Tumgik
#There are entire comics devoted to why it's a terrible idea
daresplaining · 1 year
Text
A Decade of Daredevil
Tumblr media
Daredevil vol. 2 #500 connecting cover art by Marko Djurdjevic
Today is an important day for me, so I wanted to make sure I acknowledged it in some form. It was exactly ten years ago, on February 24th, 2013, that I read my very first Daredevil comic. It was a digital freebie on the Marvel website (the reason I know the exact date is because I still have the emailed receipt). I had heard the name Daredevil through the natural osmosis of reading other Marvel series, but I didn't know anything about the character. However, I was also at the stage in my superhero comics journey where I was reading everything I could get my hands on, so I was more than happy to give it a shot.
The issue in question was Daredevil Volume 2 #500. I've always wondered why they picked that particular one to offer up for free in order, presumably, to entice new readers to try out Daredevil, since not only is it the last issue of a story arc, it's the last issue of an entire run. It's a terrible entry point, and I had no idea what was going on. There was a woman in a coma, there was another woman getting kidnapped, Daredevil was destroying some guy's car... I distinctly remember getting to the scene where Black Tarantula dangles Foggy off a roof and being unsure how concerned I should be, since I didn't know if Foggy was an important character or just some dude. But against all odds, I enjoyed it! The action was cool, I was intrigued by Matt as a character, and so the next time I went to the comic book store, I made sure to check out their Daredevil collection.
I was in Montpellier, France, at the time, which has a wonderful little comic shop called Planètes Interdites (not, as far as I know, affiliated with any of the various other Forbidden Planets). Being overseas, they didn't get weekly new releases of American comics, but they did have a very nice selection of back issues in both English and French-- including, fortunately for me, the first issue of the current Daredevil run at the time, which was Volume 3 (Waid, Rivera, and Co. had been Daredevilling for just under a year-and-a-half by this point). I flipped through it and a few other back issues before eventually buying a Panini 2-in-1 French translation of Daredevil Volume 1 #288 and 289, because I really liked the art and also because I wanted to practice my French. I walked out of the store perfectly happy, unaware of what had just been planted in my brain.
Over the next few days, I found myself distracted at random moments by a mental image. It was a page from the Daredevil #1 I had so casually flipped through and then decided not to buy. It was this page:
Tumblr media
Daredevil vol. 3 #1 by Mark Waid, Paolo Rivera, Joe Rivera, Javier Rodriguez, and Joe Caramagna
It kept coming back to me. It started taking over my thoughts. It wouldn't leave me alone. It was just...so cool! Finally, after a week of this, I couldn't take it anymore. I ran back to the comic book store and bought the issue. To this day, it remains probably my most-read issue of Daredevil, and coming back to it feels like sitting on a comfortable chair that you've had for a million years. I'm sure I have it memorized.
This issue gave me direction; hooked, I caught up with the rest of the current run, and at some point decided that I was going to commit to this thing. I was going to devote the time it would take to read every issue of Daredevil. How could I not? I was obsessed.
And so, I did.
Anniversaries like these are always weird. It feels like it's been forever, but also like it's been just a few short years, and I know that to many long-term DD fans, one decade is no time at all. It's hard to sum up the experience, all of the happiness this comic and these characters have brought me, the friends I've made, the nutty things I've done that I never would have considered trying otherwise-- getting up on the cosplay stage at the Marvel booth at one of the biggest conventions in the world...walking around in the sketchy corners of New York City at sunset alone to catch a glimpse of the Netflix show being filmed...making a fan blog on Tumblr... It's been a wild and exciting ten years, and I'm grateful to have been able to spend such a long time immersed in the Daredevil world and hanging out with a character who means so much to me. So, I guess...happy tenth anniversary to me and Matt Murdock. Thanks for the memories, man. Let's keep this going.
39 notes · View notes
yanlei-a · 9 months
Note
Would Zed blush if someone called him their heartlight? After the incident with shen, does he have the ability to romance/fall in love again?
— anon
Tumblr media
answering the second question first: could he fall in love again?
i think so, i just don't think it'd ever be easy. even before he left the kinkou, i don't think romance would have been necessarily easy if only because he had so many issues related to his self-worth resulting from literally everything he lived before. in my long ass post about yevnai, i mentioned i don't think he was in love with her, but rather infatuated with the idea someone was interested in him like that — with shen it's different, because there's so much genuine affection and gratitude and devotion involved, and even then i do think he'd have hesitated to see himself as worthy of having his affections retributed, at least for a considerable amount of the time they had together.
at some point he did manage to overcome those feelings, and that's definitely not the case anymore, he doesn't see himself as lesser, but there are so many other complications. from the moment he decided not only to leave the kinkou, but really when he decides to go back for the tears of shadows, zed knows he's damning himself to a path of no return he can't really expect anyone to be willing to walk with him — and to which he doesn't want the person he has the most love for to share (which is why he goes to such lengths to ensure shen won't follow him to the darkness).
the constant about him from that point on is that he is willing to do increasingly terrible things for his ideals and to protect ionia. he embraced his villain role, believing it is ultimately necessary. that, however, also means keeping most people at arm's length. there are too many who'd reject him for what he is, and even among those who wouldn't, zed is definitely not trusting or easily approachable. the man chose to close himself off, and i think it'd be a very slow and difficult process to get him to open up to anyone. even among his own order, i don't see him being generally open or in any way very affectionate, even with platonic relationships (and i do think his pupils are the exception, there, because of the role he has in their lives and the fact he's trying to be better to them than his own master was to him but anyway that's beside the point). the point is anyone interested would have to deal with the fact he's not changing his ways, he is going to continue doing horrible things and playing his role as the villain, he will actively try to keep them at a safe distance before they have his affection. he won't even believe there's someone who genuinely cares about him like that and there's nothing more involved in that, that it isn't an attempt at manipulation or to exploit vulnerability.
and, well, when it comes to shen, he really doesn't expect shen to be a part of his life like that (or in any positive way, really), after the comic events. that was his last, desperate attempt at getting shen to realize the truth without breaking his word, and even before that they've been apart (and enemies) for many years. he clearly holds shen in high regard and always will. shen will never not be important to him. but that doesn't necessarily implicate romantic feelings always.
so is it impossible? not really. but it'd take patience and time and dedication, and even in a scenario where there are feelings from both sides, zed might still be unwilling to act on them if he thinks the association with him would make the other person suffer in any way. it'd still take patience because he cares so much and he's capable of so much love but receiving it is something else entirely. he doesn't really know how to deal with that. there are so many old wounds left by the people he was close to before. and it'd have to be someone he trusts entirely and that is, before being a lover, a friend.
anyway if anyone is willing to go through all the obstacles and love him flawed and broken as he is, then, sure, romance is still possible. the pros are you'll have the most devoted partner. will kill for you. also die, possibly. but also be mindful of his single dad status and that his kids apparently aren't fond of the idea of their dad dating lmao
as to how he'd react to being called heartlight... i assume that'd demand a committed relationship, considering how the word is used in canon, so it'd have to be used by someone who he loves and who loves him after they're already together. regardless, it'd make him so very soft?? genuinely don't think he ever expected to be with someone like that. if he's not expecting it the first time, then maybe he'd be a little flustered, but for the most part i think he wouldn't be as much embarrassed as it'd make him melt completely. it's a very meaningful and loving word, and one he would consider himself the antithesis of (to be the light in someone's heart? ironic, when he made shadow his business). but whoever got to the point would have shown they see something good in him already, and he wouldn't be as unwilling to acknowledge that with them, so. but yeah it's not a word he would use lightly, so it'd be very meaningful to him. it'd make him a little emotional.
8 notes · View notes
Note
Comics this week?
Danger Street #1 - Enjoyable! Not sure if King can handle all these characters, he's not a writer who is the best at giving everyone their own voice, but I liked the first issue. Haven't seen anyone offer a guess who the villain that traumatized Lady Cop is, must be a deep cut.
Dark Crisis: Big Bang #1 - An entire issue devoted to Waid indulging his Silver Age fanboy, but in a manner I don't enjoy compared to World's Finest. What the hell is the point of bringing back all these obscure worlds from Pre-Crisis that no one except Waid and a few other boomers know or care about? Why do we need two official vampire worlds? Or the Justice Lords and Injustice? Or the Crime Syndicate and apparently a Pre-Crisis Earth where the names stayed the same but the moralities flipped? Yippee I guess, must make sure that every evil Superman has their own official Earth. Morrison wanted to make sure that the Multiverse was more than just "hey here's Superman and Batman but this time they're Egyptian", they wanted the Multiverse to support different characters as being equal to the usual A-Listers. This new Multiverse is regressing back to the old status quo of there being a million Earths and Superman and Batman are the stars on every one. Weird that they left off the Arkhamverse, Tomorrowverse, and YJverse but included Injustice and DCSG. No films or TV Earths besides the Reeve/Keaton one, and even that is just meant to stand in for the Superman '78/Batman '89 comics. If this aimed to get me excited about the Multiverse it failed, I just want the damn thing to go away for a while and let DC focus on Earth 0 for a bit.
WildC.A.T.S. #2 - Breezy read but fun. Didn't expect Mr. Majestic to make his return so soon. Lot of Superman analogues, and actual Supermen, running around the DCU, somebody should do something with all of them.
Superman: Son of Kal-El #18 - Well this issue encapsulated this entire run in a nutshell: some interesting ideas that are failed by terrible execution resulting in a bland book. At least I can finally hop off Taylor's ride, won't be letting sunk cost tricking me into reading the next miniseries. A recent interview by Taylor made it sound like AoS will indeed be the finale for his time with the character, he was talking about how other people will be writing Jon after him and how Jon will be a big player in what's coming up. Until Taylor finishes writing Jon I've got zero interest in Jon anymore. Let his era be over soon please, this issue was clearly not meant to be the end of the series which tells me this was a sudden change, likely caused by editorial losing faith in Taylor as Jon's caretaker.
I Am Batman #16 - Huh. Didn't see that coming but I am intrigued where it goes. Ridley also gave an interview recently where he talked about other people writing Jace after him. Maybe Jace will be getting his own follow up mini just like Jon is, but by someone else.
Batman Incorporated #3 - Ghost-Maker is a total asshole and I'm not sure how long I'll keep reading if he remains the star. Dude needs to get humbled fast.
Invincible Iron Man #1 - Fine. About the same level of quality as Duggan's X-Men for what that's worth. Should have gotten Hickman on this, it's insane that Iron Man was the breakout star of the MCU and Marvel cannot seem to get him that modern day epic run he desperately needs.
Planet Hulk: Worldbreaker #2 - Pak is sleepwalking through this it feels like. Either that or it's decompressed for the trade, because not much is actually happening issue to issue. Jen's fate reminds me of the 40k God-Emperor.
2 notes · View notes
phantomchick · 2 years
Note
Ok like I’m not 100% sure on who I’d say you’re passionate about (character-wise) except for Jason Todd, so if you want to post some musings on him I’d be thrilled to hear them :]
Ooooh maybe because I love this character so much it's a little hard to articulate my feelings about this? I'll do my best though! Thank you for the ask.
So:
Top five ideas/concepts/etc that I believe are essential to accurately depicting Jason Todd
1. The Core, The tragedy; the crux, the turning point, whatever you wanna call it, the pathos of Jason Todd's character lies in the fact that he was good, before he died.
He was a good Robin.
A good hero, someone who loved Bruce and loved life even with the messy complicated bits and was loved in return, someone with their whole future ahead of them. That's what makes the confrontation in UTRH so fucking sad. The fact that Jason was the best of us and Bruce knows it, the fact that Bruce and Jason made a great team, father and son, batman and robin, they worked well together they were partners side by side and yet they're so far apart now and there's the question of whether they'll ever be able to close this vast gaping rift that's between them and there's the sinking knowledge that that love, devoted and constant as it was may always be lost because of irreconcilable differences. A pivotal aspect of Jason's character, his trauma and foundation, is that before "he took me away from you", before Jason was brutally murdered and came back only to find another kid wearing his identity and living in his house and his murderer still breaking out of prison every year to kill, before all that, he was good. And he was innocent and that innocence is gone and he'll never get it back. Bruce might never get him back, something that aches especially after seeing how much Jason's loss has haunted him over the years in comics like Knightfall. If you retroactively make him a bad Robin, a violent person who solves his problems with murder and was always going to grow up to be a violent person who solves his problems with murder? Then that central tragedy becomes warped, it undermines the entire narrative, the entire emotional heft and weight of the character and the character's bonds.
2. What motivates him and why. In the words of the great @cerusee try to think about the psychological processes, or the experiences of events Jason might have had that could connect child Jason to adult Jason; that gives you a lens with which to interpret adult actions and assume motivations. You can also explore the emotional disconnect between the two if that's what you like!
3. Make him competent! It doesn't make sense for him to be otherwise, he had a 4.0 gpa and overall excellent grades in school to the extent he was considered a nerd by some of his classmates, he was trained by the Batman as well as the league of Assassins who trained the Batman, not to mention the line up of teachers of various expertise Talia provided for him in a literal replication of the training journey Bruce himself went through, and that's before you even get into the likes of the All Caste and their time distorting pocket dimension. Additionally, during UTRH he literally took over the entirety of the Gotham criminal underground in a fortnight and that was just a step in his plan to get the Joker out to kill him, this man is meticulous, goal oriented, observant and incredibly capable. Gotham gang crime is an immense network that's been clearly portrayed as vast and untenable in comics of that time such as Birds of Prey, War Crimes (terrible as it was) and Nightwing. Not to mention the Batman depictions of it such as Long Halloween and Dark Victory. He singlehandedly broke the stranglehold Black Mask had on the city that Batman was temporarily letting stand due to wanting things to settle after the events of Batman: War Crimes. It really grates when people make him less skillful or less intelligent than he rightfully should be.
4. Make bold decisions about what you envision the character as and don't let the canon dictate your boundaries. It's totally valid to ignore entire swathes of canon if you find them ooc! I personally find a lot of his canon characterisation all over the place at best and viciously classist and clickbaity in development at worst. Whether it's using him to prop up another robin of the hour in comparison, just using him as a violent reckless misguided foil to Batman or portraying him as a lesser person and more of an antagonist than a hero and retroactively making him 'someone who never should've been made robin' thereby again undercutting and sabotaging their own narrative for no good reason, there is a lot of sucky canon to wade through and pick apart if you want a coherent characterisation. Like in that one Rhato issue where Jason hallucinates Joker killing Robin Jason and younger hallucination Jason cries out to his older self for help? And Jason having experienced this hallucination several times before, knows he can't really help, sits back and does nothing (until after robin-him dies and then killing Joker for self satisfaction despite knowing the pointlessness of it), the whole issue served to not so subtly re-contextualise Jason as the villain and the one to blame in his own murder, "it's not just Joker killing Robin it's Jason himself who lets happen!" heavy handed way to excuse dc for the responsibility of the writing choice or what. Stuff like that and like battle for the cowl is common and beyond fucked up and it's fine to ignore it and pick and choose what you accept. However, importantly it is equally valid to come up with motivations and reasoning for morally messed up portrayals of him in comics like Nightwing: Brothers in Blood or Battle for the Cowl, if that serves more cathartic for you. I mean @envysparkler on ao3 has an entire catalogue of re-imaginings of the scene where he beats Tim up in Titans tower and I love their stuff. There are also people who vibe with the modern portrayal of him because they identify with him as a victim of Batman's failures/jerkishness and enjoy his darker side. I enjoy those kinds of call out fics and too! @lananiscorner has some great arkham knight stuff especially. However personally? I generally find the more modern canon portrayals of Batman, especially when it comes to his dynamic with Jason, grim dark and overly edgy. Batman is a wish fulfilment hero inspired by the romanticism of fictional heroes that came before him the likes of the Scarlet Pimpernel, Zorro, The Phantom, The Shadow as well as detective stories like The Bat, Dick Tracy and Sherlock Holmes. He's supposed to be someone who saves, who inspires, who has the ability to make a difference, he's the wish fulfilment of being able to save the day by punching the problem and alternatively having enough resources and money to make a difference in a societal way, he's mysterious, he's dark, he's broody but has a core of compassion and kindness behind his every action. He's supposed to be heroic! And heroes don't abuse their kids. It's hard to find the tolerance line of what's still acceptable as Batman messing up and being emotionally inept Batman.. and not being acceptable as Batman. This got long winded but basically... In my opinion, a core concept to keep in mind while writing Jason? Is ignoring a lot of what's written about Jason. The same applies to the characters closest to him and his relationships with them. Use your own judgement.
5. Remember the core! In this case the core appeal. For me. He's a character rooted in hiraeth, he can't go back and doesn't know if he'd want to now, but the fact remains that place that used to be his is gone. Along with the future he could've had. But is he doomed to brood and linger on that? Where is he going? What does he want most? Jason isn't apathetic, he cares deeply about everyone he meets, about his family, about his past and about his choices. Is he someone who kills because with the likes of the Joker, there's no other option if you want to prevent them from killing the innocent, it's been proven demonstrably that containing them doesn't work. Or is he just someone who'll kill any criminal, ala The Punisher? Someone who Batman doesn't trust not to kill. There's also the sense of isolation and craving for love while simultaneously distrusting it, as well as the way he compares himself, his worth, how much his father cares, with his siblings. While exploring his relationships with other characters and his struggles with his past, his future and his motivations for his type of justice. I think it's interesting to remember the idea that he's someone who's very lost and lonely, someone who grieves for not having been grieved, someone without a love he can trust. Jason is terribly kind, and terribly angry and, terribly, terribly sad all at the same time. I think for me that's where the whump hits hardest. The fact that he's lashing out is undeniable, but also relateable. It's good to keep in mind what draws you to a character as well as what kind of stories about them hit you hardest when you yourself are trying to write them, I try to always keep that in mind when writing Jason especially. I want to write things that bring out the appeal, the thing that makes him resonate and attracts me. I like to put him in situations that show it off!
