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ride-thedragon · 9 months

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A lack of Nuance for Rhaenyra and Criston.

I don't know when this fandom came together for the group agreement that anything that occurred between these two should not be viewed past superficial lenses that draw to the worst possible conclusions for them both, but I didn't sign it.

This fallout is so emotional, bitter, and unfortunate that to only see it within the views of making these characters, the worst versions of themselves is a disservice to one of the better plots the writers wrote.

Their Society

Rhaenyra and Criston exist in the intersections of women and men and princess/heir and knight. The assumption that any necessary conclusion about their dynamic can happen outside of either one of these dynamics leads to really reductive takes. For example, everyone's favorite misinterpretation, their sex scene.

Rhaenyra is a woman. She is the property of her dad and then her husband. She doesn't escape that as heir to the realm. Had Rhaenyra married anyone who didn't care about her or put their explicit permission with her about her virtue, she would've been devalued in that relationship.

Screwing a princess, the heir, especially, is crazy. He put his life at risk doing that. Not to mention him being a Dornish King's Guard. Not only is he expected to be a sexual deviant, but he's sworn an oath to be celibate. So when they do sleep together, he's breaking a sacred oath with the underlying stereotype that he would.

Because he is a man, his consequence would lie solely on him breaking his vow, not with sleeping with Rhaenyra. In one of the craziest hypotheticals I've seen with y'all come up with, if Rhaenyra said Criston assaulted her, he's an oath breaker who deflied a princess and a rapist. She is still viewed as less of a prized bride without her virtue.

Like book Lancel, who says,

"A Frey girl, and not of my choosing, she is not even a maiden."

There is a stigma that virtue makes a girl more or less desirable.

The risk for each of them would never be equal for many reasons, but the risk is still there and does involve consequences. It holds as much risk for each character as it could given their positions.

Our Society

Power imbalance

He knew her at 14, and she chose him to be her protector at 15, and he's been that for her about 4/ 5 years when we see them consumate their relationship. He's older than her and more experienced.

Rhaenyra holds a lot of power as well. As a princess who appointed him to his position, there could have been a sense of obligation or coercing purely based on the what-if consequences if he had said no.

The back and forth in our world is the ability for either party to truly consent, a debate that, although it holds a lot of nuance, y'all can't seem to process past each other. These ideas co exist and make the dynamic interesting.

Emotion

These two are each other's closest companions at this time. Rhaenyra has been formal and frigid towards Alicent, and Criston is her constant company. She's also been on tour to find her husband, with him being her closest confidant.

The escalation of their relationship and denial or regret for either of them after sleeping together has them losing that relationship.

It's an extremely delicate boundary they both risk when they start to sleep together, one that is eventually lost.

The SA Part

I just wanna talk.

Coercing, as I understand it, is the most extreme thing you can say happened between them. You'd still be wrong.

The risk I mentioned earlier applies to both of them. If Criston had turned her away, which he could've done after she kissed him, she would've lost that same emotional dependence.

A breakdown of what happened:

She starts to open her top, he says stop, and she does.

She then starts to take off his glove cuff thing.

She looks at him, raises his head, and kisses him again, something to which he fully responds to and they start doing what they do.

At no point is there a lack of understanding that they could stop. Neither of them want to stop.

Then you say the helmet and door thing before so I'll allow it.

If he took up his helmet and walked out, she wouldn't restrain him. She'd be hurt and rejected, but she would not force him.

He literally takes his cloak from her, contemplates his movement, and lets it go to remove his shoulder pads. The visual language plays into him, choosing desire over honor, not him being forced into something he doesn't want to do.

At no point are the visual, audio, or character actions indicating assault or coercion.

Let it die here, please.

The Incel Accusations

I'm gonna be disrespectful before I'm serious again.

Fabien's mug? Involuntary Celibate? There is no correlation between those two questions.

Stop it. Let's be serious and say it, 5 minutes in a room with Criston, any 1 out of 3, would put an end to those accusations, and I'm tired of y'all acting like it wouldn't.

Words lose meaning all the time, but incel would mean he's a violent misogynist who takes his inability to have sex out on women.

He's might be homophobic (a joke) but he's not a woman abuser. His closest relationship in the show is Alicent, and it was a mutually beneficial decision they came to that to maintain his deeply respected position as a King's Guard, with which he returns to his vow of chosen celibacy.

The one time he uses a slur against a woman, he's trash-talking Rhaenyra with Alicent, saying it and immediately corrects himself with a pause in the conversation, saying it's beneath him.

They are both angry, but he corrects himself for going to a place beneath their conversation, showing that he respects her contribution and their discussions enough to be weary of vulgarity.

Criston, as a character.

Criston, as a character, is loyal, loving, and emotional. We see this with the way Alicent speaks to him, the way he speaks to Rhaenyra, even the conversation with him and Daemon. He's a reactive and emotional man.

We see the darkness in that with Ser Joffrey and Lord Beesburry. With the way we see him holding that grudge against Rhaenyra. We see it with the way he interacts with Rhaenyra's kids through Alicent’s.

Him wanting to run away with her isn't him desperately trying to seek comfort with his abuser.

It's him trying to come to terms with the fact that he's made a big, emotional sacrifice, and he can't justify it within himself.

His proposal doesn't align with her wants, and they fall apart. He's reactive and emotional and blames her. It's still his conflicting beliefs and actions.

He attacks Joffrey because of that. He tries to kill himself because of that. When Alicent finds him, she becomes a beacon in which he can earn forgiveness, away from Rhaenyra and can set the conflict to rest within himself. He chooses the King's Guard.

And he's loyal to that forgiveness to a fault, something Alicent knows, which is why she can vouch on, "with everything you feel for me,".

Is he wrong? Yes, on multiple occasions, but he's allowed to be. He's a flawed character in a flawed society.

