#but the current narrative is never being interesting and truly looking at his character with a critical eye

[tabr1-s]

sunday rant and personal frustrations with him that i begun to write at 6am running on an entire 3 and a half hours of sleep (my cats woke me up.....)

(tldr at the end. i might be as bad as Sunday in terms of yap mileage (yappage) but i'll do one better than him and provide you with the concise version if you scroll all the way down.)

i have never felt such intense emotions about a character's moral viewpoint... Ever. and i've liked characters that were mass murderers before. morals (or lack thereof) usually never played a significant role in whether i liked a character or not (unless they did something i considered worse than plain ol murder, then i wouldn't associate with them), and 99% of the time i could find the character's motivations understandable under the circumstances that they were in.

and, technically, i can understand where Sunday is coming from too.

but that doesn't stop me from being Absolutely pissed at him.

(sunday-esque yap about myself incoming, i will eventually get to the point (which i will highlight))

as someone who has been told that i have "ocd features" Multiple times by my psychiatrist (practically each session) i understand the need for control. my obsessiveness manifests in the form of feeling the need to control practically everything - my current obsession for control being my own emotions, which extends to needing to control entire situations, and in turn makes me severely overthink all the possible outcomes to those given situations. i've also been guilty of controlling others before, and having the mentality of "i know what's best for you". hell, i still feel like that a lot, but i really try to push it back.

and this need for "control" is mainly the reason why i even find comfort in fiction. because it's oftentimes very predictable to me (it also made me think of how i do not find any interest in reading books, but i love writing stories of my own. particularly fan-fiction. and the only time i can feel comfortable enough to feel romance is towards fictional characters - because i control the narrative! it's something to think about.). if i like a character or a narrative, it's easy for me to pick apart where the writers will go with that story. and, even if the story turns out to disappoint me/be different than what i hoped for, i would still be Prepared for that possibility.

i somehow... failed to prepare for what would happen with Sunday.

i had set my sights on the wrong thing for 2.2. i invested my whole energy on trying to comfort myself that hoyo wouldn't take the ipc colonialism route (basically turning out to be capitalist/colonialist apologists) with penacony (which i Guess will be explored in 2.3? but now that i have some more context on the story and how it's unraveling i'm not as anxious about it anymore), that i overlooked a lot of other things that could've gone wrong.

namely, my favourite hsr character to be... Like that. (i'm not even being intentionally vague. i'm just dumbfounded)

i had Heard of the theory that Sunday is possessed by Ena (which didn't particularly make sense to me, and i refused to look at leaks concerning Sunday lest they upset me. either way i Really hated that theory. plus, Sunday being said to have ocd would've been an incredibly cheap way to foreshadow that he's "possessed" by the Order. you can't just create your first(?) important/playable character that has a confirmed mental illness and then go "it's okay actually he's Normal! he was just possessed". i took this very personally. and still am.), and saw a lot of theories concerning his involvement with the Order as well. i shut it all out, because i didn't like the implications of that.

which in turn made me Not think/comfort myself regarding the possibilities that he truly Was connected to the Order.

...

well, rest in pieces, me - it's always the things i don't pay much attention to/ignore/fail to think about. which is actually a bit strange because i was not expecting him to be an entirely sane person from the start - he was a politician type, a leader, and a manipulator, to name a few things. that much was obvious. in 2.0-2.1 i wouldn't have been surprised if it turned out that he was the one that "killed" Robin. again, nothing was out of the question. but, 2.1 showed a different side of him. one that cared for his sister and (seemingly) listened to her and cared about what she thought. so they became quite a comforting little sibling duo to me. tragic, yet you could depend on their mutual trust in eachother... or so i thought.

and then he... went and did all That. which just showed me how, despite him caring for his sister, he was still putting other things above her.

to conclude with my yap: in a sense, he is just my "grim reflection of the self". and although i feel sympathetic towards my past self and how naive and selfish i used to be, there are some flaws of mine i will never forgive myself for. and, Sunday, in a way, reminded me of... Everything. it was almost triggering.

(hey, writing this all down in one place helped me calm down! (it's a neverending cycle that will continue tomorrow. all it will take is seeing a post concerning him and his sister and i'll get pissed anew) yay!)

the point(s) (aka my qualms):

- how sunday manipulated robin + was planning to use her in the charmony festival to complete his plan. she was going to be an unwilling participant in creating a "utopia" that she would've been absolutely against, but he didn't stop to fucking. fill her in, maybe? talk it out? the sheer disrespect on the concept of free will and on the fact that your own sister is a human being of her own sickens me

- he should've cherished the relationship he had with her (x1000 because that's the ONE FAMILY MEMBER YOU HAD LEFT AND THAT IS SUCH A PRIVILEGE!!! IMAGINE HAVING SOMEONE CARE ABOUT YOU WHOLEHEARTEDLY AND THEN YOU GO AND THROW IT AWAY!!! YEAH I'VE ALMOST DONE THE SAME EXACT THING MULTIPLE TIMES (AND STILL WOULD) BUT THAT'S WHY I ALSO KNOW HOW MUCH OF AN ASSHOLE MOVE IT IS!!!)

- he forsook his own self and shoved down his own biases and interests (fucking rat. you can't change the fact you're human and i'm very much saying that from experience) to become something Grander than life itself and in fucking turn isolated himself and shut out the one person who actually cared and then had the Gall to complain about being misunderstood/alone. (when you're finally sitting in your unreachable throne in this "dream" that you've created, who will you blame for being lonely? who will you blame when you have no one to fall back into? no one to support you? when everybody you did this for forsakes You?)

- HE DIDN'T EVEN HUG ROBIN BACK AT THE LAST SCENE. LIKE SHUT UP ABOUT YOUR FAILED PLANS AND COME DOWN FROM THE CLOUDS A LITTLE - THE JOY YOU SEEK FOR IS RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU!

- all i hoped for was that sunday and robin would reunite and get the chance to be happy together, and the only true reason i'm mad is because i'm guilty of a lot of the same self sacrificial behaviours as him and very much understand the sentiment of "my loved ones would be better off without my negative presence and influence". but instead of empathizing with him, i feel betrayed. i thought he was better than me. i thought he was someone worthy of admiration, and that doesn't come easily from me. despite all the warning signs i fell for his obvious facade, and i Very rarely get taken by surprise - especially in a way like this.

- if it wasn't for the fact that Robin would feel sad if Sunday died i would personally go and strangle him myself

tldr; i'm just a big baby that placed a lot of faith on Sunday and his relationship with Robin post 2.1 and my ego took a Huge hit once he turned out to be just some immature emo idealist type. (come on, man - i genuinely thought you were better than me! someone worthy of respect! and i usually have a feeling of superiority over others! this was the biggest compliment/act of faith i could give! (talking to a wall (fictional character (I'M FUCKING UPSET))))

#despite all this i do not hate him. i'm just really disappointed at how he acted with robin #i will still be pulling for him; at least that way i'll be able to have both the siblings on the same team #^(haha it's like they never got separated! i'm completely fine and not delusional) #honkai star rail #hsr #hsr 2.2 #hsr 2.2 spoilers #sunday hsr #hsr sunday #robin hsr #hsr robin #ramblings #1442 words and i could've written waaay more if i didn't get tired/bored of this

[varpusvaras]

Fox's position as the scapegoat in fandom is very interesting and something I honestly think the writers kind of made him to be.

The part of the fandom (which is...really large) that doesn't like him always blames him for Order 66, in saying that "if he hadn't killed Fives, then Order 66 wouldn't have happened". Interestingly, they never blame Anakin, who had even more direct power to stop it. Fox had no idea that anything was going on, and did what he had been taught to do from the moment he was created: Followed orders. He didn't shoot Fives because he necessarily wanted to; meaning there were no personal feelings attached to what happened. Anakin, on the other hand, went and voluntarily murdered a lot of people for only personal feelings. But somehow that is not Anakin's fault.

(I've posted about it before, but the same people who blame Fox are always happy to boast about Anakin murdering him. Always happy to bring out Anakin's trauma as a slave, and then be happy about him murdering another slave, someone directly under his power, who had never known anything else than being a slave in his entire life, and who had been indoctrinated from birth to believe that being slave was all that he was, and that he should be proud of it)

Some fics from people who do like Fox also put him in the position of the scapegoat, where they have all the other clones blaming him for everything that had happened, and ostracise him. In some fics I've seen, they continue this even after the war has ended, even in scenarios where Palpatine didn't win, and this feels like the clones, who have been made to believe in the system, cannot make themselves blame said system. No, it's easier to blame one of their own instead, no matter how little power Fox ever had in his entire life.

The writer's also do this, by having Fox mess something up (in the writer's eyes at the very least) almost every single time he is on screen. I think the only time he wasn't positioned to be in the wrong in some capacity was on his first appearance in the movie, where he did a front flip down some stairs and shot at the bad guy of the movie. Almost every single other time he is doing something wrong or messing something up, causing something negative to happen, be it the bombing on Coruscant (not actually his fault, but the fault of the people who wanted to do it and prevent the peace talks from happening; still, Fox is put in the middle of it), or what happened with Ahsoka (from Fox's point of view, there was a dangerous person on the run, who had just killed multiple people in a violent way, and was continuing their rampage, killing his brothers as well). Objectively speaking, Fox is completely in the right with everything he does here, but the writer's still seem to position him to being wrong, because he is against Ahsoka, and Ahsoka is the character the viewer is supposed to be rooting for (no matter how much worse she actively makes her own situation during the arc).

No one ever remembers all the good qualities he had: he was hard-working, capable, brave, and cared for his brothers. No, instead, the fandom is endlessly debating over giving him, a slave who never knew anything else, some shred of dignity, while freely giving the absolution to the fascist who is standing over his still warm corpse.

#then again the canon also works hard to forgive Anakin for everything #which is a can of worms itself #I understand the purpose of that narrative and I understand that in the original trilogy it was more about Luke than it was about Anakin #but the current narrative is never being interesting and truly looking at his character with a critical eye #or even truly portraying him critically #the ahsoka show waved its hand to that direction but missed the actual target by a mile #anyway free Fox from Felony and the narrative he was put in #sw #tcw #commander fox #anakin skywalker #star wars meta

[lttleghost]

The Thematic Relevance of Jesse Pinkman as an Egg 🏳️‍⚧️

(I wrote this analysis awhile back and wanted to make a fresh post to update it!)

While not intentional, there is a lot in Breaking Bad that supports reading Jesse as an egg. This reading of Jesse has a lot of thematic and narrative relevance and also doesn't create any conflicts with the canon material. Jesse being someone who hasn’t realized he’s not actually a man yet could quite literally be canon.

This analysis is heavily based around parallels between Jesse’s character development and what Breaking Bad thematically associates with gender. It’s also heavily interconnected with the show's overarching theme of change, and also, at least for our two main characters of Walt and Jesse, the revealing of true self. There’s plenty of evidence that each of them already had the traits we see them with at the end of Breaking Bad. Jesse being this very kind and compassionate young adult and Walt being this egotistical monster.

But I would consider Walt's self-deception to be more shallow than Jesse’s self deception. While Walt did end up in a lifestyle that was opposed to who he truly was, he consciously knew what he wanted to some extent, whereas Jesse fully convinced himself that he was a different person than the one he truly is because he never really got the chance to actually figure out much about himself. 

There are a lot of examples of Jesse’s disconnected sense of self throughout the show, but the first one that comes to mind has to do with his superhero OCs-

EDIT: YO! if you find video essays more engaging than reading a bunch of text, this analysis now also comes in video form [link]

I think that Jane’s observation that all of them looked like Jesse was, in fact, correct. I wouldn’t consider him doing this as a conscious decision but I feel that he almost admits it. After initially denying that his OCs looked like him and after Jane affectionately teases him he ends up saying to her “like you never wanted a superpower.” And while you could interpret this as just a response to her teasing, I’m convinced that there’s an additional layer to it. Especially because when Jane leaves to check the door, there's a moment where Jesse looks at the sketchbook with his drawings and it seems like he’s considering something, and I’d bet you anything that what he’s thinking about is whether or not he had actually drawn himself and this is REALLY interesting since-

Jesse is a criminal right? And while superheroes themselves are technically criminals as well, as vigilante justice isn’t actually legal, they’re still typically known to be ‘crime fighters’, and Jesse describes his characters as being such. So with his OCs subconsciously being depictions of himself and them being superheroes (crime fighters) and his current life as a criminal, you get the image of someone who doesn’t know who he is or what he wants deep down. 

