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eightmandibles · 7 months

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Mawaru Penguindrum Phrases Breakdown

I've written a big long post breaking down some of the repeated phrases of the show Mawaru Penguindrum because rewatching it a year ago gave me brainrot. Hope those who r interested enjoy.

Alright this has been occupying my brain for so long it should've started paying rent so I've decided to finally write it all up. Some of these are my own thoughts, but a lot of these are pieces of interpretations that are floating out there on the web. I just didn’t find any one place that compiles them all and puts them together.

Mawaru Penguindrum is the first Ikuhara show I ever watched and something about it really changed my brain forever even though I didn’t really understand what I was watching the first time through (because I was in middle school). I love its surreality and the density of its visual metaphors that all feed into each other has me like an insane person complete with a red string conspiracy board (that will be a section later). It’s show that challenges the viewers to piece together concepts and leaves questions for them to answer on their own, some intended and some probably not as much. I admire the ambition and the commitment to exist in a space that's between trite judgements of black and white, good and evil, and to trust the viewer to really engage with the work.

In this blog post I’m going to break down some of the major catchphrases of the show because they exemplify how the visual/thematic density rewards viewers who spend the time to really engage with the material. It also personally fascinates me as someone who enjoys these puzzle box-type themes and narratives that have the answers staring you right in the face from the beginning, but you just didn’t have the tools to understand what you were being cryptically told.

MAWARU PENGUINDRUM

We gotta start from the beginning and break down the title first of course.

MAWARU: spinning, turning, rotating - which brings themes like revolution and cycles to mind

It’s probably also nod to Revolutionary Girl Utena (though both shows share a lot of themes in examining and trying to challenge or examine societal norms, structures, and cycles).

PENGUINDRUM:

First layer of understanding: the physical diary that the Kanba and Shoma must find (actually it’d be more accurate the say the first layer is just being like “this is a nonsense word” but I digress)

Let’s do another layer of breakdowns -

PENGUIN: Flightless birds that belong neither to the land or the sea - chosen to represent the idea of the “unchosen.” Those in Antarctica need to rely on their community to survive in their harsh environment, huddling and rotating (mawaru…) to keep everyone warm.

There’s a common rumor out there that Ikuhara said penguins were also chosen because it sounds like “pingguo” which is apple in Chinese. Honestly I believe it because he seems to be the kind of person to say stuff like that, but also I’ve never found a source on this.

DRUM: An instrument that keeps a steady beat…like a heartbeat…badum tss. The apple in the show always being red reinforces this association.

Second layer of understanding: When the diary is lost, what the “penguindrum” is exactly becomes more nebulous and we start operating in a metaphor-as-reality world. In terms of visual representation in the show, the “penguindrum” is the “apple” the siblings have been sharing among themselves.

The Penguindrum being represented by an apple means there’s a lot of associations tied into its image. In the show, apples are a visual metaphor for being "chosen". Classically, apples are also the fruit of original sin (like fate…not to jump ahead but remember this for later) - which ties into the concept of “punishment” that Himari's fate is framed as.

Because of the breakdown from earlier (and also all the chest puncturing imagery in the show lol), we can also understand the Penguindrum to be associated with the heart - often in turn associated with love, which is a very loaded concept to dig through, especially as presented in the show (romantic, platonic, and/or familial connections; sacrifice, community, etc.)

Taking these all together, a third layer of interpretation is that Mawaru Penguindrum refers to the cycle (Mawaru) of sharing bonds/fate/connection/love (Penguindrum) between the show’s characters.

SURVIVAL STRATEGY

This phrase is what signals the Princess of the Crystal's presence and initiates the transformation sequence that takes the brothers into a surreal world.

The common reading of this is again the reference of penguins needing to huddle together to survive the cold of Antarctica. They rotate who bears the cold wind of the outside circle in order for the whole flock to survive. Basically, we need the help and support of each other to survive the cold winds of an uncaring society.

While thinking on this phrase, I was struck by how every character’s drive in the show can be explained as “survival strategies” they learned as children. Perhaps it’s a bit of a stretch to apply it in the way this phrase is used in psychology, but I do think it at least refers to the ideology characters take on as children due to their traumatic childhood events or from flawed role models.

Ringo’s “survival strategy” is the most explicitly stated in the show: in episode 6, she believes her parents are on the verge of divorce because she is not Momoka - therefore to keep her family together she resolves to become Momoka.

The origin of Kanba and Himari’s core approaches to life appear in the flashbacks of episodes 5 and 9 respectively. The Takakura parents each protect the two adopted children from injury by glass, a nod to their original unchosen fate. In doing so, they’re set up as the direct masculine and feminine role models that the two children learn from and model themselves on. I’m not sure it’s accurate to say that the lessons they internalize are strictly “wrong,” because I don’t think Penguindrum is interested in discussing characters like that, but they definitely are flawed.

Shoma deals with guilt from his family’s “sin” and grapples with the idea of taking responsibility for his parents’ actions.

Tabuki and Yuri still believe themselves to be “unloved children” and that’s why they keep pursuing Momoka or seeking revenge for her. They struggle to believe there’s a place in the world for them without their savior there.

Masako is a pretty clear one as well - she internalizes her grandfather’s habits and beliefs in order to try and fit in, even if it never earned her any respect in his eyes.

The childhood of the characters in the show informed how they viewed the society they grew up in, and what they needed to do or become in order to survive.

YOU WHO WILL NEVER AMOUNT TO ANYTHING, FIND THE PENGUINDRUM

Honestly I’m obsessed with the phrases that first sound like absolute nonsense, but cool absolute nonsense. This is the phrase that made me want to write this blog post in the first place.

The phrase is the call-to-action by the mysterious Princess of the Crystal. On first viewing, we can interpret so little of this sentence it’s really just a tool to sound cool and give us a snapshot of the Princess of the Crystal’s personality - haughty, cryptic, and generally unhelpful. It gives Kanba and Shoma a goal, even though neither us nor them understand what the hell it is.

YOU WHO WILL NEVER AMOUNT TO ANYTHING

As the show goes on, the themes and concepts around being a chosen or unchosen child arise. Those who are unchosen and unloved go to the Child Broiler to be turned into glass. This is semi-metaphorical and semi-literal (diegetic might be an appropriate word in a weird way) - metaphorically it can be interpreted as becoming a forgettable, blandly molded member of society, though being processed is acknowledged more like death in the show. In some ways that’s still accurate.

Each of the siblings started without an apple, literally-metaphorically starving of love and unchosen - originally they were fated to never amount to anything.

FIND THE PENGUINDRUM

Obviously this initially refers to the diary in the show, but as we broke down earlier PENGUINDRUM eventually takes on a more loaded meaning akin to love, bond, and connection.

So over the course of watching the show, the phrase transforms from a one-sided order and condemnation to a call to action. Put all together with a little more elaboration: You who were unchosen and unloved from the beginning, in order to survive in this harsh world you must find love and connection with people to share your life with, through good and bad.

I COME FROM THE DESTINATION OF YOUR FATE

Time to bust out the conspiracy red string board, literally-metaphorically.

The Red Line is the literal, metaphorical, and thematic spine of the show. There are two big starting categories for viewing The Red Line in the show, which then mix together to create new meanings as the show references it through imagery and dialogue.

First up, the Red Line refers to an actual train line that the entire show takes place upon, the Tokyo Metro Marunouchi line. The entire show is structured around the train line which starts with the Ogikubo Station and ends at Ikebukuro, with important locations being linked with the actual train stops. It was one of the train lines attacked in real life as part of the Tokyo subway sarin attack in 1995 which the Pingu group’s terrorist attack in the show is a very transparent reference to. This single point in time in 1995 is the origin of almost everything in Mawaru Penguindrum, and in fact almost half the cast is born on the exact day the Pingu group attacks, just to emphasize how closely their fates are tied to the attack.

Second, the Red Line can be seen as a representation of fate, as in the red string of fate. Fate and destiny are concepts brought up over and over again, with Shoma and Ringo having their own monologues about it in the first two episodes (and Kanba having his much later). The visualization of the red string of fate can also be seen in the ending animations.

Somewhere in between is the Red Line as the metaphor of a train to visualize fate. Fate is something that can’t be changed - just like how trains run on fixed tracks with fixed destinations. Of course this is challenged in the show - Momoka even uses the metaphor of changing train tracks to explain her ability.

