#yes I'm aware that the movie has some flaws

[rachels-dollhouse]

A custom doll of Kayley from the movie 'Quest for Camelot' 😁

Belle was the perfect base doll for her, and since her face already matched Kayley's face perfectly, I decided not to repaint it this time... well, with the exception for her eyebrows. I think she looks really neat!

#custom doll #doll customization #doll reroot #ooak doll #quest for camelot #kayley #yes I'm aware that the movie has some flaws #but it's enjoyable nonetheless #also: heavily muscled villains who are batshit insane and can off a dragon with their bare hands are a whole ass mood

[sonicjustbecause]

What about the earliest Shadow?

Mods and Shadow has his Chao following him...

I imagine that most people got so interested in Shadow lately because he is back to be likeable, but also because of the incoming movie.

For the last decade Shadow has been the laughing stock from Sonic series. Crazy OoC-ness from fans were deliberate and not a mistake.

Yes, happy Shadow was a choice by its autor. Is a long story...

The most common image of last decade Shadow we had was... THIS...

Idiot...

I knew Shadow first from Adventure and Heroes. I didn't play heroes but I played a lot SA2B, especially the chao game and I always used Sonic and Shadow because they were the safest to have around chao. I rediscovered him later, in 2010, but he wasn't the likeable character I once knew so I completely lost interest in him (also I'm more a Sonic fan). I forgot who he was and all the things I knew were from meme. But also video from games showing 'how Shadow is an asshole' 'Shadow the edgelord' and IDW comics, the worst of all (not that Game Shadow was better, he was often underused and his few lines tasted as 'Go fuck yourself'. To make things worse he was dubbed by Kirk Thorton, not a really beautiful voice, to not say brutal things...).

Sega just took Shadow and removed all his good qualities, all what made him well rounded, keeping only the flaws (I've read the mandates, do you know what an Anti-Mary Sue is? Well...). They wanted him being unlikeable I guess. Is mainly from Prime and tMoStH that Shadow sparkled my interest again into exploring him as character, that made me think there is more, that he must also have good qualities, not only flaws.

The earliest Shadow (Sonic Adventure 2, Sonic Heroes) was hardly grumpy. He was sad, lonely, somewhat insecure, often lost in though, but also stubborn, certainly less cold than people might assume. As for grumpiness, if I compare him to Sonic in 2001, Sonic seemed slightly grumpier than Shadow at that time. Shadow himself seemed to be aware of that and to have fun picking on Sonic. Both of them are rather cold outside but both of them are shown to be able to feel strong emotion (Shadow having a panic attack and Sonic wiping his eyes during the credits, Shadow being controlled by is own emotions while Sonic refusing them) At least that was the impression he gave me. Since Shadow was meant to die, most of his personality traits aswell as his backstory were packed and shown during the whole game, like a character ark. He is pratically the protagonist in the dark storyline. By the end of the storyark he is able to open up to Sonic (during the final battle against the biolizard he openly told Sonic he was not feeling well. Also the hand clasping was a gesture of openess from Shadow) and to some degree toward Amy. Not so much toward Rouge who pratically is the one who hurt him the most. In heroes Shadow appears to be pleasant to have around, althoug aloof. He is not fond in humanity and that's one of his main traits, but he doesn't let his predjudice win over him. He still has this melancholic aura around him though, it doesn't matter how content or cheerful he may seem sometimes.

Sonic was dubbed by Ryan Drummond and Shadow by David Humphrey. David's voice was different from the other VA Shadow had. His voice was more high pitched, youthful, cute. Still soft spoken. Ryan's voice was legendary, and when he made Sonic talk soflty, he sounded almost like Shadow. The two VA had so similar voices that made Sonic and Shadow sound like legit twins, and back in 2001 I though they shared the same VA all the time. Well, Drummond also dubs Shadow for a short time.

So what went wrong?

The 00's era were the years of the prince of the saiyan, or better, the king of the edgelords:

This guy was also sad and lonely. But he was also more impulsive, rough, boorish and extremely grumpy. Maybe because he is a muscular human and not a cute velvety male calico kitten hedgehog he filled the dreams of young and older teenagers.

Some said Shadow is based on Vegeta (not only him but also him) the more the 00's approaches the 10's, the more Shadow became grumpier, arrogant and standoffish. Sadness and melancholy were replaced by selfishness and he became less and less fun and interesting. Shadow the edgelord.

