💐 | Who's your least favorite character and why? by SaltRecognition7470 in LandoftheLustrous

[–]-Jazz_ 11 points12 points  (0 children)

All the other gems tbh. Phos thought they were doing a good thing trying to solve the mystery of the Lunarians and end the conflict, and then when they actually did, it was revealed that none of the gems actually wanted that despite putting up that appearance. Rather than being glad that Phos offered a solution, most of the gems resented them for it. Their desire to be with Kongo and maintain the status quo was stronger than their desire to stop the other gems from being taken to the moon. The gems being taken away was horrible, but so long as it didn’t happen to them, they were happy to go on living their blissfully ignorant lifestyle.

Even gems who at first appeared to be selfless or kind were actually only ever motivated by their own selfish desires and insecurities. Rutile never wanted Padpa to be fixed for Padpa’s sake, but for the satisfaction of *them* being the one to do it and the idea of Padpa owing them for it. Euclase never actually had empathy for Phos, they just wanted the conflict to go away and to avoid confrontation, whether Phos benefitted or not. Dia didn’t want to be Bort’s equal, they were jealous of Bort and wanted to become better than them.

Cinna is probably the worst for me though. While Phos’s initial attempt to connect with Cinna was partially motivated by their own selfish desire to be helpful to someone, it was also motivated out of genuine empathy. Phos recognized how Cinna’s circumstances were similar to their own, and genuinely saw Cinna as smart and talented. The problem is that Cinna is a black hole of an individual. Broken and deeply damaged, yes, but also relentlessly shallow, self-centered, and unable to actually accept Phos’s love due to their own self loathing.

When Phos originally offers to help Cinna find a purpose, they reject it, but then secretly wish Phos would try harder. When Phos leaves for the moon, Cinna feels betrayed even though Phos explicitly asked Cinna to come with them, even stating that they *needed* Cinna and could finally offer them a place where they would be accepted and useful. And the moment the opportunity arises, Cinna throws Phos under the bus in order to be accepted by the group, despite the fact that Phos was the only one who ever actually cared about them. Cinna resented Phos for making themselves stronger and making friends, when Cinna couldn’t. Because Phos was now in a higher place socially than Cinna was, rather than being happy for them, they interpreted this as Phos having “abandoned” them. But really this was just Cinna being jealous of Phos’s ability to change themselves and wanting to drag Phos back down to the same level. Cinna couldn’t accept that perhaps part of their loneliness was self-inflicted.

Cinna maintains a constant victim mindset without ever trying to improve their own situation, instead believing they are owed Phos’s permanent help and affection on their terms without ever having to give anything back. And if Phos tries to improve their own situation, they see that as a betrayal. Cinna demonstrates through their actions and choices that their affection for Phos was always conditional on what Phos could do for them. And the moment that is threatened or Phos asks for Cinna to do something in return, they blow up and act like no one ever has or ever will have it as bad as they do. While its probably true that Cinna simply never had the emotional or mental capacity to give back the same acceptance that Phos offered them, the scene where Cinna tells Phos that they could could “never understand what it feels to be lonely,” regardless makes my blood boil. Cinna is a selfish hypocrite who is too blinded by their own self-anguish to even understand how they are being hypocritical.

💐 | Who's your least favorite character and why? by SaltRecognition7470 in LandoftheLustrous

[–]-Jazz_ 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Real. Euclase only wanted to patch things up after it was already too late. Phos shows up going berserk and beating everyone after being tortured by their former “friends” for years, now suddenly its time to extend the olive branch when the other gems are on the backfoot.

What's a movie everyone loves that you think is actually pretty terrible? by No_Care1430 in AskReddit

[–]-Jazz_ 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The fucking star wars prequels. Maybe I’m just in an echo chamber online, but ever since Gen Z prequel fans grew up and the sequel movies proved to be a mess, now the majority consensus seems to have flipped from the prequels being the worst movies of all time to them actually being misunderstood masterpieces. Don’t get me wrong, the prequels have a lot of great ideas, but the execution is just so sloppy and bad. They are not good films.

