#But I can quite easily imagine that he’s at one point looked at some alien thing shuddered and gone ‘ugh. Gives me the willies.’

[freckleslikestars]

FARSCAPE | 1.06 Thank God It's Friday, Again.

#I love this exchange so much specifically because it tells us a lot about how the translator microbes work. I mean. I highly doubt that – at #least at this point – john has ever discussed woodies with Aeryn. #But I can quite easily imagine that he’s at one point looked at some alien thing shuddered and gone ‘ugh. Gives me the willies.’ #And since aeryn’s translator microbes picked that up and returned it with woody we can kind of see how they work. #It’s taken willie – a colloquial term for penis – and substituted it with another colloquial term for penis – woody. #The problem is that these terms both have connotations that the microbes don’t pick up on #hence the incorrect substitution. #However they do seem to do okay with homophones #presumably based on context. #It’s like how back in like 2012 if you typed a word into google translate that didn’t translate well #it would give you it’s best guess #and then if you translated it back it would just have a completely different meaning. Essentially translator microbes work probably as well #farscape #aeryn sun #claudia black #syfysource #cinematv #filmtvcentral #chewieblog #smallscreensource #usercreate #userthing #farscapeedit #john crichton #ben browder #farscape gifs #my gifs #claudia black gifs #dailytvwomen #popcultureds

[itspyon]

Have you by any chance taken a look at r/dwt2 recently? I'd really like to hear your thoughts on the posts over there about Dream's interactions (or lack thereof) with the fanbse rn and the big content drought. I think you always have realistic outlooks on this stuff and it would definitely help some people on here that I know are trying not to feel too down about it. (100% /nf)

hello dashboard

this is the longest post i have ever written. remember, this is how i personally see things. you don't have to agree with all of it or at all. still, long as fuck. you have been warned

i do not use reddit and i especially don't visit spaces that are a vent melting pot. not something i want to encourage by giving it clicks

however it is a topic i do have thoughts on, of various kinds, so walk with me on this one. i believe the position is in right now is 1 - one he hates, 2 - one he was forced to be in and 3 - one he's too afraid to get out of

you can understand my second point easily, i don't think there's any argument about it. if it was up to him, the current state of his content would not be like this, not talking quality, but in the general lack of it. he had to reorganise his life around october 2022 to the point he considered quitting. that's not an easy thing, logistically an otherwise, and for dream out of all people to have even think about it, it must have been a tremendous feat to get out of that spot mentally. then he could not make usmp happen. dealing with the hate. gumball. releasing the video. these aren't things that he could predict, and did shape the timeline of content release

i don't want to say i feel a bitterness about it from him, because he's not a bitter person. but when he talks about the things that weren't, i do feel that sad yearn, the-one-that-got-away-esque vibe in the conversation. which is completely understandable, because those are his projects he put time thought money and love in. and then he gets the carpet pulled, and now we're here. i feel people forget that a bit you feel sad about all the content, imagine him. we knew about usmp for tops 3 or 4 days, he had been working on it for months. empathise with him a bit and understand this is not a place he wants to be in either

my general "critique" of him regarding the situation is the third point. i say fear, i don't exactly know if that's what it is, and just as above, i understand why it would exist yes, obviously the face reveal and meeting fans and having the parasocialism hit you in the face changes a lot. i understand, say, walking back from his "Stans" video, i understand walking back on the nsfw, i get those things. but we're a bit past that point now, where denouncing that parasocialism is turning into what i see as becoming the cc he has said he doesn't want to be

and i say this as someone that has been around for a WHILE. he has in the past spoken negatively about the path he is taking. the cc that's removed from his audience, the famous guy that has all his accounts managed, the creator with the over scripted, over hyped, removed of all spontaneous dynamic content that ends up either underdelivering, or not delivering at all. ( note here, i don't think dream will ever underdeliver. not in his dna. simply describing that general persona )

he's not there yet, at all, but he's edging close enough where people are starting to feel uneasy about it. some quietly, some in an understanding tone, others demanding and demeaning. and i feel at every step of walking down this figurative path, my first and second points ring very loudly. he doesn't really want this, he never asked for any of this. he has been forced into this position. but now he's on this weird stasis chamber of sorts, not fully in it but also doing nothing to get out ? i see the absolute love he has for music. i see how much he loves minecraft, and his fans, and the weirdness of it all. but he's alienating himself from it and not particularly putting up any sort of fight. not even raising his voice. nothing at all

no snapchats no tweets no likes no replies no streaming no casual popping into a friend's stream. and i am happy for him ! let me make that super clear ! taking time for himself, chilling, doing things in private. i'm glad he has that space now, and he's enjoying a life he very much could not have for years

but the very overwhelming, and genuinely new type of quiet makes that uneasiness i mentioned before grow exponentially. this isn't a quiet we're used to, and i have been through many. i am personally fine with it, i am not the one to demand content, i can simply do something else. but it does worry me he's kind of just taking the punches, and is taking them so much to heart he has removed himself this much from the public, in a seemingly unnecessary fashion. and here's the real issue for me on that third point, and where that worry comes from, and maybe in part curiosity ?

he's sure of what he's doing. at least it appears that way. i don't see all the puzzle pieces, and i am concerned at the picture they paint. is he scared ? is he tired ? is he waiting it out even more ? should i be concerned ? is that maybe too parasocial, or am i just so put off by the change of scenery and the lack of explanation for some of these changes ( like i said, i understand some, but others seem out of left field ) , it that it makes me reasonably worried

still. i get it

i criticize some of it, because yeah, i am selfish, i want the content creator that i have been following for five years to be, at least in part, the one i subscribed to. i want some content, any content, at all

i also understand the road to here was not the one neither of us expected it to be, and it changed him more than it changed me

i am a passive onlooker of his life, and i have no right to make demands to what he gives me access to. i only can complain as much as it is appropriate, which is vocalising my feelings of missing him, because he has given me a piece, and now i don't quite get why it's gone. previously he would have told us why, now it's dead lining

but it's his life. it's his time. it's his piece. and it's his choice. he can do with it as he pleases. i can be unhappy. i can have issues with it, i can worry. i can demand explanations. i am not entitled an answer. the second people understand that last part, they will have a much better time dealing with the quiet

i miss him, i really do. i understand why he's gone. i don't approve of how far he's taking it. but that doesn't fucking matter, because whatever the reasoning is, if he is doing it this way, it's for a reason that's enough to him. and i'd say, we have to trust him with his own life

#pyon askies #pyon long post

[theladyofmanyfandomsfanfiction]

Imagine not liking the Doctor’s plan to work with Agent O...

“Oh! You’re here. Perfect!” You walked around the console, arms wrapped with multicoloured wires, and proceeded over to Ryan where you transferred the mess into his arms.  

“Uh, what’s all this then?” The young man asked with a frown. Yaz and Graham squinted at the odd behaviour and watched you grin with wide eyes. 

“I’ve finally created the Miniaturisation Materialiser out of some coat hangers and a car tyre in the basement.”

“We have a basement?” Ryan’s question fell on deaf ears as you led the trio to what looked like a toaster sitting on the console. The appliance was hooked up to several wires that ran along the TARDIS floor into Ryan’s arms before disappearing below the panels under their feet.

You grabbed two slices of toast from a little glove compartment and placed them in the toaster, pressing the small knob down. There was a small sizzle until the toaster sparked small white electricity for a second and the bell rang.

The toast popped up and Yaz, Ryan, and Graham leaned in to take a closer look. 

“They’ve shrunk to the size of a grape.” Yaz commented.

You nodded and spun around with excitement. “I know! Isn’t it great?” 

Ryan chuckled but Graham tilted his head.

“It’s wonderful Y/n, truly. But wouldn’t it make more sense to create something that makes food bigger?” 

You squinted curiously, pondering over the suggestion. You lifted the toaster and scanned its outer casing.

“Like an Enhanced Extrapolation Enlarger ... yes, I think we can manage this easily.” You reached back and opened your hand, palm facing up. “Graham, give me your shoe.”

“My what?”

“Y/n, I hope you’re powering that thing safely.” The Doctor parented as she entered her travelling vehicle. She often found that when she left you alone for a day, you had created something new.

Nodding, you lowered the device and took the wires back from Ryan. “Don’t get your sonic in a knot. I rerouted the comms through the swimming pool and the navigation systems are funnelling from the carousel. All temporary.”

“Huh.” The Doctor mused as she reached the satellite screen. “Maybe leave the carousel funnel, I’m getting some great readings. Points for innovation.”

You beamed with pride. Turning to your friends, you gestured for them to walk to an open panel by the stairs. 

“So, how was it? I thought you were going to be back later.”

“O found something on the aliens.” Yaz replied.

“O?” You wondered, dropping the wires into the floor. The TARDIS doors opened once more and a familiar face walked in. “Oh.” 

You shoulders slumped when the guest entered the TARDIS, his eyes filled with wonder and awe at the interior. Spotting you, O smiled as he made his way over to you and stuck out his hand.

You eyed the friendly expression and stared at the open handshake. Then you turned on your heel and called out to the woman behind the console. 

“Really?”

The Doctor’s head popped up quickly at the question, her furrowed brows quickly darting up when she realised what the issue was. 

“Y/n, play nice.”

“But-”

“We need all the help we can get.”

Laying down her expectations, the doctor disappeared once more. You exhaled loudly and looked back at O. One smile from him and you rolled your eyes before walking off in the opposite direction. 

Graham caught the tension flying from the pair and gently tapped O’s arm. “Why are they so mad at you?” 

O shook his head with a small smile. “You know, I don’t think they could quite figure me out.”

Masterlist here

#theladyofmanyfandoms #theladyofmanyfandomsfanfiction #gif is not mine #doctor who imagine #doctor who x reader #thirteen x reader #thirteen imagine #thirteenth doctor imagine #thirteen doctor x reader #the master x reader #the master imagine #dhawan!master x reader #dhawan!master imagine

[jfleamont]

what kind of careers do you imagine James and lily having if the war was over and the weren't in the order and they also live lol rip

I can't imagine either of them wanting to rest on the potter fortune, they'd be waaaaay too bored

would love to know your thoughts!

You're absolutely right! We're talking about two people in their early twenties, full of hope and with big dreams, and even with a young kid to look after they'd still have lots of energy.

