#from a ‘stealing is morally neutral/positive even’ post

[rowanthestrange]

(Personal ‘Being A Certain Kind Of Autistic’ Moment:)

(You ever think you’re too hinged? I was gonna say for the internet but since covid so many of the neurotypicals in real life are actually worse.

Like someone has an inappropriately strong emotional reaction to the benign, and you’re like ‘okay they’re triggered, walk away with no eye contact’. Then you see other people doing it. And more and more. Not about the same things, different things, random things. And you’re just… Is it me? Am I too hinged?

I’m not saying I’m never triggered but I always tell myself ‘hey before you interact with anyone, stop being such a freak’ if I feel like I’m in danger of being rude to or about a Human Person. And I know that’s autism training, learning to catch yourself; but also clearly not everyone bothers, even the neurotypicals anymore hence irl situations where you’re just watching some 55 year old woman go off on a receptionist over literally nothing.

Like you’ll watch people stew themselves to a rolling boil over things they’ve…made up in their head? When they could just…not do that? Or could assume the best? Like they pre-order rage for things that haven’t even happened yet. Not like political things where you could argue that it could incentivise action but like raging about how film/book in a series/event is going to be so terrible, beyond simple mental prepping for disappointment.

It’s like I feel too mentally healthy compared to everyone else. But even plenty of irl people I know who absolutely wouldn’t consider themselves (or be considered by me as) mentally unwell in any regard are like this.

I know me having the flavour of autism where ‘everything has to have a reason, but when you understand what it is you don’t feel the need to be upset about it anymore’ kind of makes this worse. Because that’s not how real people feel things. But I dunno. Feels like it’s getting…more, doesn’t it? I mean it is, must be, had a Doctor Who episode kind of about it a week ago. But it’s got me feeling autistic alien again. Even on the autism site.)

#i know social decay and breakdown of the social contract is real #(again thanks for the validation there rusty) #but i’ve seen people post some weird shit #from a ‘stealing is morally neutral/positive even’ post #to other oof political takes #(which are fine to a degree this is a site for damaged 14 year olds) #(that’s just a thing that has to happen in their growth cycle) #but also things where you want to say #‘you would never say that to that person’s face so don’t say it at all’ #…but you also think #they kind of might say it to their face?? #and that’s fucking worse #accidentally seeing some jodie thing on the side of an instagram vid #like jesus christ if you can’t be normal enough to not say that #can you even recognise the need to ‘put the phone down’? #like how do you fix that #can’t even send shit to their mothers #i’ve met some mothers recently #and they are not doing better #and they’re not even terminally online #we called it television rot #and daily mail rot #we always have an older ‘rot’ to look to #but i think it just scapegoats the fact that some people #are choosing to rewire their brains in the worst and laziest ways

[unhonestlymirror]

A reply to this post from @eywind:

"Maria, you probably won't see my reply. But I will try to remind you of your own reality.

Since 2014, your leader and your team have refrained from condemning the annexation of Crimea and the war in Donbas. Aleksei Navalny even stated that “Crimea is not a sandwich” and, in fact, proposed to hold some other referendums on the clearly illegally occupied territory of Ukraine out of some kind of fright.

Why is that? First, of course, this apparently largely coincides with your personal positions. But even if this is not so, and deep down in your soul, you really support Ukraine with all your heart, there is a critical “second”.

You, as politicians, miraculously understand that direct support for Ukraine - an absolutely moral, honest, and legal (corresponding to international law) position - actually means political death in Russia.

You know very well that you will not win popularity among the Russian people if you say directly that Russia must give up territories to Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova, pay reparations and repent for several decades more for the crimes committed. Although this is what would be right and moral.

You know very well that the majority of the Russian people either support the war or treat it with positive neutrality. Therefore, they are forced to shift the focus in their domestic political messages to the fight against corruption, which translates into “they steal, therefore they do not produce missiles that kill Ukrainians efficiently enough” (this would be as funny as jokes about a shark if there were no deaths).

You are afraid to take a moral position even after the start of a full-scale war. On international platforms, where naive Western leaders are happy to invite you, not a word is heard from you on the topic of Ukraine. You consider all the crimes of the Putin regime only from the standpoint of your personal suffering, in order, again, to shift the focus from the fact that the Russian people are not that much suffering now. That the Russians, even having got out from behind the Iron Curtain, do not even try to organize mass anti-war protests. How many of you left there, more than a million? Where are they?

Putin is taking away Russians' pensions and future. You are silent about what Putin takes from Ukrainians. Because the very Russians whose psyche you protect so much will stop loving you. Who voluntarily go to war (for evading the mobilization of ZERO criminal cases) and wish Ukrainians death every day in thousands of comments (and not all of them are bots).

Whereas an effective Russian state, if you build it for those people from whom you now want to earn the trust - Russian voters - it will be better to fight.

It turns out that you, indulging the immorality of your own people, taking an absolutely immoral and cynical position, designed for the political future, have the audacity to teach morality to Ukrainians.

Your calculation is wise and cunning. I would do the same in your place. With one caveat - if you put your political future in your country in the first place, then shut your mouth to the Ukrainians. You are not our friends, at best, negotiators, and your Putin is your problem (we will solve our problem, but you and collective Putin will still remain).

And if you really want to put morality in the first place and want Ukrainians to at least not show contempt for you (you won’t reach respect anyway), then put your system of values ​​in order."

"The Putin regime can be dismantled, but the Russian people will remain the same 100 millionth collective Putin.

Without revision and rethinking of Russian culture, politics, and everyday life as well, real changes in Russia are impossible.

That's why I don't trust FBK. They can not fail to understand this, but at the same time, they do nothing in this direction. This means that their goal is not real change in Russia, but simply to become a new regime themselves, which for the first conditional 10 years, will be friends with the West in order to accumulate funds again and then take revenge."

#stop russian aggression #support ukraine #genocide of ukrainians #russia is a terrorist state

[chaoskirin2]

An Open Letter to Brian May

OK. I’m sure he won’t see this, but I’m putting it out there just in case.

Dr. May. You’ve always had the best interests of the artistic community at heart. You are a wonderful, caring person. I have been watching you for many years, and I’ve seen you go to bat for amazing causes for your whole life.

You share art, which is something not a lot of people in your position do. It’s really nice to see all the works you post. Once, you even posted one of mine, and it was an amazing day for me.

So I’m coming to you from a position of respect, and I’m hoping to explain some things to you and hope you consider my words. Take your time. No need to respond. This is simply for you to think about.

You are a musician. You work hard on your music and would hate to see it stolen and repurposed. In fact, there was once even a point in history where legal action was taken against someone who took a riff from Queen and repurposed it into his own music without asking. So you definitely understand how this works, and how this isn’t merely “cheating” but outright theft. Queen was not credited when the song was released, and never would have been had legal action not been taken.

I know it hurt you to have to do this. But there is integrity in art that must be preserved if we as humans are to continue innovating. We cannot steal from each other. We must build each other up and give credit where credit is due.

What Nenu does is he takes photos and paintings from other people, repurposes those works without getting permission from the original artist, and then presents those works to you as original. Because you are acquainted with this person, you take him at his word that these are original works.

Unfortunately, in these cases, you aren’t aware that someone else (who has worked very hard on the original Nenu used as a base) was the originator of the art. The person who initially created the work would probably love to hear that you like it, but because they aren’t revealed as a contributor, they don’t receive any credit. Instead, someone who is extremely talented with art manipulation is gaining your love and admiration.

I am NOT coming to you as a person who has had their art used by Nenu, so I am a relatively neutral party here. I also do not currently do Queen art, so I am also not coming to you looking for attention. However, I am a professional artist, and I can provide my credentials if you need them.

What I am at my core is a person who wants to see people credited for their hard work. I of COURSE want Nenu to succeed, but I want him to do so on his own merits. I want him to credit the art he’s used to make the works he presents to you. And, Dr. May, it is my hope that you will start to ask him where he gets the bases for his work so that you can also appreciate the photos and art made by other people.

We spend our whole lives learning, and not knowing something is not a moral failing. With that in mind, I hope that reading this has taught you a little bit about rampant theft in the art world, and has piqued your interest enough to look into things a little more. I am confident you will at least consider these words, as you are always very considerate of other peoples’ feelings.

Respectfully and with admiration,

Aeryn

[cindymoon]

Did it ever occur to anyone that Wanda’s Roma background in the comics was BUILT on racist stereotypes? Similarly to M’Baku but also several others. And maybe that’s why the show runners stepped away from that..?

okay, so i think what we have here is someone who skimmed the original post in question (paragraph 2) and likely didn’t ready any of the links attached because that first message has been addressed already... but for anyone else in the same boat:

from gavia baker-whitelaw’s article:

Wanda and Pietro's Romani heritage was canon for decades (including in their non-mutant backstory), although this depiction often had problematic undertones. Wanda is literally a mysterious foreign witch, a damaging stereotype that acquired more nuance in later comics. But instead of updating Wanda and Pietro as modern Jewish/Romani superheroes (much like how Black Panther's charismatic M'Baku started out as a villain named "Man-Ape"), Disney whitewashed them. This casting choice was divisive in 2013, when The Atlantic highlighted the negative connotations of casting a white blonde actress as Scarlet Witch. Roma people are a marginalized ethnic minority, and Disney chose to erase their presence from the MCU.

...This rewrite was rather tone-deaf, because it involved Wanda and Pietro volunteering for neo-Nazi experiments. In the comics, their original parents were Holocaust survivors. Whedon also ignored the most obvious solution to Wanda and Pietro's non-mutant backstory: Django and Marya Maximoff, their Romani parents from the comics.

white washing characters is never the best solution. it doesn’t address the issue in so much as it just sweeps it under the rug. as well as perpetuating the idea that white is some unproblematic neutral that ppl can just default to. like can you imagine if in an attempt to “fix” how m’baku is portrayed in the comics, they just...put a white guy in the role? you can’t just remove a characters racial or ethnic background. no one is saying that her comic background hasn’t been problematic, but this isn’t the way to remedy that.

@scarlet--wiccan has an amazing post about the erasure of this whole family’s ethnic identity in the fox x-men films (x).

@villyns also has a good post outlining some examples of the mcu white washing rather than actually fixing the problem (x).

and here’s a decent article on white washing in media and why it’s a problem (x), quote from this article below:

Making a movie is not an easy feat; there are many things to take into account and even more people that you have to please, but there are also standards and morals to uphold. Whitewashing, blackface, brownface or yellowface is not just about denying jobs to minority actors, appropriating the stories of these groups, perpetuating stereotypes or keeping them invisible, it is about undermining their value as human beings and turning them into stepping stones, props, for white artists.

as for the second part. i think that’s entirely possible, actually. it’s done a lot to characters, where they won’t explicitly state their ethnicity but give them attributes from one (often stereotypes) and make them a caricature without making it, like i said, explicit. take the concept of jewish-coded villains in media. no one from disney has ever said that mother gothel in tangled is jewish, but it’s been pointed out by everyone that she’s jewish coded through stereotypes, ones specifically often used for “evil” witch-type characters, which is no coincidence: large, hooked nose, curly hair, greedy, etc. edit: hollywood uses coding like this often for racial/ethnic groups and the lgbtq+ community.

the maximoffs in the mcu and xmcu have never been explicitly made romani, with disney going so far as to change their parents romani names (django and marya) to oleg and irina. the name changes were unnecessary, except to distance the maximoffs from their original romani identity. the mcu changed their origins stories and cast non-romani actors to portray the maximoffs, and considering they went as far as to remove their jewish heritage as i mentioned before, it’s not a stretch that this is all an attempt to veil their romani background too. while they often joke about stealing and fortune tellers and poverty (the wv halloween episode really put it all in one place, but they’ve been doing it forever in the xmcu and mcu), i wouldn’t say this is an attempt to make them romani as much as it is to use a romani-esque caricature, to use it as a sort of “aesthetic” for the twins without acknowledging that it’s an ethnicity. the aspects they choose to keep are often either negative or painted in a negative light. i think the fact that el*zabeth ols*en continuously uses the g-slur to talk about wanda and costume design, speaks to that. 

and even if the mcu came out and said, “oh, our wanda is romani,” that wouldn’t change the fact that she’s played by a non-romani actress (who continues to use anti-romani slurs, despite knowing she shouldn’t) and that so far, they have not explicitly stated in the mcu that she is.

from gavia baker-whitelaw’s article:

Wanda and Pietro's whitewashing feels like an attempt to "neutralize" them. It frames their ethnicity as a problem to be avoided, rather than an opportunity to celebrate an under-represented group. This also meant that Marvel could cast famous white actors instead of sourcing an unknown Romani actor, during a period when the MCU was visibly uninterested in racial diversity.

