is not welcome. Plus, the reality’s bad enough… you don’t have to make anything up!

22) x *sighs. points at own webpage*

23) Talking about the shows stopping without acknowledging how that’s a bit of a farce is something else. In addition to apparently just flipping to buying what Seaworld’s selling re: its ‘improved image.’ 

*** Tl;dr video is so unrelentingly full of errors ranging from small to egregious it makes me seriously concerned for the veracity of the rest of this person’s content. The maker of the video provided a list of their sources in their video description, which I will have time to look through in detail later. The above is solely a response to the information they present IN THE VIDEO - which, is very important because let’s be real: a lot of people are not going to look at the list of sources. People don’t even do it when citing papers (no really, you’d be surprised, fml.) For anyone who wants to whinge that I haven’t linked or asserted any sources of my own for my claims… well, remember what I said about time-consuming and ‘I’m busy’? Yhea. Getting all of that together will be part of making a video. So if you want to shrug loudly at my list here… you can, that’s your prerogative, I’m happy to say I DGAF if that’s your takeaway. 

What I hope, is that if there’s anything I’ve made clear over the While of running this blog, it’s that I don’t fuck around when it comes to sources and information and do my best to provide what information exists, all of it, not just cherrypicked bits and bobs. Anyways. Here’s step 0 at least. Please don’t share that video. Pretty please.

[imagine-hogwarts]

Back - Part 2

Pairing: FredxHermione (fluff, eventual smut)

Summary: After having disappeared from the wizarding world for months, it is her cat that brings Hermione back to Diagon Alley. And it turns out that there is more than one reason for her to stay.

3.129 words

____

„Steady.“, he said, and her heart almost leapt out of her chest. „We’re actually closed for today, you know? But I can make an exception for you. Only until the rain stops and only if you promise to recommend-.“ Hermione had turned on her heels and was now staring up at him through the messy wet strands of hair covering the majority of her blushing face. In his eyes she saw astonishment, disbelief, only to be replaced by an overwhelmingly wide smile that made Hermione feel like the rain had stopped and the sun had left her hiding just for her.

„Hermione.“, he said, matter of factly before, a second later, he laughed and grabbed her by the shoulders, pulling her into an embrace that made her bones creak and squeezed an outrageous amount of rain water from her coat. „Merlin, Hermione Granger.“, he said into her ear, and it felt like he was screaming. She crossed her arms behind his back and leaned her head against his shoulder. She was convinced that he must feel her heart beating through her chest into his, but at the moment she didn’t care.

Much too soon he pushed her away by her hips and kept her at arms length, still grinning from ear to ear. „I was not expecting this.“, he said matter-of-factly. „I definitely wasn’t. Merlin.“ He looked her up and down incredulously. „To anyone else, I would say something along the lines of ‚We all thought you were dead‘, but since I know you, I would never assume your disappearance to be anything less than a conscious choice.“

She wasn’t sure how to reply. She raised one hand to pull her hair out of her face and shivered once again as the cold fabric of her clothes clung to her arms uncomfortably. „Hello, Fred.“, she said as she tied her hair up in the back of her head.

„Which“, he continued as if she hadn’t said anything, „brings me to the following question: How dare you disappear like that?“ The last words he spoke in a voice that, in tone and cadence, if not in height, perfectly imitated Molly Weasley. Hermione snorted. „She would never speak to me like that.“, she replied.

„Oh right. She only treats her own flesh and blood that way.“, he mused.

„Thanks for letting me in.“, she added.

„You’re most welcome. I’ll just give you the benefit of the doubt and assume that you would have peaked in and said hello at any weather. Then again, your track record of these past few months isn’t really in your favour.“ Hermione looked down at her hands. She knew that he was joking, his tone of voice betraying the harsh meaning of his words. But she felt them nonetheless. All the more because she knew that they were true.

„I would have. Said hello, I mean.“, she said, looking back up at him, eyes on her as if he couldn’t quite believe her presence. „I was actually on my way here.“, she added. An oversimplification, but not a lie.

„Well, in that case I might actually be able to find a towel for you.“, he grinned gesturing her to follow him as he turned towards the shop’s generous interior, which, as Hermione only realized now, was only scarcely lit by a few oil lamps and some jars with floating blue flames in them. Hermione smiled. Looked like Ron had learned some things from her. And looked like they left on both the lights on the displays in the windows and the music from the enchanted barrel roll out front, even over night. Even in the darkest night, she thought.

„Where are the others?“, she asked. Fred looked over his shoulder at her with an indiscernible expression. „Ron is home, I presume.“, he replied as he opened a door at the back of the shop with a wave of his wand and stepped aside with an exaggerated bow. „After you, my lady.“

She snorted and looked past him, only to see a narrow staircase leading up towards two identical looking doors at the top.

„It’s the door on the left.“, Fred added as if he felt her hesitation but misinterpreted it. She nodded. She remembered Ron telling her at some point that the twins were living in the apartments above the shop. She cleared her throat and climbed up the first few steps.

„So, what brings you to our humble establishment?“, he asked from behind her.

„You make it sound like you’re running a brothel.“, she said, smiling at herself.

