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caralara · 1 year

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Music For A Sushi Restaurant is a big FUCK YOU to the Music Industry

Okay okay okay, I watched it and I felt the holy gay spirit overcome me, give me the energy and focus to do what I procrastinate forever on to do for my uni papers: write an analysis. Guess my studies are coming in handy after all! Kindly be reminded that, with all art analysis, this is subjective and your interpretation of it is as valid as mine <3

Let’s take a look at the characters first.

Characters

Squidrry: Harry plays the mermaid version of himself - we don’t know the backstory, but we know he got stranded on a beach and has a squid tail in place of legs. Who does that remind us of? Ah, yes, his mermaid tattoo: that beauty though has her whole vulva out, making her definitively female, which is interesting because mermaids often symbolise genderlessness and genderqueerness (mermaidsuk.org.uk), and in the case of his tattoo it could be interpreted as genderqueerness with special emphasis on femininity. The little mermaid is also clearly referenced - Harry has referenced her before wearing the shirt printed with “But Daddy I love him!” on the front and “this shirt will make you look gay” on the inside. Some elements from the storyline are also picked up in this music video: losing her voice, getting manipulated into contracts...

The Discoverer: it’s the guy who finds Harry on the beach, seizes him up and immediately recognises his worth. He pulls up his phone and calls just the guy who knows how to make this fish into money. Almost like an A&R guy.

The Manager: he seems to be owning Gill’s bar. He is the one who makes the decisions as to what to do with Harry, and he also seems to have a “soft spot” for Harry, or what I would call: a fetish. He obsesses over Harry’s tail, yet he thinks the real selling point is Harry’s voice.

The Handler: he’s the manager’s dogsbody, he does everything to his bidding. He does all the dirty work, from crushing crabs to caring for Harry. He seems to be somewhat disgusted by Harry and his other-ness.

The Woman: she is in the background most of the time, does similar jobs as the Handler, but seems to be higher up than him. She almost seems like a prop, as she does not have a proper characterisation besides being there.

The Boy: is young, handsome and wears shiny clothes.

The Crowd: a diverse group of people that are not necessarily very entertained by Harry’s performance

Let’s go through the music video scene by scene

Shots

When The Discoverer finds Harry, he towers over the viewer, showing he’s in control & he object he looks at is at his mercy. He sees that Harry is something special, but what he sees is only the way he looks, his other-ness, not his talent. He hasn’t heard him sing yet. Interestingly, Harry is fully bearded (lol) when they find him. Is this a reference to him right now? Or is this simply a tool to show he’s been at sea for a long time (Eroda continued)?

Next we see a red crab. Is this a dig at duplishitty and the whole Sebastian drama some months ago? I remember tons of Ariel memes at the time when Harry’s character turned out to be actually called Sebastian and the larries dragged that fic through the mud all over twitter. It was glorious. Ergo a dig at hetharries’ image of him? Don’t ruin my fantasy? Your fantasy is our #1 priority?

Then we see a dirtyass industrial kitchen: it is grimey, stuff happens here that the people who enjoy their meals do not want to know about - just like in the music industry. If the people knew how bad it gets behind the literal curtain - would they still be as happy throwing their money at it? As soon as they get the call, the engine starts: the well oiled machinery of the music industry

everything is documented right from the beginning in flashing snapshots: Harry’s discovery on the beach, where he gets ‘made’ into who he will be the kitchen, closeup of what makes him special (his tail), meeting all the important people in this world. Everyone wants to be in the shot showing off their catch (the Manager at his tail, showing it off, the Woman close to his head (stunting? or maybe AnnMarie from PR who doubled as their mental health counselor, whispering into his ear?)). Is the Kitchen The X-Factor, where he proves himself and wraps them all around his finger with his siren voice? There he sees what they’re doing to the ones that are like him but don’t stand out: they’re violently cut up, produced into quick money. It is a literal competition to survive - almost like the auditions.

The crew is almost scared or weirded out at first but also entranced - Harry distracts them while he surprises them with showing up behind him or next to them, catching them off guard while taking everything in with wide eyes: he’s a quick learner, he soaks up how this world works immediately. Then the handler gets him with a bribe of fish: they dangle it in front of his face, and it’s what he wants.

As soon as he takes the bait it transitions to him performing in the venue itself. We see him with cut hair and a fancy robe, showing the Manager and Handler what he can offer. Is this Harry having to prove himself, again, as a solo artist with HS, now that he’s performing in the actual venue, where there will be eventually an audience? Or is this still proving himself with One Direction?

We see a montage of them making him feel like a star, accommodate his otherness, his tail, in a way that he truly feels like a star, and there’s so much glitter everywhere, making everything sparkly. Very interesting here: the towels they use to hydrate his tail, the thing that makes him so interesting and enticing, to keep it healthy and happy, are blue green = could be that he feels that at first they humoured Larry Stylinson - until 2012 it was not a problem and they even used the “bromance” for marketing - until they don’t anymore. While Harry’s eyes and ears are plugged “for his own good” to relax and be distracted, you can see the handler starting to resent Harry for having to take care of Harry’s weird tail, and if he doesn’t check on him he stops actually taking care of it. In the meantime, the Manager is weirdly obsessed with the tail. Harry starts to wear a pearl necklace - the pearl is a widely recognised symbol of genderquerness (the oyster, that produces the pearl changes its sex at least once in its lifetime, usually start out male and become female).

again, everything is documented in snapshots: Harry and how the people around him feed him and take care of him

Harry becomes accustomed to the lifestyle and acts like a diva - or does he? He asks for tea which he uses to gargle, taking care of the one thing he knows is keeping him alive: his voice. He has the Manager give him a manicure while sitting in the women’s dressing room, a little white women’s chemise hung up behind him on the wall ready for him to slip into. He starts wearing sunglasses: he is shielding himself more, and he wears even more pearls, they’re on the sunglasses too now. He becomes more flamboyantly genderqueer and has the Manager help him express it? There’s even more pearly waiting for him to be worn on the table in front of him. More, more, more pearls!