But Marvel Studios wanted to have its cake and eat it, too. While Wanda is now white and Sokovian, her role isn't completely divorced from its Romani origins. It can't be, because everything in the MCU is informed by the comics. That's how we end up with El*zabeth Ols*n describing her Age of Ultron costume as "kind of this g*psy, vagabond feel"—terms that usually wouldn't come to mind for a simple black minidress and maroon jacket. Wanda's Romani heritage remains visible through veiled references and superficial costume choices, sidestepping any hint of meaningful representation.

from jessica reidy’s article:

Today, some Roma do call themselves witches, and serve as healers and spell-casters in a community, but make no mistake, being a witch is a job like any other. I was trained by my grandmother, I studied hard, I started a business, and I take bookings in my Google calendar. This is the context that most people miss when creating (or, in this case, adapting) Romani witch characters like Wanda Maximoff, and while the Scarlet Witch has plenty of magic, she does not need to fall into the stereotype, nor have her identity erased.

Representation matters. Wanda’s Romani ethnicity has been well-stated in the comic books, sometimes capturing the discrimination and violence that Roma face, and other times falling flat and stereotypical. Marvel also owes us, as Roma are often rendered as mentally unstable thieves, such as Dr. Doom, Wanda and Pietro’s community, and Wanda herself, and the entertainment giant capitalizes off of these stereotypes, reinforcing them all the while.

Every opportunity we get for accurate and positive representation is essential to us because it shapes the way people understand us.

linking the post i made again, because it has a list of articles and posts i’d recommend really taking the time to look through and engaging with them, as well as following folks like jessica reidy and @scarlet--wiccan​ on social media for more info from romani folks. 

#anon #b.inbox #hope this clears some things up for u #anti wandavision

[writing-in-april]

Made to Match

Frankie Morales x Gender Neutral Reader

Summary: Reader can’t stop stealing Frankie’s hat.

A/N: Hey everyone- this is my sixteenth fic for my 30 fics in 30 days for April!!!! This is just a very fluffy sweet little fic I wrote for Frankie 😌 Side note- I wanted to thank everyone for being so kind after my last post ranting about my emotional breakdown today, thank you- so much it means a lot. Feel free to leave me an anon about anything here- I love hearing from people about anything (I promise I don’t bite lol) Thanks for reading and hope y’all enjoy!

Warnings: Frankie gets a little frisky by gettinbf close to grabbing Reader’s ass & one or two swear words

Main Masterlist Word Count: 1.5k

“You can’t keep stealing my hat!” Frankie shouted at you as you ran away from him with his hat perched on your head. All you did was giggle and scurry away faster.

You ran into your shared bedroom, looking around frantically for a quick place to hide. Realistically you knew Frankie would find you in a heartbeat, he had been trained to track stealthier people throughout his career. You were definitely no challenge considering you couldn’t even keep your mouth shut and stop laughing.

It was funny to see him pretend to get mad each time you’d pluck it off of his head, even though the look in his eyes showed how much he liked it.

The quickest place to hide was in the closet you both shared, choosing to hide in between both of your racks of hanging clothes. You posited that he might not check here, both of you preferred wearing the more casual clothes folded neatly in the dresser. The only thing Frankie regularly wore that was in here was a few of his nice flannels that he didn’t want getting creases in. He was never in here, so he wouldn’t think to check here

It was quiet, definitely too quiet. You bit your lip while holding your breath, afraid that he might somehow hear you. The silence was tense, your mind over analyzing every small noise you heard.

A small creak from the floorboards made you tense up even more, you were sure Frankie was close. That was soon after confirmed to you by a loud shout to scare you out of your hiding place, “Boo!”

Even though you had known he was close you still couldn’t help but let out a short scream, adrenaline now coursing through your veins as a result of being startled. Your shout dissolved back into laughter that infected the room once your mind fully processed that it was only Frankie. He pulled you out from the rack with a gentle grip on your wrist, starting to tickle your sides as soon as you emerged. The sounds of each other's laughter were addicting to both you and Frankie. You did have to eventually beg when tears came to your eyes, “I yield! You can have your hat back!”

He popped it off your head, plopping it back down where it belonged on his head. You draw your lips into the biggest pout you could manage, though you weren’t actually upset of course. It was fun to pull Frankie’s leg even if he knew you were pretending right off the bat.

“But- I look the best in it.” Frankie’s look on his face told you that your fake pout and dramatic words weren't swaying him at all.

“I don’t disagree with you. But, it’s still mine,” He teased, “Besides, mine is too big on you, you need one that fits better.”

—-

Frankie’s passing comment about getting you a baseball cap for yourself hadn’t stuck with you for very long, certainly not 2 months after. You had stolen his hat many times since then, it was too fun not too.

It was the furthest thing from your mind as you filled out some meaningless paperwork at your kitchen table. You were getting bored to tears, filling in blanks that basically just repeated the same information over and over again until you reached the end. You audibly sighed in relief when Frankie came in through the front door, back from work for the evening.

He set down his truck keys on the kitchen table, carefully avoiding revealing something he obviously was holding behind his back. He hadn’t said anything to you yet besides a simple greeting and telling you he missed you. Instead, deciding to stand, patiently waiting for you to finish what you were doing.

“What are you doing?” You questioned not bothering to finish the paperwork for now, standing up as he rocked back on his heels .

“I- Umm have something for you…” He pushed a package in your hand that he had been hiding behind his back after his admission. When he handed you his pocket knife to open the package you tore into it, carefully of course, in case it was something fragile. In the box held a hat, one that looked suspiciously similar to the one sat on his head. You pulled it out of the box, inspecting it in your hands, realizing it was an exact match for his.

“You got this for me?” You squeaked and he nodded in return, while you flipped it over in your hands, looking at every inch. It had a similar patch on the front that had the same ‘Standard Heating & Oil’ on the front. At first looking at it you thought he might have gotten it custom made for you, until you realized it was well loved just as his was. Well, maybe not as much considering Frankie’s hat had fallen apart at the seams until you had fixed it with some new stitching. It must have taken a while to track down a real one with the exact same logo as his. Your curiosity was peaked so you asked, “Where did you get this?”

He shifted his eyes back and forth, getting a little nervous that you might not like it. He did eventually find the words to tell you, “I was looking on um- EBay for one and then I happened to find one at a thrift store while looking for new flannels.”

“I- I love it, thank you so much baby.” You gasped in excitement and leaned forward to press a kiss to his burning cheeks. Something about it being made at a similar time as his made it all the more special, glad that Frankie was blessed with serendipity.

Frankie then shyly asked, “Can I put it on you?”

Almost immediately you answered, “Yes!” Frankie still looked rather bashful at your response, tugging his own cap down before grabbing your new one. Something about you being excited for his little gifts always seemed to make him extremely bashful, like he felt he didn’t deserve your praise. You made it your mission to change that each time he added to the list of little things that made you love him even more.

“This one will fit better on you than mine.” Your eyes went soft, the gesture so sweet that you suddenly wanted to cry for some reason. Frankie was always a very sweet man, each time he did something like this your heart melted into a puddle on the floor no matter how many times he’s done it.

He takes the bill of your new hat and places it on your head, swatting your hands away when you move to push it down so he could do it himself. The hat fits perfectly on your head, almost so perfect that you wouldn’t be surprised if Frankie had measured your head while you were sleeping and adjusted it accordingly. He tapped the top of the bill once while looking down at you with his own hat snug on his head making you giggle.

Moving his hands again to now smooth over the tops of your shoulders he inspected the fit of it with a smile. “It looks perfect- you look perfect.”

Bringing your lips to Frankie’s you then gave him a soft kiss while cupping his scratchy cheeks. It was slightly awkward to maneuver the bills of your caps to be able to have your lips meet properly, the corners of Frankie’s eyes crinkling in amusement as you huffed trying to adjust your mouth on his. You did eventually find the perfect angle to tilt both of your heads without bonking the curved bills together.

Sighing into the kiss, Frankie reciprocated, deepening it a little bit more. His hands were always wandering, trailing down from your shoulders to the small of your back, low enough that he was almost grabbing your ass. You couldn’t seem to stop giggling, something that Frankie loved, even while kissing.

“What are you doing?” You repeated your question from earlier, much more teasingly this time while his hand travelled down further.

“Nothing…” The way the pitch in his voice rose you could tell that was a lie. You quirked your eyebrow up at him in question, silently calling him a liar. He withered underneath your gaze and admitted, “Alright- maybe it’s something but, you just look so good in your hat.”

Teasing him was almost too easy sometimes, you could get him to be flustered with just a few simple words or even none at all, “Mmmm alright I’ll let it go, I do like this hat on me too. Thanks again for getting it for me baby.”

You both kept standing in your embrace like time had stopped ticking by, just enjoying the presence of the other. The hat was an amazing present from Frankie, matching perfectly with him. But, you weren’t going to lie, you'd miss stealing his hat so he would chase you around the house. You brought your head out from where it was tucked in his shoulder to ask, “Can I still steal yours sometimes?”

“Of course, but only if you let me steal yours.” You nodded your head, with a smile of course because there was almost never a time when you didn’t smile when you were around Frankie. Now you and Frankie would always match, like two peas in a pod.

Ask Me Anything

——

Tag lists (fill out this form to join): Strike through means tumblr won’t let me tag you (check your tumblr settings to see if you are unsearchable)

All works: @shotarosleftpinky @oreogutz @90spumkin @kyra-morningstar @s1utformgg @boxofsparklingmuses @multixfandomwriter @takeyourleap-of-faith

All Pedro Pascal Characters: (no ones on this one yet 😊 & I’ll create a tag list only for Frankie if anybody wants it)

#frankie morales #frankie morales x reader #triple frontier #triple frontier fanfic #pedro pascal x reader #frankie catfish morales #frankie catfish morales x reader #frankie ‘catfish’ morales #30 fics in 30 days #pedro pascal

[sweetestpopcorn]

Targaryen antis are really going wild. Just read a post and argued with an ex friend about this.She was saying that Aegon, rhaenys and visenya were greedy and morally corrupt in conquering Westeros. Like damn🤐. And they shouldn't be using the dragons if they wanted respect from the lords 🥴. Quoted the starks on their honor and labnisters for their cunning. The height of delusion 🙄

I'm worried what ho*d will do.

Hi there, Anon!

Oh yes, because it was so selfless of the First Men and the Andals to steal from the lands that belonged to the Children of the Forest 🤗🤗🤗 They also didn't kill them, don't let anyone fool you. Nope. The children just committed mass suicide because they were bored. #goals #selfless #theyjustkeptongiving #peaceandproperity

Also great on the westerosi for not having a feudalistic system where lords and kings rule over smallfolk and have such amazing laws as the First Night! Like you go, girl! #equality #socialism

Seriously, Westeros was absolutely thriving before the EvIl CoNqUeRoRs came! EvIL!

Westeros was just a peaceful kingdom where there was equality for everyone. Riches were well distributed. And everyone was happy! Oh and btw, how great was that health care program the Kings in the North implemented? Wow! I wish I lived there!

Westeros before the Targaryens:

Westeros after the Targaryens:

For real now, I pity the antis/"neutrals". Must be sad to hate the best house and live under the illusion their favs are so much better 😔😥 and even sadder to have to try and make the Targaryens look bad so their favs can look good in comparisson. 

Allow me to play the World's smallest violin to express my sadness over their tragedy.

I hope one day they can overcome this.

For real now, Anon, you do you, but my advise is just stay away from those posts and people. There’s no point in trying to reason with those who don’t want to reason. People who need to put other characters down to make their own look super special. These are the kind of people who don’t want to succeed, they just want you to fail more than them, that way their own failure looks better by comparison.

Surround yourself with positivity. With things you like, not things that upset you. And try not to argue with anyone, just be like ok boo, you wrong, good luck with that and move on. It’s the best we can do. Because arguing on the internet is like a fight with pigs in the mud. The pigs get happy and you get dirty.

Enjoying fandom should be a positive thing. We should go there because we want more content about characters we love, either making it/enjoying it/both, not to bash other characters. Like love and let love. This should be for enjoyment, not hatred and conflict.