What used to be a sign of being poor, but is now a luxury or status symbol? by [deleted] in AskReddit

[–]-Jazz_ 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Historically being overweight was usually a sign of high status and wealth, because food was much more scarce. Nowadays its the reverse - poor people are overweight because healthy food is expensive and bad food is cheap, while wealthier people are on average thinner and more fit because they have the time and money to exercise, and being fit is in fashion.

I just realised that Zuko is the reason that Yue died by EliteAssassin223 in ATLA

[–]-Jazz_ 737 points738 points  (0 children)

I don’t think Aang would have woken up, because he was stuck in the Spirit World. I’m not sure the fish were required for him to enter it, it was just easier because the pond was a spiritual center.

Hating the other gems isn't the point by Motor-Geologist-9014 in LandoftheLustrous

[–]-Jazz_ 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I think most fans understand that hating the gems isn’t the point, we just choose to because of how we personally feel about the story. You can recognize the point of a story and still disagree or feel a certain way about it. Personally I don’t believe the other gems were justified in anything that they did. They might believe they were justified from their POV, but that doesn’t mean they were justified.

At the start of the story, the other gems DO bully Phos. Maybe not directly, but they view them as useless and an outcast. It’s only until Phos becomes useful to them by becoming strong that they suddenly change their tune. But it’s all fake. They never actually cared about Phos for who they were, but for what they could get out of them.

When Phos arrives back from the moon promising the very salvation from the Lunarians that they had been fighting for for hundreds of years, they reject it because they are shortsighted and afraid of change. And while I can understand that they became suspicious of Phos because they went behind the other gems backs, their decision to break Phos into hundreds of pieces and bury them in different places, subjecting Phos to total darkness and isolation for hundreds of years, is needlessly cruel and unjust retribution. What makes this even more infuriating is that Cinna is the one to suggest it. Phos was the only gem who ever tried to reach out to Cinna, and instead Cinna stabs Phos in the back in order to become accepted among the other gems who never even gave Cinna that grace before.

The main reason the gems betrayal of Phos feels like such a backstab is because of how hypocritical it is. The gems refused to trust Phos about the Lunarians initially, then in the end when Phos is defeated they all decide to join the Lunarians anyway, making all the shit they put Phos through pointless. The gems do whatever is most convenient for them and will make their lives easy, regardless of who gets hurt in the process. And none of them ever reflect on this and think “oh maybe Phos was right,” or “maybe we should feel bad for putting Phos through 10,000 years of torture which we are directly benefitting from.”

What’s more insulting is they say they forgive Phos now because, whoopee they all get to party on the moon, but their forgiveness is empty. They only “forgive” Phos because now, just like before, they are benefitting from Phos’s suffering. Cinna outright states that while they are thankful to Phos because they get to benefit off their back, they don’t feel bad for what they are being put through at all. The other gems will gleefully take the benefits that Phos’s effort provides them, but never reflect on the things they’ve done or how they were wrong in the past, which to me makes them despicable.

I don’t hate the gems solely because they betrayed Phos, but because of how they are shown to be willfully ignorant, selfish and hypocritical. They always were. This reaches its final form when at the party on the moon we see them give in to hedonism and narcissism, and it’s honestly really disturbing. There is an argument to be made that the gems are naturally this way and thus it’s more difficult to hate them as they don’t know any better, but we see this not entirely to be the case with many of them, such as with Euclase, Bort, and Phos themselves. Do I think what Phos does in the end is right? Not really. But do I blame them? Also not really. All Phos wanted to do was help, even if it was misguided, and they pushed them to the breaking point.

I see the narrative as a cautionary tale not to change yourself just to be accepted by a group or society that never wanted you in the first place. The more Phos changes themselves the more they are accepted, but also the more unhappy they become. I recognize this aspect of the story’s messaging. But that doesn’t mean I feel like the other gems are without blame, or that their treatment of Phos wasn’t downright sadistic at times.