He doesn’t like the music they want him to sing. But the music video synchronises with the song just in that moment and has Harry say: “whatever you want” - even though he doesn’t like the songs he will sing them, because that’s what the manager wants - and otherwise he might end up dead. In return he wears even bigger feathery gowns and boas. Pearl sunglasses are a thing now. He has glitter confetti in his hair. He is fabulous.

even though it makes it look like he’s treated like a diva, he’s still in the dingy diner with loads of filing boxes. These boxes over boxes are filled with - contracts? He is with The Discoverer in this scene. Is this Simon?

the Manager takes care of him in order to make money off of him, literally grooms him and enjoys lubing up his tail a little too much - there’s a shot that focuses on the wedding band he wears on his finger. The way the mv is shot, there is a broad sexualisation of Harry’s tail, constantly filling the frame, lubed up, glistening, primed = Harry gets sexualised, his most sexual, peculiar features on display all the time to get more people interested and enticed. And although the Handler sees that the Manager fetishises Harry’s tail, he doesn’t say anything, only judges.

soon, Harry has dark circles underneath his eyes that he treats with patches. He is tired? Exhausted? But keeps going while becoming more impatient with everyone around him.

Another round of snapshots: food/seeing what happens to people like him that don’t stay relevant (they get chopped up and eaten), there’s beer & drinks, pretty surroundings like the coral throne for him, and a prawn dangles from string: more bribe? It’s always in front of him, even when performing

then he is finally on stage: he’s happy, wearing a pearl crown and is loaded with pearl necklaces, sings into the microphone and does his iconic whale. It’s where he’s happy. But there’s a close up shot of his birdcage tattoo = he’s still trapped and caged.

There’s a closeup of two cherries in a martini glass: Cherry, Stunts, Alcohol? Both are parts of the world he’s living in: the show biz.

when he’s performing in front of the audience, the people are not super into the performance, the ones the Manager so excitedly wants to sell Harry to don’t care too much about him or his performance, just want to watch the peculiar creature writhe. There’s a disparity between what the Manager thinks the audience want and what the Crowd actually want. The Boy asks to touch his tail (= his most sexualised feature), and Harry slaps him for it. Did people want to have Harry and he never gave himself away like that?

more snapshots: of credit cards in cash machines and cash: the Manager makes a lot of money off of Harry, the way he rejects the Boy, his performance, the musicians, him singing - it all gets documented every step of the way.

At the height of his career, his voice leaves - a nightmare coming true. The lights turn off and it gets cold, as soon as he can’t offer what the Manager thinks is profitable (his voice), his previously praised feature (his tail, his otherness) won’t save him. The Woman gets ready to dice him by sharpening her knife - she’ll take him down, too. The Handler will help cooking him, no questions asked, no emotions shown.

The Manager actually reminisces about him Harry and misses him, even though he gave the go to kill him and make him into sushi: he doesn’t see that he was the one to make the decision and instead blames the market / capitalism. Still fetishises him in retrospect: he doesn’t actually miss Harry, but what value he had for him: profit and getting his fetish satisfied (he’s swirling his fingers in the vaseline).

Even of the process of destroying him they try to squeeze out a last little profit which they document in snapshots

I think it is an incredibly interesting choice of Harry’s to set this whole music industry metaphor in a dingy little diner lounge instead of the flashy, beautiful world that is usually chosen to show just how enticing show biz is. He isn’t trying to justify why he fell for the bait, he is way past that - he wants to remind us that behind all the glitter and beautiful lights, it is a dingy, creepy shithole. He also didn’t choose to have a beautiful, shimmery fish tail, the way we love seeing on mermaids, and have also been sexualised with their curves and the way they move, but a squishy, slimey squid tail - it’s supposed to intrigue the viewer just as much as it did the Crew and the Crowd with a little bit of disgust. Which, again, is incredibly interesting and telling as to how Harry sees his “otherness,” and - let me go out on a limb here - his queerness perceived. It also means that he cannot move around in this world just as he is - he has to be helped, carried, hauled, driven by the people around him: in this case, his Handler and Manager and Discoverer. He is dependent if he wants to survive in that world (the music industry).

Most of the characters in this music video are men - they are all after profit, and the main trait of every single character is that they very evidently just don’t care about anything except money (profit) and sex (fetish).

It is a very clear condemnation of what the music industry is like even if you look only a little closer.

I love that he doesn’t show himself as the Saint Victim, while still (thank god) recognising he was and is indeed a victim of the profit machine - he shows how much he likes getting pampered and enjoys the lifestyle, acting a little diva (although I would take that with a shovel of salt - Harry is known to be unfairly hard on himself and self deprecating). It still seems to be though how he sees himself there.

Another note worthy part is the audience. To me, it shows the disparity between what the Manager character thinks the crowd wants and what the crowd actually wants. And the best (and most sad) part is: neither of them are better. The Manager thinks it’s his voice and performance, while he’s privately fetishising his tail, while the audience just wants to watch something happen, in that moment a weird person with a squid tail singing, the next day said squidperson being chopped up and served to them as sushi. They’re there for the spectacle, not the person. So neither of them are good - and it makes me sad to think that’s how Harry perceives his audiences (is he wrong, though? At least about the majority of his fans?)

I also adore just how fully packed the whole music video is with his genderqueerness. You literally cannot ignore it - from being a trans symbol itself to the accumulation of mountains of pearls to the women’s clothes to him being in the women’s dressing room. If you don’t see it by now I really can’t help you.