Archie Shadow was maybe too expressive (and his sadness was very underlined) but with only SA2 and Sonic Heroes around this interpretation was more than understandable. They (Flynn, Penders I can imagine) referred from the material they had. Shadow opening up to Sonic is there in Adventure 2, is undeniable, so it was normal assuming he was more open.

He is left handed, yeah! (This is actually correct)

In Sonic Universe Shadow was more balanced, maybe closer to the one we saw in early '00s. Lonely, rejected, sometimes bullied (although he could defend himself with his sharp tongue) because he was different.

Then the IDW.

No. Seriously Shadow?

That is unavoidable if we are talking about characters that are created by a team and not by a single. We already see this with Disney. When the writers change the charcters change too, everybody notices different things about a character, based on it's own experience of life. The characters chanfe even when the single writer deals with them, because people change too. Any kind of mandates can only help this far, if they're too heavy they end to be counter productive.

This is my personal opinion, but I would have seen better Shadow befriending Amy and Sonic more than Rouge in early days. Rouge worried for him at times, but there were moments she purposefully hurted him (although later she cared sincerely for him). She would take time to regain his trust. With Sonic, following SA2 would have been open, even more than what we see in Prime. With Amy he would be in good terms though often drained by her own cheerfulness and extrovertion. Tails is rather reserved although not socially awkward so he would not have problem with him. With Knuckles things would become funny I guess, Shadow used to be calm and smart while Knuckles is more simple and is grumpy. I think he (Shadow) would still have issues and relapses with his PTSD though and the need to be left alone.

Well, now the movie will come out. They did a good job until now. I'm curious about what they will do with Shadow. I hope he will be likeable like in SA2.

#shadow the hedgehog #sonic the hedgehog #sonic #shadow #sonic prime #tails the fox #eggman #sonic movie 3 #sonic movie #sonic movie 2 #sonic adventure 2

[jasminedragonart]

Thoughts about the impact jK Rowling has had on the female character:

I think it's fair to say that we have a long way to go in media and literature to achieve a steady basis of good female characters. That's not to say there's none, but the bad does outweigh the good. The thing is, it is getting better. These days when we look at media we can find a lot of well written female characters. Tina, Louise and Linda Belcher. Star Butterfly and Mabel Pines. Nadja of Antipaxos. These are just a few characters I thoroughly enjoy watching on screen and the reason for this is because they're relatable to me. I sometimes sing to myself like Linda, I've found myself writing fan fiction like Tina. I've had that moment like Louise where I stood there as a child and wondered why others around me don't like the things I do. I'm flawed like Mabel and I like cute things like Star.

All of these women above are women. They're feminine. They allow themselves to embrace everything that makes them who they are and yes there are struggles but they're not standing there telling me they're modernising what it means to be a woman. They're women and I like them.

Characters like these have been hard won. We've legitimately struggled to get them here and every year it's getting harder and harder to keep women like these on screen. The reason behind this, I kind of blame a lot on the impact Harry Potter had not just on media but what it means to be a woman.

Has anyone else heard the phrase 'Be a hermione in a world full of princesses?' Does anyone see how toxic this is? Does anyone else not see the problem JK has created by her series getting popular? A problem she hasn't and doesn't want to address because she doesn't realise the problems in her own books.

Hermione was a breakthrough character in children's media. By that, I mean that people finally saw the bookish girl as holding value in a narrative beyond what she had been before (maybe annoying. Maybe just a side character. Never a main character or love interest.- except no, that's wrong. we had lisa Simpson way before Hermione...

Lisa is more nuanced though. I enjoy Lisa because she's very self aware and does try and improve herself even if she's doomed to love in a sitcom she can't escape her role from.

Back to Hermione. Hermione was new to children at least. She showed kids there was value in reading and learning. But, in all honesty, how much is Hermione's popularity down to Emma Watson's portrayal of her and how much is it down to the character of Hermione.

