#also about other things but the ways this is so culturally influenced are genuinely fascinating and complex

[kyouka-supremacy]

I was asked why I like Beast and why I prefer it over the main universe, so obviously I ended up with a 2k+ words essay on why Beast is great. Now I feel like it diverges too much from what the original ask was actually asking for, so I'm leaving it to its own post. Enjoy.

Why do you like Beast? So, first of all you MUST know that this is a question that could keep me talking for days to no end. I'm not kidding. Here there will be some disorganized rambles but trust me, if I had time to actually do so I'd keep going on forever.

Alternative universes are cool I love Beast. I think it starts off at a point when the bsd author was more experienced from having already worked with the main series for many years, and ultimately ended up making an alternative version of the work that is more mature and refined, while still maintaining bsd's core themes (and conservative worldviews at that lmao). Starting off, the “what if” concept is endlessly fascinating, pretty much the entire fandom culture is based on it. It IS unfailingly cool to see what could have happened if Akutagawa sided with the ada and Atsushi with the pm, it is extremely interesting to see what changes out of their personalities and on the other hand what stays the same, what is intrinsically them. About sskk, I find it really compelling how Beast tackles intimate aspects of their lives, pasts and traumas. The café scene is genuinely brilliant in the way it shows, completely unexpectedly and to the reader's full disbelief, them getting along in normal circumstances. Who could have predicted that! Of all things, Akutagawa and Atsushi getting along. But it happened, and nothing before had ever shown to that extent how similar they are, how much on the same page they are, how much they're meant to be– like yeah obviously I mean romantically, but even if you're not particularly into that, it displayed just how deeply connected they are. I'm forever grateful for that scene.

Beast Akutagawa is great But I think… More in general, I just really like Beast Akutagawa and Beast Atsushi, even better than their canon counterparts 😅 Again I do think at the point when they wrote Beast the author had already gathered a lot of experience from serializing bsd for at least five years, and ended up making characters that are more solid and compelling (although please don't get me wrong, I LOVE canon sskk and I believe canon Akutagawa's character arc in particular is amazing. It's just that at least to me Beast sskk is everything I could ever ask for.). I love Beast Akutagawa! It was so so capturing to see him grow outside of the pm. And especially it was infinitely interesting to see Akutagawa grow outside of Dazai. And don't get me wrong, I love the influence Dazai has on canon Akutagawa, I wouldn't have it any other way: it made Akutagawa who he is, and I love reading about his character. But I also found it wonderful and pleasantly refreshing to see how he would be if he had never undergone Dazai's training; I like this Akutagawa who's possibly even more immature and impulsive, wild and untamed than his canon counterpart. Beast is also the universe where Akutagawa gets his chance at being a good person - which is something he desperately strived for but never got to have in the main universe -, and in the end I am a little attached to Akutagawa, so I'm happy for him! His relationship with Oda and the whole ada are wonderful, I like getting to experience a universe where Akutagawa is loved and supported, unapologetically, for who he is.

Beast Atsushi is great Beast Atsushi is AMAZING. Like. Character molded appositely to my liking ahah. He's so cool! He's so tormented! He's sweet and cruel and utterly unstable! I love him so much. He truly is Atsushi at his full potential. I love this Atsushi who's biggest fear isn't the world, but rather himself. He's beautiful and horrible and deathly and kind. He killed his abuser to stop him from haunting his nightmares, but ended up turning those nightmares into his life. He takes his coffee with three sugars. He loves his little sister and would risk the safety of his organization and the boss he's endlessly loyal to for her. The only person who ever understood him is his most loathed enemy. He's one with death and indistinguishable from darkness. His laughter stops rain. He lives in perpetual physical pain due to a choker constantly piercing around his neck and yet even that is nothing compared to the damage of his psyche. He's so, so fucked up. He deserves the world. I LOVE HIM.

Beast Dazai is great Also, I really like Beast Dazai!!! He's always Dazai, but I think his character works out a lot better in Beast for the role he covers. In canon Dazai is this omniscient, all knowing figure, but he's also a protagonist, and him being so perfectly flawless doesn't go well in the long run. You've seen it in the last season 5 episode, it just gets boring after a while– it would be nice to see him face actual challenges and high stakes for once, but he's so overpowered, that never happens. In Beast, it's pretty much the same deal (author really loves Dazai lmao), but the fact that he isn't the protagonist and instead the main villain? I feel like from a storytelling standpoint, it works so much better!! I mean, his being omniscient works a lot better– he's not the one who the reader expects facing challenges and high stakes, the protagonist is. In addition, in Beast Dazai has almost universal knowledge due to his link to the Book, so that makes his being omniscient and even god-like a lot more feasible and easy to contemplate! I think that plot-wise it just works a lot better, there's an actual reason he's so overpowered, and that reason is explained, it's in the text. Oh and I LOVE his utter devotion to Oda. I know it's the same in canon, but still… There in Beast you can see it concretely, you can see it everywhere. That very universe exists how it is because of Dazai's love for Oda, because there's nothing he wouldn't do for him, because in the whole universe, in the whole multiverse, Oda's happiness is the only thing that matters to him. I think such strong feelings of love being put so explicitly is something simply wonderful to read, and makes Dazai infinitely more sympathetic than what he may be in canon. “But I do have one regret, Odasaku— I won't be able to read the novel you'll complete one day.” LIKE YEAH, SURE, ALRIGHT, JUST SHOOT ME TO THE HEAD ALREADY. That line alone is worth the whole novel, honestly. Oh and the thing about Oda harshly repudiating Dazai, the man who literally did everything for him, who dedicated his whole life for him… Man!!! That REALLY made me sympathize with Dazai in a way canon will never be able to. All those factors only contribute making Dazai's suicide in the end all the more emotional– which I believe works really well in the story, he is an enemy and he is a god and he had to die, but still makes for an extremely emotionally charged scene and a wonderful story climax. Imo Beast Dazai had to die so that canon Dazai could live (and, hopefully, find a reason to live!), and it's as bitter as it is beautiful.

The Beast ada dynamics are great And I love the ada in Beast!!! They feel infinitely more of a family than they do in canon. Kenji, Kunikida, Tanizaki, they all seem to love Akutagawa in a way that's hard to be found towards Atsushi in canon? The way they didn't falter to rescue Akutagawa even as he went, against all their advices and pleas, to a suicidal rampage was wonderful and heartwarming. They make it sound unbelievable that when Atsushi was (mind you, unwillingly) kidnapped their first response would be that it was an hassle and that he should have dealt with it on his own (this time I truly believe it was the author learning from their own mistakes, because seriously, who does that. It makes everyone instantly feel a thousand times less sympathetic). As people have said, the ada alone makes Beast feel like the “right” universe on the basis that in it they actually care about their members. All things considered, the ada treats Akutagawa as this kind of rabid murderous gremlin they just adopted who's going to bite everyone but that they still love no matter what, and it's super cute. Beast ada really is the bsd found family if there ever was one.

A cool plot The Beast storyline is just very compelling in general? The introduction chapter is amazing, I mean, The Heartless Cur is amazing. Again, Beast Akutagawa is such a great character, and the description of his struggle to find his own humanity, although in my opinion does fall weak in some points and has flaws, still treats a concept that's very interesting to ponder over nonetheless. I like how there's a series of more light-hearted chapters in the first half, it helps solidify the characters, and those chapters are really nice to read; not to mention having lighter chapters alternated with the strikingly more gloomy and violent pm Atsushi scenes makes the latter feel all the more frightening and disturbing, it's a great narrative choice. And the big crescendo of Akutagawa storming in the pm headquarters! His fight of physics and morals against Atsushi! Them telling each other they're nothing like the other when the reader knows the exact opposite is true! It's all very good, and again, Dazai's suicide makes for a perfect climax to the story.

Sometimes being a seinen can be good I like how Beast is a seinen way more than the main story is? Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with shounen manga - which bsd seems to lean towards more often than not, with only occasionally tackling more adult concepts -, but at this specific time in my life those darker themes are just something I find more entertaining to read about. I feel like the gritty and often gruesome depictions, although maybe a little overused in the manga, really help emphasize the dark atmosphere of the manga and overall effectively convey the whole “beast” imaginary as wild / violent / unpleasant / animalistic.

It's got sskk in it And in general it's just… Compared to canon, Beast is very very sskk centered. It's significantly shorter than the canon manga, and in a way that helped focus on sskk specifically, because it only had space to narrate one story, which is sskk's. And I don't know what to tell you, I'm here for the sskk. Of course I like Beast best.

Beast Atsushi is great (cont.) Back to Beast Atsushi because he's everything, really. I love how when I went into Beast I was like “I mean, whatever Dazai is making of Atsushi under the pm, if can't possibly be any worse than the constant abuse Akutagawa had to experience 😊” AND I WAS PROVED WRONG. I mean, I think the fact alone that the author could come up with something worse is remarkable. Dazai's emotional manipulation and psychological torment is, I believe, the darkest facet of Dazai we ever witnessed, and it's extremely well executed. Beast Atsushi is so so unstable, so on the brim of mental breakdown and psychosis at every second. Him being made unable to let go of the past makes him live in a perpetual nightmare. And I feel like the way his character story is unwrapped is truly masterful, storytelling wise!!!! On the reader's first encounter with him, it's evident how deeply scarred and disturbed he is, but the reader can't tell why. That adds to the mystery and feeling of unsettling surrounding the character: his story is wrapped up by darkness and it's impossible to predict, just like he is– and it's deliciously unsettling, scary, to be unable to tell anything about what made him like he is except from guessing that it must have been something really bad. And yet even then /nothing/ could have prepared the reader to what his backstory really is? And when the traumatic event is finally unveiled, it's worse then any guess the reader could have made. Atsushi's back to the orphanage flashback passage is terrifying! He didn't undergo any harm, like it would have been easy to guess; on the contrary, his torment stems from having killed his abuser. But he did so at a point when he didn't represent a threat for him anymore, when he was proud of him, when he got close to resemble a father to his eyes; and all of this he realized too late; and now he lives in constant regret, constant terror of himself. It's great, really! And even then, Atsushi carries on with being. super cool lmao. Like yeah he's unstable and everything, he's wild and violent, but he's also still very kind. He's timid and blushes easily. He also feels a lot more mature than he does in canon, and it's nice to see. He's more confident and serious, and that's nice too. He REALLY is my favorite character.

Some pretty cool scenes are in it Moving on, Beast has some truly amazing scenes. The Heartless Cur is amazing and builds up such an awesome character, Atsushi's introduction is petrifying, the Kenji / Akutagawa conversation is as deeply moving as it is cathartic. I won't be talking about the sskk café scene. Akutagawa's whole assault to the pm headquarters is rich of emotional scenes. I already talked about Atsushi's flashback and Dazai's suicide being wonderful passages both from technical and emotional standpoints. And the manga ending is just so good!!!!!!! Like it truly is the perfect ending– the way it ties up with the main story! How it feels like ada Akutagawa's story has just begun, a conclusion but also hope for what's to come. The “out behind our company's building there are some people of low character hanging about”– I can't stress enough how emotional this line, a final and definite tie to the main story, makes me, how meaningful it is in its quality of being both an ending, and a beginning. The last page showing Akutagawa at the center of the ada, it just moves me so deeply to see him being the protagonist, surrounded by a crowd of people who love and support him, getting his own chance at a life in the light 😭😭😭 “I'm going to live as an agency member. I'll solve cases, rescue the weak, and prove that I'm not evil.” Crying my eyes out 😭😭😭😭😭😭 And don't get me started on when Akutagawa and Atsushi's voices mix up to speak as one; I could never hope to be able to express what that makes me feel.

Siblings dynamics are my jam I also love Beast because one of the main aspects that drives the plot is Ryuunosuke and Gin's relationship, and I /love/ siblings relationships, and I //love// Ryuunosuke and Gin's relationship. I don't think Gin's character was written well at all (because the author literally can't write female characters for the life of theirs), but eh, at least it reinforced the concept that Ryuunosuke loves Gin terribly and would be able to do anything for her. Atsushi and Kyouka's relationship, too, is to die for.