That being said, House Targaryen >>>>>>>>>> Everyone else. #haterscry 

All the best to you, Anon, and try to ignore the haters, and focus on the best House in the asoiaf universe 🥰 🐲🐲🐲

#House Targaryen >>>> Everyone else #sorry hate the game not the player baby #popcorn answers #that being said no more crazy theories for a while plz #I will answer legit questions next #I have not forgotten you old asks I promise #my next chapter also won't write itself #sigh #so I have to sit my ass down and do it #popcorn writes #too many asks in one day XD

[baambastic]

In this analysis, I will be discussing three versions of the Marvel character Loki Laufeyson: Classic!Loki, the version from early Thor and Avengers comics; AoA!Loki, the modern version of Loki who was called Ikol until he stole the body of Kid Loki (who will not be discussed) and is most known for his Agent of Asgard storyline; and MCU!Loki, the version of Loki in the MCU played by actor Tom Hiddleston and an amalgam of both the dead and Variant versions of the same character.

Classic!Loki was a terrible adaptation of Myth!Loki in terms of faithfulness, more the God of Lies and Evil than the God of Mischief (who also referred to himself as Satan multiple times, so). He was a pure evil villain, going way too far past trickster and all the way to murderous and depraved sadist. Both AoA!Loki and Classic!Loki are accurate to Norse Mythology in that they are the son of Laufey and the the father of Hela, Fenris, and Jormungandr, though Myth!Loki is not the brother of Thor or the adoptive son of Odin.

AoA!Loki is a far more faithful adaptation of Myth!Loki, with moral ambiguity that skews towards a net positive, themes of change/fluidity/impermanence, and actually being genderfluid. He conned the devil Mephisto out of stealing the soul of Sigurd, snuck into Avengers Tower and erased all information on himself from their database, broke Sigurd out of one of the most secure cells in Asgardia without alerting the All-Mothers, faked his death in front of a future version of himself, and faced and talked down the Ones Who Sit Above In Shadow. This Loki is the God(dess) of Stories. This Loki is the God of Mischief, a true trickster god, even after he loses the ability to lie. And the stark differences between AoA!Loki and Classic!Loki can be clearly seen in the Agent of Asgard miniseries, when Loki comes into conflict with King Loki, a version of AoA!Loki from the future who gave up and trying to be a better person and chose to embrace his God of Lies and Evil title instead, killing everyone on Earth and Asgard, save for Thor; King Loki is basically a more intense version of Classic!Loki. This post goes into more depth on my thoughts on AoA!Loki.

Lastly, we have MCU!Loki, definitely the most boring of the three Marvel Lokis in this discussion, though whether or not he’s the least accurate is arguable. MCU!Loki starts out as a pure evil, power hungry villain, much like Classic!Loki minus the spandex and Satan comparisons. This Loki eventually develops into a neutral party who would only be defined as “good” through his love of/care for his brother, and is then killed. Unlike AoA!Loki, MCU!Loki does not carry themes of rebirth. Then, Variant!Loki, who will be mostly lumped in with the base MCU!Loki for the purposes of this analysis, develops into a morally good character who cares about others and is willing to sacrifice himself for them. On the technical side, MCU!Loki is by far the least accurate to Norse Mythology. This Loki is the brother of Hela and Thor, the adoptive son of Odin, and biologically unrelated to Fenris. In Norse mythology, Loki is the father of Hel and Fenrir and merely a companion to Odin and Thor. MCU!Loki’s one advantage over the other two Lokis in terms of accuracy is the fact that both he and Myth!Loki couldn’t manipulate their way out of a cardboard box.

Our three Marvel Lokis can be placed on a spectrum of moral ambiguity, with Classic!Loki at the far evil end, MCU!Loki pretty decently towards the far good end, and AoA!Loki siting comfortably near the middle, albeit a little more on the good side than the evil side.

So, overall, considering morality, personality, themes, and technical accuracies, AoA!Loki is the most faithful Marvel adaptation of Myth!Loki, Classic!Loki is the least faithful, and MCU!Loki sits in between.

#loki: agent of asgard #loki agent of asgard #mcu #loki #ikol #agent of asgard #classic loki #marvel comics #comics #marvel #norse mythology #🐍

[beckhcm]

rudy pankow, cis-man, he/him */   have you seen BECKHAM “ BECK ” CARLYLE lately ? yeah, i heard they're TWENTY-THREE years old and a WAITER now in charleston city. i mean, i don’t know if it’s their CAPRICORN vibes or that they’re -IRRESPONSIBLE and -MANIPULATIVE but also +SOCIABLE and +RESOURCEFUL but they remind me of THIS LIFE I HAVE by THE WRECKS. here’s to hoping they don’t cause too much trouble around here. 

hello !  i’m  dani and this is my emotional support dumbass beck-  pls be nice to him he’s trying his best. if you’d like to plot give this post a like, hmu on discord ( 𝐝𝐚𝐧𝐢 👻   *𝘯𝘰 𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘭𝘶𝘬𝘦#5701) or tumblr ims.  xoxo gossip girl .

                BASICS !!

full name:  beckham “beck” francis carlyle

birthday:  january 16th, 1998

hometown: manhattan, ny.

sexuality:  bisexual

positive traits: charismatic, sociable, intelligent & resourceful.

negative traits:  irresponsible, selfish, aloof, & evasive

moral alignment: chaotic neutral

songs that remind me of him:  scumbag by goody grace, hotblack by oceanship, decided to break it by marianas trench, to be so lonely by harry styles & bad habits by fidlar

                BIOGRAPHY !!

once upon a time he used to wear his name with pride. his parents, sebastian and lilith carlyle were two of the most powerful people in new york. his father was a powerful business man with political influence while his mother worked for the AHRQ. they used to say the kid was spoiled rotten, being their only child he got everything he ever wanted, from the latest toys to a heard of nannies ready to meet all of his demands. his mother tried to make a good boy out of him, however, due to her packed schedule, she was hardly ever home. it didn’t affect him though  - or so he says-  he understood that his parents were important people, it was okay for them to miss birthdays, christmases, and piano recitals as long as he got to keep his lavish lifestyle.

like every other rich kid he went to private school, he was smart enough to get decent grades and rich enough to pay off teachers when it was needed. he never cared for people outside of his social circle, he wouldn’t spare you a second glance if you didn’t have money or connections. charismatic to those with power and an arrogant prick to those he deemed to be beneath him.

march 27th 2020 he woke up to someone banging on the door,  beck went down to the kitchen only to find his father in handcuffs. his mom held him and told him not to panic, that it was a mistake and it would be over soon. a day later their name was plastered all over the news. his father was nothing but a thief in a nice suit, he'd been stealing millions of dollars from charities and other government agencies to various bank accounts overseas. most, if not all of their fortune was acquired by screwing over regular hard-working people. overnight they became the most hated family in america, reporters blinded him with camera flashes whenever he dared to leave the house. a month later all of their accounts were frozen, and not too long after that they lost everything.

the fall from grace was humbling, he went from having everything to not knowing whether he'd be able to afford food for the rest of the week. tired of living in a city where everyone knew about his dirty laundry,  he sold whatever he could and used the money to move to charleston. now he has to live with a roommate (wink wink wanted connection)  and work at a shitty restaurant just to make ends meet.

              PERSONALITY  !!!

right now beck is angry; at his dad, at the world, and at himself. now that he’s living outside of his bubble he’s realizing what a fucking tool he used to be. that being said, he’s nowhere close to being a saint, there’s still a sense of superiority he can’t quite shake off.

🎶 arrogant son of a bitch who can’t admit when he’s sorry 🎶

he’s fun to hang out with but hard to be friends with. he expects people to love him without doing much to deserve it. no one ever taught him how to love properly so this is all a learning curve. he’s very codependent which is why people tend to rotate in and out of his life every few years.  

if you were to meet him at a party you would think he’s an open book, he’s very good at conversing and making you feel like you’ve been best friends for years, however that’s all bullshit. he’s reserved about things that actually matter, he doesn’t like to talk about himself or his family or what happened in new york.

big dummy energy when it comes to basic life things. he grew up with people doing everything for him so now he’s learning how to be on his own. this boy can’t cook, clean, do laundry, or even shop for groceries. it’s definitely getting better but he’s still the type to set the kitchen on fire while making ramen.  ( picture paris and nicole in a simple life )

as far as relationships goes, he likes to fuck around without committing to anything. there’s a lot of self hatred going on right so how can he trust someone to love him when he can’t even love himself ?

btw full name him and he might punch you in the face js

W A N T E D    C O N N E C T I O N S  !!! ( link here )

P I N T E R E S T  !!! ( link here )

#charleston:intro #introduction. #if you see any typos no you dont i dont have my glasses rn

[ftherman]

       first of all, hello guys!! i'm excited to start writing! i haven't had time to write a super elaborate bio yet, but for plotting purposes i'll leave some stats and other key info about herman below, and i promise that later i'll post some other deeper stuff like his story and everything. feel free to call me here on tumblr or discord for plots! my name is sarah, btw! ( s*#6353 )

stats.

full name: herman gregory cipriani

nicknames: hesh, hermie

occupation: capo of drug dealers and thieves.

sexuality: bissexual

syndicate: the titans

day of birth:  june 1, 1996

zodiac sign: gemini 

mbti type: entp

moral alignment: chaotic neutral 

mother: may pearson, a former stripper in olympus lounge. 

father: ezekiel cipriani, deceased and a former capo in titans.

positive characteristics: astute, gregarious

negative characteristics: casuistic, dishonest

background.

herman was born and tartarus, in the back of the olympus lounge where his mother, may pearson, gave birth to him one early morning in june.

may became pregnant by a committed man, ezekiel cipriani, who at the time was a capo of the titans and engaged to a girl who came with him from italy to california, in search of a better life than they had in calabria, the poorest region in the country. ezekiel made a point of recognizing his son as his, which his fiancee certainly didn’t like. the two broke off their engagement, but over time his stepmother came to have a certain fondness for him, especially as he became more active in the titans' hq.

herman had a good relationship with his family in general. he was not very close to his father and lived his entire childhood in the olympus lounge where he accompanied his mother to work and that is why he always had her as his best friend. with ezekiel he honed his dowry for criminality, as he seemed to have been born with the talent for stealing and manipulating people.

at the olympus, while the men were having fun with the strippers, herman was even more entertained by stealing their wallets and stuffing his pockets with a few dollars and valuables. no wonder he and his mother lived a little better than most.

 personality. 

herman is elusive, and manages to get out of trouble with absurd ease, not only because of his ability to run longer without getting tired, but also because of his cunning and ability to come up with good plans.

despite not being the most trustworthy and honest person in the world, he is a great leader and this is due to his ability as a strategist and to pacify some conflicts.

he’s a nice person to have around, as he’s quite funny, knows how to be friendly and extroverted in the right measure so as not to become inconvenient. it's easy to get the impression that he doesn't take anything seriously, but deep down he's always attentive to details and absorbing information that would easily go unnoticed by others. he's quite treacherous, so to speak.

      well, i guess that's all i have in mind for him right now. i'm open to any kind of plot you might have thought of while reading the intro, but i'll leave some ideas here too! but if you’re adept at letting things happen, i'll be super cool with it too.

some plot ideas. 

backstabber: someone with whom herman had an apparent friendship ended up betraying that person in some way.

frenemy: nobody it’s certain if they like each other or not, but what they do know it’s that they are always in each other’s life in some way. 

hook ups: pls, he probably have a lot of them

flirtationship: someone he's always pestering with cheap pick-up lines just to see them nervous.

best friend and ‘’ secret ‘’ crush: this person is someone who has always been in herman's life and knows him better than even his own mother. herman has a huge crush on them and makes no effort to hide it, but the person probably doesn't take it seriously because they thinks it's just another one of his jokes.

friends in general

a boy squad

anything!!!

