#not important but I've never had a human(?) action figure before so I've been getting excited every time I find a new way he can move

[soysville]

I got myself a Pocket Werner (as one does). But Pocket Werner happens to be a Star Wars: the Mandalorian licensed action figure, and I've seen very little of Star Wars and no part of The Mandalorian.

(Sorry, Pocket Werner...)

The packaging says "The Client" and Google isn't too broken yet to find me information about this character, but he came with some unlabeled accessories that vex me.

So I'm wondering, can someone tell me what these are?

The lighting got a big funky here, but the boxes on the bottom right are a gunmetal gray. Also, none of these fit in Pocket Werner's hands despite his hands looking like they're supposed to hold things, so I don't know what the intent was.

#the mandalorian #star wars #werner herzog #shows #not important but I've never had a human(?) action figure before so I've been getting excited every time I find a new way he can move

[tzilatza]

NATLA Review - spoilers

Woke up today still feeling annoyed after finished the Netflix ATLA remake last night, and I think I've figured out the core reason.

It's the fact that: If they had held truer to the original source material, we could have had a truly great show. I disagree with those calling it a complete disaster. The acting was good, great in some cases. The effects were very well done, the bending looked about as good as it can in a live action media. The scenery was lovely.

But what happened in the writer's room?! The way they just reveal all the back stories up front EVERY TIME is honestly insulting to the audience. It's like they're so terrified that smartphone culture has made the public so accustomed to instant gratification that they have no faith we will stick around and keep watching if they make us wait for anything.

They're also clearly terrified of complexity. One of my biggest gripes with this remake is Jet's story. They completely took out his plans to murder a whole town of innocents in order to get a few enemy soldiers. Now, Jet isn't my favorite character, but his story is so important. Because it is real. The world is full of people who have been so brought down by injustice that they lose their sense of right and wrong, and we need to see that on screen. If Jet is too complex for them, how will they handle Ba Sing Se in the second season.

This goes along the same lines as removing Sokka's sexist moments. They felt they had to do it to make him more 'likable.' Yet the writers themselves went full sexist on Katara's character. They've taken out so much of her spark, her righteous and justified anger, and they've done it because even in 2024, people expect women to be more passive to be palatable. Enough people have already commented on them removing Aang's choice to run away. Heaven forbid the main character not be an absolute paragon. Did y'all notice that they even made Hahn likable? Hahn?! What reason do you have for making Hahn likable Netflix?! His role in the narrative is to be an example of toxic masculinity that is clearly the bad choice compared to Sokka who has learned and grown out of his own.

Don't even get me started with what they're doing with the fire nation family, I'm not ready to tackle that. In general, I have no problem with Azula getting a little more backstory and humanizing, but why season 1? Throwing in all these extra scenes just sacrifices screen-time where they could've actually fleshed out the real season one plots instead of rushing through things at breakneck pace. (ex: Aang escaping Zuko's ship in about 2 minutes flat)

At the end of the day, the scenes I most enjoyed were those that held true to the original like the Blue Spirit sequences. They could've easily done more of this, held onto the important plot points and even more important character complexity, while maturing it for an adult audience. I'm not disagreeing with every change they made. Go ahead and take out the silly Nickelodeon gags, add cussing and more realistic violence to get your mainstream viewers. Go ahead. They could've easily made a darker more mature version of the show and still held onto all the old fans in my opinion. But claiming that you're making a 'more mature' version and then removing the complexity and subtlety because they didn't think viewers could handle it...

What makes me most sad is that there are a lot of people who will experience ATLA for the first time through this show. There are a lot of adults who are not willing to watch original ATLA because they refuse to acknowledge an animated series can be anything other than a kid's show. Those people will watch this and think it's the real deal, and that just makes me sad.

If you've read this far, a very sincere thank you for listening to my rant. If you're an OG fan who enjoyed it, I have no problem with you. It was a fun watch, I was just hoping for more. If you are a new viewer who has never seen ATLA before, I sincerely want to hear your opinions. Is it a great show to someone who isn't holding it against the context of the original? And do you plan to watch the original now?

#natla #natla spoilers #live action atla #live action avatar #netflix avatar #netflix avatar review #avatar the last airbender #atla

[sapphosewrites]

top 10 ds9 fan fics you've written, ranked?

Oooh, tough question, friend! I don't even know what the criteria for this would be, because the most AO3 popular ones are not always my favorites... Okay, you know what, here we go. I'm just going to go for it and make some decisions. I'm giving myself a rule, though, that I can only chose one from a series, so I'm not just listing everything in the Terok Nor AU. I'll also try to hit different kinds of fics I've written.

10.) After the End of the World: A Survey of Seminal Works of Cardassian Post-Apocalyptic Literature from cross-posted to tumblr. 533 words, "An examination of the Cardassian post-apocalyptic literary genre before and after the Dominion War." This isn't my most popular or my best written but it's one of my favorites; I like in-world diegetic texts and worldbuilding and I'm obsessed with the idea of post-canon Cardassia as post-apocalypse.

9.) Never Have I Ever from The Game Is Afoot, 1,294 words, T, "Julian introduces Garak to the human game never have I ever." This was fun to write and is fun to reread every time! I often spend a lot of fic space on angst and identity and all the reasons why it's a bad idea for Julian and Garak to get together, but in this one we just get to spend time seeing them be clever and enjoy each other's company.

8.) Tribbles, Togetherness, and the Great River, 1,742 words, G, "In their shared quarters, Nog and Jake discuss tribbles, pets, and telling their families about their relationship." This is my only full standalone Jake/Nog fic, and it's another that was a pleasure to write and still makes me smile. It's fun to spend a sweet moment with two young people figuring out how they fit together.

7.) Del Floria's Tailor Shop, 336 words, also known as the space tumblr one. I think this is possibly the funniest thing I've ever written.

6.) Push Me Til I Break, 4,653 words, M, also known as the one where Garak interrogates Julian, and the role play goes wrong. Maybe the most tense thing I've ever written, and really leans into the ways in which two deeply hurting people can choose to hurt or hold.

5.) Growth, 45,843 words, T, "Julian and Garak grapple with their pasts and their feelings for each other at the end of the series." My super long post-canon Cardassia fic, back when I had no idea how to string a multi-chapter idea together. There's a lot I would change if I wrote this now (I've grown as a writer in many ways, including my ability to have scene transitions), but some of the conversations and moments in here are still absolute favorites of mine, particularly around ideas of self-forgiveness, the clash between values and actions, and the importance of choice.

4.) Predetermination, 22,200 words, T, Mirror Bashir arrives at the station and suddenly the nature/nurture debate has never had higher stakes. This is one of the places I think I've been most successful in using sci fi to ask big questions that hopefully resonate in the modern day, about who we are and how we become. Also, the ending takes inspiration from one of my favorite TNG episodes, and that was cool too.

3.) Especially the Lies, 13,019 words, T, "Something is going on with Garak, and no one knows what, except for possibly Julian Bashir." This is my only archive-warning-applied fic and it was really important to me to tell a story about care, for a character who I think doesn't believe he's allowed to have any, in a real world circumstance that too often people have to go through alone.

2.) Necessary Storms, 15,149 words, T, Julian and Starfleet Spouse Garak get entangled in Trill politics. I feel like this is one of the things I've written that most feels like it could be an episode of Star Trek, and is also a fairly unsubtle (though initially unintentional) way to explore populism, demagoguery, resource distribution, and revolt at a very particular moment in national politics with the aesthetic distance that sci fi offers.

1.) Old Friends: An Enigma Tale from Terok Nor AU. I'm exceedingly proud of this whole series, which started as just "what can I do with the idea of dabo boy Julian" and has turned into a sweeping journey covering how Terok Nor becomes Deep Space 9. This most recent installment is perhaps not indicative of the series as a whole, but it was a lot of fun to write and is also a dip into my other favorite genre aside from sci fi (murder mystery).

#my writing #confess nothing is statistically my most popular fic but i don't think it's my most interesting #almost made the list are made to measure and son of tain #also none of my fairy tale things are on here but i think i have lots of interesting ideas in those as well #if you have a fic that is your personal top of what i've written i'd love to hear about it!

[poshpunkqueen]

I've been listening to Taylor Swift since the debut. I'm not one of those listeners that believe Taylor is a Princess, wholly innocent, 24/7 victim but at the same time I don't believe she's a Villain. She's made mistakes.

I'm not one of those listeners that has the time and immoral capacity to sit on the Internet to committ Cyber crimes nor am I willing to put my health on the line to see her live. There should be boundaries.

The transfer from Teenhood to Adulthood for Taylor...I could tell ..she's still unravelling. Its okay to be in your 30s and still finding yourself. Hopefully there is an expiry date.