The designs and manga art style slay Besides, the character designs are beautiful???? Akutagawa's Beast outfit is my second favorite out of the whole franchise, it's just such a look™. I love in general how rabid and messy Akutagawa looks in Beast, he feels so much more free? And like, good for him. In my head Beast Atsushi is the most handsome man in the entire franchise and I don't think I can take criticism on this. I find cutting off his longer bang such a witty way to represent not only how this Atsushi is different from the one we know (after all, that's the most remarkable and eye-catching feature of his appearance!), but also to symbolize how the cut with his past at the orphanage was harsh and violent. Characters designs aside, Hoshikawa's art style is GORGEUS. It's hard and rough and messy, it's dark and unpolished and violent and beautiful and exactly everything Beast is. It's PERFECT for the story, it's like it was made to portray it.

Sskk is always great And that's just talking about the canon content but like. Beast means a Beast sskk. Which is basically new and improved sskk. And I like sskk. And I like every version of sskk but especially this version where they're even more violent and fucked up and madly in love with each other and evidently meant to be. So yeah.

And this is like, just the very tip of the iceberg of what I love about Beast. Humbling offering you this Beast love letter in hope we can all give this novel the appreciation it deserves (๑˃‌ᴗ˂‌)۶

#ryūnosuke akutagawa #atsushi nakajima #sskk #shin soukoku #osamu dazai #bsd ada #bsd #bungou stray dogs #bsd beast #bsd analysis #my analysis #mine

[catchingbigfish]

Just popping in to say that your seminar paper sounds fascinating! If you feel like sharing more about it feel free, but completely no pressure at all. Your description of it in your tags just intrigued me~

oh my god thank you, you have NO idea how hyped i am to get a chance to talk about it!! this is going to be wayyyyy too much info and incredibly long, but i have no one to talk about except my class and we don't meet again until next thurs!

okay so i'm taking a rhetorics grad class and writing about, generally, the rhetoric of christian deconstruction and deconstructors' reclamation of power -- for anyone who doesn't know, deconstruction means people (i've only ever heard this in a christian context but i'm sure this could apply to other religions, i just genuinely am unfamiliar with those spaces) who decide to examine their faith, which is a super complicated process. this can range from "what is the biblical evidence for this topic" all the way to "do i still agree with this belief". so, i'm looking at: how do they talk about their experience of deconstruction, and what new sites of power do they adopt when leaving their faith

more specifically, though, i'm actually writing about memoirs published by two Duggar daughters (of the 19 Kids and Counting television show/franchise) this year! Jill Dillard published what is the closest thing there is to a Duggar-adjacent tell-all, and her sister Jinger Vuolo published a "theological memoir", where she explicitly refused to adopt the term "deconstruction" and instead created a new term, "disentanglement". for those who don't know, the Duggar family is a member of the Independent Fundamental Baptist denomination and the Institute in Basic Life Principles parachurch organization, both of which promote biblical patriarchy (aka, the man is the head of the house and the woman must submit to him) and purity culture (aka, your value is entirely determined by your virginity, and men are terrible horny creatures who cannot control themselves. also, women can't wear pants). both daughters' memoirs are about how they are no longer members of the IBLP, and to an extent, the IFB.

my pitch for the paper was to look at the IFB/IBLP rhetoric about power (the "umbrella of authority" in particular, but generally purity culture and biblical patriarchy) and then examine their new stated beliefs and how they negotiated the power to assert them -- like, looking at Dillard's discussion of her choice to start wearing pants and how she wanted her husband to just tell her what to do, and how when that resulted in blowback from her father, she attempted to placate him (as part of her "umbrella of authority") by calling him before she got a nose ring; and, of course, looking at how she had to deconstruct the belief in the "umbrella" to even write the book. also, looking at how Vuolo's memoir is influenced by her husband's career as a pastor and even though she's distanced herself from the headship/helpmeet dynamic, she's still replicating it by saying she shouldn't have control over her own life.

this has already gotten crazy long, so i'll put more about my research under a cut!!

i've been doing a lot of reading on super varied topics, but i'm reading a lot of TJ Geiger, Bethany Mannon, and Amorette Hinderaker -- the first two specifically look at exvangelical (ex-evangelical christian) rhetorics.

the paper i mentioned in my tags was specifically "Forgiveness Is More Than Platitudes: Evangelical Women, Sexual Violence, and Casuistic Tightening" by Geiger; it's a study of Beth Moore and the gymnast Rachel Denhollander, who both publicly condemned the church's response to abusers. it's *such* a good article, it took me forever to wrap my head around it (coming from a non-christian perspective who had no idea what the fuck casuistic meant) but it's absolutely fascinating, and argues Denhollander and Moore are, in essence, un-flattening the roles between "abuse victim" and "sexually immoral" and demanding churches make forgiveness more costly for the abuser instead of allowing them to brush abusers' crimes away by saying "god forgives them and you should, too". Mannon also wrote about Moore! she's what led me down this rabbit hole, i read a *different* article about Moore in Peithos, a feminist rhetoric journal, for a different project this semester!

Hinderaker looks at "organizational exit", a hot topic in organizational psychology, but she looks specifically at high-control religions instead of workplaces, which is where most of the research was before. i haven't confirmed this, but i suspect she may be ex-mormon? she has a really good article about the way people narrate their decision to leave high-demand religious groups, and argues the "reach" of an organization into a participant's life is actually the primary factor in exit, which goes against previous research (which focused on pay as the most important factor).

okay, i promise i'm almost done. i also read Pure by Linda Kay Klein for fun, then realized about 1/4 of the way in it fits the paper perfectly, because it's really about purity culture rhetorics. i also read The Preacher's Wife, which is about evangelical women celebrities, and helped me frame Vuolo's book in particular. the other genre i've been reading a lot is the general topic of feminist rhetorics, women's rhetorics, conservative and evangelical rhetorics, etc., which basically culminates in Charlotte Hoggs' article "Including Conservative Women’s Rhetorics in an 'Ethics of Hope and Care'", which is explicitly about incorporating the study of conservative rhetorics in the feminist rhetorics field.

#thank you again for the opportunity to ramble about this #you absolutely made my night i was gonna burst if i didn't talk about it #and no one including my fiance have any fucking clue what i'm talking about 90% of the time i go on about this

[rtgame]

Mesopotamian mythology facts, please

oh fuck, like right now??? uh fuck.

this is also like such a hard topic to just talk about on the spot because the region of mesopotamia was a clash of cultures constantly interacting with and influencing each other and also i never perform well when put on the spot like this. im nervous :(

anyways there was a goddess who was associated with sheep, duttur. we don't have much on her and her big thing appeared to be being dumuzid's mother. i dont have much to say about her i just like thinking about a sheep goddess

there's also nanshe, the goddess of justice, birds, dream divination, and the sea. she's also been described as the divine protector of disadvantaged people (and this is apparently a fundamental part of her), and i personally find it fascinating that a goddess from 3,000+ years ago is still very applicable today. if that makes any sense.

im blanking so hard i havent talked about any of this in depth since i was like, 19. im nervoud :(

one of my favorite myths is inanna's descent to the underworld, which is basically a convoluted myth explaining the seasons. (although all of the versions of it i found online omitted the part whre dumuzid's sister takes his place in the underworld?)

the term "anunnaki" was used in varying ways. while it almost always referred to a group of gods, the gods in question were constantly shifting. sometimes they referred to specifically underworld gods, sometimes they referred to gods like anu [unrelated to ntftbl anu], etc etc. side effect of words and beliefs changing over time and the gods having different roles/relevancy in different places also no, they're not aliens. im still mad about conspiracy theories co-opting the term anunnaki (and nibiru...). in fact, a lot of things from mesopotamian mythology has been co-opted by conspiracy theorists and i personally find it extremely frustrating. misinformation about mesopotamian mythology and history is all over the internet already (because it is admittedly a hard topic to research if you're not in an academic setting, and even then...) and false information pushed by conspiracies doesn't help that problem at all. it's tragic because i believe that this is genuinely such a fascinating topic but its just so frustrated to see it co-opted like this.

[risingsouls]

🦎 You've probably already talked about an AU like this, but with the concept that the Cold family never enslaved the saiyans and planet vegeta was never destroyed, what kind of king do you think Vegeta would've become?

🦎 For My (work) Thoughts || Always Accepting!

[Actually. I don't think I've gotten much chance to talk about anything like this and I've been sitting on this for so long (in large part because I save these for work and this was my first week back after a week off) and I'm very excited to ramble incoherently about some ideas!

With how entrenched the Cold Empire became with the Saiyans to the point we don't really have a solid idea of how the Empire influenced Saiyan life and culture, this is almost difficult to answer. I have my own ideas obviously, BUT. Really digging into what would be different in general for Saiyans and therefore their rulers is tricky but fascinating.

My first thought is that Vegeta would be an ambitious king. Even without the Cold Empire, I think he would be keen on expanding the Saiyans' influence in the universe really for no other reason than the power of it because I don't think he'd care much about wealth and status (in the way its often linked to wealth and whatnot) except in ways a king HAS to as much as he would care about the universe knowing that the Saiyans are a force to be reckoned with. I've talked before somewhere about the Saiyans having the idea that the king remains planetside to rule while the prince conquers, and I think this would remain true and spark that desire to cement the Saiyans' might in the minds of all in the universe. It would definitely be more difficult without the technology the Cold Empire gives them canonically, but considering, at least in my understanding of things before Super came and changed/added their own spin, they did have the tech from the conquered Tuffles that allowed them to begin going to other planets to fight stronger people/conquering them before King Cold, there was definitely already something growing in that realm foe the Saiyans without Cold influence/aid.

Vegeta would also likely break the tradition of the king only remaining planetside btw. He's entirely too controlling and restless to leave EVERYTHING to others. Plus he's a Saiyan too, and he definitely reveled in his freedom to help with conquering planets and fighting way too much to just retire that part of his life entirely. His lust for battle is too strong for me to comfortably say he would shelf it completely just because "that's how things have always been." Plus he's too proud and haughty to not want to make a bigger better name for himself than every Saiyan ruler before him.

As for like what he would be like as a king in general, that's so tough to answer because we know for a fact that Frieza had a TON of influence on him since he was a child, and since we know very little about his life before that or even his parents and upbringing, its difficult to make any like super confident assumptions. But here are a few things I've considered and have been sort of able to parse out that might be like genuine Vegeta without Frieza influence.

I think it goes without saying that Vegeta wouldn't be a kind, benevolent king by any stretch. He would be firm and incredibly goal oriented with very little tolerance for shenanigans. However, I don't think he would be a cruel king, at least not to the Saiyans in the sense he wouldn't needlessly kill or torment people just because or for some minor infraction. The reason i say this with certainty is that, until shit started unraveling for him, he kept Nappa and Raditz alive despite them being far weaker than him. This showed that even though he did think of them as weaker and I'm sure they crossed him PLENTY, Vegeta does recognize that needlessly killing other Saiyans wouldn't be beneficial to ruling his people or an empire. So basically he's definitely going to be as callous, haughty, and blunt as you would expect, but I don't think we would see any Frieza-esque or unnecessary cruelty from him AT LEAST toward other Saiyans unless it was warranted.

That said, I've also thought about like....would Vegeta change anything, namely things like the rigid caste system in any way or try to ease tensions between the Saiyans toward the royal family stoked by his father and probably at least his father's father. I think for the latter, considering his ambitions, I think he would be forced to try and regain the trust of as many Saiyans as possible even if he didn't really WANT to. And, because I think a lot of the unrest and friction came from the caste system, he would likely have to face making changes to it at the very least. Again, I don't think this would be a willful or something like clearly on his agenda, but once he sees how the needless drama it causes gets in the way of what HE wants, I think he would be more open to adjusting it in SOME ways like at least making it more fluid/easier to climb through the ranks as soldiers grow stronger and offerent better opportunities to those who do start at the bottom of the food chain. Abolishing it would likely be out of the question because then it COULD jeopardize his claim to power if they somehow managed a movement to change the government's structure outright, but he would likely be confident in his own power to adjust some things to make it better at least because he wouldn't see anyone ever challenging his power (which makes me wonder if that would probably be his undoing someday as it is in canon, BUT).