„Fine brothel this is, closing time is eight o’clock.“, he retorted and flicked his wand over her shoulder to have the apartment door on the left open with a quiet creak. Hermione stepped over the threshold with more caution than seemed necessary and looked around in the small corridor. Three doors led into different directions and on the wall that had to be connected to the neighboring flat, which she assumed, belonged to George, hung a rack of cloaks and hats. She smiled. She had gotten so used to muggle clothes again in the past few months that the idea of a cloak seemed strange to her.

„And George?“, she asked, toeing off her shoes next to the door as Fred pushed past her to make light. „What?“, he asked.

„Where is he?“ She added, realizing that Fred apparently hadn’t been having several conversations in his head simultaneously.

„Oh. He’s out with Angelina.“, he said, grinning at Hermione. „I believe they were going to see a play in muggle London today.“

„I haven’t seen any in a while.“, she mused absentmindedly as she pulled one arm after the other out of the still dripping coat, trying to move as little as possible against the clammy material to reveal her equally wet blouse and dress pants. She enjoyed the theatre. But her job didn’t pay that well. And besides, without her parents it wasn’t quite the same.

Fred grinned at her from one of the doors and then his head disappeared. „Tea?“, he heard him half-shout and replied „English Breakfast?“

„At this hour? And I’m a terrible cook!“

„Funny.“, she murmured, but couldn’t keep herself from smiling as she carried her coat into what turned out to be the living room with an open kitchen attached.

She saw him swish his wand and a cup of tea floated towards her, prompting her to drop her jacket to the floor. She clumsily maneuvered her still cold fingers around the handle and had to pull herself together to not right away take a sip of what smelled like heaven in her hands.

Fred, his own mug in hand, walked over to her and she made an effort not to stare at him but look around in the cozily arranged room. The couch looked like it was a hand-me-down, the cushions not matching, but in combination with the dark wood floor and the stuffed shelves by the wall, it looked almost purposeful. Hermione leaned over the coffee table to look at the wide glass bowl that was floating in mid-air and was apparently home of a small not quite fish-like creature wavering in the non-existent breeze as if tied to the edges of the bowl with invisible string.

„What is this?“, she asked, placing her cup onto the table as not to spill it and knelt down next to the bowl.

„It’s a mood swing.“, Fred replied and she looked up at him just as he, with another swish of his wand, conjured a sudden, strong wind drying her coat, only to have it orderly folded up on the edge of the couch. She had forgotten, she thought, what great a wizard he was. What talented a wizard him and George had to be to pull off the spectacle that was their shop. „It doesn’t work.“, he said, as if he had read her mind and grinned sheepishly. „Yet. We’re working on it. It’s meant“, he continued, kneeling down next to her and pushing the tip of his wand against the small object in the center of the construction, „to swing according to the emotional aura of a person. The higher and quicker it swings, the more agitated the person is. But as you can see….“ His wand tapped against the soft-looking material and Fred didn’t bother to finish his sentence.

Hermione looked down at her hands, trying to ignore how close to her leg his hand with the cup was resting on his own knee. „Are you agitated?“, she asked before she could stop herself. She felt her blood rush to her cheeks and her heart attempt to jump out of her chest.

„Of course I am. I haven’t seen you since… whenever.“, Fred said lightheartedly and she saw his hand disappear from her field of vision as he took a sip from his cup. „Besides,“, he then added, „I have never had you to myself before.“

Her eyes shot up to find him watching her, mischief in his eyes and something else.

„If you were looking for Ron, I’m sorry you missed him.“, he then added and grabbed her cup from the table to hand it to her.

„I wasn’t.“, she said simply, unable to remove her eyes from his face. She didn’t know what she had been looking for. Other than the clippers for Crookshanks, she thought and smiled at herself. „But I’m happy with tea.“ She cleared her throat and blew onto the surface before taking a sip, then nodded towards her coat. „We could probably have done that down in the shop.“, she said. „Dry my coat.“

„Yeah, I suppose. But then you wouldn’t have gotten a cup of tea either.“, he said. „Besides, I promised you a towel.“ Hermione’s eyes shot to his again and the glint hadn’t left them. „I was just assuming that you would have forgotten about your wand again.“

„What?“, she said, furrowing her brows. „I never-. Did Ron tell you?“ As it turned out, it had in fact taken close to six years of Hogwarts for her to actually get used to being able to do things using magic. The holidays at her parents’ house had probably done their part as well, but Ron had always found it hilarious when she had briefly forgotten about her magical abilities.

„He did. Every time it happened. He wouldn’t shut up about it. It was quite entertaining.“

„I can imagine.“, Hermione sighed, less than amused.

„You know, it’s funny because you’re the brightest witch of your age and all, right?“, he continued, clinking his cup against hers, his finger brushing her thumb, sending a small jolt of electricity up her arm. „And since Ron said that you had returned to the muggle world, I thought that if there was ever a chance to witness it myself, it would be now.“ He winked and she sighed.