To me, this is such a power move - he shows just how horrible these people have been in the name of the profit, the way they see themselves (nostalgic, missing their abuse victim?!) and at the same time show them for who they really are: sad little grimey dingey people in some shithole etablissement.

I cannot tell you with how pleased I am with this music video - Sushi for a Music Restaurant has been one of my faves off the album since the day I heard it at the listening party, and to see it come to life exactly along the lines of how I interpreted it as well as being incredibly surprising and clever is just - chef’s kiss. Thank you Harry for this masterpiece.

#mfasr #mfasr mv #mv analysis #harry styles #music for a sushi restaurant #can you tell i took my aderall today #wow i was so focused #using it for good #honestly LOVE this #finally my studies come in handy #lol

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jammyjams1910 · 2 months

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People: oh hyde is bigger than jekyll!

Me:

no.

Hyde is a 3-5 ft ankle biter and you cant change my mind

SERIOUSLYYY I rly don’t understand why some people design Hyde like 10 feet tall?? Like bro his shortness is one of the most important parts of his character literally and metaphorically

#this is where all the studying of J&H I did in school comes in handy 😂#some people don’t realise that Hyde is SUPPOSED to be smaller than Jekyll #😭#he's smaller cos he's supposed to represent ONLY the evil side of Jekyll #making him shorter than Jekyll #aaah forgive me I'm a nerd 😭🙏#ask #jekyll and hyde #rant? kinda?#idrk #dr jekyll and mr hyde

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adreamingrevenant · 4 months

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#my first sleep deprived contribution to the Twisted Wonderland Fandom but certainly not my last #well technically second #but this ain't about that #twst book 7 spoilers #twst book 7 #twst spoilers #twisted wonderland #hello TWST fandom have a low quality meme for now #that guitar finally served it's purpose it was like it was made SPECIFICALLY for when I got the urge to throw hands with the Fae Senate #F' those guys roughly with a rusty chainsaw all my homies hate the Fae Senate #Malleus Lilia and Meleanor don't deserve all this #I don't know if it's just because this Book came out at a coincidentally difficult time in my life where I can relate to Lilia even more #but by everything holy and unholy this entire book HURT #although the lore came in at a FANTASTIC timing for an au I'm working on lol #now I take a nap before I figure out how to link ao3 on tumblr via mobile before I work on that #all of my knowledge of years of studying Fae lore and Irish mythology is finally going to come in handy #I wish upon the Fae Senate that their second death feels vaguely like being forced into hot iron shoes and forced to dance to death :)#don't blame Malleus at all for being angry. if he wants to overthrow the Senate I'll be right there with him #twst memes

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blindtaleteller · 6 months

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thank you for previous explain. It was so long and detailed. I had now another question. About lady's life in Asgard. Sigyn x Loki for me. And Sigyn is not warrior, but typical lady. Can you write something about it?

Honestly if you're looking for an example of that in canon MCU, much of Frigga's character and especially her surroundings as expressed on screen does have quite a few examples.

In fact, we aren't even given the idea she can still fight until she absolutely has to in The Dark World.

And, it's in Dark World (and a little of both Ragnarok [geh] and Endgame if you take both the premise of the Valkyries and the time travel scenes in it seriously) that we are given those examples.

Remember, whether they are fighters themselves or not: if they're Asgardian, they're still raised as a part of that previously mentioned warmongering imperialist society: and that would be (as also told to us in their dialogue about Jane and Sif, and their King Odin's expectations) even more strictly observed by someone like a lady in that kind of royalist/imperialist hierarchy, rather than a warrior.

That is why I say 'much' of Frigga's character and surroundings.. but not all. It's not the fighting you need to look at, though that can help. It's her mannerisms, her rooms (look at TDW including the fight with Malekith), her maids, and more. Frigga is, as Queen and even without the fight or ability itself: the top and more importantly leading example of what to expect of a lady of the royal court: as she should be in that kin of society.

And that's also VERY probably why she doesn't fight in any of THor 2011 on screen: even when Laufey shows up, regardless of her being nearer to the main palace then, than she was in TDW: where she was shown being in a separate side palace at least a few miles away when Algrim/Kurse broke out of the dungeon: all the way up until her life, and Jane's, are in immediate danger after having left that portion of the palace during the attack that Kurse opened the shields to manage.

(Which side note was REEEEALLY questionable at the time with a human housing an infinity stone in tow at the time, but is neither here nor there with other things taken into account... just a very dangerous for Jane choice, given what enemies they did have even without the elves being taken into account.. but eh, it is canon and it does fit the flavors of Asgard's, Odin's, and Frigga's own arrogance and ignorance in regards to Asgard's 'impervious' mindset state, as far as the upper echelons of their society seems to be concerned as portrayed on screen.)

In a way, it's made pretty clear that while Frigga still retains much of her skills as a fighter and mage/witch (Or the daughter of three witches at least as we also now know through canon dialogue:) the things she does and doesn't do, while also comparing that to someone like Brunhilde (aka Valkyrie) and how they were clearly recieved during and well after their term as an active female-only fighting force, the canon makes it pretty clear that unless they do retain that fighter status, women (perhaps including the queen) either do not tend to hold as much sway or dignity in other pursuits outside the household.

In other words and as an canon example.. even as the other ruler on the throne and his adoptive mother; Frigga is easily able to set aside the throne and any responsibility for doing so even in that situation. Regardless of, the fact that; at that point the situation is that Jotunheim had declared war in response to Thor's treasonous invasion, and regardless of being closest to Loki (we know this through the words of every character in the family: Thor says it repeatedly, Odin goads and attempts to guilt trip him with that close relationship too, and Frigga does the same with her own wierdness during her conversation with him in TDW's dungeon cell scene) knowing full well not only what she was asking of Loki, but also what Loki was going through in having just recently discovered that he wasn't only not of the same species: but on top of that was Laufey's biological son AND Jotunheim's only known of prince. Whom, Odin admitted he had taken to 'forge a permanent peace.'