Movie Hermione is very watered down. In fact she's given a lot of Ron's lines which makes her more impactful and Ron further into the shadow of the comedic best friend. Emma Watson is very pretty too. Even as a child she looked a lot like how a lot of prettier girls in my class looked. Her hair was the only thing that made her an outcast. But even then, this was the early 2,000s. Do you know how many kids my age came to school with Hermione's hair? They brushed those curls out until they were dead. No one knew about the curly girl method in primary. The point is, Hermione is different on screen than in the books. she's pretty, she's emotional, shes more nuanced than she is in the books and I applaud the movies for doing this to Hermione because it did make her more likeable.

That's the thing though. More likeable. In the books Hermione is not a likeable character to a lot of people. She would have been the know it all in class that reminded the teacher they had homework. Yes, she did some good things, she spoke up about the house elves, she saved Harry's life a few times but her character, in my opinion, got worse as the books went on. She remained very consistent. there wasn't a lot of change to her character. She didn't seem to grow because she didn't have to.

Worse. she was elevated.

I don't know if anyone else caught the horrific misogyny in these books but I did and it infuriates me.

JK makes a point of elevating Hermione. Hermione is always right. Hermione will always win. Hermione is the standard we should hold other females to, and I know for a fact it's because her popularity increased as the movies were brought out.

If we look at the other female characters in comparison to Hermione I honestly hate it. Mainly because Hermione is elevated to a point where she isnt feminine. If you show any femininity in those books you're villainised.

Don't believe me?

What colour does Umbridge wear? Pink. What is her favourite animal? A cat. She likes sweet things and lace. Shes everything we've come to know about women but she's twisted inside so we can't like these things. we turn against these things because Hermione doesn't wear pink. she wears blue like at the yule ball. she's almost masculine in her appearance so we don't associate her with natural beauty.

Lavender. Girly girl. Just wants a boyfriend because all girls at that age are boy crazy. She's a very supportive girl. Its turned to clinginess. Something hermione is not. In fact she keeps ron at such a distance I didn't even know they would end up together until the last book. the movies made it more obvious, they did their best with it. But the books didn't.

Cho Chang. Cries a lot. Emotional. Doesn't matter that she's grieving and was forced to give up the location due to a potion. No, she's villainised so Ginny can have a sudden romance with harry that again came out of nowhere.

Luna escapes this thankfully. Only because she's too weird for us to consider her having romantic notions. she doesn't have to be put down or twisted to make way for someone else.

Jk made a whole generation of girls hate anything girly. They turned away from pink. They would rather pick up a book than do their make up. Their interest in Hermione and rejecting femininity is the reason we have so many bad female heroines these days.

My question to jk is why? Why couldn't a girl like make up and reading? Why is it one or the other? Why must we reject the pleasures of being dainty and liking cute and fun things in order to be a good woman? Why couldn't we have a character like Louise? Louise is very much a tom boy. But you know what? Louise wears a dress and bunny ears, pink bunny ears, every day of her life because the writers of that show understood a female character. Louise loves smashing mirrors. She also loves Boo Boo. She doesn't like pixies but she still likes wearing a dress.

For years the girly girls of this world had to put up with characters like Hermione being paraded in front of them and told that they themselves were being bad women because they liked pink. Because they liked cats and boys. It wasn't right. And we really need to ask the question on why JK thought to put women down like this in her books when she herself is- apparently- such a protector on what it means to be a woman.

I spy some internal misogyny. I spy a lot of things and theres probably more i could say but it's late, I'm tired and my phone keeps smashing my words together so I need to stop typing.

This is just my opinion. You don't have to agree. This is just the experience I've had growing up in a world where these books shaped a lot of my childhood. I probably would have explored dresses and brighter colours faster if I wasn't told by a fictional character and the grip she had on me and my femininity that pink is bad. That being a girl is bad.

#hermione granger #harry potter

[yandere-fics]

Skylar Anderson

♡ "Heya! I'm really glad you've moved here! Huh? Oh for not reason in particular, it's just... it's been awhile since the place next door has been occupied! I hope your stay is wonderful." ♡

Skye is a shy yandere at first, not really even aware of her own feelings and intentions. Unlikely to make a move unless something pushes her over the edge and even if her actions are sinister in nature, she can always justify anything she does in the name of romance. After all even the leads in romance movies often push the boundaries. If you say her actions are bad then you simply don't know what you're talking about, as long as she never does anything worse than what her sister Sophie would do, she feels justified. Skye is the perfect sister and so there can never be any flaws with her actions. She is the perfect person and you are her perfect darling. Just please avoid disrupting her perfect image of herself. Always humble but secretly full of herself and the image she has crafted.