I think for Lily the answer is quite easy: she becomes a potioneer... But what kind of potioneer? Is she more into research (working on the development and improvement of the Wolfsbane potion) or does she prefer to help people more directly, perhaps working at St. Mungo's? In my opinion, after the war Lily starts working in the hospital because when she was in the Order it never felt like she was winning any of those fights, every mission was the same: she would barely escape death and she would see no real progress. So working at St. Mungo's after the war is her way of feeling useful, and seeing her patients get better before her very eyes is an immense satisfaction. I also think she longs to be around people: during the war, I doubt she went out and socialised much, what with her being a Muggleborn, and I think people in the Order were also advised to keep a low profile... And this is before they went into hiding! I think doing research would be more alienating in that sense. Furthermore, going from a state of 'constant vigilance' to finally being able to rest is quite difficult for her. All of the people in the Order who survived have some sort of PTSD: there's a sense of urgency, as if danger is always near and it keeps them on edge. I think the constant stream of patients that arrive at the hospital feeds into her restlessness. Working in research would make her feel like she's wasting time, and I think she feels like she's running out of it; she has a hard time adjusting to this new life. I think in the long haul this is dangerous, but I see her eventually realising that research is her future.

As for James, I believe he's a lot like Lily if not more restless after the war: I think this whole experience was quite a shock and he feels a lot of uncertainty and guilt. Unlike many of his peers, he had a choice, he could have turned a blind eye and lived an easy life. The fact that he didn't ignore the attacks and actually fought in the war didn't matter: he felt guilty for the privilege that choice provided him. I think James has no idea what to do after the war: he's a great Chaser, but that lifestyle isn't appealing to him anymore. So at first he stays home with Harry while Lily works at the hospital... But we're talking about James, he's easily bored. So I think that at one point he decides to volunteer (he doesn't need money, he doesn't want it) for different organisations, both Muggle and Magic: he likes helping people, he likes leading them and learning from them and there's this whole world he wasn't privy to and it's wonderful! He's been told how hard it is to be Muggleborn, but seeing how rich and complex and different this universe is (and how similar it is to the Wizarding World, too) is an eye-opening experience. So this is what he does for a while: he sees how corrupt the Muggle government is and he becomes interested in politics - this is right when Margaret Thatcher becomes prime minister - and he tries to help in any way he can (he participates in fundraising events, protests, strikes) and he does the same for Wizarding politics. He protests against the treatment of werewolves and other creatures in the magic community, he writes articles that get published in the Daily Prophet - he calls out Rita Skeeter in some of them, she fires back, he sues her, it's a whole thing - and he's channelling his energy in all these different endeavours but he's still hungry for something else. And yes, this is how he's always been, never satisfied, always looking for the next dopamine hit, but now he feels a bit lost, so Lily suggests he does something more mundane and grounded. The idea comes to him when he's looking at his son - now a toddler - and realises that he doesn't want Harry to grow up like he did. Don't get him wrong, James had a wonderful childhood, but he was a kid with no friends his age, elderly parents and an endless amount of energy. So James realises that kids in the Wizarding World generally grow up very sheltered since they're homeschooled until they're ten and he wants to do something about it. He thinks about what he liked to do as a kid and all he can think about is Quidditch, but now he knows all about all these different muggle sports and wouldn't it be incredible to introduce kids to them? In a couple of weeks he has it all figured out: he's now the founding member of this club, where he gets kids involved in sports, muggle culture (books, movies and music) and even trips to aquariums, museums, cinemas and plays! At first it's just Harry, a couple of Weasley kids and Neville, but with the help of his friends he gets other kids to join, and he soon realises he needs some help managing all these little monsters, so he hires Remus - he's reluctant at first, but he knows that James is too ambitious for his own good and he cannot possibly organise all these activities on his own, bless his heart, so Remus needs to intervene - and McGonagall helps him find other employees. His parents' manor is empty and he can't think of a better way to honour their memory than to use their house as a kindergarten of sorts, so after a bit of cleaning and refurbishing, the house is ready. He loves this: it gives him purpose and hope, and it's like being Quidditch Captain and Head Boy only way harder, but also way more fun. And who knows, he might do this for the rest of his life or he might not, but it doesn't matter, because he has a whole life ahead of him and he can reinvent himself as many times as he wants.

So that's all, I guess lol I thought my answer was gonna be short - she's a potioneer and he's a quidditch player - but as always I got carried away :) do you agree? Feel free to tell me your headcanons!

#jily #jple #jfleamont rambles #asks #james potter #lily evans #jily headcanons #edit October 2023: I put it under the cut because I realised it was too long lol

[microstmnt]

Timeskip Turtles Part 1 (Part 2 will have April and Casey, and everyone in lineup to showcase their heights)

Oh boy, these bad boys can fit so many plot points in three years... I’d said that at this point everything is said and done... Unless (I don’t know, there’s only so much you can do and thinking back perhaps I should have made their versions during the encounter with Bishop, or during the alien invasion instead of whipping these guys and going “yes, that all already happened lmao”.. But then again, I’m making these on the fly so... Imagine me rambling in an empty theater and you guys are the rats that inhabit it, listening with curiosity, I love you but ultimately this is for me)

More tidbits over here

Leo: Still the fearless leader, but now with the knowledge that his family is not gonna fall apart if he’s gone. After the defeat of Shredder (that came with its consequences, yay new scars and traumas...) came quite some more issues, like the Foot Clan being disbanded and it’s former members looking for revenge, or the rise in mutant population by an unknown source, but all problems that seemed tame and easily resolved in comparison to the Shredder. So Leo took the opportunity once he thought things had quieted down to take a trip to train, leaving with Casey for about 8 months (8 months that are going to be hell for your brothers baby lmao). Notable scars: Broken plastron (he was sure he was not gonna make it but eventually recovered) by Shredder, some various slashes across his arms by Slash, a nick on the lips by a random foot ninja (he’s embarrased by this scar), the scar in his eye that left him blind by Karai prior to the Battle Nexus arc

Raph: Took the title of leader during Leo’s 8 month absence, in wich the boys had to deal with a mutant uprise, a crazed secret service guy obsessed with “protecting the earth” from aliens that is creating the mutants, the turtles secret fifth sister that was used by the aformentioned crazy guy, and an actual alien invasion so I guess the crazy guy wasn’t so crazy after all... All while your big bro and your best friend are probably having the time of their lives in their little fun trip (so it turns out that Leo is right and being the responsible one is never fun but whatever). Notable scars: Big plastron slashes by Krang, electrocution scar on right arm by Shredder, small scar on the face by a random Foot Ninja, slashes on left shoulder (and shell) and the underside of right arm by Slash, bullet wound by Bishop, and the infamous neck scar by Donnie that he hates looking so is the only scar he purposefully covers

Donnie: Hey, looky who needs glasses (embarrased by this), has fully accepted that he and his brothers are only going to rest when their dead. Not really as affected by Raph that Leo left on a trip, but still prefers when the team is all together, after one too many times where his brothers lack of preparations left them with scars (dumb dumb bros not taking care of themselves of course I gotta do everything around here...) he carries a bunch of supplies on him, anything you can name he probably has it on him. Bishop almost killed him in an explosion... so that was fun.... Notable scars: Explosion caused by Bishop (finally an explosion that wasnt his fault, ehem), face stabs by Slash grabbing him by the head (Donnie is not having a good time), slashes on arm and a plastron wound by Shredder, some knicks and burns on his hands from working without gloves and the infamous leg stab by Raph that is now out of sight because he wears pants (Don: if I had known about the extra protection of pants when we were younger, perhaps I wouldn’t have a scar the size of a state on my leg)

Mikey: Sometime after the defeat of Shredder he and Renet became friends, and eventually started a queerplatonic relationship (cue his brothers reacting with variations of “why her??”), he’s still an exceptional fighter but also is still quite sheltered, so he is the one with the least scars by virtue of being pulled from fights by his bros as soon as it looks like he’s not doing so good (something that pisses him off but is a little gratefull for as well, it’s complicated), that doesn’t save you from being kidnapped and tortured by Bishop tho, didn’t last long but that’s where he learned that they all have an older sister (being the first one to find out), got back into art since he needed some healthy coping mechanisms, and eventually turned into a bonding activity with his bros. Notable scars: bite mark on left shoulder by Slash, slash in right shoulder (and part broken plastron) by Shredder, acid burns on hands by being tortured by Bishop 

All in all, I took a lot of things from Bayverse when designing the boys (if it wasnt obvious), and I do realize that it’s kinda weird to be like: here they are three years later, they crawled through hell during that time teehee, but this is after so whatever,

But what can I say, I kinda make these up as I go and things change and other stuff stays, who knows, maybe in a year this post will be rendered completely obsolete because I thought of something more interesting... Hell, some things that I’ve already said about existing characters have been rendered obsolete, like Usagi’s height, but that’s something for Part 3 of Timeskip Versions

Thank you all for liking or reblogging, I know a lot of these things are all over the place but it genuinely makes me happy when I see notes of any kind in my posts

#teenage mutant ninja turtles #micros tmnt #tmnt #tmnt 1984 #tmnt 1987 #tmnt 2003 #tmnt 1990 #tmnt bayverse #tmnt 2007 #tmnt 2012 #rottmnt #tmnt mutant mayhem #tmnt idw #tmnt leonardo #tmnt raphael #tmnt donatello #tmnt michelangelo

[celestialmango]

So an idea I can up with while I was stuck offline.

Au where humans are a rare, expensive treat and pet, to some aliens who are aware that humans are sentient but mostly don't give a damn given how humans taste, imagine how lucky the boys feel to find one who's ship got stranded on an asteroid.

After quite a bit of discussion they decide that the demeanor and whether the human is aggressive or not will decide the human's fate, one thing is for certain, they will not be taking the human to sell.

They will of course forgive it if the human acts defensive, it's only natural for someone who feels cornered to attempt to defend themselves whether it be by words or by actions.

The boy get land on the astroid, Glitch and Moon catch sight of the human first who flees, neither of them are able to catch the smaller creature. Both wanting to swallow the little creature up right away.

Then Sun and Lunar spot reader, they also attempt to catch reader, their approach being a bit more playful but both come across as terrifying after reader's encounter with Glitch and Moon. Reader escapes.