There’s no way that Jesse’s current delinquent lifestyle was his truly… preferred path. It’s much more likely it was the only thing he thought he could do successfully. It’s evidently been the one thing he’s made a decent living off of. He has no support from his parents, and doesn’t seem like he has had it since he was a highschooler. Jesse is shown to have no support outside of the drug trade. Most of his personal skills and interests are artistic or honestly domestic in a world that assigns more value to academics and he’s a highschool graduate who doesn’t have any job experience. 

I also believe Jesse is very aggressively ADHD coded, and the combination of having virtually no support, struggling with addiction, and having undiagnosed and improperly self medicated ADHD would make slogging through any “respectable” job that he has access to, or any job that his parents might encourage him to do, unbearable.

So the drug trade was his best bet, Jesse even views cooking meth as a form of art, something that he’s passionate about.

I can’t in good faith ignore that doing something that is... generally frowned upon, didn’t factor into what Jesse chose to do on some level, as society and the structures that it’s built on failed him and there’s an inherent sense of rebellion that often forms in a person when they’re failed like that. Granted, superheroes also tend to often contain some commentary on societies failings as well. Jesse just couldn’t actually be a real-life superhero. So with the few benefits it had in practice compared to any other job, Jesse played into the rest of the role of a criminal, and convinced himself that the aspects of it that conflicted with his personality... didn’t, probably without even noticing.

Even more to this disconnect; When Jane asks “and that’s a superpower?” in response to Jesse explaining Backwardo’s powers Jesse responds with “come on, I was a kid when I drew these, it was like four years ago.” And Jesse is 24 years old in that scene, meaning that he would’ve been 20 when he drew these characters, and when I first wrote this analysis I was wondering whether or not Jesse had gotten involved with the drug trade other than buying drugs by that time, but there wasn’t really anything I could confirm any theories with. 

But now I've got the Better Call Saul episode “Waterworks” where Jesse has his second cameo, where he is in fact, 20, and in that cameo Jesse accompanying Emilio, a person we know is his partner in cooking meth, to Saul’s office makes me certain he’s in it by that point. And I just have to wonder if Jesse’s superheroes were almost a… subconscious vent, a manifestation of how being a criminal in the specific way Jesse is, is not what he wants. Something that suggests that Jesse’s actual identity and his current view of his identity don’t line up.

Another thing to point out about the cameo that could be seen as additional evidence of Jesse’s discomfort with being more than just a customer of the drug trade is that he was hanging out outside of Saul’s office, and until Kim gave him one he didn't have a cigarette, so he wasn’t out there to smoke. And while there could be other explanations to why he was outside on his own, I don’t think it’s much of a stretch to say, other than just his general skepticism of Saul, he was just not particularly jazzed to be where he was at that moment and not comfortable going inside.

So relating all of this to gender; that narrative of convincing yourself that you are the person that you’re supposed to be for your best chance of survival instead of being able to truly be yourself already works pretty strongly as an allegory for being trans. But to add onto that even more, thematically Breaking Bad associates “manhood” with the drug trade in one way or another, and paralleling how Jesse realizes he doesn’t fit into the drug trade like he thought he did with how he might not be a cis man like he thought he was makes for a really solid queer reading.

The whole show is pretty explicitly about toxic masculinity. Obviously in real life masculinity and manhood do not have to be toxic, and in Breaking Bad’s original intended story Jesse is a cis man who ends up not fitting into those toxic ideas of manhood. 

Things that the rest of the male cast don’t blink at or at least have more mild reactions to, just tear Jesse apart. He’s also targeted at least a couple of times for having emotional vulnerability that is considered to be “not manly”. It’s much easier to point out the differences between him and the male cast than it is to point out similarities between them and this just gets more pronounced the longer the show goes on. He doesn’t really have any positive ties to being a man and I don’t think we can say we ever see Jesse actually reclaim his own sense of manhood. And I think that lack of reclamation gives even more legitimacy to the reading that, along with leaving the drug trade and all of its toxic masculinity bullshit behind, maybe Jesse just leaves behind being a man altogether, and maybe it was something that wasn’t really ever a true part of him, just like his life as a criminal.

Even at the start of the series Jesse’s attempts at hyper-masculinity come off as really goofy and performative. In episode one  Krazy-8 mentions that Emilio thinks that Jesse might’ve ratted on him Jesse first has a much more genuine response of “that’s bullshit” which makes sense with his strong character trait of being loyal, but then he goes to say “I should kick his punk ass for even thinking that.” and it just sounds like fake bravado to me. There’s no way Jesse actually thinks he stands a chance against Emilio since Jesse has a body type that resembles a small bird and there's no way he has that little self awareness. He's just playing out a script that wasnt even well thought through, and while some of his other performances of masculinity don’t come across as that fake, there aren’t many that feel like they actually come from Jesse himself, they just feel like something that he just thinks he should do.

And while not every experience with men Jesse has is negative, there always seems to be some distance between him and the men he does have good relationships with. Jesse forms a parent-child type relationship with Mike that is healthier than any other he’s had up to that point other than probably his aunt, but there’s a part of Jesse that Mike never seems to fully get. When Jesse doesn’t want Lydia to be killed Mike says that 'this woman deserves to die as much as any man' and I think he misses that Jesse just still isn’t that keen on killing people even with everything he’s gotten involved with. Even if there are some acts of violence and even some people’s deaths he is fine with and thinks are justified, Jesse never fully adapts to “the job” the way Mike does, and Mike is just not quite able to understand that, or at least not why.

Jesse and his friends have a distance between them as well. Though they’re arguably not as entrenched in toxic masculinity as any of the other prominent men in the show are, and aren’t nearly as involved in the violence of dealing drugs despite being in the trade. Yet still Jesse’s interactions with them most of the time feel different and more withdrawn than their interactions with each other. Like Jesse really wants their presence and company and wants to fit in but there ends up being something that he can’t connect with alongside them, and this also gets more prominent as the show progresses. There’s parts where Jesse seems to be withholding how badly his “high rank” in the drug trade is affecting him when Pete and Badger seem to sort of idolize him for it and want in on it. I think Jesse sort of considers saying something to them about it, but he hesitates and doesn’t. He repeatedly doesn’t confide in them even though, while his friends do perform some facets of hyper-masculinity, they don’t really seem to target or reject vulnerability in the way most of the other men in Breaking Bad do. And Jesse’s distance from even the more harmless side of the male cast makes it feel like it’s not just the toxic masculinity that he’s disconnected from.

Jesse’s relationships with women even further separate him from the men of the show. His romantic relationships with Jane and Andrea read much more as relationships between equals, compared to Walt and Skyler or Hank and Marie. While Jesse does throw the “nice job wearing the pants in the family” insult at Walt in episode two of the first season, after Skyler almost caught him moving Emilio’s body, in Jesse’s own relationships he never actually tries to take control and doesn’t have any problem with Jane honestly being the person making more active choices for the both of them in their relationship, which Walt comments on by throwing that same “nice job wearing the pants” insult back at Jesse.

Another interesting thing found within Jesse’s relationship with Jane that ties them to specific gender roles happens after Jane doesn’t really introduce him to her father. Jesse asks about it and after a bit this Jane ends up saying “What am I supposed to say? Hey dad, meet the stoner guy who lives next door and by the way I’m sleeping with him?” and Jesse replies “Is that all you think you’re doing?”

It’s been pretty common for “the guy” to be considered as the one who sees a relationship as just being sex and “the girl” to see it as being romantic, and this is a very very dumb aspect of traditional western gender roles that this scene even has to subvert, but I think in the context of Breaking Bad’s dealings with gender roles the fact that Jesse is put in the role much more typically associated with women could be viewed as significant. And this significance can be extended to the show’s most prominent dynamic, dealing with the relationship between abusive men and women, Jesse is a victim. I’m not implying men can’t be victims of other men's abuse, but it does make Jesse easier to associate with women in the story, and while the narrative association comes from a negative place, the negativity is directed towards men. But the connection it forms between Jesse and women is a sense of camaraderie and even comfort, at least on Jesse’s side.

and with those connections with women I’d say the most accurate egg interpretation of Jesse is that she’s specifically transfeminine in some way.

I think in this analysis its important to specifically examine Jesse's journey with gender questioning as I think it follows the rest of the ups and downs in her learning more about herself in the resr of her character arc. My personal interpretation of Jesse is that she is a non medically transitioning nonbinary transfem person. The not medically transitioning bit is largely because I enjoy bringing attention to the existence of no-med no-op trans people and to push the point that not seeking medical transition doesnt make a person any less trans, though I do feel that since Jesse's relationship with gender is focused on the societal side of gender roles that don't really relate to physical form that it's a reasonable interpretation that she may not medically transition. I think she uses he/him and she/her pronouns, and is maybe a futch lesbian. I’m saying all of this because it'll be the lens through which I’ll be talking about Jesse’s journey with questioning his gender and how that progresses during the timeline of Breaking Bad. However I don’t claim this to be the only version of transfem Jesse that works with my analysis, or that it's necessarily better than any others that do work. I’ll also be mentioning concepts of “offscreen” additional scenes. That being said, if you’re someone who likes to stick 100% to the text given to us, the “offscreen” scenes aren’t exactly necessary for this interpretation to work as a part of the existing story as the general emotions behind them still stand.

I don’t picture Jesse as having any definable Gender (™) experiences when he was younger other than just a general sense of not belonging, though gender wouldn’t be the only thing playing into that. But as Jesse got older and struggled more, he started to purposefully play the part of what he saw as “a man” to survive in the only role that he thought he could. I see the thought “I wish I didn’t have to be a man” crossing his mind every so often though. I think he just deals with his place in the world for awhile, but after Walt enters the scene and Jesse experiences shit he really didn’t bargain for because of his old teacher, someone who is settling into a personification of toxic masculinity, Jesse’s frustration with being a man becomes more prominent and harder to ignore internally. 

In my opinion Jane is the person that helped him start to solidify what exactly those thoughts were indicating. Her approach to relationships would be considered not traditionally cishet, and so is the way she presents herself in general, so I think Jane has some sort of knowledge about the complexities of gender, if she isn't actually queer herself in some way.

And she’s one of the only people we see Jesse truly, truly open up to and so I think at some point later in their relationship Jesse might actually say something about wishing she wasn’t a man around Jane, and I can see Jane saying that Jesse doesn't have to be a man if she doesn't want to be.

But then Jane dies, and I think as a result of that and the lesson Jesse learned from rehab “I’m the bad guy” he goes into just total repression mode. Embodying this new belief Jesse very much dips into the hyper-masculine behavior of the drug trade, he is much more concerned with money beyond paying bills and having nice things, and he plans to do the one thing in the entire show that makes me truly angry at him because of this whole thing, attempting to sell drugs to the rehab group. I don’t think he would’ve ever thought of doing something like that before. He’s trying very hard to be something that’s even further from his actual nature than we’ve seen up until this point.

Part of Jesse’s grief over losing Jane, a person who he confided in probably more than anyone else at that point, was to just completely close up, even to himself. Forget all of those parts of himself that resisted the rougher aspects of the drug trade he was getting dragged into and definitely forget about wondering if he really is a man or not.

At least until meeting Andrea and Brock, which snaps him out of that “I’m the bad guy” mindset, but by that time I think just, too much starts to happen for Jesse to have much time to question her gender. I wouldn’t consider her to be as actively repressing any sort of “I wish I wasn’t a man” thoughts but the amount of turmoil and danger that she’s in, just really really doesn’t lend itself to that sort of gender introspection as much. 