♡ "My full name is Skylar Anderson but everyone just calls me Skye so you can too! Oh no, we're not related to those Andersons. It's just a common last name I guess." ♡

The Anderson family is a very prominent religious family within the region although they never come to the seaside anymore after discovering their eldest daughter decided to move to a small coastal town. Most people would be unaware that Skylar is even alive since the current rumor is that most of the Anderson sisters died when the reality is that most of them simply ran away from home. Skylar left home after running from an arranged marriage, and since then has been receiving a monthly check in order to never reveal her relation to her parents. She mostly accepts the checks though because she believes if she stopped her parents would freak out and send someone to kill her instead.

♡ "I am... uhm... 24! Yup, 24. Sorry, I just never really think about it that often. Yeah I know 24 is a bit old for someone who just finished my college degree, but what can I say? I got a bit of a late start! Haha!" ♡

Skylar was not allowed to attend college due to her parents wishing to raise an obedient wife that they could sell off. She ran away at the age of 20 and took community college to get an english degree all on her own. This has only served to raise her own ego and self importance although you'd never known based on the look on her face. She was never taught anything formally, all her knowledge was stolen from the books the children in the neighboring estates were allowed to read. Despite this the college was extremely impressed by her test scores and after a much needed bribe, she was allowed in.

♡ "I- what? Huh? Oh! You're asking if I'm into women? Well the answer is yes. Quite a bit of a forward question though. You startled me just a bit." ♡

She is a lesbian, and she's lying about being embarrassed to answer, she's fucking delighted that you want to know who she's attracted to.

♡ "I'm a librarian, actually I would be pleased if you'd come visit me at my work sometimes, since it's such a small town the library doesn't see many people every day. While I do appreciate the silence, it wouldn't hurt to have some company. Especially from someone as sweet as yourself." ♡

She doesn't need to work as a librarian but she enjoys getting out of the house and it's a nice cover for why she has so much money to spend. Most of her money goes back into the library though to make sure her work environment stays nice and perfect. As a librarian she's actually pretty harsh, even scolding children for not preserving their books as well as possible.

♡ "Hmm? What do I enjoy? Well for starters, I really enjoy your company, you've been very nice to have around and I wouldn't mind spending more time with you. It's so hard to choose since I like so many things." ♡

That is a blatant lie, she really only likes you and her sisters. Everything else is far beneath her but a perfect pretty girl would never be so cruel as to remind people they are beneath her since those maggots already likely know that she's much better. She likes how small the town is, otherwise her and her sisters would not be able to blend in there. Her favorite sister is Darla, but that's to be given since most of the sisters love Darla dearly. She also really enjoys tarot although she might be a bit biased when it comes to reading the cards since everything is always interpreted to be in her favor even if it's not.

♡ "I'm not very picky when it comes to things so there's not much I don't like. Hmm, you'll have to give me some time to come up with an answer, it looks like we'll be hanging out for awhile while I try to think, haha. Why don't you get yourself situated with one of the blankets in our cabinet while I think?" ♡

There are a lot of things she dislikes, but the thing she hates most is feeling vulnerable. You can't be vulnerable if you're just playing a character though, as a character she is flawless and can do no wrong, as a person she is fundamentally broken and prone to fits of rage. She hates letting her facade crack, but not to worry, even if her facade cracks and she momentarily flies into a rage where she, let's say kidnaps you, she will always find some way to glue her facade back together. She also really hates her parents.

♡ "Hmm, well there's not a whole lot that I'm super good at but if I had to answer then it would be reading. I am good at this one other thing but I'll have to show you that another day." ♡

She's good at maintaining the persona of being a perfect, humble, little librarian when really deep down she's a ball of rage who is ready to fly off the handle at the smallest of slights. She is very talented at reading too though. She's also a phenomenal kisser since she's had loads of practice but she'd never let you know, she'd likely try to let you take the lead unless you say otherwise.

♡ "Well it's starting to get late so as much as I would adore if you could stay some more, I sadly must send you home. Please come back anytime. You're always welcome here!" ♡

#yandere oc #yandere lesbian #yandere x reader #yandere x y/n #my oc skye

[dakotafinely]

I am emerging from my little void to come in and insert myself into rise fandom business yet again. Today's topic of interest: Mikey and Raph's dynamic

I don't think those two are talked about enough, especially their dynamic. And I could talk about why that is and what factors into why those two are often on the back burner of the fandom. But my aim of focus is not on that today.