„Was it all you imagined?“

„A bit anticlimactic, really. But then again: You’re up here now, so I’m not complaining.“ He grinned boyishly before his face, for the first time that evening, took a serious expression. „You know, none of us knew when you would come back. Or if at all.“ He lifted one eyebrow and his blue eyes seemed to burn into Hermione’s like the small flames she had taught Ron to conjure. „Ron only said that you were leaving the wizarding world and that he didn’t know anything more, only that you had dumped him.“ At this point, the small smile of a brother creeped onto his lips. „And that he thought that you might want some distance.“

She shrugged. „I did.“ She closed her hands around her mug and pulled it to her chest in an attempt to have it somehow tell her what to do. „But I didn’t mean to never speak to any of you again. I mean-.“ She sighed and lifted a warm hand to the now almost dry collar of her blouse, toying with the top button. „I assume it wasn’t the worst to have some distance from Ron. But I never meant to disappear. I’m sorry.“

„Don’t apologize. Can’t say that I don’t understand.“ He bumped his shoulder against hers and laughed when she spilled a few drops of her tea onto her dark trousers. It was only a little more than warm, but Hermione hissed nonetheless as Fred drew his wand and flicked it once again, the stain disappearing. „The war.“, he continued as if noting happened, as if nothing was going to distract him from what he was trying to say. Something in Hermione admired him for his determination. Because it took nothing less than uncompromising determination to build what him and his brother had built. „The war was a lot. But at least we have each other.“, he said before looking at her with raised eyebrows. „Although you can’t say that you didn’t have anyone to talk to.“

She shook her head. „I never said that. And I can’t say that it made sense. It just felt right at the time. I had to do it. I grew up as a muggle.“, she explained, feeling almost in trance. The same way she had felt that she had to leave, she felt now that she had to explain. „It’s a part of me that I had to-“ sacrifice, she thought, „leave behind. I had to go back. If that makes any sense.“

„And does it feel right now?“, he responded and she felt his eyes on her face as she, with a racing heart and thoughts, refused to reciprocate his gaze.

„What?“, she asked to buy herself some time.

„To be back? Or to have left?“ „Yes and no, I presume.“

Fred laughed and she felt his hand hold on to hers for a brief moment as he took the now empty cup from her hands to place it on the table, a shiver running down her spine and settling in her stomach. „How very informative. I remembered you as a little less ambiguous, Hermione.“

She lifted her eyes from her prickling fingers and met his. „And what else did you remember me as?“

He huffed and she felt his breath tickle her face where it met with the drying strands of hair that had escaped from her bun. His brows furrowed in a way she wasn’t able to interpret due to the fact that his hand was brushing her cheek softly, almost unnoticeably as he pinned her hair behind her left ear. Her heart leapt as he cocked his head to the side.

„Brave.“, he murmured. „Studious. Determined. You know, Harry considered going after you.“

„He did?“, Hermione rasped and felt her cheeks heat as she cleared her throat. Fred nodded, pulling one of his knees to his chest and resting his chin on it, those blue eyes studying her face as if she were the most intriguing subject under the sun to observe. „He thought that there was something wrong. He thought something must have happened.“

She smiled ever so slightly. „That does sound like Harry. Always saving people. Even from themselves.“

„He worried a lot. Took Ginny weeks to convince him that you had left on your own volition.“ He shrugged. „Who can blame him?“

Hermione didn’t reply. She wondered how much of the blame she was actually prepared to take on the matter. She had never told anyone to stay away from her, specifically. Ron maybe being the exception. Then again, she didn’t remember the last time she had sent an owl either. Maybe she had tried to get away for a while, she thought.

„I’m sorry.“, she said again.

„Don’t be.“, he replied, nudging her. „But we missed you. Even those of us who didn’t believe you to have been kidnapped by Death Eaters.“

She nodded. „Thanks. For not having him mobilize the entirety of wizarding Britain to find me.“

„Don’t thank me. I think, hadn’t Ron been so sure that you were fine on your own, George and I would have been the first to kick down your door.“

„Would you now?“

„At least we would have contributed several semi-legal magical tools to free you from evil’s grasp.“ Fred wiggled his eyebrows, making Hermione smile.

„I’m sorry.“, she said again, because she couldn’t help it.

„Hermione.“, he replied leaning towards her and pushing her with his foot, so that she would have fallen backwards, hadn’t he gripped her hand in time to steady her. „It’s alright. You’re here now.“ And he didn’t let go of her. His fingers were drawing steady circles onto the back of her hand and all of the sudden and with a racing heart, Hermione felt his eyes on hers become too much.

„I am. Thanks for the tea.“, she smiled nervously, leaning to the side, pushing herself up onto her knees again to get up, eyes cast down to their hands still entwined. She felt overwhelmed, cheeks flushed, her head full of thoughts regarding her past, her present, her friends, the Weasleys, Harry, her apartment in London away from the part of her that, in the form of her wand, was hidden down the sleeve of her blouse, which had almost dried on her warm skin that seemed to match his touch. His hand, despite the scars and coarseness, felt soft against hers and as she got to her feet, his grip became the one thing holding her back, although her mind was full of all the reasons to stay, all the reasons to leave, to disappear again. Her heart was racing, her stomach churning and she looked back at the man on the floor, whose pose seemed somehow both relaxed and on edge.

Fred didn’t move, his eyes following her, his hand holding on to hers, not loosening his grip, as he caught her gaze in his once again and slowly, after an eternity of silence, opened his lips and said: „Strong. Caring. Beautiful.“

Her eyes followed his lips that pulled into an honest, almost apologetic smile. She felt her lips open slowly, but not a word, not a sound escaped them. Any thought had left her mind but the one of the man next to her.