48 notes · View notes
thanksjro · 3 years
Text
More Than Meets the Eye #31 - Ammo and the Anti-Glowup
So, the Lost Light disappeared, stranding all the crew in space in their little escape pods. 200-some robots just lost their homes and worldly possessions. That’s absolutely horrible. What a devastating thing to happen.
Anyway, here’s Drift with a flashback sequence.
Tumblr media
No hips, fingers all the exact same length, hockey pucks embedded in his forearms- Rojo, this is a crime you’ve committed. When will the long arm of the law stop your sinful, pancake-shaped hands?
About two years prior to current events, Drift, Riptide, and Pipes- yes, Pipes!- were wandering around trying to find a ship for the space yacht trip. The gang’s here to see who owns the big honkin’ ship outside. Problem is, Drift is unintentionally terrifying because he has a great deal of swords.
Now, you may say to yourself “isn’t it a bit odd that the species that has members who literally turn into guns would be nervous around a guy with swords?” This is a valid critique, until you remember that at least some of the folks who turn into guns were born that way, and Drift was very much NOT born bladed the fuck out. There’s an entire miniseries devoted to explaining this, it’s called Drift. The swords are a choice, one that he makes every day.
Drift is willing to pay an honestly absurd amount of money for the ship, if he can just find the dude with the paperwork- don’t ask where he got the money. Pipes isn’t being terribly helpful in finding them, so Riptide decides that now is the time to start practicing being proactive and pulls a Coyote Ugly.
No, no, he doesn’t.
He does climb up on a table and start yelling for the ship’s owners to reveal themselves, though. Which they do.
Now it’s time for the world-building portion of our comic issue. Let’s learn about chirolinguistics.
Tumblr media
Drift, staying true to his Mary Sue nature, uses his near-perfect Hand skills to strike up a deal with the owners of the ship. This would be impressive, if it didn’t just look like the most convoluted hand-holding session in the friggin’ universe.
Tumblr media
Still, Drift is rich enough to make Jeff Bezos weep with envy, so the arrangements are made and the lads go on their way, talking some mad shit about the original name of the ship as they do.
Tumblr media
So it is revealed to us that the Lost Light is named after a festival for honoring the dead and disappeared, which makes the fact that Rewind and Chromedome were there all the more sad.
Back in the present, Megatron tells Riptide to shut up so they can figure out what the hell they’re going to do about this whole “our home and also ride has ceased to exist” situation. He’s putting an awful lot of distance between himself and the rest of the Autobots as he does it, something that isn’t lost on the more bitter people of the crowd.
But why were we even talking about the Lost Light in the first place? Not to reminisce, believe it or not. See, it’s time for Nautica to get a little panel time, and she’s going to use it to be a massive fucking nerd and explain how the quantum engines work. As she does, Ratchet notes that his hands feel funny. Must be the weight of his hand-stealing sins manifesting itself in his joints.
Nautica explains that the engines run off of improbability- it is highly unlikely, but not impossible, that the ship can reach light speed, and riding the fine line between what can happen and what can’t, results in the creation of power for the engines. If this sounds familiar, it’s because Brainstorm gave us a watered down version of this explanation back in issue #2. If it sounds familiar for a different reason, it’s because this is how the Heart of Gold runs in Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Again, I’m not sure why it is that the British love this concept so much, but there you are.
Oh, it appears someone has a question. Let’s see what they want to know about, shall we?
Tumblr media
…Rojo, what the fuck is this.
Our muppety friend here isn’t too keen on how much of a smarmy asshole Nightbeat is being right now, though I’d assume it actually has something to do with the fact that Nightbeat got smacked around with the pretty-boy stick while Getaway very much did not. While the two bicker- there’s a lot of bickering in Season Two- Nautica presents a theory on what happened to the ship; it went too far in the direction of “can’t” and made itself cease to be.
Megatron gives not a shit about quantum improbability, though. He only cares about how they’re going to get out of this mess. Which, y’know. Valid.
Blaster picks up a radio from Rodimus, who tells the gang that they’re to meet up on a nearby planet to regroup and figure out their next move. The call drops before he can get more than a couple Megatron-directed insults in, however. Megatron, in response, tries to be the bigger person, and almost immediately fails. We do get a headcount though, which is good, logistically speaking. This information is communicated to us by way of a splash page full of character head shots. We’ve got 20 ‘bots on board this ship.
Tumblr media
Yep. 20. No more, no less.
As our friends approach the planet, we’re informed that it’s actually a Lectureworld- a planet devoted to the study of a single field. Except it’s actually a Smartplanet now, and it’s been privatized by the Galactic Council, so you’ve got to pay to go there. Cyclonus thinks that that’s bullshit, and I can’t help but agree. Crosscut tries to network with they guy about his play, probably because word got around that Cyclonus is rich as hell, when the lights cut out. When they come back on, Crosscut is nowhere to be found.
It’s time for a Whodunnit.
Tailgate immediately pegs Megatron as the culprit in this disappearance, and breaks out a gun over the matter. Megatron thinks that this is absolutely adorable, which only serves to further infuriate our marshmallow friend. I guess he’s still mad about the whole “I was a Decepticon for five minutes and got brainwashed over it” thing, and wants someone to pin the anger on who’s socially acceptable to hate.
Cyclonus and Ratchet both think that Tailgate’s not going about this the right way, but the guy is simply too het up to listen to them. Tailgate suggests that they lock Megatron in the engine room for the time being and-
Tumblr media
OKAY WHO LET HIM HAVE THAT
Riptide breaks out his gun, and soon we’ve got a standoff going between the three of them. Cyclonus tries to deescalate, which makes Gears and Huffer break out their guns. Then Hound breaks out his gun, though he seems to be doing his own thing, by pointing it in Nautica’s direction.
Tumblr media
Broski, I think that might be animal cruelty.
Megatron manages to shoot Ravage “unconscious” and catches him by the friggin’ throat, stating that he has zero idea how this guy got here. With the heat off the two of them for a moment, Megatron communicates to Ravage to play ‘possum for the time being. Ravage responds, and I wonder exactly how he’s doing that, considering I don’t think he has enough fingers to effectively utilize Hand as a language. Or fingers at all, really.
While this is going on, Cyclonus snatches the gun out of Tailgate’s hand, admonishing him for being reckless about picking his fights. Generally speaking, you don’t want to try to go toe-to-toe with a guy who’s responsible for the deaths of literal billions. Getaway swoops in to comfort Tailgate, calling him gutsy. I wonder if this will become a trend.
Swerve says a thing, as he is wont to do, and it’s made known that multiple folks have disappeared during this incredibly brief standoff.
Tumblr media
Wow, Chromedome just fucked off, huh? He wasn’t even in that sequence, just left.
Everyone’s positively baffled by the current happenings. There doesn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason to who’s being taken. I guess we’ve got a mystery on our hands.
And who better to solve a mystery than a detective?
Nightbeat wrangles all the leftover folks into a corner of the room, so they can figure out what the common denominator is with all the disappearees. He starts with the easy stuff.
And by “easy”, I mean the super-special racism Tyrest subscribed to.
Tumblr media
If you’ve read Eugenesis, you know that Nightbeat was also part of the first wave of cold-constructed bodies there. However, the general populace wasn’t nearly as chill about it as they were in IDW. Also, Wheeljack was his dad. No word on if that particular tidbit made it into IDW lore.
It’s at this point that we learn about M.T.O.s- made to order soldiers. They were cold-constructed ‘bots created en masse during the war in order to keep up with the demands for troops. Pretty fucked up, if you think about it, being born to die like that.
Tumblr media
Now where have we heard that name before…
Tumblr media
Chromedome, can your love life not be part of the plot for five minutes, my guy?
Nautica makes the honestly horrific claim that a lot of folks owe their existence to Megatron being a warmongering fuck, and even Megatron himself seems rather uncomfortable with the idea. Some thoughts we keep to ourselves, Nautica, even if they might be technically true. And even if Ammo wants to tack on his two cents on the matter.
Tumblr media
What did they DO to you, Ammo? You’re supposed to be hot! Where are my three-paragraphs of description as Hound stares slack jawed the entire time? I miss Polyhex Wars.
Anyway, it’s Megatron’s turn to get poked with the questioning stick, and he’s not having it. He claims that by revealing his mode of creation, he’s risking a repeat of Functionist ideology. This would be valid, if people weren’t literally disappearing without any sort of explanation as to why. As it is, he’s being a stubborn asshole, but I guess he didn’t get his reputation by being a decent person who knew when to back down, now did he?
It’s at this point that Ratchet remembers he knows all the info Nightbeat’s looking for, and the conversation on Megatron’s birth is shelved for another day. I’m sure it won’t be a major plot point later, not in the slightest.
As it turns out, Nightbeat’s theory doesn’t hold water, and folks are still popping out of existence. We get another splash page, this time with everyone’s mode of creation listed under their names, and we move on to other theories about what the fuck is going on. While Nightbeat has a minor crisis over what the answer could possibly be, the MTOs in the group reminisce on the Ten-Step Program, a series of tests they were put through to make sure they worked well enough to get handed a gun and shoved out the door. Riptide wasn’t a fan.
Tumblr media
Riptide has more wood panelling than a 70’s-style ranch house, and I think that’s very brave of him.
It’s at this point that Ratchet remembers it’s been quite a bit since he last shat on religion, and takes the time to do so while informing the reader about Information Creep. This is a concept we’ve seen mentioned previously, during Chromedome’s runaround in Overlord’s brain, but it’s here where we get the juicy implications.
Because memories can become corrupted in the brain due to extreme age, what ought to be objective fact has to be reinterpreted due to missing pieces. This is why nobody knows what the Knights of Cybertron got up to, or if they’re even actually real at all.
The lights go out again, and when they cut back on, Cyclonus is missing, leaving only his sword behind. Tailgate is extremely distraught by this, but Nightbeat gives not a fuck about Tailgate’s impending breakdown. He only cares about the truth!
And then a giant eyeball shows up.
Tumblr media
It’s Ultra Magnus, coming to us live from his shuttle, via holomatter avatar! He shrinks down to a far more reasonable size, in a panel reminiscent of the first time IDW readers saw Megatron.
Tumblr media
Don’t get me wrong, this is a neat parallel, I’m just… not terribly sure why it’s happening. One could say it reflects a reversal in power dynamics, but that theory gets tossed out the window when you remember that this isn’t actually Verity. I suppose it’s just a cool little thing.
Because the comms aren’t working, Ultra Magnus has been forced to use this avatar to communicate with the folks in the Rod Pod. Megatron asks just what the hell is going on, but unfortunately Magnus isn’t sure either. Then his shuttle disappears, and it’s bye-bye grunge girl Magnus.
It’s at this point that Nightbeat decides it’s time to stop pussyfooting around and get serious. He tells Ratchet to throw HIPPA directly in the garbage and write down everything he knows about the Autobots who crewed the Lost Light. And he does mean everything, as we get the splash page again, this time with lots of neat info on our friends, including spark type.
Spark types will become plot-relevant in the storyline after this, but for now let’s focus on some weird gender essentialism that got slapped into the first print of this issue.
As we know very well by this point, Transformers as a franchise has a tumultuous relationship with the idea of women existing. You would think that the awkward introduction of other genders we got in “Dark Cybertron” would have been the end of things being weird in IDW. However, you would be wrong.
In an effort to explain why genders exist, Roberts had the idea to make it spark-based. Nautica, in the solo print of this issue, has an estriol-positive spark. Estriol is a type of estrogen, which is the hormone that develops and maintains feminine secondary sex characteristics, when present in certain levels, in conjunction with other hormones. Biology
This “spark = gender” idea is, generally speaking, not a great idea to be presenting us with, especially when the writer is a cishet male, because it implies biological essentialism- the idea that a personality trait/quality of a person is innate and predetermined by their biology, as opposed to social, cultural, or individual experiences. Because this story doesn’t exist in a vacuum, it’s irresponsible to reduce the experience of being a woman to a single, physical, unchangable asset, especially when all other assets of the same class have zero effect on one’s gender identity. You don’t exactly see many nonbinary robots running around, now do you? And there are definitely more than two spark types, despite the Transformers as a species being... very binary.
It also makes female Transformers into an “other”, which is a problem that has existed from the very start of the franchise, in some form or fashion, and really doesn’t need to be perpetrated anymore than it already is.
The estriol spark type was removed in the trade edition, and Roberts has expressed regrets over its inclusion, having realized that it was potentially offensive.
Getting back to the story, Swerve, Tailgate, and Ratchet have disappeared, though Ratchet seems to have left his hands behind. His stolen, Pharma-original hands.
That’s still fucked up to me. I don’t think it’ll ever not be fucked up.
Riptide reveals the reason that he wasn’t in Season One of MTMTE was because when he went back to grab a receipt for the ship two years prior, he’d discovered that the original owners were worshipers of Mortilus, Cybertronian god of death, and knew about the nasty little problem that was the sparkeater from the first storyline. When Riptide went to confront them about it, they beat him up so bad he was unconscious for two solid days.
Which is a long-ass time to be unconscious. That might have been a coma, Riptide. Jesus, I hope someone got him to a hospital after this beatdown happened, or at least scraped him off the floor.
With this last piece of the puzzle, we finally have the common denominator in this big ol’ mystery. Everyone who disappeared was on the Lost Light when it took off from Cybertron in issue #1, and everyone left behind- Skids, Getaway, Nightbeat, Nautica, Megatron, and Ravage- didn’t join until afterwords.
Of course, having the answer doesn’t do us much good when everyone is still missing, and Megatron seems to agree with me, because he’s about to throw hands, when Nautica lets them know that they’ve arrived at the rendezvous. Problem is, so has something else.
Tumblr media
...
I’m sure it’s fiiiiiiiiiiiiine!
130 notes · View notes
romelle · 3 years
Note
gia. i dare you to say 15 things that you love abt allura :D
this is more than fifteen, but nobody is allowed to complain! also since i had to stop myself from adding even more, others can feel free to do so 💖🌈🌷🐇💫🍃
she could easily be driven by revenge and bitterness, but instead she moves forward because of her empathy, compassion and genuine wish to help others
that fact that she looks like a princess even when she's asleep! in her pretty nightgown, her hair spread around her, softly clutching at the sheets, letting the mice sleep on her bed... she's lovely 🥺
the little nose crinkle she does when she's unsure of something
when pidge annoys her in the first season so she starts a food fight, but then pretends like that has been her plan all along. MA'AM i have feelings for you
how thrilled she was about milkshakes and the little fist pump she does when lance agrees to teach her how to get them (also how similarly in awe she'd presumably be over other earth inventions)!! plus her reaction once lance told her how they're made cjdbjxb
her monsters and mana character and the tiny "hiya" sound she made while jumping around!
she was the cutest baby in the universe!!!! also little toddler allura trying to draw her grandma but being terrible at it was beyond precious!
when she first pilots the blue lion and exclaims "hunk! i'm a leg!" maybe i am in love with her maybe i am purchasing an engagement ring idk idk
how awkward she gets at times!! and also how completely endearing it is
she is the strongest member of the team with a vast skillset, yet she's still allowed to be girly, and nobody ever looks down on her because of it!
her idea of fun during her free time is watching the mice perform & rolling around the castle in a chair with wheels (comics). what is she so cute for i would like give her a little kiss
she's very brave and selfless! she has always been willing to do anything within her power to bring peace to the universe, and we see to which extent as early as the balmera arc :-( which... isn't always a good thing and i really wish she had someone tell her to put herself first occasionally
her little blushy cheeks! that's it that's all she's just adorable
how supportive she is of the paladins (the scene where she encourages lance) and how she tries to bond with them (the scene with pidge in season one) but also always pushes them to do their best!
when she says "naturally, i thought that sitting idle for ten thousand years had a negative effect on the lions. i mean.. why else would they choose this group to pilot them?" in her vlog that's JXBDUXBDIXDH OK SAY HOW YOU REALLY FEEL BABE
how excited she is about the prospect of buying something sparkly in the space mall ep! she must have had so many pretty necklaces and similar accessories back on altea
her impressions of other people! from flirting with blue like lance, pouting and crossing her arms like keith, to saying "what's your bloodthirstiness on a scale of one to ten" while pretending to be a galra soldier, she's simply the queen of acting!
she has such. tiny hands. have you guys ever looked at allura's hands they're literally so pretty
her HUGS! the only ones i can think of from the top of my head are the ones with coran, keith and then lance but.... she hugs with her entire body and holds on to their shoulders and tucks her face into the crook of their neck and. yeah.
her determination to never give up! she's so devoted to the things she believes in and very much ready to fight for them
she's just the most loveable person in all the galaxies! full stop!
64 notes · View notes
Text
Some observations (and their regarding theories) I made about Zemo:
[this is mostly Civil War related]
At first we have zemo's accent (especially noticeable in the german version, at least I think so), the intensity of his accent seems to change throughout all of civil war,
however clear notes can be made that when he's pretending to be someone else his accent is gone or he has a different accent
also his accent is the strongest in his final scenes in siberia.
My theory regarding this is that he's (obviously) masking his accent when impersonating others, but also that his accent becomes stronger when he's opening up and/or losing his self control.