Now, fate has its own set of associations, such as: destiny, love, connection, bond (hmm familiar), as well as superstitions like fated meetings, fated demises, divine determination.

These can start branching off into concepts like blessings, sins, retribution, and karma (cue the Fate monologues again). And now we start getting back into the idea of cycles: downward spirals of getting what one deserves for their actions, passing on one’s sins to those after you - or virtuous cycles of doing good deeds and passing love and care forward.

Often in discussions of fate, familiar questions arise. Does the beginning determine the end? Is the end fated from the beginning? And so the Red Line becomes the Red Circle, another visual device seen throughout the show. It’s all over the motion graphics of the show and appears around the train stations as well as around ‘95’, referencing the originating incident of it all - the beginning of the Takakura family that determined their end.

What I love about this use of the Red Line is that however you progress your understanding of the its importance to the show, it all helps you further understand any concept Mawaru Penguindrum is discussing. This coherence and repetition of visual metaphors is what allows the show to feel more texturally and thematically cohesive even when it starts getting loose in a plot sense.

(Going back to the initial phrase, I COME FROM THE DESTINATION OF YOUR FATE is said by the Princess of the Crystal in her introduction monologue. It likely lampshades the predetermined ending that the Takakura brothers are so desperately trying to avoid. But also, there is a much funnier, much more literal interpretation I enjoy - Ikebukuro, the last stop on the train line, is where the aquarium the siblings visit is. It’s also where the brothers bought the novelty penguin hat for Himari. So the Princess of the Crystal literally came from the destination (last stop) of your fate (the red line)!)

LET’S SHARE THE FRUIT OF FATE

This turns out to be the secret key phrase needed to activate the diary in order to change the tracks of fate, which Ringo uses at the end of the show in order to prevent another train attack from succeeding.

It’s probably not too hard to piece together what the fruit of fate is after all of this. In a sense, this phrase is just a repeat of Mawaru Penguindrum, just as an actual sentence with a bit more coherence.

I’ll bear your burdens and you’ll bear mine, and in doing so, let us forever be connected.

Wow, finally expunged these thoughts from my brain. Maybe somewhere in me there's still something left for a discussion on how the show uses repeated imagery and visual metaphor to communicate information and associations to the viewer that are vital to actually understanding what's going on because it's a narrative that half exists a non-literal thematic space but for now:

Thanks for reading!

#mawaru penguindrum #ikuhara #mpd #finally committed to writing this after dying from the booster side effects #i'm sure there might be translation differences from the original japanese but I think my logic will still hold

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bamboobrat · 1 year

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succession s4 e4 recap: ken brings a strap-on to a gunfight

I'M PSYCHIC! I'M PSYCHIC!

^^ from my recap of season 4, episode 1

turns out succession really is channeling their inner CW teen show. translation:

SHIV IS PREGNANT!

what gave it away? her face. oh, and she ordered a club soda with a closed top at the dive bar in episode two. don't think i didn't notice.

anyway, i know she's all poly representation and all, but let's be honest with ourselves: it's toms baby. she's planning her 20 week ultrasound, so i reckon.... italy?

kendall arrives at logan's makeshift wake/board meeting and overhears hugo in the lobby.

now, if you overheard someone saying "you fucked me in the ass with a strap-on" on the phone, would you guess that someone was talking to their daughter?

only on succession.

i'm not going to use space showing you hugos face, so let me summarize: his daughter sold stocks right before the news of logan's death was made public. he tells kendall. kendall has leverage.

now, enough hugo.

MARCIA IS BACK!!!

the girlies love marcia. lying about having intimate conversations with logan every night? we love that.

death truly does become her.

also, did anyone else pick up on the fact that cyd simply said "sorry babe" to kendall as he walked by?

supportive queen!

greg is also trying to be supportive and we collectively join in on the kids giving him serious side eye (or ignoring him altogether).

much like the rest of the roy family, he is incapable of any type of normal hug.

the kids discuss marcia and kerry, and roman notes that he thinks kerry is "in marcias trunk. inside an anaconda. inside a sarcophagus." for a pre-grieved boy who doesn't want to make phone sex jokes about his late dad, he's still got it.

the suits are also there, gathering in the kitchen to look at the china.

just two gal-pals backing each other in business and sitting on each other's faces

tom receives a proper whooping from karl and eats a seafood taco.

i know i should aim higher in my important trade of recaps and give you more detail, but i can't. i shan't. it is what it is.

oh, but important: karl is in on a greek island with his brother-in-law.

and "your wife doesn't even like you" is a wonderful insult.

shiv gives us an accurate representation of what it is like to talk to a swede:

for context, i'm norwegian. the banter is scandi culture.

saying "bad one" when your dad dies? also scandi culture.

willa is truly winning in this episode. she gets logan's apartment, a dig at marcia AND a moneymoon touring the midwest. cheese curds all the way.

and they save a bunch on realtor fees, of course.

the gang finds a piece of paper.

we are getting so much gerri/frank/karl content this season, i am chuffed! yes, sure, the sibling dynamic is interesting, but the gerkrank (?) vibes are strong!

they all make very funny jokes about throwing the piece of paper in the toilet. haha comedy gold.

kendall manages to make his brother and sister laugh for once in his life. all it took was for him to make a joke about their dad not being a pedo.

i'm going to make obit decoding my new thing.

a summary of logan:

threw phones at staff

racist

racist, again

relaxed about sexual assault

never payed a penny of tax

not a pedo

wouldn't even hug his grandkids

kendall's name is on the piece of paper. i reckon it's from around early season 1 times, maybe even before then.

it's not certain if the name has been underlined or crossed out. (but really, does logan strike you as the type of man who would underline anything?)

greg is also mentioned with a bunch of ????? and the big bozo deigns to suggest he might be logan's #2.

frank reacts appropriately:

they keep putting roman and gerri in the same frame.

AS IF i wouldn't notice. i see you, lorene. doing the lords work.

they rag on greg some more. it's a doodle, fuckface.

ken shares a moment with his #1 dad.

frank: he was an old bastard and he loved you me: sobbing

ken realizing he wants back in? that's self-destruction, bby!

shiv continues to hit rock bottom....

with a lil pregnancy hint and some narcisissm, framing it as if she's the only one who lost something she cared about.

but is she talking about logan? or tom? or none? or both?

i need a shiv redemption arc soon. it's beginning to feel so sexist, and not in a critique kind of way.

spooky embryo mencken is on his way to join the rest of the right wing crazies in logans eulogy.

if you are in need of motivation, work every day in your life to ensure a right wing guy will never feel inclined to do a speech at your funeral.

or, live a life that will make greg never want to talk to you. ever.

we all know tom wishes he'd taken that route.

sandy is smiling at logan being dead. sandy is us<3

why is this sex party so sad?

marcia sends kerry in a taxi to a subway so she can go home to her little apartment.

last time we see her, or does she have an unborn baby up her sleeve?

<3 roman showing kerry kindness and then immediately shitting on tom's redemption tour <3

wambsgans deserves to grovel.

stewy is a softie when it comes to ken.

his pubes got a little singed last time, but they are in love.

willa is enjoying her new apartment, as she should.

her mom is me at a buffet.

shiv gets shivved as her brothers decide to take on the role of CEO without her.

redemption arc! redemption arc! redemption arc!

obligatory screengrab that is just in here because gerri looks cute:

i couldn't even bother coming up with an excuse for this one.

chant with me: STE-WY! STE-WY! STE-WY!

power move from a power bottom. jk he is obvi a top.

and with stewy in the room, the power dynamic shifts to favor the siblings.

gerri makes a very slight move, but backs up immediately.

(don't think i don't notice that roman is still in this frame, guys. it's dark, but i notice.)

ken and his homey romey are the new interim CEOs. we all know what a thankful job that is...

shiv trips and falls and i want to kms.

do i need to chant again?

please, for the love of god, give shiv a win. the baby is not a win.

hugo and karolina suggest to the newly appointed CEOs that they throw their dead dad under the bus. roman reacts the way an emotionally mature person would:

utter distain.

ken, however, does not.

this photo will be in his phone and in his subconscience forever. the question of whether his dad loved him or not anthropomorphized.

so he tells hugo to go ahead with the "shit on logan roy" communcation strategy.

it's what his father would do.

he is pleased. and we, my girlies, are one step closer to kendall having a full godfather-like arc.

pretty sure i predicted that too, back in the day.

or is episode 4 too early to peak for our dear ken? time will tell.

next week: the gang travels to norway and i go absolutely bonkers.