I’ve got some additional thoughts on Jesse’s journey with gender that are more headcanons than actual analysis of the show so I didn’t include them in the text above. But I still really wanted to share because I like them and think that they really add to the analysis, so here they are;

I mentioned that I don’t think that Jesse had any particularly notable moments that might’ve suggested that she was trans when she was younger other than feeling out of place, but maybe he did have some interest in playing with “girls stuff” and her parents discouraged it because as we know they’re the shitty type of people who value their child being “normal” at the price of that child’s happiness, but I can also see her being one of those kids who just didn’t even grasp the differences between boys and girls stuff for a longer time than others, or I can even see Jesse’s last connection to the "male" side of gender being from when she was a little boy, before he was aware of the concept of what being a man was, and that it would be expected of her.

But later, in his adulthood, after the idea and pressures of "manhood" became very present in his life, one of the more certain instances of gender questioning I picture Jesse having is at some point while hanging out with Badger, Pete and Combo, Jesse screws around and puts on a dress. And he's like “haha I look like such a queer don’t I?” but is internally thinking something more along the lines of “ I will die before I tell anyone how this makes me feel” (that being that it makes him feel happy). 

And then, as we enter into the timeline of the show itself; when Jane first tells Jesse that he doesn’t have to be a man if he doesn’t want to, I don’t actually think that Jesse would be receptive of it at first. I think it’s more likely that he’d decide he suddenly doesn’t want to have this discussion anymore and change the subject. Jesse would still have the misconception that you need to medically transition or at least be required to fit some sort of ‘criteria’ to be trans, instead of just identifying as a different gender than your assigned sex, and I think that would play some role in his not wanting to talk about possibly being trans. And even more because, while he could opt out of telling anyone that he’s trans, Jesse’s in a world in general that isn’t trans-friendly, but the drug trade he’s in specifically is very lgbtq-phobic. Jesse himself is definitely gonna have some internalized transphobia, we’ve seen his homophobia, and I definitely read that as a result of his environment rather than actual hatred considering at Jesse’s true core he’s a pretty caring person. But there are definitely people in the drug trade who would be violently homophobic and transphobic, and Jesse would know that, and would probably perceive even realizing that he is trans to be a threat to his safety. But, later on, further into her relationship with Jane I think she’d open up, even if only to Jane.

And that’s what I like to focus on the most with this analysis, all of the happiness and freedom and healing that Jesse gets to feel detaching himself from manhood, something that honestly contributed so much to every part of his suffering. And god does this girl deserve some happiness.

Then when for the most part too much is going on for Jesse to consider whether or not he’s trans, I still sometimes think of a situation where Jesse might’ve suggested? Her gender questioning to Mike, and while I don’t think Mike’s personal reaction would be technically negative, I think he’d tell Jesse to ‘please not share that with anyone else kid’. Which would be discouraging to Jesse, and she’d quickly backtrack, some because of the reaction on its own but also because he really already knows that it’d be stupid to say anything to anyone else, but it’s not until Jesse’s really free from the drug trade that she can finally crack that egg. I really like to think about the comfort and relief Jesse would get to feel no longer having to try and be a man, cause she finally realizes that she isn’t one.

#breaking bad #jesse pinkman #jesse breaking bad #trans jesse pinkman #queer analysis #breaking bad analysis #brba #jesse brba #this is my girlfriend don't touch him #meat.txt #this is a shortened and edited bit of my video essay script #i just like.... HAD to update my inital text analysis while im working on figuring out how to successfully record my video #cause the old one is so jumbled and stufff #or it feels jumbled to me now at least

[rebelsofshield]

Updated Canon Star Wars Shows Ranking

The Bad Batch's third and final season begins tomorrow! What better time to take stock of how the series is currently stacking up against the nine other canon series' in the Star Wars sag.

(As always, please feel free to sound off in the replies or reblogs with how wrong I am. I love hearing your thoughts.)

10. Star Wars: The Book of Boba Fett

Oscillating between dull and distracted, the original iconic bucket headed bounty hunter’s show displays Star Wars at its most shallow and routine. Despite claiming to be a Godfather-esque crime saga, The Book of Boba Fett feels oddly toothless and impersonal. In the process, the series does the ultimate disservice of making its title character less interesting at its conclusion than its outset. A great leading duo in Temuera Morrison and Ming-na Wen can’t really save a series that rarely if ever rises above being passable.

9. Star Wars Resistance

A fun, atypical series that aims for a younger audience with a lighter, more comedic tone. Some fans may not gel with its sometimes zany energy, but it boasts some impressively nuanced character arcs and standout aerial combat set pieces. It ends though on an awkward rushed note that may be as much a fault of the shambling structure of the sequel trilogy as the show itself.

8. Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi

Ewan McGregor’s big return to the role of Obi-Wan Kenobi somehow feels like less than the sum of its parts. McGregor is wonderful as the title character and there are some truly emotional moments to be found in watching this old Jedi Master find his purpose and make peace with the trauma that came with the end of the Clone Wars, but overall Kenobi rarely manages to hit the highs it should. Messy production design and some clunky mid-season narrative choices end up cutting the series down in moments when the drama should be at its highest. For a series that may have been the most demanded Star Wars project of the last decade, Obi-Wan Kenobi never manages to fully reach the hype of its fanbase or the potential of its character.

7. Star Wars The Mandalorian

After an uneven but mostly promising first season, The Mandalorian has had trouble finding its footing. Despite being the flagship series for not only Star Wars live action television but also the Disney+ streaming platform, Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni’s space western has seemed unsure of itself after two seasons that pushed back its main characters in favor of a parade of cameos and clunky franchise focused world building. Luckily, it still has an eye for spectacle and flash. The Mandalorian looks like a blockbuster action-adventure movie and even when the story fails to live up to its potential, you can still count on the series’ consistently strong directing talent to deliver on some fantastic moments of Star Wars spectacle and creatively designed characters and locales.

6. Star Wars Ahsoka

One of the most ambitious and complicated offerings from Star Wars’ live action television offerings, Ahsoka is the culmination of not only fifteen years of storytelling but an important evolution of both its central character and her creator, Dave Filoni. Unfortunately, it does frequently buckle under the weight of its own mythology and continuity. Trying to create a coherent identity out of a show that functionally serves as a spin off to three separate series, two of which are animated, often proves difficult and clunky. There are, however, moments of wonder and grandeur when Ahsoka really does shine. Whether its in the phenomenal performance of Ray Stevenson as the series’ enigmatic villain, Baylan Skoll, or how enthusiastically Ahsoka embraces the franchise’s more fantastical and weird story elements, Dave Filoni demonstrates that he does still have a sense for how to tell worthy stories in this galaxy.

5. Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi

Recently confirmed to be more than a one-time special set of animated short films, Tales of the Jedi now looks to be a regular animated anthology that fleshes out the unexplored angles of some of the most famous members of the Order. While the three installments focusing on Ahsoka offer little more than a reunion for fans of The Clone Wars, the miniature trilogy that Tales of the Jedi tells about the fall of Count Dooku to the Dark Side are masterfully written and directed editions to the animated Star Wars canon. Not only do they finally add emotional and philosophical clarity to one of the most famous villains from the Prequel Trilogy, but they provide a murky exploration into some of the Jedi Order’s failings and why exactly members of its ranks would be tempted to leave it behind.

4. Star Wars: The Bad Batch

While it suffers from some of the same pacing issues that abound in almost all Star Wars television, The Bad Batch has evolved into a fun ensemble action series with some truly stellar character moments scattered throughout. In particular, this Clone Wars spinoff excels in diving into the uncertain fate of the Grand Army of the Republic. At its core is the question of what happens to a people bred for wartime when that wartime ends? The results are often tragic and occasionally disturbing, but almost always make for standout television. Throw in some gripping action set pieces and you have a more than worthy follow up to one of the most beloved pieces of Star Wars canon.

3. Star Wars: The Clone Wars

A very rough start and scattered snooze worthy story arcs aside, The Clone Wars is an ambitious as hell show that pretty much launched Star Wars as we currently know it. Its anthology style format allowed for its creators to tell a wide variety of stories that not only deepened a previously maligned era of the series but also played tribute to many of George Lucas’s creative influences. Great swing for the fences storytelling risks and gorgeous animation elevate this series into blockbuster level entertainment that balances incredible spectacle with powerful moments of character development and franchise redefining mythology.

2. Star Wars Rebels

A wonderful achievement in character and inventive storytelling, Star Wars Rebels reaches heights that are among the best moments the franchise has ever produced. Through its endearing and refreshingly complex ensemble cast and a tight four-season arc, Rebels feels like a complete, unique package that isn’t afraid to take risks and knows when and how to challenge its audience. Even occasional filler episodes aren’t enough to detract from what is overall a charming, suspenseful, and ultimately moving series of family and the fight against tyranny.

1. Star Wars Andor

Star Wars at its most human and political, Andor is thoughtful and meticulously crafted drama about the early days of a rebellion. Taking its title character from the ashes of Rogue One and spinning off into the story of a complicated man living in the shadow of fascism, Andor offers up intrigue, emotion, and a stirring critique of systems of oppression whether they be from the galaxy far, far away or own humble little world. Even outside of its heady political allegory, Andor is simply fantastically directed and acted television scattering a marathon of all-time-classic Star Wars moments throughout its first season. It’s that rare gem that only seems to come around only once or twice a decade: Star Wars that is not only great within the context of its universe but a truly essential work of pop cultural art.

#Star Wars #review #reviews #The Book of Boba Fett #Star Wars Resistance #Star Wars Rebels #Andor #Star Wars: Andor #Ahsoka #Star Wars: Ahsoka #The Clone Wars #Star Wars: The Clone Wars #The Bad Batch #Star Wars: The Bad Batch #Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi #The Mandalorian #Star Wars The Mandalorian #Tales of the Jedi

[randomtwospirit]

currently grappling with the nuance of Jesus Christ Superstar. Being a retelling of the Passion narrative it’s very very easily prone to antisemitism, but as I think on it more and more and more I realize there’s just so much nuance to it so any Jews who would be willing to volunteer their time and energy I would love for you to advise

I think that, being a piece of media so intricately tied to Christianity it, like our society, can never truly escape the trappings of antisemitism, but as far as it goes this one is just so complex.

for example - Annas and Caiaphas are presented as definitely being in a homoerotic relationship and clearly in the leather subculture which is just kinda like… ok but also there’s this one production from southern Italy where they seem to be wearing straight-up fascist uniforms from what I can see which is like…. Really fucking weird and also that one made Annas a woman so it becomes hetero-erotic I guess? Furthermore they’re depicted in such a way that in the surface they seem greedy for power or money but then if you actually pay attention to what they say it’s more just them being good leaders looking out for the best interests of the Jewish people in the face of a volatile and hostile Roman administration. It’s all so complicated since they’re very round characters.

Another example - in this retelling it’s actually quite unclear if it’s actually the Jews who call for the crucifixion but instead perhaps Jesus’ followers themselves? Idk it’s unclear. On top of this, Judas, who gets cast as a figure who just genuinely cares about Jesus and thinks that the fame got to his head and caused this mess WHILE ALSO, like Annas and Caiaphas, sees him as a threat to the well-being of the Jewish people. and he’s Probably Right ™️.

None of these characters can be truly said to be a good or bad guy which is just truly masterful from a writing standpoint but also makes the question of antisemitic influence on the media so much more complex and nuanced.

really I don’t think it can be honestly said that anything made on the topic can be truly free of antisemitism due to the way it’s ingrained into our culture, and I think really we have decide where our personal line is for “intentionally and harmfully antisemitic” but I’m not sure where that is as regards JCS for me

at the end of the day I’m just this goyische kid who takes antisemitism seriously and has a penchant for Pondering and Contemplating Media ™️ (especially one so easily Pondered and Contemplated as JCS) so what do I know

#JCS #judaism #xtianity #jesus christ superstar #srd #ramblings

[calpalsworld]

I’ve seen a lot of misinformation spread around with people calling Minions by the wrong name. I think its about time someone from the Minions community speaks up and gives a simple comprehensive guide to minion characters. Contrary to popular belief, it is not always easy to identify every single minions! Some minions share the same appearance, or the same name. For example there are two Jerrys and two Carls! But it is truly unacceptable to misidentify the most recognizable minon characters, as they are unique individuals with interesting personalities!

