No, I do understand everything you just said, I just think it’s wrong and that a properly communist analysis would demonstrate that. Are you telling me that historical materialism is just one of multiple ways of arriving at communist conclusions?

Well I sure disagree with everything you just said. I think it’s reductive, simplistic, and appeals to problematic realist sensitivities. What does everything you just said have to do with communism?

The Borg referred to themselves as “we”, and use the third person pronouns they/them. The Borg refer to Seven of Nine, Tertiary Adjuct of Unimatrix Zero One as “this drone”, and use the third person pronouns it/its. Seven of Nine also did not particularly enjoy being referred to as “Seven”. It was a concession made for the sake of efficiency and the comfort of the humans, but it voiced its dissatisfaction with the choice when it consented. As a nonbinary person, I have also consented to identifiers I didn’t like for the sake of others’ comfort. I recognise the experience and have direct empathy. Given that we are communicating in a text format, it requires negligible effort to refer to it as 7/9 and preserve the precision with which it wished to be referred.

Now as to 7/9’s stated preference and opinion of Janeway:

JANEWAY: I’ve met Borg who were freed from the Collective. It wasn’t easy for them to accept their individuality, but in time they did. You’re no different. Granted, you were assimilated at a very young age, and your transition may be more difficult, but it will happen.
SEVEN: If it does happen, we will become fully human?
JANEWAY: Yes, I hope so.
SEVEN: We will be autonomous. Independent.
JANEWAY: That’s what individuality is all about.
SEVEN: If at that time we choose to return to the Collective, will you permit it?
JANEWAY: I don’t think you’ll want to do that.
SEVEN: You would deny us the choice as you deny us now. You have imprisoned us in the name of humanity, yet you will not grant us your most cherished human right. To choose our own fate. You are hypocritical, manipulative. We do not want to be what you are. Return us to the Collective!
JANEWAY: You lost the capacity to make a rational choice the moment you were assimilated. They took that from you, and until I’m convinced you’ve gotten it back, I’m making the choice for you. You’re staying here.
SEVEN: Then you are no different than the Borg.

It allowed itself to undergo conversion therapy to become a woman because it saw no other choice. It was locked in a prison until it agreed. That is not consent, that is coersion. It is survival.

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In Halo 4, Captain Del Rio doesn’t want to risk damaging the Infinity because it’s a ginormous phallic substitute for his fragile masculinity. Chief and Cortana have actually been spending their time exploring and studying the lore, and they go rogue and save the world. The lesson here is that you should stop and think instead of uncrtically participating in the cycle of phallic symbols

What can I say, the bungie era had better writing

In Halo ODST it turns out that Huragok are slaves actually and there might be something to be gained by saving them from the covenant instead of killing them like you have been the whole game. The lesson here is that you should stop and think instead of uncritically participating in the cycle of fascist violence.

In Halo Reach, Noble Team try to go down in a blaze of glory defending Reach, but Halsey gives them an AI she says has the secret to winning the war, and it turns out Cortana has the coordinates of Halo. The lesson here is that you should stop and think instead of uncritically participating in the cycle of fascist violence.

Actually halo is antifascist

In the first game you have the genocidal theocrats trying to wipe out humanity, and you have humanity represented as the roman empire in space. So both sides are basically fascist. And the player character proceeds to accidentally almost wipe out all life in the galaxy by trying to find the biggest gun and use it against the baddies. Cortana has to step in, call you a nincompoop in a bizarrely british accent, and inform you that Halo will wipe out all life in the galaxy. The lesson here is that you should stop and think instead of uncritically participating in the cycle of fascist violence.

In Halo 2, you play as a military leader participating in a theocratic genocide, whose cultural traditions have been turned against your species to turn you into a willing slave of the rule caste who does their dirty work and has no honour so you’ll stop asking pesky questions like “Why are we killing the humans”. You meet heretics, a light bulb, and a big venus fly trap who slowly deradicalise you, until one day your people are genocided and you team up with the people you oppressed. The lesson here is that you should stop and think instead of uncritically participating in the cycle of fascist violence.

In Halo 3, Earth is invaded and the covenant find a portal to the Ark, through which Cortana says there is a way to beat the Flood. Lord Hood wants to stay at Earth and go down in a blaze of glory, but Master Chief and arbiter who have learned their lessons from the last two games, say they should go through the portal and see what Cortana’s big discovery is. The lesson here is that you should stop and think instead of uncritically participating in the cycle of fascist violence.

BOTW only has a crafting mechanic for food. There is 0 other crafting in the game.

Darth Traya’s actual motivation is very interesting, though. Star Wars’ pseudobuddhist/pseudotaoist philosophy has always been its best feature, and Kreia is this very interesting character who is aware of the Tao and believes in its existence, and wants to kill it. Its a matter of free will and theology. There is a “god” that controls the entire galaxy, and here is a character who believes its existence is an unjust hierarchy and wants to kill it.

Like, performing magic through sheer martial prowess rather than study and arcane research feels like something that DnD doesn’t have much support for.

It had plenty of support for that in 4e. These days only monks get to be magically martial

Back in 4e, fighters were explicitly supernatural

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Light pollution 🤮

“Narcissistic behaviour” is an ableist dogwhistle. We don’t talk about enabling deaf behaviour, or autistic behaviour, because those are disabilities we treat with a modicum more respect.

Infantilising mental disabilities is a dick move.

If you’re not a psychiatrist, then you don’t have the training needed to diagnose someone with a mental disability. I don’t care whether your parents actually have NPD or not, but the risk of armchair diagnosing someone is that you’ll just amplify stereotypes. You diagnose them because they meet a stereotype, and then you study their behaviour and reach the conclusion that narcisstists act like the stereotype, and then you spread your conclusion. It’s citogenesis.

Also “narc” when used to say someone has NPD is straight up a slur.

No, I have NPD and we’re called narcs sometimes. It’s often used in the community as a shorthand, but generally if it comes from a neurotypical it’s a slur. I’m aware of the other meaning of the word and I don’t have a problem with it, but I tend not to use it because it just reminds me of the homonym which is actually offensive.

Can you add a content warning for carnism?