A peace that, probably wouldn't have happened anyway if he and it had been handled just as poorly as well, it was.

Think about that for a little bit; really think about it: and the fact that she did so, while playing the part and claiming she was closest to him and cared about him the most.

That canonically casts some seriously gross and awkward truths into the realm of how their their relationship actually is versus how Frigga and the rest of them tried to paint it. As well as touching her own guilt evasion there too: and is something that both in the first Thor and the second film both: Frigga absolutely side steps taking any responsibility for, as the mother, the mentor, and the lady who raised him with that lie: regardless of their supposed closeness.

And, why that's important? Is because, under that king, husband and society as it goes: she is not just allowed to do that without complaint from any of the above, their society OR the foster-brother that she raised and lied to right next to him: she's allowed to thrive and remain in her position STILL without that question or any apparent explanation of ANY of those nuances or her part in putting him in charge in taht mental and emotional state; well after the fact and into 2013 two years later.

When she refers to that massive erasure of not just who but WHAT he is? Frigga almost always shifts that blame fully onto Odin in her dialogue; and steers as hard as she can away from words reminding the viewer that, she was Odin's wife and partner: through all of that. Instead, it's always 'your father' or 'he' rather than 'we' or 'he and I.'

Which is very blatantly another portion of Loki's response in this same scene when asked 'And am I not your mother..?' because, he's right in every form of the answer.

youtube

It's -possible- that she was being honest about her relationship with Loki, at least later on? But it's -not- very -probable-, or believable at that stage.. and her lack of self awareness and ownership of her part even when alone with him in Thor 2011 (not to mention carrying that on a year later in Dark World) makes that very hard to miss as a thing in truth: especially with the given facts being that this went on for over a thousand years.. and still over all that time she didn't have enough regard, respect, or love for her supposed favorite son, to even hint at any of his origins even after she taught him to shapeshift or cast illusions herself, to change the outcome.

And again.. no one raised a question as to why. Or held her accountable. No one questioned the one person in the royal family who was capable of taking Loki's place on the throne back in 2011 either.

Given how little we see women in honored fighting positions in Asgardian culture, and are given the very blatant information between the films that it's been literal centuries since even since a female fighting force has been a thing, PLUS the literal views we've been given with Sif as the only woman in the training yard in modern eras...?

It's pretty likely that raised-in bit of social ugly is pretty well dug into their society as well.

Again and that said: figuring out how a lady rather than a fighter might run her life, or fit in at those upper tiers without picking up a weapon: has been put on some display.

Asgard has a very wonky, heavy half ren/medieval approach to their upper heirarchy on display, complete with ladies in waiting (which Tony takes a little off jab at in GROUNDED too lol,) and healers especially seeming to be a majorly female profession.

There wasn't a single dude in that scene with Jane that wasn't either royalty or a guard, if you look at it again. Every single one of the healers is a woman.)

That mentioned, another place to look for examples, are again: Frigga's personal surroundings. And Dark World gives us a good look at those.

One thing to note, is that besides the healers: pretty much every Asgardian lady has armor in some portion of their wardrobe. Whether that's a breastplate, vanbraces (wrist/forearm,) gorgets (neck guard, like Loki's) or something else to accompany their dresses.

Vanbraces (Thor 2011)

Vanbraces and Archer's breastplate (Dark World Dungeon Scene)

Vanbraces, Pauldron, and partial Chestplate (Dark World, final scene)

There are moments when we see her and them without armor pieces (or in some scenes with even fewer of them at least, like teh carefully disguised set in the top gif) but for the most part those outfits are reserved for really important parties that are the equivalent of formal-dress parties: in which case we can see that even Sif doesn't escape from the expectation of wearing a literal dress: though even then.. hers is the odd one out of the others shown/on display in the room as far as style:

Which tells us a couple of things, but first and foremost and something that makes sense in their culture: is that even if they're not mainline fighters, and having been invaded enough to need and upkeep those shields in the first place?

Other than fancy events/celebrations and or coronations? The armor pieces are definitely as much local every day cultural fashion thing, as they are functional in some cases.

It's pretty likely that even the ladies of the court at least know and are expected to upkeep at least minor skills in self defense, if not the defense of their own homes: and are probably taught to do so from a very young age. They're not going to be as good at it outside of their own personal territory, or a territory they know well like say the Valkyrie were supposed to be, as the equivalent of a special forces military task unit: but they probably are expected.

Another side note..? This above, is ultimately; also among the forgiving reasons I don't question why Frigga went to the main palace outside of her taking Jane with her when she went. As Queen and lady of the house under that form of society, it absolutely passes without Jane in tow. However.. without Jane in tow, there's also the bit she couldn't have known at the time; that the writers did of course .. the fact that any of the elves were even alive and kicking. [And gee; thanks for that again Bor, lol! like father like son, I guess? Bor, his son, and said son's wife DO seem to have a habit of -not- telling their kids about world and universe ending enemies being alive after the fact, don't they? coughcoughHELAcoughcough.. XD]

There is one other bit, besides that: that we do get about the society from all that too though. At least about the surviving upper echelons of the ruling class: and that is?