-------------MINIONS ROLECALL------------------------------------------

THE TRIO

The most important minion characters are the trio of Kevin, Bob, and Stuart! If you cant identify these three you really should check yourself! 

KEVIN

Kevin is identifiable for his height, tall hair, and leadership! He is one of the most determined and heroic minions. He is arguably the main character of Minions, and he lead the quest to find a new evil master after the minions century-long unemployment (in M1).

BOB

Bob is identifiable for being tiny and bald, and the sweetest minion of them all! He also has heterochromia. He is a product of the quirky cute craze in the early 2010s, but is honestly written pretty endearingly in recent movies. He had a corruption arc where he became the king of England (in M1). His teddy bear is named Tim, not to be confused with the minion Tim, who I mention later.

STUART 

Stuart is identifiable for having one eye and combed hair.... Oh dear, how do I say this. He is an arrogant.... floozy..... And he frequently shows his minion butt on screen. He also has a bit of an artistic side and can play any type of guitar. Notably, he, along with Dave, are the only two minions to never have been turned into a purple “Evil Minion” (in DM2).

OTHER MAJOR CHARACTERS DAVE

Dave doesn’t stand out very much visually and personality-wise, he is your standard minion, but he is very iconic! He has two eyes, is an average pill-shape, and has combed hair. Along with Stuart, he was never turned into a purple minion. He is also one of the only minions to never quit their job, along with one of the Jerrys (in DM3). He is also a little bit of a floozy like Stuart. 

MEL

Mel is identifiable for his one eye and friar-type-hair. As the current head of the Minions, he is the one who rallies the minions to speak up with their grievances (in DM3), which inevitably causes them to rebel and temporarily quit their jobs. Despite this, he sees Gru as a father-figure and loves him very much. He is a very complex character and one of my favorite minions.

OTTO

Otto is EXTREMELY identifiable (if you misidentify him I honestly dont know whats wrong with you). He has a very wide and tall shape, has a tiny sprout of upright hair, and has braces. He also has an extremely-fast-paced speech pattern. Sadly the narrative is rather mean spirited towards him, as all the other minions and Gru are easily annoyed at his presence. Despite being an air-head and making mistakes for the sake of plot, he tries his best to right his wrongs and deserves better! 

OTHER NOTABLE CHARACTERS JERRY AND JERRY

YES they are different characters. YES they both have the same name. It happens in real life too, deal with it. Jerry (left) likes to play golf. Jerry (right) is one of the only minions to not temporarily quit their job, along with Dave. Just wanted to clarify this.

TIM

Tim looks the same as Kevin, but they are NOT the same character. Tim commonly dresses up as a Father when he goes on undercover missions (he does it in DM1 and DM2.) He is also one of the minions who appears in the iconic credits sequence of DM1, along with Carl and John.

TOM

For those wondering who the Maid minion is, his name is Tom. Some media accidentally mislabeled him as Phil, but Phil is actually the one who dresses up like an infant and gets inflated (in DM1). DONT BE LIKE THESE FOOLS. DONT CONFUSE THE BABY MINION FOR THE MAID MINION.

(image of Phil moments before the incident) -------------------------------------------------------------------------- There are many more minion characters! But these were the ones I felt like are most iconic and important to the plot! Please learn your facts and stop incorrectly identifying minions! Thank you!

#minions #despicable me

[prettysweetprettysweet]

i was thinking about how we have only seen a spare few moments of true positivity or sweetness between Lestat and Louis (such as Louis smiling at Lestat's joy at the opera house, or Lestat telling Louis he is unique, beautiful, and has 'no twin') and my first instinct was to think that it was narratively strange and questionable to see them staying together for so long, even though they don't appear to have any sort of foundation for positive and good feelings to pass between them, no prolonged times of joy and mutual love to look back on and think "this is why we're still together, this is what we're fighting for."

but when I think about it, it actually makes it that much more interesting and unsettling to me to dwell on why they stay together despite never having found their footing. there is the sexual magnetism that was present at the beginning of their relationship that set things in motion, but that no longer plays a role in their current setup as of ep 3. Lestat revealing his time-freezing trick facilitated Louis opening up to him in ways that he had never done with anyone before, and being able to share his most guarded thoughts with Lestat must have endeared him to Louis enormously.

then at the center of it is Lestat’s appeal to Louis that he could truly be himself as his companion, a notion that was proposed to him in the midst of the greatest and most traumatic tragedy of his life during which he was ostracized from his family and emotionally punished by his mother. on the other side of it, Lestat is terrified of loneliness and clung to the brightest flame he saw (even though it continues to burn him). so, despite the many, many issues, incompatibilities, trespasses, and sins that transpire between them, one of the central reasons Louis stays with Lestat is because Lestat, the sole vampire he knows, is the only person in the world with whom he can exist without a mask and not be hated, feared, or persecuted for his true identities.

and the issues I mentioned don’t stop them from finding things to love in each other; Louis is touched by Lestat’s very human adoration of music and the people who make it, and Lestat is enchanted by Louis’ fierce relentlessness. Lestat's sense of humor (sometimes) makes Louis laugh; the stubborn and challenging way that Louis interacts with Lestat makes Lestat giddy and weak in the knees. Lestat finds overwhelming beauty in Louis' personality and character, so much so that he would commit to eternity with him; Louis likely never expected or even dared to hope that he would ever find someone to love his true self so passionately and unconditionally, let alone til the end of the world.

in this environment their love for each is maintained and maybe even continues to grow, despite the fact that their own battles and personal demons, and the way they interact and influence those of the other, make it so that happiness, true selflessness, emotional transparency, and anything resembling mutual effort are uncommon characters in their relationship. characters so uncommon that, rather than serve as a steady heartbeat as they do for most people, they have to constantly fight for air. dysfunction, dissonance, and a growing loathing for each other seems to keep winning out instead, taking a seat next to the love they share for each other.

Lestat and Louis are like two trees that have been planted too close together - as they continue on they merge and merge and merge while simultaneously hindering the other in nearly every way. but they are so noxiously intertwined that they don’t have a grasp on all the ways that they obstruct the other. it seems like they have almost no perspective at all on themselves in relation to each other.

and they don’t make any effort at all to extricate the other and make sense of him, of his proportions and the context within which he exists. it seems like they have chosen to just accept their current joined state, each man suffocatingly close and preoccupied with the other and yet somehow completely blind to each other’s inner workings.

#iwtv #interview with the vampire #amc iwtv #lestat de lioncourt #louis de pointe du lac #yo mismo #yomismoiwtv

[the-giggling-guava]

Hello Isaac! I have a question from you wehn doing rereading.. It's about Blaine again haha

^ my question isn't why Blaine thinking that Gwen is the ugliest daughter because it's quite clear (he thinks beauty is only seen from the public standard, like himself as embodiment of perfect plaid prince).. My question is the first sentence from him.. "When likely the plan is made with the plaid princes excluding Frederick makes 'formation' that means to swoons the pastel princesses for the marriage"?

We're lacking history of plaid princes, and understable because CPC narrative is mostly from Gwen, then Frederick, then Prez as the big 3 main characters. And things related to Plaid mostly come from Frederick, but sadly he's kind of "blindfolded narrator" as in the dark of many things (but I believe all of his narratives are genuine, so scratch the possibility of him being unreliable narrator).

In nutshell because abusive plaid royal family that make him inferior, the very first memory that he remembers is being alone with only books that accompany him while his brothers racking up accolades (result hints that they're doing exactly as Leland plans, becomes the perfect plaid princes). He feels alone and wants to have friends which as when he can go to public school, he introduces himself as a book lover but bullied as considered a nerd - and he hates himself more while doing sink way until he graduated (iirc at 17 y.o) but on those years he clinging for someone to saves him idealism - that manifested into unhealthy obsession to get a trophy wife which Leland hints as engagement plan with the Pastels. Personally until this point, and with we see how CPC current story progress - Frederick truly in blind (not knowing the plan) as what plaid royals tell. Because in the scenario if Frederick knows the truth about his father's plan but somehow concides to should marry Gwen no matter what.. His reaction at the first day meeting the Pastels should be like: "OMG, the one that I should marry looks so creepy.. But my father will kill me if I am being honest about her appearance, I should fake my way out to not make her realizes that I think her as the creepy girl.." And the whole episode 10 well Frederick screams in frustation to Blaine, that he thinks Gwen is very ugly will never happen. Gwen likely won't ever meets the CPC, and this resulting to their love relationship not the genuine one in nutshell. Because, Frederick in that "scenario" won't fall in love with Gwen because his desire to learn more about her like canon (which leads first by Jamie nudging, that hinted because Jamie knows that Frederick in canon initially didn't like Gwen as being judgemental over appearance) and likely won't be as genuine as canon. They're could be fall in love at the end (albeit genuine love is uncertain, maybe like lorena/lance and maria/blaine similarity), but they're likely never meets the CPC to realizes how fucked up their own family is (pastel oversheltered, plaids overexposed). At the end of that scenario, they are all marrying each other but in unknown what's actually their marriage means = to take over the pastel princesses, the ones that Jack holds dearest... And repetition of abusive family could happen, in the form where the fake act mask of Frederick in that scenario slowly slips.. Because he feels inferior and maybe in their unhappily marriage time will cleverly make distance to Gwen - and poor Gwen as that scenario is in total confusion of why her husband avoiding her (because in that way, he likely won't genuinely loves Gwen - blames his father to making him marry someone that he didn't like and even as they're sharing interest, he didn't open up to his own wife as he keep hiding his secrets that he deemed making him unmanly-inferior like his trauma getting bullied)

...that's the result of "nice" way for gwenderick, if Frederick knows the plan. I know I am rambling a lot to take to this point, but I feel the keyword of Leland's nice way (at ep 142) is faking affection to princesses. Maria/Blaine could work out from not genuine love because Beckett. Lorena/Lance worked out from being shallow because Suzie. But gwenderick is special case because they need multiple characters to help each other loves more about themself and each other - and I think it can't be happened if the honest yet indeed hurtful scene of ep 10 happened (the most important part in the CPC and the reason why Frederick is mercilessly hated, I know). And at the end of the story - I feel gwenderick love is true, genuine, and desperate yearning to each other in the way for Frederick will do anything to saves Gwen and Gwen puts a very high opinion (even as implied to be the only one around S3) from Frederick about herself. Something that their brothers and sisters didn't do as much = as even thou they're indeed love each other, but their love genuinenity similarly with gwenderick is questionable. Maria/Blaine basically in distrust to each other as Maria hates Blaine for the hint of his love not genuine to her (if truly genuine, Blaine won't mocking Gwen as Maria dearest sister) and Blaine mad to Maria as he puts her on pedestal as symbol of someone that could catch him despite anything but now likely won't do it espc as he see how Maria alrdy 'jumps in' to Beckett. Lorena/Lance is simpler, because the one problem isn't trust but cowardice of Lance that Lorena didn't understand the reason.