#tartarus.intro #tw: death mention #tw: cheating (?) #html it's not working as desired so sorry for this mess

[iacon-stargazer]

THE POSITIVE & NEGATIVE: MUN & MUSE

fill out & repost ♥ this meme definitely favors canons more, but i hope oc’s still can make it somehow work with their own lore, and lil’ fandom of friends & mutuals. multimuses pick the muse you are the most invested in atm.

tagged by: stolen from @oneshallfall like.... months ago. im a slow gremlin hjksd. it's been in my drafts and i finally decided to finish the last few sections while working on clearing them out

tagging: steal it

MY MUSE IS.   canon / oc / au / canon-divergent / fandomless

is your character popular in the fandom?  YES / NO.

is your character considered hot™ in the fandom?  Well.../ NO / IDK. (i know optimus is but i don’t really... know about orion? i have seen a handful of fanartists who turn him into a very sexualized moe baby but i’m not sure about the fandom at large)

is your character considered strong in the fandom?  YES / NO / IDK.

are they underrated?  YES / NO. (lmao there’s like no fan content with him unless it’s with megatronus) 

were they relevant to the main story?  YES / NO.

were they relevant to the main character?  YES / NO / THEY’RE THE PROTAG.

are they widely known in their world?  YES / NO. (not yet.... lol)

how’s their reputation?  GOOD / BAD / NEUTRAL.

HOW STRICTLY DO YOU FOLLOW CANON?

This... this is a trick question in this goddamn mess of a continuity. That said, I try my absolute best to make my portrayal coherent with the TFP show... even if said show contradicts itself at times. I take inspiration from the earlier parts (the thirteen primes section) of the Covenant of Primus for his origin backstory, but ignore the rest of the Covenant since it makes absolutely no sense with his characterization in... literally anything else. I’ve peeked at Exodus and it utterly sucks, but I’ve picked up bits and pieces of concepts that originated there just from spending time in the fandom. Aside from that... I spend a ton of time thinking about how to weave everything together in a way that both makes sense and makes for a character development arc.

SELL YOUR MUSE! (aka try to list everything, which makes your muse interesting in your opinion to make them spicy for your mutuals.)

Orion is genuinely kind, thoughtful, and introspective, very loving of the world around him.

He’s also a more complex character than is initially obvious - despite mostly being good sweet pure baby nerd he’s still flawed, with many of those flaws being his strengths put into the wrong situation. His strong morals can lead to dogmatism, and he’s only slightly less likely to deliver lectures than Optimus. His determination to be kind and help everyone can come off as unintentionally patronizing at times; he has a very “well-intentioned semi-privileged middle class” perspective that he’s not always self-aware of. However, he’s also willing to look at himself critically and learn/adapt. 

Essentially, he has many of the same traits as Optimus... just more or less apparent and/or developed. He's less confident than he eventually becomes through his future experience with leadership, wanting to change the world for the better but sometimes struggling to ground his plans in reality—something that continues to apply, but with reduced intensity and frequency over time. Idealistic cinnamon roll will eventually develop some realism, though never really quite enough. His selflessness remains a strength for now, but we know that eventually it will dip into martyristic tendencies.

NOW THE OPPOSITE! (list everything why your muse could not be so interesting (even if you may not agree, what does the fandom perhaps think?)

He could be potentially ‘boring’ in some senses. he’s the polite, considerate ‘next door’ type, who has for most of his life has just lived as a very average middle caste nobody. He’s more laid-back than he eventually becomes as optimus, but where others might get into trouble and shenanigans he’s most likely to just express concern. And since I try to keep him at least mostly ic, even with non-serious posts, this can derail ‘fun’ stuff and I fear dissuade some interaction.

While I try my best to give him realistic flaws that work with his character, he could still be seen as a little too good. very kind, understanding, forgiving, patient, considerate... almost endlessly so. A lot of my “he’s so good and pure” interpretation comes from using his having been the thirteenth prime as backstory, where he was pretty much the epitome of that, but some might not like the “he was a literal deity in a past life” idea for its “super special chosen one protagonist” elements.

His responsiveness to his environment can also be a downside. He’s not the type to start things; he just reacts and responds, standing his ground and finding himself when things get crazy around him. without megatronus, he may have eventually attempted political campaigning, but it wouldn’t have gotten very far. He needs to have more intense characters or events around him for major plots to really go places. Without those nothing would ever happen besides slice of life fluff, because he’s content with that kind of life.

WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO RP YOUR MUSE?  

Honestly I just wanted to write op/ratch fhsjkdjsdh. But I also wanted to be able to interact with a variety of muses and so I chose Orion over Optimus because he’s not so emotionally closed off, which I figured would give more flexibility beyond the handful of characters op would reasonably have close personal and/or plot-important relationships with. Also, I can relate to him on a thought-process level which lets me get into his head easily, which additionally made him an appealing choice for my first real rp muse.

WHAT KEEPS YOUR INSPIRATION GOING?  

I just love him so much, especially with the layers of his character I've built up around him. I don't always have inspiration to write or rp, but I think about him a lot. When I do find motivation to write, it's generally out of wanting to continue to work on developing him and just having a chance to express his characterization.

SOME MORE PERSONAL QUESTIONS FOR THE MUN.

do you think you give your character justice?  YES / NO.

do you frequently write headcanons?  YES / NO.

do you sometimes write drabbles? YES / NO.  (i should do it more...)

do you think a lot about your muse during the day? YES / NO.

are you confident in your portrayal?   YES / NO. (at least most days fhsdhfskj)

are you confident in your writing?  YES / NO. (it waxes and wanes. I know I'm a good writer but I could still be better...)

are you a sensitive person?  YES / NO.

DO YOU ACCEPT CRITICISM WELL ABOUT YOUR PORTRAYAL?

I’ll be honest; I’ve never gotten criticism. I haven’t been here very long in comparison to some and I’ve never been that popular, so I figure I’m pretty easy to just ignore. I guess how I would feel about it would depend on what it was and how it was delivered, though I like to think I would be reasonable regardless

DO YOU LIKE QUESTIONS, WHICH HELP YOU EXPLORE YOUR CHARACTER?  

yes? yes absolutely?

IF SOMEONE DISAGREES TO A HEADCANON OF YOURS, DO YOU WANT TO KNOW WHY?  

I would be curious to hear their reasoning, but I think enough about how everything fits together that chances are I would agree to disagree

IF SOMEONE DISAGREES WITH YOUR PORTRAYAL, HOW WOULD YOU TAKE IT?

Depends on if their disagreement makes sense. Maybe I’ll give back my own reasoning for why I characterize the way I do. Maybe I’ll just agree to disagree, if their view is just totally different from mine. If they have valid points I’ll probably overthink it and spiral into self doubt. In all cases I’ll spill my thoughts to friends on discord.

IF SOMEONE REALLY HATES YOUR CHARACTER, HOW DO YOU TAKE IT?

......Orion in general or? ... fhsjkdhf...... Well if it was mine specifically that might hurt lol. But at the same time.... I doubt i’d agree with their takes either so... fair enough.

ARE YOU OKAY WITH PEOPLE POINTING OUT YOUR GRAMMATICAL ERRORS?  

Sure. I’m good at grammar so if something glaring is there it’s probably a typo I missed and I’ll be grateful for the chance to edit it out before more people see it lol

DO YOU THINK YOU ARE EASY GOING AS A MUN?  

Yeah. I’m pretty quiet most of the time because I just don’t have energy to talk to a lot of people, and I never want to get caught in drama. I honestly wouldn’t know what to do in a situation like that. I tend to avoid conflict, I’m quick to apologize, and polite with anyone I don’t know very well.

#;the art student behind the muse {ooc} #;as for myself... {tag game}

[itsclydebitches]

Whether they’re critic or RWBY fanatic, I can’t stomach people who accuse Clover of being an idiot about the Tyrian situation. I actually saw someone say he was dumb for telling Qrow Robyn can only get help if he comes quietly (which is TRUE and there was NOTHING to suggest he wasn’t going to help her). It’s toxic victim blaming of the highest order, and another thing I can’t stand about this fandom.

I’m not a fan of it either. The writing and parts of the fandom both would benefit from acknowledging that responsibility for every Bad Thing in the show doesn’t reside solely at the feet of one individual. Likewise that disliking one character isn’t good grounds for blaming another. From what I witnessed over the course of the volume, a lot of people really liked Clover or were otherwise neutral towards him... up until he failed to toss Ironwood aside in favor of the heroes. Many of the posts working to blame Clover for that whole debacle seem to be less about Clover and more about Ironwood. If you support him you must be awful and you thus must be responsible for every awful thing that goes down... even as we get objective evidence of others making the bad decisions: Robyn attacks him, Qrow teams up with Tyrian, etc. 

What it comes down to is that the RWBYJNRQO group refuses to make sacrifices. You’re right that Clover was right. He told Qrow he needed to stop fighting him because Robyn needed help. That’s the truth. You attacked me, she got hurt in this crash, so now you need to cut that out so we can get her medical attention. Qrow was thus faced with a question: “Am I willing to let myself be arrested in order to get Robyn potentially life-saving help?” (they don’t know how seriously she was injured) and he answered, “No. I’m not. I’d rather try to take out Clover myself, then potentially deal with Tyrian myself - even though I got poisoned by him once - and figure out how to get Robyn help myself. Even though I’m wanted by all Atlas authorities and can’t radio in for assistance. Even though this cold is supposedly deadly and I’m wasting time with a fight.” It’s arrogance to think he can manage all this and selfish to prioritize that perfect scenario (coughRubycough) over Robyn’s safety. I love him but Qrow was the stupid one here and all that was before he decided, “Teaming up with the serial killer is a great idea.” 

And yes, we can flip things and demand that Clover make the sacrifice instead. “He should have told Qrow he’d no longer try to arrest him so they could get Robyn help. He cared more about the arrest than Robyn’s life” but there are so many more reasons why that’s a far bigger and less logical sacrifice for him to make. Robyn just tried to shoot him in the face. Qrow helped her try to take him out. So Clover is supposed to care for her and trust him? Coming into Atlas with an un-arrested Qrow is a risk to Clover’s position. Letting Qrow run off and lying about how he escaped isn’t something he’d want to do to Ironwood. There’s no scenario here in which Clover doesn’t risk too much whereas Qrow could have put the tinniest bit of trust in two friends to say, “If Ironwood is arresting us then my recently reckless niece must have done something pretty bad. I’ve expressed a desire to talk to Ironwood so yes, I’ll go with you in order to achieve that and hopefully work things out.” He should have done that in the airship. He absolutely should have done it when Robyn’s life was potentially on the line. Heroes make those kinds of sacrifices. 

All of which is wrapped up in the expectations attached to this storyline. People are inclined to blame Ironwood - and by extension Clover - because the whole “arresting the heroes” plot is always attached to an evil, corrupt system trying to take out innocent good guys. But RWBY failed to write that corrupt system or innocent protagonists. Ruby did lie to Ironwood. Blake and Yang did betray him. They did promise to stop the only plan they currently have to save lives. This isn’t a case of heroes resisting arrest because they’ve been set up, or because they know the system will kill/silence them, or even because they’re the only ones who can save the world and thus their freedom is necessary. The group did all the things they’re being arrested for, there’s no danger attached to that arrest, and their freedom is arguably doing harm to the people of Atlas. All of this reflects back on Clover where the audience is primed to say, “How dare he try to arrest our heroes! He’s awful” without thinking through whether RWBYJNORQO have done things lately worthy of arrest and whether their arrest would benefit the rest of the kingdom. In Volume 7 RT did not write a story where these arrests were undeserved or their freedom integral to others’ survival. They certainly didn’t write heroes who were willing to give up something of their own - in this case personal freedom for a time - in order to maintain an ally (Ruby) or to save another (Qrow). They’re written as selfish. 

It sucks (suuuuucks) to be living in 2020, looking at a cop-esque character arresting a minority supporting freedom fighter/a main protagonist and going, “Clover did nothing wrong here”... but that’s the stance I’m taking. RWBY is trying to capitalize on a lot of political themes but is failing to write the basic pieces necessary for that story: like military figures who are objectively in the wrong and heroes who are innocent of their accused crimes, or at least committed those crimes for persuasively good reasons. Yang betraying Ironwood when she knows nothing about Robyn is not comparable to something like, say, Jean Valjean stealing bread to feed himself in a poverty ridden France. Breaking bad laws for good reasons is SO COMMON in storytelling (and the real world!) yet somehow RT failed to craft any moment where I thought the heroes’ ideals outweighed their bad actions. The heroes were not thrust into an awful system that we were happy to see them dismantle. Clover could have resorted to violence right off the bat. Blake and Yang could have been innocents this whole volume. Ruby could have had a solid plan that Ironwood foolishly ignored. The Ace Ops could have been written as morally gray types whose arrest poses a threat to our heroes. They could have attacked first. Clover could have teamed up with Tyrian. Robyn could have tried to keep her head down and was faced with an unlawful arrest purely for associating with Qrow... we could have had a hundred different scenarios to make this setup work and get me to cheer as the group cleverly dodged persecution. RWBY ignored all of them. 

