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#this is how you get people to love villains
hotvintagepoll · 2 days
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Propaganda
Rita Moreno (Singin' in the Rain, West Side Story)—She’s an EGOT, an absolute legend for how she navigated her career as a woman of color in the fifties and sixties. Her performance as Anita in West Side Story is why I go back to that movie so many times. She is an icon and she is the moment.
Angela Lansbury (The Harvey Girls, The Court Jester, The Manchurian Candidate)—The babe, the myth, the legend. In her own words her early hollywood roles were "a series of venal bitches" and they were all glorious. Half of them wanted to kill you and you probably would have thanked them. She even goes toe to toe with Judy Garland in The Harvey Girls! That said, she was chronically underused and misused during this era - she was just 36 when she was cast as Elvis Presley's mother in Blue Hawaii and a few years later commented that she'd played so many 'old hags' that most people thought she was in her 60s. She thought she was "all talent, no looks" but she was the full package! Post-1970 I hope we all know what an incredibly talented and compassionate badass she was, but I feel like not enough people know her early roles as a hot (often villainous) young thing.
This is round 4 of the tournament. All other polls in this bracket can be found here. Please reblog with further support of your beloved hot sexy vintage woman.
[additional propaganda submitted under the cut.]
Rita Moreno propaganda:
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"Amazing showstopping actress in her one big memorable role as Anita in West Side Story. She sings and dances with unmatched joy and energy, and then breaks your heart with her acting. Rita took a role that felt as a stereotype to latina women and made it compelling and multifaceted. Her subsequent career was filled with mostly side roles, but she still managed to excel in whatever Hollywood threw at her."
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"It’s Rita!! The EGOT herself! She can act, she can sing, she can dance, a triple threat. Obviously absolutely iconic as Anita in West Side Story (her part of the Tonight Quintet is the sexiest part of the film, fight me). But before that she was the amazing Zelda in Singin’ In the Rain!?! Thanks Zelda, you’re a real pal."
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"She continues to be amazing but also she's got legs for days."
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"THEE iconic rita moreno, EGOT winner, civil rights activist, theatre legend. watch her documentary "Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go for It". also her rendition of "fever" on the muppet show"
youtube
Angela Lansbury:
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"Angela Lansbury might not be where your mind goes first when you think of hot leading women, because she had a later career revival. But she began acting in the early 1940s after leaving London due to the Blitz. In the first couple decades of her film career she has an openness about her. She said she never really fit in with the Hollywood crowd and to me she gives off a friendly, untarnished vibe."
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"Most of us know Angela Lansbury as old lady sleuth Jessica Fletcher, but it's important to know that she was smoking hot in her younger days as well as a damned fine actress. Although she didn't get lead roles until her early 40s, at 17 she was a supporting actress in films such as Gaslight (1944), National Velvet (1944), and The Picture of Dorian Grey, for which she won the Golden Globe for best supporting actress and was nominated for the Oscar. Even in her memorable performance as the manipulative mother in The Manchurian Candidate, she is listed as a supporting actress as she does not play the love interest. She was successful both on stage and screen, and won the Tony for her lead role in the musical Mame on Broadway in 1966. TL;DR While Angela Lansbury mostly played supporting roles in films before 1970, she had what it takes to be a leading actress, which we know from her success on stage and tv from the mid 60s onward"
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"She looked like a princess but bit like a viper"
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"Is there anything this woman couldn't do? Act in comedy and drama, sing, dance, be a wonderful human being - quite simply a true and wonderful lady."
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"she is the fairytale princess of my dreams in court jester"
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"god she had such an incredible career all throughout her life really but as a young lady she was just as incredible as she was in her later years. enchanting voice, amazing personality, and absolutely GORGEOUS. she lamented not having the looks to play leads in romance but that idea is so batshit because look at her??? she's one of the most terrific women of all time. also she's my grandmother's favorite actress and i truly get it"
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cheshirebitch · 1 day
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ℕ𝕠𝕥 ℝ𝕖𝕒𝕝𝕝𝕪 𝕆𝕡𝕡𝕠𝕤𝕚𝕥𝕖𝕤
(Alastor x Angel Dust’s Sister!Reader) pt. 2
It really has been a long time, huh?
( previous ) -> ( next )
I have never seen Anthony look at me like that, as though I’m the villain destroying his life. But, last I checked, he was the one going by the real villain that actually did take his life. It was purely distasteful with his choice of name, let alone the fact that was his porno name. What was so wrong with his actual name?
“Listen toots, I didn’t want to ask you for help. We didn’t have any other choice.” The venom spat back at me made my eyes narrow at him. What the fuck is his problem? All of this attitude is not how Anthony would talk to me. It felt like this whole new persona was taking over who he really is. I wanted to rip him apart, but not in front of these people. I can’t let everyone know my weaknesses, even if they pretty much all knew tiny parts.
“I get that. So I’ll ask again, what did you need help with?” I seethed through my teeth, feeling the watching eyes of all his friends. I only tensed up at my own attitude when I remembered Alastor and Lucifer were here too. I rolled my eyes closed and took a deep breath in and out before having an eerily calm aura surrounding me. Knowing I wasn’t going to get an answer out of the pissed off porn star brother, I looked towards Charlie. I could tell I made her nervous, shivers running down her spine before she straightened herself out and answered me.
“Well, I’m sure you’ve heard that we- uh-“ She glanced back at Lucifer who was wide eyed back, shrugging slightly as a response.
“That you,” pointing at Niffty with a smug smile, “killed the great and Holy Adam? Yeah, hard to miss when it’s being broadcasted on every device in hell.” I crossed my arms, smiling. It was really amusing to see Lucifer step in with his slip up of phrasing. Alastor also put on a good show by standing against Adam. I never expected him to actually take on such a powerful Heaven icon.
“Yeah, well, we need help with reinforcement in case the angels decide to retaliate.” She nervously fidgeted with her fingers, Lucifer watching me with anticipation. They all were, really. I was honored they considered me for help against heaven. Pretending to be debating it, I took long strides between Lucifer and Alastor.
“With all things considered, that’s a lot of my members being potentially killed for you. What do you have to offer me to make it worthwhile?” My hand started to glow pink, flexing my fingers and watching Charlie. Lucifer couldn’t make a deal with me or that’ll make more problems, only leaving Charlie and Alastor. Not like Luci would ever make the trust between us obvious. It would be a poor move if he wants to keep his weaknesses unknown. Alastor would rather drop dead than to be on a leash of someone else, though I have a sneaky suspicion it’s because he’s already on a leash. I should ask him about it next time we have one of our talks. Also, I already knew what they were going to sell to me but I can’t just make an assumption with it.
“We will make sure Angel Dust gets redeemed.” My eyes light up pink, turning around to look at Alastor. He held his hand out casually, opposite of how Charlie held hers against her chest. What a bland, and predictable, deal offer.
“Alastor, baby, I already knew that. We both knew that.” I winked at him. “So, what else?” His smile strained, despite it appearing to become more entertained. I read him like a book. It wasn’t very hard since he loves to hide behind a smile, saying it made things more intimidating. I’d like to think it’s more so the idea of being able to bottle those emotions he loves to hide.
