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#her namesake is so iconic
buffysummers · 2 years
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Anya Christina Emanuella Jenkins, 20 years old. Born on the fourth of July, and don't think there weren't jokes about that my whole life, mister, 'cause there were. "Who's our little patriot?" they'd say, when I was younger, and therefore smaller and shorter than I am now.
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hotvintagepoll · 22 days
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Geraldine Farrar (Carmen, Joan the Woman, The Woman God Forgot)— I guess technically she was more of an opera star, but she was the leading lady for a ton of major silent films and she’s got two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for both music and film so I think she counts as a film star
Clara Bow (It, Wings)—The original It Girl (literally), Clara was the epitome of a flapper film star. She was obviously a looker, but it was her acting that won over hearts. Watch the movie It (no clowns) to get a sense of her charms. And while she's most known for her silents, (including Wings, the winner of the first ever Best Picture Academy award) she did make some talkies! Contrary to popular belief, sound films didn't ruin her career; she reportedly just hated the process of making them. She had a really interesting background and it's a shame she's not as well remembered as others of her time.
This is round 1 of the tournament. All other polls in this bracket can be found here. Please reblog with further support of your beloved hot sexy vintage woman.
[additional propaganda submitted under the cut.]
Clara Bow:
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She has gorgeous doe eyes, how can you not love her?
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The original it girl! Flapper icon! She's sooo fun and charming and confident, it just shines through any film or picture you see of her.
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I love love love her genderbendy boy style and her cute twinkly performances!! watch wings i s2g she absolutely brings it
She's literally THE It Girl. Like actually, she's the term's namesake. She was an extremely prolific silent film actress with a reputation for wild behavior who defined the 20s flapper era. Her boyish frame, androgynous style, and red curly hair were widely emulated.
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Geraldine Farrar:
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troutfur · 21 days
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Okay so that last ask had me going down an ADHD rabbit hole, one thing after another, so let me try and recreate it here for your thoughts:
I was reading over the idea of Appledusk being a spirit prayed to/invoked for when someone wants to behave immorally. Like: hiding an affair from your wife? Call up Appledusk! Wanna go visit that hot ShadowClanner? Just ask Appledusk! “”“Great”“” guy… But then I had the little one-off thought of, “prayers are good and all, but it would be fun if the living had a way to like… silently call upon these spirits, and I had the thought of: “if you want protection from being found out as a cheater, eating a bit of apple at dusk will protect you”
And then I thought: what if that’s why warrior names are the way that they are?
In a society in which ancestors are worshipped and revered so highly, and in which specific individuals become guiding or protective spirits/wraiths, maybe their names adapted over time to become sort of like… indicative of “do x thing, catch their attention and receive their protection”. I’m not sure if this makes sense At All (I’m very tjred), but like,,
“I want my name to stand out, so that someday I might do something great and be remembered as a a spirit to be called upon, so they should follow my namesake to catch my attention and receive my blessing.”
Some ex: Eating a chunk of an apple right as it becomes dusk is said to offer good luck for those aiming to commit immoral crimes of the heart. It is said that the best place to plot vengeance is in the shade of a maple tree. Freckled rocks are best to make wishes on. Tossing something important straight into the heart of a fire is said to bring about good fortune and luck. Etc etc etc
Again: adhd brain train, seeby, this isn’t very well thought out. But I thought it was interesting so I wanted to share ^^
OOOOH YES! I really like that thought. The natural world serving as conduits for the ancestors to work magic through sympathetic connections. Words connecting spirit and matter.
Maybe the connection is thought to work even in life. As a boost to their natural "essence". Jayfeather lining his nest with jay's feathers to enhance his dreamwalking, Hollyleaf wearing her iconic holly leaves headpiece from fanart as a good luck charm, or Honeyfern swallowing ferns slathered in honey in a last ditch effort to find something for the snake bite.
If you don't mind can I yoink the idea? Really fun possibilities.
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a-d-nox · 2 years
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hi💓 i just wanted to know your thoughts on asteroid Medusa in Capricorn at 29° in the 12H conjunct my ascendant in Aquarius? thank you in advance
medusa (asteroid 149), what’s her sign/degree, where she sits in a chart, and her aspects
lol i feel like jigsaw from the movie saw when i write these long posts: “i want to play a game.” hold on to your hats for this one, guys. ALSO mini apologies for the amount of time you’ve all waited for this post and how may times i say “you” in it HAHA i’m tired - been going for so long… this draft is from JULY TENTH like it just needed to get wrapped up and sent out but moving, my health, and now school has gotten in my way so we are rolling with it.
after receiving an influx of questions regarding everyone's medusa placements (ask alert: @dddssd, @aryahviolet, @imonehundredpercentgodly) i decide to continue with a post similar to my aphrodite signs, degrees, houses, and aspects post.
all of this is in my opinion. some of it you may be like how tf did she come up with this. my answer: intuition and experience with other people’s charts that i have available to me. warning i can be harsh: please don’t take everything i say as predestined, astrology is possible outcomes not guaranteed ones. plus let’s not forget orbs matter, dominance matters, etc. it’s never just medusa. this is just a starting place for when examining a single asteroid in an entire galaxy. take what resonates and leave what doesn’t!
*all of these observations are based on a natal chart - solar return and persona charts will change all these observations because the context is different*
!!! RETROGRADE MAKES ALL OF THESE THINGS LISTED BELOW SUPER STRESSFUL OR SLOW TO APPEAR IN YOUR LIFE !!!
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signs/degrees
aries (1°, 13°, 25°): you may notice that people are drawn to you energetically. like medusa, you may have a passion for something and may not recognize that not everyone around you shares the same level of passion but rather they are there to be around you. you are meant to be a leader. there is a high probability that you may be accused of false passion and loyalty due to this. people may accuse you has faking your interests simply to get attention from others or to outshine another. you may have a bit of nervous energy that makes you fear like others are out to get you and you might just be spot on - it may be a medusa and poseidon type of deal: “he’s following me, he wants to hurt me, where do i go?!” sometimes when you take action in moments like this it gets misconstrued as a malicious attempt to spite someone close to you. she wasn't trying to lure poseidon into athena's temple but that is what the goddess assumed. since aries rules the eyes, you like may have piercing eyes just like the asteroid’s namesake. i implore you to read the mars aspects to see what resonates!
taurus (2°, 14°, 26°): you entrance those around you in the same way medusa did. she was beautiful - her hair flowed in the breeze, and everyone around her was simply enchanted. in other words, she stood on stage worshipping athena and was admired for her beauty and devotion. you may find where you devote a lot of time and emotional energy that you are often quickly dismissed and punished after one misstep similar to medusa. you may get overly anxious when things do not go as planned: medusa was out for water when poseidon appeared and everything spiraled out of control. you like may feel insecure as you grow older and change - you may cut yourself off from others. but do remember she is still an iconic figure even after she changes. you could unconsciously put off strangers simply due to sensitivity - the asteroid’s namesake sparked a lot of fear from the masses after her transformation because of misguided displays of emotion. on the plus side, you may have nice hair, a stunning face, and piercing eyes. i implore you to read the venus aspects to see what resonates!
gemini (3°, 15°, 27°): you are likely the prettiest and most adored of the group. medusa was a favorite of her congregation before she was adored by the people. she won the congregation over with her thoughts and ideas of worship then drew people in based on her looks. word may travel quickly about your presence alerting everyone where you are. lucky you are rather attuned to your environment and have the ability to adjust accordingly. you may also project onto others as they project onto you. medusa was scared and upset over her new circumstance, and others were scared of her appearance as well - she reacted to them, and they reacted to her by turning to stone. the same projection and reaction circumstances/interactions may occur in your life. i implore you to read the mercury aspects as well to see what resonates!
cancer (4°, 16°, 28°): your presence is rather alluring: it is calm, cool, and collected though underneath all that you experience medusa's transformed state and her feelings of being inadequate and insecure. you have a motherly quality that makes everyone look up to you hoping to hear your wisdom or supportive words. you may be a bit of a pessimist, planning for the doom in most scenarios - you'd be the version of medusa who felt unsettled getting water feeling that something was wrong. those moments of unsettling emotions don't stop you from pushing through. i implore you to read the moon aspects to see what resonates!
leo (5°, 17°, 29°): you have a way of standing out to those around you - it’s a mystical air - everything about you demands attention! you seem like the person that others would follow anywhere - this famous gorgon had so many people show up at her ceremonies just to watch her on stage. you may not notice the beauty you have because you are fully invested in your role. you are someone who reacts - you like this famed gorgon would never go down without a fight. she ran, she kicked, she screamed, etc. she didn't give up; she did what she could in the moments leading up to her rape. moments like athena disapproving of her and her getting angry then finding her way back to athena, may be familiar to you. you may find that you have something to prove - it is often to someone bigger than those around you and that is yourself. you like medusa may fight for a lifetime to prove to yourself that you are priceless. i implore you to read the sun aspects to see what resonates!
virgo (6°, 18°): medusa was athena's loyal servant and was committed entirely to her worship. you too may experience this type of servitude - blocking out everything that happens around you in order for you to focus on your interests. the asteroid’s namesake was also very knowledgeable regarding worship - so it is likely you have a deep knowledge of the area in which you commit. you may also wish to have a ritual or routine in this area that help you feel more organized. you may feel as though no one knows you that well, similar to how medusa had many admirers but none of them knew her. they simply knew of her and lusted for her. you like to care for things: people, places, objects. this gorgon, even post-transformation, went on to recover the wisdom goddess’s temple. i implore you to read the mercury aspects to see what resonates!