Considering tftaws however this theory seems to be disproven since in the show his accent is pretty constant.
My next observation is about this quote:
Captain America : You're Sokovian. Is that what this is about?
Zemo : Sokovia was a failed state long before you blew it to hell. No. I'm here because I made a promise.
Captain America : You lost someone.
Zemo : I lost everyone. And so will you.
I am pretty confident Stark did not inform Rogers about what he found out about zemo in the helicopter
however Rogers, as the soldier and military man he is, immediately assumes Zemo's motivation lays in Sokovia's fate, it's Rogers' own way of thinking he's projecting on Zemo.
But Zemo, even tho being part of a military squad, is not as patriotic as Rogers is, he had no hope in Sokovia from the start.
This may propose questions: Why was Sokovia a failed state? Why did Zemo even join the military if he had no hope for the country?
My first idea on this was that maybe the military had a sort of contract to help soldiers financially, but then again tfatws disproves that by revealing Zemo's wealth.
Another somewhat reasonable motivation might have been simple killjoy, in Civil War we can see Zemo is not hesitant to kill for his goal, but he doesn't seem overly eager to murder.
My last idea in this was one I only got after seeing tfatws, maybe it's a family thing? In the comics the title of 'Baron Zemo' has been passed down from generation to generation as well as the signature purple mask.
Maybe being part of the sokovian military is a family thing? For me this is also the most logical way of him having the 'Colonel' rank which seems to be a rather high one, if he truly only joined for the money or killing would he even have worked himself up that way for state he believed was destined to fail? Maybe he did all this for his father, his family.
The second part of the previously mentioned quote is far more interesting to me personally, Rogers immediately had put personal relationships after devotion to the country, but Zemo did not only lose someone he "lost everyone"
Zemo is putting a total of three family members over an apparently successful military career and his entire home country. The loss of three people was enough for Zemo to become a terrorist.
A little earlier in that scene Zemo states that for a year he hasn't been thinking about anything else, but in the end it was 'only' a year.
He did not have an obsession with Captain America, Hydra or the Winter Soldier before that. It was only a year.
Before that he possibly was just a father and husband, probably not home often because he after all was a colonel. He assumingely was a loving family man with no evil intentions.
[the following part includes mentions of suicidal thoughts]
At the end of the movie Zemo attempts to shoot himself after listening to and deleting the voice message from his wife. His plan is completed, there is no more reason for him to stay.
A, in ways, horrifying way of thinking. After one year dedication to terrible crimes he decided his life is fulfilled, a terrifying shift from the possibly caring father to a 'machine' of destruction.
Some part of my however refuses to believe that that is all his reasoning. Of course there's the thought of a reunion with his loved ones. But what if that scene was a moment of clarity to him?
After one year of 'evil intentions' he becomes aware of what he's done, what would his wife think? Or his father? What only would happen if his son could've seen that?
What of his suicide wouldn't have been reasoned by a 'fulfilled purpose' but rather by regret, hurt, and self loathing?
Maybe that is why his character goes from rather simple, 'just some guy' and so almost painfully human to the much sassier and more flamboyant Zemo we see in tfatws.
After years in prison with only his own thoughts he might've 'lost it'.
He put the last bit of down to earth family man aside to embrace the entire 'villain characteristic', he has come to terms with himself and what he perceives himself as.
One of my favorite things to see in Civil War was that Zemo was nothing like other villains in the superhero genre, he was not 'extra', he was almost the opposite. He did not have a costume, an army, some sort of superpower but he had patience and experience
and that was enough to make him truly dangerous and a real threat.
However in tftaws that changed, he now has costume, the attitude and everything else that goes hand in hand with a lot of villains, but he no longer poses an all too serious hazard to the heroes of the story.
32 notes · View notes
gascon-en-exil · 3 years
Text
Tumblr media
Dark Deity Pre-Release Character Opinions
This isn't actually a tier list, but someone helpfully created a template for this game and it's as good a way as any to do a little visual showcase for this cast. Characters are listed by their class sets, which are fixed but offer a nice variety in terms of promotion options. My opinions on each are as follows, from left to right in each row. Most characters have introductory profiles written up on the DD subreddit, if you'd like to check them out yourself.
Warriors
Alexa
You know those buff female blacksmiths in Echoes and Three Houses that some people wish were playable characters? That's pretty much Alexa. Can't say I'm too hyped about her myself, but warrior + tomboyish female character will do that for me...or not do it, I suppose.
Benji
Seems to have been written to become a meme, and I still can't decide whether that's clever or stupid. Kind of like Raphael only with a bigger emphasis on training than on eating, and with brotherly devotion replaced with brotherly angst that might theoretically go somewhere if the character isn't reduced to being a goofy joke all the time.
Fenton
Doesn't have a character profile, so as far as I know he's just a generic dwarf because DD swaps out its inspiration's loli dragons and other vaguely fetishistic shapeshifters for the two most cliché non-human races in Western fantasy. I wonder whether his VA will voice him with a Scottish accent, to go all in on the (ironic?) laziness. There are a handful of elves in the playable cast, but Fenton is the only dwarf so for better or worse he's representing.
Helena
She's the embodiment of the FE exotic swordswoman archetype, but curiously DD seems to have turned that broad ethnic brush inward. Helena's last name is apparently a Japanese verb, her art shows her with a spear (as in the association of the naginata with women), and she studied and trained in a monastery that seems to blend elements of Buddhism and Shintoism. Not sure how all that fits into the larger setting yet, but at this point she's still got more background development than Petra.
Irving
Our Hero, the one front and center on the cover art. He sounds a bit on the blander side as far as lords or lord equivalents go, with his most promising hook for me being his established friendship with Garrick (see the ranger section). At best I can hope for a bit of a romantic friendship dynamic, although they sound a bit rougher overall as they're military academy schoolmates I wonder why DD went with that instead of lordlings of different territories.
Rogues
Brooke
Looks like Camilla; has a backstory like Niles. Cleavage aside though the sexual element of both is toned down here, and there might be some sapphic bodyguard shenanigans to be had as her current employers are a pair of highborn sisters further down this list.
Cia
For some reason she reminds me of Tressa from Octopath Traveler, only bustier and a bartender rather than a merchant. She's still just a small town girl with big city dreams, and this being a tactical war game following those dreams will inevitably involve stabbing people.
Corvan
Hard to judge him at the moment, as his profile was only the second written and so isn't terribly detailed. He's a moon elf with scholarly interests, apparently. Still, as of right now he's the only rogue who doesn't slot loosely into either a ninja/assassin or pirate aesthetic, so that's kind of neat. Also, he's one of several characters to have FEH-esque beach fanart made of them already, so clearly someone's into elf twinks.
Ford
A former officer at the military academy Irving attends and a smuggler who dotes on his niece, Ford has major dad energy. Per developer reveals he's also bi, and as I mentioned before I'm totally fine with that. More bear sex, please - but what guy in this cast would hop in the sack with Ford? Only time will tell. His personal skill makes him extra dodgy, which combined with the mug of booze in his art makes me think of WoW brewmasters who dodge-tank through the power of being wasted.
Wren
Like Brooke, he's an assassin from a foreign nation - in his case the same one as Helena so presumably he's a not!Japanese ninja. I'm not really feeling him at the moment. What is it about Hao'Fen (the city/territory he and Helena come from) and massive families? That comes up in both their backstories.
Rangers
Caius
I feel like this is the third or fourth character to grow up in some slum or other; at least they've all been in different towns so far. The relative rarity of noble characters is certainly different from FE, but it reduces the political stakes which leaves me wondering a bit about the story. Anyway, Caius is a small town desert hunter who learned how to make arrows out of animal bones. How aerodynamic is bone, I wonder?
Garrick
Irving's BFF and seemingly the Hector to Irving's Eliwood, only with more flirting (his intro doesn't specify that Garrick is flirting with women, but I'm not going so far as to say that indicates anything). He's the academy headmaster's son, with a strained relationship with his father for some of that hotheaded lead tension. Notably, his VA is the one I'm most familiar with in this cast, as he's the voice of Revali from Breath of the Wild as well as love interests in two different erotic gay dating sims I've played. In other words, I know what this guy sounds like making awkwardly simulated sex noises...and I have no idea what to do with that information.
Maeve
She's a half-elf with a very storied background, so much so that it's all rather hard to follow her exploits when little of what's being described has been fully revealed yet. I'm expecting her to be a mid/lategame recruit, unless she's dropped in early on to reveal that (sun) elves exist or something.
Rose
Imagine if Bernadetta were a commoner, although we can only hope they'll be less screaming. Alternatively, Neimi without an obvious boyfriend. She won the beach contest so now she has official swimsuit art, which I guess makes her a top-tier waifu in the eyes of players who care about such things.
Sophia
A ranger in the "has animal companions" sense, although whether that will come into play mechanically aside from her personal skill - Butter the ferret can attack with her! - remains to be seen. Her preference for the company of animals is explained by a lack of social graces, so prepare for klutz-related humor. Of note to those interested in F/F is that her introduction specifically brings up her connection with Sloane (see the mage section) and how close the two of them are.
Clerics
Faust
Doesn't have a profile yet, so not much to go off other than his decidedly unhinged look. The cleric class set does feature some darker-flavored options, so presumably he's more naturally aligned with those. His VA was announced to be the YouTuber behind So This is Basically Fire Emblem and other similar videos, so I'm picturing a kooky and somewhat demented Henry type.
Lincoln
Also lacks a profile at time of writing...clerics get so little love. The Discord has identified him a bland blond paladin sort, but as we know from the likes of Perceval and especially Dimitri that doesn't necessarily mean he'll be boring (or not gay).
Maren
The soft-spoken healer type, and also a childhood friend of Garrick although her intro sibling-zones him but then this game is inspired by FE so who knows if that'll stick. She may have some interesting thoughts on the theology of the setting, as there seem to be several faiths and she's said to have a complicated relationship with her own. I will be utterly shocked if she's not either Irving or Garrick's eventual love interest.
Samara
One of two princesses of the country of Aramor, which appears to be loosely inspired by the Middle East. Heaven help us if the Khalidstans ever get wind of this game. Unfortunately aside from her bond with her older sister (in the mage section) and the knowledge that Brooke has been hired as their bodyguard there's not much to Samara at the moment. Hopefully the clerics all do some comparative theology in their bond conversations, and this isn't like Sacred Stones where none of the clergy characters from different countries ever compare notes. The succession crisis involving Samara and her sister vs. their less-loved cousin the king's son might be a major plot hook? It's still too early to tell.
Vesta
Much like Maeve her backstory has entirely too much going on to really follow at the moment. Basically she's a human who grew up in a sun elf city because Reasons (seriously, I don't know what they are) and was called to a clerical vocation and also something about taking a journey. Has an unfortunate case of silly boob armor, which unlike a certain other character probably won't be rectified this close to release.
Mages
Alden
Maren's precocious younger brother, also basically Ricken up to and including the comically oversized hat. As a unit he follows the tradition of Donnel, Mozu, and Cyril of having a personal skill that buffs his stat gains, so it's safe to say he's a growth unit. At least he'll probably join early.
Liberty
Comes with dead brother angst and a connection to the "aspects" system that will hopefully make more sense once I've played the game and know how it functions both mechanically and from a storytelling perspective. Otherwise she looks to be a busty older - as in, not a teenage - mage in the vein of Calill.
Monroe
Got the first ever character profile, so it's really short. He's the son of a duke and sounds like a bit of a snob, albeit one that can make explosions happen to back up his haughtiness. He's got some scarring around his eye that surely must come with a story. Someone also made featured fanart of him in Heroes summer banner style, so I guess he's got somebody horny already.
Sara
Samara's half-sister, with comparable fantasy Middle Eastern flavoring. Has an interest in discovering magical artifacts and being a just ruler in the event she winds up on the throne (so, almost definitely), and she and Samara travel around with the assassin Brooke as their bodyguard. There's maybe some lesbian possibilities there? Either way, Sara has enough development where I could see her as a major supporting character.
Sloane
Comes with a genuinely fascinating backstory involving manipulative double-crossing parents, an education in the cruelties and deceptions of social life (reflected in her personal skill), and disinheritance - and yet it's all likely to be overshadowed because she may go down as DD's equivalent to Fates's face-touching. Her initial art is even more revealing than Camilla's, and while the developers later gave her a more modest redesign after negative feedback I get the feeling that this controversy may live on. Her introduction mentions her hunting for both heirs and heiresses and she's now been linked to Sophia, so safe to say she's another confirmed bi character.
Adepts
While the other class sets are standard fantasy fare adepts require a bit more explanation. They have innate magical abilities and appear to be feared and distrusted most places in the setting. Functionally they remind me of adepts from the Golden Sun series, if anyone is familiar with those games. The classes in the adept group tend more toward physical/magical hybridization than those of other sets, so that will probably be their mechanical niche. Oh, and their default weapon type is lances, which is a plus in my book.
Aurima
Along with Caius and the royal sisters, he's another one from the desert nation of Aramor. An arena fighter who got touched by a god in what I assume was a non-sexual way and came out of it with a new appearance and adept powers. Also, he's confirmed to be over 40 - how often do you see that in games like this?
Bianca
Looks like a more carefree Mathilda from Echoes. She's a ranking officer in the Delian army which sounds like it'd sit uneasily with her adept powers. Her profile describes Lincoln as her close friend, which is still about the most we know about him at this point.
Elias
This guy's writing plays more into the fairly standard coding that comes with adept powers, as we know they manifested shortly before he was going to confess his feelings to a male paramour and afterwards he was forced to flee his homeland and wander the world. He also spent time among dwarves, so insert short bear jokes here? In the present he's attached to Cia in what seems to be a platonic way; maybe she's a fruit fly, or maybe she just likes having a friend who can light drunken assholes on fire? Elias is definitely into guys, but I would still be a little surprised if he turned out to be totally gay as that's such a rarity in these sorts of things.
Iris
Oof, another lengthy and rough backstory. Iris had better parents than Sloane, but she also had to deal with permanent facial scarring (hence the mask) after a bandit kidnapping and the stigma of manifesting as an adept pretty much eliminating the prospects of her making a good political marriage. Also, she and Elias both come from Neullais, which is prominently featured on the continental map on the DD subreddit but doesn't seem to come up all too often in backstories. I think it's a not!France? Hard to tell.
Thae'lanel
A World of Warcraft blood elf, flowing anime hair and apostrophe'd name and all. I like WoW so that's not terribly grating, but as he has no profile yet there's little else I can say. Thae'lanel is mentioned in Maeve's introduction as a member of a sun elf group called the Exiled, which I'm guessing is tied to his adept status in some way. He and Maeve form yet another adventurer/bodyguard duo.
9 notes · View notes
atopfourthwall · 4 years
Note
how has being a reviewer changed in the past few years? I've been interested in reviewing different forms of media, inspired by several people including yourself, and it's definitely been shoved aside for video games and "lifestyle" channels. Do you think there's a way to get good revenue these days as a reviewer if you haven't been on here for years?
Yes, but it’s harder. Back when I started, the internet was VERY hungry for AVGN-style content - negative reviews talking about terrible media in an over the top manner, particularly because frustration can be funny and a lot of people hadn’t heard of a lot of the terrible movies of the past or present (or if they did, it was at least always fun to have a new perspective on it). It’s why we all tended to follow the same basic model - play-by-play of the movie/comic/game/etc., clip of the thing in question, then cut to us for pithy or sarcastic remark. However, like with any trend, audience tastes end up shifting. Even back in the day, people wanted me to talk more about good comics. Part of that was because a lot of my audience WEREN’T comic fans but wanted to get into them, while others were getting bored by the constant barrage of hate. Even creators themselves were getting burnt out on it - assuming you’re not genuinely annoyed at the thing you’re talking about (and truth be told, even when we’re looking at something we genuinely dislike, anger takes up a lot of energy, so it makes it that much harder to get that across so there’s a degree of acting required so that it doesn’t sound like you’re just bored or mildly annoyed), performing the same similar thing for years can wear down on ya, especially if you’re a creative person who wants some variety in the things you’re doing. As such, with a combination of people who were of DOING the same old thing combined with an audience who WANTED something different, you’ve got the rise of video essayists, less scripted content, or people being willing to do videos on media they actually enjoy. And because the longer-form content of video essays and the like requires a lot more time and research rather than just riffing, people tend to gravitate towards those more these days because it’s entertaining material that looks at media in ways that the mainstream doesn’t really do. You’re not seeing 40-minute deconstructions of Guardians of the Galaxy 2 and how it relates to complicated relationships with abusive family on NBC or the like. The advantage of an independent Youtube/New Media channel is that they usually have zero oversight - no one you have to seek approval of to cover a subject. You just do what you want to do. Now, that of course has its flipside that sometimes someone needs to tell you “No, this is a terrible idea,” but that’s a risk even if you DID have some oversight if they don’t recognize potential issues. Now, reviewers of course are still around. Some newer ones, some older ones like me. The formula still exists and still works, but of course because it’s been around for over a decade the problem that exists with starting a new one now is standing out in the crowd. A lot of it comes down to genuine talent - express opinions and jokes that are unique (or at least uniquely presented), well-executed, and just have a good eye for material that people WANT to see talked about (or at least something no one else is doing that makes you different from anyone else) and you’ve got a leg-up. The downside of course is that the algorithm favors the predictable, samey type of stuff which is why you have entire channels devoted exclusively to a single franchise (or in my case, why History of Power Rangers is more popular than AT4W despite AT4W being my regular content) so you might not get the promotion you need. There is no surefire trick to BEING successful at this, I’m sorry to say. I lucked out in getting in at a good time when there were less people doing this (and very few doing comic books) and getting promoted on a very popular site, but you won’t necessarily have that advantage. It’s why when you start, you’ve got to do it more because you enjoy doing it rather than simply going for the money, because there’s no guarantee you’ll make it. Hell, even after 12 years of this, while I make more than enough to live on (and that’s with both Youtube AND Patreon), I’m not exactly living the high life.