Rhaenyra, as a character

I've never seen a character so consciously misrepresented by her fans and detractors. She's either Satan herself or the mother Mary reinvisioned. Let's go over this.

She is entitled. She uses that entitlement to her benefit. She is emotional but logical and plays to her strengths. She also has a dimension of naiveté all throughout her life. She's living to a fault.

Step by step for everything.

She sleeps with Daemon at his wife's funeral

She gains her father's favor in a fight against her maimed brother and disrespected son where she openly acknowledged it.

She let's Rhaenys think that she killed her son to marry Daemon and let him buy into the fire and blood sentiment because she knows him.

She leaves King's Landing for six years and expects her highly contested crown.

Her weakness is always the people she loves. From episode one to episode ten, it is her way. With Alicent, the best example, she always forgives her and always pushes past any ill intent to gain her favor back.

Their Interactions

So we have a spoiled naive princess who loves people entirely, and her companion, whose loyalty she comes to rely on, so much that she risks her reputation with him and who becomes her closest confidante.

She names him a King's Guard and her guard, and they get closer. He's attentive and caring to her, and she's loving and naive.

When they fall apart, he views her for reasons said above as a representation of his temptation and straying from his current path. She used him for her own gain and didn't want their relationship to progress past what he was deeply ashamed and conflicted over.

When they drift apart, he causes a highly dangerous event, killing her husband's lover, creating a bridge in their early marriage that she can't afford to mend with the expectations of her as heir. He abandons her and becomes close to her friend, who even though she reached out to her, still not trusting her. He then completely gave Alicent that loyalty, leaving Rhaenyra alone at a tumultuous and anticipated time in her life, isolated.

Love and Loss

They loved each other. Argue with your family members, and maybe they'll care about your rebuttal, but I don't. They love each other in very similar ways they go on to love the people they truly love.

It was young and emotional and naive, and when it was over, in its place, grows confusion and bitter resentment.

Rhaenyra has to move on for the sake of her kids and new life, but Criston can't because his life now is in opposition to who he used to be, which is symbolized by Rhaenyra.

A fair conclusion

They are characters. Stop being weirdos about them. They are both deeper than y'all, allowing them to be and had a really dynamic place in each other's lives. They are both greatly misrepresented by their sides and foes. And y'all would have a lot more fun if you didn't do that.

#hotd #house of the dragon #rhaenyra targaryen #criston cole #criston and rhaenyra #rhaenyra x criston #my kids #criston you are the visuals #hotd criston #hotd rhaenyra #queen rhaenyra #ill miss yall #a song of ice and fire #i had to watch those scenes again to do a breakdown #im not doing that again for yall #the sa thought never sat right with me

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tonberrykins · 10 months

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Hey, I get I've been raving about Astarion a lot but, like, are there ACTUALLY people out here who hate Gale and are calling him an incel? Is this a thing? Thank God I apparently curate well bc holy fucking shit I would be having heart palpitations DAILY out of SHEER ANGER.

So, like, we're always going to make fun of our faves and whatnot bc lbr "bro, you were banging Mystra and fucked up that bad?" THOUGH TO BE FAIR, if you're a wizard it isn't that hard to bang Mystra. It's kind of her thing. P sure her banging Elminster as many times as she has is the main reason he's still kicking and out being the Faerûnian Gandalf that he is in-game. Mystra's bodycount aside (especially since that has ZERO bearing on ANYTHING least of all her portfolio and purpose), like, Gale is a very intelligent man. He is also what we would consider as an objectively good person. Save the kids, help the tieflings, be kind and compassionate to those the average "good" aligned folks would consider "worthy" and yeah. He is literally the Alistair Theirin of BG3 if you Fusion Danced him together with Awakening Anders.

That being said, he is also very deeply flawed in that he KNOWS he is brilliant and in that brilliance, knowing his own talent, he thinks he knows better than even his own goddess BUT-! But, but, but, he is mortal, is young enough and in an age to not be able to wrack up the accomplishments of, say, Elminster whom he clearly knows on a fairly personal level so, like anyone who knows they are capable of doing great things, he feels INFERIOR bc he hasn't, in his mind, PROVEN that he is as great as he knows he is. And that's the hubris of mortality.

Objectively, LOGICALLY, he knows that he's more than proven himself capable. Mystra wouldn't have started a relationship with him otherwise, and she never asked him to prove himself. It was his own desperation to prove that he was worthy of her and thinking he knew EVERYTHING that lead to his terrible situation. Is he very clinical and logical about it? Yes. Is he squirrelly about it in the beginning? Very much, yes. Hell, I would be. No one wants to be friends with a literal ticking time bomb and the man is VERY lonely. Hell, that's the name of the game baybee! Baldur's Gate 3: These Bitches Need a Hug; YES EVEN LAE'ZEL, I WILL FIGHT Y'ALL!

Back to Gale, your friendship with him is something he very much treasures and when he starts all his finger wiggling and magic talk he's like any nerd sharing the thing he is most passionate about. He is also the first to admit he fucked up. HOWEVER, that does not (imo) warrant him needing to sacrifice himself all for Mystra's forgiveness, and even Elminster isn't on board with that. And, like, when he talks about Mystra it's never in an accusatory manner towards her. He clearly still loves her, likely always will, but that never negates his love for the PC who chooses to romance him. He is also very much prone to falling into the same pitfall of hubris that got him before and very clearly needs guidance that, yes, Mystra clearly did neglect in giving him. But he never outright blames her, at least he's not in my playthroughs thus far even after having spoken with her in the temple. He's just a sad, lonely nerd and that does not automatically make him an incel; y'all just don't know how to read, listen, or understand nuance. Apparently.

tl;dr

Gale deserves as much love as Astarion but bc he isn't evil "babygirl" material that's "fixable" he's just called an incel when he can be a very genuine friend, but what are those nowadays I guess?