Finally they are cornered by Eclipse, the biggest of the boys, he sees reader cowering with a blaster pointed at him, he can see the pure terror in their eyes but their hands are shaking and even as he gets closer it's clear they can't bring themselves to fire it, they're hiccuping and crying, distressed and defensive but not violent.

Eclipse kneels down and easily but gently takes the blaster from the adorable shaking human who didn't have a strong grip on it, it's rather clear that this one has never taken a life and doesn't have it in them to do so as they squeeze their eyes shut, probably thinking he's going to kill them.

Instead he just carefully and gently swallows them whole and alive. Then he stands up, he can feel reader shivering in his stomach pouch as he walks around the vessel, looking for anything that looks like it may belong to the human personally and taking it, clothes, items, toiletries. All the while keeping a hand on his gut while he gathers up those things and his younger brothers (Sun and Lunar who are upset the human was afraid of them and ran from them, Glitch and Moon who are jealous that Eclipse was the one to get the first 'bite')

Then heading back to the ship, he decides to keep them in his room to avoid any incidents with Moon or Glitch until the human adjusts and he gets both to behave around reader. He has Lunar and Sun set reader's accomodations up but doesn't spit them up just yet due to them having passed out and not wanting to wake them, also feeling that if they wake up and are still inside his pouch it should show he didn't have any intention to harm them and is simply keeping them contained to one area.(his stomach pouch, as scary as that may be for them)

It also gives him time to lay out the ground rules for interacting with reader as, since he was the one who caught them in the end that means they belong to him specifically as it was agreed that whoever caught the human would be the one that owns them.

This is actually a very good thing as Eclipse would give them more freedoms than the others would, Glitch or Moon would constantly nom them and treat them like they could do whatever they wanted to the human, Lunar and Sun would constantly want to play or keep a hold of the human whether the human liked it or not, due to again, humans generally being seen as rare pets or meals.

Lunar and Sun's treatment would not stem from not caring but rather not truly comprehending for a while that humans have minds of their own and are fully sentient, not just an animal. At least not until they see how Eclipse acts with them later on, speaking human tongues and having conversations with Eclipse translating bits if Lunar or Sun are curious enough to ask what they're talking about.

Glitch and Moon would not give much of a damn about it but would rather be a bit jealous of how cute and sweet reader acts towards Eclipse once reader is used to him and him sometimes nomming them.

They want that too, both to get the cute and sweet side of reader rather than just the outright fear and to be able to nom them which Eclipse won't let any of the others do until reader feels comfortable enough with them to let themselves be nommed by the other brothers, order ends up Eclipse, Lunar, Sun, but it takes a while for either Glitch or Moon to be able/allowed to nom them due to the duo's behavior both to reader and just in general.

Either way, Reader's life as a 'pet/repeat treat' isn't as bad as it could be, they at least are still treated like a person and get to make their own decisions a lot of the time this is due to 'belonging' to Eclipse, so if the human says they're sleepy then they are to be left alone to sleep unless they feel like allowing a cuddle buddy into their personal space or are alright at the time with napping in one of the boy's stomach pouches.

The way Eclipse sees it is when I comes to 'belonging to him and being his pet' just means reader is under his care while the terms themselves and the collar he placed on them are just used for reader protective purposes which he does explain before putting the collar on them, imagine reader's surprise at learning that the brother's names are feared by the other species who would see reader as either a pet or food and that the collar has a built in energy shield with the boys signature that marks the attacker once deployed.

In other words, do not attack the boys human unless you feel like being hunted down by them and suffering a horrible fate.

Welp, see ya guys later, I'll try to answer more asks in this blog's ask box later today.

#mango speaks #mango updates #👾💧 #🌑☀️ #🔵🌕⚪lunar🔵🌕⚪ #☀️🌕

[weirdplutoprince]

I love your comics and how you feel about the characters, they're how I feel about them!

I wanted to say that I always imagined Ayame having some kind of friendship with Akito where - like with everyone else - he would happily be himself.

I imagine that Akito would learn a lot from Ayame and be pulled into his shenanigans. I would have preferred to see that for Akito, especially since she left him alone when she was still God, it would have been interesting to see!

Imagine Ayame helping Akito having a wardrobe which helped her express her femininity, with help from Mine of course. I don't know, I can just imagine them becoming friends, I'm curious what your thoughts are?

Is there anyone you would have liked to see having a talk with or bonding with Akito?

Thank you so much!! :)

Haha I have to say I never imagined Akito and Ayame as friends; they'd certainly make an interesting pair!

The feeling that I get is that Akito is someone that doesn't have a lot of social energy overall? So even if they miraculously get along I feel like she'd get tired of Ayame pretty fast haha. As for Ayame being himself I think that's another can of worms in itself, if only for the fact Akito is someone that is very easily hurt from what she perceives as rejection and abandoment - so though I assume she would be working on learning how to handle these feelings by the end I feel like Ayame would be a specially difficult challenge for her; Since he himself is also working on being less selfish and callous with the feelings of others.

So to me it feels like he could easily hurt her by accident, which might send her on a spiral of self loathing and resentment etc.

Though I do think you have a point in that since they didn't interact much when she was God, he might not be particularly resentful towards her and thus they would have a somewhat fresh ground to start on. Although I have to wonder if Ayame would be the kind to take on Yuki's pain for himself and have some complicated feelings about Akito for it. I can see it going both ways with him so it's something to think about. I also think that it is true that he could help with self expression: that's kinda his strong point! Haha. I feel like if there is one area they could communicate through it might as well be self expression through clothes. Though I'm also not sure if Ayame's playful personality would have Akito defensive in what would be a sensitive moment for her lol.

As for expressing her femininity I'm not sure. It is true she was pretty much denied any sort of positive contact with femininity - and it is also possible that this sort of alienation from that is part of what fuels her resentment towards other women. But at the same time, I feel like she would favour more comfortable looks that might lean slightly on femininity rather than just completely embracing it heads on. Like, I know that she went straight to hyper performing it at the end, but I choose to believe this is her awkwardly trying to make up and fall into what she believes is her 'new role' within her family and in her position as the head of the Sohma. I'd like to think that in due time, she'd go back to somewhat more androgynous looks, and would find ways to explore femininity more comfortably. Though I'm a bit partial in that because I very much prefer her 'male' clothes haha.

Hmm...As for someone I'd like to see talking or bonding with Akito....I'm not sure! There's so many people in the zodiac, it's actually a bit hard to choose. It's also difficult because so many of them have so much baggage with her that I can only imagine would be quite difficult to unpack. I think if anything I'd like to see Akito broadening her horizons and meeting people completely removed from the Sohma and any of her previous circles. I think that'd do her good. Particularly perhaps older women that could be a positive influence on her; Like talkative grannies at the park or something haha. I think that's all for now. Thanks for the nice ask! :)

#falando #fruits basket #akito sohma #ayame sohma #analise #analysis

[fruityyamenrunner]

Why do astrologers freak out so much about being given a "fake chart"?

By a "fake chart" I mean some more or less sophisticated version of the "I told her I was a Virgo and she said it explained so much, but then I told her my birthday was actually in March" wheeze.

Because astrology, even more than other divination methods, is basically very shallow and arbitrary, but feels deep and unconditioned, especially if either a) you are simple and easily impressed by appearances or b) you have internalised the game, have done enough small-n wizard-training sessions to be able to apply the rules of the game to your reflexive, ideological, conditioned, ego-defence-led, personal mandala map, racial predisposition, mother-raised-me-like-that, Dozen Or So Basic Types of Guy Learnt In Primary Education, plain prejudices, and so on, and from there have learnt how to apply it to anything (but not everything), and have carefully not "disenchanted" yourself at any point - perhaps by keeping yourself subject to higher professional astrological priestcraft, or making yourself financially dependent on it, or using it as a means to get pussy, or just inflating your ego.

An astrologer has convinced himself he has developed a deep understanding of the motor of human psychology and fate, so when he has a standard consultation with a client - a jobbing magician type consultation with a random punter - charging perhaps $100, he really feels as though he is providing a service worth more than that -- he is offering a generous discount to attract a new client!

In reality, the astrologer's science is a way of keeping himself at a distance from people's real problems and really having to know someone. Astrologers (the kind I am talking about*) are quite anxious, systematic, alienated people (let the reader understand), and they use the chart as a sort of mask to get close but not too close to people.

The fake chart is a betrayal. The astrologer imagines he is speaking to his client, through the astral mask of course, and is feeling that deep and real connection, but it turns out that the client wasn't looking at him at all, and was instead looking at him sideways, seeing the face behind the mask. He was speaking all along to a phantasm... but it felt so real, like it always does... is he *always* speaking to phantasms?

When someone you have a real connection with lies to you, it is a very eloquent kind of lie. They have a reason for lying to you, and it may even be a kind of true lie. It may be an absolutely devastating, aggressive, soul-cutting lie. Something is being communicated because it is not a syntactic communication between phantasms, but a moral one between people. The betrayer can be hurt as much as the betrayed, and questions of forgiveness and reconciliation are real and difficult.

But this astrological lie isn't of that kind. It's quite senseless. The client and astrologer have manufactured a very insecure relationship, but it is mediated through this mask, through the distancing science of astrology, and through the recombination of arbitrary symbols. The astrologer, though, has gone and attached too much to them, so in the stress of betrayal, what can he do? Tantrum and cut off the liar as being unimportant. He still has his system, the mask strapped to his face, which was always what he was really connected to.

*There are different schools of astrology, and some of them do not quite teach this kind of astrology. Their lineages tend to come through psychotherapy, which tend to equip their practitioners with a more flexible and contextualised sense of "the language-game of astrology", and both attract less autistic practitioners, and do not train them in such autistic ways. "The defects of psychotherapy" is a subject for a post people with more experience can write, but psychotherapists tend to be much better at taking a lie straight to the face.

#astrology

[popculturebuffet]

So, who would you say are your favorite voice actors and the favorite character they voice? Also, are you okay with answering questions along the lines of say "which scene would you say the main cast of (insert cartoon) did the best job in individually and why" ?