Blaine and Lance age now the same, 20 years old which make 3 years difference between Frederick. If the academy in the CPC making the princes all are graduating at 17 years old truly - this make 3 years gap (so 3 years before current timeline) for Plan concoction. A quite rationable time for Leland spreading his venom to Blaine and Lance, promising freedom (Blaine's) or notion about love (Lance's likely) - to his sons that never know what family love is as living without Isolde's influence. The sons that engaged with standard of public's beauty (Maria and Lorena) so for appearance-wise they're instantly clicked. This not the same scenario for gwenderick, Frederick is so scared espc because haunted by Lilyth's soul in his palace's portraits and his inferiority complex flared more because he thinks that he got the short stick instead the conventional beauty Jamie that he thoughts as the third princess. Maybe because Leland thinks that Frederick as his son that looks the most like him, will also understand that Gwen (and in extension, Lilyth's) is beautiful even not on oublic standard - but Frederick initially didn't.. Because uhhh he just a minor of 17 years old, too lonely without any friends until meets Gwen and CPC and akin to Pastels not really see the world. The streotype of a teenager (not a kid, but not yet an adult yet - fits Frederick whose 17 yo) is their perspective is dangerously narrow because they're inexperienced - only their family and friends that can expand one's perspective.. But at that time Frederick really have no one, so I hope Frederick haters could understand.. His mistake is the same thing that could happened to anyone espc teenagers - quick to jump to conclusions judgement espc about looks

/this long rambing kinda make me answering my own question huh? Ahahahaha.. I truky wish to hear another's opinion espc ya Isaac-one of the people that I know could give fair opinions

Yup, all I can do is agree with you, because everything you've said is spot-on. Credit for this next idea I'm about to convey has to go to someone in the series' comments section(I don't know their name), and it is one that I think is especially true: Frederick's escapism into books, and the fact that he reads those belonging to the 'Fantasy' genre in particular, is what shaped his perspective on how to view beauty, and his idea of what 'Beautiful' is.

[radioactive-earthshine]

Hi. I was talking with my best friend and we were going over the rogues of Young Justice and who had which person as their common adversary such as Tim with all of Batman's rogues being his and the point of it was that when they were all adults who would be their own personal nemesis? Batman has The Joker clearly, Superman with Lex Luthor, The Flash and Reverse Flash, Wonder Woman and Cheetah etc but what about the YJ crew especially Bart? Who would be Bart's main nemesis when he's an adult?

Did you forget about Thad Thawne?

Thad Thawne is absolutely Bart's main nemesis NOW in current, no matter how much Thad deserves and SHOULD get a redemption arc (which likely will never happen considering Fastest Man Alive is canon again).

I also really am hesitant to say Tim's rogues are just Batman's rogues because he ran into a lot of other people and themes in his own comics on a fair basis that there are other options available. Also it looks like the one responsible for Young Justice Dark Crisis (Mxyzptlk's son, allegedly) has already decided Tim is his nemesis (see Tim Drake's Pride Special).

***Edit*** Mickey was in fact NOT the person who Tim is currently up against in his comics. When this was written, it was assumed they were going to be the same.

King Shark (yes, he's a Superboy character) with Kay Fury as well as Amanda Spence (allegedly dead) are Kon's in his own comics but having them extend into the future with him as an adult is... iffy. His 2011 solo comic had Simon Valentine (his FRIEND) being setup as his Lex Luthor with a parallel narrative as well but meh, I really liked Simon and I just want these heroes to have fucking civilian friends and have their own rogues not just mirror their assumed mentor's.

Bart however is a little more tricky because in his own comics he rarely had reoccurring villains (Thad) that truly wanted to harm him (Thad), and many of them were more Max's adversaries anyway or were guest rogues.

We do have a few however but I do not foresee them as being a problem for Bart when he is older. But they could be brought back for fun.

For fun let's just explore a few interesting people from Bart's run that were presented as villains, see if they are a candidate for future rogue-ness, then I will tell you my own personal pick for his true nemesis that isn't Thad.

White Lightning

The first 'major adversary' we see is White Lightning who has some mild 'pheromone mind control' that allows her to manipulate men just like Poison Ivy, only she has not shown any murderous intentions.

Impulse #80

She shows up early on in his series, and she shows up every now and then and is predominately a thief who uses adolescent boys to assist her in her heists.

Impulse #4

She would make a GREAT current 'rogue' because she's basically a social media influencer. She uses the internet of 1995 to attract potential 'gang members', and she even has her own merch! This would translate VERY WELL for today for a morally gray rogue.

She's FUN, but she's not really a villain so she's out for being Bart's nemesis. She's more like a Robin Hood character than a true crook (a Robin Hood that KEEPS the money).

Likelihood of being a future rogue: 6/10

lmfao white lightning has her own merch but bart doesn't

Evil Eye Eddie/Wilfred Parker (once called "Danny" by his dad)

His first appearance is in Impulse is in issue #27 and he shows up on the regular up until the near end of the series. He's a very well written character that when he first shows up he is a thug and a bully that wants nothing more than to follow in the footsteps of his father, and grandfather (Dr. Morlo) and be a super villain, and a gang member.

As time progresses with him in the series, we see that he does not actually have the disposition to do what he needs to do in order to be that, but he still retains a shitty attitude which makes him more likable. He also has a friendship with Rolly that from everything we see is genuine and he does care about him. One day I'll make a meta post about Eddie because he's fascinating as fuck.

Impulse #47

Evil Eye also finds out on his own who Bart is later and doesn't tell anyone about it so he's not a good candidate for being a rogue of Bart's later. Dr. Morlo couldn't even keep up with being Max's rogue and they instead have a divorced spouse relationship. It would be fun to have him back though. I want him to meet Stephanie Brown.

Likelihood of being a future rogue: 1/10

Pocket Pal

A better contender is Pocket Pal who was penned for issue #60 by the legendary Dwayne McDuffie (yes, Milestone's McDuffie. RIP).

His particular abilities were similar to Chester Runk's aka The Chunk in that he had a pocket dimension in which he could put an infinite number of things into. He was slick, angry, and a young thief who could definitely grow up into a regular rogue for Bart to deal with later.

Impulse #60

I could absolutely see him coming back as an adult rogue for Bart to deal with on occasion. There's a lot of writing potential for a character that has a bag of infinite carrying.

Name's gotta change though. I like Supermassive (as in black hole) but I do not write for DC and I likely never will so Pocket Pal it is.

Likelihood of being a future rogue: 8/10

Honorable Mention: Shanela

Shanela first shows up in Issue #82 and she and her twin sister Shantay both have the ability to manifest illusions. Shanela is just an A N G R Y teen, and her sister Shantay is seen as the one who is constantly trying to keep her in check.

Impulse #83

Shanela has a great narrative and she deals with a lot of internal teenage negativity and low self esteem. She does not really use her power to physically hurt anyone but she definitely has enough anger and hatred towards her peers to get to that point and probably would have had Bart not intervened. Her weakness it turned out was dogs as she is petrified of them.

She was a fascinating 'villain' and it would be fun to see her and her sister again; whether working together as some sort of hero team, working against each other, or simply being civilian metas.

Likelihood of being a future rogue: 5/10 (it's circumstantial)

And now... The person I feel personally strong about being Bart's rogue (other than Thad)...

Bedlam/Matthew Stuart

There's something about a Speedster having an adversary that has infinite power and ability through use of magic that just offers infinite potential when it comes to possible stories. It's terrifying and exciting. When it comes to this particular character however we have established history AND motivation and this character has already mentioned that he HATES Bart (and his friends) and will absolutely given the opportunity wreck his life just out of spite.

Good god don't let him team up with Thad.

Impulse #85

For context here we first meet Matthew in the story that started Young Justice. JLA: World Without Grownups and he is supposed to be a brat even before he comes into his powers.

Now, you can make the argument here that he is justifiably irritated that his father almost did not make it back in time for his 13th birthday, and that his family dynamic is not the best here, and there is probably some toxic dynamic but he's also a moody teen with some anger at the world that helps him along the path of being Bedlam. You can read this scene as him being a brat, or you can read it as him just being a normal kid dealing with loneliness and acting out. Either way, things go bad quick.

He comes into his powers by accident from that clearly stolen archeological artifact his father dug up, someone get Arthur because the Atlantean artifact contains the magical power of Garn Daanuth.

He becomes possessed by this entity Bedlam and immediately changes reality to mirror something he finds fitting; one without grownups where children rule.

Eventually he is apprehended by Tim, Kon and Bart and it is Bart who is key to finally beating him.

Matt remembers Bart very fervently when he shows back up 2 years later without the entity, but with all of his powers roiling through him (TLDR the actual entity was able to be born as a mortal human being and he ditched his magical powers and they went back to Matt).

Impulse #85

Matt to me would be top tier level for an original adversary for Bart specifically considering he targeted Bart (and other members of Young Justice but not the the same extreme as Bart).

He has history, motivation, and a kick ass power that would be nothing short than mayhem any time he showed up.

Now YES he did technically lose all his powers (Bart again, foiled him) and they jumped into Bart's body, but there is no real reason to not have Matt regain the abilities in some way. These are comics, after all.

I feel that in a hypothetical scenario where Bart had to have primary rogue that was not Thad it would be Matt Stuart 100%.

So these are just my own thoughts and Bart certainly dealt with a lot more than just those I have listed but this was still fun to explore and I hope this got you thinking into the subject of hypotheticals and maybe it inspired some fan works.

Thank you for the probing question!

#bart allen #impulse #pocket pal #shanela #shantay #white lighting #evil eye eddie #wilfred parker #thad thawne #matthew stuart #bedlam

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

By: Adam B. Coleman

Published: Sep 18, 2023

The real measure of an individual’s character isn’t what he portrays to the public but how he treats people in private.

Truly righteous people treat others with respect and dignity when there is no one else around and no social credit to be earned for doing the right thing.

This distinction matters — especially for people who’ve made a career lecturing others on the appropriate way to treat people, especially those perceived as having less power in society.

But when no one was looking and nothing was to be gained, it seems Ibram X. Kendi used his power and privilege as the director of a think tank to exploit and mistreat the people who worked under him as if they were people who are beneath him.

Amid confirmation of layoffs being made at Boston University’s Center for Antiracist Research, former and current faculty have spoken out about Kendi’s mismanagement, “exploitation” and enrichment.

“There are a number of ways it got to this point, it started very early on when the university decided to create a center that rested in the hands of one human being, an individual given millions of dollars and so much authority,” stated Spencer Piston, a BU political science professor. 

A Former assistant director of narrative at the center and a BU associate professor of sociology and African American and black diaspora studies, Saida Grundy, also described a lack of structure, leading to her working additional hours that were unreasonable, especially for the pay she was receiving.

“It became very clear after I started that this was exploitative and other faculty experienced the same and worse,” Grundy lamented.

With tens of millions of dollars flowing in from major donors shortly after the center’s founding in 2020 from Twitter founder Jack Dorsey, the Rockefeller Foundation and biotech company Vertex, Grundy also saw the missed opportunity to directly help black students at Boston University. 

“Those donations could have been going to benefit black students.”

Grundy is correct that much of the donation money could have been utilized in objectively more helpful ways to serve the people Kendi claimed to be advocating for. But the line between rhetoric and action was a line that Kendi never had any intentions of crossing.

Kendi used the dogma of antiracism to project a new moral standard at a time when many Americans momentarily questioned their behavior and culpability.

As he demanded that everyone should check their privilege and feel socially accountable for the exploitation of people, he was simultaneously exploiting the emotions of a nation to solidify his nobility status among the upper class in academia.

Kendi’s boutique moral philosophy on historical events and human interaction has only made him notable among the upper class.

Those elites declare racial enlightenment over the naïve majority who prefer to treat people like they’d want to be treated.

The antiracism think tank operated more like an antiracism piggybank with only one man listed as its financial beneficiary.

Kendi’s interests have become clearer as time has gone on: His “research center” was for the benefit of one black person, not black people.

Remember the $90 million windfall Patrisse Cullors and the Black Lives Matter organization scored and their frivolous spending habits with donation money, buying mansions and funneling cash to board and family members?

Activist Shaun King has also repeatedly been accused of raising money for recipients and causes that never saw it.

This is a similarly disappointing realization after tens of millions of dollars have been placed in the hands of an advocate who has shown little regard to produce a return for his bold aspirations.

Kendi had systemic control over his own research center yet used his position to take advantage of the people whom he was leading and continued to reap the academic clout that legitimizes his profiting in over $32,000 a speech.

Kendi suggests that people should become more race-conscious to be better anti-racists, but I believe it’s more important to be elitist-conscious.

We need to be aware of the behavioral patterns and condescending rhetoric of the people who think they know better than us about everything.

If we were all good anti-elitists, we’d ignore the utopian rhetoric of social progressives and anti-racists and focus on their behavior.