„The words I remember you by.“, he said as if he had to explain. She felt a soft tug on her hand, but her eyes were tied to his lips as they came closer. Her head fell back as she followed his movement, him getting up on his feet. Her heart felt like a small bird trying to escape her chest, she felt each breath leave her lips as his face, only inches from hers, formed another crooked smile.

[stozkpile]

@ that anon just now ty for the heads up i suspected as much

Let me clear the air and address this because this stuff is exaggerated and most people don't have the time to cross-check anything that's been said here (and also bc I had a lot of people I respect break mutuals/block me which is obviously their right but I assume there was some unawareness of the circumstances that led to this):

1. Yes, I drew that. Was it meant to be fetishtic? No; if the issue is of the depiction of a trans man, I am a trans man. If the issue is because the kin are involved and the whole thing is trope-y in a way that isn't classy, I am east-asian and a fan of tacky erotica but my intent in drawing it was not racial in the first place (I am not, however, indigenous, so if any of my indigenous friends/acquaintances have a problem with the drawing, I would be happy to take it down for them. I understand any potential criticisms would be more nuanced then). The dubious consent thing is entirely made up because you cannot glean that from an image where all parties appear to be enjoying themselves. Obviously me saying that every depiction of sexual acts I draw as pornography are consensual only means anything to people that would take my word for it but that's how it goes.

2. I was in somewhat of a "don't talk about me and I won't talk about you" agreement with the person I called "functionally white" that I assume is now annulled. But unsurprisingly this is a huge oversimplification that makes it sound like they were just complaining about a character on their own terms and I swooped in to invalidate their heritage. I am also mixed and half white. This was about them making several posts about how racist Dankovsky is and that you suck if you like him (past just finding his character well-written and while making affectionate fan-content of characters who are arguably way more racist) which I eventually got annoyed enough by that I decided to complain on my twitter/get into a slapfight over it. Because they were white-passing (they said so in one of their posts) I found issue with someone having white privilege and complaining about what a made-up guy did and clogging up the tag with it. "Functionally white" was over the white privilege thing. Also, calling someone white is not actually an insult. I admit that I am embarrassed at having that argument at all because it was a waste of my time and theirs as well, I'm sure, and I should've just blocked and moved on. I will definitely stand by the fact that white-passing wasians should examine their sensitivity to being told that they are speaking from a position of whiteness, however. Also, OP is white.

3. The "pseudoincest" thing is delusional. At this point this argument is over denying the literal text and subtext as well as reality itself. If you are convinced that Rubin has any serious familial relation to the Burakhs, that is your problem. The fact you need to call it "pseudoincest" rather than just incest should say enough. The example shown lends absolutely no nuance to the text that any of you can go on the pathologic github script page for and check out for yourselves. If you view their relationship as more sibling-like, that's fine and that's up to you, but acting like I'm just denying that they're related so I can ship them is intellectually dishonest. I do not ship incest nor will I ever because it is gross to me.

4. I really do not understand the stuff about t/hrei and how they're notorious for anything. I obviously could've missed something but we've been mutuals for a while and the art of theirs that I've seen never read as racist. Other mutuals of mine who are POC/indigenous don't have an issue with them either. If someone wants to bring specific tidbits to my attention I will look at them but the previous criticisms of this user that I've seen felt very uncharitable and had bad evidence, and that's all I know of thus far.

If you read all this and still have a problem with me, that's your business. I don't mind if people think I'm annoying or disagree with me and want to unfollow/softblock/block accordingly, but I just wanted to make sure that we are all informed. I don't have it out for anyone and any online fights I got into in the past were very much me being in a bad place IRL and blowing off steam directed at strangers, which I'm not proud of. I want to make posts, look at posts and the posts of my mutuals, and nothing more these days. So yeah.

[wrenhyperfixates]

Loki Series Thoughts—The Variant

With the release of episode 2, I’m back with another analysis. Spoilers ahead!! This will be a combination of personal thoughts, theories, and objective analysis. This is overall, a positive review, so if you do not want to see that, I would not recommend continuing to read. I am however more than open to some friendly debate and discussion over any and all of the following points, whether you agree or disagree with them.

With all that being said, let’s dive in:

I feel gypped on the Holding out for a Hero fight scene. I mean, I liked how the scene was shot, especially with the whole loudspeaker thing (it set the mood very well), but where’s Loki fighting to that song?

Alright, I might as well address the elephant in the room: Is Loki OOC? Well, for my money, the answer is both yes and no. And I don’t mean to be wishy-washy; it really kind of depends on how you define OOC and/or who exactly you take this Loki to be.

What does OOC mean? To me, the literal definition of “out of character” would be the character acting in a way unlike they’ve been seen acting before. Likewise, according to Collins Dictionary it would be defined as “not typical of the apparent character of a person or thing.” Now, that’s a bit too black and white. What if you have a character in a new situation, how do you know how they’d react? By analyzing their past actions and seeing if they line up. And if you stop at this point and deem Loki entirely OOC, well you’re allowed to and that’s valid. I, however, would not say entirely is the word to use. Somewhat, yes, but not terribly and not inexcusably so. I’ll come back to this in a moment.

Who is this Loki? He’s the one right after the Avengers, of course, but he’s something different too. Think about it, the whole series is centered around how different choices can shape the very fabric of the universe. Wouldn’t it stand to reason that changes in Loki’s story would cause him to behave differently than what we’ve seen before? This is, in essence, a different Loki, albeit one who’s own narrative is shaped by a shared backstory with ours. It even says it on his jacket in big, bright letters: VARIANT. So while he shouldn’t be too dissimilar from the Loki we know, I do not think we can entirely look to the old to determine the new.