120 notes · View notes
satanherfuckingself · 4 years
Text
Hayley Atwell. Publicly Adored Psychopath.
Before I begin, I feel it's imperative to mention that this was not created to cause harm. Do not send anyone hatred or harassment despite what you may read. You are not a monster. Do not stoop to that level. Verbal abuse is still abuse, whether we acknowledge it or not, whether someone 'deserves' it or not.
Please, do not do that. Do not become an abuser. If you feel the need to do something, I will provide solutions for that fact, but hatred and harm will not solve anything.
Keep that in mind. And please stay tuned and read this thoroughly because it's more than just a social call out. It's more than just 'cancel culture' or someone making a big whoop over something nonsensical or even holding someone accountable for their actions. I promise there is a point to this, and it is probably far more important than the title even suggests.
Please, stick with it, and read to the end.
I also feel the need to mention that some of the behaviors discussed in this piece will undoubtedly be quite... disturbing. Proceed with caution if you find it necessary.
And. Let it be known that any claims made here are in fact alleged. Evidence and sources will be provided of course, that's simply a friendly reminder for the... legality of it.
Forgive me if you enjoy this ending because if you have any sense of a decent moral compass, this will probably shatter that enjoyment of it, and forgive me if you do not because this will only make you hate it more.
So I found this blog:
Hydra Support Blog
Really, it's a blog centered entirely around hating Sharon Carter, the very real person that was her actress, Emily VanCamp, encouraging hatred towards this same very real person and her fans for any scrounged up nonexistent reason they can find, without proof, as well as fans of the comics.
They also insult her acting, despite the fact that Emily actually has won awards for her performances while the idol they are so devoted to has not.
All for the sake of the very real bully who actively encouraged, manipulated, and even to some degree, promoted the behavior. Under the guise of promoting her own character.
Why did I call them a Hydra support blog?
Well, quite clearly, they support the Creepy Uncle Theory that Endgame made a point to reward them with, which certainly does require the support of Hydra among other things, but I won't dive into that just yet. It's also because they sound exactly like Zola. Don't worry, we'll come back to it. But they are also quite clearly overjoyed at the idea of someone losing a job for their personal enjoyment.
This is also terrible.
Allow me to remind that this harassment and hatred was not limited to these fans, or fans of Peggy or Steggy. It also existed, to some degree among Romanogers fans, Stucky fans, and Stony fans. You know who you are. And you are certainly not excused from this behavior if you in any way participated in spreading hatred or contempt for the Staron and Sharon fanbase, or actively harassing those fans.
You don't have to like it, you can even rant against it all you like in your personal spaces. But being respectful and understanding should be the common fucking courteousy here. People are allowed to like different things from you. And they are not obligated to agree with you.
Your personal enjoyment is not worth more than someone's job or life. And it never should be.
However, the only actress who encouraged this particular behavior in full, among her fans... was Atwell.
Not Emily, not Chris, not Scarlett, not Sebastian, and not Robert Downey Jr. Some may have made tasteless jokes or even gone along with the situation, encouraging 'teams' among fans for publicity. I wouldn't label complete blamelessness in this case, but it is important to recognize ignorance over malicious behavior, which is the difference here. Because it was nothing to the extent of the tantrum that Atwell threw the moment the spotlight was no longer on her.
So let's talk about Hayley Atwell, and her involvement in all of this, the alleged actions and their implications. Let's take a deep dive into the psychology of it all, and why what she did was actually very wrong. I'll touch on the lack of etiquette and class as well as blatant unprofessionalism needed to consciously do what she did.
Because her behavior is disturbing, it is disgusting, and it has gone unnoticed for far too long. Her portrayal of Peggy makes the relationship canonically abusive. And no one noticed.
People are still defending her, and respecting her, despite what she's done. She is welcome to have a life and live it how she pleases, but not at the expense of other people. We cannot simply reward this type of behavior when it is unquestionably wrong. We cannot leave her with the power to do worse.
A good starting point in understanding what she's done would be here:
Receipts
Who one lovely sweetheart of a blogger decided to compile and I am ever so grateful for, as I'm a lazy shit~. My only regret is that this wasn't seen and still hasn't been seen by enough people, especially by those that rewarded or are even promoting the behavior still. This blogger is a very good person and that is abundantly clear, send her some love and reblog that post if you can. It's necessary more people see it. Thank you, love, you are truly a blessing. So I'm a little bias, I tend to be for good people.
Allow me to expand on it though, as I do have to mention, I have just a few minor additions and concerns. However, sources are provided perfectly, along with plenty of evidence to stand on it's own for what Atwell did. That this was active, deliberate, and intentional to hurt someone's career that wasn't herself. Allegedly.
But, let's also debunk some of Atwell's claims and mention a few other things, starting with all her claims about the relationship between Sharon and Steve. Between being 'disrespectful' and 'incestuous'.
Claims easily found in these articles:
https://ew.com/article/2016/06/06/captain-america-civil-war-hayley-atwell-steve-sharon/
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/peggy-carter-does-not-approve-899860
https://www.hypable.com/captain-america-civil-war-hayley-atwell-steve-and-sharon-were-disrespectful/
https://www.thewrap.com/hayley-atwell-agent-carter-captain-america-civil-war-kiss-sharon-carter-marvel-incestuous-disrespectful/
https://www.cinemablend.com/new/Hayley-Atwell-Issue-With-Captain-America-Agent-13-Kiss-Civil-War-135197.html
https://www.bustle.com/articles/165038-hayley-atwell-reveals-peggys-feelings-about-steve-sharon-which-are-just-what-youd-expect
https://www.bustle.com/articles/165194-why-captain-america-sharon-carters-relationship-does-a-disservice-to-both-fans-steve-rogers
https://www.themarysue.com/peggy-carter-does-not-approve/
Oh, and look at that last one, including a gif of the psychotic rage it takes to shoot at someone who doesn't belong to you, because you're jealous... And of course, we love a good afterthought in which a real person is less important than a fictional story.
https://screenrant.com/captain-america-mcu-ending-problem-sharon-carter-endgame/
Did I need to include all of those sources? Of course not. Are they mostly along the same lines? Absolutely. But does it make a point of how positively this was covered as the media ran with her words to give her as much press and coverage as she wanted and promote her and only her ideas?
Absolutely...
To put it all very bluntly, I disagree with her. Why?
Well, for starters, we know that 'Peggy' had initially moved on from Steve. She'd married, had a family, supposedly loved this family and even had grandchildren. The character had always, comics alike but even in the MCU, been meant to signify and aid in Steve moving on, just as she did, from the past. It was a minor role, but still vital, and quite endearing when done this way.
But according to this, these articles and Atwell herself.
Peggy never loved the husband she'd initially married, or the family she'd made.
They were only placeholders for Steve.
According to her, Steve wasn't allowed to move on from her. Wasn't permitted to find happiness, beyond her, even though her character had blatantly stated she wanted him to in 'CA:TWS'. As proven even by Atwell's feelings towards Romanogers. Seemingly any woman that wasn't Peggy was an absolute 'no' for her. Because he belonged to 'Peggy'. I didn't know... slavery was a thing for her, but as far as I know, people cannot and should not be ownable.
Under no circumstances, even with married couples, should the people involved be considered property. They are individuals and human beings. Point blank. Period.
But let's make an exception in her case and say that this is true. Well, apparently this controlled permission and ownership extends to Sharon as well?
Now I'll ask, why is Peggy's opinion, a woman Steve had previously only shared one kiss with, had never even managed to share that one date with, relevant at all?
A woman who, need I remind you is well into her 90s by the time we see her again, is Steve still supposedly all she thinks about? All she thought about all those years? Why was a picture of... him on her desk in the 70s, as portrayed in Endgame, when she should have been married, with children, well into her 50s mind you but somehow still young, and apparently, none of her family is as important as Steve?
How is that healthy?
She was tantamount to an ex-lover at that point. Even if they had slept together, as Atwell claimed, and Evans and the writers disproved. Are people supposed to consult ex-lovers before they start dating someone else? Especially ones that get married and live their lives? Is there some unspoken rule I don't know about? Or in another sense, I wasn't aware she was also his mother and could decide for him, a grown man with a right to his own decisions and autonomy, who had initiated the romance with Sharon, what he could and could not do.
Ideally, Peggy would have cared more about Sharon, a niece she had supported in her endeavors and helped raise, rather than a man she admired symbolically and had shared one kiss with, and never managed to date. Just because she didn't get dick from him. Ideally, she would have cared more about the family she'd allegedly made after moving on from this man's death. A family, Sharon would have been a part of.
Her concerns shouldn't have been cockblocking Steve and saying he couldn't have Sharon and vice versa, they should have been whether or not he's treating Sharon right. And far more protective over Sharon, than possessive over Steve.
In fact, a good great aunt who'd truly loved both of them, faced with this situation, I would have even imagined trying to set them up, and being that scandalous older woman~, who's lived her life, had fun, loved her family, and wants to see him happy with someone else.
Because that's what true love is.
Wanting to see the person you love, happy, even if it's without you, even if it can't be you that gives them that happiness, especially if you've had to move on in your own life and can't be with them.
I fail to see how Steve moving on after she has too, qualifies as 'disrespectful'. Even if you find it tasteless that he kissed Sharon after her death. Could he have asked for her permission and blessing for the relationship? Of course! Maybe he should have, I think this would have even made it better. The difference being, a Peggy who truly cared about him would have given her blessing, not withheld it.
But what about the 'incestuous' aspect?
Well, that's also a no. At least... not technically, and certainly not before Peggy was forced back into the relationship, before Steve willingly and knowing became Sharon's uncle. And Peggy's placeholders were set aside like chopped liver. Steve was certainly in a peculiar situation that maybe doesn't look the best from the exterior, and in the original version of the comics, Sharon was merely Peggy's younger sister. However, the comparison of his situation is easily explained and understood in much better lighting with some simple imagination.
Take for example, and let's even make Sharon a more direct descendant just to drive the point home, if Steve were an ancient vampire.
Let's say... this vampire Steve has a brief romantic fling with a young and beautiful Peggy. They do not sleep together. But share some feelings, some sweet passings, and a single kiss. However, Steve goes dormant, for years and years and years on end. However vampires do. Peggy is understandably sad for the moment, perhaps upset. But she moves on. She understands, she falls in love with someone new, she has children, and her children have children, and so on and so forth. She lives a normal human life.
Steve wakes up.
And he meets Sharon. A however many greats granddaughter of the woman he was once infatuated with. But he may not necessarily know this. They look nothing alike. But maybe there's something special in the bloodline that draws them together, that draws him to her.
Oh, and by the way, this is starting to sound familiar. Ever heard of the 'Vampire Diaries'? Except Elena and Katherine do in fact look exactly alike.
Yet no one bats an eye at this or calls it incestuous.
The point being, he falls in love. And she does too. And maybe this time, he decides he wants someone to be with, to hold, wholly and completely. And he turns Sharon into his immortal lover. (There's a fic idea for anyone that wants it~!)
Perhaps this was even something that under circumstance, he couldn't offer to Peggy, or she had even rejected.
This is not incest, in any way, shape, or form. This is a man, faced with a circumstance, in which he moves on. And is happy to do so. There is nothing wrong with that.
Could it be a little strange that he happens to fall for someone in Peggy's bloodline? Sure. But it's still not incest.
Unless~, he falls in love with Sharon... before deciding on takebacksies and finding a way to go back in time just to be with her however many greats grandmother. Possibly even ensuring that his own blood is part of Sharon's, or erasing her from existence along with any of the other family that Peggy had allegedly loved.
The first one is perfectly understandable. The second one is disgusting.
Peggy makes it incestuous.
But I suppose, according to Atwell, Peggy was also incapable of love.
Not just loving other people besides Steve, but love in general. Because this is called obsession, and it's sick. It's disturbing. Can't tell the difference? Here, that should help. This one too, very informative and does a good job of simplifying this concept for the average person. And what a coincidence. Oh, and look, another. And another.
Seriously, this is what Marvel, and Disney, a modern day company that should be responsible with it's messages and stories, glorified and normalized for the public.
If you're going to write a horror story, at least say it's a fucking horror story. Or take the goddamn criticism when someone tells you it is objectively bad.
So, not only did this woman completely fabricate and romanticize a crush, an unhealthy one, and blow it up to be a real relationship along with convincing everyone of the lie, she put others down to do so in order to get what she wanted, regardless of the price that others had to pay for it. Lovely. I think her claims completely undermine and disregard the legacy Peggy had left behind, and the love she would have otherwise had for her family. I think it's a gross mischaracterization of her that misses the mark on who 'Peggy Carter' was and what she represents.
Did you know that in the comics she has a relationship with Gabe Jones? One of Steve's own Howlies no less, and a wonderful representation of an interracial love fighting for what's right, together, especially for the time period?
Where's that love story, that doesn't require Steve to be a creepy uncle for her sake and is more than just an obsessive crush and single kiss?
Why does Sharon not matter to her? Why did her husband not matter? Why did her kids not matter?
And if you're under the assumption that Steve was this person the entire time, why did Hydra not matter growing within S.H.I.E.L.D.? Why did Steve's own principles and who he was not matter to her anymore, as long as she was getting dick? Why did Bucky not matter, being tortured by Hydra for the 70 years she got to get off?
Nevermind, I guess she treated him like shit anyway, even if ideally, the flirtatious little shit Bucky was would have been the best man at Steve's wedding to her, an uncle to her kids, and the best friend that Steve had in his life with her.
Why did Sharon still not matter to her? Nor her other family which she apparently lied to? Why did young Steve not matter enough to tell the truth to? And lie about Alzheimer's no less. Why did she seem to find it fitting to lie to everyone?
Let's continue.
If that's not enough, let's talk about the cry that Steve somehow 'wasn't good enough' for or 'didn't deserve' Peggy when the kiss of Civil War happened.
Okay...
How?
Because if your reasoning for the logic of putting someone down, telling them they are lesser, and 'not good enough' or undeserving of you, is because they choose to 'move on' and not be with you, or choose someone else over you?
You are a terrible person. And I would not want to be the object of your affection.
That is deliberate psychological abuse. And if you tell anyone that sort of thing, just because they don't or can't return your feelings, you are a fucked up person. Fuck you. That is disgusting.
Do not ever tell someone this just because they can't or choose not to love you. Apologize if you ever have, especially to someone you do love. Love is not always an active choice. And this is guilt tripping, manipulating, gaslighting someone into a situation where you put them down for your personal benefit, and that is nasty, unacceptable behavior that no one should tolerate.
Call out someone's own terrible behavior if they are doing something wrong, do not jump to the conclusion that this means the person is worthless. There is a difference. Harmful behaviors can be changed. People can change and get better. We should strive to be better.
However, the aforementioned? That is what psychopaths do to ensure their control over a relationship, run if someone is doing this to you. Find a way to get out of there if you can, because that is fucked up, and no, you deserve better than that. Do not let them belittle you.
And yet, this was... completely glorified by the media, even rewarding someone who committed to this type of behavior. Especially after the fact.
How many articles are there out there that critique Endgame versus those that promote this ending and actively defend it? Giving Disney good press?
But luckily, Atwell only did it with the characters, right? It's only fictional, right?
Yeah, that's why we didn't see Emily in Infinity Wars or Endgame... That's why, even though she'd been hired for a job she had earned, they kept kicking her down the road like a bent, empty can. Worthless and usable, and not a real person at all. Why did they hire her if this had 'always been the plan' as they claimed? To disgust everyone? To make the ending as fucking shitty as it is and have people praise them for it? To publicly embarrass and humiliate her, just because?
The lack of class and just... human decency necessary to commit this kind of behavior is easily seen with a hypothetical comparison, simply with another well beloved actress I will admit might not be a fully fair comparison. But that's because this actress is amazing and not many people compare to her.
But let's take a pause and also consider the actions of Atwell's coworkers, since none of them did quite what she did. None of them... did quite what she did.
You know who else would never do this, even if she'd been playing Peggy Carter and got her show cancelled? Who realistically, wouldn't have gotten her show cancelled because she actually is amazing and would be worth watching, hands down, no complaints.
Sandra Bullock.
And I'd hate to name drop like that or put her on the spot, but just consider it for a moment. Sandy B. as Peggy Carter. Already, beautiful, elegant, amazing, maybe a bit funnier, compassionate, kind, and playing the part of the loving aunt for Sharon perfectly. Even more comic accurate probably! Sandra Bullock would never take time out of her day for any reason, to put down one of her costar's characters and talk trash about this character and the relationship she's in with another character... Ever. Period.
She has class, grace. And she's a truly, genuinely good human being. In fact, I would wager to say, she'd make jokes about it to promote the relationship. As the crazy aunt who's constantly trying to set Steve up with someone new, probably her niece, and embarrassing the shit out of him. And that image is just fucking adorable.
Can you picture it? It's pretty amazing, right?
Now can you really defend Atwell's actions knowing they could have been avoided and a real person, real people, not hurt with them?