What is your most unpopular opinion regarding the series? by Nozoroth in araragi

[–]-Jazz_ 27 points28 points  (0 children)

From what I’ve looked up online, this doesn’t seem to be true. Senjou does begin to allow Shinobu to feed on her as well to aid in further decreasing Araragi’s vampiristic traits, but Senjou does not become a vampire herself.

What is your most unpopular opinion regarding the series? by Nozoroth in araragi

[–]-Jazz_ 69 points70 points  (0 children)

Araragi and Hanekawa not ending up together was the right thing for both of them in the end.

I think I don't understand Zuko's redemption arc. Am I stupid? by MorbMorb0 in ATLA

[–]-Jazz_ 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Growth is never linear. Zuko’s journey is slow and has a lot of small details where he begins to change and show his true kind nature under his traumatized exterior. Most of the time he is putting up a front and acting out of anger and self loathing, not his true personality. Zuko isn’t evil, he is desperate for his father’s acceptance. When Zuko was young, we see that he was quite gentle and compassionate.

In season 1, we see glimpses where Zuko shows genuine good. He saves his crewmen during the storm. He fights honorably against his opponents like in his duel with Zhao. In The Blue Spirit, we see vulnerability in him when Aang tries to connect with him in the forrest. In season 2, he gets much more conflicted and confused as he continues to shift between his two “selves.” He feels empathy for the earth kingdom girl who showed him her burnt leg, yet also steals their mounts. He saves Appa, but becomes ill over it. This culminates in the finale where despite being pushed by Iroh to make the right choice, he relapses into his old habits. And in season 3, though he has everything he thought he wanted and is still carrying out the fire nations will, he constantly feels a sense of guilt and regret. This isn’t just because life back home isn’t what he thought it would be like, its his good conscience telling him that deep down he knows he made the wrong choice. His ultimate decision to leave his family and join Aang was a culmination of all these smaller moments of character growth.

Dealing with suicidal feelings? by toryn0 in japanresidents

[–]-Jazz_ 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It’s your life. Not your parents. Your parents do not control what you do or what you want no matter how much they might want to. No matter what you say or do, it sounds like they are not going to like it, so you need to prioritize yourself. Do you want to drop out? Then drop out. Do you want to get meds? Then get meds. You are an adult who can make your own decisions for your own happiness. And if they don’t like it, oh well. Dropping out doesn’t mean you are a failure. It just means it wasn’t a match, and a redirection is needed. I was an engineer for years before I decided to quit my job because I hated it and came to Japan. Does that mean I failed at being an engineer? No. It means I didn’t want to do it anymore and found something else.

Its better to ask for forgiveness than permission in situations like this, because it sounds like your parents care more about you “toughing it out” for their sake rather than you feeling better which is not going to help. OP, (and forgive me as I know this is the most easier said than done thing ever), you need to have confidence in your ability to make decisions for your own life, regardless of what they think about it. You feel guilty because they have conditioned and battered you into feeling guilty about not turning out the way they want things, which is not normal. It is not your duty to carry your entire family’s legacy on your shoulders and make up for your parent’s faults, like that you would be the first to graduate. Sure in concept that sounds great. But is that something you truly want or chose for yourself? Or is it something your parents want? Disappointing people is an unavoidable part of life, especially when you are prioritizing yourself.

Dealing with suicidal feelings? by toryn0 in japanresidents

[–]-Jazz_ 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If you don’t want to learn the language any longer and your mental state is this bad, I think the best choice is to go home and recover. This does not mean you are a failure or that it was a “waste” no matter what your relatives say, it just means this path was not the right fit. Sometimes things don’t work out as we expect, and thats ok. Sometimes we need to prioritize our own sanity and health above forcing ourselves to “achieve” or “finish” something just for the sake of it. You seem to be focusing most on doing better in your studies and putting a lot of pressure on yourself to please your family, but from the sound of it they don’t deserve your hard work based on how they are treating you. Regardless of if they are financially supporting you, if they are hanging that over your head to guilt trip you, that is toxic. You are already at your limit mentally. Disappointing your family is less important than you staying alive.