To answer your second question first, absolutely. As for the first there's quite a few I could list so (cracks knuckles) Jason Mantzoukas: The man just has one of those voices you can't help but recongize and a manic energy all his own. He's america's homeless shady uncle and I'm here for it and he brings that energy to every role. Like the rest of this list hearing he's going to be involved will instantly get me to check out a series. Faviorite Role: Alex Dorpinberger, Close Enough. Admitely this one is playing to all his strengths as Alex is a role he easily could've played in live action: a hairy weirdo in his own weird little world who gets too loud, is way too confident and way too weird for his own good. But it's also the perfect version of that: alex is more sympathetic, being weird and obnoxious sure but also being supportive, kind and thoughly himself. He's also just really fucking funny from connecting garfield to jesus, to badly singing the friends theme, to being entirely into his biking insturctor when she reveals herself to be an alien. And said last scenario also shows his heart as while he's willing to do some freaky shit, his friends.. his family really.. come first.

Kimiko Glenn: A rising star Kimiko Glenn is a wonderful, witty lady with a great penchant for playing the snarkiest people imaginable but a great range too, currently playing pinkie pie but as a unicorn in the new mlp series. (Sunny is great but that is what she is and you can't convince me otherwise). She also has a hell of a voice. Seriously she's been on broadway. Why more shows aren't captalizing this is beyond me. Faviorite Role: Lena, Ducktales. Yeah BIG SUPRISE but this is the role I feel really rose her star in the voice acting world. She got to play her both as the surface, a cool teen mentor/love intrest to Webby... and the abused child underneath who slowly grows a concienous and is able to fight back against her abuser and break free, finding a loving home in the process. I would've done the retrospective for her for free and would gladly do it all again. The character is amazing and kimiko is a large reason why.

Zeno Robinson: Easily the freshest face on the list and one of the best rising stars in the industry. And I say that with the utmost respect: Zeno has blew up in the past few years and for good reason, able to play some of the best characters of this generation of animatoin with ease, having a youthful energy that can go from bouncy nerd to tortured homnculus to kid playing green arrow to cyborg in an instant. He's a one in a million talent and I look forward to seeing what he does next. Faviorite Role: Hunter, The Owl House> Again pretty easy to see coming and while as always a good part of it is the writing, Zeno really makes hunter his own, having his sense of authority, playfulness and the scared child underneath all mix effortlessly.

Keith David: You all fucking knew this was coming. And this is without seeing gargoyles but ANY TIME live action or voice acting Keith David shows up expect him to fucking bring it. Keith is a fucking legend for a reason and is still going to this day and can do just about anything from outright joke rolls to dead serious villiany. He's a damn talent and a sex machine and was guarnateed a spot here. Faviorite Role: King Andrias, Amphibia. I know it's a fairly recent one but not only is it complex, he just bounces between his three faces, jovial king, tortured soul and giddly evil tyrant with pure ease and skill only keith david could do.

Danny Cooksy: Now that's a name I haven't hear din some time. Seriously where are you danny. Where are you? WHERE ARE Y... point is he's an all time faviorite and I hope he does more. He did do the bygone gulch pilot so there's hope it's just weird he vanished like that. Faviorite Role: Jack Spicer. His other roles are fine mostly bullies and stoop kid was close but this overdramatic weiner is one of the best villians i've seen in a show.. not really a threat half the time but so enjoyably over the top and decidated to a job he's just not good at you can't help but love him.

Jim Cummings: This one is also not a shocker nor someone I need to overhype. The guy has a decades long career, hasn't stopped for a second and continues to keep going up to the recent Chip N Dale Movie and I hope he never retires. Jim Cummings can do anything and you damn well better respect him. Faviorite Role: A very hard choice... seriously he has so many. But I gotta go with his most iconic: Big Pete. He wasn't the first guy to voice him and won't be the last, sadly, but he's theo ne who took him from one dimensioanl bully to the lovable egotisti of varying levels of villany we know today.l

Kate Micuci: I saved the best for last but while I started liking as her a va because I had a crush on her (for good reason), her talents go far beyond my simping. She can play just about anything, from childish glee to velma skeptcisim with ease, and while her voice is always recongizable her range with it is phenmonial Faviorite Role: Webby Vanderquack< Ducktales. Again, not a huge suprise but the comedic timing, emotional depth and sheer fun she had with the role cannot be undrstated.

[adamwatchesmovies]

Them! (1954)

Them! is a superior nuclear monster thriller. Tense, exciting, well written and with spectacular special effects, it’s some of the best science fiction to emerge from the 1950s. You easily suspend your disbelief and enjoy this adventure - no wonder its influence is still felt today.

In New Mexico, a little girl (Sandy Descher) is found wandering in the desert in a state of shock. Her home has been torn to shreds and the rest of her family has disappeared. When other strange incidents result in death and destruction, The FBI assigns Special Agent Robert Graham (James Arness) to investigate with the help of myrmecologists Dr. Harold Medford (Edmund Gwenn) and his daughter, Dr. Pat Medford (Joan Weldon).

It isn’t a spoiler to reveal that colossal ants are behind the attacks. Anyone who knows giant monsters has heard of Them! and no poster or DVD cover makes any attempt to hide this fact. This can make some of the opening scenes - the ones where the characters slowly piece together what we already know - a little tedious. Just a little. It’s easily forgiven once the creatures appear. At that point, this picture by Gordon Douglas grabs you tightly in its mandibles and doesn’t let go. The wise old scientist, the sexy lady among the macho men who don’t believe she’s up to the task, the kinda bland but chiselled hero, the children in peril, the military forces up against a threat they don’t quite understand, the long speeches detailing how, "if this animal is like this now… imagine what they would be like 20 times bigger!" - all of the typical giant animal movie tropes are here, but done exceptionally well.

We’re not simply told how dangerous the colony of ants is or how easily they could replace humans as the dominant species on the planet. We're shown what they can do. The true gravity of the situation becomes clear. Helping is that ants are an excellent choice to supersize and pit against humanity. Incredibly strong, able to avoid detection by tunnelling underground, organized, armored, deadly… but also vulnerable thanks to that queen. You can see how the heroes might triumph so you always have hope but every victory is won tooth-and-nail. The two parties are always neck-a-neck. You're wondering who will prevail right to the very end.

Of course, you’ll never actually believe that the creatures on-screen are giant irradiated arthropods but I’d argue that even with modern special effects, that would be the case. You accept that the actors were performing against animatronics/puppets and move on. They bugs have a presence on-screen, they're mobile (I was tempted to say “lively” but that’s not appropriate, is it?) and when the camera's pointing at them, the pyrotechnics and puppeteers allow you to immerse yourself in the story. This is as good as it could've looked. When these creatures get shot at, you can actually see the bullets tearing away at their exoskeletons, you see them squirm and shriek. There’s no other way to say it except that “it works”.

On the surface, Them! seems like just another one of these big bug movies but it's high above the rest. The characters’ actions are logical, the plot evolves naturally and it builds towards a magnificent climax - without a doubt, James Cameron took note when he made Aliens. Imitators came later on and did some of what this black-and-white science fiction monster movie did similarly, but by beating them to the finish line, Them! had first pick. It did it right the first time around and has aged remarkably well. (On DVD, April 1, 2018)

#Them! #movues #films #movie reviews #film reviews #gordon douglas #ted sherdeman #james whitmore #edmund gwenn #joan weldon #james arness #1954 movies #1954 films

[endlinetheredeath]

Q&A

“Everyone please welcome Tommy a member of the first sentient species from a class 12 planet!”

With that Nak stepped down from the box he was standing on and suddenly a chorus of dozens of voices started yelling and shouting questions at me, everyone trying to out yell the other. It was so much and so sudden that the translator that Nak gave me just minutes before couldn’t keep up and started to translate only single words as it tried to switch between so many voices.

Nak and the doctor stepped up next to me and started to try and calm the people down but it wasn’t looking good. I myself was getting more and more overwhelmed so in a split second decision at turned on my heals and walk out of the hangar closing the door behind me, and leaned on the wall of the hallway. At that point the crowd was so engrossed with their arguing that they didn’t even notice that I was gone. The voices were so loud that even behind a door that cloud most likely resist the vacuum of space i was still able to hear them.

Leaning next to the wall I sighed deeply and looked up at the ceiling.

“ That was a bit much...” I muttered to myself.

“ Yeah they can be overwhelming sometimes.” a soft reassuring voice said next to me, the voice startled me so much that i jumped, my arms flailed wildly before quickly settling in a defensive position. That's when i saw a small, well compered to me small creature covered in fur, I’m about 180 cm the alien standing in front of me was about 140. If i had to describe how she?... hmm the voice that came from my translator was definitely female... anyway if I had to describe her i would go with a kangaroo mixed with a fennec fox, although her fur was white.

Once I realized I wasn’t in danger I lowered my hands and relaxed.

“You startled me...”

“I can see that... didn’t mean to sneak up you, sorry.”

“No no, no need to apologize, i just didn’t expect anyone...” I sighed “anyway my name’s Tommy nice to meet ya.” Out of reflex i reach out my hand for a handshake but unlike Nak she took it after a second or two.

“Nice to meet you too, I’m Kiela. I’m the ships comms expert... i was the one that pick up the radio signals that led us here in the first place.” Her deep brown eyes sparkled with joy as she looked at me.

“What is your planet like, considering it is a class 12 one, it is hard for me to imagine how a species that looks so much like the captains could survive there?

“Uhm... well ... first, what does class 12 mean anyway?”

“Oh oh ok, well there are 15 classes altogether ... the first 3 are uninhabitable because they are basically just huge rock without any sort of atmosphere to speak of and the last 3 are just so volatile that we just thought that no species could survive for long enough to become intelligent on them...” she said really quickly and all flustered.

“Oh ... well ok. So to answer you question there are places on Earth that are relatively safe and nowadays we have all kinds of technologies for detecting and tracking the more dangerous stuff...like the place where Nak picked me up the Carpathian basin, we don’t get anything overtly dangerous like earthquakes or tornados or extreme colds ... the most dangerous stuff we do get are lightning storms and you can easily deal with that by just going indoors...” i trailed of there as i saw Kiela’s eyes narrow slightly at my mention of Nak.

“Nak, do you mean  Nakqr’hlirgmkoz the captain?”

“Yep, i just can’t pronounce his name, not yet anyway, and he was ok with me calling him just Nak.” I said rubbing the back of my neck.

Before either of us could ask any more the door behind me opened and the others were looking in rather concerned, then Nak piped up...

“Ah of course it is our sweet Kiela the one that saves the day once again!” 

At his sudden exclamation she started to fidget a little in embarrassment ...