This readjustment would help us quickly realize that race is a tool to distract us from noticing they are getting rich from dividing us into categories of human characteristics.

The only remedy to moral elitism is moral anti-elitism: This is how we have an anti-elitist society.

Adam B. Coleman is the author of “Black Victim to Black Victor” and founder of Wrong Speak Publishing. Follow him on Substack: adambcoleman.substack.com.

==

It was never about doing anything useful. It was always akin to buying indulgences from the Catholic Church.

#Adam B. Coleman #Ibram X. Kendi #fraud #academic fraud #financial fraud #antiracism as religion #antiracism #Boston University #intellectual fraud #acadmic corruption #Center for Antiracist Research #religion #race grifters #woke #wokeness #cult of woke #wokeism #wokeness as religion #religion is a mental illness

[autumnalwalker]

Empty Names Masterpost

I'll be updating this post with links as I post chapters. The intent is that everything I write for this project will be posted here to read in its entirety.

Also mirrored on Scribble Hub: (Main Story, Side Stories)

Cast list is below the "Keep reading" line.

Pitch:

A trans woman accidentally summons a demon while trying to DIY her transition with magic and computers...

A young wizard returns to Earth after his adventure in a magical otherworld only to realize you can never truly go home again once you've changed too much...

A teenage girl gets stood up for prom, kills a lake monster, and spends the next decade hunting down things that go bump in the night...

An assassin marries an immortal sorceress and allows the rumors that he murdered her to flourish once she disappears...

A world-hopping adventurer sees the potential in all of them and asks if they're interested in helping make the world a better place.

"Empty Names" is an episodic urban fantasy series about a group of misfits fighting monsters and grappling with existential questions regarding the interplay of reality, perception, and identity.

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Summary: Road, an adventurer with a penchant for jumping between different worlds tries to set up the sort of adventurers' guild so common in sword & sorcery setting in a modern day urban fantasy world where "adventurer" isn't considered a legitimate profession and magic and the supernatural are kept behind the scenes and out of public knowledge. The story is told from the points of view of the people that get roped into being the initial test run adventuring party but never Road's.

Update Schedule: Once or twice a month, depending on chapter length. New chapters get posted on Saturdays, when they're ready.

Overall Content Warnings: Genre-typical violence, gender dysphoria, anxiety, occasional mild body horror, death. I'll update this list as more is written and if anyone points something out to me that I should have included a warning for and missed. In general though, I aim to try to keep this approximately PG-13-ish, but we'll see where this all goes over time. Individual chapters have more specific content warnings at the top of the post with anything likely to be distressing below the "Keep reading" line.

Current Status: Rough Draft (just throwing things up as I write them with minimal review or editing)

I'm primarily viewing this project as practice for moving out of my comfort zone and doing more traditional prose with proper dialogue and action scenes and such rather than the journal format that I've been doing with @thearchivistsjournal. The original plan was to write a few sort of prologue/character introduction chapters and then mostly do a series of one-shots with the same setting and cast based on whatever random idea or writing prompt strikes my fancy that week, but as time goes on it's starting to verge more toward "continuous narrative". Time will tell how it eventually winds up I suppose.

Chapter List:

Hello World

Back From The Looking Glass

Dance Partners

Prince In Gold

Rite of First Refusal

Background Checks

Compilation

En Route

Test Run

Cleanup

Afterparty

Houseguests

Open Office

Down Low

Matters of Technique

Mall Rats

Embedded Media

Mom Energy

Shire

Changeling Child

Old Flame

Leads

Compression

Nostalgia

Euphoria (coming sometime in May 2024)

Love

Attention

Concern

Side Stories:

Scenes that don't fit well into the main story. They might come before it, focus on side characters, or just be conversations between the main cast during downtime.

There Are No Dogs At The Dog Park: Every full moon Eris does some volunteer work. Set a couple years before the main plot, shortly after Eris and Lacuna met and started hanging out.

Once Upon A Time...: A bedtime story by Sullivan Bridgewood.

Pop Quiz: A younger Ashan not-yet-Glassheart gets a refresher on terminology.

The Sphinx And The Spider: Two first-time interdimensional tourists run into trouble on vacation. (Coming when I get the motivation back to return to this one)

A Shining Shallow Sea: They say the Sorceress Bridgewood never gave a gift which she didn’t benefit from the giving. (More of a loose idea at the moment than an in-progress story)

Non-Canon AU:

I suppose at this point you could call it writing shipping fan fiction of my own work.

2023 Pride Month Drabble Challenge: A series of dialogue snippets from an alternate universe/timeline where Eris and Lacuna avoided ever learning about the existence of the supernatural, wound up meeting anyway, and became a couple instead of (or perhaps in addition to) best friends.

Core Cast:

Road:

The experienced adventurer and idealist who started this whole venture.

Very much the iconic "hero" archetype. Brave, strong, kind, strict "no killing" policy, etc.

The kind of person that you quickly feel like you're best friends with and can count on and share anything with, but then several months or even years down the line it occurs to you that you don't actually know anything about their personal life.

Humor/Color Scheme: Balanced

Sullivan Bridgewood:

Road's best friend since childhood and the only one who knows that under their heroic persona they're about one really bad day from an emotional breakdown at any given time.

Married for power and money and is using that money to bankroll this adventurers' guild startup operation. May or may not have killed his wife.

Kind of an asshole, but reins it in when Road's around for their sake.

Humor/Color Scheme: Choleric

Lacuna:

A trans woman whose introduction to the existence of the supernatural was a failed attempt to magically get a new body that resulted in a demon trying to eat her, and then being rescued by Road.

Now works with an unholy combination of applying AI-generated art algorithms and principles to create custom magic glyphs.

A walking embodiment of imposter syndrome, who vacillates between "I am a mad genius!" and "I have no idea what I'm doing and really am not qualified for any of this."

Humor/Color Scheme: Melancholic

Eris:

The team's physical powerhouse and heavy hitter. A veritable brick wall of supernaturally-reinforced muscle.

Survived a scenario out of a C-list monster movie as a teenager, enjoyed the experience more than she reasonably should have, and has spent the past decade since then as a semi-professional monster hunter.

Has sort of taken Lacuna under her wing as the younger sister she never had but always wanted. In spite of Lacuna being the older of the two.

Humor/Color Scheme: Sanguine

Ashan Glassheart:

Already went through the whole "little kid from Earth goes on an adventure in a magic otherworld and becomes a wizard" hero's journey/bildungsroman routine before this story even started. Except he was gone long enough that once he finally returned home there wasn't anything to come back to. Does a convincing job of pretending it doesn't bother him.

Mostly focuses on barriers, wards, bindings, and other such defensive techniques with his magic.

Actually doesn't mind all that much when strangers mistake him for a woman. Minds a little bit though when people call his wizard robes a dress. Minds a lot when people mistake his outfit for cosplay.

Humor/Color Scheme: Phlegmatic

#masterpost #my writing #original fiction #urban fantasy #WIP #writers on tumblr #Writeblr #Empty Names #serial fiction #writing practice #creative writing #fantasy #fiction #emptynameswriting #table of contents

[lateral-org]

1 13 and 18!

1) Is John misunderstood or a villain?

False dichotomy here. I think John is well understood by many fans in that he was a traumatized man and absent father who indoctrinated his sons into a brutal and violent lifestyle (raised them to be soldiers). Like Henrikksen was pretty spot on when he called him a cult leader. The demons just happened to be real.

It's disgusting to me how much John actively avoided his sons during season 1. They didn't even know vampires were still around! (???) John would just drop a pin at a location and send them on goose chases and maybe grace them with his presence if he needed them or they literally tracked him down. Despicable parent behavior.

I don't think this makes him a "villain" though. He's not actively antagonizing the boys (other than giving them soooooo much trauma that they aren't gonna work through). Arguably the most villainous he is is when he tells Dean he's gonna have to kill Sam, and then he dies.

So I don't know. I think he's a shitty dad who fucked them over at every opportunity, but in my head there's nuance between that and villain.

13) Leather jacket or Mary’s ring?

I'm definitely forgetting or missed the lore about Mary's ring, I'm assuming its one of the rings Dean used to wear before Jensen decided no he wouldn't. Or maybe it's from s12? Either way it didn't leave an impact on me (feel free to send me meta to change my mind 👀)

If I have to choose based on symbolism, leather jacket. The leather jacket is such a strong visual signifier of John's impact on Dean's life (your car is his your clothes are his even your music is his etc) AND the fact that he sheds it after a while demonstrates his growth away from being John's shadow. (I know they lost it but still it works for me in canon)

A ring just doesn't have that same (hah) ring to it, especially in a live action show where we don't get that many lingering shots of hands, or insight into how Mary affected Dean.

However. If Sam was wearing Mary's ring... That's something I could get into. Something about Sam latching onto a piece of the mother he never knew, wearing it every day (maybe on a chain so he could hide it under his shirt). Sam wearing the ring when he meets Ruby, wearing it on his hand after Dean goes to hell and staring at it when he exorcises demons (he's doing it for Her but really he's doing it for himself, just like John)

Agh I'm driving myself crazy with this idea actually, maybe the ring if Sam gets to wear it

18) When did Supernatural start declining in quality? (If it did?)

Hahaha well

I'm currently rewatching it so it's fresh in my mind. I've always said 4 and 5 are my favorite seasons but rewatching really cemented that for me. Supernatural is a show that varies in quality season by season, and after a certain point it varies drastically episode by episode. Seasons 1 and 2 are really fucking solid, but season 3 sucks a lot in a lot of ways due to the writer's strike. Then 4 and 5 come in and pick up the pieces pretty effectively.

I think if you're looking for a cohesive show with an ending that makes sense and narrative themes that work, you stop at the end of season 5. Season 6 is a huge dip in quality for me. The first half of the season is so fucking boring and confusing, and by the time it gets it's act together it's time for the finale. But that also makes it similar to season 3, just if season 3 had time to redeem itself.

But I love season 7. I love the new characters and the leviathan and the weird 2011 liberal sensibilities. Season 8 is straight up a vampire diaries soap opera.

Visually the quality declines drastically after season 5. Seasons 4 and 5 use a lot of interesting framing and visual symbolism which stood out compared to the rest of the show, and a lot of that is absent post season 5. A few episodes try to recapture it but the direction becomes pretty generic. The color grading too suffers a lot. There have been so many meta posts about it but truly why does the show get so bright and colorful. I'm not supposed to be able to distinguish dark green from black.

Character writing also suffers post s5. They put the boys through the same wringer over and over and Dean gets angrier and Sam gets quieter and that's it. Not that there aren't good lines or arcs, it's just that compared to the content of the first 5 seasons it's worse.

Notable exceptions, like I said I like season 7. I also think 11 and 12 are good. Season 15 is fucking crazy and evil but it also has like. A plot. Like it's doing season 5 again but at least it knows where it's going.

But yeah. Decline after season 5

Spn Discourse ask game

#ask game #spn posting #asked and answered #anonymous #thank you for letting me talk about eupernatural #i love her and i hate her #i will be thinking about sam wearing mary's ring a normal amount tho

[transhawks]

*posts that are going to get you a box of my favorite orange flavored chocolates mailed to your doorstep (anyways, yeahh!! Lmao, it was so wild to me to read a post that lists everything Hawks did and I’m going like yeah!!! And then it ends off with something like “and that’s why I hate him and he’s evil incarnate” we are two different people lmaoo, I feel like you’re the only appreciated of unhinged Hawks on this site. He can be a sad little chirp chirp while still being crazy. So r other ppl

That sounds delicious actually. In all seriousness I had to disengage with actual Hawks "haters" in late 2020. I was very critical of him, argued with Hawks apologists (specifically in the whole Twice aspect) left and right, was getting frustrated at people just ignoring the clear references to the current political situation in the work, but seeing the actual Hawks hate hurt the nonetheless. I'm really lucky that a bunch of us in the Jinkei server and dbhwks spaces were really down to clown him and roast him, but there was still an element of at least finding him an interesting character if not liking him. A lot the hardcore Hawks haters not only didn't find him distasteful (which isn't wrong imho) but also felt that anyone who felt he was interesting was approving of his actions.