#bg3 #gale of waterdeep #this was a rant #unhinged and freeflowing #bc I'm mad lol #it's like Gale is suffering the same shit as Lae'zel #bitches hate a brusque and blunt woman who won't immediately like them #and people also hate men who aren't uwu enough for them #which is another problem altogether but I digress #though honestly Gale and Shadowheart seem to have more similar points for comparison #on the just absolutely random hatred they get #granted Shadowheart and Lae'zel get it more bc how dare the tiddies not like me IMMEDIATELY #anyway these are all my weird children #my freakish found family #and I love them all very much

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eisforeidolon · 6 months

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Question: So my question was, it's kind of a three parter -

Jared: Three farter?

Jensen: [rolls eyes] What are you, twelve?

Jared: [nods and smiles goofily at Jensen]

Question: What is your favorite role from your early acting days that you like the most or recommend slash which one did you get the most grief for when you did it?

Jared: Huh.

Jensen: Alec from Dark Angel was probably one that I wish I could have spent a little more time with. And the one that I probably wouldn't mind erasing is, um, [chuckles] Devour. Coulda done without that. But to be fair, that was - that movie was being written while we were film- rewritten while we were filming it. I'm like, I don't even know how this story ends. And we're shooting.

Jared: That goes back to the original question! About like, the process. [Referring to an earlier question where they talked about needing some pre-preparation and going in knowing what beats they had to hit but finding the nuances of scenes in the moment]

Jensen: Yeah, yeah.

Jared: You gotta know what you're doing before -

Jensen: Yeah, that was a bit of a, a bit of a mess up.

Jared: This is gonna be kind of a conglomeration of a few earlier questions and answers. I will say that one of my favorite roles was Gilmore Girls. [to Jensen when audience cheers] Finally fucking did something other than a boo. No, but I wish I knew then what I know now? I was a nervous kid, you know I was seventeen when I shot the first two episodes and I was used to doing, like, plays in school and so I think I kinda came in a little theatrical, you know, the technique of it, and I grew along the way. But it was a lot of fun, and it was a great learning experience of the five years that I worked on? And so everybody starts somewhere, and I kinda started there, and there are some scenes that are certainly - I went back and watched some of them, to try and remember what Dean Forrester was like before the A Day - A Year In the Life, the Netflix reunion series or whatever? And I watched and I was like, Oh, this is a good show! Oh, I suck. [Jensen cracks up] But I -

[audience members yell positive things]

Jared: Thank you, thank you. I appreciate you, y'all are great liars, thank you.

Jensen: No, they're not disagreeing with you, they're just saying you were adorable while you were sucking so bad.

Jared: [pretends to be an audience member] You got so much better! I'll take it. But that was a fun time.

#j2 main panel #nashcon 2023

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forlorn-crows · 7 months

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Oh it's Dew for sure to me.

He's always characterized as either a) a complete asshole with no regard for others or b) the whiniest, most pathetic little thing that cries at the drop of a hat. To me it seems like most people characterize him as younger than the other ghouls. Maybe not consciously, but it sure reads that way a lot of the time. Like he's completely emotionally immature and only capable of having a single personality trait (see above).

Like. Has no one seen how soft he can be on stage? I get that he had his little tiffs with Aether and sometimes chokes Rain, but for the most part he's such a softie. He plays with Swiss and dances when Nihil's casket gets brought out. He teases the crowd and clearly has fun with it. He has a whole personality!!

It's unfair to pigeonhole him as "the aggressive one", and I honestly don't know where the idea of him being a pathetic little crybaby came from, but it bothers me to no end every time I see him cry the second someone so much as kisses his neck or something.

PLS SHARE YOUR THOTS CROW

ohhh mr dewdrop, its time for curtain callll

@rrriver yours im gonna touch on at the end here bc its so interesting!!

but yes. reigning opinion seems to be that the babyfied version of dew is overwritten and very 2D. as well as the 'will burn your eyebrows at the drop of a pin' dew. ive touched on these things a little already.

but. dew is the fandom favorite, id say. the one everyone loooves to throw trauma onto. he is the very definition of 'put that guy in a situation'. he is very commonly written as the focus of many fics, whatever the genre. and to me, its so interesting that so many of us dont like these common headcanons, and do go out of our way to write our own versions, yet these things still stay the overarching theme. why is that? rhetorical question, really, but i do think the 'over emotional' idea of dew is very prevalent.

and, like ive said previously, i think he's much more stoic than that. he def shows some emotion. like cirrus, hes not a robot or anything. we see that on stage, of course, with the bits and what not. i think he knows when to joke, when to offer a hug, or when to get fired up about something (excuse the pun)

but i dont think hes going around lighting shit on fire cause something minor happened. do i think hed do that in certain circumstances? yeah absolutely. especially if youre of the belief that this ghoul has gone through some shit. has seen death and treason and went through an entire shift of all the atoms in his fucking body.

but hes strong, resilient. as well as soft and caring. to me, this is a ghoul that listens, that cares so fucking deeply. but he's calm about most things. observant. and a little frisky when he feels up for it.

and river, yes, he's so protective. like i said, most of us think hes seen some shit. so why wouldnt he be more level headed, stronger mentally, because hes seen what being reactive can do to a ghoul

and i really like your take on the different elements hes had and how that transfers to his personality. because there are so many nuances in elements in general! and i even have different ideas to how he acted as a newly summoned water ghoul verses a more 'seasoned' one. and some dont even believe he changed elements at all! but i agree, i dont think hes some shy little pretty water ghoul and nothing more. that boy had sass even back then, maybe even more so. but to me, he's always been that stoic and thoughtful ghoul that i do my best to write him as haha. there are far better writers of dew than i, but i for sure agree with y'all that there's things he isnt.