#rwby #rwde #mymetas #Anonymous

[melyzard]

Ummmm, so I will gladly take that 2000 word essay on Jyn’s fight scene in Jedha you mentioned in the tags... you know, if you’re offering...

Just for the record, I have already written a one shotcharacter study of this scene (Fire/Fight) but hey, I amalways down for more meta!

I just want to start by noting that awhile back @ladytharen posted something along the lines of “she was the best soldier in Saw’s cadre,can we talk about that a lot?”  AndI am 100% going to do that, because the sources that say she was Saw’s bestsoldier seem a lot more canon than the one prequel novel that claimed Jyn was sittingin her room playing with toys and not even talking to the other Partisans formost of her time with Saw. It just didn’t make any sense, so I’m ignoring thatand sticking to ‘Jyn was Saw’s beloved adopted daughter whom he stillabsolutely taught to be a child soldier because that’s how he protected her.’

So. Jyn and The Jedha fight scene. (I’m mostly focused on this scene from 1:10 - 1:40)

Let’s start with the scene’s setup: Jyn has just watched Partisans walk into an openmarketplace and open fire directly into an Imperial tank patrol. A moment toconsider what might be going through her head right now:

1.      That is a stupid tactical decision, and SawGerrera is way too smart and experienced to order it. Or at least, the Saw sheknew would never. So…what in the hell has happened to Saw?? Has he been usurped, corrupted, framed by these people pretending to be Partisans? Maybe he’s even dead,how would she know?

2.      The Partisans have been accused of being ‘terrorists’by the Imperial government for decades at this point. They’ve been the literalposter children for anti-rebellion propaganda from the Empire. HOWEVER, while Jyn was with Saw, all his targets (that I know about in canon) were military installations and Imperial researchfacilities, factories devoted to weaponry, and Imperial political lackeys anddecision makers. Now, what Saw did after leaving Jyn behind is a bit murkier. It does seem, given what we see in Jedha, that Sawhas allowed or even driven the Partisans into much less noble ground. But Jyn wasn’tthere to see the crossing of the moral event horizon, so the Partisans attacking a market fullof civilians probably shocked her to some degree. Maybe it even accounts for someof her reckless decision to dive across a kill zone of blaster fire to save alittle girl (mostly I will chalk that up to Jyn’s natural empathy and courage,but hey, there’s room for a tiny bit of residual guilt, too. These are notmy Partisans, she might have been thinking as she ran).

So, here is Jyn,looking at militant, dangerous strangers who should be familiar but aren’t. She’strapped in a war zone with a man who is essentially her jailor, who may haveorders to ‘neutralize’ her the moment he gets what he wants (i.e. a meetingwith Saw Gerrera). HOWEVER, not two minutes before the big fight scene I’mabout to discuss, Jyn watches Cassian shoot a Partisan to save her. Again, for emphasis, Jyn spins around and sees Cassian the rebel spy shoot a Partisan about to throw agrenade at her, then meets his eyes. His nod, her stunned expression, the cameraswitching deliberately back and forth between them in mirrored crouching poses –it all confirms that Jyn is absolutely aware of what he just did. She knowsthat her warden just intentionally compromised his own mission to save herskin. I feel like this is significant to the decision we see her make a minute later, when she’s in a rat’s maze of alleyways with stormtroopers closing infrom all sides and the only thing holding her to this position is one rebel spywith his back turned to her.

She could have run.In fact, everything we’ve been told about her to this point, everything we’veseen her do (her breakout from the ‘rescue’ on Wobani, the shackles around her wristsas she was led through Yavin’s hangar, Alliance rebels calling her a thief and a coward, her unhesitating willingness to rummagethrough someone else’s gear and steal his blaster, her implied willingness to fighthim to the death to keep that blaster), we as an audience have been primed tobelieve that Jyn would absolutely bolt to save her skin.Now of course, this is a Star Wars movie and the audience also expect heroics here, but if Jyn had run away right now,left Cassian to be surrounded by stormtroopers, well…it would have sucked, andit would have meant she was a different character than what we actually got, but it would havebeen believable.

But the Jyn we did get, the real Jyn - she stares at Cassian as he fires at one group of ‘troopers,his back turned to the second group coming up behind them, and she pulls hertruncheon. For one breathless moment, we are left to wonder – is she going to swingat him? Is she going to run?

And then she spins out of her alcove, truncheon alreadyswinging at the trooper who is focused on Cassian’s back and this, thisis the moment we know that she actually is a hero. This fight scene as Jyn’s real character-establishingmoment. Not the break out from Wobani, where we learn she’s dangerous anddesperate. Not the willingness to snoop and steal from the Alliance. Not the kybercrystal nor the way she definitely sees Baze hiding in the distant shadows nor evensaving the little girl. Those all tell us that Jyn has had a tough life and hasbecome tough in turn. They tell us that she lived in the darker, rougher areasof the galaxy far, far away and survived.

But who Jyn really is, what she iscapable of doing, and what makes her a distinct character in the gallery ofRebels is this moment, when she chooses to fight the Empire for no obviouspersonal gain. She will not be paid anything, the Alliance will give hernothing more than they have already promised, and she has no reason to believethat this reserved and somewhat cranky rebel spy will see her as anything morethan a prisoner and a means to an end regardless of what she does. Exactly whyshe chooses to stay and fight in this moment is also open to discussion – she hatesstormtroopers, she is furious at the destruction of Jedha, she actually kind oflikes this Cassian guy and won’t leave him to death or capture – whatever youbelieve of her motives, the crucial message of this scene is that shechooses to fight. Savingthe little girl from a random firefight just meant she was a fundamentally decent person, but not necessarily a rebel like Leia, or Luke Skywalker, or any of our favorite GFFA protagonists. Saving Cassian from stormtroopers, when Cassian is neither a helpless child nor even really herally at this point, is what marks Jyn Erso as a rebel hero.

Look, the implications of this 30 second long scene iskind of breathtaking in terms of Jyn’s character, okay? But let’s move on tothe technical aspects now.

Consider how this camera is oriented: we see only Jyn’s legsas she pulls free and flicks out the combat truncheon, but the silver weapon isitself front and center. Jyn’s baggy, dust-smeared, not even remotelyformfitting or sexy black trousers almost blend into the shadows of hercurrent hiding spot.  After the truncheonis established as being a giant metal murder weapon (seriously, compare thatthing to the length of her leg, it is enormous), the camera only shows Jyn fromthe waist up (except for a brief two seconds when it shows her full body in themiddle of the frame surrounded by collapsed stormtroopers). She is alwayscenter frame, the camera is pulled back far enough that we can see what all herenemies are doing all around her – I’m making a point of this because AT NOPOINT does the camera zoom in or center on on any aspect of her anatomy. No part of her is ever highlighted over the rest. Not her chest, nother butt, not her face and exposed neck, not her upper back/shoulders (if you didn’t know, Ihate to break it to you, but most ‘strong female’ fights have a specific shot of the heroine’supper back and at least one shot each of her exposed neck from front and back, always in close up, largely because this is absolutelyconsidered an erogenous zone in many cultures). At no point does the cameratreat Jyn’s fight as if it’s supposed to be visually titillating beyond ‘ooh fight scene!’ It’s not even treatedas if this is a significant fight. From Jyn’s POV, it isn’t. It’s just another desperateclaw for survival in a long chain of them – albeit this one she chose.

In the same vein, note how the choreography of this fight isnot even slightly suggestive. I mean, okay, look, sexy is subjective and Ipersonally find this fight scene hella awesome and all, but the point is that the camera andthe choreography don’t assume the audience is getting horny here. For contrast,watch any Black Widow fight scene. Important side note: I am NOT knocking BlackWidow. She’s a good character and an important one to many people. I’m justpointing out how many times her signature moves involve her wrapping her legsaround a man’s head, jerking her pelvis in suggestive movements, bendingbackwards in front of or on top of a man, kicking her leg up above her head ordoing the splits in mid air, landing with her legs splayed or thighs wrappedaround some part of a male opponent, and just in general posing in variouserotic ways while she fights. All while wearing a form-fitting suit that very specifically divides and accents each breast and butt cheek from the other. And this is pretty true of many, many femalefight scenes, so I’m not just picking on Black Widow. It’s just…common. (That last link is one of many stock photos I found. That’s right, ‘woman in monochrome catsuit fighting/knocked out after fighting’ is so common that there’s a whole stock photo industry about it).

But this fight on Jedha - Jyn smashing and bashing andshooting her way through a squad of armored soldiers while her tangled hair flies intoher eyes and her baggy clothes get coated in dirt and her teeth are bared in avery unattractive snarl – this fight could be anyone. I could imagine the fullyarmored Mandalorian have a scene exactly as dirty and grittyas this and it wouldn’t feel uncomfortable. If Jyn was written as a malecharacter, they could have shot this scene in exactly the same way (forcomparison, try watching Black Widow vs security guards in Iron Man 2, from 1:04– 1:45 and from 2:14 – 2:45, and try to imagine Tony Stark in Black Widow’splace. Or, I don’t know, any male hero. Take special noteof what’s in the center of the frame throughout these scenes. Also, don’t comeat me for hating on this fight scene, I actually really enjoyed it, but I feel itproves my point very very well).

Like I said, however, just because ascene isn’t shot and choreographed to be sexy doesn’t mean it doesn’t appeal tosomeone. And perhaps I just have my shipping goggles here, but I feellike the movie makes it pretty clear that Cassian Andor is…pretty fuckingimpressed. He spins around, rifle raised, panting from the exertion and theterror, fully prepared to fight to the death, and there’s the criminal he’ssupposed to be keeping on a careful leash, the woman whose father he is underorders to kill, the child of a possibly crazed old rebel too extreme for theAlliance -

And she’s dancing. It’s a brutal,vicious, take no prisoners dance, but there is a fluidity to it, a lack of anyhesitation or stumbling. It’s a single rebel against a squad of trained, armed,and armored soldiers – and she’s winning. We’re not even worried abouther, there’s not even a hint that one of the troopers is about to land a hit onher. Like the audience, Cassian can only watch in somewhat startled awe as Jynslams the last trooper into the dirt with extreme prejudice. It’s a brief butintense moment for the rebelcaptain fandom, and personally, I love it. Someonewrite me an essay on Cassian’s point of view and why he reacted like that,stat. Please?

Last point about this fight scene, and why it’s one of myall time favorite scenes in any movie ever: how it ends.

I’ve mentioned the fluidity of Jyn’s movements, the economyof how she transitions from one threat to another. You don’t get that kind of unrelenting, unhesitating success in a fight, folks, unless you’re operating on instinct and muscle memory. Jyn isn’t thinking about the war or Saw or Cassian or reallyanything at this point, just the fight. It’s made clear here that Jyn is agreat fighter, if a vicious one. She’s been trained, she’s had experience, and overtime she’s honed herself into a dangerous combatant, a creature of war.

And then she spins and shoots a KX droid. Which, yes,intellectually the audience knows is an Imperial-aligned droid, but thus far inthe entire Star Wars franchise we have only met one KX droid, and he is a goodguy. So on an emotional level, we have a moment of ‘oh crap!’ which is reflected in Jyn’sface too. And here’s where we learn the downside of her instinctive, brutal,take no prisoners fight style. Her ability to react to threats is great, until shegets the threat wrong. Now, we’re reassured a moment later that she did in factshoot the bad droid, and the good droid is right around the corner to prove itto us, and everything’s fine. But for one moment, we thought Jyn had killed afriendly, and so did Jyn. Which makes me think that, well, it’s happenedbefore. Pushed into a corner and driven to fight for survival, how many timeshas Jyn lashed out at what looked like an enemy only to realize a moment laterthat she may have done more damage than she meant? It is, at the least, a thoughtprovoking moment in the scene.

Also a great way to re-introduce K2SO back into the narrative.But anyway.

Alright, there it is, my roughly 2500 word essay on this 45second scene in a movie that is now 4 years old. Not including the story I alreadywrote about it.  It’s a poorly organized essay,really more of a rant, but time is my enemy right now and this is what I’vegot.

So. Your thoughts?