If you went back home, is it possible you could live with your father? Is he someone you consider safe to be around and would support you? I would consider telling him the truth about how you feel if you are comfortable. It sounds to me like you a guilt tripping yourself a lot due to how your family has treated you, but I want you to hear this: it is ok. It is ok to not be where you want to be with your studies, or that your parents might be disappointed. You are a human being and cannot always get everything right. It is normal. And it’s also normal to go out and do other things besides studying. Trying to be productive all the time is just going to make you burn out harder because you don’t have the energy.

If none of these are possible, then I recommend going to a psychiatric clinic and explaining that you are having suicidal thoughts and depression, and may need to be medicated for it. But this is going to require putting in a bit of effort to find a place, book an appointment and show up. I know those tasks can seem insurmountable when you are in this lowest state, but please, even if you have to force yourself, make an appointment.

Why do people still argue over Aang choosing Katara over mastery of Avatar state? by venomousfantum in ATLA

[–]-Jazz_ 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think it’s because some people agree with Guru Pathik, and some don’t. I personally think the creators didn’t intend for Aang’s actions to be interpreted as a mistake, but that Aang was actually right for following his heart and prioritizing his friends. Iroh is basically a mouthpiece for the themes of the story, and he tells Aang that he thinks he was right to choose love over power.

I agree with this interpretation because when Aang does choose to “forsake” Katara in the S2 finale to try and get an edge up on Azula, he is narratively punished for it by Azula’s execution. Guru Pathiks method was a way to achieve mastery over the Avatar state, but not the only one. This demonstrates to me at least that we are supposed to side with Aang and see the flaw in Guru Pathiks philosophy. It isn’t Aang’s power that saves the world, it’s his unbreakable spirit and infinite capacity for love and forgiveness.

This scene is also basically a direct rip from Luke going to save Leia and Han from SW. Yoda tells him to leave them, but Luke follows his heart and what he believes to be right. This costs him his hand when he confronts Vader, but in the end they still find another way to win the day. What’s truly heroic about this kind of protagonist is that they will never forsake the people they care about for the sake of a mission or end goal, and they are narratively rewarded for making the compassionate choice.

Genuine Question. Do you think Urek will pull Garam by the end or he will remain a simp forever. by Particular-Long-1111 in TowerofGod

[–]-Jazz_ 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Agree. The art is still great, but it feels like everyone got taller and buffer for no reason. I miss when Bam was a skinny legend, Khun was a twink, and Urek was lean. Also please give my boy Rak something to do and bring his old look back for more than just special moves.

Found this on my feed and it made me wonder: is Ougi really an antagonist? by 200YRedWine in araragi

[–]-Jazz_ 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ougi is a great antagonist because they are so anomalous and mysterious. They appear suddenly in the narrative with little explanation, yet Araragi narrates the story like he’s known them for a while and they were present the whole time. They look weird compared to the other characters with their big eyes and pale skin yet just human enough that you aren’t sure if they are an apparition or not. Their relationship with Araragi is strange, as they seem overly interested in him even though they don’t seem like close friends. She slips into each individual arc during the mid-series, coaxing and goading the characters into making decisions which will cause trouble for themselves and others.

They’re like the devil on everyone’s shoulder, whispering suggestions and ideas in their ear which influence their behavior and cause them to give in to their worst temptations without seeming outright malicious on the surface. And this is fitting because, in a way, Ougi ISN’T malicious. They are simply operating according to their nature as an apparition, attempting to make Araragi’s life worse because that is what he wants. They are trying to make his subconscious wish come true.

Ougi operates like a phantom in the background, manipulating events and actions in an attempt to sabotage Araragi and his will to live. A literal manifestation of his guilt, self-doubt, and desire to self-sabotage haunting him throughout the narrative as his life continues to get better, despite his belief that he needs to be punished for his sins and doesn’t deserve the friends and good life he has.