I'm not trying to be funny but I believe Taylor needs therapy. There are some unresolved things: fame, dealing with the industry and the media has definitely affected her. I don't think she's quite shake off alot stuff. It's passivity with a cupcake appearance of happiness.

Her patterns and methodology when it comes to music....mmmh the adults are taking a step back and analysing 😄. Writing those songs and knowing the effects will eventually become a "Here we go again" Moment. Everyone will move on and she will remain.Therapy is needed.The pride comes before the fall.

I say this because when Tortured Poets Project was announced I was unsure about it. I've never been unsure about a Taylor album. But then again I'm aware of the Taylor Formula. Not sure if she can carry this formula into her 40s and 50s 😄 but we will see. But I listen for listening sake..I'm listening to everyone this year.

TTPD Album: I had to stop half way because its the typical Taylor album...same note 🙆🏻‍♂️ same storyline... lol no doubt she's a good songwriter. Not sure how to feel about missiles being sent to someone who struggled or struggling with Depression. NOPE.

Emotional cheating is interesting lol We had this before 👀. Alcoholism and the talks about drugs is interesting too. Blurring the lines between two men. One you barely bedded to be in this deep. This seems like a tactic for writing material. Calculated PR stunts. I said this last year...she knows what she's doing...she dated him purposely ...she knew what to expect and Matty knew what to expect ...I'm disappointed in Matty selling out ...and acting out for attention..he needs to grow up too....he knows better. He made the whole band look bad...(I'm George fan btw)

Meathead guys years ago like Travis Kelce were saying they wanted to date Taylor for fame and songs. Sadly I'm starting to see it. Travis is a big time user. However we live and learn 😆

Idk I don't get it. If people pay attention to her lyrics not just on this album but previous albums, she tells on herself alot lol. We will have this again 2026.

Being Human isn't without flaws and wrong paths but it seems people only see it with Taylor Swift. .they don't see it with others 🫡 Others would would be stamped with cancellation. The Devil.

Taylor is in her 30s and I hope she figures out what she wants personally and professionally. It doesn't make sense moving from person to person then writing these songs. This is why therapy is important.

A few weeks ago, we heard Beyoncé album and I'm not the biggest Bey fan but we heard her different layers vocally and with the blending of genres. While I'm aware Taylor isn't a vocalist...I want to hear her do other genres.

Honestly I liked Midnights and reputation better.

Here are the songs I might listen to again:

✨️ Fortnight

✨️TTPD

✨️Down Bad

✨️So Long London

✨️The Prophecy

✨️Robin

⛔️Florida...but it's meh...Florence was downplayed...similar to Snow on the Beach with Lana.

The other songs were...okay....

I support Joe. I don't think Joe deserves this...I'm not gonna defend wrong actions even if I like your songs...

TBH EVENTUALLY I WILL STOP LISTENING TO TAYLOR BECAUSE I'VE GONE BACK DEEP INTO ROCK AND OLD SKOOL MUSIC

#joe alwyn #taylor swift #the tortured poets department #swifties #toxic fandom #matty healy #the 1975

[oneatlatime]

The Storm

This post was delayed due to dumbass technical issues. I managed to save it from annihilation by the skin of my teeth, and learned an important lesson about saving drafts along the way.

Long time no blog. As it's currently storming where I am, I feel it's time to watch this one.

Aang in the opening credits has his tongue out like a dog on a car ride. Now picturing a car full of airbenders hanging their heads out the window.

It's been long enough since I watched one of these that I forgot that dream sequences tend to be tinted brown. Had a two second panic trying to remember the episode where Sokka learned airbending.

I wanted to see more of Gyatso but not like this!

Appa the morning person.

Hey Zuko's back. Haven't seen him in a few episodes. Pipi Longstocking hair is still doing him no favours. Also is he really pale this episode?

I feel like Zuko's intelligence varies wildly from episode to episode (usually to serve the plot) but this may be a new depth of dumbness: tell the crew to their faces that their lives don't matter. You know, the crew that prevents the thing you're standing on in the middle of the ocean from sinking. The crew that keeps you fed and actually going somewhere. That crew.

On the other hand, Zuko's method for creating mutiny may break a world record for efficiency. He's such a dumb smart guy.

I'm with Katara on this one. I don't like that swishing either. And if they're out of money, why were they in a market anyway?

And with a kick to the rear, this episode's 'violence towards Sokka for laughs' quota is filled.

Never before in the history of humanity's hubristic quest to tame the seas has a wharf ever been this clean.

And I'm with the crewman on this one too. Zuko's actions really do line up with him not caring about anything beyond his own concerns.

Talk about rock and a hard place for Iroh here. From what I've gathered, it's Zuko's ship, which means that Zuko's in charge of everything including keeping order. But, Zuko is also being unreasonable in the face of a very reasonable complaint from the crew. So Iroh has to pacify both while undermining neither, and not appear to be in command. Takes delicacy.

Appa gets a mooring! Also what is that cave back there?

I was hoping the show would bring this up! To anyone who isn't riding along on Aang's adventures, it sure does look like the Avatar disappeared when he was needed most, continued to stay gone no matter how bad things got, and then just reappeared randomly one day with seemingly no plan to set set things right. Did he reappear to fight the firelord? According to rumour, he reappeared to ride giant koi. What would the average person be left thinking? The fisherman is right. And Katara - will you please let Aang fight his own battles for once in his life?

Aang being the bravest person you know? Do you not remember this?

You know, this?

"That fisherman was way out of line."

Poor guy needs a blow dry. Should be possible, what with airbending and all. Didn't know that Appa had a goatee. Actually the facial hair in general in this show is pretty creative.

If this is going to be the exposition dump storytelling episode, we may all need an emotional support Momo.

These air scooter shenanigans are making me think that the first lesson airbenders learn is how to nullify motion sickness.

Is this the first airbending we see by someone that isn't Aang or Appa?

Someone's been taking fashion tips from Narcissa Malfoy.

Oh fuck off that's too much pressure for a kid. Nice Wisteria though.

Isn't the toys thing a thing in the real world? Something to do with the Dalai Lama?

If Avatars have to be told that they're the Avatar, that implies that they don't know instinctively. Theoretically, could an isolated avatar living in peace time go their whole lives without figuring it out?

Oh wise and learned council of airbenders, please tell me how relying on a 12 year old is going to save you from a war?

Baby Zuko! Baby scarless Zuko! He looks like just the prettiest little princess in these shots. Also, either this happened not all that long ago, or Zuko is majorly overdue a growth spurt, because he's maybe one inch shorter in this flashback. Also also, Pipi Longstocking hair doesn't work no matter how much hair you have to put up. Also also also, the whole reverse tonsure look he has going on in the present really downplays how round his face is. He's got chubby baby cheeks. Also also also also, if Zuko is as much of a prince as his title implies, he's right that he needs to know how to rule.

I have picked up over the course of this show the fact that the fire nation seems to prioritise aesthetic. But this is just ridiculous. And a bit on the nose too. A literal wall of fire dividing you from the commoners? Not even the commoners, the highly esteemed generals in charge of your war? How does this guy see or hear anything that's going on?

Katara asking Aang why he wouldn't be excited about being the Avatar seems out of character for me. Why exactly would he be excited about being catapulted to the number one spot on the fire nation's 'enemies of the state' list? It's not like Katara doesn't know what happens to people on that list.

Don't worry about these jerks. They'll all be immolated in a little bit.

Smelly kid jokes. That's some peak 90s comedy right there.

I love Gyatso. Solidly in Aang's corner and happy to advocate for his charge even against grumpy temple elders. Never loses sight of the fact that Aang is just a boy and needs balance.

This Zuko disrespecting old farts stuff is nonsense. Like when you get called in to HR for 'walking disrespectfully past Sherri's desk' or 'aggressive choice of footwear' and you know it's just because they're looking for a bullshit reason to fire you/force you to quit because the owner's nephew wants your job and they don't want to pay for severance or unemployment. If pointing out obvious flaws in objectively stupid plans is an offence worthy of an honour duel (I'm not even going to try and spell the actual name), then this guy needs to be dueled too:

He called bullshit too.

No

No no they're not actually going to

oh fuck no

hang on he doesn't have his scar yet is this going where I think it's going?

Back to idiot monks phew. Another rock and a hard place situation. Aang needs to be a normal 12 year old. The world needs a fully trained Avatar. The best they can do is a half trained 12 year old avatar. That would have ended well I'm sure.