Now that we have that out of the way, we’re back to my somewhat noncommittal answer of the original question. Loki has some moments that seem OOC, but almost always has a (valid) reason for acting that way, both in and out of universe.

Loki’s OOC moments:

◦ The Renaissance Fair: And I by no means think this applies to his whole spiel. In fact, I think it was largely in character. What got me was “Which is absurd, because my people are, by nature, gullible fools. A trait that I, the God of Mischief, exploited time and time again simply by listening.” And then again, right after B-15 announces they are one unit away from red line. Though, my issue with the latter is how rushed it is. This could make sense because he’s worried about having time to finish his ploy. It’s a small thing to harp on for sure, though, for the point I am trying to make.

◦ In the hallway: This is where I think he’s most OOC. It feels rambley and pointless. More a desperate plea than a calculated last resort.

◦ With the librarian: I was hesitant to put this one in, but he seemed a bit unsure at points in his dialogue here. The inflection of his voice in the middle just sounded, like I said, unsure.

◦ The cafeteria (both times): More so in the first. The metaphor was, like Loki himself said, clumsy. But what I really think is OOC here is how excitable and obvious he is after Mobius concedes, “Not bad.” And the only thing on their second cafeteria chat is at the very end. His response of “I know” to being called clever, once again has an inflection to it that I would not typically associate with Loki—it’s too pronounced.

◦ Pompeii (beginning of scene only): Loki seems pretty flippant about the whole thing in the immediate moments after their arrival. (As an aside, I don’t think he’s necessarily unsympathetic here; he knows what happens and to keep himself safe and prove his point, he can’t branch the timeline.) To be quite honest, I think he might just be goading Mobius as he’s done to our God of Mischief many a time already.

◦ Before Roxxcart: He seems nervous, and his speech is a bit rushed again. Then again, this is something he wants—to be better. I’d think he’d be a bit more calm about it, though. Then again, with everything that’s happened recently, maybe it’s a natural response?

The reasons why he seems OOC:

◦ It’s on purpose: He knows what they think of him. If he plays into that, even in an exaggerated way, they’re not going to call bs on it.

◦ He’s been through a lot/Not our Loki: Like I mentioned earlier, not only is this a new environment, it’s a new Loki. He’s been shaped differently from our Loki because of how he was immediately thrust into the world of the TVA after many traumatic experiences.

◦ It’s an acting choice: No, it’s not one you have to agree with. But I believe Tom could be doing it to highlight moments where Loki is saying things he personally does not actually believe or that he knows others believe. Just to distinguish from the more calculated lying he does.

So, are there moments when Loki acts OOC? Yes. Is it inexplicable? No. Are the answers to those questions always the same from person to person? No, because like so many things, it’s all about how you frame it. And, of course, every person perceives each moment of time through their own eyes, with their own thoughts, in their own ways.

Loki has plenty of moments in character, too. In fact, I’d say he was overwhelmingly in character, for my understanding of it. In the earlier parts of the Renaissance Fair he is witty and lying with ease. At all other points that I didn’t mention, I found his vocabulary and inflection perfectly fine. I can’t think of any one moment his hand gestures particularly stuck out to me as out of place. And during his impromptu magic lesson, he seemed so sure of himself. He has snark without being rude. His interactions with “the variant” are on point. Even in the majority of the Pompeii scene, he’s not acting OOC, he’s just acting. He wanted to make an over-exaggerated splash to test his theory. Between that and speaking Latin, aren’t we seeing his cunning and wit?

Well, with that divisive and slightly negative topic out of the way, let’s move onto Mobius, his character, and his role in the show. He’s a bit different than the Mobius we see last time. Don’t get me wrong, there’s still moments where he seems to be manipulating Loki, or at least attempting to (the walk to the elevator; dangling a meeting with the Time Keepers in front of Loki’s face). In episode two, he’s presented as a victim. Mobius is just as much a slave to the “sacred timeline” as those living in it. He can’t go into the world and do the things he wants to do. Even any questions about time that Loki has, he answers seemingly by rote (perhaps drilled into his brain through propaganda?) or he can’t explain well (note, two times he somewhat hesitantly deems what Loki says as “an oversimplification”).

We’re also told that Mobius has a soft spot for broken things. That seems like a bold thing to say if Mobius hasn’t done something big before. Has he possibly ever used a variant like this before? Could he even possibly have a deeper connection to the rouge variant? Probably not on that second one, but it’s not wholly impossible. Though, going back to “has he done this before?” (and get ready for me to get absolutely insane now) do the rings on the table have deeper symbolic meaning pertaining to this? Yes, it could have just been for comedy, it may have just been a cool shot, but why put so much focus and emphasis on it like that with the camera and dialogue if it has no significance. Basically what I mean is, it’s symbolic of Mobius messing up. He messed up Renslayer’s table, maybe he botched a mission. Or maybe he even screwed up when working with another variant. Regardless of whether that’s symbolism, we do see him have a soft spot for the people at the hurricane shelter.