My focus is purely on them as separate characters, and how it plays into their dynamic. And how being the oldest and youngest of their siblings plays a huge part in that as well as Splinters parenting.

Splinter, as well all know, is an emotionally neglectful parent. Most of time being completely unaware of what his boys are even doing until plot decides to reveal it to him. It is also shown in a turtle tot short he was also fairly that way when they were younger. Even if he still tried to keep an eye on them he often would rush away to watch shows. I'm saying this so no one tries to be like "well we don't KNOW if he was really emotionally neglectful when they were BABIES" because, yes, he was. The proof is in the pudding.

But I'm saying this because he's parenting is something that heavily effects Raph and Mikey's dynamics and characters. Both of them being very emotionally intelligent and in tune with their family in very similar ways. Despite being a two-three year age gap between them.

That's because Raph, as we all knew, was leader. But he was also his siblings "parent" the one who got them out of trouble, kept them together, probably even cooked meals and helped them with nightmares at some points too. They all lean on him for support and advice. Because he is the big brother, the one who is the biggest. And he's fulfilled the role that Splinter lacked in their childhood. Especially for Raph. Being the caretaker of his siblings is no easy task and it made Raph grow and mature a lot faster then his brothers have. He became very emotionally intelligent and in tune with his family because he had to be.

Now look at Mikey, age 13 in the show (almost 15 in the movie if I'm not mistaken) and also very emotionally intelligent for his age. Well I do also believe it is in part to having Splinter as his parent. I also think it has to do with Raph. Raph, who was basically fulfilling the parent role where Splinter failed to. Raph the big brother who Mikey could rely on to be supported and who Mikey could trust would get him out of whatever pickle Mikey found himself into. Raph who cooked meals and helped Mikey when he was having nightmares. Raph, who helped guide Mikey when he was having trouble.

Honestly I won't lie when I say this is more of a head cannon but it's based off cannon evidence. But it wouldn't surprise me if Mikey sort of idolized Raph when they were younger. As this sort of "he can do anything and everything" sort of figure in his life. I mean, back when they were kids I'm sure it really seemed like it.

But then you get older, you realize the people you used to idolize are flawed, are human (or mutant in this case) are imperfect and can't actually do it all. You realize you have to become self sufficient and independent, you realize if you love someone you won't expect them to be at your hand and foot to protect you at all times anymore.

But you also have Raph. Who spent basically his entire life protecting and caring for his brothers. That he doesn't fully know who he is outside of that. Because, even if he isn't fully aware of it, he is doing his best to let his brothers have the childhood he was robbed of.

And then you have the conflict. Between Mikey, who wants to be independent and grow and be his own person. And Raph, who doesn't want Mikey to be that because, in his own experience, that is when you loose your childhood.

And despite growing up in the same home under the same circumstances. Their views of life, and family, and everything ends up seemingly completely different from each other. They are different sides of the same coin.

I feel like this dynamic isn't talked about and used as it should be. It is such a unique dynamic between Raph and Mikey that we don't really have in the other versions that I feel like should be given more attention.

And I will make another post later about why I think Mikey has idolized Raph when they were younger (as well as episodes where I think it shows him doing so and episodes that have a sort change in perspective with this idea in mind) and how/when that changes in the series.

But yeah, thems the thoughts, thanks for reading!! If you have thoughts you wanna add pls do I'd love to hear them!!

#rottmnt #rise of the tmnt #rot tmnt #rise of the teenage mutant ninja turtles #rottmnt raph #rise raph #rottmnt mikey #rise mikey #rottmnt splinter #rise splinter #rottmnt ramble

[ahundredtimesover]

I love this chapter so much despite how things ended. I know most of y'all want OC and Jungkook to be done with the drama and just date but all that only happens in the movies. Real life is sooo complicated and I get the part where both of them don't date even when they KNOW both of them have feelings for each other despite all the insecurities thrown in there. AND MIMI'S WRITINGS ARE NOT DELUSIONAL. Love that mimi 🩷