libra (7°, 19°): you are likely a people pleaser, and this, of course, makes you captivating. medusa dedicated the majority of her life to athena and made sure the goddess felt respected and thus pleased. she pleasing the goddess and worshiping her caught everyone's attention. you may find that you too gain a lot of praise and attention when you do things for others or put their needs first. you may have trouble sticking up for yourself - she didn't try to make her case known to athena, she simply accepted the punishment that she didn't deserve. don't grin and bare things, it does nothing good for you. you should work on accepting and gratifying yourself over looking for that from others. medusa wanted peace. i'll tell you what: you too may want peace but there wasn't peace in ancient greece and peace is nowhere in sight even now, so do what is right for you - tell the poseidons in your life "no" and tell the athenas that you "weren't intending harm." do not fear that taking action will only cause more trouble - my grandmother often asks "would you rather that you - the person living your life - be unhappy? or everyone else?" choose your joy first. on the plus side, you may have really nice hair, a stunning face, and piercing eyes. i implore you to read the venus aspects to see what resonates!
scorpio (8°, 20°): you likely shield your emotions and passions from others, preferring to look stoic over emotional. your passions shine through with intense emotion like medusa and her worship. if you are a writer, you may write what you never say, if you are an artist, you may show emotion you never would otherwise, etc. you enjoy being the best at everything you do. you may be divinely connected to the spirit realm. you may feel like fate has guided you somewhere, quite often into the spotlight in both good and bad ways. you may fear the spotlight due to a fear of failure, but i'll let you in on a secret: you will not fail - the asteroid’s namesake was the head of the congregation, and then when she felt like all hope was lost and she died, she was still a symbol of safety and protection. you never have to fear, you always be known/remembered. you may face isolation from society as this gorgon did, but that's just how it is being special and different you don't always fit in. i implore you to read the mars and pluto aspects to see what resonates!
sagittarius (9°, 21°): not to be annie-like but, "there is always tomorrow" - you must keep in mind that one bad day is not a bad lifetime, tomorrow is another day. you decide what happens next. find confidence in the future and surely nothing will go wrong. you likely will attract and meet people from all over just like medusa did. the only way you are not the usual asteroid character’s placement is that you are easily bored. she was a dedicated worshipper of athena, but you need more options to flourish. so make sure you are always experiencing more - you may find that you enjoy worshipping deities from across many other cultures. don't be afraid to explore, if/when you feel irritable. i implore you to read the jupiter aspects to see what resonates!
capricorn (10°, 22°): you share medusa's air of seriousness - she was always too focused on the task at hand rather than noticing the room around her. she was really into the ceremony and didn’t realize she was the only one. you may be most concerned with fulfilling your responsibilities and whether you are achieving goals! this could be an area in which you are insecure - feeling as though you need to be achieving things to be loved. when things become disorganized or they don’t go as planned, you may be prone to doubting your abilities in controlling the situation. part of this may be divine intervention - if athena granted medusa, her most dedicated follower, the ability to recognize others' intentions, she would have been extremely powerful and possibly a goddess on earth. so have no fear if you feel doubt; tell yourself it’s because if you didn’t have those moments, you’d be unstoppable/inhuman. i implore you to read the saturn aspects to see what resonates!
aquarius (11°, 23°): you'd be the medusa that athena had the right to be suspicious over. you don't follow without question - you ask why. and you certainly know what makes a person tick. it is deliberate - in some versions (not the version i believe) medusa willfully slept with poseidon in athena's worship hall. this would be something you'd do - everything you do is with thought and purpose. you may be seen as a godly presence on earth - people trust that you know all the answers, and that's why they follow you. and you love it - you love knowing a lot of different types of people, and nothing feels better to you than helping someone in need. funnily enough, you are likely not a crowd person - it likely makes you rather uncomfortable to have so much attention. you, like the transformed medusa, tend to flee from the eyes of others. it is likely due to a fear of what others think - i feel like asteroid’s namesake thought she was a monster and was afraid of what she had done to those she turned to stone, and that is the true reason she hid. you should realize that "monsters" are just misunderstood, unique people - there lies a healthy balance in believing you are a god or a monster. and that is being a human. try not to get too into your head both in terms of ego and superego. i implore you to read the uranus and saturn aspects to see what resonates!
pisces (12°, 24°): you may be rather clueless as to what is going on in the world around you. medusa didn't feel like everyone was there for her - she thought everyone was simply there for athena. WRONG. you likely misconstrue the intentions and emotions of those around you - not everything is what it seems. you may be prone to thinking the best of everyone, but you should realize that not everyone is the good guy. you may be emotionally in tune with everything around you. i suspect that when medusa's rage was over, she did feel sorry or pain regarding turning people to stone. but you are tough, just like her. in some versions, she repairs an abandoned temple of the wisdom goddess before perseus kills her. she had the strength to move on from hatred and reground herself. doesn't matter how far you fall you will always rise from the ashes - even in death she lived on. your greatest strength is this giving and restorative nature. i implore you to read the neptune and jupiter aspects to see what resonates!
houses
1h: you, like medusa, may have great hair, and, if you don't believe so, it may just be a bit wild and curly. at first glance, you may look a bit like someone locked into society - you do what you are supposed to, when you are supposed to, and how you are supposed to. internally, you may feel like you are doing everything right - you aren't too egotistical, you are devoted, etc. you have a humble personality, and yet you likely get punished for your behavior based on an outsider's perceptions. sadly, the spotlight you stand in may cause others to make assumptions about you and your intentions - nowhere near all are true. but you do your best to live a conscious and mindful life. you may have a lot of dignity about your social status, making you a grateful person. your charisma also attracts a lot of interesting people into your world. you may have really nice hair, a stunning face, and piercing eyes.
2h: you likely have a very devoted work life, and, like medusa, it may not be all about the money - you just want to spread awareness and create a haven for those in need. your routines and rituals may get a lot of admiration from others - you may even influence a lot of other people to use your technique or helpful habit. you may be very routine and ritual oriented - you likely get into a zone where you stop paying attention to everything around you and focus solely on what the task is. your focus usually aligns with your values - if you are working somewhere where your values don't align, you likely will take over until the workplace aligns. you may also live a very simple life, in which you do not overindulge in food, substances, or other monetarily inclined things. you may find that your mood is very stoic until something life-changing occurs - the saying "when it rains it pours" may resonate with you. medusa was viewed as emotionally remote until poseidon happened, then she was constantly emoting.
3h: you have a powerful mind - like medusa you have power that requires very little effort. she had an emotion, and it simply got taken care of. humble? attracted adoration. anger? turned people to stone without a single bat of an eye. to communicate she didn't need words - things were said without actually saying a thing. so you too may be someone who speaks with your eyes and your body. though you may not be the best at picking up on the social cues given around you. you likely are a bit too stuck in your mind to focus on the body language around you. having a busy mind like yours, like I said, causes your thoughts to be read by others in a nonverbal manner. you may participate in some sort of club that takes up a lot of your time - medusa participated in the worship group for athena. so you too may be in a group that is women-only or worship related. you like the asteroid’s namesake may be a walker especially when you are getting stuff done or when you are upset - this gorgon wandered all around greece post-transformation in a blind rage. wandering around may help you to work through your strained thoughts to gain perspective. you may be rather misunderstood in the social realm similar to medusa - everyone thought she was a goody-goody, a monster, manipulative, and other extremes... you may find that your image gets misconstrued most through technology.
4h: you may find that you are nothing like your family in the same way that medusa was not like her family either both in looks and mannerisms. but similar to this mythical character when something negative occurs you may find that people who know your family compare you to a member (most often it will be your mother); "you are just like your father," "you're your mother's daughter alright," etc. you may even find yourself saying things that others in your family have said when upset. you may have grown up feeling like you did not belong - which causes/caused you to leave home when you get/got the chance to. you may find yourself working in an area where you help to house or care for women: you may be a cleaner for postpartum women, a hairdresser for depressed women, a director of safe housing for battered women, etc. any creature comfort zones that involve you entering the space of another woman may be your thing - you may personally have experience in settings like those and wish to give back. you may have the goal of creating security and safety for other women.
5h: you aren’t a romantic - chances are something happened, typically traumatic, in your life that made you believe romance doesn’t exist. on the other hand, you may not be a romantic due to your values system similar to medusa's system of beliefs. you simply have higher priorities. all that being said you may have an odd relationship with motherhood - whether it is your mother or you that caused distance is the big question. you may find that in motherhood there is absence in your life - this gorgon left home, she never wanted children, and when she had them, she died (you may not die but perhaps an abortion or adoption is involved). you’d likely be the gorgon who is aware of her crowd, willing to let people be around you for the wrong or right reason - it matters little to you. no matter what though you have a strong stage presence.
6h: you may find you are rather particular about your routines. you too may have methodical habits in your work life - maybe it is particularly times you check for updates or how you go about responding to emails. similar to medusa, you may work for a group in which you feel there is an important foundation and message present. it is likely very important to you that you feel like you are useful and doing something of meaning - making you someone who often performs acts of service. you love having a duty or task which you must perform for others - it adds to feeling useful. you may be the type of person to go over to another person's home and then find yourself cleaning or cooking for them.
7h: i feel as though, for this asteroid, this house is not about marriage. this house is likely to reflect long-term relationships with those you find like-minded. this could reflect those who medusa worked with in the athenian temple. they were co-workers/partners in sharing the wisdom goddess’s message. speaking of athena - you may find yourself in an unspoken agreement with a powerful entity - you may just sign over your soul and forsake your life before. you may find yourself being concerned for others but not speaking to them one-on-one. lastly, you may have someone in your life you feel hates you. that person you just thought of? yep, you aren’t wrong lol.