Mobius’s role in episode 1 was trying to break down Loki and recruit him. In this episode, he was more of a guide, more of a friend. Yes, there are lines like at Roxxcart when he says he knows he can’t be trusted, but there’s also a lot of camaraderie between the two. By the time Loki and Mobius are having their second chat in the cafeteria, they seem familiar with each other, engaging in what seems to be a friendly bout of verbal sparring. They seem, at very least, fond of each other, and I believe Mobius is, to some extent, on Loki’s side.

In fact, Mobius and Loki share something in common; they want something more than what the time keepers have preordained for them, even if Loki is more ready to admit that. Mobius is still, however, playing the part he’s been assigned, his “glorious purpose.” And, yes that includes some digs like that at Loki, whether Loki’s in the room or not, and whether they’re subtle or not. Is “I’ll delete him myself. He’s really arrogant.” really a dig though? I mean, it sounds like he could just be saying what Renslayer wants to hear. And when he talks about Loki wanting something more, wanting to change, I don’t think he’s actually talking about Loki. With the inflection and stage whisper, it almost sounds like he’s projecting. Remind you of anyone? Mobius will likely end up helping Loki, or may even turn into a tragic hero, his fatal flaw being his unwillingness to admit the TVA is not infallible.

The TVA workers. Isn’t odd how some of them have names and others don’t? Do they name themselves? More likely, I think whoever is in charge of a branch of the TVA gets a name, and all underlings get the less than human mix of letters and numbers with which to identify themselves. It also seems that the people with the most personality are the ones with names. B-15 has a personality, sure, but it’s more just in line with “I work for the TVA. This is what they want. I will do exactly that.” It’s almost lacking something that the named characters have lying beneath the surface of their character arc.

And then she gets enchanted, and if Wunmi Mosaku wasn’t already shining with the limited story for the character, oh boy she is now. When B-15 comes to, she is scared. It’s on her face and in that little shuddered breath. And when asked what happened, she seemed so unsure, timid. I’m definitely interested to see how that progresses!

Back to the workers in general, they didn’t seem as sad about their coworkers this episode as in the last. Even with C-20 it seemed to be a respect thing. I mean, they reset the timeline with their colleagues lying dead on the floor. I think in a lot of scenarios, dead soldiers would be given a proper burial.

Ravonna Renslayer and the time keepers. Renslayer is even more steadfastly devoted to the sacred timeline and the time keepers than anyone else. Why? Well, I think it’s because she is the time keepers. Any time they’re brought up, it’s quickly explained away with a simple “they’re busy.” That’s because they’re not real. But Renslayer sure seems chummy with them, huh? What other reason then its her timeline she has everyone protecting.

Then again, she may only be second in command, but not to the time keepers. (I mean, omniscient and omnipotent beings who are relatively aloof and unreachable? They’re perfectly set up to be revealed as not real. Plus the constant non-answers when it comes to them, I’ll be more surprised if they’re real than if they’re not.) But in the comics, her plot line is interwoven with that of Kang the Conqueror, a time traveler, among many other things. Even more likely than her being in charge, is him being in charge.

And now for the variant. It’s not Lady Loki, we all know that right? Ok, that comes off a bit harsh, but she is listed as Sylvie in the credits for languages other than English. This was also who Sophia Di Martino was previously listed as on IMDb. I won’t get into her story in the comics now, but I’d bet we’ll take elements of that in her story in the series. And if you’re still not convinced that’s who this is, why have her blonde? It just doesn’t make sense to change that about her. Plus, Sylvie takes on the name of Enchantress. What does Loki say her powers are? Enchantments. She doesn’t want to be called Loki either. She does say the main Loki variant is her, but if she’s framing him or taking on his persona for her crimes, why stop now? Her language is distinctly un-Loki like, too. She also boldly declares “This isn’t about you.” And finally, there’s the foreshadowing in Loki’s line, “I would never treat me like this.”

I only wonder what her motives are. Is she looking for revenge on the Loki from her timeline? Or perhaps she’s working fo him? Maybe he’s dead and she’s avenging him? Or he’s alive and she wants to grab his attention? Maybe she has motives all her own. And what of Mephisto? Does he actually play a part in this? I’m just spitballing, I need more information.

When Loki finds the file. No. Like. Give a detailed description of this please!!!!! He thinks he’s evil. That he causes all that death with malicious intent. Even if he doesn’t, there’s clear pain over the destruction of Asgard. And look at his eyes, the only thing we’re shown as he process the information fully for the first time. He’s hurt, confused. Disappointed and angry with himself. The bit we’re shown of his face before it zooms in on his eyes portrays this too. He looks so lost in that shot. And he looks to be tearing up a bit.

Maybe I’m just being dumb, but what does it mean 9,719 casualties? Didn’t they all escape? His face as the scene zooms back out is... defeated. Scared. Scarred. He’s barely holding it together. Then something else catches his eye, giving him an idea. And I’m sure more than anything he wants to be distracted from the storm in his mind. So yeah, he’ll happily throw himself into his work. The epiphany on his face as he’s still recovering and discovering new things is just so perfect too.

The confrontation at Roxxcart. This was really well done, I felt. Loki felt in character, and he was fighting smartly, using what he could. Because clearly the enchantment also lent Sylvie’s powers to the person. But Loki manages to hang in there and dig for information while keeping the battle going.