Anyway. I know most of that is really vague but I hope it makes some sense? I def didn't touch on everything I could have, like coming to mind as I type this part is considering how things would be different in regards to how, at least imo, the whole sending weak Saiyans off to conquer weak planets as babies was a Cold Empire influence things and what that could mean for Vegeta if anything, but yeh! It also got really long but that was really fun to think about kwhfbejfn.]

#.:ask:. #.:ooc:. #.:long post:. #unboundpower #1000000 years later i finally get to sit with this #thank you again for sending this question it was suuuuper fun

[eternal-moss]

hi omg this is so random but your post abt genshin and the dream smp having (faux) christian influences came up on my recommended page randomly and I found it fascinating bc this is the first time I've EVER come across someone who liked/s (?) Genshin and the smp holy shit. I barely follow mcyt anymore but am still huge on genshin (though a lot healthier now than I was when I was also into the smp) and i just wanted to drop in and say hello and ask how you're doing I guess? sorry if this feels weird in some way I'm just very curious haha

Hi :D! Thank you so much for this message, it’s nice to have an ask like this every once in a while. The dream smp fandom is pretty dead at the moment, probably because of the nature of live-streaming and the time it took place in. The lockdown period still feels like a bit of a fever dream, but I do have fond memories of being in the fandom while it was at its peak. Most of the fan interactions were really fun and it was super active from a fanart standpoint which I loved (although I was on Instagram at the time and not Tumblr).

I went through a small death note phase after that (small as in period of time, it was less than a year which was unusual for fixations for me) and learnt what it was like to be in a small/dormant fandom given the anime ended in 2007. Then I stumbled across Genshin, which I guess is actually pretty similar to the dsmp in a lot of ways.

Firstly it was massive and had tonnes of fan content, which I was so happy about, had frequent drops of new material, and was also a video game which meant fanartists had a bit of freedom to change designs up and make unique character designs (which I think is super cool!).

However, I guess I am a bit sad because as an asexual person I really liked the dynamics of the dream smp, especially found family. Genshin has some great found family/familial content but people focus way more on the sex-appeal of the characters which I something I just can’t relate to. I do like the game and a lot of fan creators but most of the fan things made are centred around what’s sexually arousing to them, which is frequently gay men, and stereotyped and fetishised to hell and back (I’m not sure whether this is a fandom wide issue or a Tumblr issue).

I’m not against shipping, I enjoy it quite a bit, but I think there’s so much interesting stuff in Genshin, like the lore, platonic character relations, mythology and cultural influence, and especially the female characters who tend to get shunted to the wayside in favour of male characters. (I won’t pretend that there isn’t a discrepancy in how the genders are written though, Genshin has some issues in writing female characters as well as other issues like their pretty blatant colourism)

Sorry, this has ended up as quite a long response, but yeah this is pretty much my evaluation of the two fandoms! Genshin is a fandom I do genuinely enjoy, as was the dream smp, despite me being critical of them. I love seeing analyses and will continue to write stuff like this, I’m glad you enjoyed it!

(As for how I am, that is entirely dependent on school haha. I’m in my final year which means lots of exams, but I’m lucky to have some really great friends in my life)

#Asks #dream SMP #dsmp #Genshin impact #Genshin #mossy rambles

[glxyhrt]

ﾟ･✧ BIRTHDAY SYMBOLS.

BIRTHSTONE : EMERALD — THE GEM OF LOVE & LIFE

The emerald has been a gem of fascination in many cultures for over six thousand years. It is so prized, that carat for carat, a fine emerald may be two to three times as valuable as a diamond. Many cultures throughout time have believed the emerald to be an enormously powerful stone in different ways. The ancient Egyptians believed the emerald stood for fertility and rebirth. In some legends of King Arthur, the Holy Grail is described as being fashioned from an emerald. It was known that Emerald was a favorite gem of Cleopatra, the Queen of Egypt, and the Emerald mine in Upper Egypt, rediscovered a hundred years ago near the Red Sea, was one of the earliest Emerald occurrences in the human history. In addition, it was believed that wearing an Emerald would improve one's memory and intelligence, enabling one to think clearly about the past, present, and future.

BIRTH FLOWER : LILY OF THE VALLEY

Lily of the Valley is a low growing perennial plant with small, white, bell-shaped flowers symbolizes sweetness, humility, and happiness. The secret message conveyed by the Lily in the Victorian era is "You've made my life complete", and signifies the return of happiness. According to legend, Lily of the Valley sprang from Eve's tears when she was kicked out of the Garden of Eden. The Lily is also a popular choice for weddings.

ASTROLOGICAL SIGN : GEMINI

Geminis are energetic, intelligent, imaginative, witty, balanced, and adaptable people. Your charisma and accomplishments are infectious. You enjoy communicating with others, more than any other astrology sign does, and you listen just as much as you speak. You are quick to adapt to any kind of situation and person, and are quite curious about everything around you. Geminis are known to speak their mind, making them extremely honest people.

CHINESE ZODIAC SIGN : THE DOG — THE SYMBOL OF FIDELITY

You are unpretentious, loyal, steady, reliable, sociable, lively, persistent, courageous, resourceful, generous, diligent, honest, adaptable and smart. You hate injustice and are strongly influenced by a sense of fairness, equality, loyalty and caring. You therefore are often found promoting social reform. You are genuine, unassuming, charming and magnetic in an effortless way. You make a loyal friend and value personal integrity. You do make friends slowly however, but you will protect a friend's interest as if they were your own. You are brave and do not shy away from danger.

NATIVE AMERICAN ASTROLOGICAL SIGN : DEER

You are restless, intelligent, persistent, friendly, intellectual, talkative, funny, and sensitive. You appear to be gentle, but on the inside are extremely strong-willed. You are passionate about fairness, and believe every person on this earth should be treated with the same amount of kindness and respect. You want others to believe the same. You have a great sense of humor and your laughter is infectious. In social situations, your shining personality and liveliness radiate, and are inspiring.

BIRTH TREE : ASH TREE — THE TREE OF AMBITION

You are imaginative, artistic, peaceful, loving, reliable, ambitious, vivacious, talented, intelligent, intuitive, and a nature lover. You are extremely wise- a free thinker who sees things others don't, as you tend to travel down paths others wouldn't, in order to learn and see a bigger picture. You don't care about what others think of you. You are an inspiration to everyone you come in contact with, as your love for life is infectious. You have a passion for art, science, writing and spirituality.

#✨ * ‹ ch. study › a constellation’s soul . #✨ * ‹ dash games › let’s have a little fun . #long post //

[alfredosauce50]

Hii :)

can you Write platonic Yandere allies With an underage reader? They Could be a new young Nation and the allies are deciding (more like killing each other-) who will get to be thier big brother! :D

I love me some cute platonic headcanons it's underrated!

This sounds like a super cute and interesting concept!! However, this is going to be yandere, so we will cut back on some of the nice and peachy stuff. Also, this will inevitably take a bit of a political turn because *cough* we’re talking the original AU of nations which I have not done before. But I’ll make it subtle in lil’ sprinkles.

Yandere Allies: Big brother headcanons

It’s daunting to catch the attention of some of the most powerful countries in the world. They’re the allies, and they’re constantly looking for opportunities to outplay one another. When they offer a hand for you to take, is it just an expression of fraternal instincts and friendship? Or is their infatuation just an articulate ruse to take advantage of you, a young and moldable nation?

America

Under that irresistible smile, larger-than-life personality, and exuberance is quite the psychopath. You’re too naïve to see through his intricate illusion of fun, modernity, and liberty. Instead, you’re drawn in like moths to a flame. Bewitched by the rhetoric of ‘The land of the free’ and fascinated by the long-dead American dream.

His hyper-fixation begins from his quest for conquest, like always. So, when he hears about a new country birthed through independence, his mind immediately goes to two things: friendly relations and trading so he can strike gold.

Alfred has always been a control freak, and he’s used to taking what he wants when he wants. When the rest of the gang are ‘deciding’ who gets to be your big brother, he’s already landed on the verdict. “I’m America, so I get to be what I wanna be. Good talk, guys. See you’s next year!”

Alfred is infamous for interrupting world meetings with his bizarre and obnoxious ideas. But when you start attending, he becomes a changed man. Suddenly, he’s all about long and eloquent discussions, firm objections, and even putting on airs. He wants to impress you with what he’s truly capable of, and hopefully, have you see him as a mentor. He wants to get you on board with his ideologies and agendas.

Expect him to catch you afterward to give you an oversimplification of all the meeting items. He has the charisma of a celebrity, so you’ll have lots of fun talking to him, even if it’s politics. If you follow along with what he’s saying, he’ll be genuinely proud of you! “Good work, kid! If you keep it up at this rate, I’ll have to worry about another superpower to strip my title.”

Alfred gives the best hugs. He’s young, so he understands the bore and stress that comes with the responsibilities of a nation. If you’re ever having a bad day, he will get on his knees and stretch his arms for you to run into. “C’mere.” Rumor has it that he could swing an ox like nothing when he was a baby, so he can pick you up with ease. “Hugs are the best medicine. But you know what’s even better? Pigging out on junk! Let’s go to my place and watch some movies! I know a few that you’ll definitely like!”

Although there’s a substantial gap of a few human years between your ages, he will be the best at connecting with you as a teenager himself. He will instill the belief in you that no matter what, he will double as a friend and guardian. Alfred will engage in conversations in a way for you to feel truly listened to, and that’s how he has you wrapped around his finger. You will want to rely on him for everything, and once that expands into the work environment, he will get exactly what he wanted.

He knows how to have fun! He will entrench you deeper into these fraternal relations by spoiling you with recreation. Alfred has the world in his palm in regards to pop cultural influence, so when he takes you to theme parks, concerts, conventions, and other exclusive events, you will inevitably be overwhelmed and dazzled.

“Look at us, we’re on top of the world!” He will shout, “I’m the king of the world!” It’s easy to buy into the narrative after everything he’s done for you, and the constant exposure to an idealistic portrayal of American affairs. You will feel safe and protected being close to him. Having a good time is a bonus, so you won’t ever want to leave.

Eventually, this fixation on you turns into something real. He wants to be a real big brother, and he does this by being overprotective of you. He ends up controlling you, but he masks it all with a smile so you don’t suspect anything. In reality, he’s conditioning you to go along with everything he says. When he says something is best for you and your country, he really only means ‘us’. Or even just ‘me’.

Alfred can get pretty hostile behind the scenes. Say, somebody he doesn’t like tries to get close to you, or God forbid, replace him as your go-to figure of support, he will not hesitate to confront them. That’s when his psychopathy shines through. His cunning, cynicism, narcissism, and the most significant of all, greed. He will intimidate them with subtle threats, provoke them with a smile, and poke touchy subjects so they know not to mess with him. He’s terrifyingly clever, and he can switch between an obnoxious ‘idiot’ to a calculating world figure in seconds.

Having a younger friend to look up to him gives him more solace than he could’ve ever imagined. Alfred initially wanted to use you as a pawn, as another chest piece to his imperialist game. But as time passed, he ended up seeing you as a little starry-eyed sibling. Alfred wants you to look up to him forever, and he will do anything to keep it that way. He knows his country isn’t as great as it used to be, but if you think it is, he can live in the lie a little longer.

This will evolve into an obsession. He will manipulate you, study you, micro-manage your affairs, and meddle with your personal life to keep this ruse going. He won’t stop to think before getting his hands dirty to keep you in his bubble. Eventually, it becomes the one thing that keeps him sane. Soon, he’ll find himself scouring for anybody that can see through him—everybody is a little suspicious, but the one person that has him completely figured out is China. They are both aware of each other, and aren’t afraid either, so it won’t be pretty.

Meanwhile, infighting continues between England, France, and Russia. It’s mostly just Arthur and Francis going back and forth with each other, and Ivan whisking you away with the luxury of peace and quiet. They’re not as hell-bent Alfred is on this, so they’ll be trying to one-up each other rather than scheming. Except Ivan, he’s always scheming.