That Odin had a really tight reign on the upper royals and his fighting forces surviving the Great Wars as King.. lips and all: unless amongst the entirety of their armies, council, other generals (besides Hela, which HOO is that a whole conversation unto itself Loki and Laufey related when you look at that timeline with Hela in it omg..) and pretty much every lady in waiting, servants .. or just other lords and ladies? Just didn't notice a surprise baby that the Queen -didn't- give birth to, was randomly being presented as a new baby prince to the Asgardian Empire. Which.. is next to impossible; especially when you take into account that this wasn't another country he took this kid from, or a society unfamiliar with magic: he took Loki from an entirely differing species and PLANET elsewhere in the universe in the middle of the last battle of one of the largest and bloodiest wars in their generation: and forced passing him off as his own.

Even if, he did manage that; maybe sequestering his wife and passing Loki off as a twin or some shizz? Someone if not a whole lot of someones probably knew.. but especially the healer or healers who would have treated any wounds throughout Loki's lifetime.

We could, almost say that they could have presented him as an adopted Asgardian kid.. and maybe he and Frigga did, to some of them on the sly to help keep it under wraps.. but that doesn't fit how their relationship is depicted, shown or talked about prior to or even after the reveal of his species and bloodline at all, either.

And that still wouldn't pass the first time this kid hurt himself, or was injured in battle under the scrutiny of an uninformed healer's ability in that society, with magic and high tech and more very much at their fingertips and in their alliances and enemies too, to be recognized.

Meaning, at least a portion of the populace closest to the crown, and especially those types old enough to have taken part in the last of the Great Wars or tending Loki as he grew and fought and more as a captive prince: were either just as complacent or, shut up by either if not both portions of the crown house really damned fast and really efficiently likely through threat, exile or worse. Keep in mind, the Great Wars and especially that one was still freshly finished, and they made a great show of making sure we knew there would be problems having the future ruler of the enemy they had been killing for an un-foretold length of time next to the crown in how even mention of Jotnar was allowed to form in Asgardian society: through Loki's words, through Thor's reactions and words, through Odin and through Frigga too.

The hate was strong enough even a thousand years plus of Odin's rule with Loki as prince later, that Thor thought it was A-Okay to go ahead and invade the planet and restart that war, against the literal warnings not just from every single person around him before he did it: and not just warned but told outright by his father and the King 'don't you fuckin' dare' well before even that.

That.. is the kind of society and expectations, an Asgardian Lady would have been raised into and led by along with the rest.

All that said, this is getting long; and there are metas rather than canon they come from that I could mention regarding Vanaheim as the most prevalent colony of Asgardians/partial Asgardians too, but.. we don't get a whole lot of them or their off world society other than to know that Odin doesn't care about them NEARLY as much: or at least not enough to even provide them defensive cannons or other defenses that Asgard otherwise VERY clearly has and has had for literal ages as put on display in the Dark World.

Being a woman in that society would probably be a very, well...

Probably, brainwashed to accept a lowered expectation of self worth over all, without the ability to fight on a greater tier than just home and self defense. And those who don't fall into those already asserted social standards would definitely be outliers if not outcasts. We have Loki himself and how Frigga's skills are viewed and worded even by her own family, as example of that.

So.. that's a lot to keep in mind but.. yeah. It is there, and more that; I probably haven't touched or missed while in the process of going on and explaining that.

For Sigyn though, for me: I do have some planned for her but as she doesn't exist in the MCU and adapting her would for me have to take all of that in mind: that is being approached very back burner for late Vestibule 2 (after Mixology) and Vestibule 3 as what ultimately boils down to an OC version of her. In part because I like that character in real life lore, and Skadi's character: and when I do write for them both.. I want to try and convert them to fit into the MCU base in a way that feels right to me.

Which is going to be rough when getting into more detailed versions of stuff like the very brief mentions of Skadi's tale and others I've already done in fics like Simon Says/Bail: given the MCU is twice removed from actual Norse Mythos; being Asgard in the MCU is more loose in being based off of Marvel, which in turn is then just as loose in the comics' basing their characters from that Norse Mythos.

Also, am tired .. is eleven PM lol sorry for not continuing, and getting extra rambly. But will add more pretty pictures to make up for it a lil bit? lol

If you have more questions or want some elaboration on anything, by all means feel free to send me asks just like this one.

I generally try to answer pretty quickly when I see them lol.

#Ladies of Asgard #examples given #it's pretty open #but there are established rules shown and in some rare places told #at least as far as the MCU version is concerned #I am very interested in doing at least two Unis with if not more with Sigyn though #that's always been a plan #Asgard lore #Asgard on screen examples #MCU Asgard #MCU #Lokiverse references #also armor references #blacksmithing study sometimes comes in handy.#editted a bit cause I hate typos #especially overly dumb plabet typos lol

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hawnks · 6 months

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Continuation of this

Pietro clutches at her skirts, but reels back obediently when she smacks his desperate hands.

“Please, my sweet,” he begs, trailing after her, resisting the urge to grab her again. “Please talk to me. Tell me what you’re thinking.”

Kelsi doesn’t deign to look at him, simply storms through the estate — a historic castle that had been rather beautiful before her death — hunting down any scrap of her old life.

Her satchel and carpetbag are still in the downstairs closet, exactly where she left them. Even the contents is untouched, a few crumpled receipts and an expired granola bar buried inside.

She grabs both, and the big, red rain coat. Pietro always used to hide candies in the pockets; she stops herself for checking for one.

When she emerges from the closet, he’s directly behind her, so close she can see the tears budding in his eyes, not yet fallen. She doesn’t soothe him—she won’t.

The kitchen is dilapidated. She can’t find anything edible, only food so spoiled it can hardly be considered food at all, and a staggering amount of coffee grounds. Maybe he’d been surviving on caffeine alone, these past years.

“Please,” he tries again. “Kelsi, please?”

“You know my thoughts, Doctor.” She pushes past him, up the stairs to the second floor. The boards creak miserably under her weight, untreated, in poor condition. “I am very, very, very upset with you.”