And I'm SO HAPPY OC finally quit🎉 Because no matter how cheesy and romantic it sounds, dating your boss is. not. cool. I feel they really need the time apart to grow and understand their feelings and themselves. Maybe they both will get into different relationships, maybe they won't, maybe Jungkook will go back to hook-ups or maybe just maybe he'll go into therapy? 🤷‍♀️ We don't know but whatever happens, they'll grow and they'll understand each other eventually. They will(hopefully) and can date even if they're not working at the same place and that's definitely NOT problematic at all compared to when they're in boss/assistant dynamic. And OC definitely needs this if she has to find herself and define herself outside the company. She deserves to be happy too and that happiness should not depend on anyone but herself. And it's so important to know where your happiness lies and OC being aware of that and working towards that also shows she knows herself to atleast some extent.

We finally got the answers to the Mr Ri's regrets and why OC is indebted to the Jeon family yayy.

And ukw mimi, I kinda freaked out for a mili second when Mr Ri said that OC's mother and Jungkook's father were like OC and Jungkook. I was like WHATT they're half-siblings or what??!!!?? Oof- good it's not like that😅😂

And I have a feeling we'll have Jungkook's ex back in S2? Maybe OC will date Jimin? (But their friendship is too precious to risk it?? I don't know)

And and and, 'I WANT YOU TO STAY' may have nothing to do with Jungkook wanting her to stay in the company as his assistant but him wanting her to stay in his life, in his bed and after they uk do stuff. The girl Jungkook hooks up with in one chapter says that she hopes that someone will stay for him so I think that's what IWYTS says?

And damn, the kiss, their first kiss, not to mention in HIS OFFICE was like that. Imagine the tension and the things that'll happen when they finally get together when they clarify all the misunderstandings and when their NOT in a place where they're not supposed to do the deed 🤭🤭🤭🤭 Will probably take a long time but I'm here and ready to wait and of course we need the angst ukkk🫠

"You let the tears fall, a reminder that you’d done this, and that for the first time in your life, you’re crying over losing someone, even if he was someone you didn’t have in the first place." I almost cried at this because this is so similar to what happened to me.. and I felt it's so beautifully written mimi 🩷🩷

I have no regrets whatsoever with how the chapter ended Mimi. And I'm waiting to read more but please take your time and don't feel pressured. Take care of yourself and yess sublock is really important no matter what the weather is and please stay hydrated too🩷🩷🩷 I'm going to re-read IWYTS too once I'm done with exams

PS: This reminded me of the plant OC got for Jungkook🪴

Hiii I LOVE THIS thank you for letting me know your thoughts and your theories moving forward 🥹🥹 And true, the slow burn continues beyond the feelings being revealed haha but also, who says there won't be drama even when they date? Hehe (there's a planned season 2 for a reason) 🤭 Which again, points to them still being flawed individuals even if they finally grow up and stop being scared and talk things out.

And yes to all the things you said about OC and finding her happiness, which can be different things at once. Could be a job, a person, a way of life, a refreshed mindset.. And the thing is, she's also about to learn what those are and that's also going to take some time. I'm loving all the different ideas u guys are thinking up about what happens after! Makes me wonder how you'll take what actually happens hehe 🫣🫣

But lol an earlier version of t huhu flashback conversation made it seem like their parents had an affair hahaah but no, I don't want things to be that complicated. We'll go for the other painful one, and idk it made sense for me to go that route bc of the parallels between those love stories. 💔💔

The title would actually mean different things at different points in time! Even in earlier chapters, JK would have thoughts of OC wanting to stay close to him but he could never say it. And then he says that in this chapter, asking her to stay in the company but eventually we see it's more than that.

Glad you enjoyed the kiss! JK out here teasing and it won't be the last for sure 😏😏 but yes, imagine when nothing's holding them back anymore! It's gonna be funnnn! 🫠🫠

Thank you so much for dropping by! It's always so encouraging to know you guys appreciate the characters and the story in all their complexities. I hope you enjoy the remaining of the story and that it doesn't disappoint! Sending you love, anon! 💕

#mimianswers #fic: iwyts

[importantshoewolfbat]

Hard to swallow pill for others enjoying AVATAR but the 'let people enjoy things' isn't much justification why people should let issues be left unaddressed.

It's a successful franchise and it's meant to be talked about, raise awareness, and criticized. It's an imperfect masterpiece that should get people to start talking and to start moving.