“What else? Darling, I think it’s more than reasonable for that to be a big deal.” He smiled his sharp teeth, my eyes watched them carefully. A sneaky feeling crawling up my spine as my eyes stuck like a magnet to him. That’s when Lucifer pushed Alastor’s arm down, rolling his sleeves up, walking towards me. He stuck his hand outstretched towards me, trying to intimidate me with a hard stare. I just smiled in response, awaiting for his deal. I guess they really are desperate if Luci won’t even let Alastor and I pretend to hash out this deal. It was already mutually understood what he was going to offer was more than just that. He was just toying with the rest.
“We will get your brother into heaven, and you.” My smile froze on my face. I couldn’t get into Heaven. No matter how hard any of us tries, I’ll always be stuck here in hell. That fate was sealed long ago. My hands have been permanently stained red and black from how many lives I selfishly took after the death of my two siblings. My hands crossed tightly behind my back as I pondered harder over what he was promising.
I don’t think I want to go to Heaven. I couldn’t place why but something small was trying to tug me to decide to stay in hell.
Something small. The idea of being in heaven with my two younger siblings was bigger. Hell, maybe even the forgotten sibling will be there too.
“Can you even make deals, Luci?” I purred out the nickname in a taunting manner, giving a small moment of silence between us. Since he wanted to air out dirty laundry, I’ll give more hints to how close we actually are. But, he definitely didn’t think he could make a deal either. Charlie tried reasoning with him while Alastor watched from the sidelines, an odd look in his eyes. They flickered to Lucifer before narrowing with displeasure. I guess someone doesn’t like sharing friends.
“I guess we will see, won’t we La Morte.” He was struggling to remain professional. Neither of us wanted to act like this. This was all just a show for our professional standpoints, but I hated it. I’ve had to act professional and put together all my life, no matter how hard I fought against my father to create a life for myself and my siblings who wanted out. That’s all any of us wanted. Lucifer was a good guy despite the title he carries. His daughter is also an amazing girl. I would have agreed to do this either way. But, too many eyes were watching in this moment, too many windows and vulnerability to be spotted for our soft realities of each other. My hand gripped his as pink and gold clashed together.
“You got a deal, Satan.” My smile turned poisonous as I gripped his hand. My magic branded his palm with a pink heart, healing itself just as quickly into a scar. I felt the searing pain of a tally mark etch into my back, ignoring the feeling and refusing to let it slip out that it even happened.
“Anyways, enough with the professional talk. If we are going to be a team, call me by my name. I’m (Y/n).” Whether they could tell or not, my smile was genuine when I reached to shake hands with Charlie, Lucifer still rubbing his hand where the heart was branded onto him. Alastor watched heavily, something else pulling the weight of his stare on me. There’s no way he knows about the reciprocating brand mark. What can he notice that I don’t have hidden?
“Your name is really beautiful! I’m glad I don’t have to call you Death every time I refer to you now.” Charlie smiled genuinely back. Trying his best to make it sound like he has never called me by my name before. My eyes raked over his figure, understanding it’s a secret he wants to keep.
“Well of course, any friend of Anth- I mean Angel Dust, is a friend of mine.” The sibling sense kicked in before I even had to turn around. Anthony just rolled his eyes at me. Quick movements led to my shoe being thrown at Anthony’s head, smacking him hard enough in the face to send him backwards.
“Che cazzo!” (What the fuck!) My head snapped 180 with my body facing Charlie still. Through a clenched jaw and wide wild eyes, I lectured Anthony under my breath.
“Schialla, stronzo.” (Chill out, Asshole.) He immediately stopped, slouching against the wall. Anthony muttered under his breath but at least it wasn’t as disrespectful and obvious. Husk found it amusing enough to stifle a laugh with Vaggie.
“So, what’s the war plans?” I beamed, excited to get murderous for a good cause. Those exorcists killed a lot of my people, pissing off my whole team and myself tremendously. That was our family they were murdering brutally, just so they could have their sick fun and somehow remain in the sky. That was something Charlie and I could get along with.
“About that…” Lucifer awkwardly smiled. You’ve got to be joking. They have nothing? My eyes glanced at Alastor, who was still staring at me. I narrowed my eyes on him, silently asking “you serious right now?” to which he looked amused and shrugged. Bastardo, it’s your skin also being risked here.
“Okay, what do I have to work with here?” Charlie reappeared with a stack of papers and dropped them into my hands. I blinked a couple times, gazing through the words scribbled on the papers. These were lousy attempts at battle plans or any sort of war plans.
“I’ll revise these and have them back to you soon. I do request to have somewhere nearby for me to stay, along with my members. Fifteen minutes away isn’t a good distance, doll.” Observing Charlie’s timid behavior. Lucifer peered behind his daughter, gauging my reaction to everything. I had my work cut out for me but any excuse to be involved in Anthony’s life again was something I was willing to risk everything for.
“Consider it done. Let’s take a stroll so I can show you where it’s at.” Lucifer snapped his fingers and excitedly held his arm out for me to take to walk with him. He was always trying his best to put on a front, but I know he’s still struggling. I mean we still meet and talk about ways for him to mend the broken relationship with Charlie. But, it feels like another negative energy was coming from where my other ally stood. When I turned to Alastor, his eyes were still locked onto my figure, wide and slightly terrifying. The look alone ran a chill down my spine. Why did it feel more exciting than terrifying?
“You coming?” Lucifer glanced backwards towards me, forcing me to peel my eyes away from the enticing ruby set still locked on me. Instead, my eyes met the pale yellow and glowing red set. The tension felt high, pushing me to leave immediately.
“Yeah, of course. Just taking the place in since I’ll be staying here, and potentially dying here.” I laughed sadistically as Lucifer frowned and elbowed me.
“Not funny. There is no way myself, or any of us, will let something happen to you. Unless you get redeemed, too.” He winked trying to sell the confidence he could get me into heaven with my brother. I doubt it, but no harm in trying.
Following down the hall, around back, there was a warehouse building directly behind it. It mirrored the looks of my warehouses that have been distributed in my territories. I could easily move a little over half of my people within this building, comfortably. The smile slowly dragged across my face before I could stop it. Lucifer was smiling back at me, satisfied.
“Che bello…” (How beautiful…) My whole body relaxed, feeling almost unnatural. I didn’t know how to handle how I was feeling at all. All this weight that’s been pushing down on my shoulders just lifted enough for me to breathe, to relax. No one has ever done something this tremendous for me. I could feel tears brimming my eyes, ripping me out of that relaxed feeling. Instead, it was replaced with a sense of dread and need to feel that relaxed again. Lucifer was smiling softly, hand snaked around my waist as he waited.
“You want to go see the inside, (Y/n).” A small smile remained as I allowed his arm to remain, feeling natural and familiar, but so wrong.
“We can’t keep doing this, Angel. We both know that!” Lucifer was having one of his episodes again. The thoughts of Lilith coming back any second, just to see him fucking some other girl and actually leave him type of thoughts. Not that I could ever understand what he’s going through and show sympathy, but rather I’m getting tired of fixing what I didn’t break.
“Listen, Luci, I know.” He stopped. In the poorly lit room, I could see his eyes glowing and a faint outline of his body shape standing on the opposite side of the bed. He knows what’s coming.
“What do you mean?” His eyes pierced mine. A hard stare swimming with all sorts of emotions. Panic was in the center of the tornado.
“Luci, we can’t keep having the same conversation every other day.” I sighed as he remained frozen in fear. One wrong move and I can destroy everything.