Despite the derelict condition of the rest of the castle, her room could almost be considered clean. There’s a fine layer of dust on most of the surfaces, but it’s clear that the bedding has been washed somewhat recently, the curtains beaten to get rid of the worst of the residue buildup.

Her wardrobes contents is different, although not how she would expect. New clothes, garments shes never seen before, are hung amidst the rest. They’re soft to the touch, don’t show the signs of deterioration and rigidity that come with neglect.

Pietro had regularly washed each each of them by hand, ironing them carefully before returning them to their rightful place. He wasn’t sure why. During the first few months, he thought she should be comfortable, when she returns. Soon enough he hardly thought at all. It was more of a ritual, a lower-brain habit, to tend to her things, to hunt for any remnants of her scent among the items, to imagine her, vital and alive in these spaces.

She understands this, somehow, without a word. Another exhibit of the madness that consumed him in her absence. Grimacing, she starts shoving fistfuls of fabric into her bag, indiscriminately.

At the bottom, tucked away in the corner, is a pair of boots. Pretty, but functional, fine, embroidered details and treated leather.

The night before she died, she’d complained about her feet aching. They’d surveyed the entire surrounding woods, an arduous endeavor that left her exhausted, sore. He’d gifted her a warm balm, of his own recipe. Awkward as he placed it into her hands; he’d wanted to rub it into her tender muscles himself, she could see the desire in him. But it was a line neither of them had ever broached, a delicate, tremulous thing.

He’d pulled her out of deadly mires. She’d plucked poison barbs from his skin. They’d both risked their lives and reputations for each other, again and again. They knew one another better than anyone. At times it seemed like they could read each other down to the flickering soul.

And yet, there was another distance impossible to broach. Not due to lack of courage, but careful sensibility. It required investigation, a steady hand. Whatever it was between them, it often felt as fragile as spiders silk.

Now it was snapped, forever.

Kelsi shoves into the boots, swallowing down her distaste. It was this, or go barefoot on her journey. She snaps her bags closed. She’s ready to be gone.

Pietro stands in doorway, preventing this.

His head is bowed, fearful of her gaze, but even hunched his height is imposing. She always thought of his as a sproutish man, lean and lanky, but facing him now she’s not sure she could beat him, physically.

“Can you please—“ he bites his lip. “Can’t you be very, very, very upset with me here? Where you’re safe? Where I can see you?”

Kelsi just breathes for a moment. She’s so incensed her rage has surpassed physical revile; she’s only focused on undoing what’s been done, now. “No,” she tells him.

She takes a step forward. And another. They’re toe to toe, and she can almost feel his heart beating, a rabbit-quick pulse. His cheeks flush.

He presses himself into the doorframe, letting her pass. Yielding.

He falls in stride behind her. “Dearest, please. Things are not as you remember them.”

“I know,” she snaps. “You did that.”

His fingers brush her sleeve, cautious but beseeching. “Where are you going?”

“To get them out. I will extract them. Somehow.”

It takes a moment for her to realize Pietro is no longer right behind her. He’s paused in the center of the lobby, staring at her. His expression is hard to decipher, agony and confusion and something without a name.

“You can’t,” he says. She can barely hear it.

“I’m certain I’ll find a way. If there’s any trace of them left in me, I will pluck it out.”

“You can’t,” he says again, louder. “You’ll die.”

She shakes her head. “I already did.”

The great door was never her first choice for access. It’s twice her size, and so heavy she has to throw her entire weight against the wood to budge it. Pietro is saying something to her, but she can’t make it out, too focused on escaping his madness to try.

Finally, the door rocks open.

On the other side is a giant, bloodwasp.

The creatures, roughly the size of a toddler and infinitely more dangerous, had all but vanished from the estate and its surroundings after Pietro’s carnivorous plants took root. Kelsi hadn’t seen one for years after she moved in.

She’s certainly not prepared to deal with one, now.

In her shock she doesn’t hear the click of the bullet in the chamber, but the sound of it firing her knocks her to the ground.

The wasp falls too, dead, a perfect shot through the eye.

Pietro rushes to the door, shutting it quickly. Beyond him, Kelsi spots the thrumming bodies of at least three more wasps. Who knows what their numbers are, how many lurk outside.

Pietro sinks to his knees at her side, bundling her up with an arm around her shoulders, a look of ardent concern on his face. In his other hand, the revolver is still steaming.

“I meant to tell you that the roads are no longer safe,” he says, “but you wouldn’t listen. Now, let’s talk about this like civilized adults.”

But he makes no move to release her. Simply holds her there, against his chest, reveling in skin that’s warm again.

Weakly, Kelsi asks, “Dr. Pragma, where did a scholar learn to shoot like that?”

#a study in devotion #adoring mad scientist x darling he brought back to life who wants nothing to do with him #spoiler but um….#tw insects #tw wasps #pathetic wet dog of a man pretty handy with a gun actually #he is actually very strong under the tweed #Kelsi will ALWAYS win their fights though because he could never even think of harming her #I love them they’re SO fucked up and insane

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goldendoodlerlockerlove · 3 months

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Do you have tutorial videos on how to draw like you do ?

Awww!! Omg, I’m actually so honored that you want a tutorial from lil’ ol’ me!! I’ve mentioned this before, but art wasn’t my first medium of creativity, writing was, so I’ve always been a bit insecure about my art. I’m definitely more confident in it now that I’ve had a lot of practice, but I still need to break out of that mindset of comparing myself to other artists, pffffffft.