“Captain i didn’t save anything i just didn’t act all childish like the rest of the crew here.” Her fidgeting stopped by the second half of her sentence and she looked sternly and disapprovingly at the large group behind the captain.

“Were you able to calm them down enough for us to rejoin you?” she looked back at Nak her expression immediately softening.

“In fact i was!” He said putting his hands balled lightly into fists on his hips and he puffed his chest out striking a pose what i could only call a Superman pose but with four arms.

With that Kiela grabbed my hand and led my dumbstruck ass back into the hangar and ordered the group to quickly set a bunch of crates up for seating. She organized it so everyone was able to see and to be seen and set me down in front of them flanked on either side by Nak and herself. With this setup and her constant policing of the crew i started answering question left and right and the others answered my questions as well. Before i knew it hours had passed and we talked about all kind of topics including but not limited to humanity in general as well as certain individuals, all the different kinds of species among the crew and the species in the wider universe, technologies, cultures and a lot of other minor stuff.

“... so yeah after that pandemic it took us quite a few decades to recover properly.” i reached down into my pocket and pulled out my phone. On the screen the time read 02:14.

“ Ahh ..crap.” I grimaced at my phone.

With that exclamation pretty much everyone looked at me, the quiet murmur and the occasional chuckle died down and Kiela put her hand on my right arm in which i held my phone, she opened her mouth to say something but before she could Nak spoke.

“Is everything alright?” he said with a concerned voice.

“Yeah it just got really late really quick and my mum’s probably gonna kill me when i get home...” I said looking up at Nak with a half smile.

His eyes widened with horror and he opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out, Kiela’s grip on my arm tightened as well. Realizing my mistake I quickly said..

“Figuratively speaking of course...” I chuckled nervously and raised my hands in a calming manner. Nak and Kiela relaxed but as i quickly glanced over at the others some of the were not entirely convinced.

“Alright, that’s it for today then, we should probably get you back home before we get you in even more trouble right?” Nak said smiling and shaking his head.

“That would be appreciated, but i would really like to come back sometime i really enjoyed my time here.”

“Oh you can count on it.” Nak said followed by a chorus of yeahs and definitelys by the rest of the group. We stood from our crates and headed towards the shuttle that we came in. Nak jumped in first and started on his preflight check, i followed after but was stopped by Kiela who pulled me down to her level, took my cap off and frizzled my hair than handed my cap back to me.

“There you look better this way... now take care of yourself ok! You’ll be back with us in no time i promise.” with that she let go and ushered me into the shuttle.

“Go go before one these brutes behind me changes their mind and keeps you here for safekeeping.” 

I just smiled and waved to everyone as i got in the shuttle. Nak closed the door and started the engine, a couple minutes later we were in the air and headed out the airlock back to Earth.

I settled myself back into the copilot seat and watched Earth growing bigger in my vision. Nak and I talked some more as we landed back behind my house and we were laughing as we walked down the shuttle’s ramp when suddenly everything became white as floodlights lit us up. Both of us quickly put our hands before our eyes to shield them from the blinding light.

“KEZEKET A VELEGŐBE!”(Hands in the air!) came a strained raspy voice trough a loudspeaker

#alien #humans are space orcs #space #humans are weird #sci fi

[lokiondisneyplus]

A review of “Journey Into Mystery,” the penultimate Loki Season One episode on Disney+, coming up just as soon as I paper cut a giant cloud to death…

Journey Into Mystery was the title of the first Marvel comic to feature either Thor or Loki. It began as an anthology series featuring monsters and aliens, but Jack Kirby, Stan Lee, and Larry Lieber were so smitten with their adaptation of the characters of Norse myth that the Asgardians gradually took over the whole book, which was renamed after its hammer-wielding hero(*).

(*) The early Journey Into Mystery stories treated Thor’s alter ego, disabled Dr. Donald Blake, as the “real” character, while Thor was just someone Blake could magically transform into, while retaining his memories and personality. It wasn’t even clear whether Asgard itself was meant to exist at first, until Loki turned up on Earth in an early issue, caused trouble, and Blake/Thor somehow knew exactly how to get to Asgard to drop him off. Soon, the lines between Thor and Blake began to blur, and eventually Thor became the real guy, and Blake a fiction invented by Odin to humble his arrogant son. It’s a mark of just how instantly charismatic Loki was that the entire title quickly steered towards him and the other gods.

But once upon a time, anything was possible in Journey Into Mystery, which makes it an apt moniker for an absolutely wonderful episode of Loki where the same holds true. Our title characters are trapped in the Void, a place at the end of time where the TVA’s victims are banished to be devoured by a cloud monster named Alioth. And mostly they are surrounded by the wreckage of many dead timelines. Classic Loki insists that his group’s only goal is survival, and any kind of planning and scheming is doomed to kill the Loki who tries. But this ruined, hopeless world instead feels bursting with imagination and possibility.

There are the many Loki variants we see, with President Loki, among others, joining Classic, Kid, Boastful, and Alligator Loki. There are the metric ton of Easter Eggs just waiting to be screencapped by Marvel obsessives (I discuss a few of them down below), but which still suggest a much larger and weirder MCU even if you don’t immediately scream out “Is that… THROG?!?!?” at the appropriate moment. And all of that stuff is tons of fun, to be sure. But what makes this episode — and, increasingly, this series — feel so special is the way that it explores the untapped potential of Loki himself, in his many, many variations.

This is an episode that owes more than a small stylistic and thematic debt to Lost. It’s not just that Alioth looks and sounds so much like the Smoke Monster(*), that it makes a shared Wizard of Oz reference to “the man behind the curtain” (also the title of one of the very best Lost episodes), or even that the core group of Lokis are hiding in a bunker accessible via a hatch and a ladder that’s filled with recreational equipment (in this case, bowling alley lanes). It’s also that Loki, Sylvie, their counterparts, and Mobius have all been transported to a strange place that has disturbing echoes from their own lives, that operates according to strange new rules they have to learn while fleeing danger, and their presence there allows them to reflect on the many mistakes of their past and consider whether they want to, or can, transcend them.

(*) Yes, Alioth technically predates Smokey by a decade (see the notes below for more), but his look has been tweaked a bit here to seem more like smoke than a cloud, and the sounds he makes when he roars sound a lot like Smokey’s telltale taxi cab meter clicks. Given the other Lost hat tips in the episode, I have to believe Alioth was chosen specifically to evoke Smokey.

Classic Loki is aptly named. He wears the Sixties Jack Kirby costume, and he is a far more powerful magician than either Sylvie or our Loki have allowed themselves to be. He calls our Loki’s knives worthless compared to his sorcery, which feels like the show acknowledging that the movies depowered Loki a fair amount to make him seem cooler. But if Classic Loki can conjure up illusions bigger and more potent than his younger peers, he is a fundamentally weak and defeated man, convinced, like the others, that the only way to win the game into which he was born is not to play. “We cannot change,” he insists. “We’re broken. Every version of ourselves. Forever.” It is not only his sentiment — Kid Loki adds that any Loki who tries to improve inevitably winds up in the Void for their troubles — but it seems to have weighed on him longer and harder than most.

But Classic Loki takes inspiration from Loki and Sylvie to stand and fight rather than turn and run, magicking up a vision of their homeland to distract Alioth at a crucial moment in Sylvie’s plan, and getting eaten for his trouble. He was wrong: Lokis can change. (Though Kid Loki might once again argue that Classic Loki’s death is more evidence that the universe has no interest in any of them doing so.) And both Loki and Sylvie have been changing throughout their time together. Like most Lokis, they seem cursed to a life of loneliness. Sylvie learned as a child that a higher power believed she should not exist, and has spent a lifetime hiding out in places where any friends she might make will soon die in an apocalypse. Our Loki’s past isn’t quite so stark, but the knowledge that his birth father abandoned him, while his adoptive father never much liked him, have left permanent scars that govern a lot of his behavior. The defining element of Classic Loki’s backstory is that he spent a long time alone on a planet, and only got busted by the TVA when he attempted to reconnect with his brother and anyone else he once knew. This is a hard existence, for all of them. And while it does not forgive them their many sins(*), it helps contextualize them, and give them the knowledge to try to be better versions of themselves.

(*) Loki at one point even acknowledges that, for him, it’s probably only been a few days since he led an alien invasion of New York that left many dead, though due to TVA shenanigans, far more time may have passed.

For that matter, Mobius is not the stainless hero he once thought of himself as. While he and Sylvie are tooling around the Void in a pizza delivery car (because of course they are), he admits that he committed a lot of sins by believing that the ends justified the means, and was wrong. He doesn’t know who he is before the TVA stole and factory rebooted him, but he knows that he wants something better for himself and the universe, and takes the stolen TemPad to open up a portal to his own workplace in hopes of tearing down the TVA once and for all. Before he goes, though, he and Loki share a hug that feels a lot more poignant than it should, given that these characters have only spent parts of four episodes of TV together. It’s a testament to Hiddleston, Wilson, Waldron, and company (Tom Kauffman wrote this week’s script) that their friendship felt so alive and important in such a short amount of time.

The same can be said for Loki and Sylvie’s relationship, however we’re choosing to define it. Though they briefly cuddle together under a blanket that Loki conjures, they move no closer to romance than they were already. If anything, Mobius’ accusations of narcissism in last week’s episode seem to have made both of them pull back a bit from where they seemed to be heading back on Lamentis. But the connection between them is real, whatever exactly it is. And their ability to take down Alioth — to tap into the magic that Classic Loki always had, and to fulfill Loki’s belief that “I think we’re stronger than we realize” — by working together is inspiring and joyful. Without all this nuanced and engaging character work, Loki would still be an entertaining ride, but it’s the marriage of wild ideas with the human element that’s made it so great.

Of course, now comes the hard part. Endings have rarely been an MCU strength, give or take something like the climax of Endgame, and the finales of the two previous Disney+ shows were easily their weakest episodes. The strange, glorious, beautiful machine that Waldron and Herron have built doesn’t seem like it’s heading for another generic hero/villain slugfest, but then, neither did WandaVision before we got exactly that. This one feels different so far, though. The command of the story, the characters, and the tone are incredibly strong right now. There is a mystery to be solved about who is in the big castle beyond the Void (another Loki makes the most narrative and thematic sense to me, but we’ll see), and a lot to be resolved about what happens to the TVA and our heroes. And maybe there’s some heavy lifting that has to be done in service to the upcoming Dr. Strange or Ant-Man films.