Arthur and Francis want to entice you with cultural phenomena. They will turn to the classic, ‘win them over with your national dish’ trick to gain your favor. The Brit will enthuse you with steam jetting out of his nostrils, going on about, “we make a mighty fine tikka masala, if you ask me. It’s our national dish! If you come over to my house, I’ll get you some—” to where Francis will jump in and scowl, “the name’s not even in English, you funny little English man. Don’t go claiming other cuisines just because you only have peas and well-done rocks to offer.”

“Oh, so we’re adding those labels now, huh? How about some alliteration? What did you say, you French frog?!” Ivan will flash his signature unassuming smile as they begin their daily scuffle again. “I said you only have peas and well-done rocks to offer. Are you hard of hearing?” Ivan often winds up being middle ground, so if he’s not finding joy in riling them up, he will quietly leave. He is also aware of the brewing tension between Alfred and Yao, so he will offer you haven at his place.

What was meant to be an act of kindness, however, slowly transpires into something else. He tells you he’s always lonely, and he’s happy to have you as a friend—“I’m a little jealous of everyone else. They always seem to be at each other’s necks, don’t you think? It looks fun.” He will ‘grow mushrooms’ in the corner while sulking, “at least they have someone to keep them company. But lucky me. You’re here now!”

Being protective and clingy is in his nature. He doesn’t have a lot of friends, so he latches onto you like a silent guardian—he will be often found standing behind you menacingly, scaring away anybody that wants to mess with you. When you look up at him, he will immediately beam and go, “what’s wrong, sunflower? Did you want to go to my house?” Before you answer, he will decide for you. “Okay, my house! We can be naughty and stay up past your bedtime.”

Ivan’s infatuation may not be subtle, but it will be out of pure intentions. However, because he hangs around you so often, pats your head, and treats you so kindly in the open, he gets Alfred’s attention, and it’s not the good kind. Needless to say, they have an altercation without you being there, and he immediately knows what trouble you are in. Somewhere down the line, he will pull you aside for a stern, heart to heart. “You need to watch out for Alfred,” He warns. “He may seem friendly, but he’s not who you think he is. He pretends. He’s dishonest. He tells lies.”

In this manner of speaking, he can be considered the truest big brother of the bunch. Ivan is looking out for you, and he’s super high-strung about it. He can’t be threatened, intimidated, or gaslighted. If Alfred tries anything with him, he will have hell to pay. Ivan won’t hesitate to call him out in front of an audience—“you’re getting quite familiar with them, lately. I hope it’s not because you want to take anything of theirs!”

Eventually, he will struggle to keep up with Alfred’s persistence and straight up psychopathy. The man is out of control, and the only way to combat his Hollywood charm is to tell you the truth about him. Ivan is not the best communicator, nor is he the person you should hear it from. He will be the bridge between the West and the East and refer you to an old friend who knows one too many things of the truth.

China

Like America, he can be outspoken, friendly, and intensely generous. But the one thing that sets them apart is that Yao doesn’t try to hide his true nature. He’s old, haunted, and exhausted by the burden of existence to the point of being bitter about it.

When a new nation appears, he will, without a doubt, look over them. He’s fascinated by their innocence and youth, as they remind him of who he used to be.

When he notices Alfred’s obsession with you, he’s concerned enough to learn more. He is the one country whose power can rival America’s, and he doesn’t care to Westernize. Alfred therefore sees him as a double threat, so he’s constantly trying to outplay him or point fingers. Hence, Yao knows how much of a bully he can be and wants to make sure you’re alright.

He invites you over for tea out of the blue. He has no intention to take advantage of you like Alfred. He only wants to know you a little better, and perhaps, see how deep the American has sunk his latches into you. When you say that he’s mentioned a few unpleasant remarks here and there, Yao will simply laugh it off and pat your back. “He only says that because he’s jealous of me, 孩子. Don’t believe everything you hear.”

He’s a fantastic teacher. Yao is great at doing business, and he’s more than happy to teach you what he knows. He has strong paternal instincts, so he wants you to become competent enough to get on by yourself. Eventually, he will invite you over for lessons. If you do well, he rewards you with elaborate meals and ‘lets’ you clean his garden. If you accuse him of making you do work for free, his face will scrunch up—“Free labor? Of course not! I will pay you with the opportunity to be better at doing chores. And free tickets to sightseeing my beautiful garden!”

Yao has even stronger fraternal instincts. He doesn’t even have to try to be a big brother, because it’s in his nature to hover. If you show up looking tired, upset, or with wrinkles in your clothes to world meetings, he will bend down and fix you up frantically. “哎呀, did you look in the mirror before leaving today? You look like crap! Come here, let me freshen you up.”

He always brings a hello kitty pouch for cosmetic purposes. If you’re ever curious or interested, you will set him off on a passionate spiel about everything inside! Even better, you let him do your skincare for the night. “If you want your skin to be as soft as silken tofu when you’re as old as me, you have to take care of it.”

He’s a big talker. When you’re at his house simmering down, he might go off on one his philosophical tangents. Soon, Yao will sound more like an old grandpa than anything else, but his company has the charm of familial love. You will feel safe in notions of permanency, especially when he always talks about being as old as the sands of time and sustaining through the ages.

Otherwise, he’s making up words of wisdom. “You know, Confucius never said that. He actually said, (something completely unrelated and ridiculous he made up on the spot). I would know, we were good friends!” Now that his other siblings have grown up, he’s been subconsciously looking for someone like you—a young apprentice, friend, and someone to listen to his rambles until they fall asleep.

Once he develops a soft spot for you, things will change. Being protective as an unofficial older brother was always a given, but this transpires into something darker. Yao has always been a little isolated from the world, its ideologies, agendas, and culture—he will want the same for you. As your teacher, he expects you to learn some of his ways. He isn’t as forthcoming about it, but he will enforce his ideas subtly for you to pick up. He thinks he knows what’s best for you.

You’ve come to trust his judgement, or at least, want to, and he appreciates that. So, he wants to avoid manipulating you, but still ends up a little controlling. “Don’t be taken by Western lunacy,” He warns, taking your hand to lead you off. “Their civilizations never last. They are reaching a plateau right now, and will change like the dynasties of old.” He won’t take lightly to Alfred’s persistence, let alone you disappearing to frolic with other nations. Yao is very wary of Alfred because he sees him for exactly what he is.

As a result, they will constantly be at each other’s necks. In front of an audience, they will keep disagreeing with one another over the most trivial things. Yao will usually be the bigger person and agree if he thinks he’s wrong, but that’s when Alfred will go, “oh, actually, you’re right. Never mind.” Alfred can be a piece of shit, and may even land a few indirect insults to get a rise out of him. But he can never top Yao’s burns. The old man is a clever bastard, but he can make it sound so elegant when he’s cursing him and his many generations.

In privacy, you do not want to be in the same room as them. They will go back and forth in rude, snide, and spiteful remarks until one, if not both of them snap. They’re usually passable as friends, but if they keep attacking each other on sensitive topics and hitting the mark with anything too close to home, they will fight. They may land a few punches and kinks, but they know better than to rough each other up too badly—only because that will raise questions.

While they’re fighting, Yao will be uncharacteristically quieter around you. He feels terrible that you’ve unintentionally polarized him and Alfred, so if you ever ask about them, he will tell you white lies. He’s a great story teller, so he’ll hug you close and distract you with fables or riddles until you forget what you were so concerned about. “我的孩子, you’re still young. Don’t waste your energy on foolish adult rituals. Relish in your youth before you lose it.”

Because you’re so innocent and ignorant, Yao won’t be able to stay away from you. Since you don’t seem to have an idea of what’s going on, he can pretend that he doesn’t either. Like Alfred, he’s made you some sort of pacifier. You bring him the peace he’s been waiting for so desperately, and even if it’s not the sweet release he’s been yearning for, he takes what he gets.

#ask answered #aph hetalia #hetalia #axis powers hetalia #axis powers ヘタリア #hetalia fanfiction #hetalia x reader #alfredosauce50 #aph america #aph russia #aph england #aph france #aph china #hetalia headcanons #headcanon #yandere #yandere Hetalia #yandere america #yandere China #yandere headcanons

[shuttershocky]

okay I saw your post about Amiya not really seeing Kal'tsit as a mom (which wounds me but tracks as how the game presents it), so here's a question, you think that can change? Kal'tsit is all too aware of how Amiya feels about her, and seems dignified enough to leave it alone, but how do you think those two can get closer?

I think it won't change. If anything, Kal'tsit and Amiya will continue to treat each other as mentor and student and will have their relationship grow in that specific direction, even if Kal'tsit feels parental affection for Amiya. I don't see their relationship growing more familial any time soon.

It's not clean, it's not entirely happy, but if there's anything Arknights likes to do it's revel in messy, conflicting, and complicated feelings and ideas.

Forgive me, i'm about to go very off-topic.

Doctor and Kal'tsit's relationship for example is so fascinating because it's /not/ a simple tsundere thing, but instead Kal'tsit feels genuine hate for the Doctor to the point of wishing to kill them and yet her morals won't let her kill someone who isn't the same person she despises, and indeed has to protect them with her life because of a promise she made to Theresa. She admits in Chapter 8 that she sees the one who killed Theresa whenever she looks at them, and yet there's another person wearing their face helmet who's genuinely doing a good job and is a good person, and that her harsh treatment of them is because she can't help her feelings in spite of her best efforts. It's ugly and raw and rather tragic, but it also makes her little hints of respect and even admiration for the Doctor feel even sweeter.

Even some of their plots end up this way, which is when I find Arknights' writing as its most fascinating. Dossoles Holiday for example, posed hard questions about Bolivar's cultural identity after its colonial history. Now I'm not Chilean, but I'm also from a country who was colonized by the Spanish for hundreds of years (the Philippines), then later passed into the colonial rule of the United States and Japan. The Spanish burnt our records, destroyed our history so they could say we had no history before them (fortunately oral tradition was strong among many tribes), and left us with the same weird feelings that have us grasping for any semblance of cultural identity that we could say is ours.

When Candela Sanchez and Pancho Salas challenged each other over what Bolivar's identity was after Iberian (not-Spain), Columbian (not-America), and Lethianan (not-Germany? Austria?) rule, I felt that. I know exactly the sort of people Pancho recruits to his cause: the people looking for a "real", ideal Bolivar free of foreign influence, in desperate need of the fantasy where they were never colonized. I see that all the time in people a little too obsessed with Filipiniana, who put monsters in everything to show how the thing celebrates pinoy culture because we all really, really want something to call our own. Not Spanish, not American, but Filipino.

Pancho wanted to destroy Dossoles because it was the very opposite of his ideal True Bolivar—corrupt and powerful on the backs of Bolivarians, a haven for the very foreigners that colonized and still seek to colonize Bolivar, and headed by someone clearly educated by the colonial masters (Candela even repeats the Spanish colonial teachings by saying "Bolivar had no history before Iberia").

And yet, despite all that, Candela's retort was painfully true. Yes, her Dossoles is everything Pancho says it is, but it is also real, unlike the ideal Bolivar that Pancho is chasing. It is a real city, led by a Bolivarian when the rest of Bolivar is still being divided up by the three factions, and powerful enough that the three factions have to respect her authority and territory. It is a city of Bolivar actually ruled by a Bolivarian, with its own laws that the colonizers must adhere to and is otherwise a haven compared to the rest of Bolivar due to its wealth and power. It isn't Pancho's True Bolivar, but it's real, while all Pancho has are a set of ideals; ideals he's already breaking by accepting backing from a Lethianan donor who is almost certainly planning to use his revolution for their own ends.

In the end, Candela wins, and while she's willing to forgive everyone involved because she's completely insane, she has to keep up appearances for the sake of political capital and jail Pancho. Her crime-ridden Bolivar that she built by learning the colonizer's ways and turning it against them to carve out her own place for Bolivarians to call home is still better than a lofty fantasy.

It's such an ugly and sad end, one that really hit me hard and made me think about my own country's struggles post colonization. But if it completely ended there, I don't think it would have been anything but depressing.