I had to justify why I liked him as a character to so-called friends, even a beloved best friend. Why I found him interesting - as if that invalidated my well-worn anarchist/leftist ideals and years of them and all the political activism and organizing I got involved in my late teens/early twenties. It was like... a very cruel time. I have a whole personality disorder that makes me think in polarities and extremes, and that space and group on here was not helping.

And then his development seemed to stagnate (or more I just didn't really understand what Horikoshi was doing with him) and I don't know, I clung on to what I originally liked. It really took reevaluating the entire manga and starting to find all of him funny to really, truly love him again.

He's a fascinatingly complicated character, incredibly well-crafted by Horikoshi, and I'd say among his top-tier written characters, like Tomura or Dabi. Now, that's on his *complexity*, nothing else. Not that I go looking for such opinions, but I'm going to clarify that and save some Hawks haters time gossiping about me saying "Hawks is a good as Dabi or Tomura according to local Hawks-obsessive transhawks", nah, we're talking about complexity and his narrative. Those things are very different than the character being ethical, not that any of them are.

And! And! It's okay to like the confusing, unhinged characters who bring chaos! 2020 me could never understand loving All For One, but he's so fascinatingly hypocritical and hilarious that he's quickly becoming a favorite.

I just regret we spent so much time as a fandom ascribing moral values to liking certain characters rather than just fucking enjoying them as they are. That wasn't healthy. That wasn't right of us, or me, specifically. I'm still someone who believes that the fiction/reality argument is bunk and not understanding that there isn't an actual separate space or how much any sort of art medium affects and shapes our values is a big problem, but I think when we started saying that anyone finding a character interesting was condoning their actions was when the plot was lost.

#asks #bnha fandom wank #bnha discourse

[bigskydreaming]

That point about a sure thing is the problem. It used to be there were safe pictures and prestige pictures, but then came the Nolan movies showing a safe picture could win an Oscar. Hell, comics are falling victim to this too, hence writing for trades and circular storylines.

Oh for sure, comics have been victim to this for awhile. I mean, that's been (one of) my biggest gripe(s) with Taylor's Nightwing run from day one....its basically just regurgitations of the biggest beats from Dick's 90s run, redressed in shiny new Reboot universe set dressing but aside from the superficial changes, literally no new narrative ground is being broken anywhere. When was the last time Dick Grayson actually changed or grew in any kind of meaningful way that wasn't just a revisitation of an older story or a wink-wink callback to someone else's run?

Its both interesting and sad that the bar is so low that X-Men comics were able to lure me back to being so invested in them merely by shaking up expectations. Like, the funny thing about the current (controversial) era of X-Men comics is there's a lot, a LOT about the stories and character choices being made that I fundamentally DO NOT LIKE. Don't even get me started on Percy's books, I hate so many of Duggan's takes, etc.

But the thing that keeps me coming back to those comics, despite all the elements I dislike or disagree with, is at least they're doing something NEW. At least there's no real way to see what's coming from one month to the next, because they kinda threw out the old playbook with the whole Krakoan paradigm, whereas so many other comics are so wholly paint by numbers that if predicting next month's issue was the way to win a lottery, I'd be financially set for life.

And the thing that's really interesting to me about X-Men comics these days is for all that people act like Hickman reinvented the wheel with his shake-up of the status quo there....he didn't, actually? "There's nothing new under the sun" remains just as true there as it does in DC-landia. But the novelty lies in how he APPROACHED the idea that there's nothing really new that can be done with comics, versus say, Taylor's approach.

What I mean by that is....one of the biggest fundamental changes to the X-books these days is the whole "mutants have 'conquered' death" thing. Mutant resurrection/immortality. On the surface, it IS a brand new paradigm that radically changes the nature of storytelling in X-Men comics. But dig just below that....and this story element is not remotely new at all. Not only did the Judgment Day event highlight the fact that Marvel itself has its fair share of immortal societies already....and not only can anyone who's watched the 2003 Battlestar Galactica show confirm that mutant resurrection - both in mechanics and themes - is literally just....Cylon resurrection......

The most interesting thing about the whole concept of mutant resurrection to me, is its simply an embrasure of the age-old, much commented upon fact that....nobody ever truly dies in comics! Everyone comes back, sooner or later! There's NOTHING new, fundamentally, about the idea that mutants can now come back to life....because they've literally been doing that like clockwork ever since Jean Grey first pulled that particular rabbit out of the hat!

90% of A, B and even C list mutants have already died and come back at least once, loooong before the current Krakoan era. Hell, I can only think of a handful like Bobby and Hank who HAVEN'T died and come back in the past.

Its not the story beat itself that's new, or feels new.....the newness lies entirely in the APPROACH. The fact that they took this basic, fundamental staple of comic book storytelling.....the idea that nobody ever truly dies for good.....and were like...how can we look at this from a new angle? What if we're not trying to come up with a brand new, never before seen IDEA, but simply....come up with a new CONVERSATION to have around ideas that people are so used to seeing play out, they've taken it for granted that there's nothing new to even be SAID about that idea?

And that's the difference, IMO....because the novelty of the current storytelling paradigm in the X-books, if you ask me.....lies purely in the fact that for decades, the inevitable resurrection of characters in comics has been treated as a gimmick, or even an embarrassment. Like I mean, so many times when characters are brought back, the writers just kinda speedrun through the logistics of that particular resurrection almost as if they're embarrassed by what they're doing, if that makes sense?

Almost as if there's this undercurrent where they're like "yeah yeah, we KNOW this is fucking ridiculous, we can't believe what's coming out of our mouths either, but what can we do? This character is a money maker so its not like we can just LEAVE them dead, so we had to come up with SOME way to bring them back, so just....ignore the elephant in the room that is how fucking ABSURD this sounds or feels and just go with it so we can get to the part where nobody cares that this character was dead and came-back-via-ridiculousness five minutes ago, we're back to just telling stories with them as usual."

In contrast, the current X-book model for narrative death decided to just....lean directly into the idea that all major characters - given enough time - will always come back anyway....and just decided to run with that to its furthest possible degree. Build in a blanket explanation that works across the board, that extends the benefits of this comic book trope to EVERY character within this particular franchise, refuse to be embarrassed by the logistics or 'necessity' of it, and just.....go wild with it. See what you can come up with when you're not narratively wincing every time you dance around it, but instead are just running straight at it with clear intent.

THAT'S the difference between reinvention and regurgitation, IMO. Its not about the WHAT you're doing that's old or familiar or that's been done in some fashion before.

Its about the WHY you're doing it. What you hope to achieve by doing it.

And when you boil things down via that particular lens....

...and on the one hand have comics replicating, even industrializing a single, familiar story beat in order to maximize the number of new story beats you can catalyze from that one singular launchpoint, all in the aim of igniting new conversations about the whole nature of death and immortality and exploring themes of identity and the soul and 'what really makes us who we are' and 'what happens to a society that no longer fears death, does that beget innovation or just stagnation'....

....and then on the other hand, you have comics just recycling old, familiar story beats as blatant nostalgia bait aimed solely at reigniting in readers the feelings and conversations they already had upon the initial telling of these story beats, based on the logic ‘well if it was popular once, it should be popular this time too, that’s as close as we can get to a sure thing, makes doing it a safe bet’...

Well. Those are two totally different approaches to 'the old is new again' - and only one of them holds any appeal for me whatsoever.

[acourtofthought]

I tip towards elriel, but I can see tamlain happening - I might even now ship it. I mean, based on your posts here, you yourself have spent a significant amount of time linking Elain to the Spring Court, but Tamlin is the HL of Spring, not Lucien. There’s currently no textual evidence to suggest that Lucien will inherit the Spring Court, when he is the heir of Day (which is why you mention the “sunshine” line, and Lucien’s connection to the Day Court… which has nothing to do with Spring…?). You can suggest that Tamlin will abdicate because he doesn’t want to rule, but Lucien also said that he has no interest in being HL. And look at the chest of drawers. SJM said that Nesta was supposed to end up with Lucien, which is why her drawer was painted in flames. Elain’s is painted in flowers, which frankly has no connection to Lucien and the Day Court, at least not in comparison to Tamlin. Which also rebuts your point about Elain and Lucien’s names both meaning “light,” - both of their names were already decided and published when SJM originally planned for Lucien and Nesta to be together, so that connection means nothing (and in comparison, various retellings of the ballad of Tam Lin, which inspired ACOTAR and Tamlin’s character, features a heroine called Elaine).

The rest of your argument hinges on the fact that Tamlin is a bad person, so SJM will never pair him with Elain. Yet, Rhys was the person who drugged Feyre, SA’d her, twisted her broken arm, & publicly degraded her. You can’t even argue that Rhys was only like that UTM, because in ACOSF he kept a constant shield around Feyre (something that was said to be a “compromise,” so his original plan was worse), hid vital information about Feyre’s own pregnancy, and then threatened to kill Nesta for revealing this information (a threat so serious, that Cassian and Azriel had to evacuate Nesta out of the city, so that Rhys wouldn’t “spill her blood.”) Justify this all you want, but if Tamlin ever acted like that, he would 100% be condemned and HATED.

And that’s kinda my point. Everyone jumps to Rhys’s defence (as I am sure you will do in response), and is always able to justify and make excuses for his abusive actions. This is mostly because of SJM’s own writing - she adds in further context and reframes the character’s actions so that we like them again. It’s why all of us went from loathing Rhys in book 1, and seeing him as the villain, to loving him by the end. SJM can absolutely do the same to Tamlin. It wouldn’t even be a hard task - look at any recent Tamlin post on reddit, tik tok, or any other social media. 95% of people are cool with Tamlin, and the vast majority are calling for his side of the story, and for his redemption. If he was truly as bad as you say, no one would be doing that.

As for SJM not putting Elain with Tamlin because it would “hurt” Feyre - as other people have been saying, that makes it even more likely to happen. I don’t believe Elain will be evil, but most of us are expecting her to defy her sisters in some way (no matter how much you personally don’t want to see it happen). Feyre and Nesta have now spent 5 books suggesting what is “right” for Elain, what she should and shouldn’t do. Readers point this out all the time, and in ACOSF, we see the beginning of Elain pushing back on this. Elain ignoring what her sisters want, and instead choosing Tamlin, is perfectly on par with her upcoming narrative (I mean, Rhys himself said we are still yet to see the side of Elain that isn’t “innocent,” and isn’t always about pleasing other people - something that Feyre said would involve Elain touching thorns along the way, and whose throne is made out of thorns? And who said “I love you…. thorns and all”…?). It would also force Tamlin and Rhys and Feyre to make amends, something that has been in the making since book 1. Let’s not forget that Rhys and Tamlin were literally best friends - again, something that never would have happened if Tamlin was as bad as you say.

I’m sure you’ll find a way to rebut each point, but as you are a hardcore elucien, there’s not going to be much to convince you. But the tamlain ship is moving up to being one of the most popular. Again, if the idea was as bad as you say, this would simply never happen, and definitely not with this many people.

I’m sure you’ll say that it‘s because tens of thousands of people just happen to hate Elain, but people aren’t endorsing this theory because they want Tamlin and Elain to both rot in hell, or that they both “deserve each other.” No. People can see how it is thematically beautiful, aligns perfectly, allows for two misunderstood characters (or two characters who haven’t had their voice heard) speak their truth, and brings everything back full circle.

(And, as a final point regarding your post, Tamlin is not the reason Elain was turned fae. That’s like blaming Rhys for Amarantha’s actions, because he too was pretending to work with her. But not only that, during that whole scene when Elain was being put in the cauldron, everyone else just stood there in shock. Tamlin was the only one who acted. He LAUNCHED himself at Hybern, trying to “rip him to shreds,” in order to save Elain. Let’s also not forget that if Tamlin didn’t show up when he did in ACOWAR, Elain would be dead. I’m sure as she is the one who typed it, along with all the other Spring foreshadowing, that SJM isn’t unaware of all this).