It’s complicated, but on a show that has handled complexity well. Though even if the finale winds up keeping things simpler, that might work. As Loki notes while discussing his initial plan to take down Alioth, “Just because it’s not complicated doesn’t mean it’s bad.” Though as Kid Loki retorts, “It also doesn’t mean it’s good.”

Please be good, Loki finale. Everything up to this point deserves that.

Some other thoughts:

* Most of this week’s most interesting material happens in the Void. But the scenes back at the TVA clarify a few things. First, Ravonna is not the mastermind of all this, and she was very much suckered in by the Time-Keeper robots. But unlike Mobius or Hunter B-15, she’s so conditioned to the mission that even knowing it’s a lie hasn’t really swayed her from her mission. She has Miss Minutes (who herself is much craftier this week) looking into files about the creation of the TVA, but for the most part comes across as someone very happy with a status quo where she gets to be special and pass judgment on the rest of the multiverse.

* Alioth first appeared in 1993’s Avengers: The Terminatrix Objective, a miniseries (written by Mobius inspiration Mark Gruenwald, and with some extremely kewl Nineties art full of shoulder pads, studded collars, and the like) involving Ravonna, Kang, and the off-brand versions of Captain America, Iron Man, and Thor (aka U.S. Agent, War Machine, and Thunderstrike, the latter of whom has yet to appear in the MCU). It’s a sequel to a Nineties crossover event called Citizen Kang. And no, I still don’t buy that Kang will be the one pulling the strings here, if only because it’s really bad storytelling for the big bad of the season to have never appeared or even been mentioned prior to the finale.

* Rather than try to identify every Easter egg visible in the Void’s terrain, I’ll instead highlight three of the most interesting. Right before the Lokis arrive at the hatch, we see a helicopter with Thanos’ name on it. This is a hat tip to an infamous — and often memed — out-of-continuity story where Thanos flies this chopper while trying to steal the Cosmic Cube (aka the Tesseract) from Hellcat. (A little kid gets his hands on it instead and, of course, uses the Cube to conjure up free ice cream.) James Gunn has been agitating for years for the Thanos Copter to be in the MCU. He finally got his wish.

* The other funny one: When the camera pans down the tunnel into Kid Loki’s headquarters, we see Mjolnir buried in the ground, and right below it is a jar containing a very annoyed frog in a Thor costume. This is either Thor himself — whom Loki cursed into amphibianhood in a memorable Walt Simonson storyline — or another character named Simon Walterston (note the backwards tribute to Walt) who later assumed the tiny mantle.

* Also, in one scene you can spot Yellowjacket’s helmet littering the landscape. This might support the theory that the TVA, the Void, etc., all exist in the Quantum Realm, since that’s where the MCU version of Yellowjacket probably went when his suit shorted out and he was crushed to subatomic size. Or it might be more trolling of the fanbase from the company that had WandaVision fans convinced that Mephisto, the X-Men, and/or Reed Richards would be appearing by the season finale.

* Honestly, I would have watched an entire episode that was just Loki, Mobius, and the others arguing about whether Alligator Loki was actually a Loki, or just a gator who ended up with the crown, presumably after eating a real Loki. The suggestion that the gator might be lying — and that this actually supports, rather than undermines, the case for him being a Loki — was just delightful. And hey, if Throg exists in the MCU now, why not Alligator Loki?

* Finally, the MCU films in general are not exactly known for their visual flair, though a few directors like Taika Waititi and Ryan Coogler have been able to craft distinctive images within the franchise’s usual template. Loki, though, is so often wonderful to look at, and particularly when our heroes are stuck in strange environments like Lamentis or the Void. Director Kate Herron and the VFX team work very well together to create dynamic and weird imagery like Sylvie running from Alioth, or the chaotic Loki battle in the bowling alley. Between this show and WandaVision, it appears the Disney+ corner of the MCU has a bit more room to expand its palette. (Falcon and the Winter Soldier, much less so.)

#Loki #spoilers #episode 5 #review #Rolling Stone #Alan Sepinwall

[yurissweettooth]

On Trauma, Alienation, and Yuri Petrov

After the anon I recieved yesterday got me thinking about Yuri's lack of support system as well as had me coming back to this one scene in the Rising where Kotetsu tells Yuri that he could never understand what Barnaby went through. This will be a bit of a ramble so bear with me!

As he's meant to be a foil for Barnaby I feel like most of the attention goes to Barnaby and his trauma when making a comparison between the two (which is fair, he's a main character after all). Because of this some people don't really see the depth behind Yuri and the realism to his trauma. Some have written him off as part of the "abused people become abusers" stereotype or outright dismissed him as some egotistical man child of a villain. I think it's important to take a look at him and how his multiple traumas, and the alienation he faced thereafter, lead him down the path he's on by focusing on his side of the comparison.

To start with, one notable point is that Barnaby is able to reveal his trauma on live television and have the entire city rally around him. His support system and the people who have his back extends further than just the people he knows. 

Yuri, on the other hand, can't reliably even talk to his own mother (the only person he's shown to have any type of connection to) about what he's been through as her responses seem unpredictable. We can make the reasonable assumption that he doesn't have any friends because it states in the translated hero schedules that nobody has his phone number.

As a judge he can't admit to murder, as the son of the most highly regarded and beloved hero he can't speak ill of him (he likely wouldn't be believed anyway), and as someone who is seemingly still full of guilt and questioning his own behavior (no doubt aided by the fact that even his mother, who he was trying to save, doesn't always support him) he can't easily admit to the aftermath either. 

Continuing with the focus on his portrayal in the Rising, I'll point out again (as I did in my response yesterday) that there is a particularly interesting scenario where we get to see the aftermath of the effects of trauma relating to loss of a parent in three people at once. One desperate for revenge and one who has technically gotten his revenge yet didn't feel any better because of it.

"Now wait a moment." You may be saying "Yuri killed his own father so isn't that different than the other two?" and to that I would like to posit that Yuri did have his father taken from him before he ever killed him.

Aside from his hatred of "evil", Yuri also seems to view heroes as immoral, fame driven, and unable to help those in need. I think a lot of this can be tied back to the fact that Yuri lost his father as he knew him the moment the abuse started. 

Child Yuri seemed amazed by his father, right down to the Legend themed outfit. It can be assumed he was a great dad and a great hero at this point. However, that image was shattered when Legend began to drink and abuse his family (as an aside, one of the artbooks confirmed that Yuri was beaten as well). The man he looked up to, the hero, the man who taught him to never let evil go unpunished, was hurting him. It's not difficult to image what that sort of effect dissonance could have on a child.

Legend was staging his arrests and trying desperately to hold on to what he had, putting the anger he felt at losing his position over his duty as a husband and father to be there for his family (I could contrast this with how Kotetsu, in the same situation, uses this time to get closer to his family but that's for another time). He was loved and admired by all with no one any wiser to what happened behind closed doors. 

I think it's because of this that Yuri seems to live his life in opposition to the hero lifestyle. In a way this could almost be seen as a form of revenge seeking against heroes themselves. He's seen what a "hero" can be like and he can no longer trust them to make the right choices or have a genuine desire to help anyone so he takes it into his own hands and has no qualms about airing his spiteful opinions while doing so.

As a side note, in a way I also believe that his decision to kill those that are evil is, in part, a form of reassurance to himself that he's not wrong for what he did to his own father. We kind of get a hint of that in the scene where he's hallucinating and yells at his father's apparition after having his actions questioned by him.

To return to the main point, Yuri isn't really given the opportunities the others had to change their ways and heal. There was no one there to stop him from going down the wrong path. Barnaby tells Virgil that he's not out to save Schneider, he's out to save Virgil himself. Barnaby also says how Kotetsu was able to be there for him and that, had it not been for him, he wouldn't even have been standing there today and would have gone down the wrong path himself. 

I often see people discuss what Yuri might have been like had he never been abused or killed his father but I think a more interesting thing to consider is what he could have been like had he had someone on his side when he really needed it, if he didn't live in a world that would likely turn on him if he spoke against the most well-known celebrity hero (I would imagine that, much like in our real world, if an abuse victim spoke out against a celebrity they'd be shamed and called a liar), if there had been someone there to set him straight before his pain and twisted morals consumed him.

Even as we see him in the show I don't think he's a bad man. He does terrible things, yes, but he does them out of a desire to save people, to help others, to prevent more suffering. It annoys me to see him portrayed as some childish villain just stupidly killing for the sake of it. He's misguided, yes, but there's a method to his madness.

I guess the main point is that, regardless of how Kotetsu meant it, I feel sad thinking about Yuri stating his views on how to heal from the past only to be told that he "Doesn't know the first thing about what [Barnaby's] been through". Yuri does know pain, loss, and betrayal quite well which is how he came to those conclusions in the first place, he just hasn't been in a situation that's allowed him to admit and process that.

#tiger and bunny #tiger & bunny #yuri petrov #barnaby brooks jr #t&b

[cat-scarr]

A Deconstruction of The Flame Keeper’s Circle & The Audience’s Common Complaints | Catgirl

As the title states, I’ve been reminded of a couple complaints made about this episode that stem from a large portion of the audience’s general disliking of the way both Ben and Julie were handled during the run of Ultimate Alien. In fact, I recently read a "review" of “The Flame Keeper's Circle,” or, more of a parody, actually, since a review would actually have some kind of substance to it and not just...a slew of insults thrown at a show you claim to like. It's almost like you're looking for something to be mad at, but anyway.

One of those was the OP actually asking someone to (probably joking, but anyway) explain "how Ben's mind works" to them.

And I was like, gladly!

According to the comments under the review, it seems like the general audience didn't really like this episode all that much when it first aired. Which, I bring up because, I on the other hand, actually did. And for a reason: because it proves my previous defence points right.

There's a lot of talk about Ben coming off as a “jerk” or a “douchebag”...but, in a situation such as the one presented within “The Flame Keeper’s Circle,” I would argue he did exactly what he should have done. So that's where I beg to differ.

This episode puts Ben in a position where he, once again, needs to deal with the overlap of a romantic relationship and his priorities as a superhero. The only reason there is conflict here is because they are both important to him.