I guarantee this ending would have never happened had someone at least like Sandra Bullock been cast as Peggy Carter. Even if she did happen to 'ship' Peggy and Steve more than she did Sharon and Steve. Even if she did 'joke' about it. Especially when there's a point the jokes go too far. And I'd wager to say, she'd even focus more on helping Emily VanCamp, than putting down her character and sicking her pack or rabid bullies on her to try and get her to kill herself.
What the actual fuck has to be wrong with someone to do something like that. Even without giving the direct order.
And sure, maybe fans do ride the crazy train a bit to much. But the least we could expect from Bullock would be a public statement regarding the behavior, and letting fans know that she doesn't condone it and would want them to stop.
I challenge you to find anything along those lines that Atwell could have done. I tried.
And there was nothing.
Let's continue with the character analysis and talk a bit about the implications of this ending.
So far, we know Peggy hated Sharon, her own niece, that she 'owns' Steve and has all rights to his autonomy and decisions, doesn't care about her husband or family if Steve isn't somehow part of it, and would label Steve 'unworthy' of her if he somehow decided he loved someone else. Not just Sharon, but anyone.
Let's also not forget this is a woman who shot at him for having kissed someone else in front of her. When they weren't together. Would you want and choose to date someone who shot at you for doing that?
I mean, I suppose I don't personally know you, maybe you're into some kinky shit. But that doesn't really seem to healthy to me.
Let's talk about little Steve and Erskine, and the promise Steve made to him as well as himself. His character development over the movies and what this ending requires not just of him, but of Peggy too.
From the first movie, we know that even when Steve wasn't capable of doing more, when his body didn't permit him to, he always wanted to do more. Erskine in his dying moment asked him not to forget his heart. The man that would choose to do good above all else. To help those around him that maybe couldn't help themselves. This is an invaluable lesson I think we could all learn from, within our capacities of course.
Bucky even tried to stop Steve from hurting himself, because he worried about him. And then followed him because he admired what the little guy... had always stood for. And against.
“I don't want to hurt anyone. I don't like bullies, I don't care where they're from.”
By the end of the film, Steve has lost someone incredibly dear to him that he grew up with, Bucky, and makes the decision to save thousands of lives that would otherwise be lost over his own personal enjoyment. Because it's the right decision. And he tells Peggy it's his choice. He doesn't hesitate. He doesn't expect to survive, but he keeps his promise to Erskine above all else, and stops Hydra, or so we think.
We later discover Hydra has survived all those years through Zola. Growing in S.H.I.E.L.D., under Peggy's watchful eyes... holding Bucky for all that time.
With the addition of Endgame's Creepy Uncle Theory, that little tidbit of the story, we've been given two interpretations. There's also a lot of lines that lose all meaning, from Steve, Peggy, and Sharon.
“When I see a situation pointed south, I can't ignore it.”
“Sometimes, all we can do is our best, and sometimes the best is the start over.”
“She kept so many secrets, I didn't want her to have one from you.”
“I don't know, the guy who wanted all of that went into the ice 70 years ago, I think someone else came out.”
But let's go back to those interpretations, both of which require someone to suffer on Steve and Peggy's behalf for a minimum of 70 years. Apart from becoming a creepy uncle who apparently had been only using Sharon as a replacement for her. And of course abandoning everyone who loved him just to get laid. This may not be easily seen or understood at first glance. But it is easily explained and should be painfully obvious.
If Steve is present in the main universe that entire time, choosing to do nothing, he has:
Abandoned Sharon.
Abandoned his family, the Avengers.
Abandoned Bucky.
Abandoned the principles he lived by and thrown away promises to all those he held dear. Including his promise to Erskine, who gave him that power to do more to begin with.
Left Hydra undisturbed and even prospering under his beloved wife's organization, allowing people to die and suffer, including Bucky who we know is tortured and in and out of ice for those years.
Be perfectly happy with the sexism, racism, and just general bigotry of the time period. Something that at least comics Steve Rogers has been proven to hate so much, he actively made himself go forward in time permanently, after only saving Bucky, because he couldn't stand it. No amount of Peggy to fix the situation for him. She's also never mattered as much as any other love interest to him. Not even Blind Al, that one's obscure~.
Be perfectly happy to do nothing while a situation is pointed south, even though he has previously stated incapable of doing so? While he knows what will happen or that people are suffering and dying for him and Peggy, what he will do to Sharon, and just completely and utterly not giving a shit.
Huh... Well, none of that sounds 'good'. I guess it also means he completely regrets his decision to save all those lives and sacrifice himself. A decision... I assumed he was the type of person to be able to make more than once if necessary. Because it was who he was. And supposedly, what Peggy even respected him for. I assumed Peggy would have also respected this decision, not backtracked to make him actively do the opposite of this very thing for 70 years. Possibly even... if we're to believe Hydra is allowed to run rampant all those years, potentially thousands of lives to be killed on his behalf instead.
Huh, I guess it was a pointless decision.
“We don't trade lives.”
Right?
And we're supposed to believe Mjolnir, a tool essentially measuring 'selflessness' and humility, purity of heart, 'worthiness', would be perfectly fine with labeling this behavior as 'good' as well.
That just seems like a pipe dream for every sod who can't get laid and has a backwards moral compass, but let's not dive into that.
Despite the fact that he's also abandoning all sense of self and is nothing more than a mindless puppet at this point. Through 'Steve Rogers' choosing this ending... he is actively doing wrong, and knows it. He is actively allowing Hydra to prosper, and... essentially...
Proving Zola right.
“We won, Captain. Your life amounts to your death, a zero sum!”
Familiar now, isn't it? But I guess every message we learned about Steve, in light of everything, in light of Peggy, is meaningless so long as he's... getting laid. Or 'happy'.
That doesn't sound fucked up at all, being perfectly okay with people suffering on your behalf. But I suppose it's no surprise that the people who love Atwell so much and are perfectly okay with her behavior feel the same way...
And here's the thing, I don't think 'Steve Rogers'... the real one in context of his story anyway, would be happy in a setting he needs to let others suffer on his behalf, and ignore their suffering, in order for him to be happy. Looking at his character just over the previous movies, I'd say this would in actuality be literal torment for him.
Spidey gave a perfect rendition that completely embodied everything Steve Rogers stands for and had stood for in those movies.
“When you can do the things that I can, but you don't, and then the bad things happen... They happen because of you...”
What a coincidence. And another important message.
If you actually think a man like Steve, a first responder by nature, who always seeks out the goodness in others and wants to help people, would suddenly sit on his ass and allow people to suffer for him? When he couldn't even do this while too small to make any real impact?
You are delusional. And it is disturbing that you would somehow label that as 'good', as 'cute', as 'healthy', as 'right', as 'true love'. As 'happy' for him.
This is a man, forced into retirement, under the 'guise' of a 'choice', when in reality, it is atrociously horrible writing that disregards anything about who he was and what he stood for. That had he been real, this would have been a disservice to him and is certainly one to every important message the character has, and the history behind him. He would have been stuck in this world. Trapped, and held back from doing anything. By someone who supposedly 'loves' him?
Love doesn't hold people back or hold on possessively like a fucking parasite, it sets people free.
Why would she do that to him? Why would she sit back and assume all of those things are 'okay'? How? Why would anyone want her to??? I thought Peggy was supposed to be a good character inspired by upholding his message. Did she break the vial? Did she keep him in her basement? Did she tell him to sit on his ass and 'look pretty' while she did all the work? A fucking horrible job I might add, if she just lets Hydra run rampant and kill Howard for her sake. How is someone like that admired as a 'good' person?
Nothing about this is 'good'.
This ending is not 'beautiful'. It is a horror story masquerading as something 'pretty'. It is an abuse story being normalized to a vast and unknowing public. At best, a horribly irresponsible message to send the public... and at worst... a reflection of what's wrong with society as a whole. Possibly with ulterior and deliberate intentions.
In order for this ending to happen, Steve Rogers must cut ties with his family and abandon all he loved, loves, lives for, all sense of self... all for Peggy, and solely Peggy's, satisfaction. Seems oddly... familiar to a certain situation his best friend, who seemingly means nothing to him, happened to be in... for 70 years.
Let's reverse the roles. If Steve had been a female to do this for a man's sake? The first thing people would notice is how unhealthy the relationship is. How obsessive it is. How harmful it is. And how disgusting the normalization of it is. In a media that has a far reach and should be so much more fucking responsible with the messages they send their viewers.
Knowing that there are so many sacrifices, ones that shouldn't be made, and that every sacrifice comes from Steve's end, would you willingly call this relationship healthy? Beautiful? 'True love'?
When in reality, they'd only shared one kiss, and never dated?
Yeah. Seems legit.
On the flip side, you have that other interpretation, right? The one where he's in an alternate universe and lets his Peggy live her life with another man, but steals this Peggy both from her future husband and himself.
You'd think it gets better, right? I mean he can fix this universe in full, he might fuck something up and we might consider it a bit irresponsible to play with timelines like that, but he can always just go back if it goes too bad. He's earned it, his shot at this life, still disregarding Sharon and now... a version of himself. A Steve still trapped in the ice. Still suffering on his behalf. While he lives out his life with supposedly this Steve's girl, this Steve's Bucky, and this Steve's entire potential life.
Oh, and apparently this Peggy really doesn't care about the Steve trapped in the ice, since she's also fine with a replacement that's totally different from the one she knew~! That's not weird or fucked up at all.
Leaving him to wake up, alone, in the future having known the life he wanted was knowingly taken by someone else. Someone selfish enough to leave him in the ice. Bucky's alive and safe from Hydra, yay! Apparently... no version from this alternate universe is worth giving the shield to though. So I guess Steve ultimately didn't love these replacements as much. And of course, this is assuming Steve doesn't also just leave this universe as is for everything else terrible to happen.
This is assuming he gives a shit at all. Because if he had?
Tell me why... defrosting the alternate Steve to live out a life with his own Peggy, to at least make sure one of them got that 'happy ending', could still do good, without abandoning anyone, could kick ass, could fix everything in this alternate timeline, maybe even with a few tips from this time traveling Steve, somehow wasn't acceptable compared to 'Steve Rogers' actively and willingly doing, and allowing terrible things to happen, and abandoning everyone else who loved him.
Once again, cut off from his family and replacing them all with clones.
This is supposed to be better?
Did he ever really love Peggy, or just the way she looked since any identical twin happened to work just fine?
Tell me why, if Chris Evans just wanted to stop playing the role, Steve going back for just the dance and asking for Peggy's blessing to marry Sharon, presumably after they'd actually made an effort to develop the relationship, presumably after Peggy has made her peace with loving someone else, and then coming back to not abandon his family or any of his principles or promises he made, or just who he is in general, and proposing to Sharon with Peggy's blessing and understanding, wouldn't have been better and more respectful in all ways?
With the characters, with their history, with their messages. Tell me how it wouldn't have been better to simply have him out of the spotlight and training recruits, but still actively being who he was and doing good somehow couldn't have been acceptable?
There, I can write a better ending than those quack professionals Marvel hired. Simple, easy, done. Where's my fucking job~?
Instead of demolishing every part of who he was, using an anti-bullying character... to reward bullying no less?
Even if Evans wanted to retire or would have made a decision like this, doesn't mean Cap would have ever even remotely done something similar. At least not a good version of him. Upholding the symbolic moral message the character presents would have been easy, but they were too stupid to even try.
Tell me how this ending doesn't disrespect a previous almost 60 years of an established comic relationship, a relationship need I remind in which Sharon was pregnant with Steve's child, one sadly lost, and later shared an adopted son with him. A relationship, that should they disrespect and retcon for Peggy's sake, will only serve to make Steve Rogers seem like a terrible person with no sense of loyalty to a woman he supposedly loved and has spent a good chunk of his life with. As opposed to sharing one kiss or brief romance with. For all intents and purposes, Sharon being his common law wife.
Ironically, the very thing Atwell claimed this relationship did in the MCU, despite the fact that her character only shared a single kiss with Steve, canonically. And she lied and actively manipulated fans into believing it was so much more. When... watch the movies, it wasn't.
Tell me how this ending doesn't disrespect the characters, including Peggy, and the messages they have conveyed, the convictions they've held over the years of their history, and the symbolism which I would argue is much more important, that they represent. Tell me how it doesn't somehow disrespect and belittle Bucky, Erskine, the idea that Howard was Steve's friend, or that any of the people Steve loved actually mattered to him, beyond Peggy.
Beyond getting laid. Because deny it all you want, that is what this ending boils down to. That is the only reason it exists.
Or, actually, I'd wager it also exists to actively squash the importance of the messages the characters convey.
Here's an idea. Johann Schmidt and comics Hydra Cap both have more conviction and loyalty to their cause than EG Cap. And Schmidt post IW/EG arguably causes less harm than EG Cap actively allows to happen right beside himself, because Schmidt is incapable of doing much as the stone's guardian.
And at least Hydra Cap made sense within the context of his storyline.
Prove me wrong.
That's the sort of Cap you have to support to like this ending. Hydra complacent, bigotry complacent, and completely castrated, or at the very least, willing to replace everyone he loves with clones while he takes an alternate Steve's life. Frankly, that's not a Cap I think anyone should support. And I don't think any fans, especially Peggy or Steggy fans should be somehow proud of the fact that this is the sort of 'Steve' that Peggy gets.
I mean... I suppose it is in fact the kind of Steve that sort of Peggy, equally complacent and horrible, would deserve? But that doesn't really stop it from being gross, does it?
Is that really what you'd want as a fan?
I've mentioned that Atwell's alleged behavior is inappropriate, excessive, disturbing. And I'll also mention, this kind of obsession for fictional characters is unhealthy. So why did she do this? Why the behavior at all, why did she go out of her way to essentially hurt Emily, discreetly of course, without people noticing? Why all the manipulation?
Well... it gets worse. And this is certainly where that allegedly becomes very important.
Take a moment to think for a minute about who benefited from this ending and how.
Atwell, most certainly, at Emily's expense of course. At the expense of fans. And an actual well written product we wouldn't get immediate buyer's remorse from. And of course maybe one that doesn't insult our intelligence?
You could assume she simply wanted money. Though somehow... that doesn't really fit. Maybe spotlight? That makes a little more sense, though just as bad. It's seedy, it's spiteful, it's uncomfortably close to a bad Harlequin manga villain. If you've ever read one of those.
They're based off old trashy romance novels if that gives any reference.
Except... what if you replaced every instance of 'Steve, Sharon, and Peggy', with instances of herself and Chris? With the names, 'Chris, Emily, and Hayley'.
Except Emily is happily married now, and can easily identify the difference between a romantic interest in her work, and in real life. Can easily discern a job from her private life. Because that's what a good, stable, actress or actor can easily do.
Suddenly, the situation takes on a very different meaning.
How creepy would that have been for her to do? Along with easily dismissed by the public.
Keep in mind, this is a woman who publicly admitted to, and even in plain view, groping this man, multiple times, without his explicit consent because she 'couldn't help herself'. Okay. Big deal, right? So she touched his 'man boobs' a couple times. He laughed it off, it was all good fun. Why would he complain, it's different, men shouldn't be complaining about being touched without their permission by beautiful women. Despite the fact that they're not, nor have they ever been, in a romantic relationship together.
It's perfectly appropriate for a woman to grope a man as she pleases, whether he is in a relationship with her or even other people, or not. He can't feel uncomfortable because of this, only woman can. Why would he ever be uncomfortable about it, and if he was, he would have said so. He loves her, they're friends!
Let me know if the hypocrisy needed for that logic is falling through the cracks here, because that seems like a dangerous double standard to set.
You shouldn't be allegedly or otherwise, touching or really molesting, in her own words 'groping', anyone publicly and suddenly, especially without their consent. But let's assume he was okay with every single time it had happened. Okay. Sure. Fine. It's his body to decide with who can touch him like that, who can invade his personal space and how, right? And besides, he loves the attention and being objectified by women.
That's clearly why he'll make an effort to actually call out and put people on the spot who pretend to talk to him through a faked photoshopped encounter, right? Clearly why he absolutely hates that.
Now let's assume he wasn't.
Why would he ever admit to that if the response we can expect is that 'he's a man, so he should be okay with it'? As if men somehow don't have a right to their own bodies or can't be sexually harassed and molested, abused, raped, you name it. Objectified maybe? Why would we be suspicious of the behavior or tell someone that it's wrong, without the full story even though it's happening in our plain view?
Playfulness and comfort between friends is one thing, boundaries between them is another, and friends can still cross boundaries they shouldn't. Sometimes they do. Consider the fact of a known straight man and a woman who is attracted to him, and suddenly the implications change. The man, so far, has not shown even remotely the same attraction.
But why would we suspect her behavior would entail anything other than support for her own character that she played, and the ship she was a part of, which had been respectfully written out of the story and made to move on? It's not like she was actively dragging down a woman, a real person, another actress that essentially got in her way, and the part she wanted to play. Kissing Chris Evans.
It's not like she claimed she'd be the best choice for Sharon's actress in blonde wig before Emily was cast. Oh wait...
Was that in that little blog sourcing everything she did and claimed? I can't remember.
And this is all speculation of course. But I think it's very important speculation. And especially, is a reason to be suspicious of everything she did. But I of course can't read her mind, only look at what she did do and what there's proof of. Allegedly.
Seems like an extreme extant to go to to to get an extra kiss from an actor, right? An actor who, mind you, dated other people, not her, and seemed to ultimately choose his dog over anyone. And of course, since we're speculating.
Under the pretense that 'Peggy' gets 'Steve', 'she' got the 'man' that everyone else wanted, right? She lived that fantasy, married him, and had kids with him, and everyone else is just jealous of her. The characters are meant for each other, she can take no blame in what's done with the characters.