He gets mad, too. He starts yelling. And that makes sense. He wants answers, and for so long he’s been denied them; it’s a recurring theme in his life. He’s losing control of himself a bit here. And that’s a large part of the reason why he goes through the time door. Loki doesn’t want to lose control again. I don’t even know if it was exactly a betrayal of the TVA. I don’t think he’s on their side, but I think he just saw that he couldn’t lose the variant again. Because for what he says his plan is, he wouldn’t have followed the variant. However, he does because he wants answers.

What about that plan though? I’m working a bit in reverse with this scene I realize, but bear with me. That look on his face as he stands, it’s calculating. I think he’s lying about his plan. I think he’s trying to bring the variant in, not work with them.

Also, I’m so concerned for C-20. What’s real? I want to know!! But we’re already getting a feel for Sylvie’s powers. The people she enchants live, but they’ve seen something they’d rather not. What other reason is there for the similar way B-15 and C-20 act? And I know she mentions telling Sylvie the time keeper’s location, but really, it’s their location to her knowledge. It doesn’t necessarily mean they exist. Or maybe it’s just Kang.

And Mobius at the very end of this scene, the very end of the confrontation, the very end of the episode. The last thing is him calling after Loki. And he sounds genuine, almost. It didn’t sound like he was fearful for his own life, but rather more worried for Loki. Though, maybe I have that confused and it’s worried about Loki. Whatever the reason, it sounded like genuine fear in his voice to me.

Finally, some random thoughts that didn’t fit anywhere:

Gugu Mbatha-Raw is so talented. I mean, I got a lot of emotion from Renslayer. Confident and proper at the beginning, panicked and afraid at the end. Even in her talks with Mobius, there’s many subtleties to pick apart. I think it’s heavily implied through her words and actions that she’s evil.

The casual magic use was great. Hope there’s more.

Why do setting off reset charges in the main timeline have a different effect than setting them off in the branch timelines? Like shouldn’t it wipe it, not make branches?

Loved all the rapport happening in the episode. There was a lot of good dialogue.

Despite the manipulations going on, I like the relationship forming between Mobius and Loki. I think they make a nice little duo.

I love all the Loki variants we’re shown. Very, very interesting. Just give us Jötunn Loki for real, please.

Loki was very clever this episode, particularly with figuring out you could hide in an apocalypse and at Roxxcart.

Does Roxxcart have a link to Roxxon?

Their little motto thing is a bit creepy. “For all time. Always.” Sounds like it’s just part of their propaganda.

“You see, I know something children don’t. No one bad is ever truly bad. And no one good is ever truly good.” I love this line. Seriosuly, why not use this sound bite in the trailers? Loki himself is morally gray, and I love that we’re addressing this fact of life; the world is not all black and white, not all good and bad.

CASEY!!!

In the second cafeteria scene, there is a guard in full armor just standing there. I guess they’re monitoring the employees. How likely does whoever is in charge think it would be for an uprising of sorts to happen?

Between sleepy Loki, him putting that jacket on, his hair, that talking to himself and that annoyed little shh in the library, and just being the happy goof that he is deep down (Miss Minutes scene and salad metaphor) Loki was just so adorable this episode.

I think it’s important Mobius said sorry when talking about ragnarok. He knows Loki cares.

Mobius does kind of understand Loki when saying he has an “insecure need for validation.” He’s right, honestly, albeit harsh. But that’s all he wanted throughout the Thor movies too, not to be looked down upon. To be treated as equal. As worthy.

Of Mobius’s two options for why he’s sticking his neck out for Loki, I think they both hold some truth.

Interesting how TVA agents like to keep souvenirs from lives they can never live. Though maybe Renslayer keeps them for a different reason. Like from timelines that were particularly a threat to order—her order.

The score is still on point. Loving the theremin.

Wow an explanation pertaining to time travel I’ve found no holes in. It’s unstable and they have to enter in real time (furthest point on the branch) because of that. Ok, yeah. Checks out.

I’m so glad they kept the title card from last week. I like it so much better than the one from the trailers, and it fits the vibe of the show better.

Is it bad I want all these new branches to red line? I think it seems a little too early into the show for that to happen, but maybe a few of them will? Perhaps improbable but not impossible. But think of the chaos! What better playground for the God of Mischief than a universe thrown into disarray.

And now, my final thoughts. A very good episode with a mainly in character Loki. I like how we’re slowly learning more with what’s going on, while still keeping an element of mystery. Though, Marvel’s twists aren’t landing as well as I think they were hoping (assuming I’m right of course. I’ve seen plenty of other people who were thinking along the same lines though, so). It’s lacking a certain je ne sais quoi that Glorious Purpose had, but I still enjoyed it. Overall, 8/10. Let’s just hope my rating doesn’t go down point with every episode.