Instead, Dossoles Holiday ended with Ch'en bringing Ernesto and Rafaela back with her to Rhodes Island. Yes, their father is in jail, their family has been publicly disgraced, and they've been exiled from their home in Dossoles, but even still, they weren't wrong for wanting a better future. They weren't wrong for believing in their father's dream, even as Pancho himself saw that dream begin to partake in hypocrisy. As it currently stands, the Salas family has been defeated and can do nothing about Bolivar's political situation, but Ch'en can bring them to a place that also believes in fighting for a better future, one with the resources, staff, and knowledge to make it far more real than a set of ideals.

I think Kal'tsit doing something to make Amiya love her like a parent is too clean and neat and fairytale-like for something so critical to Arknights. Such things are reserved for the more relaxed, humorous events like Gavial the Great Chief or Heart of Surging Flame. For something like the relationships between Doctor, Kal'tsit, and Amiya, they'll stick to something messy and complicated.

I like it that way. People are complicated, and how Arknights can capture that so well is a major part of why I believe it's so good.

#arknights

[palmett-hoes]

wrote this at first to be a reply to this post by @annawrites but it got super long so i figured it would be better just to make it a standalone post

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it’s a great post about how neil probably has a perfectly functional knowledge of popular culture and how continuously representing him as totally ignorant of it isn’t a fair read of his character or circumstances. neil has incredible street smarts and that involves knowing how to blend in and disappear in a crowd. his knowledge of popular culture is probably eclectic and not very american, so he may not know all the pop culture touchstones that his teammates know, but he definitely knows stuff

meanwhile there are several foxes it would actually make much more sense to have extremely limited or just similarly patchy knowledge of mainstream pop culture

(i’m using “mainstream pop culture” here to refer to a combination of movies, tv shows, celebrities, video games, entertainment and communication technology, music, fashion, pastimes, books, etc. each one has it’s own specific considerations but all together if it was new and popular and timely, it’s pop culture)

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kevin, for one, i think definitely knows like, next to nothing, and i honestly think it’s weird that people decided neil was the “knows nothing about pop culture guy” rather than kevin. i mean, kevin was raised since childhood in an extremely insular and one-track-minded underground cult. he was literally raised under a rock! you think the ravens were taking the time to watch saturday morning cartoons and disney movies? absolutely not. like i truly do not believe that kevin has ever consumed media in his life. he does not know songs, movies, celebrities, video games, tv shows, nothing. and he also has absolutely no idea that he doesn’t know about these things. neil has a working knowledge of most things even if it has plenty of holes but he knows what the holes are. kevin genuinely does not know that the movie Titanic exists

(also i’m ragging a bit here but this is a genuine analysis and a fascinating way to view kevin’s character and i wish people took more time to think through and flesh out his influences and the effect they had on him)

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nicky. son of a conservative christian pastor? his access to media was likely heavily censored to remove “sinful” and “ungodly” influences. the media he consumed probably had a heavy christian focus and there were probably tons of mainstream popular things he wasn’t allowed to even look at, like especially things that were maybe a little risqué or sexual, which a lot of 90s and 2000s pop culture was considered to be. i also wouldn’t be surprised if he went to a private christian school that would still keep his chances to access other influences limited even away from his parents’ immediate view. nicky grew up on christian rock and veggie tales. he was forbidden from going trick-or-treating because it was “satanic.” that vein. watch the movie Saved! (2004) to get a sense of what i’m picturing. obviously once he got away to germany he got the chance to branch out and experience a lot of things, but doing things as an adult is very different growing up with them as a child. i also think this feeds into like,, nicky’s enthusiasm and why he tries so hard to get everyone involved in things and get neil to hang out with him so much and it’s not because he pities neil for not knowing these things but rather that he himself is still enthralled by their novelty

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dan. but also renee, seth, andrew, and possibly aaron to varying lesser extents. these foxes all grew up poor, and access to pop culture is heavily tied to having money, especially in the technology boom of the 90s and 2000s that the foxes came of age in. it’s common for kids from low-income families to be “behind” on popular culture because engaging with it costs money

dan and seth we know grew up in poverty. yes people need entertainment but money considerations have to take priority so what they had access to was probably very touch and go. it’s hard to pin down anything for sure because it just comes down to what their guardians prioritized, but i can say that i doubt they had cable (and it’s possible they didn’t have tv) so their tv influences would be public broadcast rather than like,, disney channel and nickelodeon. dan especially, as someone from the rural poor in north dakota is the one most likely to be out of the loop of mainstream pop culture imo

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renee’s mother is implied to have also been involved with renee’s gang which makes it really hard to pin things down. gangs and other forms of organized crime tend to have a profit motive but because it’s mostly off the books it’s just,,, different. they may had some money but it’s,,, complicated, and she was still living in an impoverished neighborhood. i really can’t make any guesses about it because i just don’t have any context for it, but i think it’s fair to say her media influences wouldn’t have been entirely mainstream pop culture. then of course she spends a year in juvy and two years in the foster care system, which definitely has very limited access to pop culture

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andrew being in the foster care system means that his influences were constantly changing. he could have been in houses from a wide range of economic means, but regardless he probably wasn’t treated well or given gifts or access to new toys or anything that requires an additional fee or tool to access. stories from kids who lived in foster care often reveal that even very wealthy houses enforce extreme limitations on their foster kids. the idea that andrew had a foster sibling with a gameboy, an xbox and a tv in their room while andrew himself didn’t even have a bed,,, isn’t outside the realm of possibility. so, probably no video games or internet. limited choice in what movies or tv shows he could watch. social services are wildly underfunded so what he had access to in group homes and “at-risk youth groups” was probably pretty dated

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we don’t know much about tilda, especially things like her job, but we know aaron grew up in san jose which is one of the most expensive cities/housing markets in the world. this means that they were probably either rich or very poor. personally, i think they were probably poor, which means aaron would have been subject to the same sorts of things as dan or seth in terms of spotty or inconsistent access to a lot of things in popular culture

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so yea, ig just remember that each fox comes from different and complicated circumstances, that upper-middle-class pop culture experiences are not universal, and it’s weird to think that neil has absolutely no concept of pop culture at all while every other fox is apparently highly in tune with it and all have the same up-to-date experiences

#txt #meta #the foxes #dan wilds #kevin day #andrew minyard #aaron minyard #seth gordon #nicky hemmick #renee walker #neil josten #my posts

[beautifulterriblequeen]

Trickster: an Ethari theory

I've had yea many Ethari headcanons, and I hope I live to have yea many more. Most of them are probably wrong, or incomplete at best. But boy are they fun.

I love to wonder what Ethari will really be like in canon when we get to know him for more than 3 minutes, but whoever he really is on his own, he will have an effect on Runaan , Rayla, and everyone who loves him, because they love him.

The first headcanon I can remember having for "Tinker" was that he could be like Leonardo da Vinci: a genius, creative, surrounded by beautiful ideas given shape by his hands, but also capable of creating deadly weapons, enchantments, and devices with equal beauty, and perhaps not really seeing where the line between them was. It was fun, but Ethari has ended up far softer than my headcanon, and I love and support him in his softness!

After a nice string of Ethari headcanons, this year I've started poking at the Trickster archetype and seeing if it applies to him. And I think it absolutely does!

Tricksters often seem like Chaos. But they're not. They're just Difference. "Chaos" is subjective. Like the "divergent" in "neurodivergent." Who says? Divergent from what, exactly? Perspective matters, and Tricksters have a very broad take on things which allows them to think outside any box people might try to invite them into.

My enjoyment of Loki has brought all kinds of ideas to my dash with the arrival of the Loki show. I've got a copy of the Edda, and I highlighted the hell out of it a couple of years ago as I searched for the roots of Loki's origin story. (It's truly fascinating reading and the symbolic language hidden inside their poetry is dazzlingly amazing and I'm super using it sometime just so you know)

Loki is a Trickster, and he's far from alone in myth and legend. Anansi, Coyote, and Sun Wukong are some you may have heard of. Aaravos is another, of course. Tricksters can be called upon to lend aid and wisdom when the rules don't have an answer for some extraordinary circumstance which the Trickster's people find themselves in. But that's not because they are truly outside the rule of order. They are actually a part of it. They are the catch-all for when the everyday ordinary rules fail people, and something "unthinkable"--in the literal sense--might just hold the answer.

This post crossed my dash today, and something finally clicked in my head, and all of this coalesced from what felt like separate places. But they're not separate, not anymore! Serotonin, baby. It's basically upped my headcanon to a full-blown theory.

What caught my eye was an answer to why Ethari's clothing is so determinedly asymmetrical, compared to Runaan's specifically, but Moonshadows in general. It's because of this:

Long protective sleeves below patterns on shoulders. A high collar paired with a bright and noticeable swoop around the neck. Fine detailing and graceful taste. Asymmetrical tunic point on the left, below broad strappy leather. Knee high boots with stylish protective gaiters.

And let's not forget the curling horns! In some comics, Loki has a broken horn. So does Ethari.

Yes, there is a lot of similarity here, but I'm not focused so much on the visuals as the reason they were chosen. Feel free to consider other aspects of Ethari's personality and how they might be similar to certain parts of Loki's. I did! But I wouldn't be me if I didn't go deeper than that.

My favorite book in the universe (so far) is Lois McMaster Bujold's The Curse of Chalion, and one of the many reasons why is because of her pantheon. It holds five gods, represented by a hand: Father, Mother, Son, Daughter, and Bastard. The first four all have their roles and places. The Bastard--the thumb--inherits everything else. He is the god of all things that do not belong to any other gods, and that includes self-sacrificing vengeance and queerness. He is a Trickster, and his influence on Cazaril's life is far deeper than at first glance. Chaos has its place. It belongs, and so do the Tricksters who engender it. God, I love this book. Please read it if you haven't. Bujold's work is amazing.

If you've seen or read any version of MDZS/Untamed, you know that Wei WuXian is a trickster. Competent and badass in battle, but playful and teasing to the point where sometimes even he isn't sure what he truly wants, he can bring a massive amount of power and focus when he wants to. It's always a matter of "but is it important to me?"

I love WWX so much. The Trickster vibe is very apparent in his character, and in a way you just don't get in Western media. We see him on his own, and we see him with family and loved ones. And he's always feeling something so intensely! He's driven by his emotions, for good or ill. He vibes with chaos, and he will create it if it doesn't exist yet. But he will also create family from nothing, and that's something you don't see enough of! WWX is a Trickster with an emotional preference for joy.

In TDP, Ethari doesn't have a lot of lore yet. It's being Moonshadowed because spoilers for future seasons, and I respect that. The longer the wait for S4, the more ideas I will just amuse myself with in the meantime--and yeah, this is one of them, so what? :))) But we do know a little about him.

He loves music. He loves to read. He leaves his mark on things in swirly form. He works very hard, even through headaches, because what he's doing is that important to him, even though he would much rather be making jewelry. He loves taking the time to polish rough stones into brilliant jewels, and he adores big pretty flowers and had them at his wedding.

Ethari has a temper, but he also loves puns. The weapons he crafts are exquisite: "light, elegant, strong, and clever." And he knew darn well that Runaan was trying to flirt with him, but why return a sentiment he may or may not feel yet when he can play with the overly earnest assassin just a little bit first?

Okay, just... A "simple craftsman" deciding that it's going to be fun to toy for a bit with a broody assassin's feelings? Would you risk that? Ethari got balls the size of the moon, and a brain to match. When he has to make weaponry, he does not half-ass it. Ethari's stabby creations nearly have a life of their own. His creations are literally called "trick weapons." This elf is a lot, okay. And it's possible that he doesn't even know how "a lot" he is. Yet.

We're meeting Ethari after he's found something that is, in fact, genuinely important to him: Runaan, and Rayla, and Laindrin too. Ethari has found a relatively stable place to settle and find a role to adopt. I say adopt, though, because making weaponry for his loved ones is not what he grew up wanting to do. It's what he had to do to keep them safe, once he found a place to bestow his heart.