Except when encouraging hatred among her fans and negative press for the company and story so long as it doesn't revolve around her.
In this light, looking at the facts, her alleged behavior is extremely creepy.
When you consider the fact that Evans suddenly, and I mean suddenly wanted to quit playing the character, seemingly out of nowhere when just a year before still wanting to do so, and at the same time, he admitted to loving the idea of continuing to play Cap, and even the prospect of doing a movie with Deadpool and Wolverine. Something that would have been brilliant by the way, and I lament that it apparently won't happen every day.
Source
Yes, there is a very special relationship there, read a fucking comic~.
Let's consider the fact that Evans said this about his 'final scene of Endgame'. To sow just a little bit of discord. Of course, there's no guarantee that this scene had anything to do with that one he shared with 'Peggy'. Speculation.
Let's assume it did. Let's go beyond and say, Hayley was the entire reason Evans wanted to quit. The entire reason he wouldn't fight this, and was done playing the character. Let's assume this was the last straw for him, and that he quit just to get away from her.
Allegedly.
Let's assume for just a moment, he was no longer comfortable or happy around this woman. And she was breaking him down. Let's assume he was just tired of all the bullshit, had maybe even seen it for what it really was, was even creeped out. And decided, sure. 'I'll keep my mouth shut... as long as I don't have to deal with her'.
We can also assume he's being... strongarmed into silence somehow, either by the company or by her. Maybe I'm going out on a limb here, but that man hasn't looked the slightest bit happy as of late, and it's noticeable in his interviews. Maybe there's a reason for that. But maybe this idea is pushing it a tad too far, let's take a step back for a moment and remember the simple fact that this is speculation.
Based on alleged actions and circumstantial evidence.
I could absolutely be wrong and I am willing to admit that.
If Chris Evans wanted to call me out on this, correct me about Atwell and her behavior specifically towards him in this regard, I would welcome it. Even if he managed to prove me wrong about the bullying, provide an article or interview of some kind that does in fact prove her innocence, I would be more than happy to take a look at it and retract everything I've mentioned here regarding her, and her behavior. Even delete this post, and publicly apologize to her.
I want to be wrong about this, because it is fucked up, it is creepy, it is something he should not have had to, or have to ever deal with. It is not something Emily should have ever had to deal with, let alone the fans.
Nor is it something that we should simply tolerate and accept from Hayley Atwell. From or towards anyone.
Chris Evans is a human being. Emily VanCamp is a human being. Both of them deserved the utmost respect from Atwell, along with everyone else, neither of them received this from her. Allegedly.
The messages conveyed by that rottenly horrific ending can't even begin to compare to how important this simple fact is.
Real people were hurt. Bullies were rewarded. This should not have happened. We cannot simply allow it to happen now, or in the future. We cannot simply allow more harm to be done, with the continued bullying from that Hydra Support Group I mentioned, and their continued attempts to get Emily fired and Sharon removed from the comics.
That they quite clearly don't give a shit to buy or even read.
Why is this important now, of all times, during a pandemic that is keeping us all indoors with nothing better to do?
Well for one, I'm indoors with nothing better to do than come across bullshit like this. There's also something to be publicly said about female abusers and how important it is that we start to recognize when these situations might be happening. Whether from a man or a woman. And whether to a man, or another woman. If she didn't hurt Chris, she certainly didn't hesitate to hurt Emily.
I have friends... that were living their lives off of the messages Cap taught and inspired in people. Good friends, good people. And maybe it seems silly to linger on something like that, but I can say first hand it is heartbreaking to watch those people get that same inspiration, those same moral messages ripped away, and stolen from them.
And be left struggling with trying to hold on to those messages, but try as they may, not being able to. And then come a few epiphanies, a few discoveries.
This shit. The bullying. The behavior, the fact that we as fans were given a normalized abusive relationship, and told it was somehow good, somehow just, somehow right. That that's the message we are being given in place of everything else...
I had a friend have a panic attack because of this ending, after she tried to rationalize that it was okay, that it was 'sweet', and 'cute', and understandable. Because it hit a little too fucking close to home for her, and now she just relives that, remembers it with almost any part of what her favorite thing in the world was. And that is horrifying to know...
“I helped support this. I gave them money. I dedicated years of my life to following this.”
And it goes so much more beyond regretting that decision. It goes so much more beyond being able to simply move on and somehow keep those symbols, or at least the core messages beyond them and disassociate them from the characters when you can't escape reminders of it. When you can see so incredibly clearly what it really means, what really happened, and everyone else around you just accepts that something so fundamentally wrong is something right.
Here's a question, can you sue a company that's so profoundly built an empire, so embedded itself into your day to day life that you can't escape a personal trauma being reminded of it in something you paid for and actively support for years from this company? Does that count as some form of being publicly irresponsible and projecting harmful ideologies?
Is that something someone can do, or is it just something a 'Karen' would do? Would the sheer evil it takes to become that type of person, to dawn that haircut and demand to speak to a manager be worth it in the end?
“What did it cost?”
“Everything...”
Yeah, it really fucking did.
Oh hey, by the way. Hayley Atwell is definitely a Karen. Just thought I might point that out. Why else would she throw a massive tantrum to get someone bullied out of a franchise because she's not getting her way or the spotlight on her? She's just an evolved one.
Allegedly.
I am all for people policing their own content and being respectful of creators, and understanding that fiction is different from reality. Not every concept will be stomachable or enjoyable by absolutely everyone. Horror in itself is a perfect example of that, especially psychological horror.
I can also say without a doubt that I hate knowing that the people I care about are so heavily affected by something they had initially used to make themselves a better person, that should remain fictional and symbolic but just somehow forces itself to go beyond that.
I hate knowing a corporation could be so irresponsible that this is the message they get billions of dollars for, that this is what they give to the public, that this lack of care or even noticing what they've done and who they've rewarded, and the continued behavior...
The bullying, and despite every piece of criticism screaming at them just how fucked up this is.
But no, they can't take two fucking seconds, to think 'maybe we made a bad move and shouldn't stick by this considering what it's done or is doing to fans'. 'Maybe we should be more responsible with the power and influence we happen to have'...
Except they knew.
“It might end the whole franchise.”
What kind of context am I supposed to imagine for those words. Especially in light of a franchise that had a multitude of plans to continue.
What the fuck does that mean?
And isn't that the most piss soaked cherry on top of this shit cake?
Hayley's words in the interview represent how little she cared about the character, about the franchise, about the fans, or the messages conveyed, as long as she got what she wanted.
And she did.
Publicly... adored... psychopath.
Allegedly.
Cap's core message is something so incredibly vital, I believe, to this world. Especially in these times. Especially when it comes to making progress.
“Doesn't matter what the press says. Doesn't matter what the politicians or the mobs say. Doesn't matter if the whole country decides that something wrong is something right. This nation was founded on one principle above all else: the requirement that we stand up for what we believe, no matter the odds or the consequences. When the mob and the press and the whole world tell you to move, your job is to plant yourself like a tree beside the river of truth, and tell the whole world –"No, you move."”
Especially in a world that will actively tell and show us that human lives aren't worth a dime a fucking dozen to the people we let control our world. Especially when we should be telling these same people.
“No, fuck you, that's wrong.”
And yeah, that fucking sucks. It fucking sucks to have family that is vulnerable to something potentially deadly, to be vulnerable to it, and have no control over that. It fucking sucks to know people you may trust will not even give a shit. And it is fucking hard to keep hope when everything around you just seems to be falling apart.
And you can't do a damn thing.
But this message teaches us just that. To not lose hope. To not lose faith. To keep fighting for what we believe in, and make things better. Isn't that the whole point of criticism? Challenging ideas, beliefs, so that we can discern right from wrong and have a better understanding of what that might be? So that we can improve? What a hell of time it would be to have this message with us. What a hell of a time for us to need this message, now more than anything... and not have it.
What a hell of a time for someone to willingly quit portraying and sending that message... Though I can't say I'd blame him, he's only human, it's a heavy burden to bear, and if Atwell really did do all of this just to kiss him... Allegedly.
Well, I'd wanna get away from her too. Provided it was willing at all. I get mixed signals from that guy. And trust him about as far as I can throw him. I am a weak bitch, so that is not very far... But... professional liar, so.
He could also be the world's biggest troll, cause I don't believe for a second he didn't know how fans would react to this. Which... biiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiitch. But also, RESPECT.
And also, BITCH! Be serious for a goddamn second, this is fucking important!
But this message also teaches rebellion.
What a hell of a message to publicly squander in order to keep people complacent, for the sake of pretending someone gets a 'happy' horrific ending, finally getting laid. Like neither of those things were something that couldn't be found in the future while still preserving the legacy of the character.
Right?
Ironically, it was a message they had helped to represent with Sharon, and still there's the issue of her and fans being publicly bullied and disrespected, once again, a real person, people, for Atwell's sake.
If we only surround ourselves by those that tell us what we want to hear, rather than the truth, we can only stagnate our growth.
If we only care when we are finally forced to face the problems evident, can we really call ourselves virtuous?
If we do nothing knowing something is wrong, what does this say about us?
I'm just as guilty in not noticing these sorts of things as they happen until it's too late, but I'd like to hope I'm getting better and paying more attention, and that we can still do better.
What's the point of all this, and what can we do?
As I said before, I do not want to cause harm. I do not want people to go and harass anyone for alleged wrong doings or behavior of any sort. I do not want people to lose entire jobs or livelihoods over this. But it is clear something is wrong, and we certainly need to right it. I also don't believe any of the parties involved are somehow beyond redemption. Even Hayley.
If Marvel had any sense, especially now, they would retcon this, however necessary, first off. They don't even need Evans to do that, they can do something as simple as making a comic that undoes this nasty ending and saves Cap, and the other characters, from being made into an empty shell and castrated version of himself. Or at least make a solid plan to and very publicly apologize to Emily for the situation and discourage such behavior among their fandom. Hayley would do the same, not just to fans but especially to Emily, and maybe even Chris.
If you ever participated in this behavior and now understand that it was wrong, I would encourage you to go give Emily your love and support and apologize to her for this mess and what she had to deal with on behalf of fans. She deserved far better. She still deserves better.
If Hayley refused to acknowledge or even publicly address this? Or Marvel, Disney for that matter, well it would just go to show that they'd want it all swept under the rug instead of being held accountable for what happened. Something that's certainly a disrespect to Walt Disney , as he was able to make amends and admit to his mistakes publicly, and it's a stain on the legacy he left behind that the current Disney can hardly be bothered to.
And yes, believe it or not, there's a way to not let them do this without aggressive harassment.
My first suggestion is meme the shit out of it. Be an absolute troll and make a joke of this giant fucking joke of a company that can't even put two and two together for basic story elements. To an extant that will publicly embarrass them for sure, be relentless, but don't send hate.
Just show everyone the clowns they are~.
I've been told this can also be a bit mean though. And clearly, we can't simply let them forget it or forget it ourselves.
The second, ask questions. Simply ask for this to be addressed, try to get it noticed as best you can. Send them this across as many platforms as you can to as many people as you can. Or even just the smaller blogs I linked. Repost, reblog, and share this as much as you can and make it something they can't ignore without sending them direct hate and harassment. Copy and paste or just send a link to this in a concerned email to the corporation. Make sure their offices are absolutely buzzing with the news. Ask, don't demand, your favorite MCU actors to publicly speak out about this, please. Keep asking until you get some sort of response.
Without being rude.
Because it may take time, it may take effort, but it is important, and it certainly should be addressed. And never allowed to happen again.
As for Atwell and her bullies?
Well, first let me congratulate her.
She played herself. All those jokes about turning Peggy into a supervillain and that's exactly what she did. With her own wants and desires, not Peggy's.
But otherwise be kind, be courteous, and hold your grace and elegance. Treat her with the same respect you would want for yourself and do not stoop to her or their level. Do not insult her. Ask her, 'what's wrong'? Ask her why she did this, if she's okay. Ask her to stop, to speak out about it, to address the situation and to understand why she didn't do it sooner. Ask her if she's seeking help for whatever psychological issues she may have that would push her to do something like this, wish her well, and tell her you hope she finds the help she needs and learns that what she did was wrong. Let her know you're disappointed if you're a fan.
She definitely shouldn't be allowed to keep relishing in the reward and aftermath of what she did, and she definitely owes Emily, and possibly Chris, an apology for all the bullshit she encouraged and did. Her behavior, allegedly, is fucking creepy.
But she's still a human being, behaviors are correctable.
Simply address the fact that it was wrong and ask her if she understands that. Also maybe that... public molestation isn't okay? Allegedly.
Do the same for her bullies, if they are rude to you, simply tell them:
'Oh... you support Hydra... you're entitled to your opinion, but I'll have to disagree.'
And leave it at that. Just take comfort in the fact that you can recognize an abusive relationship and don't support it. You cannot force them to change their minds if they don't want to, do not antagonize them or potentially bring harm to yourself by doing so. And yes, that is admittedly a bit mean, a bit trollish~, and the reality is they probably don't support Hydra... But they also kinda have to to support this ending somehow.
The writers 'confirmed' Hydra Trash Party as canon while the directors 'confirmed' everyone in Steve's life being replaceable.
And he still becomes a creepy uncle while someone needs to suffer on his behalf for 70 years.
Fantastic~! I'm accepting neither and I give you no money until it's fixed! Because it's gross~!
If this situation is addressed by everyone involved, and any allegations and speculations I've made are in fact proven true, but let's say Atwell still publicly refuses to admit to anything she did or apologize to Emily. Even if Disney does. Well, she'll be proving exactly what type of person we suspect her to be. And only then would I consider it acceptable for the company to completely erase her from the franchise in turn and blacklist her from what they produce. Some people might consider that too nice, I think it's reasonable, you're free to disagree.
Not necessarily her character though, Peggy has actually done nothing wrong on her own, she's a fictional character best represented by good writers, and malleable according to that. And I would certainly even encourage much better character explorations and portrayals of her. But Hayley herself, who would then become pretty much a poster child for harassment and bullying, and defending psychopathic behaviors...
Allegedly.
If people try to silence you, ignore you, keep trying, keep spreading the message, keep going as much as you can, until we manage to get this addressed and the situation finally corrected.
Do not support the company, or actress that refuses to address this. Do not support people that do terrible things without holding them accountable. Do not allow them to simply get away with it, but do not lose your own humanity for their sake.
I know first hand how fucking hard it is not to lose your shit when shit like this happens. And nobody notices. But I guarantee, throwing a fit of rage will get nothing done, and they will try to use it against you.
If they manage to prove me wrong in any regards? Great! I will be fucking overjoyed! I hate the idea that evil is actively happening in the world and people do nothing about it, don't you?
And a friendly reminder.
You are not in anyway required to purchase anything from Marvel, any of the actual bullshit content and harmful ideas they refuse to take any criticism or responsibility for. You are not obligated to them just because you are a fan, and you do not owe them anything. If they want our money, they can earn it, but you can definitely get your fixes of good creative content elsewhere, and even support other artists. If this is what they provide, you do not have to support them. You can make your own. For free. And enjoy what others make for free. For any and all people part of an intricate creative community, fan fiction does not just have to be trashy romance or gay ass ships. That is a huge chunk of it, I won't even bother lying about that, I'm under no illusions otherwise.
But it can also be just simple storylines based off what canons you like, simple fan comics that maybe present a different sort of story arc you aren't seeing developed and wonder where you might go with it. It can be action, scifi, fantasy, horror. It can be any sort of fusion that you would enjoy. It can even be insanely good or horrendously bad! It can even be original fiction! And yes, you're more than allowed to publicly critique and parody the work these companies sell you, go write ahead~, and make a point of making something better. Because you can.
Or it can be shipping wars and nonsensical shit and trashy romance and smut. Again, no illusions that there's not a whole lot of that shit.
Or crack. Lots of crack fic.
But the beauty of it is that it's up to you. And you don't owe anyone anything because everything you get to make is free. But keep in mind that goes both ways in this aspect. For you and others, and I'd wager to say there are a lot of writers out there that can definitely do these characters and their messages a much better justice than the disservice and disrespect Marvel has given them and the fans. Especially as of late.
Lastly, especially in these times... do not lose hope.
Do not lose faith in the message Steve Rogers stands for, or in the hopes things may get better. For all of us. And for the character? That he may just yet be saved from quite plainly, all the bullshit. That any of your favorite characters might be given better treatment down the line. And if not?
Save 'em yourself. Make it better yourself. And make it known, no matter what happens, no matter what they do, these messages can't be squandered or destroyed. Hold them dear, and don't accept anything less than them being upheld, no matter how it's represented.
Particularly when you're paying for it. Don't harass small time writers that write self indulgent bullshit for free. Just police your content accordingly, please.
But the message?
That's what's important.
In conclusion?
'Logan' was the better movie. Hayley turned Peggy into 'Monika' of Doki Doki Literature Club. And Chris Evans chose his dog.
“I don't like bullies... I don't care where they're from.”
;)
160 notes · View notes
traincat · 3 years
Note
I’ve read Waid and Hickman’s FF runs and am currently reading Zdarsky’s 2 in One. I’m planning on eventually reading the Lee/Kirby run. Can I ask, what other runs would you recommend? Is Claremont’s good? Sorry for bothering.