#star wars #rogue one #jyn erso #feminism #fight scene #meta #cassian andor #k2so #jedha #again I am not crapping on black widow #i'm just pointing out a common trend #in order to highlight how major it is #that jyn's fight bucks that trend in every way #i love it so hard #thanks for asking!

[bashlandrya]

sebastian ‘bash’ landry: an updated intro !

since it has been literally like 9 months since i posted his most recent intro, here is a new updated one for anyone who has not kept up with bash’s crazy dumb life. yeet

tw drugs, alcoholism, death, violence, jail, dumbassery

let me say first he’s honestly the worst, he's nice and friendly almost to an annoying extent and it will absolutely be genuine most of the time but at times he only is because he will gain something from it. he lies a shitload but can also be extremely blunt. he’s arrogant and has way too much confidence but deep down probably hates himself. he’s selfish, he’s impulsive and he might punch you if you step on his toes at a bad time. he will make elaborate excuses instead of admitting he did something wrong but has still been in jail a few times because he said ‘yeah i did it lol’ (usually when caught red handed). he also drinks way too much but denies alcoholism and he’s barely changed mentally in over a decade. it is honestly a miracle he’s not dead. ok thanks for coming to my ted trash bash talk. i love this man.

basics

name: sebastian damien landry

nicknames: bash (almost always), seb (but rarely), idiot (regularly)

birthday/age: march 22d, 1991 / thirty

gender/pronouns: cis-male / he, him

sexuality: sadly still a heterosexual

zodiacs: aries ☉ ; gemini ☽ ; sagittarius 🡕 

occupation: drug dealer (mostly weed, some cocaine and psychadelics).

hobbies: all types of adventures, his motorcycle, drinking, video games, music (he plays drums and does back up vocals in a not very serious local punk/rock/metal mostly cover band - more info here).

neighbourhood: downtown (apartment tour here)

length of time in crescent harbour: since summer 2009 (12 years)

place of birth: new orleans, louisiana (yes boi has a bit of an accent)

height: 6′5″ (195cm)

moral alignment: chaotic neutral.

positive traits: adventurous, kind-hearted, fun-loving, witty, spontaneous, humorous, clever, generous, protective, sweet and caring.

negative traits: troublesome, sarcastic, deceitful, somewhat arrogant, temperamental, impulsive, rebellious, loud, blunt, dishonest, sometimes aggressive and a bit selfish

tattoos: a seven of spades on his left pec (x). an arrow on his left outer forearm (x). the moon cycle on the right side of his torso (x). geometric tattoo on his right outer forearm (x). a wolf on his left shin (x). aries-inspired ram skull on his upper back (x). a fleur de lis on his left upper arm (x). a sloppy drunk tattoo his friend gave him a year after his mother’s death, on his right knee that just says ‘mom’.

scent: cigarette smoke, liquor, citrus, cologne.

background

Grew up just outside of New Orleans with his parents and six siblings, he’s the third (black sheep but they all love him anyway<3). His mother died suddenly when he was 18 years old and the family moved to Crescent Harbor where he repeated his Senior year in High School. 

He started getting into more trouble, arrested several times and graduated High School behind bars and then..... Continued reckless, bad behavior for the next 12 years anyway.

To some peoples’ surprise he went to College and actually has a Bachelors in Humanities. He’s dumb but not dumb.

Slept around a lot in his teens up until his first year of College when he got chlamydia and got more careful. 

Started dating the Blackwood cousin Jamie when he was 21 and they were on and off for four years, Bash going in and out of jail, until she finally left him in 2016 and moved to New York. 

Bash set out to change but didn’t succeed and kept living like he always had; going to jail a couple of times, sleeping around somewhat but with protection and disappearing out of town for weeks at a time. He once ended up staying on an island for two weeks because he got super drunk and hopped on the ferry and had no money to get back — and of course he left his phone on the mainland.

In July 2020 he reconnected with LiIy Whittaker, an old High School friend-ish. They ended up hooking up on a boat (that Bash, unknown to Lily, had stolen borrowed from her dad). 

They kept hooking up throughout the fall and in October Bash realized he had caught feelings for her and decided to tell her, only he was arrested moments after for 2d degree theft (class c felony) for stealing jewelry from the Whittaker household. He spent two weeks in jail, and found out Ian Whittaker had likely framed him, before Lily helped his sisters bail him out. 

He was proven innocent and not guilty in November and the same day Lily admitted she had feelings for him too and they started dating.

Has worked several jobs that he’s lost either because he didn’t show or because he was arrested. Between 2018 and 2020 he worked as a bouncer in a town over but was fired in November 2020 after not showing up when he was out on bail for the Whittaker case. 

After being fired he went back to dealing like he'd also done between 2015 and 2018 (that time he got out of it because his sister got him a job at the drive-in that he lost after a few months). Lily, his family, and honestly anyone who would like him not to, are not aware he deals drugs.

His mother died in the spring so during the season he drinks more and gets extra reckless and aggressive so he recently wasn’t very nice to some people........ and him and Lily are fighting a bunch at the moment.

more random shit for no reason so u can skip if u wanna lmao

Suffers with insomnia, probably because of his high alcohol consumption but also anxiety that he won’t really admit to. Went to therapy once after his mother’s death but never continued with it. 

The absolute worst at keeping track of his phone and it’s always on silent and either on low battery or just dead. It usually takes him a few days to get back to you if you text or even call. The easiest way to get a hold of him is to visit his apartment and kick on the door or wait for him to get home if he’s not there (u might have to wait a while sometimes tho....).

Has played drums since he was ten years old, starting when he found a drum set in the music room at his Elementary School. At this point he can pretty much play some songs blindfolded. He also started playing guitar at 15.

Has slightly bad eyesight but you will rarely see him in glasses, he wears contacts and usually has an extra pair with him in case he’d lose one. Which he did once when he was drunk and far away from his apartment and had to nagivate home half-blind and tipsy.

Used to skateboard a bunch but hasn’t done it much since some time in College.

Has broken a bunch of bones but most notably his nose 3 times, it’s not as straight as Casey’s.

Likes cooking and is pretty good at it. Pasta is the shit.

His motorcycle is an Indian Scout he bought in 2015 and it’s his baby. Before that he had a Suzuki VS 1400 GL Intruder from 2003 that he got in 2010 and sold to get money for the new one. He’s never owned a car butyes, he knows how to drive one.

He doesn’t dance and if he does, it’s not exactly serious.

Smokes Winston Red 100’s.

Criminal record at the bottom of this page.

Rocks a beard like seen above even though I sometimes use stubble-only gifs.

Despite his unhealthy lifestyle he manages to work out a couple of times a week and he eats.... A lot, because he knows that if he doesn’t he’ll turn into a noodle boy like he was in his teens due to his height.

#i triedmy best to keep this short but oh boy #crescent:intro #intro #this man gives me a such a headache i CANNOT UGH #and i did need to get the trash bash talk off my chest pls get him out of my head lmfaoooo

[celestialholz]

Inspired by your recently posted Continuum story and if you still do the event: It ended with Q thinking, he will find out about the others secrets. So what if, in a positive turn of events, he does find them out and can blackmail himself to the top of the proverbial food chain of the Qs. Now he can do whatever he wants without any stupid council telling him no. Picard is torn between feeling glad for Q or unsure about one of the most morally gray beings he knows gaining absolute power.

Oh, excellent. Love a good follow-up! ^_^ Allow me to reward this wonderful ask with something rather different and a little longer than usual, though it may have to avoid our positivity tag just this once…

(Related to this, for context: https://celestialwarzone.tumblr.com/post/615422269797384192/the-continuum-is-not-entirely-sure-what-to-think)

Got any fun, fluffy or just Soft™ headcanons you’d like as fics for our positivity event, friends, despite this delightfully dark diversion? My inbox is open!

Seven o’clock creeps up on Jean-Luc Picard as though through treacle, slow, heavy and plodding; the problem with deep space, he’s been musing since morning, is that everything is so desperately far away, and inevitably, there are days where little of merit can be accomplished until they’re where they ought to be. With a sigh of something suspiciously like relief, he heads from the ready room and his sixth tea of the day to meet his First, deeply glad to leave the trail of electronic paperwork behind.

“Long day, sir?” Riker asks conversationally, though the question is rather rhetorical; he imagines the weariness will be etched into his features, plain for all to witness. Inactivity has never really suited him for any length of time, and this is their second day in a row of simply ‘boldly going’.

“At least we’re only several hours away from Deep Space Eleven,” he replies simply, expression quirking into reassurance. “Can’t imagine you’re faring any better.”

Riker’s lips twist into a warm grin. “Well, at least holodeck two’s been mostly free. You’re relieved, Captain.”

“Oh, you have no idea,” comes the dry riposte, the grateful smile. “Safe travels, Number One.”

“Is that an order, sir? I could really go for a battle fleet right about now.”

Amusement creeps into a smirk, head shaking.

“Yes,” he answers wryly as the turbolift doors slide shut. “Deck nine, officer’s quarters.”

Safe from prying eyes, Picard lets out a lengthy sigh; he’d always been more tolerant of steadiness before Q’s continued presence in his personal life, acknowledging it as something to merely accept as a drawback to the job he adored, but forty-nine entire hours of tedium had left him almost wishing he could snap them to their destination himself.

Well, at least he could finally sink his teeth into some delightful diplomacy tomorrow - and in the meantime, perhaps the god could whisk them off somewhere wondrous, full of exploration and academic curiosities to sate… though he’d seemed uncharacteristically distracted recently, and unusually unwilling to discuss the reasons.

An ancient city, perchance, he ponders quietly as he makes his way down hallways. Interesting enough to avoid eye contact, quiet enough to speak your mind.

He smiles, keying in his code on autopilot, and as the door opens to simple, vividly white nothingness, all hope of solving the enigma easily fades into the ether of his quarters. It’s uncomfortably familiar, and he’d rather thought they’d moved past such things…

“Q?” He questions softly, stepping in with a series of rapid blinks, beginning to simply wander for lack of a clear path. “Q, why on earth are we back here?”

“Earth, dear? Oh, hardly.”

His brow creases as he finds him, and the prickles race higher up his spine; it’s almost identical, down to his lover’s white robes, the metaphorical distance between them painfully obvious.

To hell with this, he thinks furiously, wasting no time in closing the symbolic gap; there aren’t realms between them now, simply things not yet disclosed, and his hand claims his lover’s in silent acknowledgement.

“What is this, Q?” He urges, grey gaze earnest. “Are you alright?”

Grasped fingers tremble then tighten, free hand flung out to the void.

“You see this, Jean-Luc? It’s mine.”

Something distinctly unpleasant splinters through the captain’s very being. “Yours?”

“Yes.”

“I don’t -” Picard swallows, almost dreading the response. “What does that mean, mon dieu?”

“Oh, whatever I feel like, really,” Q answers cryptically, unnervingly blank for a being usually so theatrical. “What do you think it should mean, mon capitaine - this, perhaps?”

He clicks sharply, and the void shifts instantly to space, pure black and twinkling.

“Or even this.”

Another snap sends them into chaos, swirls of brightly coloured gas spiralling madly around them, and every inch the commanding officer, Picard abandons his astonishment, frantically clasping his other hand in a pointless effort to cease his whims.

“Q!” He states firmly. “That’s enough!”

Disturbingly neutral eyes blaze with the scope of the universe; fire and stoicism, the ultimate parallel. “I don’t need to click, Jean-Luc.”

I know you don’t, but what else am I supposed to - he silences his inner desperation, focuses down. 

“Tell me what’s wrong, dear,” he demands gently. “Please.”

Kindness is all it takes to strip down shields, both clasped hands squeezed almost to the point of pain as a shadow steals over omniscient vision.

“They threatened you.” His voice trembles. “Just before Utirion, they were keeping something secret…”

They’re back to the starkness of white in a blink, though the captain barely notices, too locked to those wondrous eyes, the unfolding, pained narrative.

“I found out, Jean-Luc. Oh, they can misdirect all they like, of course, but the right application of blackmail works wonders.” The faintest of smiles half-raises a lip. “And my son can’t lie to save his own omnipotence. It was written all over his vaguely ionised being.”

“Threatened me?” Picard repeats, desperate for full clarity, and the darkness only seeps further into an anguished deity.

“Oh, only for a moment.” He sets, rigid, livid. “More than long enough.”

An understanding shivers between them for a protracted moment.