But in the show, Ethari has lost his family, one by one. First Lain and Tiadrin, ghosted. Then Runaan, supposedly fallen on his mission. Then Rayla, ghosted for abandoning Runaan. He and Rayla have reconnected now, but the rest of his family is still out of his reach. If Rayla has indeed told him, by S4, what she learned at the Moonhenge in TTM, then Ethari may parallel Rayla's journey to seek answers. But even if he doesn't know yet, and gets pulled into some other story arc first, we will be seeing Ethari without his family.

Remember the ATLA episode "Zuko Alone"? Consider: "Ethari Alone."

Ethari has chosen, for love, to fit himself into a box that wasn't of his own making. And now that box has broken. His family doesn't need him to be their craftsman anymore. Perhaps others will need him to be other things to them. Or perhaps he will know that his family does need him, but to be far more than just a maker of pretty swords. A rescuer, perhaps. A healer, a guide? An avenger?

A trickster. Capable of taking many shapes, because he understands them all. Ethari works with form and function. If he needs to transform himself, he will.

That's what Tricksters do. It's delightfully queer and delightfully neurodivergent. Ancient peoples accepted and revered the different among them and actively sought their help with things they themselves struggled with.

Tricksters are Difference. Sometimes that manifests as chaos, sometimes as genius. But if you do not love and appreciate your chaos, it will absolutely turn on you. Wei Wuxian did. Loki certainly has, many times. Perhaps Aaravos is doing so as well.

I cannot wait to see what Ethari does with his difference. I have something very specific that I hope he goes and breaks.

All this from a picture of Tom Hiddleston in his Avengers 1 Loki costume? Yeah. Because Ethari was designed to wear asymmetrical clothing, in a Moonshadow culture that prides itself on balance. Sure, there are some other Moonshadows who wear this or that asymmetrical item, and I do love to see it. But Ethari has the most asymmetrical lines of them all. The meta glee I feel knowing that Moonshadow elves are designed to hold many layers of meaning in their appearances--that the writers, creators, and character designers just flexed with them--is truly a delight.

Ethari is asymmetrical. The full and practical application of that is a glass casket, and I hope it becomes a gift that keeps on giving, because boy do I want to keep receiving it. But right now, I'm genuinely seeing evidence of the Trickster archetype in him. And I really hope it gets to come out and play.

#tdp #tdp theory #ethari #trickster #tdp speculation #yes this means a whole new category for ruthari opposites #order and chaos #ethari and order are both on runaan's list of likes #but ethari is higher so #loki #wwx #wei wuxian

[the-lightning-strikes-again]

Actually you perfectly answered my question! Thank you! If you have the time and energy, would you please tell us more about your ideal(?) Lotor (maybe a mix between vld and dyn.) and his goals/life?

Like, if you could rewrite the show, what would you do?

Hi again, anon! And thanks! Oh wow, if I could rewrite the show entirely? To avoid a wickedly long response, I’ll limit this just to “ideal Lotor” as you mention. For me, he would be a conglomeration of previous Lotors, lol. Reading the Dynamite Comics and Devil’s Due (DDP) Comics heavily influence my appreciation of the Lotor character. There’s a lot of things about those Lotors that I prefer over the VLD iteration, but VLD had some interesting facets too. I’d like to see all those meaningful aspects combined.

So for an Ideal Lotor (because there’s probs a lot of different options there): 

Voltron iterations that care enough to state Lotor’s actual age say he is 22 years old. I think that 20s age range is a good one for him. I’d like to do away with VLD’s millennia-long childhood/development via quintessence, and just have him age and develop normally again along with everyone else.

He would still be a child of two worlds. In the Dynamite comics, he was part-human and part-Galra/Drule which is fascinating to consider, but I think he’s more often half-Altean/Arusian and half-Galra/Drule. (I’m trying to use both DotU 1984 and VLD people group names for clarification.)

I would prefer he be born and raised on his own home planet, without it being totally destroyed. If Lotor’s people have a home to still fight for, that offers a stronger opportunity to connect him to a real culture and maybe other reasons for why the Galra/Drule would be in wars.

Lotor was previously a childhood friend of Allura in the DDP comics, and they liked to play together in the Arusian gardens. I like that he had a genuine, innocent connection with someone prior to his father getting a hold of him. Those memories were things that in the DDP A Legend Forged comics, transform Lotor into a helpful ally and hero who helps Team Voltron save the day against his evil sorceress grandmother, Empress Jain.

In the Robotech comics, Lotor’s mother Lora genuinely loved and cared for him and tried to instill some moral principles in him before she was murdered by Zarkon. I could see Lotor turning against daddy dearest over Zarkon turning against his own family. This could lead to Zarkon doing something to make Lotor more "controllable" after that point. Bonus points if Lora still remains alive or possibly even escapes to the Alliance, to reunite with Lotor later.

I think it would be interesting if Haggar/his father give Lotor something to make him submissive to his father’s will, against his core character. Like maybe his memories of mama and other positive bonds are suppressed, which helps Zarkon manipulate him as a weapon. When that spell gets broken, it leaves him struggling with the cognitive dissonance of what he wanted to be and who he has become under his father’s will. Maybe seeing Allura again triggers those memories, little by little? Or, in a VLD-type universe, maybe Allura or some other magical person removes a dark entity from him, ending the evil will over him.

I really like Dynamite!Lotor’s interest in reparations to other planets per Drule aggression/colonization, and his interest in dismantling his father’s empire and Zarkon’s usurpation of original Drule culture. Comparatively, no other Lotor iteration seemed aware enough yet to really be thinking that deeply about reforming the empire in those ways. But Brandon Thomas had a much deeper political angle to the Dynamite comics to begin with.

In the Dynamite comics, both Lotor and Keith were capable of using magic. Lotor also had transreality capabilities entirely of his own, and he was supposed to have a magical duel with Keith before he and Team Voltron entered into an alliance. So, I’d like to see Lotor regain some level of magic ability.

(This is getting long, so I'll add a Keep Reading line.)

Lotor had siblings in the Dynamite Comics. I’d like to think he has a sibling or siblings he’s protective over.

Lotor has a trusty pet sidekick!

Dynamite Comics has dubious visual art quality halfway through, which is why this version of Lotor is mostly ignored or laughed at nowadays. (I’ll admit, I fell into that for a time until I actually read Brandon Thomas’s writing for myself, and then I got sad that this comic was cancelled in favor of a Robotech crossover.) But VLD did a lot of positive things in term of character design and high-polish animation. A more VLD visual base (or the aesthetic female-gaze DDP shots) for Lotor would be nice, lol.

Dynamite Lotor was very politically aware. He had women as advisers/lawyers instead of as a harem, and I liked that even more than having women as his generals in VLD. The advisor/lawyer role suggests a lot more integrated, vocal presence in the culture and government, whereas the VLD generals feel still pretty constrained to and isolated with Lotor as their benefactor, order-giver, and sole source of validation.

VLD Lotor was seen as incredibly tenacious and capable with a sword, in ways beyond Keith or other’s capabilities. I would like to see that continued, whereas in previous iterations, he seemed more easily defeated in a physical fight.

I would hope to keep VLD Lotor as the one with the nanny, lol.

Also, bonus points if he’s the one who is constantly being carted around to other kingdoms for a marriage match that he is always trying to escape.

VLD and Dynamite!Lotor were both genuinely respectful of Allura while still having an affection for her. I would want to carry that respect forward, compared to more DotU-true iterations where she was either a slave to desire or this perfect being to idealize.

VLD Lotor seemed more playful or tolerant of mischief, and I liked that.

In terms of plot, I really liked Brandon Thomas’ storyline of Lotor discovering his life and his people’s war is part of this big conspiracy controlled by the Third Sphere. If this were a total VLD rewrite, I’d like to see Lotor and Team Voltron allying purposely to defeat the rift creatures/dark entities driving the madness. Probably the rift creatures would have a larger part to play as well.

I loved the VLD Sincline mecha. In previous Voltron iterations, the concept of multiple Voltron units or an anti-Voltron unit was common, so the Galra/Drule having a true mecha of their own would be interesting. And I really like VLD Lotor being integral to the building of it.

In an ideal world, I enjoy the positive aspects of the Lotura relationship. I think it would be funny for Allura, who recognizes Lotor as a political advantage and a man desperate for a way out of his various marriage betrothals, to offer up her name. No doubt, she would also be pressured as the princess of Altea/Arus to be accepting someone’s hand eventually, so why not an old childhood friend. Also, it would be a great way to keep an eye on him as;dlfjsa. It could be that Allura offers him her hand just as a way to report on Lotor to the Alliance, and then oh nu, real love and realizing they're actually on the same side happens.

I would really want Lotor to connect with other paladins and people as well. Like, friendship. This man could use friendship, and that’s one thing I appreciated about his bond with Sven in DDP. He also built snarky found-family bonds with the larger Team Voltron in DDP A Legend Forged.

I could probably keep going, but I feel like this covers a large chunk of it. Thanks for the ask!

#Voltron #VLD #Lotor #Allura #Zarkon #Haggar #Lora #Lotura #idk if you were looking for a whole essay but that's what happened oh man a;lsdja #I feel like if I had the chance to totally reboot Voltron without VLD influence I might do a few other things tbh #but just looking at VLD and Dynamite's plot bases and plot devices #it seemed like there were some interesting ways to combine a lot of what's come before #and to evolve the character of Lotor with respect to that

[masterthespianduchovny]

Part of the reason I’m so passionate about Mulder being understood as a character is because his existence literally influenced future fictional male characters.

I won’t call Mulder a flat out anomaly, but back then, he was a stark contrast to how men were usually portrayed: hyper masculine, rational (science), and logic based.

Mulder was masculine, but he also had what was seen as feminine attributes: compassion, sensitivity, his supernatural beliefs (yes, this too), etc. also, he wasn’t aggressive or posturing.

Because of this, directly and indirectly, Mulder influenced how male characters were written in many series.

And what makes this super important was that Mulder wasn’t seen as less than a man because of this. It was just accepted.

Now, as some of you have read previous post about how Mulder isn’t an anti masker, this is a continuation of that post. No, I’m not hung up on the assertion, but I do believe that topic opens up the discussion about the brilliance of Mulder’s character and why I believe some do not understand his character.

The series does several subtle things to ground itself and Mulder when it premiered.

1. Scully as the scientist and skeptic. Although she is there for Mulder in the universe, in real life, she’s there to serve as a mouthpiece for the viewer’s skepticism. Her existence is an important key to buying into the premise of the show.

2. Mulder’s credentials. Before we meet Mulder, we know he’s Oxford educated, graduated top of his class, majored in psychology, and was a brilliant profiler. He was so great as a profiler, people even talk about him at the academy. And then we find out he’s called “spooky.”

This establishes that Mulder isn’t out of his mind. He was/is a respected agent who is clearly intelligent and good at his job. When we meet Mulder this is further cemented when it’s revealed that he read Scully’s college thesis and could counter her arguments. Even the fact that he knows Scully was sent down there to spy on him underscores Mulder’s intelligence. The first scene literally is about this, so he wasn’t paranoid.

3. Mulder grounds himself. Often, Mulder says variations of “I know this sounds crazy.” It shows that Mulder isn’t off of the deep end and knows how his views are not only received, but how to level with people. If Mulder was just some guy who believe in wild shit and expected others to believe in it, the show wouldn’t have worked. It works because a. He knows how others see him and is willing to explain his beliefs b. he can prove how and why a conspiracy is going on.

Also, in addition to him not assuming people should just believe him, when he does expect people to be on his side (really in Scully), he points to their mutual experiences. Mulder constantly justifies his beliefs to Scully when she has no reference point to a phenomenon, but when she does, he references the shit ton of other cases they’ve worked.

Mulder is self aware and because of this, we are comfortable investing in Mulder’s crazy beliefs and theories. Mulder can be pulled back and rationed with.

4. He isn’t only intelligent, he’s well read. Mulder isn’t just book smart, he’s culturally knowledgeable. Mulder literally reads up on everything and has a reference for almost anything. Inadvertently, he validates other cultures and their beliefs. But, the fact that most of his knowledge can be traced back to a culture or cultures IS important. Mulder will explain the history of a thing and the various occurrences of it. You don’t find this in official, well respected books. He reads books, diaries, newspapers, etc. Mulder even listens to folklore.