#ask #river #anon #papaslittlesunshine

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marciabrady · 1 year

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some HOT disney princess takes that you'll hate or love but i fully stand by regardless. lets discuss~

singing/having a powerful voice is aurora's thing, not ariel's! ariel misses her concert in the beginning of the film, struggles with using her auditory voice to effectively communicate, and even gives it up to turn human. it means little/nothing to her and i think people just attribute singing to her, the same way sebastian and her father do, because it's a plot point in her movie meanwhile if ariel knew you all irl she would not be doing sing alongs like that. on the contrary, aurora is literally blessed with the SUPERNATURAL gift of song from birth by a magical fairy, uses it to express herself, and famously sings more than she speaks. so much of aurora's identity is tied into her song and i really think, if there was a singer or someone who owns the "voice" among the princesses, it should be aurora- besides, have you literally ever heard of a more divinely ethereal but also epic and powerful voice than mary costa's??? like don't get me wrong, jodi benson ATE but also after jodi, all the princesses more or less have a similar broadway sound but like no one else can do what aurora did

snow white should be the leader of the princesses. i love cinderella, i do, but snow white was literally the first and imo is the most groundbreaking female character, animated or not, of ALL TIME and she deserves her flowers. also, i think people are FINALLY coming around to see cinderella's value after years of "cinderella ate my daughter" weird misogyny masquerading around as feminism criticisms and i think a lot of that is centered around cinderella being an abuse victim and that's what's warming a lot of people to her...which i love, really i do. but snow white was also abused and, in her film, makes it a point to end the cycle of abuse. she was even the victim of a murder attempt, after which she continues to pick herself up and find shelter and work for her keep, and that gets lost so much and i think, whereas cinderella's dreams center around happiness, snow white singing of the fact that she's dreaming of the nice things someone would say to her and the way she needs grumpy to like her makes so much sense given her background and i literally never EVER see anyone discussing abuse when it comes to snow white. i think if people started talking her character more seriously and analyzing and appreciating it the way y'all do elsa, we would be saved from the heinously bad takes that get attributed to her (see: rachel zegler. that girl has not said ONE valid thing about snow white and her views are so embarrassingly stamped by pseudo online activism from the early 2000s by users that, not only don't realize how dumb they are but also think they're smarter than everyone else because they dabble in armchair psychology, and it's enough)

ariel collecting isn't leaned into as much as it should be tbh (and i'm talking as a serious pastime, not a parody of her never understanding human things that's contingent on her being a mermaid or being totally ignorant to humans)!!! like we get it, belle reads, but i think ariel collecting as a hobby is so much more interesting and well-rounded and nuanced. like, first of all, ariel collecting doesn't eliminate other hobbies, but actually promotes them! like she has books in her grotto, and we see her reading in poyw, but that's not the ONLY thing to her! she probably picks up on so many tiny details about like historical time periods or climates or dress patterns in a way that heightens life and reality and bridges people together because of all the studying she does and it's just soooo interesting to me, as we see things like the historical community evolve on tiktok and people who are fascinated with studying other cultures and the evolution of fandom in general, etc. also, i get this might be super super hot of a take but i think jodi performs certain songs better than she does part of your world...like i do love the song and i think it's more than worthy of being ariel's character's theme song but there's definitely some other bops in there that are just as good, if not better

belle should have a sequel where she gets to be unlikable for a change! even when she is unlikable in the film, it's never perceived as a character fault and linda woolverton's writing/the other characters in the film just blind hero worship and idolize belle and it's creepy tbh and i think it robs her of being a fully realized person that's treated like other people and can build human connections! like, everyone thinks she's stunning and wants a piece of her and never really takes her to task about her character flaws or even mentally challenges her and i think that's why she's so depressed? people only view her as being ultra desirable, whether it's the castle objects seeing her as a beautiful girl that can fall in love with the beast to the point where they ignore the really shady stuff she does, or gaston thinking she's the most beautiful girl in town and wanting to marry her, or even her fans thinking she's the smartest female character who ever breathed and is incapable of flaws. i think if we treated belle more as a person, maybe she could also have an arc in her movie and it wouldn't just be about the beast! also i think it'd be refreshing and we'd allow women to be people, too, and not this "smartest girl in town, but modest about it, prettiest girl in town, but unaware of it, loyal to her father but still stands up for herself, etc etc etc" unrealistic model. belle deserves EQUALS not just admirers who will never measure up to this pedestal they put her on

cinderella 1950 and cinderella 2015 are not interchangeable as characters or films!!! kenneth and lily did a HORRIBLE job at interpreting ilene woods's cinderella and the changes they made are shameful and the original character had so much more strength and realism to her, but in her own feminine way, and lily's character was a giant step back and is the epitome of making loud changes that result to NOTHING. the way the entire 2015 cast badmouthed cinderella 1950 on their press tour has always sat uncomfortably with me and so many people prefer it over the original one i just. also, cinderella looks best in pink! i LOVE aurora in pink, and we're omitting silver because that IS cinderella's color and nothing compares, but i just think she's so vibrant and cute in her pink dress and i love her with her hair down and it's just so much more fun and human and it doesn't get nearly as much attention as it should

they desperately need to age the content/demographics of the franchise up, like ngl them turning these women (and yes, i think they're women not little girls and the point of their movies is them BECOMING women) into like little nursery crib characters for babies and infantilizing them is creepy. also a HUGE segment of the fanbase is an adult one, like fans of the disney renaissance ladies are typically in the 20s-40s, not four year old's, and i just think disney is doing themselves a disservice by largely ignoring all the adult fans who collect these characters and make artwork for them and keep the princesses in vogue by writing about them and making social media content about them. like the avengers can really tap into their fanbase like that, meanwhile the best us princess fans have are like 8 dollar playline dolls?!?! where is our movie!!! where is our CONTENT. the 2003 princess party dvds will no longer suffice!