Like something I said? Totally disagree? Really want to talk more about one point? Whatever it is, I’d love to hear! Reblogs and comments are appreciated. My ask box is always open, and anon is always on. I look forward to hearing your thoughts! Thanks :)

Me, after not liking one, but two episodes:

[prismartist]

predictions time babey

karl mentioned the next tales is around the same time period as mizu, and i admit that may not mean much, as the wild west and the masquerade were also set around the same time, and all we got out of that was that ranbutler was a kidnapped orphan from the western town.

but then again, mizu did have heavy references to current lore, and seeing as the upcoming episode is going to be similar in tone, i assume that will probably be the case as well. besides, this new location also exists in a period long after the dream smp, so who’s to say it doesn’t have connections too?

here’s a few things i’ve noticed in the images that karl posted on his private acc

there’s some greco-roman inspiration seen in the colosseum and what seems to be a platform in a plaza, plus the braziers

there are blue flags hung around the town, indicating a celebration or festival of sorts

the prominence of the colosseum indicates something along the lines of gladiator fights or even olympic-esque challenges, like in mcc

there’s a bit of nether material in the background of the picture of the image with the brazier; i spotted a potential nether wart farm, which is relatively normal, and a crimson root, which is definitely not. 

note that i’m going to refer to the next episode’s location as a polis, aka a city-state in greece

so, imagine some possible scenarios with me:

the slight ancient greco-roman inspiration of the next episode’s city-state contrast to mizu’s slick modern look

mizu’s oversimplification of some members, the exaggeration of others, as well as straight-up getting facts twisted, contrast to a city less isolated and surrounded by more resources, letting them learn more about them and not getting as many stories wrong

mizu praising and idolizing the characters, contrast to a polis that celebrated their eventual downfall.

a polis that knew too much about the server’s never-ending wars, the cycle of pain and abuse that its inhabitants went through, or perhaps just how cruel everyone in it was, and villainized them

or a polis that glorified those violent actions, and commemorated them through bloody fights to the death

perhaps, if we tread a bit off the train of thought here, a city that celebrates the overtaking of the dream smp through sports that act as blood sacrifices, commemorating the acts of a specific empire, similar the one it gets its architectural cues from.

an eggpire, if you will. 

one of its goals when it started out was, after all, to restore unity and peace in a way; if the polis is ruled by the eggpire it would make sense for it to view the past dream smp in a negative light

(a fun fact: gladiator battles may have descended from blood rites at funerals of aristocrats, wherein slaves or criminals would fight to spill blood, so that the deceased’s soul would be purified by it; in a way they served as human sacrifice. now i wonder where we’ve heard that before.)

mizu being inhabited by a follower of dream, and the polis being inhabited by followers of the egg.

but on the opposite end of the spectrum, there is the chance that while mizu cares so much about history, the polis cares so little

i am a little more hesitant this time to conclude the egg has anything to do with this; last time we did that with the haunted house we got jebaited lmao. though there might be a higher chance since it’s more lore-heavy this time around? but i’m not gonna get my hopes too high up. nonetheless, im excited :>>

[lifewithchronicpain]

Humans are tribal by nature. We tend to sort ourselves into in-groups and out-groups, and then we engage in confirmation bias and motivated reasoning to believe mostly positive things about our in-group, and mostly negative things about the out-group. This is particularly dangerous in a species with advanced weaponry. But even short of mutual annihilation, these tendencies can make for a lot of problems, and frustrate our attempts at running a stable democracy.

Part of this psychological tribalism is that we tend to exaggerate what we assume are the negative feelings of the other group toward our own. Prior research has shown this, and a new study also demonstrates this exaggerated polarization and negativity. There are a few reasons for this. One is basic tribal psychology as outlined above. Other cognitive biases, like oversimplification and a desire for moral clarity, motivate us to craft cardboard strawmen out of our political opponents. We come to assume that their position is either in bad faith, and/or is simplistic nonsense. We tend to ignore all nuance in our opponent’s position, fail to consider the justifiable reasons they may have for their position and the commonality of our goals. Ironically this view is simplistic and may motivate us to act in bad faith, which fuels these same beliefs about us by the other side, creating a cycle of radicalization.

This process is helped along by the media, both traditional and social media. Social media tends to form echochambers where our radicalized simplistic view of the “other side” can become more extreme. Also, impersonal online interactions (just read the comments here) may allow us to engage with the cardboard fiction in our minds rather than the real person at the other end.

Traditional media contributes to this phenomenon by focusing on issues in conflict at the expense of issues where there is more consensus and commonality. The media likes conflict, and this give everyone a distorted view of how much polarization there actually is.

For example, when you ask Democrats and Republicans to estimate the portion of the other side that would agree with reasonable positions typically associated with your own side there is a perception gap of 25% on average. For example, if you ask Democrats how may Republicans would agree with the statement: “Racism is still a problem in America” they predict 50% will agree, while 78% do. And if you ask Republicans how many Democrats would agree with the statement: “Law abiding citizens should have the right to bear arms,” there is a 24% perception gap (46% compared to 70%). The other side is far more reasonable, with more nuanced opinions, than we assume.

This perception gap is not affected by education levels. It is, however, increased by consuming partisan media and sharing political news on social media. The most impressive effect comes from where people get their news. The more partisan cable news networks, radio shows, and social media outlets are associated with an increase in the perception gap among their viewers, while the old-school ABC, CBS, NBC news outlets actually decrease the perception gap. This may have something to do with the fact that the older news networks established their culture during the FCC mandated fairness doctrine, while many of the newer ones came into existence partly as a reaction to getting rid of the fairness doctrine. (Read more at link)

This is why it can be so dangerous to have your political activism insist on echo chambers and isolation. We can never fully get rid of bias, but we can challenge. And if we as a society tried to work on our biases then maybe we can find compromise that works. Instead we keep polarizing more and more, especially in US politics and now our congress can’t get anything done unless they use special rules to avoid the stupid fucking filibuster.