Oh yeah just yank out the remainders of Aang's support system. That will certainly encourage him to quickly develop into a responsible adult, rather than an emotionally disturbed 12 year old with unmatchable uncontrolled powers. What were these monks thinking? Or were they thinking at all? Were they just panicking? Because only Gyatso seems to have his head on straight. Upset avatars destroy things - we've SEEN that - and these monks think the best way to turn Aang into the Avatar they need is to do something that will upset him probably more than any other possible thing? At least they didn't think to take away Appa too.

Katara's right. He does have a right to be angry. I like that this show gives the characters permission to feel.

Indulging my inner pedant for a minute, he never saw Gyatso alive again. His bones were in pretty good condition. Actually, given that firebenders killed him, why weren't his bones covered in scorch marks? Also, is that where all the other airbender skeletons went? Instant cremation?

The fisherman's right - the avatar did turn his back on the world. Aang's right - he did run away. Katara's right - not running away wouldn't have saved anyone. Kudos to a kids' show for not flinching from tackling topics that have no right answers. Yay nuance!

oh god here we go

Free life tip: If you ever see a dependent and/or child assume this position at the feet of their guardian, call the relevant authorities. Quickly.

And of course there's a crowd of hundreds too. Nothing like a little public mutilation of children to flex your power over the masses. This firelord's ego is so fragile.

So that's where the scar comes from. Also the firelord's line about learning respect casts a new light on when Zuko said he'd teach respect to the crewman at the beginning of the episode. Guess he was channelling the firelord.

Big repsect to Zuko for the above. He's never lacked in bravery. This is the opposite of the "shameful weakness" nonsense.

"Things will never return to normal." THANK YOU

Why is Zuko in such a hurry to go home to that anyway? Seems like the only person who likes him is his uncle, and he's travelling with him.

This is odd. I've always felt like I know Aang, and hearing his story this episode just confirms that I do know him, who he is, what makes him tick. And it lets me know him better. I've deepened an already deep understanding of who he is. However, I thought I had a surface (if jumbled) understanding of Zuko, but hearing his story this episode, and especially the final series of shots, the way they frame him as alone in darkness contrasted with brightly lit memories, makes me sure that I've never known Zuko at all. Who is this guy? I feel like this is meeting him for the first time.

There's also definitely something worth examining in the fact that Aang tells his own story but Iroh tells Zuko's (beyond the fact that Aang is the only person left who could tell his story).

Thank god some comic relief. Not a moment too soon.

I didn't know firebenders could do that. Judging by his face, I don't think he did either.

The judgmental energy in this shot is unparalleled.

"I'm not but I still don't wanna!" This old couple has some seriously good lines.

Appa saves the day once again, this time with an assist from the Avatar powers. I swear if Appa's existence was paired with Sokka's brain they could do the Avatar's job no problem.

Zuko apologises. That is good. But is it Iroh he should be apologising to?

"I'm here now and I'm going to make the most of it." A lovely message to conclude a show on. But are we going to gloss over the whole 'father mutilates his son BARELY offscreen' thing?

Appa shakes!

Final Thoughts

This section could very easily devolve into increasingly hysterical ranting about the whole ZUKO JUST GOT HALF HIS FACE BURNED OFF AS A FORM OF COURT ENTERTAINMENT thing. Lord have mercy the fire nation is fucked up. To prevent that, I am going to share one thought, and only one thought on that fiasco:

this is the first time I've really felt that I'm not the target audience of this show. If I had seen this at 8 or 10 years old, I would have been appropriately mad at the firelord for doing such a bad thing, but it would have made perfect sense, because he's a bad guy, and they have to do bad guy things. It's what makes them bad guys. As an adult, with more knowledge in general, but especially about things like power dynamics and the long term consequences of child abuse, I am valiantly fighting not to spiral down a path of horrific implications because I want to be able to sleep tonight. From both a political and a familial point of view, there was no one (who wasn't 12 and frozen) who could have stepped in. It was the firelord who did it; it appears that there is no one above him in the fire nation hierarchy. It's Zuko's father who did it; good luck getting a kid to stand up to a father in front of an audience of hundreds in a culture that obviously worships a bastardised concept of respect (zuko tried though). Iroh couldn't (or wouldn't) interfere on either political or familial grounds. As an adult, seeing a child (because Zuko may be 16 in the show but that boy kneeling is BABY) stuck in such a situation, knowing there's literally no way to get out of it, no hero going to swoop in and save the day, no judicial process to dish out consequences, well that's hard to watch. And that's all I'll say about that.

Here's a thought: did the avatar (not Aang, but the figure/concept of the Avatar) disappearing fail Zuko, and by extension the fire nation, as much as it failed the other three nations? And the natural follow-along to that thought: did the fire nation attacking the rest of the world hurt the fire nation as much as it hurt the rest of the world?

Aang made a mistake many years ago by running away. He gets to redeem himself by not running away and saving Sokka and the fisherman. Zuko made a mistake at the beginning of the episode by undervaluing the lives of his crew (to their faces, no less). He gets to redeem himself by saving the helmsman and letting the Avatar pass in favour of getting the crew to safety. But I don't think these stories are really parallel. Aang's natural impulse was the mistake. He learned from it, modified his behaviour, and did better the next chance he got. Zuko's natural impulse was to act as he should have. He was taught (violently) that this was incorrect behaviour, and modified his behaviour based on his father's teachings. This modification (not valuing the crew) is the mistake. In Zuko's case, learning from the experience and modifying his behaviour actually means unlearning the lesson he was taught and reverting to his former behaviour. Aang's natural state needed modification; Zuko's externally imposed behaviour needed to be forgotten. Not parallel.

Aang = hope is an interesting conclusion. It's only possible for him to represent hope because he dashed everyone's hopes by disappearing and staying gone. If the avatar had defeated the fire nation 100 years ago and prevented a war from ever happening, he would not have been a symbol of hope. I don't know what he would have been a symbol of, but it's the fact that he's been gone long enough for things to get really bad that makes him a symbol of hope in the present. So if Aang was always meant to be hope, then he was always meant to get frozen.

Aang = hope is also interesting in that it positions Zuko on the side of the enemies of the fire nation. If Aang represents hope to the world, and Aang represents hope to Zuko, then Zuko is not on the Fire Nation side of the conflict (whether he knows it or not).

The humour in this episode was minimal but very welcome. The old couple was heaps of fun, Sokka got a couple of good lines (although never enough - still waiting on a Sokka episode), and the juxtaposition of humour and very serious themes was artfully handled. It was never jarring or tonally off. The switching back and forth between the two story threads was well done too, especially how they tied in at the end.

I'm kind of annoyed that Katara got relegated to shouty defender of the actually-a-little-bit-guilty or Agony Aunt. She deserves better. I'm not at all annoyed that Momo filled the role of cuddle administration. That was lovely to see.

It didn't even occur to me to check if the art/animation in this episode was pretty. That's usually a primary concern with me, but I was too wrapped up in the plot to notice.

I can't believe a kids' show went there, but they did. And they did it well. This episode felt much longer than 20-ish minutes, in a good way. It was packed. Definitely going on my rewatch list.

#atla #avatar: the last airbender #the storm #avatar the last airbender

[ro-rogue]

-- some small spoilers up ahead for mha -- it is so interesting to me that uno often gets compared to mha by people who haven't read uno. because when you actually think about it, they really are eerily similar, despite many uno fans denying it.

at first glance: in uno, the main theme is "the government is evil and should be stopped at all costs". in mha, it's "well yeah the government isn't exactly good, but the villains are definitely worse".

and then you dig deeper.

in uno, the authorities are criticized because they do absolutely horrible things to people in the name of keeping the peace. they've lost the plot, gone too far, and what is, in theory, a very logical system (the royals) has devolved into systemic oppression. (i've read a really good commentary on here that explained why the royals are actually kinda necessary in a school like wellston, but i can't find it now, so if you've found it, pls lmk.) violence is constantly criticized. when john went joker, it wasn't glorified, like it would've been in so much of contemporary media. resistance and revolution are definitely advocated for, but violence never is.