“I know you still love her. Nothing could ever change that. You have spent all of eternity together, created a beautiful daughter, ruled over hell. It’s not something you can just fix in seven years, and I never expected you to.” His eye twitched as his black hands started to curl in, making fists. I watched carefully how his breathing was now heavier. I didn’t want to make a bigger mess but I can’t mindlessly try and heal him again, no matter how badly I wanted to.
“What I did expect was some sort of progress to prove that you were learning to let go and love me.” It felt selfish how I was wording it, but my own abandonment issues were strangling me. It hurt to breathe and my vision was blurring. He huffed out, about to deny everything I’m saying.
“I know you love me, but not as much as Lilith.” My eyes froze on Lucifer in panic. Merda. (Shit.) I said her name.
“Don’t you ever say her name. Especially not like that. If she loved me, she wouldn’t have disappeared, abandoned me or Charlie. You don’t know anything.” I knew he didn’t mean it at the moment but my mom taught me one thing, never let a man tell you twice he doesn’t want you.
“It’s over, Lucifer.” I moved slowly to the door, refusing to turn my back to him and his eerie glowing eyes in the dark room, shutting the door quietly and carefully behind me.
During my walk back, it felt like a walk of shame. Opening and closing my door as quietly as possible to my office, sliding my back down the door. There is where I sobbed for hours, grieving a relationship where I actually felt loved, relaxed, and free from the impact my father has held on me all my life. This is where I vowed to never allow myself to get emotionally attached again.
(As always, the characters belong to their owner and the story belongs to me. If you have any requests or ideas, send them over! I love to hear feedback! I will also gladly try to write things for my supporters! I have put a LOT of research and planning into this series! I also researched Italian to try and make it as real as possible! Thank you for the love and I hope y’all have a great day! <3 :)!)
Tag List:
@pooka167 @serenity-songbird @readergirlstuff @nishayuro @lovingyeet @genderlessdude92 @slytherin4ever @random-3455 @mo-0-o @lucifers-silhouette @sadnessiscoldtea @idonthaveanameforthisacc @marxo5 @emonerdwinchester @macehysteria @tsukiko26
Tagged who I could, some it wouldn’t allow :(
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justarandombrit · 2 days
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Okay, so in case anyone couldn't make it to the livestream (and just because I wanted to), I wrote down some notes while watching it, so if anyone wants to read them, they're below the cut. (Also sorry ANI fans, my dad came in to borrow a pencil while the ANI segment was happening, so I missed a lot of it)
. There was a 4 minute long intro voice over before AVPM
. James watched AVPM
. 600,000 and Lauren plays the green screen piano
. 700,000 and Lauren does an architectural digest on the green screen house
. Jon really loves Ready To Go
. Darren keeps letting Joey know he sounds like shit on old recordings
. Pinball Pete’s burnt down 🙏🙏
. MAMD was the first student produced album to make the charts
. A Very Potter Sequel’s name came before A Very Potter Musical
. They accidentally wrote Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
. James gave Julia Albain leg splints
. During Starship the entire cast was breathing fibreglass
. Starship was called “knowingly amateurish”
. Darren was supposed to write 15 songs for Starship, but he got cast on GLEE
. Darren flew in to join a rehearsal as a surprise, ran in singing Beauty and everyone was so pissed
. Everyone still loves Kick It Up A Notch
. Nick: “Which was Holy Musical B@man-
Lauren: “Fuck yeah”
. They made up Sweet Tooth, and then found out he was an actual Batman villain
. Matt came up with “Calendar Man, your days are numbered” in his dream, and it was so good it forced him awake to instantly call Nick
. Everyone thought the flying machine joke was the best AVPM joke
. Goin' Back To Hogwarts Reprise made everyone cry
. AVPSY was five hours long
. Curt saw AVPSY
. Darren arrived 2 hours before the show and didn't get a chance to read through a lot of the script
. Darren came up with “I hope you find that swimming pool”
. Joey ate one banana on the day of AVPSY and during Sidekick went “I'm losing my vision”
. They had to pay the hotel union $11,000 to use THEIR OWN microphones, and Darren's STILL BROKE
. Jeff accidentally washed out his Aladdin hair dye
. A.J. Holmes had the same agent as Jafar's original VA, and they got him to do the intro and say “pee” and “poop” in Jafar's voice
. ANI was, as we know, expected to be a hit, and, as we know, it was not
. TTO was, as we know, expected to fail, and, as we know, did not
. TTO had a batshit cast party
. Pierce used to ask Matt insanely complicated questions before bed, e.g, “How did WWII happen?”
. Firebringer was a really old concept
. Literally no one questioned why the “I don't really wanna do the work today” clip had loads of people dressed as cavewomen + cavemen
. Firebringer was the first show Jon saw live
. They made up all the Hatchetfield shows at the same time
. Nick kept making sure Paul was having fun
. The song from the Pirate Show, “Born To Be Wretched goes so fucking hard. Like if a sea shanty was a musical theatre song essentially
. Mariah: “Rich gays, please give”
. Lauren choreographed Show Stoppin' Number
. People actually gave Lauren their phones when she asked in Inevitable, and they would take them backstage and take selfies before giving them back. One time it was locked and she shouted “WHAT'S THE PASSCODE?!?!?”
. Joey: “I'm in the middle of Wiggle”
. Everyone was ill during Black Friday
. Bryce saw Black Friday
. BRYCE GOT THE APPLE
. Nick told her “Interesting things happen here” when showing her to the seat
. Ahhh when Jeff played Tom…
. Angela was in Jaime’s improv class
. Angela is no longer on vocal rest
. Angela had to kill Sherman with a finger gun one night
. Will was 100% ready for NPMD
. Will was at a party they went to during A Very Starkid Reunion
. HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR STARKID
. Rip Kim
. The Docks of Troutspear is sung by Matt’s favourite character (it also slaps)
. The Pit Stop in Hatchetfield livestream is going to be a tag team deathmatch
. I love Starkid so much
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ffverr · 3 days
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On the discourse (that somehow still exists) of why the X-Men are feared and hated but other genetically modified heroes like the Fantastic Four or some of the Avengers aren't :
I still see this argument online that some people, usually not X-Men fans, pull out in a sort of gotcha moment. To kind of stick it to Marvel for being unrealistic or to vouch for the fearing of other heroes in the marvel universe to tip the scales.
There are two points for the "why is *random x-men* oppressed and not *random marvel hero*" discourse that people are always intentionally missing.
One- A base of mutant fear and repression is the argument that "it could happen to your children too". It could happen to ANYONE, from birth, and there is nothing you can do about it. No being careful of scientific experiences can stop your close ones from becoming a mutant. (Kind of like people are okay with gay celebrities as long as they're doing their thing from afar but it's a threat when it comes to their children/Friends/family being gay)
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They layed it on thick with this amazing advertisment back in the day: "do you know what your children are"??? I mean come on it's not rocket science
Fun fact, the kid labeled "mutie" here is actually Franklin Richards, son of Mister Fantastic and Invisible woman. He used to be a mutant and this goes to show how somehow johnny storm can be beloved but his super powered nephew doesn't get the same treatment.