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imagionationstation · 8 months

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DA BOIS

I SAW THE MOVIE

I WAS INTRODUCED TO THE UTTER NONSENSE THAT IS MM /aff

I HAVE THOUGHTS

NOT, LIKE, ANALYSIS WHICH MAY COME LATER

JUST THOUGHTS

AND SPOILERS

So I’m studying the boys and at first I was just “They really are leaning into this whole teen thing, huh” but then I thought back to every memory I have of my brothers and how they interacted and was just like- OH

OH WAIT

THIS IS ACCURATE

🤣 The bacon and egg scene- literally my brothers in a nutshell. The constant quotes and references- a little on the nose, but accurate.

BUT I SPENT

THE ENTIRE MOVIE

Waiting to see which turtle would spike my patented they need some hurt/comfort and at first I was leaning towards Leo- BUT THEN WHEN THAT BUS/TRUCK (I forget exactly what it was) FLEW STRAIGHT AT DONNIE AND MIKEY’S WATCHING IN HORROR AND DONNIE IS STUMBLING AND HURT AND OBLIVIOUS AND LOOKS ONLY HALF PRESENT-

Hands down. That got me.

I has a favorite and he’s so innocent and bright-eyed and deserves injury and kidnapping. I will make this happen.

The boys as a family were so fluffy and vibrant and relatable.

The boys as individuals…?

Leo has personality and concerns and attachments and a crush and flaws and strengths and he just felt like an person.

The rest seemed kinda… Plain. Raph had the anger thing going for him, but I have a hard time distinguishing Mikey’s and Donnie’s personalities. Mikey was friendly and liked improve, but that was never really touched on at all. In battle or otherwise- Donnie was the one who was thinking fast and taking the lead when talking to the Superfly. And Donnie was the one who Leo described as the best with people.

I’m not exactly sure what Mikey had going for him…

Donnie isn’t much of a techie, other than his headphones and phone, which is only used casually. He can drive and read comics, but that’s not really an abnormal teen thing. Like, any of his brothers couldn’t have driven using game skills? Or come up with a comic/movie solution to defeat Superfly?

That’s more nitpicks than anything tho. I might have missed things as well- it’s only my first watch. You shouldn’t make any firm decisions or judgements based on a first meeting. Hopefully, I’ll spot differences between them later on or they’ll flush out the characters more in the series.

They pushed a LOT into this movie. Everything was happening all at once. Like, they didn’t skip a BEAT when shifting from evil mutants trying to kill the boys to TCRI is locking them up.

And what the heck did Leo expect April to do?? SHE WAS ON A HIGHWAY BRIDGE?? DID HE EXPECT HER TO JUMP DOWN- SHE’S COMMENTED ON HOW CRAZY THEIR ROOFTOP TRAVEL IS! What makes him think she can do that??? 🤣🤣

At the very least she had to bike around and off the bridge to do anything, and he would have been unconscious by then. Boi just like “she abandoned us 🥺” when she could have been trying to help them while they were being loaded before going to get Splinter.

All hypothetical, of course. Would make for a good OneShot tho.

I like how the April betrayal was just a “I guess I was wrong” type of disappointment and not some dramatic heartbreak, because that feels more realistic to me. Relieved the crush wasn’t played off for laughs and all the brothers seemed disappointed.

April was such a good teen. They never played her off as anything but a normal person who didn’t have quite the right amount of self-preservation. Probably where the journalism comes in.

She was also a good representation that you don’t need green skin to not fit in. Life is hard, man, and I hope the series explores that even tho people don’t scream when they see them, that doesn’t mean life will be any less difficult. School is still prey grounds and people are still predators .

OMGEE SUPERFLY THO

DUDE WAS SCARY. BUT THE WHOLE TIME. I WAS WATCHING.

I COULDN’T NOT LIKE HIM FOR BEING EVIL

Dude got his daddy KILLED after daddy talked about raising him and his siblings and being a loving family by a bunch of weapon-using scary humans that also tried to kill them WHILE HE WAS A BABY

TCRI CREATED A FORMATIVE MEMORY THAT WAS STRAIGHT TRAUMA! OF COURSE HE HATES HUMANS-

That poor fly 🥺😔

The parallel between Splinter and Superfly was interesting. Felt a tiny bit forced at the end there, but I can respect it. Can’t dictate a fam’s every choice. That’s not fair. Gotta let your fam be free to grow and make their own mistakes and create their own morals~

I have a couple other thoughts, but I want to formulate them a bit more. See if I can make stuff off of them.

One last thing before I go…

MY SOCIAL ANXIETY HEADCANON STILL STANDS

NOT ONCE IN THE WHOLE MOVIE WERE THEY SEPERATED UNTIL THE SCHOOL

And even then it’s in a controlled environment. They all know where the other is. It seems safe.

But what happens when that illusion is gone…?

#mutant mayhem spoilers #tmnt mutant mayhem #mutant mayhem donnie #mutant mayhem mikey #mutant mayhem leo #mutant mayhem raph #tmnt mm #mm tmnt #tmnt 2023 #tmnt movie #mutant mayhem april #mutant mayhem splinter #mutant mayhem superfly

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beardedmrbean · 30 days

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Hi, trying to make these one short…but in problem lying 🤡

But this thread

https://x.com/sophianarwitz/status/1772283920249167939?s=46

Also this whole “black people be can’t be in fantasy because of racism!” Is more because a lot of black kids were bullied the living fuck of for liking stuff kind fantasy because it was “white people shit” so they lost passion thus they never desire to go into that stuff to bring more rep

Of course a lot of white kids were bullied too

But the thing is you guys can call out your bullies without being called a coon or race traitor

Actually a lot of women here who were in geek culture often pointed out modern feminists were their childhood bullies

And tbh if this panel accurate…

https://youtu.be/JHgpHfrULHc?si=oJQcSWyPac1bCFZG

And that the thing about black stuff like in gaming or in current fantasy

It made be people who have surface levels of understanding of eras

“The Middle Ages were actually diverse!” The Europeans did established trade routes with the rest of world. Buuuut it was also common to stop or ended trades if Islam wanted to try another jihad again and the internal conflict

But about ac stuff and why I’m defending Yasuke as a second playable character

So when ac Japan was announced I decided to look into what time span they will use. So in ac Japan lore was explored here and there in books and other app. But they keep it light

Now a Chinese assassin Shao Jun acolyte Kotetsu went back home to establish his own assassins branch in Japan.

So the Japanese assassins were established in mid 16 century 1549-50 as that when Templars came to Japan

Now this story was told in a manga when it very like the ac red story being develop so they made sure not step on each other shoes

Then a iirc 2021-22 ac book centered around two Japanese assassins siblings during the Meiji period. It was noted the Templar didn’t gain a presence in Japan again until the American navy thus confirm the Tokugawa era was an assassin control one.

So when the leaks drop that Yasuke will be a second playable character. I figured out through research that the game will focus on the final sengoku civil war.

Now when ac3 did the American civil war in the pov of a Native American. It took a few hours in game and hell years in the story to explain why

Now I hope Yasuke can be handle in similar ways to why he want to help unify Japan in these story

But beyond that, feel like a lot of modern creators REFUSE to acknowledge the modern black American only exists in history during colonial and forward times. Hence my chimera republic idea

There a plenty of African kingdoms to use, but are you guys mentally stuck at 15 or something?

Representation matters. Exclusivity is not the same as racism.

She's correct, where it crosses the line into racism is the opening tweet where she's making a big deal out of it. Make your game and then if people bitch about it not containing white men you can point the finger at them.

Same outcome except you don't look like self hating racist, still are one but at least you can play dumb.