8h: let’s get the triggering portion cleared - this is the house of sex and medusa was raped. she was very unlikely to have been sexually active before poseidon because she was a member of a virginal goddess’s temple. so you like this gorgon may have a traumatic first experience with sex or may experience rape. please always be on guard - you like this asteroid’s namesake know when something is off - trust your instincts. in the case of a traumatic experience, please do not keep it to yourself - it’s not okay, and you may be in shock or feel embarrassed that it happened but please know that it is sadly common. the sooner you report it, the more likely that justice can be served. another point of medusa's story that is emphasized is transformation. you like this gorgon may experience a physical change that you find undeserved. you may be angry or scared due to this sudden change - realize that it is okay to feel and express emotions but not to lash out at others. the 8h is also slightly spiritual, so you may find that you are a devoted subject just like this gorgon in terms of a cause or being.
9h: you may travel away from where you were born to start a journey involving higher thinking, wisdom, and/or religion. she was religious before and after her transformation; some may deem that it was the only thing that kept her grounded. you, like medusa, may have a sudden realization that the “foreign” environment you are in no longer feels safe in because of bad press. she got a lot of hate for the change that was forced on her, but no one stopped to wonder if she was okay - no one questioned, is she scared? angry? while people thought she lashed out because she was a monster, no one thought she was a person before the transformation (or rather they disassociated the two versions of this character from one another - priestess and gorgon) and likely didn’t mean to target anyone in particular. no matter what happens to you, remember that you are human, and not everything is deserved - that applies to taking angry/fear out on those who don’t deserve it.
10h: you may have long-term goals to spread awareness in a similar way to medusa - whether it be religious or in terms of victims of assault. your reputation is likely to revolve around what you preach and share with the world. your presence is a hard one to forget, so ensure you use it wisely. this placement may have issues with men - whether it is masculinity, a father, or men, in general, is up for grabs. also you may have strife with your higher-up because this house rules over bosses - they don’t have to be a masculine because athena and medusa had a strained relationship post-transformation. you may find yourself being punished by a higher-up for something someone else did - this causes damage to both your reputation and profession. you may find yourself back at square one but have no fear - you have the ambition to rise from the ashes.
11h: you may find that you don’t have a lot of close friends, rather you have a lot of people who you share space and common interests with. medusa lived in the temple of athena with fellow worshippers - they all had mutual respect but not much is written about friendship or “sisterhood” so one could assume it was mostly respect and common ideals that bonded them and not much else. you like this mythical character may be involved in some kind of community service program. this program could be to bring awareness to a cause (could be about religion or sexual abuse). you could get a lot of attention online for being pretty but also a lot of hate that comes seemingly out of nowhere or seems to come when you are at your lowest point.
12h: you may have a rather memorable death. medusa's head was lobbed off by perseus and then used as a talisman to ward off evil. not long after, poseidon’s children crawled out of her served neck. it’s a bit much, yes? whelp, think of it this way: even after death, she gets her redemption and is viewed as iconic. so you may get that similar spiel - sleep easy knowing that you’ll be remembered by all. you may find that when others cry it’s like rain, but for you, it’s like you pour. medusa was living a pretty great, stoic life until suddenly everything went sideways. she was anything but stoic then - she created stoic statues, yes, but she had so much repressed emotional energy plus hatred and fear over what was happening to her… she just popped - you too may have those moments when the world just goes dark and you rampage, sulk, or whatever you need to do to let it ALL out. you may find you isolate yourself from others in tumultuous times. after all, you like medusa may not realize you worship your greatest hidden enemy… on the opposite end and a brighter note, you may symbolize safety for others - you may find yourself housing/helping people who experience injustices. you likely don’t realize that your greatest strength is your empathy for others. you have such a deep, understanding personality that others can’t help but feel safe at last in your arms.
aspects from medusa to
sun: you may feel safest in a leadership role, around your father/a masculine figures, and/or expressing yourself, but these situations may cause you danger. positive aspects: you may resonate with medusa’s origin story - you too may come from a family whom you aren’t very similar in looks or share values with. you may not be very egotistical and prefer a modest approach though you receive a lot of attention and admiration. you may be the unspoken ruler/leader of your circle of people. you may be a publicly known figure. negative aspects: you could resonate with medusa’s fall from grace with athena - you too may understand what it is like to be punished for something you didn’t do. you could be determined to prove others wrong about you but end up proving much of the same - she wanted to prove she didn't do anything wrong yet froze a lot of people with her gaze. not to mention her determination still ended up getting her killed - athena still planned to have perseus kill medusa through she was restoring a temple for athena. on the plus side, you likely have piercing eyes just like the famed gorgon herself.
moon: you may feel safest in your family, at the ocean, with your mother/feminine figures, at home, and/or in the middle of nowhere (farmland), but these situations may cause you danger. positive aspects: you may find security in a feminine group like medusa did at the temple of athena. you may have grown up going to the sea often or living near a body of water like this mythical character. you could be(come) a public figure adored by those who watch you in a self-nurturing environment. you likely are quick to adapt to the situations at hand. negative aspects: you may be a very stoic person who doesn’t show a lot of emotion until suddenly the world around you shifts a millimeter too much. you like medusa may explode emotionally when life takes a turn for the worse - some may even say you freeze people with your anger and sadness. you *might* experience a rape in which you find yourself with a child. you may find home doesn’t really feel like home to you. you likely quickly reaction to situations where you are in danger but may find the place you feel safest and most protected is actually not.
mercury: you may feel safest in educational settings, libraries, gossiping around those you know, and/or traveling, but these situations may cause you danger. positive aspects: you may be a very stabilizing person in terms of reason. medusa used her logic to escape poseidon on the beach and she logistically explained to others how they could better worship athena. you may have a world that pays close attention to your hand gestures and graceful actions. your change of fate and lifestyle may await you across the water - the asteroid’s namesake just had to hop on a boat to get to the athenian temple. negative aspects: you may not be mentally aware of what goes on around you - medusa had no clue the athenian worshipers were worshipping her. you may not speak up for yourself all that often - she didn’t even try to explain what happened with poseidon to athena. thus, your perspective may be rather unpopular or otherwise ignored by those around you. there is likely nasty gossip surrounding your intentions - athena thought medusa was distracting people intentionally and that she lured poseidon into the temple to have sex with him as well.
venus: you may feel safest when surrounded by your possessions, with feminines, at social events, and/or in romance, but these situations may cause you danger. positive aspects: you could have a very muted style used to hide your sexuality, yet still attract a lot of attention. you may have a very specific set of values. you likely surround yourself with a lot of feminine power - uniting for a common goal: to preach and/or protect! you may be viewed as incredibly charming and graceful. negative aspects: your beauty may attract a bad kind of attention that cause you a lot of fear, anxiety, and/or trauma. a feminine figure in your life may betray you in the worse way possible. you may feel at some point in your life that your looks have completely changed and that you are ugly. remember that medusa wasn’t ugly - her look became an icon of protection. you may be rather introverted and find yourself doing very little socializing.
mars: you may feel safest surrounded by masculine energy, at social events, in romance, competitive environments (ex: simone biles has a medusa bi-quintile mars), independent atmospheres, and/or in leadership roles, but these situations may case you danger. positive aspects: you may have a lot of sex appeal without even trying. you likely have a hyper-specific passion that drives your world. something may be modeled after you that is rather permanent - medusa's face is often featured on shields. another very odd example is currency; even those who are famous with minor aspects between this asteroid and mars have been featured on coins! you may be a leader and not know it. negative aspects: you will likely find yourself being aggressively pursued by masculine figures during your lifetime. you may be prone to committing acts of violence when you find life unfair. you may find that people do not respect your sexuality or preferences - you may find yourself in a situation of rape similar to medusa. you may struggle with asserting yourself to those around you or those you hold in high regard due to a fear of rejection.
jupiter: you may feel safest when you feel like you have received a lot of luck recently, in religious settings, around your husband, at university, when traveling, and/or when indulging in life, but these situations may cause you danger. positive aspects: you may receive a fresh start or opportunity in the environment that you’ve always dreamed about (could be aboard or for schooling). you may feel complete or like you are understood when in a religious institution because everyone shares similar values. you may be extremely successful and popular when you change your location. negative aspects: you may have trouble expanding your perception of what occurs around you. religion may be very important to you, until you feel betrayed by your god(s) - my only reminder here: we are here, they are there - too much of a “good thing” becomes a bad thing. you may put too much stock into religion being able to save or help you with certain situations. after this, you may find every ounce of optimism disappear from you - you may have a dark period similar to medusa’s in which you hurt many people around you purposely or unknowingly. all because you feel as if you faced your judgment early and you lost.
saturn: you may feel safest in your old age, when thinking about your past, when alone, when conserving something you feel is important (ex: virginity for medusa), and/or around your father but these situations may cause you danger. positive aspects: you may like a lot of boundaries in your life. your birthing experience may feel rather easy or be a cesarean section. you may find yourself in a poverty-stricken area reviving old things to be new once more. you likely enjoy a lot of routines and have a lot of habits. you may be conserving your virginity just like this famous gorgon. negative aspects: you may feel as though karma tends to hit you the hardest in life. you may feel feared throughout life, which leads to your confinement or isolation from others. you may become more like your past than you had wished - the family member(s) you always thought you were so different from may now seem rather familiar. you may face a chronic change in your appearance/health. you may be prone to depression - especially in situations where you feel betrayed by those around you. you may also be prone to losing your self-control when upset. you feel you do not receive the justice you seek.
uranus: you may feel safest when rebelling or activist pledging, alone, practicing the occult, and/or when your curiosity is peaked, but these situations may cause you danger. positive aspects: you may receive a lot of independence and freedom in your lifetime. you may have attributions of a devotee attached to the occult - this could appear unconventional to the outsider. negative aspects: you may experience a physical change that takes a toll on your social life and mental health. you may be estranged from your family due to differences in values/opinions. you may experience a lot of unexpected life changes just when you start feeling comfortable. your appearance may paralyze others.