Yes! Tell us what you appreciate and what you don't appreciate! Let this community be a safe place without prejudice while not condoning the wrongs, flaws, and shortcomings of the film/filmmaker. It is meant to be talked about for improvements and understanding.

It doesn't have to be an award-winning film to be impactful but it has to be entertaining enough to understand the themes being delivered. This movie advocates on environmental awareness but one of the underlying themes this movie also covers is the indigenous awareness.

Of course people are going to hate some parts of it and find some parts of it questionable. Have some forums, enlighten others, and shed light to the things. Make fanart, make memes, make edits, make discussions, make analysis, make critics!

Backlash and prejudice won't be unpresent in a franchise anyway. Not even successful franchises like MCU, Harry Potter, DC, and Star Wars can't escape those! But they were able to make a discussion and community despite the differences.

While I do hope people enjoy it, I hope people are less hostile in informing since hostility does not encourage our advocacy. The characters, the movie, the world of Avatar — it's been 13 years and the least I want to see from this community is a destructive one. I've been deprived from seeing this community and I'm glad that people are coming along.

#avatar 2 #avatar 2009 #atwow #avatar the way of the water #neytiri #jake sully #lo'ak #neteyam #avatar #avatar kiri #colonel quaritch #avatar spider #avatar james cameron

[valkyrieandstrangeridingaragorn]

Hi I am not too familiar with all the details but have some questions. I hope you don’t mind answering them. I thank you in advance for your time!

I think Tony and Peggy are more of the ends-justify-the-means kind. Is that why you are anti them?

I’m firmly Team Cap, I admire his steadfastness in principles though I wonder about Steve’s unquestioning faith in the flawed American ideals. Could that be also why he didn’t suspect Hydra has infiltrated Shield? But is that also why he is even more against Sokovia Accords?

Could you comment on this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0XWTA1n-6M&t=27s ?

Hey there dear anon, I'm always happy to answer asks so thank you for yours. I wasn't expecting this to get so long so my most sincere apologies! Also, I get political on this one, just a heads up. More after the cut.

First things first: my main issue with Stark and Peggy is the framing. I like heroes and villains and everything in-between, it's the self-righteousness that I don't like and if the framing positions them as good people who have never done anything wrong in their lives it tends to get on my nerves lol If those two had been portrayed as what they are I wouldn't have minded them all that much.

That video was interesting (thank you for sharing) and I agree on certain points but disagree on others, mostly on the assumption that Steve believes the American myths, that "he's incompatible with a rejection" of those myths and he "can't coexist with an acknowledgement of the fact that America was built by slaves, etc".

And I disagree with it because while we don't have Steve openly talking about it, it's quite clear in his actions and words that those myths wouldn't be something he'd believe in. Steve is portrayed in these movies as a socialist, but not the way the Americans understand that word, he's a European socialist. He may not speak of immigration but he protects Wanda and is completely against her internment in the compound, he speaks of her and Pietro in AoU as kids who "are at war" - and that's a direct reply to Maria's "WE are not at war".

And this scene in AoU (yes it was deleted but still counts):

He takes off the helmet and fights without it. To me this shows he doesn't like that anyone would ever think of him as a fascist but he understands why someone would look at his suit and the flag it represents and come to the conclusion that he's "one of them". He's aware of the past, he's no fool.

In CW he may not speak directly of it but it is implied in his words that their job as heroes and protectors is not a matter of borders, he treats everyone exactly the same no matter where they're from - as proved in TFA when Erskine asks him if him being German is a problem and Steve immediately says no. Make no mistake, saying that is no minor feat, many people at the time wouldn't have been so sure.

Also, another thing I disagree with is that the video claims Steve is portrayed as the last bastion for truth and justice, etc and we have him and only him when it comes to defending those ideals, but that's not true at all. And I'm not referring to the other heroes, when he gives his speech in TWS his last line is "the price of freedom is high, always has been, but it's a price I'm willing to pay. And if I'm the only one then so be it, but I'm willing to bet I'm not". One of the best things about Steve is that he believes in people, he trusts that there are others just like him who have faith in the same values he does, and in TWS we see just that in Sharon, in that other guy who refuses to launch the ships, there are many people who can and do stand up to Hydra, and Steve knows that.