Two- Spider-Man, the F4, the Avengers etc... All these heros who get some powers by some incident. They're supposed to be rare and few in between. The fear of mutants mainly comes from the fact that they started popping up in the MILLIONS. A mutant isn't necessarly seen as an honorable individual that acquires powers and realises they have the responsibility to use it for good. To humans, they're millions of people (or at least hundreds of thousands) that are, just by existing, threatening the status quo of humanity. They are changing the natural dominance of humans for good.
So of course humans love the F4 (usually). Because they're not scared to be replaced by them in their day to day life, however they are scared to be rendered obsolete by mutants. When humans look at the F4 they see brave selfless HUMAN heroes. They relate to them, they identify with them. They're a sweet family dedicated to the world's safety. In contrast, the mutants represent a world changing threat that truly shifts the balance. And that's not comfy at all no matter how cute or harmless the power is.
This difference can even cause very understandable tension in between the X-men and other super powered groups:
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In short, the mutant moral panic comes from the fact that for exemple:
-humans are afraid to loose their jobs to super powered level talents.
-humans are scared from groups of super powered people that could threaten their safety.
-Governments are scared of these groups being the equivalent of entire armies concentrated in a single individual.
- They're scared that their children could turn into something unimaginable once they hit puberty
-And some just hate the idea of being manipulated by a random telepath on the street without ever knowing.
In contrast of Spider-Man, humans feel like nature is done with homo sapiens and THAT'S what brings hate and fear.
That's why everytime a mutant hate crime happens in the comics, it's always accompanied by some human saying "y'think you're better than us weirdo".
+ Contrary to the avengers, mutants also claim a culture, a shared history and common experiences between thousands. This binds them together in a way they doesn't necessarly make them identify with humans. And this is overall irritating and scary to humans.
Also, religious fear-mongering of mutants is rampant!!! It does a ton to set appart the mutants from the scientifically modified heros of the marvel universe.
In the end, one of the best comic to portray this whole thing is still God loves man Kills.
It depicts a villain, Striker, that gains popularity by spreading religious propaganda to justify mutant hate. In an emotional and shocking twist, we come to find that Striker has had a mutant son, that he killed with his own hand because he was a "monster".
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You can understand how Captain America, with his super body, doesn't really evoke the same existential dread. Bigotry isn't rational, but also, a shit ton of things complicate the mutant's inclusion into society that doesn't necessarly parallel perfectly with real world struggles so that's also to take into consideration.
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melrosing · 2 days
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Do you think Jaime sincerely regrets what he does to Bran despite only thinking of it once?
ya of course. I think something that maybe needs to be said more often (particularly regarding Jaime’s POV but also broadly applies to others) is that you are not always going to see a character doing the workings that lead them from point A to point B. you have to fill in some of the gaps yourself and surmise the changes in thinking that have taken place offscreen.
The Jaime and Bran thing is a good example of this. we can gather from the scene in which the push takes place that this isn’t something Jaime wanted to do, but felt compelled to: he helps Bran up when he initially falls, and when he asks Bran his age etc a reader can gather when rereading the scene that this is Jaime trying to make time as he deliberates what he’s going to do next. then ‘the things I do for love’ is said with ‘loathing’. already we have plenty to determine that Jaime was not happy w this line of action, but felt he needed to take it.
then we get the AGOT-early ASOS scenes where Jaime comes across as a cut and dry villain and does nothing to help himself, half-jesting to Bran’s own mother about what he did and demonstrating no remorse whatsoever. shocking on first read but a rereader should be able to go back based on what they learn of Jaime later on and realise that he talks differently to what he feels, and maintains this darkly careless front specifically to avoid digging up his true feelings on difficult subjects. this is made apparent over and over again.
then there’s a big gap where Bran is neither mentioned nor thought about by Jaime, when suddenly right towards the end of the book he declares himself ashamed of what he did. so now the reader realises that Jaime has been thinking about what he did, even whilst we haven’t read those thoughts. and then looking at how the act was performed in the first place, we can realise he’s always been ashamed of what he did, has just been telling himself and others differently for his own complex reasons.
I think there are a lot of people who can’t accept that character work sometimes takes place off the page as well as on it, and a character won’t always declare every step they take in a new direction, but sometimes a certain line here or there will tell you that that work has been taking place. if executed well, this is just good writing: it’s boring having the writer spell everything out for you, good books should feel like you’re working with the writer to build the full story.
a lot of people do want it spelt out though lol, you see that a lot with discussions re Jaime, because I’d say he’s maybe the most ‘show don’t tell’ character in the series. and like I always say this isn’t fuckin Paradise Lost or whatever you do not need a degree to crack it but idk like. reading is a skill?? spend any amount of time in asoiaf fandom and truly u will realise that some people just. well they haven’t honed that skill yet lol
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ghenry · 3 days
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Rewatched the Avatar TLA series with my partner recently, and fell in love with the world and characters all over again. I especially love the journey Zuko goes through the show as a character.
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Zuko, son of Fire Lord Ozai. He seems pretty by-the-books at first as this angry villain, but something that makes him immediately unique for this kind of setting is his young age. He's barely older than Aang, our child protagonist.
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"You're just a child." "Well, you're just a teenager!"
Although early on you start getting the idea that there's more nuance to him than this villain trying to incapacitate our protag, he shows some depth in his character here and there, usually through his uncle Iroh, a wise warrior that's there to aid and comfort his nephew, joining his banished trip on his own accord. While he's on the villain's side, it's worth noting he never hurts or intimidates innocent people, only ever fighting those already attacking or threatening him.
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Even so, Zuko made it blatantly clear what his intents were. "I must capture the avatar to regain my honor." And he barely changed his mind about this throughout the entire first season, even when the two helped each-other out of hopeless circumstances, hinting that they're not meant to be sworn enemies.
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"If we knew each-other back then, do you think we could've been friends too?"
Knowing the show and how it transpires across all 3 seasons, it's interesting seeing the intent the writers and showrunners had for these characters, and their hidden depth, all the way back in this first season. One of the finest examples would be Iroh sharing Zuko's history with fellow soldiers. A history which helps said soldiers --and in turn, the audience-- empathize with him.
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Behind Zuko's scarred face is a story about a boy already feeling lost and unsure of himself, stumbling into a tragedy where his father --in sheer arrogance-- abused his son to a high degree in front of all his subordinates, in a heinous act he would call punishment.
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Ever since then, he was banished to travel across the world to search for the avatar, a task his father felt was worthless, but was the same as leaving him out to die. This isn't the origin of a villain, but a downtrodden individual who couldn't find his place in life.
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What Zuko called "honor" over and over again wasn't that, but his father's love. He already lost his mother, and instead yearned for his father's approval and affection. This culminated to his ultimate betrayal, siding with his sister and turning his back on his uncle, which lead to his imprisonment. During a crossroad and moment of insecurity, he threw his uncle Iroh to the wolves because he thought he would regain his honor and earn his right to be a part of his family once again.
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Zuko would be welcomed back into his family, he retrieved what he thought was his honor --and what he thought was genuine love from his father.
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"You have redeemed yourself, my son."
But even then, he still felt lost, alone, and without a sense of direction. Nothing changed, his soul still felt incomplete.
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"For so long, I thought that if my dad accepted me, I'd be happy. My dad talks to me, he even thinks I'm a hero! Everything should be perfect, right? I should be happy now, but I'm not! I'm angrier than ever, and I don't know why!"