“So, you -”

“Made sure it wouldn’t happen again.”

Picard curses himself for the shudder that braces across his shoulders; there was nothing to fear from this entity, he’d long since known that intimately, but that phrasing -

“How?”

A frown etches into an ancient expression for a second, distressed at the clear horror in his beloved human. “I didn’t kill them, I assure you. Oh, I was almost angry enough, but - well, I’ve learned from the best. Billions of years of acquaintance rather familiarises one with weak spots.”

Picard’s mind whirs as he slots together pieces of a bankrupt jigsaw, eyes widening.

“So this, the void, space, is truly - mon dieu -”

“Capital D,” Q expresses, brow quirking. “King of the proverbial hill, Jean-Luc. Captain of the starship Continuum.”

He glances pointedly down at his robes, and Picard balks, spontaneously letting go of hands.

“You are not God!”

His lover’s features flicker in recognition, almost entertained. “I wasn’t, then.”

Picard reels, stepping away, struggling to process the magnitude of what such a concept could mean; he’d always accepted the wealth of power that stood insurmountably between them, but one thing needles at him above all others, a nasty, clawing anguish he can barely describe before the words burst forth.

“… And you did all this for me? To keep me safe?”

Confusion claims the all-powerful entity, stare shining. “And I’ll do it over and over again, if I have to. Didn’t you know that, darling?”

A soft, strangled cry tears itself from Picard, dashing back solely to tightly embrace him.

“You can’t do that!” He protests furiously against a robed chest, even as arms encircle him fiercely. “This isn’t healthy -”

“Less of your human morality, thank you,” Q scolds quietly, eyes falling closed as he drops a kiss to his captain’s skull with a gentle shiver. “I’m reliably informed that homelessness is desperately bad for the soul, Jean-Luc.” 

Tearful eyes meet his, divided almost perfectly by outrage and despair. “I’m not worth this, you fool.”

A head shakes in pure exasperation, expression almost unfathomably tender.

“Au contraire, mon capitaine,” he whispers, and they hover in an extended breath, fractured and ironically whole in perfect harmony.

“Now what?” Rises a deceptively simple question from his beloved, and the ashes of bitterness sweep across Q’s lips, crease into his face as he stares into eyes that believe he’s ultimately capable of using his absolute power for kindness.

It’s enough, he acknowledges silently. It’s always been enough, that belief; it doesn’t require further proof over time.

“Oh, now?” A finger runs up a cheek, smile warm. No regrets, Q. “An ancient city, perhaps… well, at least after you wake up.”

Picard’s gone in an instant after a tender touch to his temple, and God swallows fire.

Jean-Luc Picard has more than enough to deal with. He doesn’t need the burden of knowing the lengths a homeless, frightened entity will go for him, however many times he must.

————–

“Can’t say I’m not mildly offended. Infinite scope of time presented permanently to me, mon capitaine; I run ten minutes late in an exceedingly rare instance of miscalculation, and you fall asleep on me.”

A familiar voice permeates his consciousness, rouses him from a deliciously restful slumber; he blinks, briefly confused, and meets an amused gaze.

“I…” Since when had he ever come back to his quarters and instantly drifted off? “I was asleep?”

“The light was well and truly out, my dear,” Q assures him, eyebrow hitching. “Dull day at the office, I take it?”

He thinks of their seemingly endless trek to Deep Space Eleven and wrinkles his nose just slightly. “Rather, yes. Ought to have asked you for a lift.”

“Indeed,” Q murmurs, gaze piercing. “I’d have done it, too. I’d do anything for you, dear - do hope you know that. Capital of Tenhaglion, then? Rather delightful four millennia ago.”

He offers him a hand, and something in Picard pauses for a long moment as he meets the rich bronze of eternity, the absolute tenderness that resides there, that flashes with the most heated warmth and desperate trust.

… There’s something decidedly different about him today, he acknowledges to himself as he accepts the help, gifts him a bright smile. He’ll have to ask him about it later.

#qcard #jean-luc picard #q #writing #prompts #hello darkness my old friend <3

[ilusionis]

THE BIG BLEACH HC MEME centering around politics, repost & fill out! For anyone who wanted to explore those aspects more, considering it played a big role in the story. Some things may be unknown to your Muse, just think in WHAT IF then & well, have fun and take your time!

BASICS

Name:   Aizen Sōsuke    / / /    Age:   Around 300 years old    / / /    Gender:   Cis man Race:   Shinigami / Quincy / Hollow / Fullbringer / Visored / Human / Other Currently lives:   Soul Society / Hueco Mundo / Silbern / Living World / Hell Exact Location:   Muken Group(s):  Shinigami / Arrancars

QUESTIONS

- Would your muse consider themselves more: GOOD / BAD / NEUTRAL ? - Would your muse consider their group more: GOOD / BAD / NEUTRAL ? - How does your muse think others see them: GOOD / EVIL / NEUTRAL ? - How does your muse think others see their race: GOOD / EVIL / NEUTRAL ? - How does your muse think others see their group: GOOD / EVIL / NEUTRAL ?

- Is your muse considered a threat: YES / NO ?   By whom?:  Soul Society and all its allies, mostly. - Is your muse powerful: YES / NO ?  Could they be considered OP:  YES / NO ? - Did your muse any crimes: YES / NO ? - Does your muse think they are doing mostly the right thing: YES / NO ? - Would society think the same: YES / NO / MIXED OPINIONS ?

- Does your muse think they are treated unfairly: YES / NO ?  - Does your muse feel understood from others: YES / NO ? - Is it important for them what others think of them as a person: YES / NO ? - Would they welcome death:  YES / NO ? - Will they ever find peace:  YES / NO ?

01.0.  Do they fully stand behind the group they are part of? YES / NO. Why is that? Explain: it’s hardly a mystery that Aizen, being a rogue Shinigami, strongly despises his own kind. I italicized the yes in case we want to consider him a part of the Arrancar group, because I’ve already talked estensively about how Aizen feels an undefinable affinity for Hollows and the sense of belonging that derives, maybe even without him being fully aware, from it. That said, it’s definitely not a ‘fully standing behind’ said group, considering how he watched them get slaughtered without batting an eye.

02.0.  Do they like as things are in Soul Society? YES / NO. 02.1.  Is there anything they would change? Explain here: Starting from killing the Soul King and take its place, he’d wipe any organ with power or with the capability to seize it, like the nobles, Central 46 (which he already did btw) etc. 

03.0. Would they ever actively try to bring change (in general)? YES / NO. 03.1. Is your muse more: passive / active ?  Introverted / Extroverted ? 03.2. Does your muse care more about: others / themselves ? 03.3. Do they trouble their mind over a lot of problems, others? YES / NO. 03.4. Do they mostly involve: the world / everyone / themselves / comrades / friends / family / elderly / kids / teenagers / home / workplace / strangers / souls / humans / quincy / shinigami / nobles / fullbringer / visored / hollows / espada / arrancar / (former) boss(es) / pets / animals / zanpakuto spirit / enemies / partner / lovers / soul king / god / other…(add more) 03.5. Name (up to) three which are the most on their mind (optional, adding names): - the soul king is almost poison to his thoughts and dreams, it never leaves his mind. - the hogyoku and his overall research, when he was still doing it. - after the war, in muken, he thinks often about who and what he lost. tousen and kyōka suigetsu, especially.  - urahara and ichigo kurosaki are also often on his mind. 

04.0. Do they think frequently about politics? YES / NO / SOMETIMES. Why is that? Explain: Aizen is definitely more concerned with spiritual matters than strictly political ones, but that doesn’t mean he’s not acutely aware of how ‘earthly’ things work. He absolutely doesn’t give away the politician vibes, but he very much knows the system he works to overthrow is upheld by a political architecture in which he can move and orient himself just fine, although he’d rather not. Overall, I think Aizen viscerally despises politics, but he’s all but bad at it. 

05.0. How do they feel in their current location, more: POSITIVE / NEGATIVE / NEUTRAL ? 05.1. Why is that?:  Muken is not just imprisonment, Muken is torture, and I just don’t trust anyone who says otherwise. To Aizen, especially, being bound in endless darkness devoid of stimuli is almost unbearable, which also says a lot about how strong he is.

06.0. Does your muse have any goal: YES / NO ?  BIG / SMALL ? 06.1. Does it involve anything world-changing: YES / NO ? 06.2. If goal or not, any future plans? Share here:  Don’t think having lost and being imprisoned has made him waver or change his mind, he’s still very much set on his path of becoming the Soul King. It’s not over, and Muken can’t hold him forever.

07.0. Does your muse know about the original sin of soul society*: YES / NO ? * curious? Read about it here. 07.1. If they knew, would it change their views on Soul Society: YES / NO ? 07.2. More: POSITIVE / NEGATIVE / NEUTRAL ? 

08.0. Who is the worst person in their eyes?:  Urahara Kisuke, in Aizen’s eyes, is a paragon of moral sloth. Also Yamamoto. We don’t count the Soul King as a person. 08.1. What should happen to them?  Execution (quick / slow death) / Imprisonment / Stripped of their powers / Torture / Repay for their sins / Pay a Fine / Social Work / lose their loved ones / Exile / other… (add more). 08.2. Explanation:  He’d very much enjoy Urahara’s reaction to losing his loved ones, perhaps that would move him. Yamamoto, on the other hand, embodies those conservative principles Aizen absolutely cannot abide and would deserve to be finished off quickly. 

09.0. Thoughts on the Quincy Massacre if they knew: POSITIVE / NEGATIVE / NEUTRAL ? 09.1. Would they be alright with such thing happening again: YES / NO / INDIFFERENT ? 09.2. Would they try to prevent it: YES / NO / DEPENDS ? 09.3. Explanation:  Aizen was young at the time of the Quincy extermination, probably a seated officer, and I don’t think he had any part in it. He witnessed the event with a certain flatness, as it only served to reinforce very much solidified opinions he had on Soul Society and their means, but he had zero empathy for the Quincy people and remains indifferent to this day. 

10.0. Would they ever switch sides: YES / NO ? 10.1. If yes, What could bring them to do so?:    - 10.2. Would they create a new one: YES / NO ?  or join a current one? If so, which:  - Post-war, Aizen is pretty much on his own.

11.0. Does your muse follow a certain moral code*?:  YES / NO / GRAY AREA ? * (ethics) A written, formal, and consistent set of rules prescribing righteous behavior, accepted by a person or by a group of people. 11.1. What does it involve?: There are things he just would not do, and I reject those who paint him as a creep. That includes u, Kubo. 11.2. What does it NOT involve?: Pretty much everything else. Killing, stealing, lying, doing very questionable experiments, attempting to overthrow the government and killing God.     

YOUR MUSE’S VIEWS / OPINIONS ON THESE GROUPS ?

Central 46:   positive / negative / neutral.   ━   because: corrupt, senile, privileged guys reinforcing an oligarchic caste system, who think they can pass judgement on anyone? find me someone who wouldn’t wanto to murder them.

Four Great Noble Clans:   positive / negative / neutral.   ━   because: they are fully responsible for what the Soul King is, the state it is in;  it would be absurd for Aizen to feel anything but harsh contempt for them. He sees nobility as something vain and obsolete: in his kingdom, only power matters. 

Royal Guards / Gotei 13:   positive / negative / neutral .   ━   because: it’s somewhat laughable that an organ as powerful as the Gotei would serve and be the instrument of a whimsical array of nobles and would obey the Central 46. They are servants and accomplices.

Fullbringer:   positive / negative / neutral.   ━   because:  a mildly interesting lot, although they were never the focus of his studies. 

Visored:   positive / negative / neutral.   ━   because:  they’re Shinigami, but they’re not only that anymore. Aizen doesn’t viciously despise them as he does others, because in the end, they were a precious specimen. He wouldn’t have gotten so far with his research without them.

Espada:   positive / negative / neutral.   ━   because:  ok, maybe ‘positive’ is a big word, but they’re his finest creations. He would choose them over the Gotei captains anytime.

Quincy:   positive / negative / neutral.   ━   because:  he doesn’t have an organic opinion on them; the way I see it, Quincy culture is way too distant from Aizen’s mindset for an interest to spark.

YOUR MUSE’S VIEWS / OPINIONS ON THESE (IMPORTANT) PEOPLE ?

