They look different to me
Bruce didn't die on set, but when he was supposed to go to party. He was working on a film, but it was his day off. Realistically, what happened to him could happen to anyone, while not many people die while faking getting killed.
No he didn't. Both of their deaths forced the movies they were working on to be rewritten, but Bruce died of a pre-existing condition combined with painkillers, while Brandon got shot.
Still, -1.7% for Windows is hige
That makes more sense. I just wasn't familiar with The Culture or the story they're a part of.
I don't think HDG can be both serious science fiction and kink. Kink can indulge in portrayals of sexual assault or abuse that would never be ok in science fiction. That does not mean it is uncritically exploring those topics, but allowing readers to sublimate their own experiences into the story. People can explore fears like threats of genocide or loss of autonomy in a safe and controlled manner.
I don't know much about The Culture, but calling it anarcho-communism doesn't follow from what you describe. The humans might be able to come and go as they please, but do they have any say in the order that affects them? A pet in the real world might live a post scarcity life while their humans live in a capitalist dystopia. Is there dangerous infrastructure that can accidentally kill the pet or roaming threats? Is it just one upper class area where the pets are treated well, or is are they safe throughout the entire society? Are there bad owners, or is every alien just magically good to their pet?
Long rant about domestication:
Also, the idea of dogs not being able to live free range like cats is a myth. The majority of dogs on earth are not domesticated, while I've personally met domesticated dogs who roamed freely. Dingos were brought to Australia by people and became more independent with time, but for a real chunk of time they were more village dogs rather than wild animals. I currently know a dog that was given to a group of people as a puppy by her wild mother so she could live a better life.
The line between a pet and a wild animal is permeable rather than a clear cut distinction. The animals we are closest to did not get plucked up by people and made into pets, but gradually grew closer to humans through a process of natural selection that favored those who could better survive beside us. We coexist so well through natural processes, not eugenics or mind control.
The plant mommies came to earth and forced people to be their pets rather than give them the choice to be pets. A more grounded version would see humans gradually becoming pets because it was the best option rather than by the aliens turning those that fight them the hardest into slaves.
The more fundamental problem with HDG is how its entire understanding of domestication is based on an outdated worldview that assumes humans have more control than they do. The very idea is rooted in eugenics and imperialism. I doubt it's even possible to detangle HDG from authoritarianism.
I know what HDG is, but I fundamentally don't agree that its form of slavery should be explored in a nuanced or realistic way. It stinks of the exact same paternalistic cultural imperialism that has been applied to countless cultures throughout history. The desire to take control away from people because "you know better" is still genocidal. It goes hand in hand with the genocide that sees people slaughtered in cold blood to this very day.
I actually prefer HDG only being about the kink of getting mindbroken by aliens. I have nothing against people being into those things, but I do have a problem with people taking the setting of HDG seriously. Sexual fantasy is only fine when it keeps clear separation from reality, so by keeping it unserious it can be explored in a safe way.
Not being able to look past those real world undertones is what kept me from enjoying HDG. The implication that the alien's involuntary intimacy was a good thing made me nope out. Getting so close to the line that people do take it seriously is why I don't fuck with it.
What about a gf similar to this, but a dom kitty? 🤔
cringe take
Benevolent slavery?! Wtf does that mean!?!
My money is on the incompetence of Trump loyalists