A bad boyfriend would only care about himself, but Ben clearly cares about not only the safety of his (clearly, quite naive) girlfriend, but also the safety of the rest of the earth. Which, as I’m going to be stating several times, should be something expected of him considering everything else within the series that establishes who he is as a character.

So, on the topic of things that are important, ask yourselves, why would Ben prioritize going along with Julie's idea of joining a cult more than keeping her, and the rest of the world, safe when he realizes the trouble she could potentially be getting herself into?

Throughout the episode, and the fandom’s discussions from what I’ve seen, there is so much focus on "oh, he laughed at her idea so he's a douchebag and therefore a bad boyfriend" and not enough focus on the fact that he's not blindly following an alleged “good cause” because he isn't naive and that's in character based on everything we know about him as a character.

Context matters. And this kind of thing only further makes me question the people who want to cry "inconsistent" writing or characterization because he's acting the way he's been conditioned to.

Arguably from the age of ten, Ben's been dealing with situations where he needed to fight to survive and decide who to trust. Sometimes he trusted the wrong person, which wasn't done out of any other reason besides wanting to help and do the "right thing."

For example, Michael Morningstar in the episode “All That Glitters,” who fooled Ben and his team into thinking he was innocent all while abusing school girls for their life energy and almost killing Ben's cousin.

Or, Simian in “Birds of a Feather," who fooled Ben into thinking he was royalty and into helping him steal something that would aid the Highbreed in their mass murder plot.

In that way, Ben and Julie could have related in this situation because they were both trusting people in the interest of doing something “good.” Both Michael and Simian made Ben believe that they had something in common, or a common goal they could work together to reach. But, he trusted them blinded by his ambition and drive to save the world. Much like Julie is blinded by the promise of being a part of a group trying to make the world a better place.

As such, Ben has made the mistake before, so he's extra weary of how things could go very wrong. He's not against his girlfriend just to be a “jerk” - he's been through things like this before, and we’ve seen him go through those things.

Furthermore, the situation in which Julie is trusting The Flame Keeper’s Circle involves her indirectly agreeing to work with Vilgax. Who, as anyone familiar with Ben should know, is one of if not Ben’s biggest, and more importantly, most dangerous enemy.

Again, she, at the beginning didn’t know that he was involved, or what Ben had gone through already to make him act the way he does in this situation, but she does know what his job entails at this point in the series. She should probably infer that he’s suspicious for a good reason, as should the audience.

Not trusting people blindly is something he learned from being the leader of his team, while trying to protect the earth, namely from the Highbreed invasion back in Alien Force when he was putting together a stronger team. It would only make sense for him to then apply that to a situation in which his significant other gets roped into that which he fights against.

Speaking of fighting against, that brings me to another odd criticism of the writing of this episode. It’s no surprise that the flawed belief of Ben coming off as an alleged “sociopath” is brought up again, considering this episode takes place after The Ultimate Kevin arc. And yes, I realize the problematic connotations of using that term as a borderline insult as part of the issue here. But that aside, in this episode, the fact that he begins to fight Vilgax in his apparent “weakened” state is what is being attributed to that description.

Besides the fact that defending Vilgax is questionable in itself, he’s never needed water to survive for the many times he actually tried to kill Ben. I can’t find a solid answer from a writer that knows for certain if his need for water is genuine except for one who is only assuming that is the case when he’s in this state.

But regardless, (since he clearly survived long enough to morph with Dagon and become a bigger threat to the earth later on) we are still defending Vilgax the LITERAL INTERGALACTIC WARLORD.

Y’know, the guy who’s only in this position because of his own immoral actions? Who absolutely would not hesitate to take advantage of his opponent's weakened state in order to further get away with his immoral actions? Such as he is in this very episode, taking advantage of the people wrongfully worshiping him?

If we are trying to imply that Ben is “just as bad as Vilgax,” then I would assume you’d easily find the flaw in that being Ben’s motivation for incapacitating a dangerous offender who is, at the moment, manipulating naive humans to work for him and help him continue get away with his immoral actions. Which is, needless to say, not the same as Vilgax, at all.

Again, you’d think that’d be obvious.

The Flame Keeper’s Circle’s mission is to end human suffering and find a solution to certain issues happening across the globe with the help of alien technology that is much more advanced than what everyday people are used to. And, while the end goal seems like a good cause, even something Ben as a superhero would be all for, the means through which they attempt to get there aren’t a good idea, at all.

A lot of people find it hard to navigate the use of technology considered advanced by human standards in the real world, so you can only imagine the various things that could go wrong if those kinds of people were suddenly exposed to something much more powerful. In short, a lot could go wrong.

Again, Ben has been in that exact position as soon as he was armed with the Omnitrix. Which is exactly why he’d see the flaw in what these people are trying to do, and therefore not be convinced that it’s such a good idea to allow them to continue, much less endorse it.

This is why I love when the writers actually allow Ben to speak for himself instead of cutting him off for drama or plot. Once he actually gets a word in, or more accurately, has his moment of heroic monologue, he makes himself very clear and, I think, only further proves what I’m trying to say about him.

Here he is, explaining exactly what I’ve been trying to highlight throughout this body of work:

Ben: “Even if Dagon was real, using alien technology to accelerate a planet’s natural development won’t bring utopia, it’ll bring disaster. It’s happened before. Why do you think the Plumbers have those laws? But even that’s not the point, because that isn’t Dagon! His name is Vilgax. He’s not a hero, he’s a selfish, evil warlord who’s using you. And if you let him get in his ship, he’s going to fly off and start an interstellar civil war.”

It’s not that only he can use alien technology to save the world, it’s that his status as a hero proves that he knows what he’s doing, unlike these businessmen in fancy robes leading a cult for profit.

That is not what I would have assumed reasonable people would consider “douchebag behaviour.” That’s actually smart, and going back to my first point, exactly what he should be doing in a situation like this.

The actual episode does end off on a positive note for both Ben and Julie, which is omitted from the review and most of the comments I have read from others on the topic. And, I bring it up because it’s actually vital to wrap up everything brought up within this episode that I have just expanded on. Not only because they make up and seem to understand each other’s perspective after all is said and done, but because they both agree to be open to further discussion on the topic, as Ben offers to go out for dinner.

Which, needless to point out I hope, but once again, is not “douchebag behaviour.”

#new essay to make up for all the drama lately #enjoy ben 10 protection squad <3 #ben 10 #ben tennyson #ben 10 ultimate alien #the flame keeper's circle #benlie #julie yamamoto #ben 10 uaf #essay files #and yes new essay title format cuz reasons :P

[bambeptin]

the map of infinity was wild as hell: an analysis

ok, let's get this out of the way first: there's no reason why Professor Paradox had to make the Map of Infinity other than "for fun".

which makes sense! he’s immortal, he’s been travelling for a while, and he’s likely very, very, very bored. anything he does is probably to chase new stimuli. his sense of morality is off, from human standards.

it's the complete space-time map of 17 different dimensions, which Paradox doesn't technically need, since he has the Chrononavigator and his own innate time powers. he doesn't even need it to reach the Forge of Creation, since he can literally just like, walk there whenever. Paradox was the person that made the barrier between the Forge and the rest of the Universe in the first place. was it even always outside of the universe? did he send it out there? I imagine it sort of went like this:

"boy, am I bored today!"

"let's see if I can make an in-depth map of a bunch of different dimensions"

fought Celestialsapiens when he reached the Forge of Creation, K6BD-style. they can't kill him (his powerset matches up well against theirs) and he can't kill them all (and they’re starting to mess with his time plans), so eventually they agree to a treaty. he found the war sorta fun

bored again

"what do I do with this map I made? destroy it? no, that would be pointless..."

"oh! I know!"

"split it into 4 parts, 2 of which are keystones to a world and 2 of which are in death trap temples, because that would be 1. fun to make and 2. could lead to fun situations in the future"

let's go over them all!

Map Piece 1. Mykdl'dy

gesundheit. if you don’t remember this planet, it’s the half hot/half cold one that Paradox made a death trap temple on, which is now guarded by Necrofriggian cultists.

"welcome to my crib....... I enjoyed creating brutalism-inspired shapes of dark grey prisms against the ever-changing backdrop of ice and fire. in front are two statues of a mysterious person in robes, because I thought it would look cool. within are some dastardly traps that I designed myself, so watch out! the Necrofriggian colonists making a religion out of it wasn't my intention though. it's just a coincidence that they're the same species as the statues! I felt like the high point of this temple is dragon-wyrm that I created! the acid is a fantastic extra touch.”

“dungeon design is my passion.”

it seems like he decorated the inner parts the most, lovingly, with his shade of blue, used a bunch of magical spells (presumably; elaborated on later) for that part too, then realized that it would be a bit of a pain decorating the rest of the place and made the rest plainer. I wonder if he made it all himself, or like, hired some dudes

Map Piece 2. Piscciss

it’s hidden as the anti-gravity multiplier that holds Piscciss together.

“huh?” you might ask. “why would that piece have that power?”

I don’t know, maybe they all had that power or something. maybe if Aggregor just took one and started blasting everyone with anti-gravity the arc would be over way faster. maybe it’s magic. maybe Paradox is fucking with you.

“wait???” you might ask next. “it’s hidden as WHAT????”

that’s right! this is the little thing that keeps Piscciss a planet and not a bunch of water filled with dead fish floating around in space. “haha yeah this works perfectly... trust me it's not a macguffin that will be stolen and break your planet apart and someone in the future will have to sacrifice an alien to replace it lol...” - Paradox handing the anti-gravity multiplier to the Piscciss Volann when they were making an artificial water planet for them to live on

either that or the Piscciss Volann stumbled on the piece in an unseen other death trap temple, found its powers, and decided to use it, which sort of goes against the whole “Paradox hid all the pieces” thing if he simply never checked up on them

Map Piece 3. Perplexahedron

I know they went to Ledgerdomain third but that is saved for the end because it’s fucking mental. so we’re gonna talk about the Perplaxahedron. it’s the cube from Cube (1997).

if you don’t know what that is, it’s an absolutely huge artificial planet/building that’s entirely made of death traps. each new room is an exciting and fresh way to die. invigorating! while it does have a simple design, it’s efficient at what it does, and the clinical nature adds to the theme of being an unknowable deadly object. that’s what he probably describes it as anyways. again, did he build all of that himself? can I make a “Paradox construction squad” OC?

maybe Paradox made these dudes to help build the place, and kept them around as guards, because that’s efficiency.

this dude’s sole purpose in life is to wait there and hand over the Map of Infinity piece to whoever’s smart enough to get inside. I assume Paradox made him, because he disappears from reality like ten minutes after he hands it out, but Paradox has hired people to be guards in his temples before. the pay must be really good. maybe their culture is like that. maybe he didn’t disappear and actually it was an actor to squeeze the most drama out of the universe.

anyways, if he was real, Ben basically ruined his life before he died by tossing out the very important piece of the Map to Aggregor for basically no reason. oops!