He’s not pulling this shit out of his ass.

5. At the same time, Mulder can also be a skeptic. It’s not as pronounced as Scully or even just religion based. In “Clyde bruckman’s final response”, Mulder is skeptical of the psychic called to the scene and, as a result, kicked out of the room. This plays into the long running theme of Mulder’s instincts being right. Also, it’s a callback to “beyond the sea.” Mulder believes in psychics, but he is skeptical of them at times, such as murders or well known psychics.

He places truth and finding justice over indulging his beliefs and blind belief. Mulder even explains why he doesn’t believe certain psychics, which is another way the show grounds him. He explained it in a perfectly logical way.

There are other instances of Mulder being skeptical with information he’s given regardless of believing a case to be supernatural.

6. This is why the anti mask argument frustrates me: Mulder not only believes in science, he uses it to legitimize his work. Most of his cases are solved with science. He constantly points out how Scully’s science saved him and the x files. And the sign Idance of this point when it comes to anti maskers is that most of the people who are anti mask are also anti vaxxers and anti science.

For Mulder, if Scully’s science proves him wrong a. Either he reformulates his theory b. Realizes something is missing c. Goes back to square one (looked for bigger picture). Mulder almost never discards science, he just doesn’t want science to limit, but rather, expand understanding. Their cases are just things that science hasn’t come across.

I must explicitly state this: Mulder’s cases are solved with science.

Mulder regularly reads up on science shit, which is how he’s able to follow most of Scully’s rebuttals and even provide his own counterpoints.

He sees science as a tool that can be fine tuned.

And circling back to how anti mask is usually anti vax and anti science, these people usually believe the most bat shit things, which some of the time includes anti Semitism. Think of the most popular bat shit insane conspiracy theories and genuinely ask yourself if you think Mulder would believe them. He would think those people are kooks.

7. He wants to believe. Although Mulder 100% believes in aliens, he knows he needs proof. Mulder sees all of this wild shit and knows it isn’t enough to say he’s seen it. He almost never takes anything as a given and understands that he needs to bring something to the table if he wants to be believed.

8. His talent as an agent was still respected. Something I love about the series, it’s a low key great way to develop the character. Skinner comments on Mulder’s talent as an agent, kersh labels him a lost cause implying that he was great at one point, Mulder’s former partner used his profile for cool points, Tom Colton uses Scully to get Mulder on his case, bill Patterson finds an indirect way to get Mulder on his case and used to drunkly praise him.

9. His sense of justice and compassion for victims overrides his beliefs. At the end of the day, Mulder wants victims to be heard and helped. Whether or not his beliefs have anything to do with the case in the end, he cares more about giving the victims answers. Maybe this is the thing that grounds him the most, or humanizes him and shows that Mulder is more than his zany beliefs.

This is why more Mulder meta is needed. There are so many topics prime for discussion and yet some overlook that for a quick joke. Like, dig into this man, people. There are so many gems and fascinating topics. 😩

#the x-files #mulder #x-files #fox mulder

[jitterbugjive]

Native American Representation

So I’m in a tough spot right now and could use some advice or good places to go for reference-

I want to include Native American stuff in MMG, and this isn’t coming from a place of clueless white person guilt or fascination in the ‘aesthetic’ or whatever, but because it actually was a significant part of my life growing up. My uncle was able to prove his native heritage and went through the rights of passage to become a part of a tribe, where he’s even trusted to build sweat lodges which are such sacred places that if someone swears in one, it has to be torn down. He took me to pow wows and taught me a lot of things. And at a later point I had a Native American teacher who was very active in teaching us about her culture and getting us involved in it by learning things like hunting and preparing meat respectfully, cooking, crafting. She especially wanted me to get involved because of the heritage I had, and like my uncle got me in to some pow wows and encouraged me to sell some of my bead work to a shop that sold Native American goods, mostly artwork.

Heck it was kind of my first introduction to the fact that other cultures could accept me for who I was when I heard about the two-spirit people. I know two-spirit is a little more complicated than a sexuality or gender identity but just the fact that it exists shows an attempt to explain and accept LGBT+ people.

But I’m also not going to say I know enough, I’m still ultimately a white person who hasn’t gotten deeply enough involved to even remotely be an authority on any of this stuff, but I really want to show some proper representation.

I won’t make any native characters a mouthpiece for white guilt (like constantly talking about how white people stole the land, or some angry spirit who’s land was disturbed) And making them a human comes before making them Native, being Native wouldn’t be their whole identity and they wouldn’t base their actions around it, but you can see their cultural influences. I also know to research specific tribes and not just Natives as a whole.

As for writing lore, thaaaat’s the tricky part, because I’m trying to find what things to avoid since I know some tribes have mythos that are just NOT meant to be shared by non natives, or even shared at all because of fear of bad things happening. But I get mixed results, some people for example are certain it’s okay to write about wendegos and skinwalkers, but others will say not to do it period because it gives those creatures power in the real world.

Unlike with a lot of other cultures, I fear if I try to make anything inspired by the culture and mythos, someone is going to get upset. With most creatures in MMG, the point of them is that they inspired legends and myths but don’t exactly follow those myths, such as Fearmongers having many origins in many cultures because a lot of cultures used the supernatural to explain night terrors. I really don’t know if I can do this with Native American myths and beliefs, even if I went in to accurate detail on a myth and then said ‘but actually it’s this’, someone could get mad and call it erasure and I don’t want to do that. But if I only tell what people already know, it’s not exactly creative story telling.

I don’t know if making up a myth would be offensive either, because it’s not accurate representation. But the myth would take elements from known ones and try to create something that feels genuine but is all brand new.

Probably the worst idea would be to make up a tribe entirely, because then no one is being represented and they’ll fall in to the hole of just throwing different tribe cultures in to a mixing pot and that’s not a good thing to do.

The only reference I found for this stuff that looks like a really good way to learn is a master class that costs 55 dollars and I definitely don’t have that money right now. So input from anyone that maybe has Native heritage, or is just good at googling information, would be really super appreciated.

#native american

[imreallyhereforkataang]

I'm unsure about how's the best way to articulate this, but I'm kind of surprised there's not more fan content highlighting the otherworldly aspects of Kataang, and a part of me wishes we could see a bit more of that.

I'd expect that most if not all fandoms frequently have an affinity for glamorizing aesthetics of characters and ships, and content creators who I know often look for ways to convey that sort of thing. I've also witnessed lots of people on this site claim that they first became attracted to a ship for its aesthetic because they saw embellishing artwork that didn't really highlight much about the characters' personalities, but was still gorgeous and impressive to look at.

And yeah, it makes sense that content creators and consumers in fandom engage with works that make epic an idea that may be primarily based off the “what” of the characters, or the situations they find themselves in, rather than the finer details of the “who.” The resulting creation is similar to what happens when the personal elements of a legend get lost over time, while the sensational aspects continue to be retold and glorified. That sort of thing makes for extremely intriguing depictions of the original source material, even if it’s at the expense of some of the subject’s humanity. Though, even when that depiction becomes so far removed from the original that it's totally unrecognizable, I do think it's often still fascinating and creative, and maybe should be its own celebrated thing altogether.

It's just surprising to me, and kind of disappointing if I'm honest, that, based on the relative lack of fan content doing this, many people seem to either not recognize or not act upon how Kataang has that exact aesthetic potential.

If you were to keep the basics of their story intact but tell it through a different lens or genre, maybe dramatize it a bit, it would be so easy to emphasize how Kataang is literally like a demigod and a mortal falling in love. That on its own to me sounds like the premise for the epic love story fandom culture would traditionally find appealing. And it's really not much of a stretch -- that is one legitimate way to look at the pairing if you broke it down to its objective pieces, even if it's not the most focused-on part of their relationship in the original material (though it certainly is alluded to). The source material is much more detailed and personal, like watching a show where Oma and Shu are the main characters versus hearing the major beats of their legend.

For Kataang, we can definitely take it further with drawing out their major beats. The mortal comes into her own and is shown to be a force of comparable measure to the demigod, as she is his self-appointed protectress. She releases him from dormancy, bringing him back into the world to fulfill his grand destiny, and on their quest, she would become his teacher, both in training and in reacquainting himself with the new era. At one point she would even revive him and his line of divinity after watching him be struck down and killed. This mortal is his first devotee, and his personal connection with her makes her his attachment to the world and, in extension, the mortals he protects.

Meanwhile, the demigod is the personification of the mortal's faith, a vessel of the compassion she feels so deeply for others. He takes her places, literally and metaphorically, she never could have gone before, teaching her in turn about lost practices and new perspectives. He can legitimately bring her to the skies with a unique ability that no one else in the entire world possesses -- an ability that also defines much of what he stands for and what her world has been missing in his absence.

Not to mention how the mortal was one of the only people who believed this demigod would resurface, and the only person by his side from the start of meeting him in their warring environment. The two were born nearly 100 years apart, yet their connection and love is shown to transcend both time and space. Their elements and roles to the world and to each other can be represented by synergistic air and water, which are associated in canon with freedom/peace and change/virtue, respectively. And if one were going to dramatize Kataang's relationship and what it stands for, their exchange could reasonably be depicted as the bridge between the heavens and the earth (moon and ocean).  

Like, truly, their story is so mythical. The pieces are there. Think about how their theme is called "The Avatar's Love" and segments of that theme are reused for LoK, pointing to Aang's reincarnation cycle and how the love he feels transcends so many lifetimes, but he chooses Katara in this particular one. Think about what Yangchen says to Aang about the reason the Avatar is born a human and not a spirit, that the Avatar must live amongst humans and experience human emotions to recognize how precious the life is that the universe entrusts him with protecting. Think about Aang's chakras in The Guru, and not just the Love and Thought Chakras but nearly all of them, and how truly tied Katara is with his energy, his spirit. That can't be faked -- that's real, genuine influence, her touching his life in ways that highlight his humanity. Think about how Aang has a real-time vision of Katara without even intending to, and the only other being we see Aang do something similar (but intentionally) with is Appa, to whom Pathik says, "You and the Avatar's energies are mixed. You have an unbreakable bond."  

Think about the Pietà pose in The Crossroads of Destiny and all that symbolizes about Aang and Katara (honestly that alone should be enough because it speaks volumes), including their world savior/first believer dynamic. How Katara brings Aang back to life and says, "I don't know what I did exactly," thus giving fuel to the idea that saving him didn't just constitute normal healing on her end. Think about the visual parallel between her resurrecting him and her releasing him from stasis in the first episode. Think about Katara's extended opening narration in the pilot and how it evolves to when she meets Aang, with just as much trust in an idea as in what ends up being the real thing.  

Think about their relationship when Aang goes into the Avatar State, embodying his most divine form. How Katara is able to speak with and approach him, and how he can hear her and respond to her while in that state, honing all his past lives. Think about when Aang deals the heavy attack at Fong's base that would continue to haunt Aang for so long afterwards, which showcases how out of control he is here, yet his blow from all Avatars completely and deliberately avoids Katara while targeting everyone remotely near her. Think about how Katara is so unafraid of a raging demigod, even when the person underneath hasn't been acting like himself lately, that she doesn't flinch at the output of his anger and just goes to him as everyone else runs. Think about that visual where she grabs onto his arms and pulls him from the air that only he can bend to the ground she's tied to and into her arms. Think about how she always tries to catch him when he falls, because she is adamant about being his cushion to the earth.

Think about how Aang is the reason Katara gets to touch the heavens. Think about how he takes her on an epic journey across the world so she can learn waterbending and make the difference she's always wanted. How being with him, the one person with a divinely granted duty to the world and who will always choose her, puts her right on the foreground for making that difference. Think about how they can still waterbend together even if Katara can't airbend -- no one can besides Aang. Think about their push and pull of the water and how it highlights their equal footing, and that although, as the demigod he is, Aang can master all the elements, Katara is the mortal who teaches him mastery in the one they share between them.