Also this whole “black people be can’t be in fantasy because of racism!”.........ect

Ya, that or they were told so many time that it's not something they do that it sapped their will to do it, that crosses over into a lot of things. When I see someone saying that women have to work 10 times as hard as men to get into STEM fields I ask them who told you that, and make sure they give a name instead of "society" because 98% of the time it was another woman that said it, same with the black community except it's white people instead of men.

youtube

Oh just a few seconds in and it looks fun, cackling woman is likely to be the kind of person who will try and claim that the oppression olympics isn't real moments after making a statement like her first one.

And that the thing about black stuff like in gaming or in current fantasy It made be people who have surface levels of understanding of eras “The Middle Ages were actually diverse!” The Europeans did established trade routes with the rest of world. Buuuut it was also common to stop or ended trades if Islam wanted to try another jihad again and the internal conflict

Alexander the Great's empire extended into India, not sure how far down into Africa but at least as far as northern Kush

But about ac stuff and why I’m defending Yasuke as a second playable character So when ac Japan was announced I decided to look into what time span they will use. So in ac Japan lore was explored here and there in books and other app. But they keep it light .........

You have absolutely done your homework on all of this, good to have a focus, nice.

Now when ac3 did the American civil war in the pov of a Native American. It took a few hours in game and hell years in the story to explain why Now I hope Yasuke can be handle in similar ways to why he want to help unify Japan in these story

I think historically at this point he's well enough known, legend or reality is going to be the issue, have fun with the story for sure, hopefully people don't take artistic license for fact (they will) and just enjoy the story, maybe take some time and put in some effort to do the reading like you've done.

But beyond that, feel like a lot of modern creators REFUSE to acknowledge the modern black American only exists in history during colonial and forward times. Hence my chimera republic idea There a plenty of African kingdoms to use, but are you guys mentally stuck at 15 or something?

Money. Also could you imagine the outcry if some company got Bantu knots confused with Dreadlocks.

You may have missed all the dreadlock discourse, that was just pathetic and whiny and good lord are there not better things to throw a hissy fit about.

Not really much in the way of records of SubSaharan Africa before the 7th century when some folks came a conquering, they wasn't white or Christian either, and setting up kingdoms and what not. At least for kingdoms that weren't bordering seas or oceans, those got to be older.

are you guys mentally stuck at 15 or something?

Yes, many of them are.

#zoomer huey anon

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monkiebois · 11 months

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FAQ

Proshippers are not welcome on my blog. End of story.

My Nezha oc

Boundries for my Nezha OC included--

just dont be fuckin' wierd.

No shipping. None at all. no

He's a child, forever. Mah boi aint growing- so respect that or its instant block.

I have my personal Nezha media interpretation/OC. I made him and he is eternally 12. That does not mean I believe Nezha the mythological god is twelve because he's not, that is a misconception

Nezha is a mythological god, and thier interpretations across different pieces of ancient lituriture, thier statues, their representations vary depending on where you are...

The adult side of Nezha is just as important as his child side and to ignore one is disrespectful to him as a whole. it is okay and valid to have Nezha as an adult in Media just like they've had him as a child.

But you cant just look at one and say that is his entire representation. That one interpretation is the only form Nezha can have within his worship.

My Nezha oc is just that, a media interpretation, so DO NOT refer to him for any completely accurate info on his mythologies. I have taken creative liberties.

so with that said because my Nezha oc is a child, please do not ship him with anyone. (he's also Aroace)

the child headcanon is cute but please remember it is a headcanon and anyone who thinks differently regarding Nezhas age is completely valid in doing so.

I would suggest referring to this user for some very good and useful Nezha info.

What programs do you use?

Clip studio-full illustrations/detailed comics/animations

procreate-doodles/low detailed comics

obs-streaming and recording

DaVinci-video editing

Whens the next part of _____ coming out?

No idea dude, life is insane so whenever i get to it

can i request___?

Nope i dont take requests if i end up writing or drawing something for an ask someone gave me its soley bc i wanted to and felt like it.

what tablet do you use?

ipad and stylus, gaomon 1311

what do you ship/ what ships are you comfy with?

No No ships that make me puke-

Mk/Mei/Redson x any of the monkeys/parental figures. just...just no.EUGH.

fave ships- i will go down with the ship for these pairings, i make content of them and enjoy content made for them

Spicynoodles

shadowpeaches

freenoodles

SIlktea

Cool ships- i dont dislike these at all, i think some of them are quite cute and plausible. i enjoy content of them but dont actively ship them/make my own content of them. Mostly bc my own hc's for the characters often negate these ships

Chimerashipping- very cute but i personally cant see red and mei in a romantic relationship. i see them as chaotic siblings

inkypages- its cute but i ship macaque with wukong and tang with pigsy

shadowvenom (is that the name for sq x macaque???)- its nice but doesnt really interest me

dragonfruit- cute, but i see them as chaotic siblings.

I also have no issue whatsoever with Oc X Canon with any of the characters as long as your not being wierd or illegal about it y'now XP.

Oc X Canon is fun. and i fully support it.

The same goes for selfshipping.

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slightlyrebelliouswriter23 · 2 years

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I think everyone dogs on Taryn because this is Jude’s pov. We get an insider look into how much she’s hurt and that it’s coming from her own twin. But if Jude can break bread then the taryn’s haters should to. If they dislike taryn as a person, they need to take that hate up with the man who made her the she is: Madoc.

I also have a head cannon that in the future Jude and Taryn continue to grow as people, now that they can finally get out of the constant survival mode. I think they grow closer the older they get.

you're absolutely correct, nonnie.

i think people will be shocked to find out how Taryn-neutral i am. despite everything i've said to defend her, my thought when finishing the series for the first time was exactly that: if Jude can forgive her, then we should be able to, as well. it was a very simple, no bells-and-whistles forgiveness. i think Taryn is extremely interesting, i think her character is poised and ready for a beautiful arc, but i wouldn't trust her as far as i could throw her.

also, i've said this before and i will say it again: Madoc getting every single exemption and grace from the same people who condemn Taryn to shame on main is some kind of bullshit.

the mental gymnastics you'd have to do to say that the dude who continuously tries to manipulate Jude and her actions for his own gain, who continuously patronises/underestimates her throughout the series, and who straight up murdered her parents in cold blood in front of her cos he felt slighted, is more redeemable than a teenage girl who was 1) just trying to survive in a cutthroat world and 2) honestly was just doing what Madoc told her to do? would be laughable if it weren't so damn sad.

this isn't to knock on Madoc, either. i think he's a fantastic villain, an extremely fascinating character, and i love the dynamic between him and Jude. but there's no denying he's done some straight up reprehensible things to all of his daughters. and the lengths some people will go to defend him while at the same time tarnishing Taryn's name is wild to me.

now, i'm not saying people can't dislike a character just because. Taryn is Not a likeable character. so if your opinion of her is "she's just not for me", i think that's valid.

what i am saying, however, is Not Liking Things to the point where you make hate posts using main fandom tags, send people asks demanding they defend why they like a certain character, start discourse in the comments of posts celebrating the character you dislike, is the antithesis of fandom.

fandom is meant to be a joyous celebration of the fictional worlds/characters/things we love. if you don't like something in fiction, that's fine. but the moment you make your poor opinion of something other people's problem is the moment i take issue.

–Em 🖤🗡

p.s. i love and agree with your HC. i think that is an accurate representation of irl sibling dynamics, as well.

In Defence of Taryn Duarte

more theories/analysis/opinions

#honestly my anger at people who hate taryn on main is more of an anger at ruining the vibes #just shut up and let people like things #your opinion should not effect other people's ability to enjoy fandom #thanks for the ask!! 💜#asked and answered #nonnie #tfota #jurdan #holly black #pro taryn #taryn duarte #my analysis

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fructidors · 8 months

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hi :) i didn't realize until very recently that your profile picture is a painting of lady macbeth!!! (at least. if i am not mistaken.) anyway i think that is very cool :)

it is!!! ellen terry as lady macbeth by john singer sargent to be precise. i feel like a tiny bit of a fraud having it as my icon considering i haven’t actually read macbeth but i saw the painting at the tate britain this summer and was immediately like oh this NEEDS to be my profile picture on tumblr (both because it looks a lot like me & because it’s a fairly accurate representation of my general state)(also my sibling and i were partially named after a painting by sargent!! which is also cool)

#thank you so much :))))

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arabella-interstellar · 1 month

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BRIDGERTON review (season one)

Charming capitalistic escapism or harmful post-racial fantasy?