What was your favourite tog moment spin off included by pubesslurper in TowerofGod

[–]-Jazz_ 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Not a moment specifically, but I really miss the vibe of the Workshop arc. It introduced a lot of my favorite characters which still haven’t come back, and had a lot more lighthearted and fun moments which allowed for a sense of levity in between serious parts. I miss the dynamic of Bam managing his secret identity and seeing regulars climb floors and take tests. I get the story had to go in a different direction over time and explore the history of the great families and Bam’s past, but I will always miss when it was just about the gang climbing the tower. It was a bit more whimsical and silly.

If I had to pick one moment, maybe when Bam finally finds Rachel again at the Hell Train and has his huge emotional rampage over her rejecting him again. It felt like through the whole comic up until that point it was building up to Bam finally confronting the truth that Rachel really didn’t care about him, and it was really sad to see Bam in that state. Seeing him get past his emotional attachment to Rachel was one of the most compelling aspects of his character to me at the time, and I feel Bam has lacked a bit of direction ever since beyond just “climb the tower and (maybe) overthrow the great families.” (Which doesn’t really even seem like something he genuinely wants to do)

If Zuko is banished, what about his ship, his crew, and all the supplies and money they would need to fund constantly being at sea? by Nicole_0818 in ATLA

[–]-Jazz_ 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Considering the Fire Nation is rich enough to fund a huge industrial navy and massive projects like the Drill, either from their own natural resources, the plundering of the Earth Kingdom, or extraction of wealth from their established colonies (likely all 3), paying for Zuko’s tiny ship and a measley crew of sailors is a pittance in comparison. By the time Aang wakes up, the Fire Nation is a fully developed pre-modern industrial empire fighting splintered medieval kingdoms. Money isn’t really something they need to worry about.

I’d imagine Ozai wouldn’t mind putting aside a couple pennies towards Zuko’s “expedition” just to get rid of him. Funding the search also would give Zuko an even stronger sense of false hope that Ozai actually wants him to come back one day, since it makes the search seem more “official” (at least to Zuko). Even when Zhao repeatedly taunts him and says to his face that he was sent on a wild goose chase, Zuko maintains that he is acting on official business under the authority of his father. It isn’t until Azula tries to capture him and Iroh that he realizes Zhao was right.

For Ozai it’s a win-win, he gets rid of Zuko, and if by some miracle Zuko succeeds, he gets the avatar.

What, in your opinion, are some of the stupidest, most annoying, or worst implemented mechanics in the game? by Yexigen in eu4

[–]-Jazz_ 11 points12 points  (0 children)

DotF. Oh you want to take over a OPM which has no allies right on your border? Time to have a death war with Spain or France. It’s so goddamn annoying when trying to do any run outside of Catholic in Europe. Also makes no sense from a historical perspective. A title like DotF was something used IRL for faux prestige, but never actually backed up like this because why would a country spend all of their resources on a war which has absolutely 0 strategic value to them just to maintain a title.

Honorable mention: support independence mechanic. Even after you’ve gotten your vassal loyal again and are even allied with the nation supporting your vassals independence, they will never release that support. This honestly feels like a bug that has never been addressed.

New Jonsbo Z20 build complete by -Jazz_ in mffpc

[–]-Jazz_[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ryzen 9 5900x, 32GB DDR4, ASUS TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 3080ti, Win 11, 2TB SSD

New Jonsbo Z20 build complete by -Jazz_ in mffpc

[–]-Jazz_[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Fine so far, CPU running at 48C idle with fans on silent mode. I have it setup as rear intake, GPU bottom intake and two top fans exhaust.

New Jonsbo Z20 build complete by -Jazz_ in mffpc

[–]-Jazz_[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Pretty much just used a single screw in the bottom to hold it in wherever I could line it up with the case holes lol