It took him a long time (about 2 and a half seasons) to realize he didn't need this sense of "honor" and what he was chasing was just a farce. His father only showed Zuko "love" when he seemed useful, an asset that was helping his fascist conquering of multiple nations by killing the Avatar.
All of this drew to an enthralling, terrifying, heart-wrenching moment between him and his father during the day of the eclipse. He used the minutes they could not fire bend as an opportunity to let out the truth and his own epiphany. He admitted that he never killed Aang --didn't even try, for that matter-- and that he's going to help him defeat his father's regime. Ozai immediately despised Zuko for this, proving his 'love' was conditional and hollow. And at that moment, as soon as the eclipse ceased, he attempted to kill his own son right then and there in a moment that never fails to draw tears out of me as soon as it happens.
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Zuko survived his father's lethal attack, only by sheer will, and a lighting-redirection technique his uncle happened to teach him a while back, emphasizing how important Iroh is to him. Iroh is the father figure that truly loved Zuko unconditionally. Ozai, his biological father, could only grant him death. His uncle Iroh, at that moment, inadvertently granted him life.
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And Zuko's story (mostly) ends in the middle of the 4-part finale. With the help of his friends, he tracked down Iroh who escaped from prison. The moment he sees his uncle, he breaks down as he's horribly ashamed of his actions, expecting Iroh to shun him as he feels he does not deserve his uncle's love after what he did to him.
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"I was never angry with you . . . I was sad, because I was afraid you lost your way."
But Iroh doesn't hesitate to embrace him. Like I said, his love is unconditional. He knew Zuko wasn't evil, he was only being manipulated by the likes of his father and sister. He knew Zuko would find the right path, restore his own honor, and come back to him. It's such a beautiful moment and the soul-piercing conclusion to Zuko's story, a story they were building up since the literal first episode.
Of course, there's also Azula, his sister. She was considered a prodigy with her amazing fire bending abilities, mastering the skill of bending lightning, something only her father and uncle were able to do before her.
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She was a spitting image of her father; fierce, manipulative, wrathful, the only thing she shared with her brother Zuko was their sense of determination. But we don't learn what really drives Azula until the finale. It's similar to Zuko. He felt incomplete without his father's love. While this was implied before the finale, Azula felt she was missing her mother's love.
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While I think the argument could be made that this was just her own projection, it's important that this shows how --despite her more respected place in their family and nation-- she was just as broken and spiritually lost as Zuko. While Ozai showered his daughter with praise for all of her life, Azula felt her mother didn't love her, which ate away at her, deep inside. Much like Zuko, who felt he was fighting to earn his father's love.
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Azula, to me, represents Zuko's future if he let his father manipulate him, just like Azula did to him. Would he have become this tyrannical fire lord if he just listened to his father, abandoned his inhibitions, and ensured his nation's regime? Maybe. But like Azula's interrupted crowning, it would have been shallow, lonely, and without any real sense of self-worth. Nothing to show for it but a broken mind.
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Instead, Zuko became the fire lord on his own terms, and with the entire world in support of him, as he helped this quest for peace and balance across the nations. He earned his place in life through his own will, his own actions, and his amazing uncle who only wanted the best for him. He restored his honor himself, with lifelong friends by his side.
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That's it, that's all I wanted to write about. This show rules.
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chaifootsteps · 12 hours
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I'm really torn on Brandon's video because that's his style of humor. To be offensive and off the wall without actually meaning to be hurtful. It's what I like him and most of his content.
But no matter how you slice it, calling a 17 year old girl who legitimately wants her father's love a "slut" because "she hates me" and "cockblocks me from Stolas", as well as "her name should be cockblocktavia" is uhhh... very telling and inappropriate. Those words shouldn't go anywhere near a minor. Even for Brandon. Not to mention thinking of children like that is a very real thing and it's gross.
He even said he "kins Blitz" and that "I think Blitz would hate her, but that's up to Viv." It's kinda troubling that he said a fictional character hates *him*. I know he led into the Brennan Ragers thing, but that was an accident in the context of the show and meant to he a funny jab at Brandon? I have author friends who have been killed horrificly in books, and it's never a jab, it's all in good fun. Which is how I interpreted that scene.
In other interviews where he's being completely serious, he mentions multiple times relating heavily to Blitz... so that's why part of me thinks he's being serious here.
I know Via is fictional, but if this fanbase starts hating a CHILD because of these reasons....... yeah, no. I don't want to start seeing people calling her a "slut" or something because she "gets in the way of their love" or some dumb bullshit.
I uhm... like Brandon a bit less now. Seems that SH really corrupts or enables the worst in people who stay there long.
Also, fuck it. I'm stealing Via and Stella and they'll have a loving relationship and Stolas can be alone to fuck Blitz since that's what Viv and her fanbase clearly want.
They really hate women, huh?
Yeah, I feel like in the best scenario, the absolute most generous scenario, he didn't mean a word of it and it wasn't that deep. I'm not sure that's what's going on, honestly, but assume it is. In that case, this is absolutely going to throw gasoline on a problem that's been creeping up for a while, which is this fandom's misogyny turning around and villainizing a troubled teenage girl.
A lot of these people want an excuse to be misogynistic, to trash female characters just for existing, and Viv and Brandon hand it to them on a silver platter.
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sassykinzonline · 9 hours
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Hey there, Sasuke~
(I may regret this, but here goes nothing-)
If you could describe me with a song/songs, what would it/they be?
(Please don’t be too mean- I beg of you ><)
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....you only come around to ask me questions to boost your self-esteem while also treating me like im some devil's child you need to tame so itachi likes you. why ask me if im so terrible?
before you misinterpret this and make me out to be a villain, i really like this song and its about TWO fucked up people being the perfect couple and each other's first loves, the girl suffering because she doesnt know how to get the guy to love her, but excited to try things with him. hope this makes you happy enough to get over whatever it is i allegedly did to you.
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No, some people do shit on Vil. I like to think there's a spectrum when it comes to Vil haters and Vil lovers.
Vil haters will demonize Vil and call him racist because he 'hates' Epel's accent, when that's not even true! He hates how crude and inappropriate he talks to others, you forget that Rook speaks French in some of his dialogues? Vil doesn't even bat an eye making the whole Vil is racist thing completely ridiculous and meaningless.
'Vil is abuse towards Epel!' Epel literally tried to pick a fight first and y'all are mad he actually got hurt? What did you want Vil to do? Stand there and take it? You all make jokes about Riddle getting his shit rocked by Ace because he was a little shit, but mad at Vil for doing the same to Epel? Vil doesn't go out of his way to abuse Epel, the fuck?! And I'm not saying that Epel is a terrible person nor a saint, we can have characters who are both flawed and still like them.
I see Vil as the type of mom you think is an asshole but when you get older you realize she was trying he best to raise you when you were a difficult child. I do agree that Vil has flaws that he needs to work on, the thing some people can't comprehend is that Vil will admit that he's wrong. Vil isn't self centered or some snobby rich dude, he strives to be a better person for himself and others that includes admitting he's wrong and bettering himself. He wants everyone in his dorm to be a better version of themselves and in one of his birthday cards it stated that while in his club he learned more about what goes on behind the scenes of movies because of his club member's help.