(slight spoiler ?) the recent manga chapters of mha reveal a theme that has been pretty central for a while now: criticism of authority figures and their abuse of power. the lov is humanized, their actions are explained, they are clearly their own heroes. it's people like overhaul, like afo, who are really evil: people in positions of power who hurt those below them.

not to mention (SPOILER) hawks losing his wings. i didn't like it when i first read it, but looking back, it was the only possible ending for him. keigo had been used his entire life by the (evil) government because of his quirk, and now he's finally free. they don't have a use for him anymore. him losing his wings, ironically, set him free. (know of another character being used by an evil government because of their power?)

in uno, violence is very clearly posed as a bad thing and people in positions of power hurt those below them. in mha, violence and its glorification (hero society) is frequently criticized and the real villains are those in positions of power who hurt those below them.

also: in mha, lady nagant was a (one of presumably multiple) assassin for the government, cleaning up those who the authorities felt disrupted the current order too much. sounds familiar?

and then you have the protagonists. izuku and john both grew up powerless and then suddenly got one of the strongest powers in their society just before starting highschool, though at first, they weren't very good at using it. they both seem capable of using multiple powers, but technically it's just one really op power. i would like to claim that they both kept a really important secret about that power from their close friends for a while, but izuku told katsuki that he had a borrowed power literally weeks after he'd gotten it, so. props to john though.

there is another fun similarity between them, though. both are introduced as pretty non-violent people (rip pre-joker john, your miserable existence is missed dearly), and both go absolutely feral when their best friend ("best friend") gets hurt.

(it's also fun to mention that both izuku and john are Going Through It in the current arc.)

now, of course, a fundamental differnce between john and izuku is that izuku is fundamentally a good person who cares for people, and john,,, doesn't. it's not that he doesn't care about anyone; he just doesn't care all that much about people he doesn't really know. izuku wants to save everyone. john wants his loved ones to not be hurt. that doesn't mean he wants others to be hurt, but it will take more for him to want to save someone than just seeing them suffering. interestingly enough, it's pre-joker john who was the biggest advocate for cripple equality, while izuku has never been shown to do anything similar for the quirkless. also, izuku never went middle-school-katsuki when he finally got a handle on ofa.

but in the end, these visual-medium stories are remarkably similar and comparing them actually yields significant insights into both of these stories. comparisons should therefore not be avoided, but instead encouraged and expanded upon.

#god those last two sentences. i have been writing too many essays #anyways yeah i didn't mention the whole heroes/vigilantes thing bc that kinda speaks for itself #idk. does this make sense? it just seemed funny to me #unordinary #uno #mha

[ofpineapplesanddawns]

"we didn't mean to kiss. it was never supposed to happen."

Arthur and that oughr. Uh. The guy. The robot dad. The cartoon robot dad DT plays in the show you recommended me. (No I don't know how he can kiss without a mouth that's not important) Or did you have a non cartoon policy? I have written this so i cannot go back and look because mobile and there is cat on my lap so i cannot check laptop. If cartoon is nogo as i am now beginning to suspect it is, i mean. Does DT play any live action robots? I forget. Is there an android tenth or fourteenth doctor copy out there? Surely by now there must be. There are so many david tennants in doctor who. Or just 14 maybe.

You mean his character from Eden? I do have a policy on cartoons, but it's mostly any animal based ones. Also, no one has ever asked for a cartoon so this is a first, haha.

He also played a droid in Star Wars named Huyang (who came to the Jedi temple in a, I'm not kidding, a blue box thousands of years ago, so technically a droid Doctor exists), and I think he was an android in a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles thing, but I never watched it so I don't really know.

Anyway, since I've never written E92 before and I don't think there's any, ANY content of him within the good omens extended universe because no one ever talks about this series, I'm going for it. I'm making him kiss the bartender.

On with the fic!

--

It was Earth, that much was clear.

Long occupied with robots, androids only came into being here with the arrival of The Avalon years ago. It had been meant to go to a whole new world while other humans slept for ages back on Earth as it repaired itself.

Now these humans were back, and humans, androids, and robots were living together, trying to make a new life for themselves.

Arthur had been one of the few androids, the most human of them all, to become part of the new Earth. He was still a bartender, as that was all he really knew, but he worked with other androids and robots, helping them learn about humans. He had the most knowledge, he was meant to talk to them, to interact and be part of their lives.

In order to do that, he was given legs to help him move about the robot's old city. It was strange, they were more spider-like than human, but it helped him move about, they would do. He stood out among the other robots and androids, and among the humans.

It was...

He wasn't sure how to put it.

Luckily, he found robots that were kind to him, even if he was different from them. A small group that had learned of humans, who had even raised a child together, a human child. From what the child's 'parents' told him, she was found in a pod as a baby, and they rescued her.

They couldn't leave her to die, even though taking care of a human went against their protocols.

They did a lot of things against their protocols over the years to protect their daughter, and they told him they always would.

A37 was the mother, she was kind and a bit more open to things than her counterpart, E92.

He was the father figure, and the more reserved one, but Arthur had found a kindness in him that was rather human-like. He seemed to have picked that up from his daughter, Sara Grace. E92 had been the one to take him in and help him when he arrived.

He didn't have to do that, but Arthur was grateful for it. He was also grateful for Sara helping to give him legs and for E92 and A37 to get him some sort of work with the other robots instead of just doing things for the humans.

It had been a day of helping both populations with the continuous need to adjust to things, and Arthur felt worn down. He needed to recharge, and found E92 getting ready to do the same after a long day of work in the fields, a job he honestly seemed to enjoy.

"There is only one charging station left." The robot said, voice its usual calm down.

"I am sure we can share it, or we could take turns, depending on battery depletion." Arthur suggestion.

A quick scan indicated that the second option was not ideal, as both were under 20%, and being the advanced systems that they both were, they constantly spent battery power.

"Sharing is better than one of us going into offline mode." E92 offered, gesturing to the pod. "You may enter first."

"I think it's better if you do, I can squeeze in afterwards."

E92 looked at the pod, gave a slight nod with his body, before entering it. Arthur squeezed in, it was tight, but it would work if he wrapped his spider limbs around the other robot's legs. There was some adjusting, but they found a bit of comfort with E92's arms loosely wrapped around Arthur, keeping him close but not too close.

"Will this work for you?" The taller of the two asked.

"I..." Arthur looked him up and down, at the faded paint on the blue and red casing. He had never been this physically close to his friend, how odd that he felt his systems start to overheat, his fans spinning internally. "I think it will do well for the situation."

"Then we shall rest for the night. Good night, Arthur." E92 said quietly, he didn't need to lower his voice, the other robots were already in sleep mode, they would not wake them.

"Good night, E92." He replied just as softly, a hand placed on the other robot. He could feel him powering down, going into sleep mode himself.

But Arthur was awake.

He had been here on Earth for a few months now, adjusting as well as he could here. He was thankful for the few friends he had made here, considering his only other ones were long dead now. He cared about Sara Grace, and A37, along with the other robots from their little family.

But E92 was different. He was someone that Arthur could talk to, spend time with, without having to put on the customer service act in his programming. It was odd, he didn't understand it, didn't know if he could.

But he enjoyed this other robot's company.

He wondered if there was something strange in his programming since coming to Earth, or at least to Eden 3.

Because he was sure it wasn't in his programming or protocol to do what he was doing now.

His lips were pressed to the cool casing in front of him, and he felt his insides running faster, louder, hotter. Arthur blinked twice, and then pulled back.

He didn't mean to kiss him. it was never supposed to happen. It wasn't something robots or androids did.

He tried to put himself into sleep mode, to not think about this. But he was distracted, just for a moment, when those loose arms around him tightened, just a little, bringing him closer to E92.

Best to think about this in the morning.

--

Arthur has feelings and doesn't understand what they are. E92 has had much longer to feel human emotions so... >.>

Also, I need to watch this again.

If I had a nickel for every time David Tennant played a character associated with the color blue and strong emotions towards a human alongside a villain played by Neil Patrick Harris, I'd have two nickels.

#good omens extended universe #john's drabbles

[sogno-ao3]

thoughts on the illness arc, still waters ch. 39-47

I thought it might be interesting to write down some thoughts about the last arc which just finished--let me know if you'd think this is something that should continue.

--

We open with the New Year--new beginnings and new perspectives. When I first conceived of the story in 2020, I never had much of a role for Ada, but as I've written Tommy and his family issues, she's become a central force in humanizing him and being a physical manifestation of the old Tommy, romantic and without cynicism. Despite Ada's friendliness and Mollie's predilection for being nice to about everyone, Mollie throughout the entire arc has remained detached--while she has no reason to believe that the information Ada tells her is untrue--she can naturally perceive the uncomfortable feeling of agenda.

Chapter 40, Voice, is the first exploration of what their relationship is now like after Tommy realizes that he needs her in his life--but also simultaneously realizing that everything he's done before has pushed her away. How do you get someone like Mollie to fall in love with you, and how do you deal with everything in the backdrop of your tragic romantic history? It's awkward--and he is visibly self-conscious for the first time in front of her, but they eventually share this tender moment, where he connects motherly figures in his life together--his mother, Ada, and ultimately Mollie, which also signals the relative position that he now accords her in his life.