Bridgerton is a Netflix original production based on the historical fiction-romance book series by Julia Quinn of the same name. In the highly competitive milieu of 1813 London´s high society, the youth from the aristocracy and upper class are introduced with the aim of finding suitable marriage partners. The story is occasionally narrated by Lady Whistledown who embodies the Gossip Girl of the nineteenth century and whose identity remains unknown. The narrative follows eight siblings of the Brigerton family, starting off with Daphne´s story in the first season. Daphne soon ends up in an unwanted engagement with a detestable lord due to her brother´s pressure. Meanwhile, Simon Basset, the new Duke of Hastings, returns to London and strikes up a faux courtship with Daphne to deter unwanted suitors and to fulfill his vow to remain unmarried. As their pretend relationship evolves, the couple unavoidably falls in love. Bridgerton offers a tantalizing glimpse into the glamorous world of Regency-era London… oh well, maybe in a parallel universe where reality takes a coffee break.

Is Bridgerton just another soapy Jane Austen-like adaptation with a little spice? Renowned for its compelling plotlines, sumptuous settings, and captivating characters, the show has also gained a lot of attention for the choice of colorblind casting. The series features a cast of mostly white and black actors, of which many are playing roles of characters that are part of the aristocracy or the upper class. The question of race is ignored throughout the story, except for a few almost invisible instances. It seems like the filmmakers were trying to create a post-racial society in the Era when the whole British economy was built upon slavery. Well, that decision is questionable, to say at least. And if they´re creating a fantasy world, where indeed there is no racial hierarchy, why was only one of the main characters black (Simon), and why weren´t, the siblings of Daphne mixed race as well, for example? And if it´s inclusivity that the filmmakers are aiming for, where are all the other races- Asian, Latina, Middle-Eastern? Why is the representation limited to only black and white people?

Moreover, portrayals of this kind could be potentially harmful. Ignoring a huge and crucial part of Black history in the entertainment industry can cause ignorance of racism in the actual present-day society. This was highlighted by Gretchen Gerzina, an American author and academic mostly known for her work in the field of black history, “...people believe that this was the actual history. That´s the great danger. It gives people a pass to say, ´Oh, it was all right. They didn´t suffer and they were wealthy.´”

Just to set the record straight, I am wholeheartedly in favor of seeing racial diversity represented on screen, particularly in the roles portrayed by actors of color. However, when it comes to historical narratives, it´s essential to adhere to the facts. Unless the film is clearly positioned within the fantasy genre, in which case deviations from historical accuracy would be understandable. On Netflix, Bridgerton´s genres are labeled as "Romantic TV Dramas", "TV Dramas", and "TV Dramas Based on Books", therefore they avoided both labels "historical" and "fantasy". A viewer could thus assume that the racial representation is historically accurate.

But regardless of the “inclusivity chaos”, Bridgerton can be praised for its captivatingly elegant mise-en-scéne, which is a feast for the viewer´s eyes. Its witty and very British humour, enjoyable acting performances, and dramatic storyline will make you binge-watch the whole series in a few days. Bridgerton offers escapism without the “racial burden” of the historical period, which perfectly illustrates capitalistic racial ignorance. Where we should seek the raw facts and uncomfortable truth, we get pure enjoyment with no second thoughts about the negative context. This series got me on the edge of an existential crisis… “To be, or not to be an ignorant capitalistic consumer?”

Works cited:

Gretchen Gerzina as cited in “‘why Is Bridgerton’s Race Twisting Acceptable?’ the Real Problem with the Show’s Black Fantasy.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 12 June 2023, www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2023/jun/12/bridgerton-queen-charlotte-race-black-fantasies-king-george.

#bridgerton #capitalism

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mirajikan · 11 months

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I'm autistic and I personally would not consider The Collector to be canonically or implied autistic. Even if you feel he's coded that way (I personally don't see it, but everyone has different interpretations), considering it's never confirmed nor implied that it's intended, I wouldn't consider the (many, many...) issues in his story to reflect on how the creators portray autistic people. Especially comparing this to characters who are confirmed or very heavily implied to be autistic, such as Luz and Hunter, who in my mind are portrayed in a very accurate as well as respectful manner. Sorry if this is poorly written, I just feel like The Owl House is one of the few shows that actually does a great job of representing neurodivergent people. But I agree that if the crew did say at some point that The Collector was intended to be autistic, then yeah that would be pretty poor representation. (100% agree with you on Entrapta, btw)

Yes, but Luz is the type of neurodivergent that is "fun and quirky". She's the protagonist, and she's kind, empathetic, and understanding of other people, things that TC just isn't.

I do see your argument for Hunter. I definitely see a lot of myself in him.

But as for the Collector, I've always just seen them as a neurodivergent child. I mean, there's a reason most of his fans are also autistic and why it's such a widespread headcanon. Even most of the big fics on ao3 portray him as autistic

Even ignoring 星星的孩子, there's just a lot to read into.

Personally, as an autistic person who was once a child, and someone who is friends with a lot of other people with ASD (I also know several autistic children), some of the signs I see for him being ND are

-Poor emotional regulation. Kid can flip from angry to playful on a dime

-Struggles to understand other's intentions and emotions. This is why he's gotten tricked so many times and how it keeps happening.

-Sort of following that, he takes things very much at face level, very literally

-Very selfish when it comes to play. This is seen in his hatred of Luz because he fears she's going to take King away from him. Obviously, many kids can struggle with sharing, but for a kid with canonical older siblings, you'd think he'd be more used to it. (I see this sort of behavior in my friend's little brother who refuses to let anyone who much as touch his belongings)

-Struggles with morality. Obviously, this is because he's immortal, but on a metaphorical, metatextual level, this is something that I've seen a lot of ND people latch onto. It's not that he doesn't care about others. He clearly cares a lot about King and about the other Titans. But he struggles to understand concepts like death and pain because he hasn't personally experienced them. He is clearly supposed to be comparatively 7 or 8 (maybe 9 max) and children at that age who are neurotypical do have a general understanding of morality and theory of mind. ND children, on the other hand, struggle to understand things that happen to other people, but which haven't happened to them personally

Maybe someday I'll make like a whole deep dive (I didn't even cover stimming, how he doesn't understand his own strength, or the fact that this kid had a million-year hyperfixation) but that's just a few thoughts of mine.

It's just disappointing to see another autistic character thrown to the side because no one wants to try and genuinely understand them, especially when that character is a child :/

Maybe I'll make this a dual Entrapta stan blog, I miss her every day

#mine #idk just thoughts

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mandaloresson · 1 year

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hey there, autistic person here !!

i have a few thoughts™ about autistic helaena and aemond so i thought i'd share :)) also, i apologize for the long ass text you're about to read lmfaooo

aemond:

• craves touch but hates to be touched (only accepts physical contact in very specific situations from very specific people)

• doesn't understand when people are joking so he takes everything as an offense (i do this A LOT lmaoo whoops)

• gets overstimulated by textures easily (the outfit he's wearing is too itchy, the tags on his pants are bothering him, he can feel a few loose strands of fabric of his sweater, etc)

• has "silent" meltdowns aka it's very hard to notice if he's having a meltdown (if he's having one, he'll go really quiet and zone out while squeezing his hands together, sometimes even close his eye)

• has a hyperfixation on horses (specially vaghar)

helaena:

• absolutely hates touch (the only time she accepts it is when she's dancing because she doesn't focus on the physical contact and she can only feel the best of the music)

• uses noise canceling headphones because she gets overstimulated easily by any noise (aemond bought them for her and she glued a bunch of insect stickers on them)

• when she had a meltdown, she curls up in a ball and cries silently while rocking back and forth (the only person who knows how to calm her down during a meltdown is aemond because 1. he's also autistic and 2. he was the only one who bothered to ask)

• has a really hard time with change and needs everything to be planned out beforehand

• has a huge hyperfixation on insects and even has a tiktok account dedicated to talking about them and educating people on them and sharing facts about them (aemond even bought her a ring light)

that's all i could think of but feel free to dm me to talk more about it 🫶🫶 i'm more than happy to share my experiences with autism if you want a more accurate representation :))

HI!!!!

first of all no need to apologize for the length of the post, it's exactly what I needed and was looking for! reading this was a delight!!

second of all thank you so much for offering to discuss further I'll definitely shoot you a dm because I have some questions!

now I shall add some of my Thoughts™ because as I realized this is for a modern AU and boy have I been thinking about a modern AU (I apologize in advance for how messy this is going to be):

first off, Aegon. I've been fascinated with his character ever since he appeared, not as much as Aemond, but I have. and while in my canon compliant fics I would not dare make him any type of sympathetic, this is an AU, so I took liberties and made him less of an asshole.