#mine #disney princess

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bohdank · 11 months

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> Users aren’t stupid, but we are all human. Revealed preference is often the complete opposite of the stated preference, and we have the data that shows that. Our goal is to optimize the experience not kill features because “tumblr staff just wants so”.

I absolutely agree that data, research, user interviews, a/b tests, all that stuff is a far better source of information that "posts about tumblr." But the thing about data is that it's also very easy to draw incorrect or misguided conclusions from it. It's pretty well known that if you're good enough with statistics you can bend data to say nearly anything you want it to.

I don't think tumblr is doing this -- y'all want the site to succeed and deliberately misinterpreting your own stats would be beyond stupid -- but you absolutely may be doing this by accident. And the stakes here are Really High. The set of numbers you choose to pursue will drastically change the way you plan and impliment changes.

And internally, it's very easy for a conversation about statistics to become something of an echo chamber. I really really wish that y'all would actually share the reasoning and justification for the feature changes that you make *and listened to user feedback while open the the possibility that you aren't perfect.* I know that's a lot of work but I think the benefits in goodwill and trust that you reap from working with that level of transparency would be highly worthwhile.

I feel very strongly about this because I've recently come from a site that has effectively fallen apart due to the company chasing the wrong numbers -- I won't go into it because it's all over my blog but I really hope I don't have to watch it happen again. :(

First off, I appreciate the nuance you’ve brought to the conversation. Data is indeed a powerful tool but, as you pointed out, it’s also a tricky beast that can easily lead one astray if not handled with the right level of caution and diligence.

The risk of falling into an echo chamber is real, and there’s something to be said about the danger of falling in love with our own ideas to the point where we ignore contrary indicators.

But I want to reassure you and the rest of our community — we’re not just blindly chasing after numbers. To be frank, I don't know why people think we are just looking at numbers and not talking to real humans. We indeed strive to make data-informed decisions, not data-driven ones. It’s a subtle distinction, but an important one. It means we take into account qualitative feedback, anecdotal evidence, and even gut instincts in addition to the quantitative data.

We regularly run user interview sessions and use other qualitative research instruments to inform our product decisions. To say more, we want to involve our community in the decision-making process as much as possible, not just as passive recipients of the changes we implement but as active contributors.

That being said, it’s a tough balancing act. We’re constantly trying to find the sweet spot between sharing enough to make people feel included and informed, and sharing too much that it becomes overwhelming or confusing. But rest assured, every piece of feedback is invaluable in helping us strike that balance.

#tumblr #tumblr staff

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system-of-a-feather · 5 months

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Y'all remember when we were discussing the differences between our hyper-planning and how people with issues with time / planning for the future experience and navigate things?

I'm really fucking feeling the dysfunction of one of the largest driving features of that which is honestly - in my words - the lack of ability to really get much dopamine at all from things in the present. I don't know of neurochemically that is at all whats going on here, but its just what it feels like.

I have a lot of things going on, I have a lot of things I am doing, and a lot of those things I do think are really nice and all, but most of the time I'm doing them, its hard for me to really place a carrot on a stick because SO much of my long term plans are in a state of determinism (ie waiting for outside factors to close certain doors and open new ones to decide the more specific nuances of my next few years) and so there really isn't any concrete "this is part of the plan for this and will play into it this way and yada yada"

And like, I can play Bladurs Gate, I can work on the DnD stuff, I can write, I can play video games, I can do things that are "enriching" but since none of them really genuinely play a role in any of my plans, I really, for a lack of better words, care. It's not that they don't make me happy or I don't enjoy themdo - I do, it's just such a dull and empty joy that it almost feels worse.

Now that I'm thinking about it and the way my own mind internally verbalizes it "its just a waste of time and a distraction from the actual goal which won't come any faster" and I think thats just a different way of saying "its just a filler between now and the second shoe dropping."

I dunno man, I have a lot of time and ability to do a lot of the hobbies and projects I was wanting to do, but its just so... boring and empty and I honestly kinda hate it.

#alter: riku #vent #vent tw #any commentary or advice or just anything is welcome really #i dont necessarily need advice but I'm always open to seeing if I can get some outsider insight #cause I dont really know what else to do other than suffer through it ie just Cope With It #so if anyone has any thoughts or questions or commentary that might help me troubleshoot this and get a better method of dealing with it #thatd be welcome and appreciated #<- depressed mood

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night-heron-writes · 1 year

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Episode 10 Promo Video/Predictions

So, like a lot of y'all, I'm not thrilled to see Misaki again, but I'm not surprised. We've known she has a bigger part to play in the series than just in episode 3 for a while now, with the opener and the staff interviews. I'm hoping that she's returned for a good (plot-relevant and not contrived) reason. Ideally, the reason that makes the most sense is that Kyutaro masterminded the whole thing to keep Miri out of the conflict we all know is coming.

I'd be less than thrilled if Misaki simply had a "change of heart" and wants Miri back because of that. I had a decent amount of respect for her because she was able to admit she wasn't cut out to be a mother, and a lot of my respect for her would go away if she did a 180° turn in regards to motherhood. Even if she has a "change of heart" can she really give Miri a better, more loving home than she has with Rei and Kazuki?

The title of the episode is "Lost at Sea", which usually means "adrift", and it can apply to lots of our characters. Rei and Kazuki will almost certainly feel lost after their family with Miri is ripped away from them again. Misaki will likely feel adrift having to cope with parenting again, after having not had to for the better part of a year. Miri is drifting between her two families, and probably won't understand where her papas have gone or why she's back with Misaki.

In the PV we see a clip of our main trio back in their favorite store, shopping for Miri again, likely as a going away present or something similar. But if you look closely, you'll notice Kazuki is moving around exaggeratedly, like in episode 6 when he was trying to convince Miri not to hate him. He's probably trying to act normal about having to give Miri back and failing miserably.