neptune: you may feel safest when daydreaming, drinking or indulging in substances, in your safe space, when disguised, and/or surrounded by religion, but these situations may cause you danger. positive aspects: you may have daydreamed a lot about your ideal life when you were younger, only to find yourself living that life later in life. you might provide asylum for those who faced similar circumstances to yours. you could be seen as glamorous by onlookers. you are likely very religiously devoted. negative aspects: you may be deceived easily by those you respect or those you initially view as harmless. you may find that you nearly escape most terrible things that happen to you but "nearly" isn’t an escape. your asylum may not be as safe as you first perceive it to be. you may attract a lot of obsessive people - definitely not in a good way.
pluto: you may feel safest when working late and/or motivating others, but these situations may cause you danger. positive aspects: you promote sexuality without trying. after your death, you may be revived in other people's memory in a more positive light. you likely aren’t as power-hungry as people assume you to be - you do what you do just because you love it. negative aspects: you may have sexual trauma and attract obsessive people. you could find yourself eliminating and acting rather ruthlessly towards people when you get extremely upset.
chiron: positive aspects: you may be the expert or the most knowledgeable person in the area of life that your medusa sits (ex: 9h could be religion just like the asteroid’s namesake). you are likely a genuine person whom doesn’t do things because they want power, rather because they care. negative aspects: you may carry a lot of trauma - could be related to childhood isolation, religion, or sexuality. you likely are focused to deal with your faults and other people's. you may be viewed as different in a very harsh way that causes ostracizing and exile.
asc: positive aspects: you may be beautiful to others though you do very little at first glance - viewed more so as an ornament. you may forget in moments of solitude, your physical changes and feel more like yourself again. your temperament could promote ease and stoicism. negative aspects: you could be despised for your looks and find yourself punished/ostracized by the one who despises them the most - others may fear/avoid you after this. others may find your temperament to be belligerent - you may take your emotions out on the undeserving. be sure to read the house in which your medusa aspects from!
mc: positive aspects: you may be seen as someone to look up to in terms of your values. you likely will attract a lot of the public’s attention. negative aspects: you may be seen as the person who betrayed someone in a higher position of power. you may cause people in a public setting to step back or flee from your presence.
algol: positive aspects: you may feel as though someone you don’t know shows you a sign of mercy from the universe. a stranger may help you become to show your abilities to provide safety or showcase your positive attributes after showing others that you are dangerous and/or possess a lot of negative qualities. negative aspects: you face off with someone you don’t know who comes into your environment with intentions to harm you though you were doing nothing wrong in the moment. you may find yourself acting in self-defense and siding back into a negative version of yourself.
athene (881) / pallas (2): positive aspects: you may find yourself feeling at home in a feminine’s space. you may show that you wish to repay them for all that they have given you - this act of service may make you feel whole. you may find yourself working for a feminine icon. negative aspects: a feminine may be jealous or even paranoid over your presents around them. you may find yourself going to a feminine when you need help and them betraying you.
ceto (65489): positive aspects: you may be a strong feminine figure similar to your mother. your relationship with your mother may have been tense due to differing beliefs though your mother respected you and let you explore your thoughts and ideas. negative aspects: you may not have wanted to become like your mother, but it happened/happens. you may have viewed your mother as monstrous or cold only to become very similar to her.
poseidon (4341 / h47): positive aspects: you likely attract powerful men - tempting them to double-cross people whom they already have an iffy relationship with. you could easily attract someone without trying. negative aspects: you may attract people who like to use people - this could indicate sexual assault or manipulation. you may find yourself being punished for the wrongdoings of this person.
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smokeybrandreviews · 6 months
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Multiverse of Madness
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I am an unapologetic Adventure Time apologist. i think it was one of the greatest shows ever created and deserves all the love it gets. AT saved Cartoon Network back in the day and spawned so many creators who would, in turn, leave their mark on the industry. Without AT, there is no Steven Universe or that other one with the fighting i guess? The influence of Adventure Time gave credence to the potential popularity of shows like nuShe-Ra and nuVoltron. Those characters are iconic and full of so much depth. Finn Mertens, Jake the Dog, Bonnibel Bubblegum; All of them have become stalwarts of cartoon history. Like, Marceline Abadeer is one of my all-time favorite characters in fiction. When Distant Lands aired, i was emotionally devastated. Obviously, Obsidian was mys sh*t but Together Again brought me to tears. That's how much this show meant to me, so when Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake was announced, i was all over it. I was mad curious how this would play out. Would it be just a romp through a gender-swapped Ooo? Would the target audience still be kids or would the show be a more mature take since the original kids were now wayward adults? So many questions. Well, Fionna and Cake is over and i have thoughts.
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First thing first, This show is not about Fionna and Cake. It is on a superficial level but they're more a plot device who participates in the narrative. Fionna and Cake is about Simon Petrikov coming to terms with the loss of Betty Groff and how his relationship with her, was toxic as f*ck. Like, holy sh*t, was it bad! The co-dependency was insane! I mean, you got glimpses of that throughout Betty's arc in the original AT (Betty literally leaping through a Hambo powered time rift, her problematic Magic Woman phase, and the eventual wish that turned her into f*cking GolBetty, all for her "love" of Simon) but this chick was as obsessed with Simon as Simon was with her. When she transcended and become a deity of pure chaos, Simon was left in a depression spiral that, ultimately, shook the core of the goddamn multiverse. And i say that with no hyperbole. F*cking Ice King, put the entire multiverse of Adventure Time in jeopardy, because he missed his boo. What follows is, one of the most well thought out and executed romps through a multiverse narrative I've seen outside of f*cking comic books. I don't want to spoil anything but the first nine episodes of this show are brilliant, rivaling the very best Adventure Time has to offer. The tenth? Not so much.
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Fionna and Cake definitely botches the landing, especially coming off such incredibly strong episodes as the three right before it. Again, no details, but, holy sh*t, were those three episodes great. Seriously, watch this show, it's f*cking fantastic. The Simon stuff is definitely the heart of this narrative but what about the show's namesake? The Fionna and Cake bits are good but i never really felt as invested in their story as i was in Simon's trials. It's not like their stuff was bad, per sey, it just didn't feel as... dire? I don't know, i felt more for the characters around them than i did the characters themselves? Don't misunderstand me, i enjoyed their arc. Fionna and Cake struggling with their own identities and coming to terms with who they are was cool and all but, ultimately, it felt more sub than main plot, which is weird because it's their show. Fionna and Cake are basically the inciting action which informs the entire plot but i never really feel like that's a thing. Plus, there is this very important aspect to their character which, kind of never really plays into the overarching conflict, with the exception of a particularly gruesome scene, and i feel like that was a missed opportunity. As an overall production and viewing experience, Fionna and Cake is f*cking exquisite.
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The stuff i said about Fionna and Cake is true, to an extent. True for me, i guess. People may get more out of their arc than i did, which is fine, that's a point subjectivity. What isn't subjective is how well this show is produced. Seriously, the art style is familiar, yet, more detailed. The characters are well performed, each true to their own personality beats. But it was the worlds we visited that truly hammered home the butterfly effect, the effect Simon had, on all of those worlds. I loved every second of that experience and, while they didn't fully stick the landing, there were great aspects of that tenth episode. Fionna and Cake turned out to be ten episodes of solid, adult, Adventure Time narrative that felt organic. It didn't feel like a cashgrab or desperate attempt at Max to pull in viewers. It felt like, after the absolutely brilliant reception to Distant Lands, that HBO understood there was a market for a show like that and they just let the staff create. Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake isn't perfect, it's definitely got it's flaws, but of the content I've seen this year, it's easily some of the best. Whether you're a fan of the old world of Ooo, or just interested in what "adult" animation has to offer, this show is one of the best examples of the art form. It was a strong watch and i definitely recommend a viewing.
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charlottegeorgesheart · 7 months
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Young Queen Charlotte, played by India Amarteifio, keeps to innocent pastels in her early scenes, but her colors grow bolder as her power does too.  (Liam Daniel/Netflix)
BY VALLI HERMAN
In the first minutes of the “Bridgerton” prequel “Queen Charlotte,” the namesake character complains heartily how her elaborate gown and its restrictive corset made of brittle and sharp whalebone means that if she moves too much, “I might be sliced and stabbed to death by my undergarments.”
Oh, dearest gentle reader, young Queen Charlotte hasn’t suffered in vain. Her every ensemble, and those of the show’s sizable cast, are crafted with such sumptuous detail, that surely all who view them would gladly have them suffer even more.
Even though period costumes are notoriously cumbersome, Emmy-winning costume designer Lyn Elizabeth Paolo and co-costume designer Laura Frecon dispel notions that the actors suffered much (thanks to light, modern fabrics and stretchy panels in their corsets). Still, the yearlong shoot in grand estates across the United Kingdom overlapped the pandemic lockdown and required worldwide sourcing. It seems that their brand of elegant finery was a tonic for distress, and a cause for celebration. The work, helped by a 220-person costume crew, has earned them a 2023 Emmy nomination for period costumes.
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Replica undergarments were crafted from light, modern fabrics and stretchy panels to be slightly more comfortable than the actual period clothing. (Liam Daniel/Netflix)
“This [shoot] was challenging, but also joyful. Every time a piece of a costume would come back, it was, ‘Oh, my God! It looks better than we thought it would.’ There was a lot of joy there,” says Paolo, the longtime designer for other Shonda Rhimes productions, such as “Inventing Anna” and “Scandal.”
The six-episode costume drama on Netflix explores the early days of the difficult marriage of Queen Charlotte (India Amarteifio) and King George III (Corey Mylchreest). The fictionalized story of the actual royals takes place in two time periods — the Georgian era of the 1760s and the later Regency era in which “Bridgerton” is set — and includes key characters from the original show. There are several grand balls, a royal wedding and a coronation to wardrobe. No biggie.