Vil, who is an actor appreciated the help of his fellow club mates for teaching him more about what goes on behind his profession. And I can't fully go in more dept because I'm an English twst user, and unfortunately some of the dialogue is either wrongfully translated or censored because Disney can't handle the queer themes of his character despite most of their Disney villains being QUEER CODED due to the Haze code back in the day. I'm seeing that people love to bring up the 'him trying to kill Neige' situation with his overblot, and I have to admit... Mans was genuinely tweaking, not gonna lie.... But you have to understand that Vil literally spent his life perfecting his acting skills despite his villainous roles he's given. He still held his head high despite it all, only for Neige to step in and steal that role of the hero. How would it feel to spend years at something that gave you an identity, the only thing that you're good at only to be out shined by a person who never felt the struggle of requiring that talent. I'm not saying Vil had every right to do what he did, but damn I understand why he did it.
Now onto Vil lovers, like I said it a spectrum. We have the Vil lovers who like myself can see his flaws and can agree that Vil has some issues but can see that he's a good person despite it all....then we have the Vil fans who hate and demonize Neige.
I can't understand why we can't have both, you also know you can like both characters without putting down or demonizing one over the other. I think that Neige is another version of Kalim honestly and I think he's a really sweet guy, but come on... You guys are just making stuff up to excuse Vil almost killing him which again I say, we can admit Vil was fucked for that but blaming something on Neige that he didn't even know happened is crazy. It's not Neige's fault that Vil hates him but the circumstances in their lives that put them to where they are now. Neige didn't ask to be famous, hell he didn't asked to be an actor he needed the money to have a better living situation for himself and his friends.
This has now become a Vil rant and I don't care, I love this man so much.
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S/O bought a Roomba,
taped a knife to it,
gave it a name tag with the name ‘Mr Stabby’,
and set it loose.
(main boys, please)
Love your stories!
Undertale Sans - One day you don't find your Roomba and discover Sans took it for a walk only to get a reaction out of the people in the street. He can't get over Mr Stabby. It's his new pet and his best friend.
Undertale Papyrus - He adds googly eyes on the Roomba so it looks even more ridiculous doing its task. It makes his brain happy to watch it clean the house while carrying its little knife. And it prevents him from doing chores he doesn't want to do. His ADHD is satisfied.
Underswap Sans - He's not sure what to think of Mr Stabby. First of all, he never saw a Roomba before and it scared the hell out of him the first time he saw it. But now? Now this poor thing looks ridiculous. It's small with a knife bigger than him. Who is it going to scare? If you wanted a guard dog... Adopt a guard dog???
Underswap Papyrus - He replaces the knife with a flower every time he sees it and now it's a daily battle between you two over Mr Stabby or Mr Flower. Come on, the Roomba is clearly cuter with a little flower, why would you tape a knife on it? The battle became so intense you're both using super strong tape to discourage the other now.
Underfell Sans - The thing is staring at him. Menacingly. Red hates it. Somehow, the Roomba cornered him and now he's shooting distressed glances towards his S/O. Help? The hell is this thing? He doesn't want it inside his house, get rid of it! He's going to have quite a few jumpscares in the next few days. He really doesn't like it.
Underfell Papyrus - He calls it Hellbringer. Now he has two weapons of massive destruction by his side. You cringe as he starts to laugh maniacally like an epic villain, carrying both his cat and the Roomba above his head. Ok....
Horrortale Sans - He's in a corner, growling at the Roomba. The thing surprised him while he was napping and now he distrusts it completely. Still, the Roomba refuses to hear his warning and comes closer. So Oak picks up the Roomba and explodes it in the wall lol. Rip Roomba.
Horrortale Papyrus - He didn't pay attention and accidentally walked on the Roomba... And on the knife. Now he's looking at you with sad offended eyes. You did that to him, feel guilty now! He's too tall to always watch where his feet are going!
Swapfell Sans - He refuses to get down the couch. This is witchcraft. He didn't touch the Roomba and it still activated on its own. This is some supernatural shit. Every time the Roomba gets close, he hisses angrily and tries to jump higher on the couch out of fear the thing will attack him. It's not funny! You still wonder how that coward is somehow the general of the royal guard.
Swapfell Papyrus - It's hilarious! He quickly understands the power of the Roomba on his brother and he keeps using it to traumatize him. His favorite thing is to hide it under Nox's bed, waiting for his brother to come in, and then activate it just to hear Nox's screams of panic as he tries to escape the evil robot. He will never get tired of this. His dream is to send Evil Roomba on live TV during a meeting with Toriel to see his brother freak out and the Queen completely panic over the reaction of her main counselor.
Fellswap Gold Sans - He's not impressed. He simply glares at you in a silent "Are you serious?" way. This thing looks ridiculous. The next day, he tells you he fix it. Mr Stabby is now covered with barbed wire and has a chainsaw. He even added an autodestruction device so he could explode in the face of the enemy. Uh. You're not sure about that feature honestly.
Fellswap Gold Papyrus - He met Mr Stabby for ten seconds but if something happens to him, he's going to kill everyone in the room and then himself. He insists Mr Stabby sleeps with you two in bed as it's obvious it's your adopted child. You never knew the Roomba was that big before you had to sleep with it. Coffee is very happy though.
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temtoni · 2 days
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Pt.3 of the Doomed!Au
This time around JAY!
Timeline time:
- So the ninja return to Ninjago from the Neverrealm but without Zane
- They once again start grieving the loss of their teammate but since in Ninjago theres always something going on they are still doing missions
- On one of these said missions Jay finds an unfinished video game “Prime Empire” he sees this as something to do and as something that can distract him from everything going on
- For the next weeks ,heck months even he’s working on finishing the game in his room. Shutting everyone out and coming out of his room only every two days or so for the essentials
- The others get incredibly irritated and annoyed by his behavior but don’t really do anything because they think that this is his way of coping
- Nya though is pissed she needs his support right now but no all he does is lock himself up so she goes to “talk” to him
- They have a big argument about what grief is how to deal with it and everything. Nya thinks Jay should be there for her since she is his girlfriend but he’s to busy trying to deal with the loss of two of his brothers
- Nya then purely out of anger tells him that she’s breaking up with him and runs off, Jay tries to follow her but is way to exhausted (I mean he hasn’t been eating what was he expecting)
- So he decides to continue doing the thing that has been distracting him from his emotions
- After a week or so of useless programming he gets fed up and releases a big charge of electricity onto his computer
- Since he’s currently pretty weak and because it was a high voltage, he passes out and causes a blackout in Ninjago
- When he wakes up he’s in an weirdly familiar place he realizes its the game and that he has trapped himself inside its code
- Meanwhile in Ninjago many arcade cabinets and computers or so started glitching after the blackout and one after the other starts up “prime empire” while Jay finishes up the game from inside of it
- He also figures out that he can leave the game but it causes both him and his game to glitch like crazy
- the Ninja find out and try to talk to him but all he does is make a message appear on the screen and ban them from the game
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Sooo Jay, Jay in this au is isn’t a hero or a villain he’s just Jay. He doesn’t trap people in his game like unagami but it is kinda hard to leave as you have to get through the main story line first or well die. If you asked him as to why he’s staying in the digital world he would answer sth along the lines of “The people here want me to be here” “They need me to be here” etc. He wants to make sure that the players are having fun and he keeps adding more and more features.