I LOVE Waid and Hickman’s Fantastic Four runs, and Zdarsky’s Marvel Two-In-One was excellent to the point where one of my lingering disappointments is that Marvel brought the Fantastic Four back in a way that prematurely cut off Zdarksy’s 2n1. I know I said I wanted them back but wow did we all get monkey’s paw’d on that one. Zdarsky did really excellent stuff with both Ben and Johnny and the multiverse hopping was honestly fun and interesting. Lee/Kirby is also, in my opinion, just a really terrific run -- it lays the groundwork for not only the future of the Fantastic Four but a lot of big concepts for the Marvel Universe in general, and I think it holds up really well by modern day storytelling standards. Lee’s sense of humor works well with the retrofuturistic vibe and Kirby’s art is always wonderful. In particular I think it’s interesting to look back on The Galactus Trilogy (Fantastic Four #48-50) as the granddaddy of all event comics, for better or worse. 
Claremont -- okay, I love Claremont’s run, let me start off by saying that. Claremont’s run follows on what is in my opinion one of the worst periods of Fantastic Four canon, and I mean bad to the point where the literal canon at that point was that to get things back on track the Fantastic Four had to be put in a bubble universe. Claremont’s run kicks in one or two issues after their return to the main Marvel universe and it’s so fun. I think Fantastic Four is one of those series that kind of flourishes in adversity and Claremont’s run starts off with the Fantastic Four trying to regain their footing in a world that had assumed them dead, their Baxter Building gone, living in a warehouse property. Claremont, in my opinion, also has one of the best if not the best handle on characterization for a lot of key Fantastic Four figures, including Johnny, Reed, and Sue. His Ben is also very good, but I think Ben in particular tends to be an easier sell for a lot of comic book writers -- the outcast, the gruff man, the comic relief. He’s easier to identify with than Reed, the Smartest Man on Earth, or Johnny, defined by his youth and beauty and queercoded since the ‘60s, or Sue, by sheer factor of being a woman. So I think a lot of writers identify with Ben first and foremost and put the most love and care into his depiction, whereas the others are a little easier for them to leave by the wayside. Which isn’t a bad thing -- I love that one of the most beloved comic book characters is also one of Marvel’s few canonically Jewish characters, but there is a wealth of truly excellent Ben canon in comparison to the other three. Especially with Johnny, there’s no one else who has written for Fantastic Four who has put nearly as much thought and detail into Johnny’s relationship with his powers, both the positive and the negative, as Claremont has, even reworking the origin story from Lee and Kirby’s joyous scene of Johnny flaming on for the first time into a deeply traumatizing incident -- being sixteen and traumatized and bursting into uncontrollable flames. 
Tumblr media
(Fantastic Four v3 #11) There’s also a lot of women in Claremont’s run! A valid criticism of Fantastic Four canon is that by its initial core team makeup it tends to be lacking in female characters compared to some other big Marvel staples, but Claremont brings in a ton, from Reed’s college friend and fellow genius Alyssa Moy (who has been done dirty by pretty much every other writer who’s ever touched her, including Waid and Hickman) to multiversal bounty hunter Bounty to the most platonic of Johnny’s gal pals Caledonia to Valeria Von Doom, a “time dancing” teenage incarnation of the baby Sue lost back in Byrne’s run, who sets up baby Val’s eventual return. Claremont is also king of Reed vs Doom setups -- if you haven’t read his Fantastic Four vs X-Men miniseries, I highly recommend it, and he brings a lot of the two sides of the same coin energy from that into his Fantastic Four run. 
The downside of Claremont’s run is that the plot is always there and always running and I could not explain half of it if you paid me. Things certainly happen! Like all the time! For seemingly no apparent reason! Stuff gets set up and then it’s not resolved and now we are in Latveria! I don’t think this is necessarily all that detrimental -- the run is still massively fun and the characterization is always fresh and interesting. It’s just that sometimes you have no idea what’s going on and you have to roll with it. And then sometimes you do know what’s going on but in the way where you know Claremont was just writing it because it’s his kink. Which is like, whatever. As authorial ids go, you can pretty consistently do worse than Claremont’s, I’ll give him that. So I do recommend on it the whole, as long as you’re not going into expecting the kind of plots either Hickman or Waid brought the book. Claremont’s is kind of like “stuff happens and it’s either weird or fun so just don’t pay too much attention to it.” 
Aside from Claremont, I feel like I generally like far more Fantastic Four runs than I dislike -- but also I don’t hate Millar’s run, which is honestly bad, so it’s possible I’m just very forgiving with the Fantastic Four. I really like Robinson’s run, which is the last run before the Great Fantastic Four Drought of 2015-2018. It’s short, self-contained, and devoted entirely to one story, so it’s pretty tightly written, with good characterization and some very shiny art by Leonard Kirk. Straczynski’s run is decent enough for the fact that it intersects with Civil War -- I think he does his best to get into the heads of the characters re: their actions in Civil War -- and it leads directly into Dwayne McDuffie’s run, another brief one where Black Panther and Storm take over for Reed and Sue. Very fun. Marvel Knights 4 is also a fairly recent run that’s got some strong moments in it, although I feel it’s a little inconsistent in its handling of the characters. It’s still fun, though. For an older, longer run, I like Simsonson’s -- the art is very dynamic, even if the storyline kind of gets too involved with itself. 
Tumblr media
(FF #337)
I recommend Byrne’s run with the caveat that there’s plenty to dislike about it and plenty of reasons to avoid it, not the least of it being Byrne himself as a creator and a person. It’s heavily sexist in how it deals with Sue, it retcons a huge age gap into Sue and Reed’s relationship, and Byrne’s early departure sets up my all time least favorite Fantastic Four story. (Though that one is Roger Stern and later Tom DeFalco’s fault.) It is historic as Fantastic Four runs go, though, and there’s a lot in later runs that’s built over it or references it or borrows from it. So it’s a rec with a lot of caveats and I also understand why people might give it a skip -- I think it’s more important for an understanding of the greater body of Fantastic Four canon and the impact it had than for the actual run itself. I do think Byrne has some very interesting subtext with Johnny, although it never come to fruition, and while his Sue falls victim to a lot of sexism, I really like what he does with the character of Frankie Raye, who like poor Alyssa Moy I don’t think has ever gotten really good treatment ever since.
I have mixed feelings on both Millar and Fraction’s runs, not in the least because I think they end very similarly -- and that Millar did it better, which doesn’t say great things. Millar’s run is kind of like a trashy popcorn flick version of Fantastic Four; it’s not actually good, but I can’t say I don’t like the terrible eldritch monster in Scotland Christmas arc (Fantastic Four #564-565) and I’m sort of into future Sue. Fraction, on the other hand, takes a space road trip and makes it boring, which is the greatest Fantastic Four sin of all. He’s one of the rare writers who I think actually writes a bad Ben Grimm -- not the least because his run goes out of its way to try and label it Ben’s own fault that he was transformed into a monster. I do really like his FF (just the initials) though. 
The only Fantastic Four runs I can say I really truly dislike are Tom DeFalco’s and Dan Slott’s, which sort of unfortunate because DeFalco’s is both long influential (I have no idea why because it’s honestly terrible like in terms of storytelling) and because Slott’s is happening right now. DeFalco comes onto the book on Fantastic Four #356 and stays on until Fantastic Four #416, at which point Marvel hit a literal retcon button to get out of the mess he’d made. (This leads into Fantastic Four v2, which is largely skippable -- it’s basically a mid-90s retelling of a bunch of early Fantastic Four stories that leads back into the FF heading back to the main universe.) DeFalco’s responsible for the Skrull retcon in the JohnnyAlicia marriage and for dragging that out for over 50 issues, the entirety of which feel like he was writing without a plan or outline or literally anything, and I have never felt like a comic book was attempting to gaslight me through its own incompetence or refusal to commit to things it set up itself as badly as I do with DeFalco’s run. (I like other non-Fantastic Four Tom DeFalco runs. I just hate this one.) Dan Slott’s run is just 25 issues and counting of badly written emotionless unfunny pages blandly stapled together and I so badly want Marvel to kick him off the book for its own good.
34 notes · View notes
iturbide · 3 years
Note
Please, share the chaos.
you guys asked for it don’t blame me
Remember the upcoming Loki issue of Jim Henson’s The Storyteller; get hyped again.
Think about the wedding crashing and where it fits into my personal ordering of the Norse myths, imagine domestic Loki and Sigyn things
Think about Loki’s various relationships through the myths (Angyrboda, Svadilfari, Sigyn), “pretty sure Loki’s genderfluid”
“Also feel like Loki’s allo/aro,” think about headcanon that Loki and Freya are friends with benefits
Get sad about how it all ends, think about the whole ‘self-fulfilling prophecy’ aspect again
Think about Heroes and Loki’s involvement, get upset Book 3 again
Book 3 was where Gustav showed his face for the first time, get mad about that, too
“These kids deserve better,” a sentiment echoed through practically every FE game
Think about Chrom and Robin’s terrible fathers especially, want to punch them
Think about Chrobin instead, chill out
Domestic Chrobin...nice
Think about Chrobin modern AUs and all of the fluffy domestic stuff that goes with that
Think about Cardcaptor Lissa again and how they’re boyfriends
Cardcaptor Lissa includes Grima and Tiki bffs, which is something they both deserve
Grima and Tiki were also bffs in the whole conceptual planning for A House Divided, “wow I haven’t thought about that in forever I miss it”
Do I really want Grima to die and reincarnate or can I get away with him surviving and just being massively weakened? 
Think about the Grima manakete design again, get happy
“I should draw”
Remember I wanted to do Day of Devotion Sharena alt (and possibly comic?)
Also remember the half-dozen things I have been planning to draw before that
Also also remember that idea I had about doodling for a HeartGold run I want to start
Haven’t planned team yet, need to do that, “I wanna Larvitar”
But I’m already playing AC: Valhalla with a friend
The control scheme is kicking my ass though I either need to figure out how to change up the controls or dial back the difficulty from normal to easy
I had this problem in Origins too which may be part of why I still haven’t finished it, I should go do that too at some point
Origins had great vibes for working on the Assassin’s Creed/Fire Emblem: Awakening crossover too because desert
Think about different ways to do crossovers and how a lot of times it’s either fitting characters and world from one thing into the narrative of the other, or adapting the narrative elements from one thing to the characters and world of the other
AC: Awakening is very much the latter, with the overarching concept of the Assassin/Templar conflict to suit the Awakening setting and characters
So are Cursed Fate and the Promare AU huh I really like that particular style of crossover
Promare reminds me that Life Goes On is gonna be such a monster haha
Think about Anankos‘ stuff again, get happy
Think about their Professor Sothis AU, get excited
Think about pre-timeskip fix-it and dragon!Byleth who is there almost entirely because Bany would like that
Think about dragon stuff, remember the comic I tried reading yesterday that advertised dragons and did not deliver, get disappointed
There are other comics that will be updating tonight, look forward to that instead
Have I checked the other comics I follow lately? 
Get distracted temporarily doing that, yay for ✨focus✨
Focus lasts all of 5 minutes, now what the fuck do I do
8 notes · View notes
Note
For the ship thing. Axel and Isa. Somebodies and Hot Topic where it would differ
How do much do I ship it?: Never heard of it/ Notp / Dislike / used to ship / maybe / ship it / aww / otp / IS IT CANON YET?
2. What non sexual activities do they like to do together?
Somebodies: 
When they were kiddos, Lea and Isa spent a lot of time outside of academy hours roaming around the city and trying to sneak into places they weren’t supposed to (Their loftiest goals being the clock tower and castle). They considered this more their ‘job’ than anything, though. 
For fun, they played a lot of frisbee and tag with the other local hooligans or just with each other, which Isa preferred. They would read books and comics together late at night when Lea would sneak over to Isa’s house and often reenacted these and the stories their fathers told them on the beach or in the town square. 
Sometimes Isa’s father would take them both out in his fishing boat. Isa would help, and Lea would also ‘help,’ which often involved fumbling bait and fish over the side. Other days, one of the bartenders, cooks, or servers at the Lea’s parent’s pub would take them under their wing for an evening and let them help add spices to dishes or collect bottle caps off the floor or wash tables, which would last until one of the customer’s complained or Lea’s parents caught sight of them and kicked them out. 
In Somebodies, as young twenty-somethings, they spend most of their free time focusing on academy training and school, especially with Isa trying to steer Lea away from his delinquent friends and tendencies. Isa’s much more studious than Lea and helps him relearn material that he was too distracted to learn in class, and convinces him to take time to sit and focus on completing homework and readings. 
They love to spar and work out together on a regular basis and often give each other advice or teach each other new techniques. They’re both competitive and have some unchecked aggression, so sparring is a good outlet, and it teaches them to give their all, while maintaining self-control, because they don’t want to hurt each other much, although a few bangs and bruises have always been forgivable, and they give each other a fair amount of medical care as well.  
In their free time, Lea and Isa enjoy taking their dog Neptune on walks in the park or along the beach, going sailing, and playing frisbee for old time’s sake. 
Some nights Lea helps Isa babysit his sisters and entertains them with wild anecdotes. They both appreciate how gentle each other can be with kids and animals. Other nights, Isa visits Lea while he’s bartending, and when Lea has time, they tell each other stories about their day, reminiscence and try to make each other laugh.  
Hot Topic: 
Axel and Saix have embraced island life in a big way. Whenever they can get away from work, they spend their free time on the beach, going on long walks or jogs, or surfing and playing frisbee or soccer with Xigbar and Demyx. (They played soccer together in high school for a while.) They enjoy being active and getting fresh air, and it’s been helpful for Saix’s mental health. They often go to the gym together, spot each other and give each other advice and encouragement. 
When they need a night in, they enjoy cooking together and then Netflix and cuddle. Sometimes they watch terrible shows just to amuse each other making snide comments. They’re also very good at spending down time together, with Saix reading and Axel sketching tattoo designs, either on paper or on Saix’s skin. 
When they want to go out, sometimes the pair of them will go to a club to dance and hang out exclusively with themselves (because if Saix loses sight of Axel for two seconds he will jump to conclusions and freak the fuck out). Though they don’t have a lot of time for it, they enjoy shopping for clothes together and have been known to spend literal hours in the fitting room, making each other try on a hundred different things.
(God, this is long. I will try to be shorter)   
3. Who does chores around the house?
I would say in both stories, they try to split chore responsibilities evenly, because Isa doesn’t let Lea slack. Having a clean and organized house is incredibly important to Isa/Saix because it gives him a sense of security and control over his life. Lea/Axel is not a naturally neat person, and doesn’t entirely understand, but he recognizes how important it is to his boyfriend and tries to take his responsibilities seriously. HT Saix is a little more extreme with his organization than Isa is, (I think I mentioned an alphabetical spice rack?) so Axel has a harder time of it. Every now and then, Lea/Axel will get tired and forget to do something or leave his things lying around. Isa is more likely to shake his head and do it for Lea, while Saix is more likely to give Axel a lecture about his laziness.
4. Who’s the better cook?
Somebodies: Lea. He grew up watching cooks in his dad’s bar, he works in a pub, and he’s had to make a lot of his own food because his parents are pretty negligent. Also, he enjoys cooking and loves to try exotic foods, probably because there wasn’t always enough to go around and he occasionally had to accept food from whoever would give it to him. Isa’s mother does a lot of the cooking in his family and keeps recipes pretty simple. His father’s a fisherman so there’s a lot of seafood and bread, which are pretty much the only thing Isa feels comfortable making well. He tends to prioritize school over learning to cook and sometimes forgets to eat if Lea doesn’t remind him. 
Hot Topic: Saix. Under the advice of his therapist, Saix tries to embrace the healthy body, healthy mind lifestyle and spends a lot of time learning to make healthy and delicious foods. He’s thinking about going vegan. He approaches cooking like something to be studied and perfected. Axel can cook fairly well too, and sometimes they cook together, though Saix can be bossy in the kitchen. Axel can’t entirely blame him though. Axel is more about tastiness than healthiness and tends to burn things or make them too salty or spicy.   
5. Who’s the funniest drunk?
The funniest would probably be Lea/Axel when he’s a little buzzed, but mostly just up to his normal antics. 
When Isa/Saix is drunk and in a good mood, he gets very affectionate and clingy with Lea/Axel and forgets to care how much he dislikes/is cautious of PDA, which their friends find both funny and a little sad. If he’s tired or stressed he tends to get broody and quiet, Isa more likely to get depressed or opinionated, Saix more likely to be jealous or hostile. 
While Lea/Axel is funnier in general, and he’s more likely to make people laugh with his sense of humor, getting drunk actually tends to make him less funny, because he’s more likely to make jokes that are a little crueler, more personal, less tasteful, which he otherwise would have kept to himself, and Isa/Saix is less likely to keep him in check and more likely to get pissed about it.
6. Do they have kids?
Somebodies: No, just a dog that they are very devoted to. Lea and Isa would have liked to have adopted a kid or two in the future. 
Hot Topic: No. They’ve been on and off again enough that the topic of having kids is kind of a vague and distant concept in their minds at this point in time. Saix especially wants to focus on getting himself into a better place before he even considers the idea. Axel prefers to hang out with other people’s kids so he can give them back after. He sometimes baby-sits his friend David’s niece, Lilo. He’s a little afraid he’d mess his own kids up.  
7. Do they have any traditions?
Somebodies: They used to meet at the fountain in the local square to walk to school together every day. Even after their fake public break up, they still get together on special occasions, like birthdays, holidays, and graduations, and spend the whole day together, and they usually meet up in that same spot. 
Hot Topic: Both Axel and Saix did not have great home lives growing up, so rather than going home for the holidays, they spend them together making their own traditions, inviting their friends over, or if they’re really just not in the mood, making them as low key as possible. They only decorate for Halloween. They are an order take-out on Christmas kind of couple. Although they would probably go surfing before-hand. Attempts to break from these into a more traditional holiday tends to cause discord. 