Or so Paolo was led to believe.
“I remember Sara Fischer, who is head of production at Shondaland, called me and said, ‘Shonda has this idea for a small, intimate show. She really wants you to do it.’ And, what are you going to say?” recalls Paolo, who was a consultant on Season 2 of “Bridgerton.”
She invented a time-twisting concept inspired by Monet and Matisse paintings and modern fashion designers who themselves referenced historical costume such as John Galliano, Alexander McQueen, Moschino, Zuhair Murad and Christian Dior in his New Look era. Yet Paolo kept the silhouette appropriately Georgian.
“The pitch was, we kind of want it to look like a Met Ball … but to be slightly more on point with the period. We still wanted to have our own stylistic elements that would make sure that the modern eye understood the costumes,” Paolo says.
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Corey Mylchreest as King George and India Amarteifio as Queen Charlotte all but sparkle in their lustrous clothing. (Nick Wall/Netflix)
“For the men, we had images of rock ‘n’ roll icons from the ‘70s and ‘80s. So a lot of images of Prince, the New Romantics and Adam Ant. All those people back then who had that pirate chic going on.”
That vision required a mostly custom-made wardrobe that sourced from London, Los Angeles, New York, Budapest and Spain. Jewelers Joseff of Hollywood, Manhattan’s Larkspur & Hawk and Italy’s Pikkio custom made the period jewelry and other adornments. British manufacturer James Hare supplied traditional fabrics as did a mill hours from London that wove custom fabrics. Smaller artisan shops focused on hand embroidery or a particular character.
“It was sort of a small army,” says Paolo, who relied on the organizational skills of Frecon. A giant calendar and flow chart helped them track the flow of work, particularly of the embroidered pieces, which were outsourced to UK specialists Twan Lentjes Creations, Beth Parry and Hattie McGill, whose Instagram accounts illustrate their handiwork.
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Other members of the court stand out in patterned fabrics (on Tunji Kasim as Adolphus) and brightly colored gowns with hats (Arsema Thomas as Agatha Danbury).
“It’s so complicated,” Paolo says, describing a process of sample making, initial embroidery, further tailoring and additional hand embellishing before a pattern piece is ever fitted into a garment. Even fabric-covered buttons were embroidered.
The women’s gowns are especially intensive. The earlier dresses, from 1760 onward, required 13 to 20 yards of fabric and at least four weeks of construction; five if they’re heavily embellished. Each ensemble requires petticoats that can add five to 10 more yards each, plus a corset, a pannier (a cage-like underpinning), a padded bum roll, shoes, stockings and garters. The jewelry sets were matched to each costume and included rings, earrings, necklaces, bracelets and tiara-like hair jewelry that was fitted into fantastical wigs by hair and makeup designer Nic Collins.
With two sets of characters to dress in two different eras, the costume designers were careful to build visual continuity, typically with color. Young Queen Charlotte, for example, keeps to innocent pastels in her early scenes, but her colors grow bolder as her power does too. The designers cannot precisely count the number of costume changes, or quantify the number of pieces they used, only to say “in the thousands.” Paolo says Jeff Jur, director of photography, was on board to capture the spectacle and regularly texted her and Frecon to say, “‘I’m doing a full head-to-toe shot of this one.”
Still, it’s tricky to absorb all of the detail, even though it’s there on the hand-embroidered initials on a man’s handkerchief, or the restored antique jet beading and lace on Queen Charlotte’s mourning gown, or the Easter eggs, as Paolo calls the references she wove into many costumes, particularly those in the final episode, which features an astronomy-themed ball, hosted by the king and queen.
King George loves astronomy, so stars and moons are embroidered and beaded into their clothes. The ball was shot outdoors at night, which usually obscures costume details. Jur expertly lit the scene to illuminate the clothes that were so laden with sparkly bits that they twinkle.
Though the final episode was picked to submit for Emmy consideration, the choice was “brutal,” Paolo said. “It’s a huge group of amazingly talented people who all deserve recognition. If we are lucky enough to win, I would want 220 miniature ones to hand out to everyone.”
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bananaofswifts · 1 year
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Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour opening weekend: Tears, joy and ‘therapy’
Fans descend on Glendale, Ariz. (a.k.a. ‘Swift City’) for a long-awaited chance to commune with their pop icon, revel in her lyrics and express their true selves
By Emily Yahr
GLENDALE, ARIZ. — Taylor Swift had endless choices when deciding how to kick off her first concert tour in nearly five years on Friday night, a captivating spectacle that stretched over three hours and included 44 songs. After starting with a brief snippet of “Miss Americana & the Heartbreak Prince,” the namesake song to her 2020 Netflix documentary, she launched directly into “Cruel Summer.”
As the track’s hazy opening synth-pop beats blasted through State Farm Stadium, you could hear the gasps, with simultaneous shouts of “OH MY GOD!” barely heard above the ecstatic mayhem (and in some cases, heaving sobs) among the nearly 70,000 in attendance. Swift, resplendent in a shimmering bejeweled silver bodysuit and matching knee-high boots, beamed at the crowd, because she knew exactly what she was doing.
Swift fans believe that, in a parallel universe, “Cruel Summer” (the yearning anthem on her 2019 album, “Lover,” about a steamy and toxic relationship, with a chorus that demands you sing-scream along) was destined to be the song of the summer of 2020, released as a single as Swift planned to embark on a series of festivals called Lover Fest. Obviously, the global bummer of 2020 happened instead. Yet the obsession with “Cruel Summer” persisted, especially because Swift had never performed it live.
So this wasn’t just a song. For many, this was a stinging, subconscious reminder of how much we lost and what could have been. It was also a moment of pure, delirious joy — not only because of the thrill of hearing a beloved song live for the first time, but also because it’s clear that even one of the most powerful celebrities on the planet had felt all of that, too. It doesn’t seem like a coincidence that at the top of her first show on her Eras Tour — 52 dates of sold-out stadiums — she wanted to pick up right where she’d left off before the world shut down.
“I don’t know how to process all of this and the way that it’s making me feel right now,” Swift told the stadium when the song was over, her voice slightly shaking. Later, she added: “I’m really, really, really overwhelmed, and I’m trying to keep it together all night.”
ying to keep it together” has rarely applied to the 33-year-old Swift, who, nearing the end of a second decade as a professional musician, has ascended to a rare, glorified status as a once-in-a-generation pop star. She has no chill. After rising to fame with songs about her awkward, unpopular teen years, she now embraces cringe and earnestness. That’s part of the draw for her legion of fans, who see her as one of them. After Ticketmaster melted down during sales for the Eras Tour, the parent company’s chairman went on the defensive by pointing to the extreme demand, claiming that the number of people trying to buy tickets “could have filled 900 stadiums.”
The Swifties shelled out hundreds — sometimes thousands — of dollars for tickets and travel and descended on Glendale this weekend, determined to make the often harrowing process of ticket-buying a distant memory. The Phoenix suburb, which recently hosted the Super Bowl, could hardly contain its excitement. The mayor declared it would temporarily change its name to “Swift City,” and electronic signs on the highway encouraged safe driving with Swift puns: “CUT OFF? DON’T GET BAD BLOOD. SHAKE IT OFF.” “RECKLESS DRIVING? YOU NEED TO CALM DOWN.”
But that was nothing compared to the electric energy surrounding the stadium. To be a Taylor Swift fan is to learn to master the clues and secret messages that could be embedded in every lyric, public comment and social media post, no matter how opaque. To be a Taylor Swift fan is to always come ready, which includes devising the perfect outfit to wear to a concert, with unlimited options bestowed by the singer herself, who chose a tour theme, “eras,” that celebrates her past and present.
Being in the crowd was like being in a force field where all pretenses are gone; Swift’s music covers the spectrum of bubble-gum pop (which she refers to as “glitter gel pen lyrics”) to deep introspective poetry, and her concerts are a place where you can dance or cry to either. Swift has laid bare her own insecurities and emotions over 10 studio albums and more than 200 songs. Here, in her presence and among one another, fans become their truest selves.
Scanning the crowd, you could see countless sequins and bejeweled skirts and jackets, an homage to the “1989” era. There were also dark blue dresses with stars for “Midnights”; red heart sunglasses, a black bowler hat and a T-shirt reading, “Not a lot going on at the moment,” a shout-out to the “22” music video; dark lipstick and black leotards as a tribute to “Reputation”; lyrics scribbled down people’s arms in marker, something Swift used to do before every concert; and No. 13 painted on hands, another former Swift tradition, from when she was starting out as a country star.
“My inspiration is the Red Tour, one of Taylor’s iconic outfits, and I just wanted to re-create it,” said Giacomo Benavides, a 26-year-old content creator dressed like a circus ringleader who traveled from Peru for the show.
Some were even more specific: Olivia Jackter of Tucson, 26, wore a traffic-light get-up that displayed the phrase “I don’t know,” referring to a lyric from the song “Death By a Thousand Cuts.” Would non-Swifties understand it? Of course not. Did that matter? Of course not. “This was going to be my costume for Lover Fest. I’ve been waiting for this for years,” Jackter said.
A group of 20-something women attached plastic Easter eggs to white T-shirts with photos of some of their favorite “Easter eggs” and hints that Swift has dropped over the years. One man dressed in a cat costume as Swift’s newest pet, Benjamin. Two women whooped excitedly when they walked by each other in a line for food and saw that they wore matching floral dresses similar to what Swift wore to the 2021 Grammy Awards.
Another popular theme was “All Too Well,” the searing breakup ballad that recently got a second life when Swift released the updated 10-minute version. Lots of fans wore outfits displaying those lyrics. Ivan Hernandez of Phoenix sported a blue T-shirt that read, “Where’s the scarf, Jake?” — a reference to the song’s supposed subject, Swift’s ex-boyfriend Jake Gyllenhaal, and the lyric that suggests that he swiped her scarf.