We also see them approaching what's likely a fairground/amusement park, perhaps as part of Miri's big send-off. That might be where they're meeting Misaki to give Miri back to her? Probably safer for everyone involved than either Rei's apartment or the shady bar Misaki was working at in episode 3. Interestingly enough, we only see Kazuki and Rei's faces while they're on the Ferris Wheel, nothing to tell us if Miri is there or not. I also found the role reversal here interesting: Kazuki is the one with a closed off expression, while Rei is showing his feelings (of shock? surprise? anger?) more openly. Kazuki might be saying that Misaki will be able to give Miri a better life (whether he believes is is another thing entirely), and Rei might be realizing that wanting to protect his family doesn't just mean from his father boss, but also from other circumstances that try to tear them apart. It would be interesting to see him take a more active role in here in the last arc of the series, since the family was largely founded without his input.

Overall, this episode is likely going to be somber from start to finish. We've entered the final arc of the series, and the stakes are getting higher. What is Kyutaro going to do? The ball is still very much in his court, and I have a hunch that Misaki's reappearance is his doing. Though how tf did he manage to stall until Decemeber if he got the request for information in August? FOUR MONTHS? HOW????

I'm a little surprised at how many people are convinced the show will go to shit now that Misaki has showed up again. We knew she had more to do than just episode 3, and from what we know this seems logical. I have faith in the writing team, since thus far the writing has been amazing. I just hope they do Misaki's character justice. I think she's an interesting character who's been well handled so far and I hope they continue that. The writers have done a good job dealing with complicated issues and showing the nuances of things, so I'm fairly confident they'll continue to do that here.

#buddy daddies #buddy daddies theories #buddy daddies spoilers #misaki is complicated and a mess and i like that about her #often times 'bad parents' don't look like rei's dad #usually they're more complicated than anything else #and have good aspects and bad aspects #take it from someone who wound up with both a parent like shigeki and a parent like misaki #it's a mess

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spoiledblogif · 3 months

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How do our Ro's react realizing they are falling for Mc? Especially Jacob Carter since he took us in.

lmao y'all are never going to forgive me for not making Carter an RO, are you?

Carter: In an alternate universe where he allows that to happen, he would 1000% keep it to himself and go to his grave with that secret. In a universe where MC wasn't his adopted kid and just his partner/consultant (which, admittedly, was the original story--don't hurt me), he'd probably also be pretty reluctant to say anything. Carter has a bad track record with relationships mostly because he throws himself completely into his work and inevitably ends up neglecting his partner. If it's someone he's not serious about, then whatever. But someone he genuinely loved and cared for, he'd feel too guilty to ever let it happen. Better to have them in SOME capacity than lose them all together to his own inability to commit to more than one thing at a time.

R: Panic. Like, R is the type to be a shameless flirt, but real, genuine emotions cause them to have a breakdown. A lot of how they present themselves (superficial, equal parts annoying and charming, etc) is meant mostly to keep people at bay by either driving them away or just by not letting them past those skin-deep aspects. So actually WANTING to be close to someone would be very scary.

Z: Z's a little complicated. They've never let themselves have a life outside their work, so they might not even realize what their feelings are/what they mean. They'd probably interpret it as just wanting to keep the MC safe and never thinking it's mutual in anyway. They have a very black and white view of the world and 'love' by it's nature is kind of a shade of gray so it's definitely out of their realm of expertise.

The Kestrel: Kestrel is a funny beast. They start out basically seeing the MC as more of a object and less of a person. So they're not very interested in the deeper things or nuances. Once they get the chance to INTERACT with the MC, then those other things start coming into play. And as strange and foreign a concept as it'd be to them to CARE about someone, they'd probably be torn between being confused by it and unable to resist the urge to metaphorically touch that sun.

#the second sight #interactive fiction #character prompts #ask prompts

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laikuh · 8 months

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im still thinking of wild, and part of that is because i'm reading the sequel, free, too, and if you're curious this is the book i'm talking about.

i think if the deannajohn girlies can find a cheap copy of it somewhere, it's worth a read, BUT. it's very dramatic. and maybe it's stupid to be on my high horse about incest porn, but as someone who has read and written a lot of it, i do still believe the deanjohn folks do a much better job of writing that kind of content.

i said yesterday that the book lacks any nuance, and what i meant with that is that the book is just very much: fathers fucking daughters is hot. which, agreed. have y'all read my objectified!deanna verse? but i also think the book outright refuses to deal with the implications of fathers fucking daughters, and also it refuses to engage with why fathers fucking daughters can be hot. which, again, like i said last night, is essentially fine. it's a smut book, it is heavy on the smut. but i think it could have been a lot better if there had been more internal struggles for the characters, more examination of the power dynamics, more engagement with the way being out in the middle of the alaskan wilderness contributes to their fucking.

and like, webster does get into a little bit the idea that being out in the wild has removed the pressure of social norms, has turned them into wild creatures that function under their own rules. but....still.

and then you add to that major spoiler i'll put under the cut, it's just like. what was the point of any of this? who is this book for?

the daughter is adopted and not even blood related, so while it is CERTAINLY still incest in spirit, since the father raised her and entirely sees himself AS her father, it still undercuts the whole thing of the book. like, if you're going to write an infamous hard-to-get-affordably book about incest, and then say SIKE IT'S NOT TRUE INCEST then whaaaaat was the point?

#shut up vin

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kats-comfort-corner · 6 months

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Unexpected Ch 85 Theory Post

Spoilers under the cut

*deep breath*

HE KNOWS

HE KNEW THE WHOLE TIME

I FUCKING KNEW IT

okay so i don't actually have any definitive proof or substantial evidence beyond this and almost 20 years of an obsession with this character's personality specifically

HOWEVER

Chapter 79

Key Points:

Shikamaru checks in immediately after seeing the weirdness and asks about what happened "when they were attacked by Boruto".

The translation might be a little weird here, 'cause I don't completely understand Eida's response - which is a shame because I think most of the analysis works better when you can grasp the nuance. Anyway, lol.