The next chapter is an exercise in subtlety. First, the coughs--Mollie falls ill. Second, the herringbone suit--what Tommy brings into the tailor shop in the very first chapter to get re-tailored, he finally wears out in the open, a sign of the increasing publicness of their relationship. Tommy hadn't thought he would see her at the christening; he hadn't thought that Ada would hire her.

"Didn't expect to see you in there." He was leaning against a pillar, smoking. His coat was open, and I thought the cut of his suit looked extremely familiar, a gray-blue herringbone.

I just looked at him, knowing he would be able to deduce the rest.

Yet, he has the newspaper clipping--he was thinking of her--but just as in Chapter 40, he became anxious, his thoughts tormenting him even as he knows Mollie brings him such precious drops of happiness, and decides not to mention it to her until this opportunity presents itself, and he can't help himself, and he has to ask.

Chapter 42, All Still and Sunday-like, is the hallucination chapter--it starts off rather tame but still odd--Mollie's parents have been doing this forever, how could they mess up something like the weight of packages? The chapter is structured so it gets fantastically more and more unbelievable--culminating in a foreshadowing section where Tommy takes care of Mollie. Mollie also doesn't resist the coddling, and accepts it without question, which brings us to the mini-convalescence arc of Mollie's own.

The following chapter provides much-needed background, but is quite painful--for all the progress that Mollie and Tommy have made, has it regressed?

The title of chapter 44, Fruit, has an important secondary meaning; the effect of consequence of an action--perhaps Tommy's slow work on Mollie has finally borne fruit? She elaborates more on her wants and desires, but as the readers, we know that he has not gotten to the core, but still, she lets him in, even if a little more. He could push more, but he doesn't.

Ana is another example of a character not going exactly where I had first planned her. At first, I thought she would be a good friend to lean on in the lonely hospital, but then Nurse Evans and the warden came to naturally fill that role, and Ana...? I find Ana to be a tragic figure, really--she's controlled by her mother, she wants her family to regain their status, and she's trapped in a weak body; in some ways, her obsession with birds is this expression of how she wishes she was free, but in some sense, she's still content to observe them from afar until something moves her hand. Uncharacteristically, our sweet Mollie seems to dislike her from the very beginning, but is this really uncharacteristic? The role reversal between Tommy and Mollie continues to play itself out, and their shared, immediate dislike of Ana serves to show that they are two sides of the same coin, even if their own sides, on the surface, look vastly different from each other.

Chapter 45, Biscuits, makes the case that perhaps that not all progress is lost despite the intrusion of the illness, and Mollie begins to understand even a little of what it is that she does for him:

I closed my eyes, trying to focus on the drone of his voice. It was easier than I thought; soon, the words no longer made any sense; they were just clouds of sound, no sense of plot and direction. It was more pleasant to be on the receiving end than I had imagined; is this what he experienced every night? Is this why he insisted on this singular extravagance…?

The chapter culminates in Mollie coming to terms that she does enjoy his company, and for once, he is the patient one on the other side, and she's the one who has to rise to meet him.

In Chapter 46, Byzantine, Tommy's best wingperson, Ada, comes back to haunt Mollie. Finally, everything is laid out in the open for Mollie and she has to face the agonizing truth of where she stands, where she could stand, in the eyes of various Shelby family members. Polly is correct: to marry a Shelby is to marry into a family, and Tommy and Mollie have been in their own world for so long, and as they take even the smallest steps to be out in the world, there are so many societal and familial things that must be considered, to be overcome. Even if they do love each other in the end, can they even be together despite everything else...?

What he wants most in the world, to spend time with her, and so Mollie's test is cruel to him. He wants to make her happy, but he doesn't want to leave, but in the end, he chooses to listen to her, even as she refuses to do something for him in return. Mollie of previous chapters would have acquiesced, would have asked him what he wants--after this interaction, she becomes keenly aware of her upper hand.

The last chapter in the arc, Chapter 47, Eyelashes, was another one of those incredibly difficult things to write. The point of the entire arc is to show the progression of friendship between Mollie and Tommy, and I knew I wanted to end with something that resulted in Tommy finally letting go and a moment of joyful levity between the both of them. I've always considered Emily Brontë to be one of the original e-girls, and while the Brontë sisters did write literary masterpieces, they also were a bit silly and dramatic at times. Mollie and Tommy are not naturally serious people, but due to the circumstances that brought them together, their respective histories, they have become people who are naturally cautious around others. And so, from chapter 1 to chapter 47, we finally see the walls being broken down from both sides, and we can perhaps glimpse the beginning of Mollie starting to ponder her own feelings.

Mollie has always seen Tommy, but she's never truly looked at him. A lot of details, like his neck, his eyelashes, the creases below his eyes--they're new to her. She notices them, but at least right now, only those creases, she does deign to call beautiful.

The last item that I knew I wanted to include was continuing the pivot in Mollie's outlook and agency with her own life. Continuing with the last chapter in which she refuses Tommy the favor, we see Mollie growing more assertive, and she thinks:

I was ready to go home, ready to leave this state of purgatory, and finally take control of a world that had slipped away from me in this structured garden, tendril by tendril.

She knows that it's all been a fantasy world, that the true world outside has never stopped even if she's been cocooned away, and if she wants something, she'll have to seize it herself.

#stillwaters-ao3

[booksandchainmail]

Pale 4.3

I think my main takeaway from the first part of this chapter is that other people lead very different lives from me. I mean, I don't doubt that teenage parties where everyone is making out and drinking and getting stoned exist, but I've literally never heard of one. Even in college we just sat around and ate chicken nuggets and watched bad anime.

This was scary.  It was scary in the same way John in that abandoned house had been scary.  A person as a force of nature, angry and violent and detached from humanity enough that he was willing to hurt her.  Smoke rolled out around her.

The John thing was scary to me partially because it was more mundane. Not a curse or magic taking effect, just physical violence that is supernaturally hard to fight. Also a good reminder that without tools and preparations, none of them are really capable of fighting against an above-average person.

Avery’s eyes flashed, the mist sweeping over them, in a way that made the outline and darkness of the irises stand out in even dimly lit gloom.  Verona’s eyes turned purple.

I really like the different ways people's Sight manifests.

“I might’ve lied to my mom.  Tanked my karma, tanked the connection breaking stuff I laid on my bag.”

did not catch this, going back to look at the chapter to see what it could have been.

ah.

“Love you!” her mom called out, as Verona climbed out. “Yeah. You too,” Verona replied, giving her mom a tight smile, before closing the door.

fuck.

Verona turned a wide eyed look to Lucy, like she’d been stung.  Wary, alarmed. Verona winced, and nodded.

This chapter is really highlighting how much Verona cues off of Lucy's emotional state.

This Faerie duel thing is very neat. Not sure how I feel about how much time Lucy's been spending with Guilhelme, but I love the whole thing (drawing out the weapon, naming terms, building an arena, making a formal challenge) too much to be appropriately wary.

“We should take her to see Nicolette,” Avery said, from the far end of the fading arena.

Part of the Kennet Trio's whole deal is being more concerned with the people in their jurisdiction (and beyond) than I think the average practitioner is. With Nicolette, it's clear she didn't mean to cause harm to bystanders with her spying, but also clear that she didn't think about the unintended consequences of her actions.

And when you didn’t need us as much, with keen talent for practice, aggressive outreach to other practitioners, and a knack for investigation…

They are very good at this!

I would say you’re getting your own control. And to some, even myself to a small degree, that feels like you’re sliding into a position where you have control over us.

Basically what I was saying a bit ago, that a lot of the Others of Kennet would have preferred puppet practitioners, even if they weren't as useful.

“Miss noted him, as one of five or six considerations, to replace you three if you couldn’t see this through.”

man were they just going to work through the entire middle school. Fucked up that the backup considerations were also kids. Looks like "controllable" was an important qualification. I wonder who the others were? There's a few other classes to draw on, but based on the characters we've met, and that "outsider" seems to be important, I'd guess Pam and Gabe?

“I want you to say what you’re feeling because you look mad and I can’t take it.”

oh big mood. Just get it over with instead of letting the tension sit

I wonder if part of the reason this is hitting Verona so hard is that Lucy is maybe the only person whose good opinion she really cares about? I mean, she likes Avery, she gets along with various Others and wants to learn well, but we don't see her looking for approval from any adults/authority figures. I think in a lot of ways Lucy is who Verona bases her sense of morality and responsibility off of.

“I don’t want you to deal, I want you to be happy and good.  Talk, vent.  Hurt me if it means getting it off your chest.  Please.”

Mixed feelings on this one. On the hand, there's "You don't have to hold back your own emotions to protect my feelings". On the other, there's "Hurt me for my mistakes if it will make you feel better". Not really sure which one this is. Don't think Verona knows either.