Also while the ninja are banned, Cole isn’t Jay hopes that since Cole shares his love for video games he might come visit one day. (He is 100% sure that Cole isn’t dead, the others called him crazy for it)
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Also (since you can’t see it) he still has fangs from when he was almost turned into a serpentine but he hides them with his scarf.
The updates will now slow down because i have to work and stuff but I am planning on designing the main 6 ninjas at least.
Maybe even some side characters like Akita? i’m not sure yet.
There might be some textposts about more detailed versions of what exactly happened etc maybe even some smaller doodles :)
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i don't understand why ted is like this fandom's babygirl no. 1-- i feel like everyone either ignores or makes light of the fact that he's a chronic sexual harasser. like i hate people who try to say "liking bad characters makes you a bad person" and i get that like many of hatchetfield's characters are of questionable morality. hell i love max jaegerman because of how cartoonishly villainous he is. but with ted it feels different because so much of the fan content just makes him out as a guy who makes occasional sex jokes instead of like... a literal creep i wouldn't feel safe alone with irl. idk if you like him more power to you, i guess i've just met too many guys like that
~~~
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generalluxun · 3 days
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Looking at the episode listings now & Season 3 just gets more tragic, cos from Chloe's perspective its like this:
Mums back, but still hates me (Killed me) but hey I can be a super hero cos destiny, chance, choice whatever!
Oh no, I messed up being a super hero, was humiliated before everyone and... Well at least mom seems to like me now?
Followed with, well everyone hates me and I'm useless I might as well leave, oh gosh Ladybug thinks I can be good and useful & chose me!
Capped off with, I helped Ladybug and the rest of the team battle an army of Akuma, we almost defeated Hawk Moth and even had a team photo!
Like, yes I know you know all this, sorry, but like...
From her perspective at the end of season 2, she had zero reason to think she was not on the team.
Then its months of radio silence, rejections and battles at her door.
Still, she tries at times, like with Star Train, even if no one takes her seriously.
Then she's targeted by the villains & almost manages to defeat Hawk Moths second in command but is told she can't be hero anymore.
Followed very shortly afterwards by her parents declaring she only loves herself, attacking her and Ladybug choosing the only other hero with a known identity & then Hawk Moth ambushing her.
Again you know this, but it really does just emphasize the tragedy to me.
Now,
I am sure there will be someone who will go, "She's not owed a Miraculous" and sure, but frankly no one is owed super powers. Or, "Marinette is not obligated to help improve a girl who is always awful to her." Again, fair in concept, but here's the issue.
As I noted elsewhere, she already was chosen to use a Miraculous several times, as in sequentially there were no massive gaps that would give her the impression this would be a rare or one off thing.
Thing is, as only Ladybug is making these calls & chose her each time despite their history it is Ladybug's job to tell her that it was never going to last. Or at least order someone else too, or to have opted against choosing her again in the first place.
& as for Marinette, well again, she wasn't obliged to try and fix the family situation but she chose too. We can argue about whether it was in character to try, or the method she picked was out of character.
But within the context of the story, she did opt to insert herself into the this situation. It feels disingenuous to then turn around and say she can just divorce herself from it. If nothing else, she should maybe like... Tell an adult?
Like, its for sure a messy situation.
I'm not blaming Marinette for how messy it became but I do think its fair to note how this would look from Chloe's perspective without Marinette or our audience context. IE, her beloved idol who she's given adoration & obedience told her she could be a good & useful hero; then dropped her for months, & seemingly lied about why.
I also think its fair to note that regardless of whether it was the personally logical or morally right choice, Marinette did choose to involve herself of her own accord. Even suggesting involving Chloe could make her a better person! So people acting as though she's, at the very least, not involved at all is just feels disingenuous ya now?
The Season 3 finalé sets up so much for the folks who believe S4/5 was a retcon as opposed to plan. I don't think it was a retcon, but I DO believe it was a betrayal of the narrative before that point.
The S3 Finalé frames Chloé's fall *explicitly* as a tragedy. Fu uses the phrase 'Some lose hope' to describe her situation. Losing hope isn't an act of evil, it's an act of desperation and defeat. In a greater sense it is also framed as a failure of *Ladybug*.
Because no matter what people want to say about Marinette's duty to hep, *Ladybug* does have duties and responsibilities. On her watch a child was isolated and broken down over several episodes by Hawkmoth and Mayura. Season 3 starts the pattern of Ladybug failing with every Finale *Which is a very weird story to write!*
Now, the S3 Finalé would have worked as a low-point/mistake for LB to circle back to and address shortly after. Have her find out about Hawkmoth/Mayura's manipulation, about Queen Bee confronting Mayura and rejecting her. About her rejecting an akuma before anyone else. Have Marinette discover that things are not what they appeared on the surface (come on this is a classic theme for superheros!) and institute a process of mending fences. Ladybug grows from the experience, Chloé clearly will have growing to do too. In the end though the abused child is heard, and healing/help is given.
Instead they just went with 'nah ignore all the setup, Chloé is just evil, always has been, she is actually the abuser not her parents, and she deserves it.' (A statement Thomas wrote into S5E23 which was removed in production without his knowledge)
So yeah, no wonder people think it was a retcon. There's no world where the reality makes sense.
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tiana4evahh · 5 hours
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Okay can we talk about how 'down to earth' or 'calm and collective' Cole is?
He's never really 'angry.' The biggest it's been is him making a snarky remark or two. Unless it's with the villain (even then it's pretty tame), Cole's never been truly angry. (Unless if you count the Nya love triangle, but I don't because it's kind of... you know)
Maybe it's just me, but I feel like Cole just hides his anger. Like, he just pushes it all down, doesn't let it show. He's supposed to be the leader (kind of), the calm one, the serious one, the responsible one, and those types of people don't get angry.
So he takes away that anger, stuffs it into a jar, and pushes it to the back of the top shelf.
But it's still there. It's still there, being added onto every single day. It's not gone. It's getting bigger, and bigger, and bigger. And it's getting harder to hit.
He's constantly slipping out rude comments and mean remarks, even when he doesn't need them. He tries to hide them, because doesn't want anyone to see that side of himself. The side that's pissed, tired, angry, and just so damn done.
At one point though, I believe there's a time that he just snaps. Whether it's with the team or in battle (it's one of those I haven't decided yet), he just loses it. (He has a right too though). Better yet, it starts with the team, and ends in a battle.
If it's with the crew, it's probably because they're arguing over a mission, and they're talking sides and it's out of control, and Cole just wants them to calm down and stop yelling and fighting until he starts yelling. He yells that they need to shut up and get themselves together, because they're a team and they have a mission to do and they need to do it.
While they ready to leave, he's still pissed. That yelling wasn't enough. He needed to get more out, he needed to let more go.
When they're in battle, he takes it in his own hands.
Cole just... lashes out. He runs into battle, yelling, his sword in the arm. Kicking, punching, taking down guys. It leaves the crew in a miniature shock for a second. They've all seen how well Cole can fight, but never like this. This? This was pure anger, this was blind rage.
He takes out every single piece of anger out in the battle. He's taken down like 20 guys and still is taking down more. At the end, he's tired and weak, and his body hurts.
But it felt so good.
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Stephen A. Crockett Jr. at HuffPost:
I’ve always been stunned at former President Donald Trump’s physical prowess.