She starts off saying "Nothing really" - there's a pause where Kawaki tells her to tell Shikamaru that the Hokage's dead. So, jumping from, "Nothing, all good" to "oh shit actually the Hokage is dead, my bad" is maybe slightly suspicious.

Chapter 80

Key Points:

Eida says rather bluntly that the Hokage has been killed by Boruto, but she's under duress with Kawaki's hand to her throat, so maybe she's not sounding like she usually would. Just a guess.

"There's a very high possibility" is not the same as "The Hokage has definitely been killed". I don't think Shikamaru 100% believes Eida, but I do think the possibility is upsetting enough for him to act on it regardless.

Shikadai is actually the main reason I am fairly confident Shikamaru knows something is up because this kid sees all this weird shit that doesn't add up and you know he talks to his dad about it.

Shikadai sees Sasuke take off with Boruto and you think he's not going to go to his dad like, "hey what the fuck?"

They're Naras, y'all. Come on now.

Chapter 81

Key Points:

Shikamaru is the Hokage now, apparently.

Okay, that's actually a huge factor to consider as well because I don't think he would take that position if he didn't believe Naruto was still alive and able to take it back as soon as he was found. Shikamaru doesn't want to be Hokage, are you kidding me?

"The sanctions against Boruto were in accordance with regulations." "It's also the will of the Hidden Leaf's citizens." "No matter what I order, it won't convince them."

These are not comments that come from someone dead set on hunting down and punishing a criminal that murdered a political leader. This is the kind of thing you say when you're like, "listen, yes, but also bureaucracy is a bitch and I've gotta keep up appearances or someone else will actually hunt Boruto down and kill him".

He's less worried about the fact Sarada is trying to protect Boruto and more worried about how she's doing it. In my opinion. This is not a fact, I just wanted to point it out, lol.

Again, Shikadai hears Naruto's daughter, and who is currently perceived as being Kawaki's sister, say she wants to protect Boruto who supposedly killed her dad. She also said she feels like he's alive somewhere, and I'm willing to bet dollars to donuts that is something a lot of other folks, including Shikamaru, feel as well.

Shikamaru's reaction to when Boruto arrives pretty much solidified my belief that he knows something is up and he doesn't think Boruto killed Naruto, or at the very least that Naruto could still be alive and there's more going on with this whole situation, so he's not eager to jump the gun and kill a child. Which is more than I can say for some of our pol- nevermind ignore this

Shikamaru's reaction to hearing Code is there and attacking people: Orders an evacuation and tries to figure out why Code is attacking, immediately concerned about the safety of the villagers.

Shikamaru's reaction to hearing Boruto just showed up: Prioritize Code and the claw marks, but keep tabs on Boruto without suggesting any kind of attack or restraint or anything like that. He's not worried about Boruto. But he is wanting to gather more intel on the situation as a whole, which makes sense, all things considered.

Chapter 82

Key Notes:

Very intentional frame of Shikadai seeing Kawaki show up, Kawaki shouting for Himawari and Inojin to move out of the way so he can attack a claw thing, not worrying about their safety at all.

Himawari calls him "Big Bro" and Kawaki tells her not to call him that. Not very big brotherly. Again, Shikadai is there for this. Along with everyone else, so. You know, things are kind of weird. These are weird dynamics that are not matching up with their false memories.

Chapter 83

Key Points:

Shikamaru, again, wants Kawaki to focus on eliminating Code - who is an actual threat - and pretty much ignores Boruto because he's not a concern.

Focuses on getting rid of the claw things even after Code has run off, prioritizing keeping him away and protecting the villagers instead of "trying to bring a Hokage killer to justice" or whatever the fuck people are trying to do with Boruto.

Chapter 84

Key Notes:

What Shikamaru took away from Kawaki's breakdown of the situation was that Boruto only came to the village to deal with Code. Meaning that Boruto was never a threat to the village, and there's no reason to worry about him, but it also probably indicates that there is something worth doing more digging into to figure out what the fuck is going on with all of the discrepancies in his memory that I'm sure are pissing him off.

"It better not be someone in the sensory unit."

Kawaki doesn't trust Shikamaru, and probably not anyone else in Konoha. That's not a very "Naruto's son" kind of attitude to have. The fact Shikamaru doesn't seem phased by that distrust means he's either been dealing with it for three years already, has been suspicious of Kawaki this whole time, and more likely both of those things.

Also, what the fuck, that sounds threatening? Ino would kick Kawaki's ass. I'd love to see him try though, lol. No I wouldn't, don't do that please.

Weird tensions between Kawaki (supposedly Naruto's son) and Sarada (Sasuke's daughter). If it were a rivalry, that'd make sense. But the hostility between them? Nah, that don't track.

Sarada basically confirming that Boruto was after Code and most likely trying to find a way to save the people who have been turned into trees. A very "Naruto's son" kind of attitude.

Chapter 85

Key Notes:

BOY. IF AMADO KNOWS, SHIKAMARU HAS KNOWN THE WHOLE GOD DAMN TIME

His face is hidden and he's not surprised or saying anything because if he's been trying to figure this shit out without tipping anyone off WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU SAY

Especially if he doesn't want Eida to know that he knows, because jesus christ her powers are scary and he's probably not eager to have to add that into the mess of variables he's already tangling with.

In Summary

Main Points

Shikamaru has been suspicious of this shit since omnipotence went off and fucked with people's heads.

Shikadai has been privy to some strangeness around Himawari, Kawaki and Boruto at the same time, and I can't imagine that he hasn't asked his dad about it or something. So whatever Shikadai has seen, I assume Shikamaru is somewhat aware of or we'll see a scene where something Shikadai saw or something he says makes it all click into place when his dad hears about it.