“[My son] wanted to go to the concert, and he said, ‘Let’s wear outfits,’ and I was like, ‘Well, I’m not going to wear an outlandish outfit,’” said Hernandez, 46, whose 13-year-old son, Eli, was wearing an Eras Tour shirt they had bought at the merchandise stand Saturday afternoon before Swift’s second show. “So I just went online and started looking for something about ‘All Too Well,’ and this is the one that came up.”
Swift, who misses nothing, praised everyone for their effort from the stage.
“You have really outdone yourselves, guys. The way that you decided to show up to this concert, you really, really decided to show up,” she said, noting that she saw people dressed as mirror balls (from the song “Mirrorball”); willow trees (from “Willow”); and “sexy babies” (from “Anti-Hero” — and too complicated to explain). “I have seen, like, really amazing, specific visual representations of lyrics or weird online inside jokes that we have.”
“I was thinking about tonight and how special this is,” she added. “You have led me to believe, by you being here, that it’s special for you, too, so it’s really nice that it’s mutual.”
Swift’s unusually close relationship with her fans started back when she was a country artist, a genre in which singers are supposed to think of listeners as their peers. Swift always went a step beyond, chatting with fans on Myspace back before Nashville executives even knew what that was, and that connection has continued to this day.
In concert, Swift referred to the journey that she and her fans have taken together, like they’re a family. (The “four new members of the family,” she said, are the four albums she has released since her last tour.) She made no secret of the fact that she monitors fans’ social media activity, even dryly noting that her 2020 record “Evermore,” is “an album I absolutely love, despite what some of you say on TikTok.” (People on the platform are convinced that “Evermore” is her “forgotten child.”)
This is all why her bond with her fandom remains so strong. She connected early on to fellow teenage girls who inferred from society that their crushes and feelings and dreams were silly, only to find someone in Swift who took them seriously and who could articulate, in songwriting, what they didn’t even know they were feeling.
“By the time she’s done living through something and writing about it and releasing music, I’m living through it,” said Briana McReynolds, 32, of Phoenix, who showed up in a T-shirt covered in lyrics, as well as a purple streak in her hair to represent “Lavender Haze,” Swift’s latest single. Her best friend, Chris, accompanied her to the concert as an “emotional support Swiftie.” (“I’m doing my best,” he said.)
She’s just accidentally kind of written the soundtrack for my life,” McReynolds said. “She’s matured with all of us, or we’ve matured with her. So no matter what age I am, she can totally sing my heart.”
Caitlin O’Connor, 32, of San Diego came to the show with her mom; they have seen every Swift tour together for the last 15 years, and O’Connor makes sure to go multiple times.
“You don’t need therapy; you need Taylor Swift songs,” O’Connor said. Swift’s concerts, she explained, “are my happy place, and there’s nothing else like it. It’s the most natural high you could get in your whole life.” On her arm, she has a tattoo of lyrics from Swift’s “Treacherous”: “All we are is skin and bone, trained to get along.”
“I love that line. Really, at the core, everybody is human,” she said. “And that’s also the thing with Taylor Swift concerts: Everybody is really nice. … You bond over something immediately.”
Swift is highly aware of the world she’s built, and she doesn’t shy away from it. In a surprisingly direct admission, while introducing the song “Mirrorball,” from her 2020 album “Folklore” during an acoustic set, she reiterated to the crowd just how intensely she’s missed them over the past several years.
“I was thinking about how one of the songs that I wrote with you in mind during the pandemic was one of the first songs I wrote on ‘Folklore,’ and it was me writing about how badly I craved the connection that I feel from the care that you have directed my way,” she said. “I was trying to think of a sort of eloquent way to say that I love you and I need your attention all the time.”
The stadium quieted as she strummed and sang.
“I’ve never been a natural, all I do is try, try, try; I’m still on that trapeze, I’m still trying everything to keep you looking at me. ’Cause I’m a mirror ball. … I’ll show you every version of yourself tonight.”
And although she asked the members of the crowd for their attention, she didn’t need to; it was already there, and it always will be.
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deathmetalunicorn1 · 11 months
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Higanbana-Hime Profile
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Here is the profile for the project I'm working on that is an original idea! Please be kind!
-Name: Princess Hayate Nadeshiko (last, first; Hayate means ‘hurricane’ and Nadeshiko means ‘carnation’; given the western way, name means ‘carnation hurricane’)
-Alias: Higanbana-hime (‘red spider lily princess’)
-Born late winter 1894, died early summer 1912; 18 years old when she died
-Looks: picture 1 above; waist length pure black hair, light brown eyes that look red in certain lighting; pale skin, very beautiful, petite build, 5’3, thin but toned, 32B cup size
-Personality: despite being such a legendary and fearsome warrior, she is actually quite soft-spoken and shy around others, preferring to listen rather than speak but when she does speak, people listen; is easy going so she’s easy to get along with, not selfish or spoiled like many would think a princess to be like, always willing to help others, but can get pouty when someone disrespects her or others, wanting an apology; wise, level-headed, very hard to upset but is rumored to be quite scary when mad; has an air of elegance around her but also has a strong fighting spirit, so those who are warriors themselves can tell she is strong; has a strong sense of right and wrong and her instincts are second to none when judging others
-Clothes: picture 2 above are her normal clothes, red hakama pants with black floral hakama kimono, with white tabi socks paired with her black lacquered okobo in picture 3, that she was raised on and wore all her life and is able to dead sprint, climb walls, and fight in them with ease (like wearing high heels); picture 4 is a haori kimono jacket that reaches her knees
-Weapon: picture 5, a traditional red Japanese umbrella made of silk, bamboo, and steel rods, making it heavy but she is accustomed to the weight and can use it to smack others if needed and it’s completely waterproof; the umbrella part is removable from the pole part, which is a hidden scabbard to a katana, so she can fight unhindered if need be; trained since she was a young child in judo, for self-defense, and with a katana, training hard to become a master swordswoman in Iai (the art of quickly drawing the blade, striking, then sheathing in one fluid motion)
-Past: only child of a kind warrior lord who always was fair and just, who insisted she trained her body in both martial arts and with a sword, both for self-defensive purposes; when she was 14, a cruel warlord who had been storming Japan, slaughtered her parents in front of her before demanding that she marry him, due to her beauty; she refused and attacked, managing to slice his right arm off at the shoulder, before running away, becoming a ronin onna-musha (wandering warrior woman), constantly hunted by that cruel lord as well as other lords, wanted for her otherworldly beauty; however, with her skills and strengths the gained over the years, none could defeat her and declared she would only marry the one who would defeat her in combat; when she was 15 she saved a young lord and his wife, who were both very kind and honorable and she swore loyalty to them, and to thank her for saving them, they gifted her with her Higanbana haori, which in turn gave her the namesake, Higanbana-hime; became an icon for women after she started going around and saving women and daughters from abusive husbands and fathers, delivering swift justice and became a legendary icon to women, but men saw her more as a vengeful spirit as rumors spread about a beautiful maiden in a red and black floral hakama kimono with a haori with spider lilies, or Higanbana, on it; died in the summer of her 18th year, when a cruel lord tried to take over the city she lived in, serving her lord and lady as a warrior, she died protecting a child from the blade of that cruel man, who was then almost instantly overpowered and killed by the people of her city and the remainder of his army fled; she was buried with full honors, honored as a hero and an icon and due to this, she was able to transcend to Valhalla
-Likes: relaxing under her kotatsu, eating zenzai (red bean soup with mochi), oyakodon (egg and chicken rice bowl), marshmallows (in small amounts), souffle cheesecake, drinking black tea, playing the shamisen, long walks in nice weather, rainy days, practicing with her sword  
-Dislikes: bitter food, natto, green tea, anything to do with peppermint, anything spooky (like haunted houses or ghost stories), insects (except for ladybugs and butterflies) spiders, and thunderstorms
For the first photo I used a dress up game on Doll Divine; link is below.
Mega Anime Couple Creator ~ dress up game (dolldivine.com)
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mask-of-prime · 7 months
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Silver Redesign Ref (+Process)
Say hello to the newly-updated Silver! Now with a more visible brownish hue, pine tree shapes across her body, and a slightly floppier hairdo!
Design process below:
So for years I felt like Silver needed a little color to her design, as well as a bit of life/movement to her mane. Originally, I was drawing her pelt with a VERY dark brown and worked on making any sort of light brown markings here and there just to jot down a concept, then I realized I was kinda liking the spiky shapes forming around her eyes, and started thinking of pine trees, so I decided to make Silver a muted medium brown, but with darker pine tree markings.
As for her underbelly, I considered adding some kind of hue to it, and debated on making it warm to tie in with the brown pelt, or try a bluish hue to greatly contrast the brown markings and tie in with the blue eyes. Ultimately, I decided against changing her underbelly too much, as I'd realized she was losing her namesake trait by making it less silver.
As for the eyes, I debated making her eyes a little earthier and easier on the viewers' eyes, until I realized I'd missed making them supernaturally piercing, so I gave her back the cyan eyes with a slight green highlight to reflect IRL me.
….
So yeah I'd originally planned to reveal my redesign for Silver on April 27th 2023, the 10-year anniversary of my presence on deviantART. However, that day had fallen around the busiest time of the semester, so I couldn't get to it at all until summer.
What ultimately prompted me to work on her redesign besides the anniversary is the fact that I've been in need of a new icon for years, now. Not that there's anything wrong with the current Hindsight one, I do believe it's aged pretty well for an older piece, but I felt I needed to keep things updated. I'll be coming up with a new icon sometime later. Mind's been occupied with other projects currently so I haven't put much thought into what I truly want to update it to.