I won't go on too long about him here because this isn't about him but I wanna talk about the sibling bond for a sec.

he actually tries to be a good brother. you said no one else bothered to ask Helaena how to calm her down, and this absolutely fits, even though Aegon is trying. but like they were all kinda young when the two got their diagnoses (still haven't decided how young and I do have a question about diagnosing children especially boys vs girls) and honestly Aegon was pretty damn confused and didn't understand his siblings' perception of the world.

but he is trying. some things he just doesn't get and he's a tad overprotective, but when kids at school were teasing Helaena and Aemond, guess who got into fights and broke someone's nose on one occasion.

okay moving on from Aegon.

so in my AU Aemond, Helaena, Aegon, Jace and Luke grew up together with two other boys, Lannisters, Lucian and Lancel.

Lucian is allistic but he has his reasons for hating and avoiding touch. aside from Helaena, who understands Aemond on a deeper level, Lucian and Aemond always had this understanding about physical touch and when they get together eventually it's never a problem.

a hc of my own is that Aemond sometimes goes nonverbal and that Lucian, Helaena and Aegon learned sign language to be able to communicate with him when it happens, if he's feeling up to it ofc.

like not to go on too much about my boy Lucian but he'd definitely be invested in making Helaena and Aemond feel welcome and comfortable whenever the group was hanging out together. he'd definitely let them infodump about their special interests (he follows Helaena's tiktok!). he's also asked them what to do in the case of a meltdown/shutdown and does his best to help if he's ever present for one.

something I also wanna think about is Aemond and Helaena and masking. like how or to what extent would they do it, for what reasons etc?

okay that is currently all I can scoop out of my brain but I will text you like. right now lol.

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bamboobrat · 1 year

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succession s4 e5 recap: swedish elon and his logan roy tribute band

time is a flat circle and we are back to ken hyping himself listening to rap, driving to the office.

anyone feeling nostalgic yet?

he is immediately caught off guard by the fact that roman and shiv are already there.

also he seems like the worst boss ever.

i really don't like ken when he is not hitting rock bottom.

(there is a movie about a sleeping robot in a cave that takes up too much time in this episode. let's not get into all that)

the old guard checks up on the CE-bros before their trip to norway.

matchy matchy<3

turns out mattson wants them all there (why wouldn't he?) so THE GANG IS GOING TO NORWAY! lets bleed the swede!*

*as a norwegian, i approve this message

mortality has set into team krank, as they put on compression socks before the flight.

krank is not here to have fun. krank has no young mistress to impress. krank is serious.

shiv has noticed ken's leaks to the media from last week because she is boss. it's the comeback we've been waiting for.

but most importantly, she is waging a very important war against tom and his stupid new sneakers:

the sibs say they can kill tom for her. that's brotherly love.

hugo is not having a good time.

i am tho.

gerri rallies the troops by shitting on europeans.

yes mommy tell me i'm weak because i have free healthcare! sit on my face

gerri for CEO. always.

they accurately depict what it is like driving in norway:

(this is why i don't have my licence)

the gang arrives in the motherland and it's beautiful, but rainy (so authentic) and are all like WHY THESE WOOD CABINS SO SMALL?!

ironic because jeremy lives in fucking denmark.

anyway, whatever this is:

I DO NOT APPROVE!

the trip up to mount olympus is interrupted by con saying he can send a picture of their dead dad to the group chat.

nobody wants to see it.

also, marcia is putting logan in a kilt like the fucking bay city rollers and con had to cancel a room full of working class whites in cleveland. the sacrifice.

they give con carte blanche for the whole funeral thing, which is probably a terrible decision.

the funeral is going to be one big campaign rally, i'm serious.

the others have to settle for a nice lil scandi brunch spread. what a hard life.

i don't say this often, but i would be hugo in this scenario, piling onto my plate like it's nobody's business.

karolina has a cute lesbian moment.

she says something in swedish at some point, but let me tell you, i understand swedish and i didn't even pick up on it. no shade to dag, but lol.

hugo doesn't understand how ski jumping works.

i thank the writers for putting this joke in there, even if literally no one other than random scandi people will get it.

it's like the opposite of danny boyle's the beach<3 give back to the community<3

roman enters negotiations and puts his fingers in the caviar.

you think i didn't notice? after all this time, you must know i notice everything.

the CE-bros make the village elders proud, as mattson offers 187 per share as long as he gets ATN.

also, gerri does a second take looking back at roman. these are the crumbs i am destined to live on, i guess. roman doesn't want to give up ATN tho, probably because 1) his dad wanted ATN 2) his dad told him he wouldn't make it at pierce and belongs at ATN 3) he is, somehow, the most rational of the siblings right now????

speaking of rational: how are we feeling about the shiv/mattson potential here? i honestly have zero objections.

shiv is like fuck yeah, sell ATN, that shit is toxic.

agreed, but who gave mencken an open line to ATN-meetings? sounds like something logan told cyd to do during one of those late night calls.

"even dad had a line" rings true zero percent. pass.

get rid of atn. word is, they don't even have tucker carlson anymore? just keep a sweater, much less racist.

we get some important leo dicap representation:

and greg is the bringer of all that is exposition, telling us there is a kill list with 8 to 9 names, ever evolving.

now, as most readers of these recaps would know, i would like to avoid spending any time on greg whatsoever (made even more poignant by the recent rumors about nick), however, this must be one of the best exchanges of dialogue ever made:

greg: da fam shiv: da fuck

that's all.

tom tells the swedes that americans don't care about the rest of the world and it's funny because it's true.

and alex being like "you're ALL related?!"

i see you, succession writers, i see you.

mattson calls waystar a parts shop and has a good take on right wing media:

"i dont think news for angry, old men works"

instead, he opts for bloomberg grey: simple, cheap, huge, ikea'd to fuck. i do love ikea.

he calls the sibs a tribute band which is harsh. even for a scandi, it's fucking harsh.

anyway, SAUNA! SAUNA! SAUNA!

GERRI. IN. SAUNA! (chant with me)

i will never forget what the succession writers took from me.

krank out here just chilling.

i've never shipped anyone more.

we are introduced to ebba. i can tell i'd have more to say on this in any other situation, but it just feels weird (all norwegian know each other, i guess).

anyone else here for the shiv/mattson dynamic?

i'm sorry, i kind of ship it????

ken wants to tank the deal and roman immediately calls him out on his destructive bullshit:

and then immediately caves.

"i think we are good at running the ship" they say after doing it for approximately 24 hours.

i wish i had their confidence.

also, pinky can't dance, according to ken, so they keep shiv out. meanwhile, she gets cozy with lukas, who asks her about her marriage (bad) and tells her he sends liters of blood to ebba (also bad).

shiv shows us why she is paid the big bucks for political advice:

we don't see the end of their night, so i'm just going to assume they fucked. because she's worth it.

also, talking up gerri and karolina? girlies stick together<3

big bi vibes here. huge. idc if she's pregnant and drinking.

meanwhile, the CE-bros use greg to leak that the negotiations are souring. why would you trust greg with anything?

in an attempt to fuck the deal, the CE-bros show a terrible film to the swedish team, as if being scandi doesn't mean you've sat through enough terrible cinema already....

we get the strangest fight in tv history:

lol @ us for thinking this was an important moment for the two of them and then it's a fight about white sneakers and fat earlobes.

i sure hope shiv fucked lukas.

roman receives a photo of his dead dad and it doesn't really put him in the right place to negotiate with mattson:

ouch.

leave it to kieran to make an emmy-worthy speech across from alex skarsgaard peeing.

the plan was: tank the deal, but in a subtle way. what they did: try and tank the deal, but in a not very subtle way. did the deal tank: no.

i hope you understand.

the question is, if a deal collapses in the woods and no one hears it, is it a SEC violation?

mattson ends up offering 192 per share. karl jizzes his pants.

shiv gives the little spelunker tom a lil treat, telling him to fire cyd.

then she asks him out?

and ignores him again because she is taking a call from mattson?

idk my dudes, but i'm into this shiv comeback.

mattson seems happy and flirty and i sure as shit hope this goes somewhere.

as long as it doesn't involve liters of frozen blood.

i have a feeling it will be all good vibes until he learns about her pregnancy. there's always something rotten in the state of denmark (or norway, or sweden, but it's all the same).

the waystar-team receives the kill list after the offer and it's very stressful for a few people who made themselves suffer through a session in the sauna:

not on the kill list: karolina gerri tom because shiv fucking did the thing!!

oh, and karl and frank are on the kill list, but i think they are just fine.

maybe the real treasure was the compression socks we made along the way.