Actualllllly.....Lucien said he wouldn’t want to be High Lord of Autumn Court.  That he wouldn’t want to rule over crafty two-faced people.  

He has referred to Spring as his Home so obviously he feels a stronger connection to Spring than he did Autumn.  

He has never said he wouldn’t be willing to rule anywhere else if that somehow came into being.  He has been more than willing to return to Spring and keep an eye on things though, so again, that demonstrates loyalty to that Court.  

Sure there’s no textual evidence that Lucien will be High Lord of Spring but there are hints that Elain could be High Lady in place of Tamlin who, based on textual evidence has neglected his people and hasn't been fulfilling his duties.  There is textual evidence that Tamlin never wanted to be High Lord in the first place.  There is also textual evidence that Lucien could easily help direct Elain in how to run things and perform in the Great Rite with her if she did play a part in getting Spring back on its feet.  And I’ve also said Elain restoring Spring as “interim” High Lady is a possibility.  Maybe it will give Tamlin time to go Eat, Pray, Love around Prythian, find himself and come back a better man at which time Elain and Lucien can make their way to Day.    

To address your point about Elain and Lucien’s names meaning light.  I’m almost certain my post didn’t say she made their names match because she knew they were Mates, I think it actually addressed how SJM’s subconscious knew they were Mates before she did.  Because when she did turn around and rewrite them as Mates, it was coincidentally perfect that their names matched.  And to address your other point about there being a character named Elaine in the tale of Tam Lin (all I found was a Janet), I'm not sure why the fact that she drew a name from any fairytale means much in terms of endgame considering she has said she does a retelling "light". Meaning she draws inspiration but doesn't follow it closely.

And if Nesta’s drawer = Lucien which didn’t happen than there’s a really great chance that whatever SJM intended for Elain’s drawer can also be changed to suit a new storyline.  Flames for Nesta had nothing to do with Cassian but referenced her power (Silver Flame).  Flowers can either solely reference Elain as a bringer of growth and life or they could reference the fact that her Mate lived in Spring at the time those flowers were painted.  It will be extremely easy for SJM to twist that however she needs it to go.  

Two misunderstood characters?  You mean like Elain and Lucien?  That’s the entire point.  Everything that you say about Tamlin aside from his current station of High Lord of Spring is applicable to Lucien.  Not to mention the massive amount of things about Lucien that are better than Tamlin and make him much more suited for Elain.  And Lucien doesn’t come with the baggage of having burst down their door, than kidnapping Feyre from her home in the Human Lands while Nesta and Elain sat terrified.  

I’m not sure why everyone keeps throwing out that Tamlin wasn’t the cause of the sisters being Made.  I never said he was.  And I never said he was the worst character ever. BUT......the sisters don’t agree with you (at least Nesta doesn’t).  She honestly believes that because Tamlin felt Feyre was his property, it’s what led to everything that happened with the King.  Readers get confused by their own interpretation of what happened rather than paying attention to how the characters feel about it.  It doesn’t matter what Mary, Brenda or Tim think happened based on their own opinion or how they would feel in the situation.  What matters is how Nesta, Feyre, and Elain feel about Tamlin.  He can have his redemption and HEA but it doesn't need to be with an Archeron. It would be unrealistic for them to all end up as one big happy family.

And again with the Rhys being the bad guy comment.  I’ve heard this a lot lately.  Rhys was acting like an undercover agent UTM.  He NEEDED to play a part.  You know what happens with real undercover agents?  They physically assault people in the real world to get “in” with a gang. They buy and sell drugs to get “in” with the head drug dealer.  Are those good actions?  Absolutely not.  They’re terrible actions.  But......they are still the good guy because they’re playing a part so that they can eventually take down the Really bad guys. 

Tamlin was only ever being Tamlin.  He wasn’t playing a part with Feyre after UTM.  He tried to hold her back because he couldn’t handle the thought of her being harmed.  He did it for himself and himself only.   Rhys was doing everything he did for the greater good so yeah, there is a difference.  

As far as what happened between he and Nesta, of course he was pissed and the "I'm going to kill her" is something people say when they're pissed at family and friends. Sorry but I never took that to be a serious threat, more that he was absolutely furious and wanted her out of his sight but would have never actually harmed Feyre's sister. Let's not forget Nesta threatening to rip out Feyre's throat. Nesta has made death threats upon others and we realized which of those were serious while the threat against Feyre was just empty words.

And no, I don’t base my opinions on those found on Tik Tok or Reddit (especially when they incorrectly quote the book).  I’m old enough to make decisions for myself and not off the masses or believe Tamlin and Elain have more traction than the E/riel or Elucien ship based off nameless faceless people who may have not bothered to deep dive into the series to really come to that conclusion themselves but have merely jumped on the bandwagon of a post that's led them to believe there's more to the ship than there actually is. There’s a bunch of people on Tik Tok that loved Donald Trump so what’s that tell you about social media? Plenty of bad ideas held by the masses 😂.

This is not the page to ship Elain and Tamlin because I will fight it every step of the way.  He physically assaulted Elain’s Mate, threatened him when he tried to speak up on behalf of Feyre, threw Lucien’s clothes out as if he were a pissed off female who just found out her boyfriend was cheating on her.  He has caused Feyre and Nesta (FACTS) emotional trauma.  I’m guessing Elain too but without her POV I can’t say for sure.  I do know she wouldn’t be so heartless as to hook up with her sisters ex fiance and cause of trauma though.  To bring Tamlin to family get togethers and force her sister and Rhys to watch Nyx engaging with him.  That's not defying her sisters, that's her being a heartless bitch.

Tamlin is crass (Elain is not).  Tamlin is violent (Elain is bothered by it).  Tamlin doesn’t like socializing (Elain does).  Tamlin doesn’t like females getting involved in dangerous things (Elain wanted to help search for the Trove).  Tamlin destroys furniture (Elain likes to keep a nice home).  

There is nothing beautiful about that pairing.  Like I said in another post,  I read ALLLLLLL sorts of books.  I just read a CNC by LJ Shen earlier.  I’ve read bully romances, dark romances, sisters ending up with their ex’s romancesv(it's always the first sister that caused problems which is why it seemed "OK" for the heroine to end up with the ex).  And I’ve enjoyed them.  And in all the depraved books I’ve read, Elain and Tamlin ending up together would be the most horrible thing I’ve ever come across. 

And character names, what was on the dresser drawer. None of that matters when you realize SJM changed Luciens father once she knew he and Elain were to be Mates. Whatever happened with Elain, Lucien or Nesta in book 1 doesn't compare to what she wrote about them in book 2. And sure Tamlin wanted to rip the King to shreds because he knew what was about to happen would be horrible for Feyre. He was there to take Feyre back to Spring, not Elain. His actions were solely because of Feyre considering he was still hoping to have sex with her in book 3, and still in love with her in the Novella. Still upset over her pregnancy in ACOSF. It doesn't sound like he's really given Elain too much thought. Lucien is the only one who attempted to go to Elain before and after the Cauldron. Who found Elain to be the most beautiful female he's ever seen. Who was worried about what was happening to her in the NC then concerned about how much weight she had lost once he saw her.

If Tamlin wasn't around for Elain at her lowest than he definitely doesn't deserve her at her best.

And if it weren't for Elain, then Briar, Nesta, Cassian and Az might be dead. If it weren't for Rhys and Feyre, Tamlin would be dead. If it weren't for Amren they'd all be dead and so on. All the characters have saved one another at various times and that's never really been a hint to endgame potential. Tamlin saved Feyre and Feyre saved Tamlin in book 1 and that didn't really end well for their relationship, did it?

#anti tamlain #pro elucien #elain x lucien #lucien and elain #pro lucien vanserra

[gray-morality]

Tagged: Altitis Edition

@thefreelanceangel

Favorite | Fakhri Man'tik Obviously I'm biased because he's the one I currently main. But I do believe that, with every new character, I learn something or 'get better' (even if I have 25+ years of RP experience) and Fakhri is something very new for me to RP. His personality alone but also his overall view on life and how he went through it. He's definitely the one that allows me the most freedom, not even being afraid of the ridicule, which can play a big part. He's also provocative, inciting reactions from others or dragging them into a scene.

Oldest | Katsuro Wakahisa Katsuro was 'born' in The Secret World back in 2015 and I brought him with me in other games, FFXIV being the latest and possibly where his story ends? Who knows! He's more typical yakuza archetype and very hard to RP because he lacks empathy and fucks to give. He also is very reserved and extremely disciplined, which makes it hard to introduce him into new situations or places.

Newest | Fakhri Man'tik If that wasn't obvious by now :p

Meanest | Katsuro Wakahisa I mean, can you do meaner than an assassin and serial killer with a lack of empathy... Not that he doesn't have his good side but you have to find it, or let him drop his guard, which frankly rarely happens. He's painfully direct and doesn't care how people feel or what they think about him. To be honest, Fakhri can also be painfully direct and not give a shit... but he's far less stoic and his overall attitude is more prone to make him look like an ass. Guess that balance it all a bit.

Softest | Yuu Fujimoto He's my irezumi master, and he's a big dork. Oh he sure can fight, having trained under Doman monks all his childhood, but then he went on an apprenticeship to become a tattoo master and managed to make a living out of his passion and really, he never loved to fight. He sings like a battery of casseroles someone dropped on the floor but his energy at karaoke is infectious, as well as his smile.

Most Aloof/Standoffish | Dr. Thanos [Lux] Caius Despite caring about people's wellbeing in general, he's an intellectual and will prefer his books instead of talking to people. If you say something stupid, you can bet he's looking at you with a judgmental gaze. He has very little tolerance for stupidity, verrryyy little.

Dumbest (Affectionate) | Luula [GW2] I rarely make dumb characters unless they're disposable NPCs. Luula was an exception. She was Asura in GW2. For those who know the game, I can hear you say "But aren't they the most intelligent and advanced of the races?" Well yes, but you see Luula's mother had an accident when her daughter was but a baby still in her belly and... poor Luula was born with some... problems. This obviously resulted with her being shunned from the Asura society and ending up as a ranger (she has a big bear) travelling the world. People really loved her, she was cute and silly.

Dumbest (Derogatory) | Ren Yasui He was essentially a NPC and your typical muscles without a brain archetype. He didn't have a presence in game, as I never made the character, but instead was featured in a few short stories all part of The Cursed Hand narrative. a campaign that stretched over 2 years.

Smartest | Dr. Thanos [Lux] Caius I guess this makes him somewhat hard to RP because I definitely don't have his intellect XD nor his immense knowledge in medicine.

Horniest | Fakhri Man'tik Most of my characters being NPCs, their level of horniness is simply inexistent. As for those I did/do roleplay, I'd say their libido is quite mild. Katsuro is possibly the worse, since he's demi-sexual, his sexual drive linked to actually loving the person. My 'leader' characters [Ujitoshi Hagane and Hikmat Shah] are both asexual. Other characters are old and not interested in that anymore [Sun Hyeon] and some, while not asexual, are either no longer interested or never truly were that much [Dr. Caius who prefers knowledge to people and Yuu who had a wife, with whom he had a daughter, they got divorced and now he's early 50s with a teenager, working his dream job and content in life.] Which leaves us with Fakhri, who's just your normal guy, really. He enjoys sex as much as the guy next door but can go without for long periods as well. So he isn't a horny machine, just a very normal man.

Character You'd Bang | Fakhri Man'tik Mainly because he's a very respectful and caring lover. He doesn't have a type, doesn't have any expectations and won't shame anyone for being clumsy or inexperienced.

Character You'd Be RL Besties With | Yuu Fujimoto As tempted I am to say Fakhri, he may be too 'loud' and disruptive on occasions for me irl. Yuu, on the other hand, is calm yet knows how to have fun. He's also an artist, which I can relate to. So we'd totally be showing each other our new drawings and whatnot. He's also hard working and respectful, but won't let others step over him either.

Tagging: whoever wants to do it I guess xD

#ffxiv #well mostly ffxiv #tagged