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Let's Rewind! Toast watches Voltron: Defender of The Universe (1984)
Season 1, Episode 27: The Green Medusa Season 1, Episode 28: Treasure of Planet Tyrus
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Episode 27: The Green Medusa ALL RIGHT MY OTHER FAVORITE EPISODE OF DOTU
Ty Lotor for the lore, Planet Medusa was hit with a solar flare that put all of its people into a coma, his plan is to snatch one and let it loose on Arus ofc The sad part about this is that they picked a mother who lost her children, so she's having the worst time
I like the design for the Medusan, just wish it had more flair and no boobs,, is this woman not reptilian why does she have breasts
Ah there's the namesake, when angry the Medusan can grow pretty large, their hair transforms into snakes, and ya guessed it, their laser vision turns enemies to stone she looks a lot more monstrous in this form, a better look imo
Hey a scene from before is reused! We're back on Arus now and the scene of people crowding around lance pidge and hunk for their offer of food from the episode where Sven got got was reused for them calling for orphans since Allura is using part of the castle as an orphanage now A sweet gesture, wish there was more info about it
Back at the castle, an infant apparently chose Keith to be their foster dad oh, I am so making either an AU or a HC from this scene omg
PIDGE LORE he's an orphan! And adopted out of the system recently from what it looks like
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His adoptive parents <3
aw no Pidge,, he still wishes to have his biological mother with him, that's always a hard wish to have, not that I can comment much on it as I'm not adopted
Attack time and the team is already in their lions wow, no launch animation sequence? Amazing
AND NO ANNOUNCEMENT ABOUT THE MEDUSAN? THIS ISN'T THE USUAL EPISODE FORMAT also pidge ejects from green who ends up smashing into the castle flooring below, I thought you were a better pilot than this kid
The Medusan mother grabs him after he lands onto the floor but instead carefully picks him up and places him onto her palm, even her expression is soft! This is why I love this episode, pidge found a mom and yknow what good for him because he keeps getting badass women figures in his life
Allura is freaking out about it and Lance wants to shoot everything at her for grabbing pidge before keith tells him again that she's got pidge in her grasp PIDGE IS JUST ROUTINELY GETTING ADOPTED AT THIS POINT AND WE LOVE THAT HERE
Pidge wakes up in a cave with the Medusan and tries running off but for some reason turns back and then immediately gets brought back by one of her snakes who nuzzle him after picking him back up how cute! I think Pidge knows something is going on especially because she only took him elsewhere instead of killing him
"he's awful little to see from up here" -Hunk such a cute line
PIDGE YOU MADE HER CRY, at least he apologized Lotor finds the two of them and immediately tries to capture them, but she protects pidge from it, and he finally realizes she's protecting him
Pidge likes snakes, sucks for lance who is definitely afraid of snakes after Bokar
Lotor says that he created a monster with too good a heart Created?? mf you KIDNAPPED A MOTHER AFTER FORCFULLY AWAKING HER FROM HER COMA YOU DIDN'T CREATE SHIT
Coran and Nanny immediately think Pidge is dead after the team searches for him again and still doesn't find him which like that's a sane assumption, but I'm also biased against them so how fucking DARE they pretend to care now >:/
Sike, Pidge is alive and he made friends with his new mom, Anga HE'S JUST CHILLING ON HER HAND LIKE IT'S NOTHING, MAN IS LIVING THE LIFE And suddenly Hunk is real hopeful that Anga has a friend lol
Attack hours again, this time with a REAL robeast and Haggar tries to force Anga to attack pidge so he PULLS OUT HIS GUN TO SHOOT AT HAGGAR ICONIC
Anyway Anga is shrunk down to her normal size and Pidge gets back to making sure Haggar knows who the bitch is between the both of them, and it ain't the little boy with a blicky that's for sure
Pidge gets a piggyback ride from Anga but she's super hurt and collapses before they reach the castle so Pidge promises to come back for her after having a memory of his adoptive mother giving him a piggyback right too THIS KID CAN FIT SO MUCH BACKSTORY AND TRAUMA IN HIM OH MY GOD
Voltron formed, robeast defeated, another scene is reused where Lance is kissed by allura and pidge gets kisses from the mice when he asks instead not the best scene to use? i mean nobody did anything except for pidge but all he did was make friends with a woman who died trying to do the right thing for him
/episode end
Episode 28: Treasure of Planet Tyrus
Planet Tyrus is a vacation planet i see, i can't tell if it was taken over and made a vacation planet for the villains to relax at or if it was always like that
So as an amateur archivist for older voltron content, I can definitely see why there were so many people who loved lotor specifically, the douchebag attitude probably doesn't take away from his looks either huh
oh so definitely conquered and it's lotors birthday! I wonder when this aired so I can assign that to him
i'm sorry, Zarkon stole treasure from Arus the week before the events of the episode?? guys what the fuck are you letting happen on arus
the team infiltrates the ship that apparently carrying said treasure, and it's deserted! they find a golden statue of lotor though, so that's pretty wild what the fuck is chitter doing on the ship, did i skip something on accident again
I'm sorry, red lion is able to phase through fucking metal? Lance is straight up hiding in the lotor statue what does this fucking imply because-
lotor sends a squad to go grab the treasure from the ship and keith pretends to be a guard only for the lead of the squad to say "nah youre not treasure so fend for yourselves" absolutely ruthless
the quality of this dub is so low lmao, looks like the team didn't realize that it was keith under the mask when he fell with the key in front of lotor because it was hunks voice first before keith suddenly pipes up and reveals himself
lotor v lance sword fight rematch AND LANCE GETS CAUGHT BY A TRAP DOOR WHAT KEITH TRIED TO CATCH HIM BUT WATCHED HIM FALL very homosexual of them
how many times has allura slapped lotor now? 3 times? she's right to do it every time
oh shit keith lance and pidge are about to be burnt a la witch trials, obvs allura is forced to watch because why would lotor kill her but mouse to save the day because chitter is biting the rope away
LANCE SURVIVES AND HE BLOWS UP BOTH THE CAKE AND THE STATUE he's so great, what a way to stick it to lotor on his birthday
voltron v command ship, obvs they win and apparently are able to get the valuables back allura makes fun of lotor and says he aged 10 years instead of only the 1
/episode end
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miss-midnightt · 6 months
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Hojo and Lucy discussing baby names?
Hojo’s suggestions:
Hyperion - you may have heard of this name (or rather, the namesake), but besides being the name of one of the twelve titans born to Gaia in Greek mythology, it means ‘the high one.’ The symbolism and meaning of the name both seemed fitting, at least in Hojo’s eyes. Lucretia firmly rejected this one; she hated the way it sounded and looked when written.
Soren - this name sounds powerful, and means stern, strict, and severe. This was among their top four or five.
Lucretia’s suggestions:
Lucian - similar in sound to her own name, this name means light. She wants her little one to have a beautiful and elegant name, and also wanted the name to be unique and different. Hojo wasn’t super keen on this name, and it was taken off of their list.
Cian - She likes how similar it sounded to Lucian. She thought she could use it as a nickname. It means ancient….
Sephiroth - She was the one who finally found the name. Hojo liked it, so…boom! We have our iconic Sephiroth we know and love/hate!
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jpriest85-blog · 10 months
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Finally, I completed OC Playlists for my two Detectives from @seraphinitegames The Wayhaven Chronicles. Including mock album covers for the Playlists.
"The Kind of Woman Who Inspires Lyrics & Poetry" is the Playlists for Layla Nejim and, of course, has the iconic Eric Clapton song that is her namesake.
"Small Town Boy & Big Secrets" is the Playlist for Isidore Santiago. I did manage to find a song by Incubus that has his name in the title, which is surprising because there are so many songs that have women's names but not many dedicated to guys🤔
"The Kind of Woman Who Inspires Lyrics & Poetry "
"A Song for Mama" by Boyz II Men
"Every Breath You Take" by The Police
"La Tourtura" by Shakira featuring Alejandro Sanz
"Layla" by Derek & The Dominos
"Layla" unplugged version by Eric Clapton
"Movement" by Hozer
"She Blinded Me With Science" by Thomas Dolby
"She Will Be Loved" by Maroon 5
"Stardust" by Frank Sinatra
"Stay" by Rihanna featuring Mikky Ekko
"Ta'awadna Aleik" by Julia Boutros
"Small Town Boy & Big Secrets "
"Ain't No Sunshine" by Bill Withers
"Cambia" by Luis Enrique
"Cat's in the Cradle" by Harry Chapin
"Give Me Everything" by Pitbull featuring Ne-Yo, Afrojack, and Nayer
"Isadore" by Incubus
"Mr. Bombastic" by Shaggy
"One More Night" by Maroon 5
"Sharp Dressed Man" by ZZ Top
"Somebody's Watching Me" by Rockwell
"What it's Like" by Everlast
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senjufound · 2 months
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Minato sexuality headcanons?
which kinda turned into a Minato mini ship post…
Minato needs a partner on his level or above. I definitely put Minato on the sapio and powersexual list. With those two traits taking the lion share of his preferences, Minato is likely bisexual. He is by far and wide one of the flashiest heroes in the Naruto series, pun fully intended. If we take a look at the generation he comes from, Minato has no business being so spectacularly eye-catching in a brutal cutthroat world. And I honestly think either he doesn’t care, or it was done on purpose. Minato is absolutely not straight.
I can’t talk about Minato’s sexuality without bringing up my favourite ships for him so here we go.