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thepaperclip · 1 year

Text

Jojolands live-blogging let’s goooooooo

1st impressions under the cut:

Jodio is such a wild name especially considering there’s a Spanish meaning (look it up lol). It makes me think of the Jorge Joestar novel where it says that Erina spelled George II’s name as “Jorge” to keep the “Jo” and it’s like ah yes, it’ll play out how you think in the Spanish-speaking Canary Islands.

Jodio’s narration makes him sound like an actual 15-year-old, and there’s something a bit charming about that. He goofs around and wants to become rich, but he also follows other people’s orders and definitely is flying by his pants as he goes through this process. Araki did a great job establishing Jodio through his narrative voice, stuff like, This may sound like bullshit” and his tangent admiring Meryl’s designs.

There’s definitely the “Giorno” connections (Giorno was the child of both Jonathan and Dio and Jodio is like combining “Jonathan” and “Dio” as names, both are 15 in their stories and have jobs connected with crime, and both of them have clear ambitions). Both of them definitely are observant and can read people very well. However, unlike Giorno, Jodio is not a smooth criminal. He reacts with violence first as opposed to trying to charm his way out of situations. Jodio’s been a low-level grunt for gangs since he was a child, rather than Giorno being a solo petty thief who, once completing initiation, dethrones the Boss and takes charge in like a week.

Another notable thing in this story is that Jodio is a Jojo who comes with a sibling, an older sibling at that. Jodio is definitely protective of Dragona, and also defers to their choices, and listens when Dragona begs Jodio to hold back. I love their rapport, it definitely feels like accurate sibling energy. They crime together, goof off with each other, both of them protect their mother and each other. I love how Dragona was begging for the police to leave Jodio alone because he’s a kid, a minor, and that Dragona holds Jodio back from going too far when beating up the cops who’d assaulted them. I also love how Jodio saw what was going on with Dragona and went “aight time for violence” immediately.

Definitely a new dynamic for the Jojo and JoBro, and also a refreshing take on Jojo sibling dynamics. Jonathan and Dio was about the worst way siblings could go (understatement), and Josuke and Joshu plus the other Higashikata children had a rocky dynamic given that…well, the amnesiac teenager being adopted into the family is a lot to get used to, so in some ways Jojolion was in part the Higashikatas learning how to accept Josuke and give him the family he needs. Johnny and Nicholas seemed to have a positive relationship, but of course that ended with tragedy given Nicholas’ passing.

Regarding the discourse over Dragona’s pronouns, I admit, as someone who is cis, I don’t feel I have a right to comment on this detail beyond that this is only the first chapter, and we don’t know how Araki will handle it for the rest of the run. Given that Araki is a cis Japanese man in his 60s, and that his writing and portrayals of other marginalized folks doesn’t have the best track record (Part 2 the anime had to cut out some rather unsavory caricatures of Mexicans, and Part 3 tended to play into uhh questionable “exotic land” stereotypes especially along Southeast Asia), I wouldn’t recommend getting one’s hopes up for the most stellar execution of representation for Dragona here. I will definitely say that no matter what happens with Dragona, it’s a Your Mileage May Vary situation, but beyond that, I’ll leave that to people who know more and have lived experience when it comes to talking about Dragona’s gender identity.

Meryl is the tallest Jojo character now after the Pillar Men and that is amazing also, yeah, how many hustles does she have? The fact that she’s a school principal as well as a small business owner as well as a crime boss (not sure how big her gang is though). I’m sure there’s a joke about the US educational system in here somewhere lol.

Also, a Jojo in a US public highschool. No notes lmao

There’s several references to our time, like Dua Lipa, Uber, and Covid. We can assume that means this takes place past 2020, most likely around 2022-2023 since no one is wearing masks, but Dragona doesn’t like the officer getting that close and cites social distancing as a reason—notably, the officer is shown as Asian since he asks “do you not want me to get close to you because of my race?” which also references the spike of hate crimes against Asians during the height of the pandemic. There’s also a bit of a meta mark of the times given how Araki went ACAB in the first 5 pages of chapter 1.

The Filthy Frank lookin’ ass dude. No notes lol

This part’s theme seems to be focusing on a new concept called “Mechanisms”. As far as I can understand about how it works given what we have so far about it, it seems to be something to do with “social systems.” Jodio built a social system of “trust” through being a good Gofer for the gang he works for, while the classmate he compares himself to is bullied because he doesn’t have a system like that for the school. Even though the unnamed student is larger, maybe smarter, and presumably wealthier, he’s singled out for bullying because he doesn’t have a good “mechanism” and will be due to leave the school soon. We’ll have to see how this plays out in the coming chapters…

HEIST HEIST HEIST HEIST

The jewel in the heist will not be how Jodio gets rich, or else, perhaps it will prove more trouble than it’s worth. I say that based on nothing. Araki might pull a different trope regarding this jewel, but I doubt he’d make this into a Maguffin for very long.

#jjba #jojo's bizarre adventure #jojo part 9 #jojolands #jodio joestar #dragona joestar #thepaperclipspeaks

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skxrbrand · 6 months

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RE: Daemons and relations

So, this morning I made a post about how daemons are related to one another and how these relations don't seem to be the same as humanoid relations. The Gods are referred to as siblings and their daemons are referred to as their children as well as referring to those respective gods as parents (although they do this very sparingly).

However, it would probably be more accurate to refer to them as descendants but more in the way that dogs are descended from wolves while still, according to some scientists, being more or less the same species. They're the "children" of the gods the same way chickens are the "children" of the dinosaurs.

Greater Daemons are referred to as the "Firstborns of Chaos" ( "Even the greater daemons, the firstborn children of chaos, feared him" ) and are often described as being the closest representations of their god in both their behavior and even their appearance.

This suggest that Lesser Daemons are more recent; a cost effective minion that can do a variety of tasks without costing the Chaos God much to create, as it does cost resources for them to create and maintain their daemons. Lesser Daemons are more distant in their connection to the gods, making them more akin to "cousins" of the Greater Daemons than siblings.

Thus, the above graph is some mixture of family tree and cladogram. Even the gods themselves are not equidistant; Khorne and Tzeentch, eldest of the powers, are more primal forces that are at odds with civilization than Slaanesh and Nurgle, who can coexist, however predaciously, with it. Slaanesh explicitly has no interest in destroying the world, to the point of sabotage or contributing little to the effort. He is also explicitly the result of intelligent beings and their complex desires and obsessions.

On the flip side, this is why I figure Tzeentch to be the true eldest of the gods: It makes sense the Aethyr would differentiate into the God of itself first before anything else. Bloodshed and anger can come from non-sapient lifeforms. But despair and pleasure come more readily from men, elves, dwarves, ect. It's why, out of all the gods, Nurgle and Slaanesh court them the most.

They are more dependent on them than Khorne and Tzeentch for their own existence.

#warhammer fantasy #i hope this makes sense #anyway brain been bad so i might sleep #ooc

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r-manoff · 1 year

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Just like last year, my MCU review of the year :)

Moon Knight (9,5/10)

2022 started off with a bang for the mcu. After the three months break, this was a delight in every way possible. This show was so much fun, both because of Moon Knight’s character in general and because of Oscar Isaac. The Egyptian mythology was so much fun and an amazing addition to the mcu. I CANT WAIT TO SEE MORE OF LAYLA. Girlie needs to drop her curly hair routine, thanks 🫶🏻

Doctor Strange: Multiverse of Madness (6/10)

I’ve already given a lengthy review of this movie when it came out, but I’ll say it again in short here: this movie was disappointing at best. With all the hype that came with this movie, we weren’t given what we came for. Powerful female character sacrificing herself at the end for the ‘greater good’? I’ll pass. All of Wanda’s character development in WandaVision was for naught. It was all thrown down the drain and what a waste. The first Dr Strange movie isn’t a favorite of mine either, but the concept of the multiverse in this movie gave me hope, but it was misplaced.