Shikamaru's language and attitude around Boruto have been intentionally vague and avoidant. It's the "will of the village", following the system's rules, etc. etc.

Shikamaru's more concerned with Code as a threat than with tracking down Boruto, which conveniently gives him an excuse to not pursue Boruto and prioritize the safety of the village at the same time.

Amado knows? Then Shikamaru has known. No doubt. There was a whole ass chapter where Shikamaru outsmarted Amado. Narratively speaking, we've got a point of reference for why there's a parallel here with Amado talking about this out loud and getting to see Shikamaru's reaction - or in this case, lack thereof - to hearing it.

Conclusion

Shikamaru continues to be the coolest man alive. Thank you for coming to my TED talk, byyyeeee

#boruto #naruto #boruto spoilers #naruto spoilers #manga #breakdown #analysis #shikamaru #shikamaru nara #boruto 85 #i didn't mean to spend so much time on this #woops lol #not my fault he's interesting af #also even if he doesn't wanna be hokage he's still a good one #js #yall stop being rude to him is2g

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threadsun · 7 months

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hey sun so i have a major super important question: Jean?

-Sleepy

See, this is a really important question to address, but I haven't yet because I want to make sure I'm giving a nuanced take on it rather than a knee-jerk response, you know? It's not the kind of thing I can be silent about though, it wouldn't be fair given the content of my blog. So I'm going to explain it in as much detail as I can, and with as much nuance as possible.

Please read the whole thing before you come into my inbox yelling at me for having bad opinions or whatever though, cause some of my thoughts about this are contradictory and it's not a straightforward thing. So just because I say something you disagree with, it doesn't mean I don't also agree with you. Just make sure you understand my positions and what I'm saying before you start getting mad at me.

That being said, because this is so long it's gonna go under a read more so I don't clog up people's dashboards. I have a lot of thoughts and opinions on this matter, and I'm gonna basically be just dumping them all here so y'all can better understand what I'm thinking and feeling. Sorry if it's a little confusing at times, or kind of disjointed and messy ^^'

Anyway, here's my answer:

I love him 🥺👉👈

#sunshine #18+ only #sdj jean #sleepy anon

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prismonautic · 23 days

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ALIA'S BLESSING - a spell to send love and comfort to someone you care for.

good news, prismonautic hiatus is over!

that means, more spells for you to learn and use :)

today, we're going to be covering the myth of alia and tash, two sisters who are experiencing hardships in their connections due to pressure in tash's life starting to take a toll on her. alia goes out her way to do what she can to comfort tash, even if it may not seem like a lot has been done to the naked eye.

+ witchy writers seeing this, you can incorporate alia's blessing into your fantasy works! credit and tag me cuz i 10000% wanna see what y'all do with it in your own stories.

i'm not sure if i can label this spell as beginner friendly, especially since you need a good grasp on your shadow work + energy work to ensure you're not projecting egotistical / restrictive desires upon the person.

the main goal of this spell is to wish the person alignment to their highest good - and their highest good may not agree with what your ego says it should be. approach this with an open mind and heart, and make sure you're not trying to make yourself feel better by trying to cast this for someone.

this should be done out of love, not fear.

to read my recent post elaborating on intent vs. impact in casting spells, click here.

in order to read the myth, PLEASE CLICK HERE.

READ THE MYTH BEFORE ATTEMPTING TO USE THE SPELL!

the myth serves as a small form of divination - it's like a black mirror that looks back into you. what you gather from the myth will rate your compatibility with this spell, and give you an idea of if this is the right spell for your situation or not.

INSTRUCTIONS TO CAST ALIA'S BLESSING.

this is gatekept by the mythos - it's likely that if you don't understand it or know how to decode the myth, it's not for you.

things that you need:

a strong understanding of your target's emotional state, emotional needs, and their current situations.

+ bonus if you have their astrology chart - look at their moon sign and its aspects to have a stronger understanding of their emotional nuances/archetypes.

either creative medium: something to WRITE on or DRAW on.

doesn't matter if you're doing this electronically or not. what matters is that you're able to portray the uplifting comfort you want to bless your target with. if you are not adept in either of these skills, create an altar where you will place corresponding herbs/gems/oils that align with the energy you're trying to bring to your target.

what to do:

with your knowledge about the target's emotions + your blank canvas (whether written or drawn), create a clear image of the blessing you want to send to this target - imbue things such as comfort, love, vitality, and life as deeply as you can into your work. the more details, the better.

if you're having trouble completing this step, take a look at the myth again and read the part where alia draws out tash as blessed and happy.

if you're completing this artwork electronically, save it and place it within a zipped folder on your device.

if you are completing this artwork physically, place it in a sealed envelope if it's written on standard paper. if you've made a painting, find a place to hang it where the sun will shine upon it. if you can't hang it, charge it with an appropriate energy that can be aligned with the sun's energy - light, invigorating, etc.. whatever is most suitable for the spell at the time.

^ once you complete the work and store them appropriately, consider the spell cast. there is no more action needed on your part. if you want to boost it, feel free to charge the artifacts under the sun / use energy work to charge it according to what best suits you.

to break the spell, destroy the work and dispose of it away from where it was originally stored. using this method simply makes the spell inactive, it's like cutting a cord. the target will need to maintain the positive energy of the blessing, or else it will fade over time.

if you need to break the spell and wish for it to be offensive, destroy the spell with water. it "drowns" the blessing, returning the energy you poured into them to you + removing the blessings you've conjured for them. i do not recommend destroying the artifact like this unless the person has explicitly done harm to you or your loved ones, and has no intention of stopping.

get creative with this spell. it's a launching pad for your masterpiece.

happy blessings to you all, keep taking care of those you love with all you can!

that's all from me for now.

ta-ta!

#witchblr #witchcraft #intermediate witch #spellwork #spirituality #energy work #chaos magick #pop culture paganism #protection magic #creative writing #writer stuff #writeblr

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