I mean, who can forget when his White House director of communications, Anthony Scaramucci, gushed about witnessing Trump throw a perfect spiral through a tire? Or his claim that he’s seen the confirmed thousand-aire at Madison Square Garden in a top coat at the foul line swishing free throws? And despite all of us knowing that the former president’s diet relies heavily on fast food, that didn’t stop his White House physician, now Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-Texas), from praising his genetics. “Some people just have great genes,” Jackson told reporters in 2018. “I told the president if he had a healthier diet over the last 20 years, he might live to be 200.” So it has been quite the show watching the gymnast-like contortions of the former president to avoid getting to know, or actually court, Black people to support his campaign. Earlier this month, in his latest episode of “See? Black people like me!” the president stood during an obvious photo-op at an Atlanta Chick-fil-A while smiling Black workers appeared to pose while taking his order. Trump reportedly ordered 30 milkshakes and some chicken, dealing out fast food for free publicity before heading to a high-dollar fundraiser in a largely white neighborhood.
A Black woman in the restaurant said, in her best untrained actor voice, “I don’t care what the media tells you, Mr. Trump, we support you!” I later found out the Black woman was in fact Michaelah Montgomery, a conservative activist who had arranged the entire scene. To her credit, the bigger story was supposed to be a conversation between students from nearby HBCUs and the presidential candidate about conservatism and possible inroads with the Black community. The moment became a meme. As with most Trump moments. Because what Trump and those around him don’t understand or care to involve themselves with is that Black people, more specifically Black women (also known as the spine of the Democratic voting bloc), are three dimensional, alive, actual human beings.
In Trumpland, Black people are caricatures of all of the worst stereotypes that have ever been imagined. They are rapists, thieves and murderers who want to terrorize… wait, no, that’s immigrants. But the point remains: The idea of even possibly courting Black voters never moves past stereotypical ideology. Which is comical when you consider that in 2024, the year of our lord Dawn Staley, an actual presidential strategy for winning the Black vote was… wait for it… sneakers. In February, Trump unveiled his $399 “Never Surrender High-Tops” at SneakerCon in Philadelphia. Trump didn’t just premiere the gaudy gold high-top decorated with an American flag motif, the sort of faux patriotism that’s truly become Trump’s signature brand, he actually went to the event to help hawk the ridiculousness that was an attempt to capture not just youth culture but ... well, I’ll just let Fox News contributor Raymond Arroyo say the quiet part out loud. “This is ... connecting with Black America. Because they’re into sneakers. They love sneakers. This is a big deal. Certainly in the inner city.”
Arroyo got bashed for his take, as he should, but his take was a glimpse into how many Republicans, especially Trump, see Black people as sneaker-loving, inner-city dwelling and easily swayed by shiny, expensive things. It’s Republican typecasting in which a Black person remains the villain/magical negro who serves only to further the white protagonist’s storyline. And make no mistake about it, in the story of Trump, as told by the narcissistic narrator, the former president is always the hero.
Which brings us to Blacks 4 Trump (aka Black Voices for Trump), you know, that hodgepodge group of Blacks (mostly men) who have proclaimed their allegiance to Trump and who stump for him despite his lackluster attempts at any tangible metrics with the Black community. Don’t act like you don’t remember Michael Symonette, Maurice Woodside and Mikael Israel (these are not three people; it’s one man who has gone by three names), more commonly know as “Michael the Black Man” (his name for himself, not mine) who magically appeared behind Trump at a 2017 rally in Arizona. Always strategically placed in the camera’s view wearing a shirt that says “Trump & Republicans Are Not Racist” or “Blacks 4 Trump.” The funny thing is that the group Blacks 4 Trump didn’t ever seem to really do anything other than allow their Blackness to be co-opted for the then-president’s political gain. The group didn’t have an agenda or a political manifesto (at least it never presented one) that noted how Trump could actually earn the Black vote. They just showed up and allowed their images to be used to sell a product.
Because, never forget, Trump is always in the Trump business. Which leads to arguably the most disturbing attempt by Trump’s campaign to court Black voters, which Trump’s camp openly admits they need to win over in the upcoming election: Insisting that because Black people have been the victims of an unjust criminal system, they relate to Trump more because he, too, is a victim of the Man.
[...] Trump acknowledges that there is discrimination and, more important, that Black people have been discriminated against. This means nothing to him, of course, as that only serves to get him to his second point, which is that he can relate, which therefore makes him more relatable to the discriminated class. He doesn’t want to fix the problem, he only wants to leech off of the sympathies related to it. It is in this brushstroke that Trump ― who has been charged by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, a Black woman; Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, a Black man; and New York Attorney General Letitia James, a Black woman ― that he, too, is a victim of systemic racism.
“When I did the mug shot in Atlanta, that mug shot is number one,” Trump said. He added that the Black population “embraced it more than anyone else.” He also said: “I’m being indicted for you, the Black population.” First, the obvious. I’ll just let President Joe Biden’s campaign spokesperson Jasmine Harris explain it. “The audacity of Donald Trump to speak to a room full of Black voters during Black History Month as if he isn’t the proud poster boy for modern racism. This is the same man who falsely accused the Central Park 5, questioned George Floyd’s humanity, compared his own impeachment trial to being lynched and ensured the unemployment gap for Black workers spiked during his presidency,” Harris told The Washington Post.
“Donald Trump has been showing Black Americans his true colors for years: an incompetent, anti-Black tyrant who holds us to such low regard that he publicly dined with white nationalists a week after declaring his 2024 candidacy.”
Stephen Crockett Jr. wrote in HuffPost that Donald Trump's attempt to court Black voters is based on stereotypical traits of Blacks from a conservative POV, including by claiming to relate to being victims of an unjust criminal system that Black folk face.
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poorly-drawn-mdzs · 9 months
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I'm sorry I let down my guard.
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#poorly drawn mdzs#mdzs#xue yang#xiao xingchen#God DAMN this scene was brutal. Season 2 episode 2 is almost nothing but misery and anguish#Helena by Nickle Creek does not quite fit the comic's vibe but it is absolutely a Xue Yang song so I linked it.#The change from “Helena don't walk away...(gentle)” to “HELENA. DON'T WALK AWAY (threat)” is fantastic.#And “Don't waste your pretty sympathy - I'll always be just fine”. Xue Yang core.#Okay now for the real meat. Disclaimer first: *I really like XY.* I think he's a great character. I think his actions consistently-#come from a place of deep trauma. While his reactions and actions put him in a villainous role he is still human about his hurt#and what I'm about to say is NOT intended to be a statement of causality or villianize a group of misunderstood people.#So with that said...Man oh man does Xue Yang have a lot of BPD traits. More that just 'character who is chronically manipulative'.#The impulsivity and emotional reactions and seeking stability makes him feel like he needs that control. What other choice is there?#The part that really gets me is how he *wants* to be safe and happy. But his past experiences tell him how thats impossible#He's the kind of person who goes 'if you don't like me then you better hate me for something substantial". All (pos) or All (neg)#''Love me entirely or Hate me. But don't you dare leave me or forget about me.''#Not at all comfortable saying 'BPD coded'. Im not a psychiatrist. Just that he has TRAITS. Feel free to disagree or add your thoughts.#ppl with bpd also are not a monolith and everyone has very different experiences. Xue yang is very complex. People more so.
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