I actually have a tutorial that I made for @babsvibes on how I do my coloring and lighting and shading that you can read here:

https://www.tumblr.com/goldendoodlerlockerlove/734849537728004096/all-right-because-babsvibes-asked-me-how-i?source=share

I don’t have any tutorial videos, but I can also offer a bit of extra advice here. Just putting a pencil to paper can help a lot, especially if one is in art block. It can really help with pushing through that tough spot of feeling like you can’t draw anything. Just getting anything sketched can really make a difference. Using actual paper to draw some things can really help you improve, there’s just something about using a physical medium once in awhile that really gets the creative juices flowing.

Looking at other artists’ work and supporting them can also go a long way for inspiration. I know for a fact that I’m as good an artist as I am today because of all of the incredible artists I’ve gotten inspired from.

A couple other things I can say is that coloring your lineart, if you do lineart, can make a huge difference in making your art look nicer. And turning on stabilization was an absolute game-changer for me. It made making lineart so much faster and nicer.

I hope you found at least some of this helpful 🫶🏼 I’m not great at giving art advice, but I tried!! 😅

#asks #doodler’s daydreams #personal #studying anatomy is also important but it can seem really daunting at first. this is where other tutorials can come in handy #some people have joked about hiding things like hands if you don’t want to draw them but i think it’s important to learn how to draw hands #it makes drawings seem more dynamic and alive and you can come up with fun hand poses #the biggest thing is just DOING. practice makes permanent!! improvement won’t happen overnight #but if you keep at it i promise you will see results. It wasn’t easy for me to start drawing and push back against my own self doubt #but it’s been worth it because drawing is SUCH a lovely hobby and it relaxes me like nothing else. thank you so much for asking this!!

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rad-roche · 11 months

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i'm the sort of person who has to have a bajillion tabs open because i 'need' them and if you wear a few hats as far as hobbies go it can quickly get overwhelming, especially if you're trying to stay on task with something. my attention span has been, over the course of many a year, absolutely cooked in the broth that is the internet, so i have to make a concerted effort to keep on task. i've had a lot of success keeping focused with add-on for firefox

what i'll do is make a bunch of different groups for stuff i need and split it into different categories

they're like individual windows you can flip between, but contained inside a single one. the tabs are still there for when i need them, but they're not in my immediate vision so i don't think oh, that was a cool reference image, ooh i should do a study, hey, i've got that chapter to do, how are my little dragon jpegs doing, what's happening on youtube and so on and so forth. good for my discipline. you're more likely to stop doomscrolling in the 'writing' tab because you'll think ah, shit. this isn't what i'm supposed to do here

#text post #it also means if i want to do like art studies everything is already set up and ready for me to go immediately #bam boom off to the races #saying that tumblr is open and my writing tab is on. what i'm saying is it's not a perfect system #especially handy if you're doing stuff that HAS to be online like coursework etc

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sleepy-stories · 3 days

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reginrokkr · 7 days

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𝐗𝐗𝐈. Last night I had an eureka moment when thinking about the possibility that those who abandon their gods are immediately cursed to turn into hilichurls at some point. This led me to think back of Khaenri'ah and that either some or all of them were branded as the greatest sinners and then I remembered that in actuality, Sumeru did introduce us to six cardinal sins —mentioned in one of Cyno's stories— that to be fair, might apply to more than just what was happening in the nation of wisdom at that time. A bit of research in combination with an excellent wording from a subreddit makes for a far more comprehensive list of sins:

✦ Sin of creation —to tamper with human evolution—: Evolution and creation in the face of the gods.

✧ Sin of immortality —to tamper with life and death—: Tampering with life and death in the face of the gods.

✦ Sin of arcane —to delve beyond the universe—: Discovery of fate / destiny and arcane knowledge in the face of the gods.

✧ Sin of genesis —to investigate the origin of words—: Exposing divine lies and beliefs in the face of the gods.

✦ Sin of omission —to revere gods without acts of devotion—: Failure to perform a divine request in the face of the gods.

✧ Sin of reason —to attempt the forbidden and fear none / to divulge secrets without a hint of fear—: Divulging divine secrets without fear in the face of the gods.

To tackle what first brought me to think about the six cardinal sins when wondering what sin the people who are prone to turn into hilichurls at some point, I believe that the most suitable one for their particular case would be the sin of omission. While I can't tell for sure about all the people who travelled from the seven nations to Khaenri'ah, when thinking about Sal Vidagnyr, these people's sin was to question the gods when they said that they would benefit from a good life and they wanted to know what would happen after the years they said that this would extend. In answer, the gods fell in silence and stopped guiding humans (it's also possible that it coincided with what happened around the Apocalypse era) and these people pursued the heavens to see for themselves if the concept of divinity was real to begin with, only for the civilization to end in disaster as a result. By taking this example into account, the loss of faith in gods altogether and their pursuit of a land devoid of their gaze could suffice for these people as well as their descendants to be branded with the curse of wilderness.

If we're to bring all of these to Khaenri'ah and what limited knowledge we have of that kingdom, just by reading these sins alone is enough to come to the sound conclusion that, if they didn't commit all of them, they did most of them:

The sin of creation is self-explanatory by thinking about Gold alone with her creations of monsters. So it is the sin of immortality with the pursuit of transcendence, but also if we think that at least Gold lived for several millennia since the Crimson Moon dynasty. As for the sin of arcane, it was mentioned in a certain weapon description that astronomers branded as heretics discovered the truth of the false sky and the source of fate with it. The sin of genesis is what makes me doubt the most if taken in the literal sense of looking into the origin of words, but exposing lies told by gods themselves is something we saw the Abyss Order pursuing, specifically if we think back about Enjou and his desire to achieve Before Sun and Moon, as they believe that the world didn't start with gods. Lastly, the sin of reason checks too just by considering that Khaenri'ah was actively pursuing Forbidden Knowledge and in some descriptions of Abyss Order monsters, they seem to have an obsession with divulging certain truths very well concealed.