“I wanted to get the stuff back and get back to normal because I wanted you to be able to go back to that cabin where you were with Wallace and Mia and the others, and kiss a boy and make other friends because that’s what I really wanted out of tonight,” Verona said.

oh. 🥹

Verona’s sandals were strappy, and it looked like the edges of the straps had rubbed Verona’s feet raw, to the point there was blood. All that running around. Trying to fix things.

oh

So. I don't think I could pick between the three girls. But as of now, Lucy and Verona's friendship is winning as my favorite.

#booksandchainmail reads pale #pale #wildbow

[torque-witch]

Do you work with deities? I've just started but what I don't get is how (if) do you feel their presence? I assume it's a feeling when meditating or something, but how do you know it's them?

I have worked with deities, but not presently in an active communication sense.

Long answer short, you don’t know it’s them. None of us know the true nature of deity, but I think we all inherently can have a connection to that nature, simply for the fact that they come from our stories.

Personally I don’t really think deity existed as corporeal beings on Earth, but I think their archetypes and stories make them tangible to connect to. You may have a different idea about how deity correlates with humanity, and that’s okay too. That might take some time to come to a working conclusion about.

For me though, most of the time deity is mundane. It’s following their morals and actions. It’s seeking growth through their stories and wisdom. And yes, it can be fundamentally spiritual experiences. Just don’t expect that all the time. Everything is completely up to your interpretation. That’s why it’s so important within spiritual practices to always be grounded in your day to day life. When spiritual experiences get out of your control, you can easily be sucked in to unhealthy perspectives about what is real and what is not.

I had two fundamental spiritual experiences with Hel. One was when I was walking along a lakeside in the autumn, and I felt an undeniable presence behind me. As I turned, I saw in my mind a tall figure in a black billowing cloak just watching. As soon as it was there, it was gone again. And I can’t get that image out of my mind. It sounds scary on paper, but it was like a comforting reminder that she was always with me. It wasn’t horrifying - it was awe-inspiring. It filled me with wonder. And nothing I had been doing in the moment before or afterward would have warranted such an image to be conjured.

The second was when I was delirious and in pain from Crohn’s alone in my apartment at the time. This one can be more easily refuted, but to me I believe she communicates best in liminal spaces. I remember that while I was alone, I began talking to her out loud as I drifted off. We had a conversation I can’t even remember for myself. And when I came to, I felt a warm hand on my stomach where the pain was. If you’ve ever felt a phantom touch, it was very much like that. I cried because it was so meaningful to me even though I didn’t know what we talked about.

Even if those experiences on paper don’t really mean anything and can be written off, they had meaning to me. In the same way, you’ll be able to distinguish what is meaningful to you.

Now as I’ve pulled away from more spiritually-driven practice, I don’t have those kind of experiences. You get out of it what you put in. I still know she is here, but there is an understanding that I can’t handle that in a healthy manner right now while I’m focusing on trauma therapy and evening out my physical health.

No one will have a cut and dry answer for you, but I would suggest looking up what a particular deity might prefer in their practice first and starting there. Even if you never “feel” anything, it doesn’t mean you are doing something wrong. I’d even say sometimes it’s better to not have potentially scary experiences haha. Be genuine. Talk to them in a way that’s comfortable for you. Give yourself boundaries. And be open! You may experience connection in a way that I never could.

#torquetalks #asks #deity #Hel

[voidfragments]

FAQ*

*nobody actually asked me anything but this seems like the simplest way to explain this stuff

why remove inversion of genesis from kunikuzushi's canon?

the simple answer is, i hated the quest, but why did i hate the quest? the main reason is the erasure of his existence from irminsul and, by extension, historical records and more importantly everyone's memories. in being erased, he no longer faces any consequences or accountability for any of his actions. granted, given kazuha's personality, i've long expected him to be forgiven for his crimes against the kaedehara clan specifically, but what about everyone else he's hurt? the rest of the raiden gokaden, the resistance army, the people of sumeru city? he may be willing to accept the full brunt of his actions, but that willingness means very little when nobody even remembers his actions. erasing the world's memories of him also means that none of the people who hurt him will ever face consequences or accountability for their actions. he can say he wants revenge against dottore, but again, revenge means very little if the person you're taking revenge against has no idea who you are or what they did to you. ei will never have to come to grips with the fact that she brought him into the world and then abandoned him. the other reason is that i frankly really didn't like the direction they took with the tatarasuna incident. in my opinion, the common interpretation that existed before this quest--that of a random tragedy born of human flaw--worked better than having everything be set up by dottore to turn kunikuzushi evil. i also didn't like how katsuragi was set up as kunikuzushi's best friend in that era and the center of the tragedy for so long, only for niwa, who had only barely been foreshadowed prior, to take the spotlight instead (remember when we thought niwa WAS katsuragi?). however, this is more personal distaste rather than outright bad, lazy writing, so changing it is less important to me.

why have him keep the name kunikuzushi?

even within the bounds of canon, i don't see why he would abandon that name. kabukimono, scaramouche, balladeer, sure, but kunikuzushi? that doesn't have anything to do with the tatarasuna incident or the fatui. that name stems from his resentment towards ei, something he's felt since long before katsuragi found him. all that said, he won't tell just anyone his name; he's more likely to tell your muse to come up with something to call him.

what exactly is included/excluded?

the exact details may vary from thread to thread depending on discussion with my partner, so here's a quick breakdown: erasure from irminsul - this is the most crucial part. in all variations, kunikuzushi does not attempt to erase himself. all characters' memories of him are to remain as they were prior to the quest. since the fatui has not forgotten about him, he's currently wanted by them as a traitor. the truth about tatarasuna - he may or may not know the truth behind the tatarasuna incident, depending on plotting. the events of tatarasuna - once again, this may change depending on plotting! if we haven't discussed anything, feel free to assume the events of the tatarasuna incident are the same as canon, whether or not he knows the truth. everything else can be safely assumed to be more or less the same as in canon, with some minor adjustments as necessary to account for the divergency.

how did he get his anemo vision in this verse?

....that is something i'll figure out later. hold me to this.

#my city now #kunikuzushi; isms

[layingeggs]

Watched Night of the Living Dead then Dawn of the Dead and finally Day of the Dead. Fantastic films superb. (Some spoilers but I'm not going to spoiler tag films made before I was born.)

Especially love Bub from the last film. Triumph for Bub. Praise for Bub.

It is endlessly fascinating to me that it took decades for Pontypool to get into the memes of zombies when zombie films have been talking about zombie memes since the beginning!

And of course we needed to have two films first where the minds of the zombies are unexplored before we finally have a third film really get into it. Makes it feel more special. I feel that zombies are less interesting if everyone has their own gimmick to 'improve' or 'redeem' them for being old slow monsters.

Bub is the one who escapes in the end. Bub is the one who breaks off his chains. Bub is the one who went from being a mindless zombie to gaining insight and awareness of the world around him, king of the wasteland! He's the only zombie we see in these films express empathy. We see him wailing and banging his chains at the sight of his dead father-figure Doctor Logan. The idea of a zombie who can mourn is endlessly fascinating on its own! Not only that they can empathise, but that they can understand life and death! Aren't they removed from that by being zombies??

And you have John telling Sarah the real solution to the problem of zombies. It's not to control them. It's not to cure them. It's not to understand them or overcome them in any way. Just get away, get somewhere safe and live a good honest life, and have kids and raise them to do the same.

Well we never see John and Sarah actually have kids in the end do we?

But we see Dr Logan have a kid! We see him raise Bub up into a fine man! We see him teach him to shave! We see him impress upon Bub the importance of calling your auntie once in a while!

Logan's plan to "domesticate" the zombies actually worked. But Bub isn't just tamed. He's independent. Living a life for his own purpose. He's lost his father figure Dr Logan and so he lives for revenge!

That moment where Bub kills Captain Rhodes is wonderful, isn't it? When Bub shoots him dead, and then salutes him? What was that salute! Was it just Bub following through the motions of what he remembers from life? Thoughtlessly chasing signifiers without any idea of what they signify?

Or was it a kind of mockery? Was it Bub declaring his triumph over the man who killed his family? Bub mockingly giving the salute to a man who was insulted at having received it?

We know that Bub is aware that other people think of him, and we know that Bub wants other people to think of him in a certain way. When Bub first broke his chains, he used his mind and not his strength to do it. And the first thing he does is go to Dr Logan to show him. When he finds Logan's corpse, before he has realised that Logan is dead, he holds up the loose chain and he has an expression that resembles smiling. Look! Look what I've done! Praise me! Praise me!