Aizen:   positive / negative / neutral.   ━   because:  lmao Aizen is the afterlife top narcissistic motherfucker. However, I want to believe there is more nuance to the way he views himself than he lets on, and it’s strictly tied to his power and the way he perceives it. I think Aizen loves and hates himself: he’s aware that he’s special, that’s he powerful, that he’s unique ... but this awareness is bone-crushing, he’s too much even for himself. Too much power, too much uniqueness. You know, the loneliness of prime numbers.

Yhwach:   positive / negative / neutral.   ━   because:  i’ve already talked about Aizen and Yhwach here, their differences and their contrast, and I stand by what I said. It’s not like Aizen is out there questioning Yhwach’s dubious morality, he doesn’t care, but he will see all three worlds burned to ashes before ever allowing Yhwach any leverage / control over him.

Mayuri:   positive / negative / neutral.   ━   because:  we often forget that Aizen, too, is a scientist - but one with a goal. Science, in Aizen’s case, serves a higher purpose. Mayuri is just a disgusting individual who is conveniently walking free because Soul Society needs his technology and resources, and the hypocrisy of this would bother anyone; not to mention, find me someone who can stand Mayuri even a little bit. Of course Aizen doesn’t like him.

Kurosaki:   positive / negative / neutral.   ━   because:  ok this is a mess, I’ve yet to talk about Aizen’s thoughts on Ichigo and I’m not gonna do it all here. I’m just gonna say, there is one big part of grudge for having been defeated by Ichigo mingled with a weird form of acceptance, considering Ichigo was both a self-improving and self-sabotaging project for Aizen. The boy is a masterpiece of patience and technology on Aizen’s part, but he proved over and over again, to be just a boy. And a pretty blinkered one on top of it.

Soul King:   positive / negative / neutral.   ━   because:  seeing the Soul King fucked Aizen up more than anyone can imagine, and sparked a hatred within him that consumes him to this day. Talked about it more in-depth here.  Imagine being a kid and staring into the hollow, cross-like eyes of a limbless monster that haunts you like an echo, and knowing instinctively, ah yeah, that’s god. Aizen is the Bleach king of unprocessed trauma.

CONGRATS, you managed till to the end, now tag your fellow bleach partners!

TAGGED BY: @skyvar​ the only one i trust. TAGGING: @kazeshinigami​ @tatarfora​ @shitenkoushun​ @2ndhornet​ @hyouketsu​ @oscuras​ and myself @levaer​ because i wanna do it over my quincy babe, too. anyone else just say i tagged u.

#historias. #v long post yall have fun

[severalspoons]

Liveblog: Rewatching Trigun, Episode 17, Part 1

Episode 17 frustrates me immensely. All the most important facts are stated clearly. But a lot of the meaning and implications are at best found in brief hints. And while there’s a lot of symbolism, discussed in an interesting way here, it’s not enough to explain why Knives decided it was right to kill everyone except themselves and perhaps Rem. I would even argue, that’s never explained.

Get ready for a long post, because I’m going to overthink everything.

-- “I think that planet is going to be our new home!”

-- Rem is excited to create their new home, the Captain has a scientific bent, and Steve is a drunk, sexually harrassing pig. There is also a lady whose name I didn’t catch who seems to exist to be harrassed by Steve in the anime. Edit: There is also a lady named Mary who doesn’t seem to have any purpose until later.

-- Who does make the decision where they’ll land? Especially if almost everyone on the fleet except a small skeleton crew is in cold sleep.

-- Why are the twins in a separate room from the crew?

-- Knives is quietly watching the screen. Vash is wearing a party hat and a fake mustache and generally messing around. Wonder how well he understands what’s going on?

-- “Are there flowers on this planet?” Rem, you’re literally all seeing this planet for the first time and all the readings are about large-scale things like atmosphere and habitability. How would anyone know?

-- Also, is it just me or is Rem’s voice just high pitched enough to be really annoying? (Sorry). Also...is she drunk?

-- Rem, suppose there are no red flowers. Would that be a dealbreaker for you? 

-- “Why don’t they wake up?” Wait. Does Vash seriously not know what cold sleep is and that these people are in cold sleep???

-- “It’s so quiet. There’s only 7 people.” I get it, it’s a big ship to be occupied by so few people, but let’s just say I’m not surprised how much time he spends in crowded bars years later.

-- Vash doesn’t know what’s written on the outside of the ship? I’d think if there were no windows from which he could view the writing, there’d be information in the ship’s computers. Does he just sit around waiting to be told about the world? 

-- “If there’s a God...He must be laughing right now. Our pitiful struggle for immortality must seem like an impossible quest to Him.. “the desperate human will to survive, to carry on our species.” Even Rem, the dreamer, calls the whole thing “pitiful” and “impossible.” No wonder Knives comes to see it that way.

Rem is agnostic?

-- “We’re the caretakers...it’s our job to let them sleep in peace.” “is there anything we can do to help you?” Aww. <3 

Um, she did say “our” job, Vash. That includes you. Or is this how he communicates he doesn’t see himself as part of the crew, but would still like to help? Honestly, if it was typical how they kept him and Knives in a separate room even when celebrating the discovery of a potential new home, I can see why.

-- “Oh, THAT’s where you are.” Knives sounds like he got bored with the area and moved on a long time ago. His voice sounds harsher than Vash’s from the beginning.

-- The conversation between Knives and Rem in the rec room is weird. Like Knives is judging Rem, or Rem at least feels that way. “You really like that song.” Kids would normally ask a question, like “why do you sing that song so much?” or “what is that song?” 

“It pops into my head whenever I feel happy. Do you think it’s strange?” Who asks their 8 year old adopted kid if they think your everyday habits are strange? 

“No, it’s a nice song,” which is a judgment even though it’s a positive one.

After hearing Knives’ voice sound like that it’s weird to see his cute wide eyes. The crew member behind him looks uncomfortable.

-- “It’s weird. Nothing moved since we’ve been here, but everything seems different for some reason.” “That’s because it’s alive!” That’s actually a profound point about the difference between something made, like a computer, and something that grows, like a person. You always know what a program is going to do because you wrote it that way, and your furniture is always going to stay in the same place unless someone moves it. But a flower or an insect or a person is constantly changing, and you can’t always predict how.

-- “Hmm?” That doesn’t make intuitive sense to Knives, I guess. Vash is smiling behind Rem. IDK if that’s because it makes sense to him, or because he just enjoys listening to what Rem says.

-- “It has its own rhythm. You can actually feel the living heartbeat of the plants.” I think Knives is thinking of a different kind of plant than you are, Rem.

-- “So this is the world you and the crew keep talking about.”

-- “We’re not just going to see it, we’re going to create it.” Vash and Knives seem to agree on that. They just will end up with very different ideas of what that Eden looks like. :(

-- “There will be nothing but peaceful days,” “with no war,” “and no stealing,” “an Eden where people can live in freedom and harmony, right?” (That’s got to be Vash at the end, asking for confirmation or approval). 

Aww, those sweet little babies and their impossible dream, finishing each other’s sentences! I am crying all the tears right now.

Although, even Vash isn’t as naive as you’d think from how he talks. They know what war and stealing are. They know that freedom and harmony aren’t guaranteed. They’ve probably studied at least some of Earth’s history.

-- Here we are at the moment of no return! In the briefing room, Rem, the Captain, and the twins are sitting around a table looking at a hologram of Earth. Vash and Knives are told that Project SEEDS started because “the state of our home, Earth, was so desperate that...mankind could no longer survive there.” 

-- “Judging from the data, mankind is responsible for damaging the planet,” Knives says. “Right, Captain?” He’s being objective, he’s looking at the data, he’s asking the Captain rather than Rem for help. But I bet he’s hoping it isn’t true.

-- Why SEEDS? Rem: “the need to survive.” Seems morally neutral enough. 

The Captain: “the behavior of clinging to life until the verge of death is intrinsic to all organisms. Survival instincts take over, dismissing shame in order to live.” The Captain seems to be ashamed not only of humans destroying the Earth, but of their trying to survive. Knives seems to get that message loud and clear.

What Vash seemed to pick up is the idea that people should be ashamed of what they do to survive, and maybe that it’s right to hang onto that as much as you can while still living. Maybe that’s what the scars are for?

-- “But is it right to live if it means such sacrifices?” That’s...a cold way of putting it, Knives. 

-- “We make the smallest sacrifice we can think of at the time.” 

One could say Knives picked up this idea, but I don’t think so. He’s going to make some pretty big “sacrifices,” and I don’t think he tries to keep them small for very long.

-- Two different (and actually compatible) answers to Knives’ question: 

“Unlike other organisms on this planet, we possess logic, the knowledge to minimize the sacrifice.”

“Also, as human beings, we have the ability to right our wrongs. Hopefully we can learn from our mistakes and start over again in a new home.” Hopefully. Even Rem knows there’s no guarantee.

-- After the meeting, the Captain realizes (surprisingly, before Rem does), that it didn’t go well. He believes he doesn’t know how to be an educator and he’s not cut out to be a father. He downplays his knowledge of computers and reasoning, and says what really matters is what Rem does: teach them about emotions, being kind to others, and the value of the future.

Rem, in turn, says she has no idea how to raise kids either, and what she does is no big deal, she just plays with them. 

“I guess we just have a different way of looking at things,” the Captain says. And they continue respecting each other’s perspective and working together peacefully.

It’s too bad Vash and Knives weren’t present to see them model getting along with different strengths and beliefs (although they must have seen other examples). This is what the twins should have become.

***

Oh look, it’s the dichotomy between Thinking + STEM (modeled by the Captain, emulated by Knives) and Feeling + Social Intelligence (modeled by Rem, followed by Vash). This is one of my least favorite tropes. When I was a kid, I overthought like Knives while wearing my heart on my sleeve like Vash, and if this blog is any indication, not much has changed.

Humans were never going to be sufficient intellectual role models for the plant kids, so I understand why Rem and the Captain focused on their social and emotional development. But they, especially Knives, needed someone to listen to their thoughts and worries and take them seriously. Vash needed someone to model the process of looking for answers, instead of just waiting for someone to tell him what he wanted to hear. Knives needed someone to help him deal with the more disturbing implications of what he learned. The Captain sold himself short here. He could have done a good job with this. 

Rem’s style was to talk about feelings and memories, and to talk as little as possible about unpleasant truths, like the reason for the SEEDS mission. She waited to talk to Vash about it until he asked, and even then her answers were incomplete and...oversimplified, to say the least. That worked for her and Vash. Knives, however, seemed to want to understand things for himself. He didn’t just need what he would’ve seen as empty words of reassurance. He needed someone to engage with what he knew. 

I think Rem missed his attempts to talk about what was bothering him, because they were couched in factual rather than feeling terms. He talked about the thoughts that made him feel the way he did, not directly about the feelings themselves. For example, when he asked about humans destroying the Earth, he was horrified and seriously wondering what good humans were. The Captain addressed these implications, and realized the conversation did not go well. Rem just shared her beliefs. 

Neither of them helped him feel secure or loved. Neither of them helped him deal with his feelings about not being human, his horror that humans had destroyed Earth, and his fears that they might do the same with their new home. I don’t know if either of them knew much of what was on his mind. I think Knives spent a lot of time stewing alone. He already had the angry voice of a future villain, and neither empathetic Rem nor his own twin seemed to notice. For that matter, no one seemed to know that Steve was bullying him, or at least no one was doing anything about it. Does that seem strange to anyone else?

Knives chose to become a genocidal maniac. This is the context in which he made his choices.

Instead of a single person getting split into Thinking and Feeling sides, the siblings were split into a Feeling Twin and a Thinking Twin, to the detriment of both. As they chose different beliefs, role models, and ways of life, they continued farther and farther along these polarized tracks their elders set for them.

Yet, IMO, Rem and the Captain were both right. Rem was right about good and evil, how to hope, and what to live for. The captain was right about how to make decisions in an imperfect world, and the need to accept unpleasant truths.

One thing I appreciate about the anime ending is Vash and Knives have an opportunity come to some sort of compromise, or at least a working balance. I actually like that it’s left to us to imagine how. 

***

Hypothesis: In the Myers-Briggs system, Vash = ENFP and Knives = INTJ. What do you think?

#I could easily be wrong with Knives 

#intj is the one n type I don’t know much about

#trigun #trigun anime #liveblog #liveblogging #rem saverem #vash the stampede #knives millions #millions knives #tropes #choices #feels #gifted kid problems #gifted problems #philosophy #good and evil #writing techniques