1. Kushina — Without question. She was strong before she had the Kyuubi sealed in her. And she was stronger still for surviving it, the trauma that comes to being used by village leaders to be a tool that is absurdly child abuse. While Minato’s story has been retconned more than once, his story with Kushina remains. It’s not an iconic Uchiha-Senju or angsty Uchiha-Uzumaki story. That the author gave a namesake only clan the Uzumaki bloodline speaks a lot on its intentions. My headcanon is that Minato and Kushina lived together when they were dating as children, because they both do not have immediate family in Konohagakure who could really take care of their well being, only each other. Minato always puts Kushina dreams before anything else, keeping his promise by making them come true. There are a lot of complicated events that went the way they did because of his obligations. If people read the manga, they’d probably dislike Minato, but they’d dislike Minato less than the second guy on this list.
2. Tobirama — In a post fourth war or generation swap where they are in a team together. They are so similar it hurts, their mind, their power, and their big picture mentality. But the both of them being rather dominant personalities can have a lot of combative engagements. Their minds draw them together before their body, and I need Naruto finding out about Tobirama’s legacy annnnd deal with that :D
3. Fugaku — With no other basis than wanting to explore a good end for Konohagakure. I always thought that Minato, Kushina, Fugaku, and Mikoto could have been the polycule of the parent generation. Minato could have a survival verse, but only if he does not have the Kyuubi. I don’t like the idea of giving him the Kyuubi on top of being faster than kamui and has perfect sage mode. He would kill Danzo so fucking fast and dismember the dude in under a second. I just hope Fugaku and put up with Minato's extroverted bullshit and fun ideas. Kami knows the Uchiha clan needs two bright sparks to boss them around <3
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wttcsms · 3 months
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What inspired you to write daylight? Are there art pieces, poetry, or songs that inspired or continue to inspire you? Daylight is written stunningly and I cannot get enough of it. You are a true artist and I’m so happy I discovered your writing!!!!!!!!!💛
STOPPP, this comment is so kind & to have someone (even if it's just to make me happy) sound interested in it is so fun. i could ramble about daylight forever!!!
just like its namesake, daylight was inspired by taylor swift's song!! the themes of that song play a major role in my fic, and she sums it up best by (paraphrasing here) saying that daylight recognizes past damage and pain but shows that it doesn't have to define you. both colt & reader have gone through a lot difficult, traumatic events, and they're continuously having to endure even now. you'll see me describe colt as a "golden soldier", or his "bright smile", his "sunny disposition", the way his eyes are flecked with gold, like little beams of sunlight are embedded — this is done purposely! for reader, he's her daylight. the sun peeking through the aftermath of storm clouds.
it's so funny that you would mention art pieces because there is a specific painting i was inspired by that i showed my friend!! it's "a huguenot, on st. bartholomew's day" by john everett millais. the emotions depicted on their facial expressions, i believe, relate to the emotions and personalities that reader & colt possess! i don't want to spoil the fic but there is going to be a moment inspired by this iconic painting. something about trying to save your love's life, and your beloved is so stubborn that they willingly put themselves in danger due to their resolve and sense of self — that's such a delicious concept to me!!!
black friday by tom odell is another one of "their songs"
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i think it's such a lovely song, especially when it comes to depicting insecurity in relationships. reader obviously feels like she doesn't "deserve" colt, and we'll get a good look at that in pt. 3. listening to black friday from reader's perspective, i think, would give you a good look into the reader's psyche
i don't want to make this post too long, but thank you for sending me asks abt daylight!!! i hope you do enjoy the fic :)
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thewapolls · 6 months
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SPHINX is oddly enough a localization move, the original name is CHIMERA, even though it definitely looks more like a classic egyptian sphynx than a greek chimera... WA2's is at least more recognizable as a CHIMERA, but WA3 and WA5 take more fun approaches to the idea. (For simplicity's sake I didn't include the branching relatives of each individual WA3 CHIMERA but they'll show up in the other family trees)
ASMODEUS oh good, were back to classic demons again. Couldn't keep away for long. His iconic appearance is a multi headed alamgam of serpent, beast, bird and man. He may in fact be the direct inspiration for the WA2 model and not CHIMERA.
CHIMERA GUARDIAN was a unique sort of CHIMERA monster in WA4 where it was made up bits of the four cardinal guardians. (Also I didn't add it to the tree but I was never certain if the EARTHBOUND SPIRIT boss was also using the CHIMERA GUARDIAN model, and it was just hard to tell thru the transparent texture, or if it got an original model that I just couldn't make out any of the details of)
and then DISASTER is a recolor of the CHIMERA GUARDIAN that neatly continues the legacy of the elemental DISASTERS that acted as anti-guardians in WA3, and Lord Blazer: THE BLAZE OF DISASTER before them. Oh and also TIAMAT, the primordial mesopotamian goddess who birthed the rest of the core pantheon.(ironically classic depictions of Tiamat do actually look like the original WA1 CHIMERA model even though she never shared that model.)
NEMESIS was an enemy that never appeared again after the first game. Greek goddess of retribution, especially against mortals who slight the gods, but in general a distributor of the balance of fortunes both good and ill. She is traditionally depicted as a woman with wings, so --animal like body aside-- the use of the CHIMERA model, with its human woman's face and prominent wings, suits her.
KELBIM was a localization disaster trying to romanize the Japanese for CHERUBIM. It is most likely meant to be a reference to the tetramorphic Cherub, rather than the modern cliche baby thing: the tetramorphic Cherub appears with the heads of lion, ox, eagle and man. Only loosely related to ANGEL, ARCHANGEL, and DOMINION as namesakes from the heirarchy of angels, but it makes for a more interesting tree to include them. Funny enough the models themselves are a more Japanese Tengu than Christian angel, yet there is no TENGU enemy at all --sort of like how the VODYANOI is clearly a Kappa, or the HARPIES are clearly Mothman, despite there be no correspondingly named monsters using those models.
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smokeybrand · 6 months
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Multiverse of Madness
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I am an unapologetic Adventure Time apologist. i think it was one of the greatest shows ever created and deserves all the love it gets. AT saved Cartoon Network back in the day and spawned so many creators who would, in turn, leave their mark on the industry. Without AT, there is no Steven Universe or that other one with the fighting i guess? The influence of Adventure Time gave credence to the potential popularity of shows like nuShe-Ra and nuVoltron. Those characters are iconic and full of so much depth. Finn Mertens, Jake the Dog, Bonnibel Bubblegum; All of them have become stalwarts of cartoon history. Like, Marceline Abadeer is one of my all-time favorite characters in fiction. When Distant Lands aired, i was emotionally devastated. Obviously, Obsidian was mys sh*t but Together Again brought me to tears. That's how much this show meant to me, so when Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake was announced, i was all over it. I was mad curious how this would play out. Would it be just a romp through a gender-swapped Ooo? Would the target audience still be kids or would the show be a more mature take since the original kids were now wayward adults? So many questions. Well, Fionna and Cake is over and i have thoughts.
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First thing first, This show is not about Fionna and Cake. It is on a superficial level but they're more a plot device who participates in the narrative. Fionna and Cake is about Simon Petrikov coming to terms with the loss of Betty Groff and how his relationship with her, was toxic as f*ck. Like, holy sh*t, was it bad! The co-dependency was insane! I mean, you got glimpses of that throughout Betty's arc in the original AT (Betty literally leaping through a Hambo powered time rift, her problematic Magic Woman phase, and the eventual wish that turned her into f*cking GolBetty, all for her "love" of Simon) but this chick was as obsessed with Simon as Simon was with her. When she transcended and become a deity of pure chaos, Simon was left in a depression spiral that, ultimately, shook the core of the goddamn multiverse. And i say that with no hyperbole. F*cking Ice King, put the entire multiverse of Adventure Time in jeopardy, because he missed his boo. What follows is, one of the most well thought out and executed romps through a multiverse narrative I've seen outside of f*cking comic books. I don't want to spoil anything but the first nine episodes of this show are brilliant, rivaling the very best Adventure Time has to offer. The tenth? Not so much.
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Fionna and Cake definitely botches the landing, especially coming off such incredibly strong episodes as the three right before it. Again, no details, but, holy sh*t, were those three episodes great. Seriously, watch this show, it's f*cking fantastic. The Simon stuff is definitely the heart of this narrative but what about the show's namesake? The Fionna and Cake bits are good but i never really felt as invested in their story as i was in Simon's trials. It's not like their stuff was bad, per sey, it just didn't feel as... dire? I don't know, i felt more for the characters around them than i did the characters themselves? Don't misunderstand me, i enjoyed their arc. Fionna and Cake struggling with their own identities and coming to terms with who they are was cool and all but, ultimately, it felt more sub than main plot, which is weird because it's their show. Fionna and Cake are basically the inciting action which informs the entire plot but i never really feel like that's a thing. Plus, there is this very important aspect to their character which, kind of never really plays into the overarching conflict, with the exception of a particularly gruesome scene, and i feel like that was a missed opportunity. As an overall production and viewing experience, Fionna and Cake is f*cking exquisite.
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The stuff i said about Fionna and Cake is true, to an extent. True for me, i guess. People may get more out of their arc than i did, which is fine, that's a point subjectivity. What isn't subjective is how well this show is produced. Seriously, the art style is familiar, yet, more detailed. The characters are well performed, each true to their own personality beats. But it was the worlds we visited that truly hammered home the butterfly effect, the effect Simon had, on all of those worlds. I loved every second of that experience and, while they didn't fully stick the landing, there were great aspects of that tenth episode. Fionna and Cake turned out to be ten episodes of solid, adult, Adventure Time narrative that felt organic. It didn't feel like a cashgrab or desperate attempt at Max to pull in viewers. It felt like, after the absolutely brilliant reception to Distant Lands, that HBO understood there was a market for a show like that and they just let the staff create. Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake isn't perfect, it's definitely got it's flaws, but of the content I've seen this year, it's easily some of the best. Whether you're a fan of the old world of Ooo, or just interested in what "adult" animation has to offer, this show is one of the best examples of the art form. It was a strong watch and i definitely recommend a viewing.
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