I don't know, to me it's all so cool and awe-inspiring. Obviously the most important part of Kataang's relationship is how their personalities play off each other and how they treat each other, but in terms of this kind of grander depiction, I think of it more like Oma and Shu. We don’t know the details of how Oma and Shu acted towards each other, yet we hear the story about the power of their love and take inspiration from it.

So yes, I unfortunately don’t see this pronounced demigod/mortal iteration of Kataang very often in fan works, but it makes for a pretty dang fascinating legend to contemplate anyhow.

#kataang #kataangtag #aang #katara #atla #avatar the last airbender

[dappercritter]

Godzilla vs Kong: Brutally Honest Thoughts

(Took me long enough, eh? Depending on home video releases be like that.)

So first things first, I have a confession to make: I spoiled the movie before I watched it. I was impatient and they had only announced an HBO Max premiere in the states and a theatrical run in Canada at the time. Afterward, I got heads-up from a friend and immersed myself in the opinions of those lucky enough to see it early. I’m just saying that I have some preconceived opinions that I’m sticking to.

That said, Godzilla vs Kong turned out to be more fun than I expected! But you already knew that. Everyone did. The two kings of movie monsters had their rematch and this time it was with glorious Hollywood SFX powering it this time.

The human story was fun but it’s clear they stopped trying at this point. Team Kong stole my heart, especially Jia. Team Godzilla (although the Conspiracy Crew would be a more fitting term since they spend more time chasing down mysteries than trying to back or understand Godzilla) was more fun than I expected and their dynamic was surprisingly enjoyable. Bernie is actually kind of funny, it's nice to see Madison acting more assertive, and Josh was fine--he was the only sane man of the bunch but he was also the butt of the jokes. Still, all the hardcore conspiracy jokes got old fast and it feels off seeing the daughter of two scientists turn into an edgy conspiracy crackpot. Why not an edgy science major?

Team Apex are fun villains, especially Walter Simmons who's a great megalomaniacal CEO type, but Ren Serizawa is a joke. I like his actor's performance but he's just another footnote. Nobody bats an eye at his last name, although the only heroes he interacts with are Nathan Lind and he just misses Team Godzilla. He really could have just been any other villain, but instead, they had to sully Serizawa’s legacy further while robbing a good actor of some interesting material. (As is, it turns out he was just an egotistical jerk with daddy issues--an easy puzzle to solve on day one--after all...)

However, I still cannot and will not approve of the fact that somebody thought it would be a good idea to make the heroes of a sci-fi story into hardcore conspiracy theorists in this day and age. Likewise, I’m not a huge fan of how they essentially made the Hollow Earth into its own universe complete with a crazy portal and an environment with its own laws of physics, nor am I totally crazy about the huge leap in technology that was made between this and KOTM, or G’14 for that matter.

The monsters as awesome as they are, are the biggest mixed bag in the show.

Kong is at his best in ages, and while I am all for the new heroic warrior character that Legendary have crafted and I acknowledge that making him a worthy opponent for their god-tier Godzilla was going to be a hurdle, I think they did a splendid job. Seeing Kong using agility and acrobatics was a glorious sight to behold, and something about Kong becoming a tool-user and weapon wielder just feels right. It’s a far better demonstration of Kong as a “thinking animal” (*wink, wink*).

I’m much less thrilled about their treatment of his greatest opponent ever. After everything they’ve done to build up Godzilla as the incredible force of neutral good fighting to maintain balance and all the build up to ancient rivalry debating back to a great Titan war--even going as far as putting his name in front Kong’s this time!-- they’ve reduced Godzilla back to glorified bully for Kong. He only gets the minimum amount of sympathy from the cast of his movie before they go off to deal with the conspiracy plot or focus on Kong and the Hollow Earth. Worse still, he is somehow more powerful and more aggressive than ever for a good chunk of the movie which leads to an outcome I’m sorry to say we all saw coming. Somehow, I suspect that the reason behind this was how Wingard cited Godzilla vs. Mothra, vs. Destoryah, and Shin-Godzilla as influences for the monsters scale and story, which while cool and all, are all movies where he was played up as a mostly stoic antagonist rather than a three-dimensional character like Kong. (Though ironically vs. Destoroyah and Shin did a better job of making Godzilla feel more sympathetic and in both of them he was a walking nuclear reactor meltdown.)

Due to the unfortunate time constraints of the three-way deal between Toho, WB, and Universal at the time this was in production, Kong was unable to secure a proper sequel that could develop his skillset like Godzilla’s did. Nevermind the fact the filmmakers completely surrendered to the “nothing matters but the monsters” mentality that a chunk of the fanbase has been spouting since this universe unofficially kicked off almost 10 years ago. (Sidenote: Oh god, I’m turning in an old fart already.) As a result, the movie trips over itself trying to set up Godzilla and Kong’s rivalry as well as building up Kong as a worthy opponent to Godzilla while expanding on their shared lore, and as a result countless plot points set up in in the previous movie and tie-in movie are thrown out the window. I’m sorry to say but in spite of all hopes and illusions of grandeur, it’s safe to this damn thing is a Kong movie with Godzilla as the bad guy.

...at least until HE shows up. Yup, Mechagodzilla. The biggest spoiled twist of the centuries steals the show so the movie can pull a Dawn of Justice. But! It does it much better than the fractured DCEU’s most controversial entry ever could. Mechagodzilla’s inclusion gets a decent amount of build up thanks to Team Godzilla/the Conspiracy Crew, and when he shows up, does he make an impression! At first, I wasn’t sure how to feel about his inclusion or his design, but I’ve come to like this one. He’s basically a kaiju terminator built in Godzilla’s image made purely out of heavy machinery piloted by the best Ghidorah head. It’s a jarring change of pace compared to previous MechaG’s but it grows on you after a while. With the abundance of weaponry stuffed into him, he feels like a fitting update of the original killing machine, and even if his inclusion feels like an easy way out of the big showdown, it’s fun to see him played as a literal colossal heel for the kings to team up against. Not to mention he looks shockingly good with those red highlights. However, one still can’t help but wonder how and why he was made in this universe, or how he feels like pure heavy machinery one minute and then an extra-large Ultron unit the next.

As for the the big throwdowns we’ve all been waiting for... well, we’re still in the mixed bag deparment. While the fights are all exciting and excellently choreographed, and benefit from some more eclectic lighting and cinematograph, I’m sorry to say that as far as the rematch of the century goes they dropped the ball on this one.

Don’t get me wrong, the fights are all great in their own ways, but there’s a drastic change in the feeling of weight and power with the monsters. Godzilla, Kong, and even Mechagodzilla all feel strangely floaty in most of their fights. One moments they feel like true behemoths shaking the very earth with every movement and then it’s like they’re in Godzilla Unleashed, running, jumping, and throwing each other around with speed that feels that almost makes you wonder if the Hollow Earth’s gravity inversion stuff is leaking out into the world. While it’s all perfectly cool, you can’t help but wonder how Kong is able to leap between aircraft carriers and buildings, when Godzilla got the ability to blow a hole through the Earth itself, or how a colossal machine is able to move so nimbly or why it has to be flashing blue all the time.

It’s fascinating and fun but you just can’t help but wonder how we got from almost posthuman disaster and war movies exploring how we’re at the mercy of the ancient almost mythical forces beyond our comprehension, we’ve found ourselves smack dab in the middle of Bayformers meets Jurassic World levels of Hollywood absurdity where anything and everything can and will happen in the name of getting to the monster fights. Although I can’t say I’m surprised given the director’s take on Death Note made some questionable choices with it’s take on the infamous cast while still coming up with some genuinely inspired choices. Still, all things considered we could have gotten worse compared to ther cinematic universes made by WB and Universal.

As for some misc. thoughts to close up this rambling mess:

-The soundtrack is fantastic. A great continuation of the feel of Skull Island’s mixtape with some truly wonderful picks. Special mention goes to the opening and ending songs, and they GOT AN ELVIS PRESLEY SONG IN HERE! YES!!! The three kings of pop culture together at last!

-While this movie didn’t need to be any more overstuffed, it would have been nice if the rest of the Titans didn’t disappear entirely from this movie. I get that Godzilla: Dominion already explained what happened to them all more or less, but it really is a missed oppurtunity that we never got to see another Titan war. Or Rodan attacking Kong to avenge his pterosaur bretheren from days long past. Speaking of which...

-“Save Mothra” jokes be damned, Mothra would have been a welcome gues star, not just to help break up the big fight, but to show off Godzilla’s softer, more protective side. And yes, I want more Mothzilla. Shut up, we deserve it.

-Boy, Monarch sure does a whole lot of nothing up-top, huh?

-The cinematography is a great update but there’s a little too much neon lighting, especially in the Apex HQ and the Hollow Earth throne room. It feels like they’re trying just a little too hard to sell the more futuristic, Hollywood sci-fi feel.

-The score is... great but not that great. Of course, I’ve always had mixed feelings about Tom Holkenburg (AKA Junkie XL)’s music. I liked Kong’s themes, but they REALLY dropped the ball with Godzilla’s theme. Mechagodzilla’s works really well as long you ignore that it’s just Godzilla’s theme in this movie with an ominious choir added in.

-The new Hollow Earth creatures are all perfectly fine. Actually, I thought they were another highlight! Especially the Warbats, Hellhawks, and Doug the Titanus Foetodon Man.

-I want to do a release the extended cut campaign but I don’t think any of us have the energy for that s**t anymore.

#godzilla vs kong #gvk spoilers #godzilla vs kong spoilers #godzilla vs kong 2021 #godzilla vs kong review #monsterverse #godzilla #king kong #kong #mechagodzilla #warner bros #legendary pictures #legendary godzilla #legendary kong #ramblings of the critter #the dapper critter #kaiju #monster movies #movie monsters #monsters #mothzilla for life

[bluemoonpunch]

⭐The Elemental Alignment of Dream - Oracle Reading

[The Elemental Alignment of Dream, born August 12, 1999 — Leo. The Elemental Alignment reading is designed to showcase an individual's energetic alignment and balance with the elements, then compare it to that of the Higher Self's alignments. This reading was done with the Animal Spirit Oracle by Kim Krans and the Rider-Waite Tarot deck. This spread is an original design by me. This reading lasted 5 hours.]

Reading Performed: August 12, 2021

Original Post Date: August 15, 2021

Storytime! Like a lot of people, I really got into Dream’s YouTube videos and the Dream SMP throughout 2020. I’ve been playing Minecraft since 2012 (thanks to Achievement Hunter, lol) so to see all this revamped and refreshed content around the game spring up over the last few years and land with a whole new wave of people really excited me. Dream, regardless of your view of him, did seem to spearhead that wave in a lot of ways, and of course, any trendsetter, initiator, or figurehead of any kind of rising cultural bubble, especially online and in media, very much so piques my interest.

I think the thing that interests me the most is the Dream SMP, its organic evolution, the relationships formed and solidified through it, and the success everyone involved has experienced with it. Yes, it was very much a group effort, but Dream is always at the head of these things, is always the beacon overhead drawing attention, as well as the foundation below that allows for new stories, media, and even whole careers to either be built or expanded on.

This is not only limited to the content creators/streamers involved with or closely connected to Dream himself, but also people in the fandom (first thought was SAD-ist), and people outside of the fandom and in whole other realms of media or platforms who gain new levels of recognition via Dream. Dream has a very special ability to funnel in inspiration for other people and then provide a spotlight for what those people then create with that inspiration — again, a beacon and the foundation. Some of this is done very intentionally and some of it isn’t, which is why I find him so genuinely fascinating as a person, as a creator, as a businessman, and as an entertainer.

So, what is one such as me to do when they come across someone in media with such a unique style of influence? Look at their birth chart, obviously. I was quite surprised as he has a very interesting birth chart, but what got to me the most was his cosmic imprinting, and this is what I’m most excited to talk about. Before I can do that though, I’m going to have to blab on a bit about what cosmic imprinting is because it’s some weird stuff and it needs an explanation.

⭐ Full reading with photos available on bluemoonpunch.com!

Video Version Available!

#bmp reading #elemental alignment #celebrity reading #dream #dreamwastaken #dreamsmp #mcyt #dreamnotfound #dnf #Youtube