Maybe Bub is just acting on the instinct to pursue a reward food from the human he knows to give out reward foods. But why would he think that breaking his chain should get him a reward? When you have a dog or a cat tear up the sofa, they don't usually try to show you what they've done, on the hope that maybe you'll like it and give them treats for it.

It's almost as if Bub understands that it's shows of intelligence that get him reward. Which is at least more aware and discerning than just performing actions at random and seeing which ones get the desired reactions.

Whatever became of Bub? Do you think he was reunited with Dr Logan eventually through the zombie infection? Do you think Bub got fed up with Logan losing his intelligence, and had to "domesticate" him right back? The parent becoming the caree, the child becoming the carer?

#George Romero

[tacticalvalor]

«────── « HEADCANON » ──────»

I've been thinking about this for a hot minute, but I only just remembered it again and felt like sitting to write it out… But the whole dynamic between Anakin and Palpatine, right? Especially the opera scene from Revenge of the Sith?

That's how Harcourt and Elsa's dynamic was prior to everything that led to Wilson's Heart. At least, that's how I envision it based on the little we do hear about them in game. More below the cut.

I skimmed through a no-commentary playthrough of the game again, and here's everything that's said about them and their dynamic (both between them, and the wider family):

[First Mention] I was to meet a… colleague. Here. Dr. Arthur Harcourt. He collects data from mysticisms all over the world; any culture claiming to have a link to the afterlife. […] If we can find him, Dr. Harcourt will be able to truly explain what is happening here.

[Finding the Journal] My God, it's… his journal! Harcourt's notes! He never let anyone examine them…

[Seeing the Device] I can't believe Harcourt did it. He… actually created it.

[Banter] No need to curb your language, Wilson. My late husband was… well, let's just say I've heard it all before.

[Examining Corpse] I'll be fine, Wilson. I'm a mother, I have to be self-reliant.

[About the Journal] I needed Harcourt's journal in order to gain the knowledge to build the device for Andrew myself. After months of searching, I finally tracked him down here; residing as a doctor. Pretending to care for people… pathetic.

[About Wilson's experimentation] You, Wilson […] just another casualty of his cruelty […] to keep the device from me, he put it in you.

[About Haunting] No! Of course not. Even after all these years researching the supernatural together, we couldn't have expected this […] I didn't even have to attempt to create it. The fool did it himself.

[About Harcourt's "Innocence"] He deserved it, and more! I might not have intended for him to be killed, but it is a far better fate than he deserved. After what he put us through… What he did to us is unforgivable.

[About Relationship] Arthur Harcourt… was my husband. Brilliant, but only in his mind - not his heart. My son's human body was made… unusable… thanks to a drunken outburst one evening, from Arthur. A small push down a flight of stairs. That's all it took to ruin the life of an innocent, sweet child. And Arthur? He didn't even care. He left us; conducting more research - our research.

[About Separation] Arthur - that son of a bitch! He knew it! But he took the research - and his journal - that we had discovered together… and abandoned us. So if there is a God, Wilson, and any justice in this universe, he is rotting in Hell as we speak.

NOTE: it's important to remember that Elsa is an unreliable narrator, to a degree. She leads Robert and the others on to achieve her goal of resurrecting Andy. That said, I don't think she ever lied about Harcourt's actions, just their relationship dynamic (re: initially telling Robert they were colleagues, not spouses).

But circling back to the original concept of this post… The build-up to this conflict between Elsa and Harcourt.

Given the time period, the age differences, and the later abuse, I believe that Elsa was manipulated and groomed by Harcourt from the get go. They seem to have a lengthy relationship, and given I imagine Elsa to be in her mid-30s, it's likely she was in her early to mid-20s when they'd become acquainted. So there is already a power dynamic, but it seems like there was another factor as well.

Harcourt is easily able to find a position as a head doctor in this hospital, meaning he has experience. Elsa seems to have similar experience, though on the side of clinical research, meaning it's likely that Elsa could have worked under Harcourt as an intern throughout her later education. Being someone in a higher position, it's not unlikely that (prior to their interpersonal endeavors) Elsa idolized Harcourt as a mentor and authority figure.

Sounds familiar, doesn't it? That's the dynamic Anakin had with Palpatine, and the one that ultimately led to Anakin turning to the Dark Side. The one that ultimately led to Elsa becoming willing to kill people, and use them not unlike Harcourt used her.

And we see the seeds being planted in that aforementioned opera scene. The way that a subtle sense of doubt is created to lessen the trust held toward the Jedi Order. Just watch:

The part that really inspired this, too, is when Palpatine tells Anakin to search his feelings and explore what trust is held between all the involved parties. Especially the line:

" They asked you to do something that made you feel dishonest, didn't they? "

More headcanon for Elsa, but I imagine she always did believe in the supernatural. That's why she was eager to work alongside Harcourt, too. He used that to bait her in. But how? Well, again… looking at the time period (and even to a degree, today's beliefs), if someone says they believe in the supernatural or mysticism, what is the reaction? Mockery. Ostracization. Out casting.

If Elsa had ever expressed her beliefs, or the type of research she would wish to delve into, she'd just as quickly have to bury it. To be dishonest with herself, her feelings, and those around her. Harcourt would have been one of the few people who would listen to her grievances, if not the only one. It would have been easy for him to use that to his advantage.

And I just think their dynamic is so… interesting. Awful and tragic. But interesting to delve into and try and develop from the bread crumbs that the game gives us.

#(headcanon) #(m: elsa wolcott) #(m: dr. harcourt) #(tw: child loss) #(tw: abuse) #(long post)

[kirric-the-fan]

There's a problem with Tropical Rouge Precure.

So I've been watching precure of late, and something odd started happening when I got to Tropical Rouge: I frequently zoned out or mentally switched off from the story during the episodes, particularly in the first half of the season, which isn't something that had happened with other series in quite the same way.

I've been thinking about it, and It's taken me a little while, but I think I've figured out exactly why (and it's quite interesting from a writer's/narrative perspective.) (And if you've been struggling to get into it yourself, you might benefit from watching EPs 30 onwards)

Tropical Rouge's issue, is that it lacks driving narrative, which for a series with motivation as its theme, is a massive faux pas. It commits the cardinal sin of being boring.

This mainly applies to episodes 1-29. The issue is, we have the setup of Gran Ocean being in danger from the witch of delays and her minions, Laura being sent away to find the pretty cure, and then...nothing. She just sort of hangs out in the human world occasionally stopping the Yaranedas, and seems to forget about her home entirely.

This situation isn't helped by the lack of character development too- there's barely any in the first half of the season (at least, any that sticks), and while the activities the tropical club get up to are fun, it ends up becoming a bit too dull and repetitive monster of the week stuff as a result.

It's also the only precure series where I've got halfway through, and I still can't remember all the cures human names because they've been that forgettable. In fact, beyond Laura and Manatsu, I still couldn't remember the others names!

(For context, the only cure whose human name I've forgotten before is Chiyu, and that was a. After I'd watched the series and had seen other series too, and b. Because I mentally got stuck on Saaya and forgor (sorry Chiyu! Blue cure blindness. But I did remember you weren't called Saaya. I just couldn't remember your actual name!)

Returning to Laura and her lack of action: okay, it'd be understandable from one point of 'she's been told to find the pretty cure, and they'll help', but then like, yeah okay they don't know what they're doing. But Laura never pushes the matter, and it comes across like she doesn't care about what's happening to her home, and then we don't care.

All it would take is Laura to be a little more invested in protecting her home, maybe berating the cures for being so inept (maybe implying they're unmotivated), and the Cures seeking to respond to that, to add that connection and driving narrative through the season.

Ofc, the response from the cures would be that actually, they don't know how to be cures, or save Gran Ocean either, and while trying to get stronger and save a whole kingdom would be overwhelming, focusing on what they can do in the moment, and what's important in the moment will play to their strengths, keep them growing, and keep them going through. (And preserve their motivation). Which ties back nicely into the tropical club and its activities. Those activities would also naturally boost their cure skills (which I'm surprised we didn't see more of), and doing a wide variety of activities like that should naturally boost each of their character development (which is another bugbear, as it seems almost non-existent before episode 30. Like there's very little beyond the character's introductory episodes that seems to stick.)

Like, character-wise, Laura could still be keen to become the queen, but it could be used as more of a mask for her missing home. It would make her character a bit more likeable, as she is in danger of coming across as too obnoxious sometimes.