8. What do they fight about?
Somebodies: Mainly, Lea’s bad habits, smoking, stealing that sort of deal. He has some friends like Elrena that poverty has pushed toward the criminal side, of life and Isa wants him to be successful.  Every so often, they’ll fight about the uncertainty of their future. Lea wants to be on the Castle Guard, and Isa’s also considering it, but guards aren’t supposed to be in relationships, and they don’t actually have a plan to deal with that, nor are they able to sit down and talk about it without emotions running high. 
Hot Topic: Commitment. Lea’s a bit of a flirt, and Isa’s childhood abuse has left him with an extreme sense of insecurity that manifests in his jealousy. So, Isa’s constantly questioning Lea’s commitment to him and relationships with other men and keeping tabs on him, and Lea’s questioning why the other areas of Isa’s life seem to be improving, but not Isa’s ability to let Lea be himself, spend time by himself, and make new friends.    
9. What would they do if they found their pairing tag on tumblr? (If they have one)
Somebodies: Isa and Lea would be incredibly concerned with the extreme personality changes and murder they see in their futures. (And how the hell does that lead to domestic life with two teenagers? Or are they adults? Or are they preschoolers? Isa and Lea are barely not teenagers themselves, and are not feeling ready for this.) 
Hot Topic: Saix is Concerned. Axel loves the murder and intrigue, he’s definitely going to spend hours clicking through fanart and fics and showing Saix highlights. 
10. Who cried at the end of Marley and me?
(I’ve never seen Marley & Me, I’m just going to assume a very cute dog dies)
Somebodies: Isa’s reading Marley & Me out loud to Lea, who’s lounging on the floor in front of the fireplace, hugging Neptune. Lea’s eyes start getting misty and Isa’s voice breaks. Lea brings Neptune over to Isa, who is not full on crying, but maybe about to be. Group hug and they decide to take a break from the book and take Neptune outside to play for a while. 
Hot Topic: Axel starts bitching about the ending as soon as he realizes what’s happening, but he gets quieter and quieter as the story plays out. Saix is holding him and rubbing his back and Axel thinks he’s doing okay and then abruptly Saix starts straight up sobbing into Axel’s shoulder, and Axel hushes and quiets him, and they make plans to go adopt a puppy the next day. 
11. Who always wins at Mario kart?
Both: Axel is much more into video games than Saix is but Saix somehow always comes up from behind at the last minute and beats him in Mario Kart, no matter how many times they play. 
12. One thing I like about this ship?
I love their history. They grew up together and know each other inside and out and have stood by each other through whatever life’s thrown at them. I like their personalities. I see them as two people with wildly different personalities who, nonetheless both understand and value the other person for and in spite of those differences. I like that they are both strong, loyal, and dedicated to what they believe in and care about to the point where they stand by each other when they lose their hearts and straight up commit murder because they want to be able to feel love for each other again. That’s fucking hard core. Oh that was like five things. Whoops. 
13. One thing I don’t like about the ship?
Controversial take, I know, but I’m a huge Axel/Roxas fan, so I kind of prefer to see Lea/Isa and Axel/Saix as past tense, a couple that broke up because life threw too much at them and they betrayed each other, but have happily moved on and still mean the world to each other, just in a different way.  
Sea Salt Fam: I don’t like that they’ve somehow become the Dads of the group? I always imagined them in their early twenties--at most--just a few years older than the rest of the group, so seeing them put in these parent roles, for Roxas and Xion, who tend to get treated like young children, (Daddy, braid my hair and read me a story is, like, not something any teenager has ever said), kind of weirds me out.   
14. The song I would say fits them?
Somebodies: Mars (Sleeping at Last)
Hot Topic: Kills You Slowly (The Chainsmokers)
15. Another headcanon about the pairing? (Free space)
Somebodies: Isa and Lea have never officially told anyone in their families that they’re romantically involved, because they’re not supposed to be, but they are all perfectly well aware, and do not believe for a second that they broke up. 
Hot Topic: Saix is hugely in love with Axel’s voice and guitar-playing, and even though seeing him at the front of a band makes him incredibly uncomfortable and Demyx drives Saix crazy, he’s trying really hard to be supportive of the whole endeavor and listens to the band’s EP on a regular basis.   
9 notes · View notes
Text
What I have to say is kind of too long to put into an ask, so I hope it's okay that I'm submitting this here.
I've been an "Internet artist" for about eight years now, and I've known about Dobson and his antics since his days on DA (he abandoned his account shortly after I made mine, I believe). I even interacted with Dobson on here once to give him artistic advice when he put out that post asking for it (which he disregarded, naturally). That all being said, here is my two cents about him and this blog in particular:
I think it can be appreciated that you're trying to warn people about this guy---because yes, he disregards criticism as "trolling" and his obsession with lesbians is creepy, and he's been doing both of those things for over a decade---but if I'm being completely blunt, I don't think he's worth having an entire callout blog devoted to his every move online. In fact, I think it's essentially creating the opposite effect; people like Dobson thrive on negativity, it's why he's always replied to people criticizing him or trolling him instead of addressing the people complimenting him, because he knows people will see the drama and be drawn to it. The harder people try to condemn him for his idiocy, hypocrisy and general unlikability, the more he can use it to make it seem like he's being treated unfairly and therefore more and more people will go to bat for him. People generally won't look too deep into something if they're being fed it by someone they think is "popular", so if Dobson says you're a "hate blog" and that everything you say is taken out of context or a lie, then people will believe it, unfortunately. 
In my opinion, Dobson is not some failure-boogeyman to warn artists about (Ken Penders runs circles around old Dobbo in that regard), but I do think he is the worst thing you can possibly be as an artist: boring. His art is only created to exist, nothing more, and it only inspires vitriol and disgust when he decides to instill his own loathsome personality and opinions into it. However, I don't think he warrants having any kind of eye on him, positive or negative. What he deserves is to fade into obscurity, with people giving a shrug or a "who?" if his name is mentioned. If he posts some obvious virtue signalling blather or makes terrible art.....so what? It should be met with a void of reaction, because to do anything else would make him significant, and that is not something he's worthy of. 
This is not me defending him in the least, but instead I ask you to really consider if the time and effort it takes to make the world aware of a small, meaningless man is worth it in the long run. 
“I do actually agree with you that it’s better to just ignore Dobson and let him wallow in obscurity. Thing is, for as lazy and anti-criticism as he is, he is still a decent artist when he actually puts his mind to it. And he can still pander in a way that gets him a ton of attention. The entire reason I originally wanted to start this blog in the first place is because he mad a comic claiming that white male comic book fans didn’t want to see Black Panther because there were no white leads in the movie. And it was actually starting to go viral, not because it was being mocked, but because people were agreeing with it. Even through it was a very very small minority, people were acting as if all white men were acting that way and using his comic as proof. And he started posting older comics in which he vilified white male comic fans(which he himself admittted that he makes up the situations in the comics entirely) in order to ride that popularity. So I made the blog as a sort of “hey, just so you know, this is the type of person that you’re encouraging to speak for your side” kind of thing. Because no matter your ideas, morals, political standing, ect, no one should have someone like Dobson repressing him.”
“So I kinda view the blog as the lesser of two evils. If Dobson is going to be talked about and be known, I’d rather try to share the truth about him and have him try to use me to get sympathy and attention, than say nothing and let him either trick or take advantage of people’s opinions. And if even only a few people can be informed on him and know to avoid him, I’ll consider it a job well done. Not that I think I’m anything special or whatever. I’m just some random guy spending a little of his free time pointing out an asshole’s hypocrisy and behavior.”-THOAD
47 notes · View notes
three--rings · 4 years
Text
TGCF Not Liveblog
So I finished reading Tian Guan Ci Fu.  I realize the last time I updated my liveblog I was in Book 3.  Oops.
What happened is I tore through Book Four in like two long reading session, somewhat realizing that the need to write reaction posts was slowing me down, then I put it down for a while again and then I’ve been working on Book five for the last week.  Last night I tried to go to bed but couldn’t sleep, so I decided to read some, hoping it was going to put me to sleep, but instead I stayed up WAY late (or rather EARLY) and finished it.
I don’t even know what to say.  I enjoyed it, mostly.  I feel, actually, kinda like I did the first time I finished reading MDZS, in that I really like the main characters and the romance and feel a little flat about everything else.  Although with MDZS I was more impressed with the plot reveals (especially the golden core reveal and how that changed the whole story.) 
My problems with TGCF are that I just never really connected to or liked the characters that weren’t Xie Lian and Hua Cheng.  They are also sorta comic characters, characatures so to speak and so didn’t end up feeling very real to me.  It’s ENTIRELY possible I will feel differently once I experience them through another medium, because that definitely happened with MDZS. 
So a lot of the narrative I was left sorta...either confused, because I wasn’t entirely sure who anyone was or didn’t remember what had happened before.  Or it was a lot of action, which I don’t really ever care for reading. 
I really needed footnotes on this book, just to remind me who everyone was and when we last saw them.  Like, there’s something I read last night that referenced a verbal exchange between Xie Lian and MU Qing and...I don’t have any idea what that was about. That was MONTHS ago that I read that.  What did they say, dammit? 
And just generally there’s something that seems to happen for me with MXTX novels and I don’t know if it’s her writing or the translation but I feel like it’s very flat and I don’t get very emotionally involved.
EXCEPT for the main characters.  Because I ADORE Xie Lian and Hua Cheng.  And OMG. 
Before I cut to spoilers, I will say that I expected it to be much angsty-er.  Like TGCF just has that reputation, maybe from everyone screaming around certain parts of Book 4 or that one part of Book 5 when it was being posted/TLed.  But honestly...eh?  It wasn’t that bad.  Like, there’s a few very heavy scenes but mostly it’s very light, honestly.  It’s really nothing to a lot of fanfic out there.  So if that has kept you away, it really shouldn’t.
ANYWAY, so yeah, maybe I wasn’t as affected by all the terrible shit that happens to XL as others.  I know the big angst scene is obviously him being stabbed by all the people in the Temple, but it was so...kinda weird that I didn’t really feel it.  Now in a dramatized adaptation I might cry my eyes out.  Fair.  But on the page it was just kinda...yeah, ouch.
But on the other hand, the part that hit harder than I expected was the end where Hua Cheng fades away.  I was semi-spoiled because I’ve seen art of that scene like a BUNCH, but didn’t know where it happened or the context.  So it was actually very moving and sad, even though I trusted he WOULD be back. 
I do really like their story, the kind of devoted love from a distance over a long time.  Unconditional love forever.  Unlike someone else I saw talking recently I don’t find it unrealistic or just a “fantasy” of what love is.  I...well, the thing is that I HAVE someone who loves me like that and have for over 20 years.  I don’t know why, honestly, and certainly our relationship hasn’t been perfect always.  He’s not perfect and lord knows I’m not, but if there’s one thing in the world I have confidence in, it’s his love.  So, yeah, I have Feelings about Hua Cheng in particular. 
But not much else to say about this book atm.  Very glad I read it and glad to be done with it because I have a lot of other stuff to read.  Including the manhua to date which I’ve avoided for fear of spoilers.  And super, super looking forward to the donghua.
13 notes · View notes
Text
Some slightly-more-detailed musings on 5x06 (though I’m honestly so annoyed that it’s this episode that’s still lingering in my brainspace.)
So, positives first, I suppose: this episode did a fairly decent job of fleshing out Andrea, at least in a ‘I actually care about this character now’ kind of way. I genuinely enjoyed her relationship with Russell, and was surprised when it was revealed that she had powers. (Buuuuut let’s...put a pin in this. We’ll return to it in a bit.)
There wasn’t much, but I enjoyed the Alex, Kara, and J’onn bits that we got. In particular: Alex shouting SUPERGIRL! and Kara hearing; Kara’s heart-to-heart with Russell; J’onn showing up to help Alex, etc. 
I like the use of flashback episodes to work around the cast filming crossover stuff, and even though this episode had a lot of....not-great-stuff, it kinda felt nice because the cast is now so BIG that forty minutes devoted to basically just two characters was refreshing? Even if they jumped around the timeline at breakneck pace.
Right, so. Now for the, ah. Less-good.
The whole set-up of the medallion stuff is just...rife with dated, bad tropes. Though, I guess it’s...fitting? That the whitest, richest woman on the show is engaging in stuff like, ‘I know this culture best and I have a right to this ancient artifact’. But the fact that it was just another way to explain why Lena Hates Lying and Betrayal and not, you know, an explicit indictment or commentary on the trope itself is....mmmmm. “Not great, Bob!”
(I’m also having a hard time remembering...did they establish that the medallion was like...alien in origin? It was discussed when Lena was talking about countering Lex’s Kryptonite atmosphere idea. And I know it ended up being linked to Leviathan, but that...sits right up next to ‘the contributions of ancient cultures was ACTUALLY the work of ALIIIEEEENNNNNSSSS’ which...is again, NOT GREAT, BOB, and makes me weary of those ancient alien characters they’re gonna introduce next episode.)
(Some of that is inevitable, I guess, when your fictional superhero world posits that aliens do exist, but I think it’s just. Maybe. Too Many Bad Tropes.)
This whole episode radiated intense Indiana Jones vibes, but of the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull variety, which. If you’re gonna commit to Indy vibes. Pick a good one, at least. 
Adding to the list of, ‘Not great, Bob!’ we have the whole adaptation of Andrea’s character.
I feel as though Andrea comes across as a very sympathetic character, and by the end I was very firmly in the ‘redemption arc for Andrea’ camp, buuuuuuuuuut I gotta wonder why this particular character needed to be Acrata, given that the show is...very much doing its own thing. That runs fairly counter to the character’s comic roots. In a manner that is understandably offensive.
SPEAKING OF THE END.
Shooting Russell felt so unnecessary. 
(I think they recently announced that the character’s recurring, BUT, does that just refer to the episodes we’ve already seen? Will he be relegated to flashbacks going forward? Is he actually Not Dead? Very much hoping it’s the last one, but, uh. Not terribly confident.) 
So now we’ve arrived at the Lena portion of the list, AKA, my least favorite part.
There’s been so much Lena content this season, and none of it is really. Making me feel for her. At all.
(It’s achieving the opposite, in fact.)
No amount of additional backstory is gonna make me think that stuff like...faking a home invasion/assault to distract Kara, and threatening Andrea by mind-controlling her fiance to slit his own throat is okay. And I don’t think that the show is trying to garner sympathy exactly, but it’s really got me wondering...where this arc is headed.
I don’t see the show giving Lena a ‘dark’ ending, but they keep piling on all these bad decisions and I don’t...find myself rooting for emotional catharsis and an inevitable heroic turn and redemption, I just want her to get what’s coming to her. 
(Man I try not to worry about plot stuff that hasn’t happened yet but I am CONCERNED that all of this will ultimately be more about Lena than Kara and it will be Lena who, in the end, saves everyone thus ‘earning’ her redemption when what I REALLY want is for Kara to be like, ‘you’ve been a bad friend, actually, and the decisions you make are neither my fault nor my responsibility’ and Lena being like ‘OH you’re right, I need Help to deal with both my past emotional abuse and the fact that I’m PERPETUATING that bad behavior as a result of, at best, poor coping mechanisms and, at worst, no coping mechanisms at all’ but HNNNRRRRG, there’s been so little on Kara’s end. I’m really feeling that ‘no fear, one fear’ meme.)
(Okay on the flip side of my doom and gloom proclamation, maybe Kara being slower to forgive William is hinting at potential character growth...that, you know, while it is entirely in-character for Kara ultimately to be willing to forgive/never give up hope that people can change for the better, she’ll also recognize that she’s not to blame and has a right to be upset with someone who is LYING TO HER, MANIPULATING HER, and ACTIVELY PLACING HER LOVED ONES IN DANGER, WHETHER INTENTIONAL OR NOT.) 
I HATE THAT THIS EPISODE HAS INSPIRED SUCH A LENGTHY LIST OF THOUGHTS. BAH.
In summary: The cast this year is TOO BIG, so focusing on certain characters is GOOD but there were BAD TROPES and I am VERY TIRED OF THIS LENA PLOT unless it actually leads to GOOD DEVELOPMENT FOR KARA.
Some miscellaneous thoughts about the season as a whole because you know what? We’re already here, so we MIGHT AS WELL:
I really do feel like the biggest problem this season is that they’re trying to serve this big cast of characters AND Do Plot™ so everything is ending up very surface level.
And yeah, I agree with the general feeling of: Not Enough Kara
I do like all the J’onn stuff, though. Yay, Space Dad!
I also liked the premiere because it seemed as though it was setting up a focus on the Lena and Kara conflict as like. This emotional through-line for the season, but so far, Kara’s been investigating stuff and Lena’s been robbing people of their free will so as stated above I can only HOPE (ha, ha) that this will eventually result in the Good Kara Content I crave.
Pleasantly surprised by how much I like William and, as of this episode, Andrea. 
Other stuff I’m looking forward to (again in the hopes that it will result in Good Kara Content):
The crossover (YEAH YEAH I KNOW but, I gotta say, because Kara’s the only Arrowverse lead without a romantic partner, we tend to get good Alex and Kara stuff, all things considered. It’s not a LOT. But it’s THERE.)
Winn returning, because good SpaceFam stuff? Maybe?
The 100th episode, which, traditionally, is an excuse to engage in some fan service and nostalgia.
The end of the Lena plot please. 
A quick note: I’ve been fairly critical of Lena in this post, but do not take that as an automatic endorsement of any other popular ships/characters.
14 notes · View notes