Ms. Marvel (8/10)

The visuals in this series, the opening logo alone!!!! Beautiful representation, such a fun character, and relatable. I found myself in Kamala’s character as a child of strict parents. That part of the story was very accurately told and I loved to see it :)

Thor: Love and Thunder (4/10)

Dear Lord, the fuck was this movie?

She-Hulk: Attorney at Law (5/10)

They tried to make a feminist project again, but failed. I HATE it when projects like these focus so damn hard on the female representation and emphasize it to the point where it feels like it’s being forced upon you. You make stories with great representation by treating that represented group like you would privileged communities. Representation does not mean that you have an immediate great story. Far from it. She-Hulk is one of the most fun characters in the comics. They turned her into a sex-deprived, failed lawyer who isn’t even as bulky as she is in the comics (a huge fucking miss). And don’t even get me started on the CGI.

Werewolf by Night (7,5/10)

A quick, fun watch. Elsa Bloodline, I’m waiting for you queen. You can shoot me with that crossbow😍😮‍💨✨ I can’t wait to see how this story will play out in the mcu

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (10/10)

I wasn’t convinced marvel could outdo such an emotional opening scene like the one in Black Widow. But they did with Wakanda Forever. This movie is the most beautiful tribute they could’ve made for Chadwick. He was present in every second of this movie. I genuinely do not understand how people don’t like this movie. Yes, Chadwick was in a way the body and soul of Black Panther, but there is so much more to this character/story. The lore of Wakandan culture… it was so beautifully woven into this new movie. Shuri’s journey of grieving her brother is so powerful and very personal and relatable to me. The story of white colonizers put into perspective for younger generations was dealt with beautifully. The soundtrack (once again), the visuals, everything was stunning about this movie. It brought me to tears multiple tears. Not just because of Chadwick, but also because of the meaning of this story.

The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday special (6/10)

Meh. I don’t see the need of this special. I genuinely don’t. As far as I can tell, it adds nothing to the mcu. Drax and Mantis bothered me to no extent for some reason. Mantis admitting to Peter that they’re siblings was kinda cute, but I found myself skipping 30% of this lol

Though there were some exceptions, the quality of the mcu has noticeably gone down. I’ve noticed my excitement/interest disappear for the mcu this year. And it’s because they’re pushing out these projects like the capitalist that disney is. Disappointing.

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16th-cornelia-street · 1 year

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spoilers

feel like the sibling representation they had of wednesday latching onto eugene as her stand in for pugsley in protecting him is very accurate to my own sibling relationship, putting the energy of protection and taking care of the smaller weaker individual that i usually give ot my siblings to the next closest person when out in the world.

She also supports him in his bee fascination like she does with pugsley’s torture obsession (if i remember right from the movies) it doesnt seem to be a thing in the series

#wednesday netflix #pugsley addams #sorry pugsleyhas never made that big impression for me among the addams #the only thing i recall is him being a foil for wednesdays macabre tendencies

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marine-indie-gal · 1 year

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Kept on waiting for the Next Episodes of SpongeBob which are supposed to come out Next Year and now I have to wait a month until January (that is "The Tidal Zone") so I kept binge re-watching Greco-Roman stories and Other Foreign Myths, since I kept on writing my own headcanons about the Gods in the SpongeBob universe (including most of the Ancient Water Deities) since I headcanon that somewhere there supposed to be Seven Kings giving on how that the Sea has Seven Seas which makes a lot of sense. Poseidon and Neptune are always one of my Favorite Characters from the Show (so Sue Me). As you may know, I love Mythology and Folklore a lot (especially Fairy Tales and even Love Stories), giving on how Poseidon and Neptune are potrayed in the Franchise, I'm always one of those people who believe that these characters are Actual Mythological Gods from Mythology (because hey, I'm one of those Nerds who have known on who they truly are and have read other different adaptations of each of the Myths and have watched some Greek-Mythology inspired stories in Media). I also kept on watching the clips of Sponge On The Run, giving on how that Poseidon (Netpune's Greek Equivalent) is potrayed as an Antagonist (giving on how that he already was in the Mythology), there are at least a few scenes to where Poseidon acts all paranoid. And do you wanna know where his Paranoia and Immaturity came from? His Father of course. Yes, I do know, Parenting isn't all that important to most Greek Gods in Mythology when it comes to raising a Child but I always definitely grew up with the Myths and always thinking that Zeus and his Siblings have Daddy Issues (it was Cronus' Fault that he let his Last Son to get revenge on his Father and had to save his own Siblings). Anyway, due to how Poseidon always acts Paranoid outside of his Vainity and Comedic potrayal in The Third Movie, I always headcanon that his Vanity is somehow meant to be a representation/relfection of his Lustful side towards his affairs in the Myths (much like how his Brother (Zeus) had his own affairs). But my most fair headcanon is how that whenever Poseidon acts all paranoid of others, my personal guess is that somewhere in this universe, he still had his own Childhood Days before he was devoured by his own Father...He was a Mama's Boy in his life, being very close with his Mother, Rhea. For those who don't know on who Poseidon's Actual Parents are (or his Actual Family). According to Greek Lore, Poseidon was the Son of The King and Queen of the Titans (which were known as the "Elder Gods"), Cronus and Rhea (Poseidon's Parents) were the Rulers of the Titans after when Cronus overthrown their Father (Uranus), he became the King of the Titans during the Golden Age where he took his Sister, Rhea, as a Wife. But when Cronus heard of the Prophecy from his Mother (Gaia) that one day, his Children will overthrow Him, the same way he did to his own Father. Cronus then started to devour and swallow his whole children that Rhea bore to him their Children (Hestia, Demeter, Hera, Hades, and Poseidon), only then, did Poseidon's Mother saved his Baby Brother (Zeus) away from their Father in the Island of Crete as Zeus trained hard as he grew up to stop their Father. It's a very disturbing history about The Real Poseidon but I have a feeling that somewhere they would at least change something from the Myths while still not being accurate towards them like how some folklore are potrayed like that in some media. I've always wholeheartedly believe that He and his Roman Counterpart, Neptune have Daddy Issues (which is not something that you can get through). Yet, for some reason, Poseidon seems the more Cowardly King than Neptune, which is why I belive that he is a "Mama's Boy". Throughout his Ancient Life, in the Old Days of his own Childhood, Poseidon was born a Water Deity from his Mother, Rhea (giving on how that his Brothers were different types of Deities). And before the Terrible Prophecy, I'm sure that Poseidon had his own closest moments with his Mother giving on how I think Rhea was the only one who deeply cared for her own Sons but still loved her Husband no matter how they took care of the World. Being close with his Mother seemed very touching and I think that he still misses Her, even after the events of the Great War as I am pretty sure that the Crown that he wore on his Head (before he became his true self) is meant to resemble his Mother's own crown as I also headcanon that Poseidon made his own crown to resemble his Mother's as a remindment on who he really loved and missed her a lot. I'm sure that Poseidon did had his own Sad Days before the events of the Third Film that no one even cared because no one ever knew his true family or who the other Gods were. Maybe somewhere he missed his whole Family, his Brothers, his Nephews and Nieces, his Sisters-In-Laws, and of course, the Golden Days of his Childhood before the Horrible Prophecy changed his Whole Family. And yes, this Woman right here that you see holding Young Poseidon is meant to be my very own interpretation of Rhea (Poseidon's Mother from the Original Mythology) of how I think she would look like if she appeared either in the Show or The Third Movie. Poseidon and Rhea (c) Greek Mythology SpongeBob SquarePants (c) Stephen Hillenburg SB Design of Poseidon (c) Nickoldeon SB Design of Rhea (c) Me

#spongebob squarepants #the spongebob movie sponge on the run #sponge on the run #poseidon #rhea #Greek Mythology

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