#◟༺✦༻◞ analysis within the ley lines ichor ┊study.┊#excuse my out of nowhere rambling #this was a justified big brain moment #amidst one of my mid-sleep wakings #ironically I had listed these sins in a reference post #see why do I post these #they come in handy later down the line #because things are eventually tied #and this in particular I think it is #anyway all of this is to say #that this sin could align with the curse of wilderness #and that it's justified to call Khaenri'ahns the greatest sinners #according to these

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stargirlsuicide · 3 months

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i dont really have hobbies anymore but i have complex ideas on the psychology of mass shooters

#my criminal psychology studies are gonna come in handy someday #not tcc #ally.txt

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lewis-winters · 6 months

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okay but if latin teacher speirs taught at my old high school he'd just have a cult following. we were a high pressure environment and for some weird reason the strictest teachers were everyone's favorites (well i say for some reason but the reason is that we were all honors class weirdos that liked a challenge). sure he's got a massive ruler but i bet there'd be a chunk of the student population that'd be ready to swear fealty to him. (and much like some of our strictest teachers, i feel like speirs has at least a few students he is reluctantly fond of)

OH FUCK NO WAY SAME AT OUR SCHOOL TOO WHAHAHAAH

at my highschool my latin teacher managed to create a cult simply by teaching us what the word defenstration meant and where it came from. we would symbolically throw this little lion plushie out the window (the school mascot was a lion, so we had those lil lion plushies at the school merch store) as like. a weekly ritual every wednesday, because that was when we'd have our 2 hour long latin lecture. all the other teachers were appalled, our latin professor wanted nothing to do with us. unfortunately for him, we were his best performing class. lmao.

he also was like. a priest. and tried to scare us all with stories of saints, but that didn't deter us and we were a bit too interested in the brimstone and fire bits for the stuff to have its intended effect. so he'd just give up and tell us all the stories to get us to memorize our vocab. it was like a little reward. we'll score 100% on this next pop quiz and you'll tell us the story of how st bartholomew was skinned alive pls. thank you.

#ask #i think it's important to note that im a priviledged lil pansy and latin classes in the philippines is Not normal unless you're studying #to become a priest #or had a fancy education like me. unfortunately.#it was handy in theology classes in college tho

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loverofallthingssmart · 1 year

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Not only do I have -12 vision but i also have astigmatism and a fucked up retina which means it can literally tear up and fuck up my eyeball even more😭😭😭 it's been like this since birth 🥲👍

holy shit. that is so insane…

#LANGSKDBSJD i actually wanted to be an ophthalmologist for a little bit (still kinda do) and BOY would that have come in handy #in the alternate universe where i became an eye doctor i would have loved to study u #<- huge compliment #love u renn this is going to rotate in my brain for a while #ask me anything #renn tag

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baiboop · 2 years

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There’s no way Michael doesn’t constantly use words Adam doesn’t know, and then get confused when Adam doesn’t understand. So anyway here’s what I thought up for that.

During the midst of a long conversation about Michael’s leadership, and the way other angels treat him, Adam asks a simple question. But Michael fails to give him a simple answer. Leaving the pair equally confused by the misunderstanding.

“So if they’re all scared of you besides the other archangels, is it hard to talk to them? I mean, do they tell you when there’s issues or is everyone too scared to speak up?” Adam says, talking as much with his hands as he is with his words.

“Well, I have found some angels to tergiversate often, however those are few and far between. The main lot of them will just approach me with delicacy, making attempts to hide their nerves and be respectful, but still fulfilling their purpose and relaying the proper information.” Michael spoke, eyes monitoring Adam as they always did.

“What? What did you say?” Adams eyes narrow, a look of confusion shifting into place on his features.

Michael returned the look with one of his own puzzlement, he knew there was nothing wrong with Adams hearing or comprehension skills he had just triple-checked after Adam made the strange inquiry. “I am fairly certain I spoke in english. Is something the matter?” Michael slightly cocked his head, eyes gaping at Adam under furrowed brows.

Adam rolled his eyes at the angels response, “Okay, genius, just because you ‘spoke in english’ doesn’t mean I understood what you meant. What the hell does ‘tergiversate’ mean? Could you give me like, the definition or a similar word or..”

“Of course I can, Adam.” Michaels brows returned to a relaxed position relived there’s nothing wrong with Adam, as humans do tend to be fragile. “Tergiversate holds the same meaning as equivocate.”

Michael offered Adam a slight smile of reassurance. Which Adam did not match.

“Dude.” Adam deadpanned, an almost-pout discreetly evident on his straight face.

“Yes?” Michael answered to the address of himself.

“Dude, not helping at all. I don’t know what equivocate means either?” Adam ran his hand through his hair in mock stress.

Michael understood Adams need for further clarification and obliged as such. “I see, equivocate is in close relation with prevaricate.”

“Michael, come on..” Adam sighed, theatrically dragging his hands down his face.

“What is the matter, Adam?” Michael asked, face open and passive, in attempts to hide his confusion.

“Michael, I dont know what prevaricate means either.” Adam flashed a sarcastic frown.

The angels eyes held Adams gaze he settled on trying a definition instead of another synonym. “Prevaricate can be defined as: the use of ambiguous and evasive language to conceal the truth or to avoid committing oneself; false or deliberate misstatement.” Michael explained.

Adam was greatly lucky that Michael had used a definition, as the synonym he had ready to try next was ‘plater’ which Adam would not have recognized either.

“Great, totally gotcha now! For the future let’s stick with definitions and not synonyms.” Adam declared.

And their conversation ensued without any further grammatical issues. However the next visit by Michael was accompanied by a thick, red, hard covered book titled ‘Websters Dictionary’. Which Adam graciously accepted and then jokingly used.

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