Before anyone says 'It's a kids show, it doesn't need a strong narrative', please know I am comparing it directly to other precure seasons: every single one is a kids show, and every single one (I have seen so far, 14-15/20) has had some cross season purpose, or even a distinct per-episode storyline (another point where Tropical Rouge seem to be weak. Even where the club is setting up activities for other clubs, there seems to be limited consequences or payoff for things going wrong/right. There's not so much to get invested in early on from a narrative point. It tends to be a bit wishy-washy, which isn't good, and a sunny upbeat coating can only go so far.)

So yeah. I think the most frustrating thing is that the potential was there, but the writing seemed to almost like constantly stop short.

Which for a series about motivation...

...almost feels like they were lacking it.

(And one additional comment about the movie: there was a moment in the movie, which I thought seemed to sum up all the series issues very well: when they all start singing towards the end, the characters do nothing but sing. For almost the whole song, all we see is them. As perfectly stationary characters, singing. There's no movement besides their mouths. It's boring, it drags, and it was the perfect opportunity to be showing all the MC's memories of the place the song was about. A simple narrative/directing choice that would have added depth and connection to the scene. And they didn't. I don't know whether it was a cost-cutting measure for whatever reason, but the sheer lack of any movement or emotion in the scene (beyond the actual vocal work, which was very nice. But if that's not well conveyed onto the characters, then what's the point?) kills it. It was immensely frustrating, and made me wonder if there were moments like that which dragged down the TV series pacing too (not that I specifically picked up anything like that during the watch, I will caveat that. )

TL;DR: Tropical Rouge lacks driving main storyline, has weak character development in the first half, and there is a moment in the movie that has cheap directing choices, which makes me wonder if that happened at times in the series too contributing to pulling it down.

Shorter TL;DR: Setting's great, storytelling; not so much.

#tropical rouge precure #don't get me wrong #I love the girls but the storytelling has not done them justice #not in the way it could have #I've not even gotten started on some of the great fan ideas re laura not actually getting legs so easily or at all #but that would have made it a significantly different series #also don't get me wrong: I have learned a lot as a writer by watching this #mainly on what NOT to do #but ah well #the one that got away #sorry tropical rouge #you could have been so much more

[cannabisexual]

As a late 20s living in the early 20s, what's your opinion on this decade so far?

hoo boy, what a question that is. first off, thanks for asking! i guess it's kind of a tale of two lived experiences, because the contrast is just that extreme.

on one hand, i'm finally at a place in my life where i finally feel like i'm properly stepping into the world and living more or less how i want to. i've got a pretty solid teaching job, a loving spouse, four lovely pets, and the two of us were lucky enough to barely afford a down payment on a relatively cheap house back in 2021. also, i feel way more comfortable in my sexuality and gender identity than i ever have in the past, so that gives me great peace of mind as well. it has taken a long time to get to where i am today, and in that sense i'm happier than i ever have been before. i know my place in this world, and life is good.

...on the other hand, however, i have serious concerns about the future. we have all these fucking asshats in control all over the world, some literally older than TV, and all of whom seem hell-bent on ending all life on earth as we know it just because their precious feelings are hurt too much. these motherfuckers are gambling on a future they will never live long enough to see, and will never face the long-term consequences of their actions, such as they are. i have spent so much of my life working my ass off as a 1st generation immigrant to the US, always trying my best to do the right thing to get to where i am. in large part, i have greatly succeeded. i did everything that was ever expected of me and more, with the general expectation that i had a more-or-less guaranteed future ahead of me as I was guided through life early on. seeing these self-important dickheads callously treating other people like they're garbage makes me really angry.

i have always wanted children, and i still do, but at the moment i'm not convinced this world will be one worth raising them in anymore. or at least, one that will inspire the same kinds of dreams and wonder and excitement that i once had as a child myself, and to an extent still do. sometimes i consider what's going on around me and go "what is the point anymore", and that's a real fucking shame. we should all be looking forward to tomorrow, but unfortunately that is hardly the case for anyone.

none of this even begins to address current geopolitical conflicts/tensions, all of the systemic issues we have in the world, and the amount of discriminatory and racist legislation being shoved through much of the country i live in. all of it has had a severe impact on my mental health. i could go on, but i'd be here for hours.

so yeah, that's my general outlook on life and the world around me. on a personal level, things are going reasonably well, but in the grand scheme of things we probably are might be fucked. call me naive, but i figured that in this day and age humanity might have finally gotten its shit together long enough to secure our species's continued existence, especially as a survivor of an attempted ethnic cleansing/genocide. after what my people and i went through, i didn't think it'd be possible to see humans treat each other like that again. but no, clearly i was a fool for thinking like that. there are too many selfish assholes out there who clearly didn't pay attention to "sharing is caring" in school and want nothing but whatever benefits them and their sphere of influence. the only difference is this time some of them have nukes and are looking for an excuse to use them. and even if we don't blow ourselves up, we're actively destroying our planet and there's very little the average person can do about it, which is depressing as all hell. i genuinely fear what is to come for our species in the near future, but all we can do is keep moving and control what aspects of our lives we can. in general i try to focus my energy on the positives and less on the negatives, because devoting too much mental and emotional energy to the latter just leads to endless misery, and i can't handle it anymore. i've fucking earned some goddamn peace and happiness in this world after all i've been through, and saying that shouldn't be controversial.

thanks for the ask, friendo! it's rare i get to share my thoughts like this.

#personal #current events #geopolitics #watermonkeystuff

[thoughtslikeocean]

I text R.

It was a funny meme that I kinda thought we would both laugh off and kinda keep going. I honestly expected to kinda be an asshole to me about it. As we talk about how things have been going in our lives since we last talked, I'm realizing that the narrative I've made up in my head about him isn't exactly true. *Surprise surprise*

In my mind, he couldn't wait to get away from me. I thought he was just hoping I would break up with him so that he could be with someone else. I thought he hated me. I relationship ended with me listing out all the reasons why I wasn't satisfied with him. And to be honest the things were so simple that because he didn't fix them, I just thought he was doing out purpose. I still think there is some truth to this but not in the way I thought.

He told me he missed me. Of course I missed him too. That was supposed to be my HUSBAND. It's hard to shake back from a person like that but I figured out a way to do it.

He hasn't been doing well. He's depressed and physically going through it due to an injury. He told me he had a dark year. And from what I know about his fam, he more than likely had to handle his mental health by himself. That breaks my heart.

I had a great year. Despite our breakup, I graduated, passed boards, re-entered another doctorate program, got a new car, moved into a new place, strengthened my relationship with my family and friends, physically got stronger, my relationship with God grew. I didn't enter into anything serious romantically but I did meet some wonderful humans along the way.

I feel so guilty. And I know. I know his depression doesn't have anything to do with me. I know that I shouldn't feel guilty about doing well in life. I know all these things but I still feel an immense amount of guilt. That man was my best friend. Genuinely the most important person in my life. I wanted to marry him. I wanted to have babies with him. I wanted to grow old with him. Knowing that he's been suffering this past year tears me apart. I would have wanted to have been there for him. I want to be here for him now but I don't know if that's something that can happen.

I feel like me entering back into his life would make his situation worse. Especially if I'm not coming back into his life to be with him. He doesn't want to hear about me dating anyone and God forbid I meet someone down the line and while we're friends, I have to tell him that I'm settling down with someone else. It would send him into a spiral. He'd of course be happy for me. He'll always be happy for me but it doesn't ever change the fact that it could've been us.

Do I want to be with him again? No. Not like this. The reasons why we broke up are the same reasons why we stayed broken up for this long. He still has not been able to conceptualize his importance in my life. I don't know if he understands his own self worth or is worth to me. He told me yesterday that he thought I never wanted to speak to him again. How could he ever think something like that? I've never in my life thought that way about him even when I was at my maddest! But his mind convinces him of things. And he always believes those thoughts over the words or actions I tried to offer him everyday.

I went back to the last words I said to him before we officially broke up. I want to be able to tell you that I had a lapse of judgment or I could've worded something differently or I didn't communicate something right. I really want to tell you that I went left somewhere in that message but I didn't. I stated everything about how I felt as clear as day. I still stand on the things that I said. There were things that I knew I needed out of the relationship and he, for various reasons, that I didn't know of, couldn't provide. I still need those things. And although I want nothing more for him to be in my life again, I know he's still not there yet. Who knows if he ever will, right? And that's the part that hurts.

I have to come to terms with the fact that this is him. Where he is is where he'll be and we will never be able to make this work together. That is not what I imagined in my head when we broke up. I genuinely thought there would be some light bulb moment for the both of us, we would figure out the problem and then we would continue on with life TOGETHER. I kinda still thought that up until now. Hearing from him made me realize that I might have unrealistic expectations when it comes to him. He's given me who he is and I can decide whether to be with him or not. Changing him into anything other than what he shows me is not an option.