Map Piece 4. Ledgerdomain

“he can reach the Forge of Creation. so obviously he can reach Ledgerdomain, a dimension of pure mana. what’s the problem?” well, there’s really no problem. it’s quite cool! no, what’s wild is that nobody really thinks about the ramifications of this piece of the Map of Infinity. for a refresher, this is what it’s hidden as:

“It is an object as old as time itself, through which all magic flows. It is the keeper of the true name of [Ledgerdomain]; source of ultimate power! And it is mine!“ - Charmcaster

the secret true name of magic. if you have it, you have power over magic itself.  it can revive the dead or instantly kill people. that power corrupts its wielder easily. also, if it’s removed from Ledgerdomain, the realm loses all natural entry/exit points, destabilizes, and begins the crumble. that’s right! it’s the Alpha Rune.

Paradox is confirmed to have actually made the Alpha Rune, not just hidden a piece as the Rune. I implore you to think about what that entails.

he knows magic (3-page minicomic I made about that topic). he doesn’t just know magic, he knows the secret name of magic, automatically making him a disgustingly powerful mage. either that or it’s possible to get the secret name of magic without knowing magic, which is fine too, but just being around the Alpha Rune makes you able to cast spells. he probably ripped the Alpha Rune from the Omniverse and bound it to his will because he had nothing else better to do that day. could he make even more Alpha Runes (even if they’re weaker copies), since it knows it already? did making it into Rune form rip it from his own mind? I like to think that the reason why he can’t lie is because if he does, his latent magical abilities will automatically attempt to cast a spell to make it real.

here are three ways you can interpret “Paradox made the Alpha Rune”.

he found the secret name of magic and made the Alpha Rune out of it

he literally made the secret name of magic. i.e. he made magic itself. that would be wild as hell.

the writers didn’t really think about the ramifications of any part of the Map of Infinity past “cool artifact”, which, to be honest, fair enough.

he probably finds all the magic really useful, since it helps streamline all of his temples and stuff. all of the bright blue lines connected to Paradox’s creations might even be magic! or his time powers.

by the way, he pulls the same split-something-into-pieces-and-hide-them-with-death-traps stunt with Maltruant, so I think this is his hobby.

#human au paradox runs an escape room business #the time war is even in a closed-off time loop which is very impressive. i dont even think maltruant knows who paradox is #ben 10 #professor paradox #paradox is eldritch in my mind and you'll never take it away from me #meta #long post

[thecarnivorousmuffinmeta]

Hi!

I've been reading your posts about Rosalie because I love her, and I was wondering if or how you would see her healing from her past/becoming more content with her vampirism.

She doesn't seem happy with the Cullens, as you have written about, but I they provide structure and "humanity" for her. However if she didn't have Emmett as a mate/admirer, she may be able to grow and not rely on her looks in regards to her feelings of safety and control.

I would love to know what you think! I admire all your work :)

So, some thoughts on Rosalie and on Rosalie's happiness vs. staying with the Cullens.

And ooof, I think it’s a long road to recovery. Not impossible but... hard, and certainly by Twilight, Rosalie isn’t anywhere close to being there yet. It’s a bit like curing Marcus of depression, it could happen, but there’s reasons we don’t see it in canon.

Where is Rosalie in Canon and What’s Up With the Cullens?

Rosalie’s relationship to the family is complicated but I do think she’s far better off with them than she would be on her own or with another coven.

Rosalie adores her family and does view them as primarily that, a family. She’s specifically close with Carlisle, but even those like Alice she’s fond of though knows Alice isn’t all that fond of her. She has her spats with Edward but ultimately loves him and likely doesn’t realize quite how low his opinion of her really is.

However, Edward disparages her constantly, bringing up things like her rape as insults and humiliating her in front of the entire family for something she’s genuinely struggling with. Emmett notably never stands up for Rosalie, at least, not beyond “Yeah, she’s a bitch, but she’s my bitch.” And even decades later still struggles notably with the trauma of her rape, her murder, and her inhumanity.

However, as you note, the Cullens provide her human life and human structure. This is the closest Rosalie can get to truly being human, the furthest from being a demon, and she lives this life in a seemingly meaningful way for the betterment of mankind. She’s able to pursue opportunities she never could as a human and marries a man, who does love her for all his faults, that she never would have otherwise.

Rosalie, in other words, is functioning.

She could be better and accept herself, what happened to her, and truly move forward. She could also be much worse.

And that’s the trouble, she’s hit this comfortable plateau, to get beyond this she has to want to change and change must be thrust upon her.

And I don’t think Rosalie wants to change.

Rosalie and the Past

Part of Rosalie’s issue is she both clings to and romanticizes the past as well as humanity itself.

What happened to her was awful and I think part of the way she’s coped with it is imagining what might have been. It’s not even that, really, but this pleasant fantasy of the life she could have lived.

Rosalie could have been human. She could have been a human mother, had a child, she could have married a human Emmett and lived a simple, good, life.

When Rosalie talks to Bella about what she’s going to lose, what Rosalie feels so strongly about, she never truly acknowledges that this wasn’t a life Rosalie Hale was going to have.

Rosalie’s parents were social climbers, Rosalie knew that they were using her beauty and her charm to marry her into money. Royce was utterly irresistible to them, though they didn’t know what he truly was. Even had it not been Royce, I imagine Rosalie may very well have ended up with someone similar.

And if she did not, she would almost certainly have been regulated to the role of a rich man’s wife. Her children go to boarding school, she barely sees them, she has tea with ladies but is unable to interact with business or a man’s world.

That idyllic country dream with Emmett: that was never her life.

And that’s what human life is. It’s hard, it’s not fair, and so often we do not get what we want based on arbitrary circumstances we’re born into. Rosalie has painted that away.

I think to heal, Rosalie would have to admit that humanity is not what she thinks it is. It’s not this golden idea. It’s nothing bad either. It just is, it’s a different state of being that, in and of itself, could not guarantee her happiness.

Happiness is for Rosalie to grab, not for humanity to thrust upon her.

Rosalie and Her Loss of Fertility and Identity

Being infertile left a large, traumatizing, mark on Rosalie. Women (still are but especially then) were defined by their ability to bear children. To be barren or to not have children was a mark against you: you have in some manner failed as a woman.

In losing her ability to have children all of this is stripped from Rosalie. She will never be a mother, will forever be something like a girl, and she loses much of her sense of personhood in that.

And this... This might even be harder than coming to terms with her rape. This is painful. Rosalie will have to confront the deepest, most gruesome, hurts within her and take a good long look at them.

She’ll have to let go of both her fantasies, the society she came from and what it expected of her, and the hypothetical child she will never have.

Many people do not get over this and... To be honest, I don’t know how Rosalie would either. It’s not something I see her wanting to face about herself.

Perhaps, in helping to raise Renesmee, this will lessen. Except Renesmee is not her child, looks very much like a mixture of Bella and Edward. And Renesmee is also... Renesmee, she’s a very alien inhuman child who is bound to only become stranger with aid.

Perhaps, in realizing Renesmee is not what she pictured, Rosalie will be able to confront this and let her longing for a child go. She could just as easily cling to it with all of her might.

Rosalie Doesn’t Want to Change

Perhaps the most damning is that Rosalie is comfortable as of canon. She could be better, she could be worse, but she doesn’t seem to want to change. Would she want to be human? Yes. But she can’t, and she’s settled for what she has.

Bella Swan was the biggest catalyst her family has seen in a long time.

Bella forced Rosalie to confront the worst aspects of herself: all those open wounds related to her death, her vampirism, and what she lost.

Bella throws everything Rosalie ever wanted out the window without a care in the world (and somehow gets the child anyway). Bella pursues a man who is anything but human to live this empty shell of a life.

Bella is the thing that should have had Rosalie taking a deep, long, look at herself and realizing what she needs to to get better and move on.

The catalyst was there, the pieces were set, and yet Rosalie doesn’t.

Rosalie doesn’t heal because she does not wish to. Because it’s hard, it’s painful, it’s extremely unpleasant. So she interacts with this woman who is so unlike her, who doesn’t share any values with her at all, but she does not reflect upon herself.

The prime opportunity slips her by.

Okay But How Would She Heal?

I think Bella, in many ways, was her best chance. Bella was the ultimate foil for Rosalie, representing everything Rosalie would not do while still being very human. More, (at least at this point), Rosalie sees Edward and Bella find happiness in each other with inhumanity. Bella doesn’t sacrifice her humanity for this, she gladly trades it away.

And that could have been enough for Rosalie to realize that, perhaps, she is not damned. Perhaps, she too, can find peace and happiness with who and what she is.

Well, that ship sailed.

Her next options are much harder.

The Cullens fall apart or Renesmee leaves on a journey of self discovery.

In the first case, Rosalie’s crutch of humanity is gone, the family is gone. This will be devestating for all involved but especially her. She’ll have to reevaluate her entire life, who she is, and what she wants to do. She could heal from this. She could also become very codependent on Emmett. It could go either way.

As for Renesmee leaving, if this is before the family split, that will be a huge blow to Rosalie. It’s Renesmee as Bella 2.0, rejecting everything Rosalie believes in, the Cullen family and way of life, because it’s not enough for her. Rosalie will have to reflect on her relationship with Renesmee, with the family at large, and with vampirism in search for answers. This will be painful but could be a healing process for her.

But I don’t think the road to Rosalie’s recovery will be a pleasant one. If it was pleasant, she’d be further along than we see her in canon.

#twilight #twilight meta #twilight headcanon #twilight renaissance #rosalie hale #emmett cullen #rosalie/emmett #carlisle cullen #edward cullen #anti edward cullen #renesmee cullen #bella swan #meta #headcanon #opinion