Then this "Steve represents the old-fashioned" as if that was a bad thing. People in modern times really need to acknowledge that the fights for human rights didn't start with Twitter. This belief that everything in the past was anti civil rights and if it comes from the 50's then it's necessarily conservative is just plain wrong. Whoever watches a movie from those times is very likely to see women having so much more agency than they do now, plots with feminist points and while yes, some of them might be misogynistic and racist, a lot of them are not.

Old-fashioned doesn't equate republican any more than modern doesn't equate progressive. When Steve is talking to Fury in TWS he admits the SSR did certain things that made it hard for him to sleep at night, that they had to "compromise". This line would seemingly agree with the video but the truth is Steve doesn't know even half of what was done in that time after he crashed the plane. Hell, he was surprised to hear about Zola and he didn't even know about Operation Paperclip until Natasha told him. What else didn't he know?

Also, to pretend that freedom and justice are inherent American ideals is hilariously ridiculous which is what the video does. Every time they mention Steve talking about them they seem to think he's parroting some weird fascistic republican views when that couldn't be further from the truth.

Steve is patriotic? Yes, of course. Why do they think he stands up to some people in the government? It's not because he's America-centric or believes that America was built by angels and there was nothing wrong done in how the country presented itself in the past, it's precisely because he knows it that he fights against it.

Those ideals are not specific to America and Steve knows this. He's the son of Irish immigrants who moved to the US in a time where they wouldn't be exactly welcome (we all have seen movies about this, Steve grew up during that time), he was disabled at a time where eugenics were in vogue, and he lived his early life in a specific part of NY where he'd be surrounded by artists and the leftist movement (as left as it can get in America, that is) and he went to Art School. Steve has never been conservative. [There are great metas on this site about this].

I get the feeling though that the video gets a couple things mixed up. I'm in Europe and with the recent rise of the far-right here the fascists have been parroting the same idea over and over again: that they're all about patriotism. And so they act like the flag, the anthem, the army... in short, anything that symbolizes their country is inherently their property. This of course is bullshit.

And so I think that seeing Steve wearing those colours makes the author of the video believe that he's in full support of the American way but that's not it. I can grab the EU flag and hang it in my room and that does not mean I'm fine with all the shit we have done in the past, it doesn't mean I don't acknowledge it or the mistakes we're making now. Look, I'm in Spain, I know what we did centuries ago. But the very act of loving one's flag is not justifying your past, it's acknowledging it and knowing you can do better, that you can be held accountable. The flag is not property of a few, it's property of the whole. And Steve wears it because he wants to do better. Also, the video should have made a distinction between Steve and Cap.

Regarding your questions, he did show he suspected Shield back in The Avengers when he discovered the Hydra gadgets and confronted Fury about it in the helicarrier. And yeah, he's completely against the Accords because they're a direct violation of civil rights. Notice how in the chat with Fury he's thinking of society as a whole, not just the US. It's not a matter of idealism either, Steve is not someone who thinks people should love each other and fly on unicorns, he's seen the worst of humanity, he's seen first-hand what people with power do, some of it good and some of it bad. That scene with Fury shows pretty well how both of them were raised in different times.

And last but not least, Civil War! The points the video makes are not exactly to my liking.

First they say Steve kept Stark in the dark about his parents' deaths: Steve didn't know it had been Bucky, he had no way of knowing it had been Bucky, he could assume it might have been him but he didn't know.

Then they claim what Steve does in the film is protect Bucky and frankly that point has been made ad nauseum and it's not true, Steve's stance against the Accords has nothing to do with Buck, he's against them in principle.

They also say Stark wanted to sign the Accords so they'll do "less missions" and "cause less carnage"? He wanted to sign because he felt guilty and didn't want any sort of accountability at all for whatever he did, that's all. The UN wasn't going with "let's sign these Accords so there will be less violence and more accountability" The accountability angle was propaganda, nothing more.

I do agree with one thing though, CW is not ideological and that's the writers' fault and Disney's. They didn't want to tackle that because the only way you can talk about it is by having the characters literally discussing civil rights for everyone. Imo if there's someone who portrays those 'conservative' American ideals it's Stark, not Steve.

But the thing I dislike the most is when they say "Steve's position is in the right and the America state in the wrong, an elected government legitimately elected by the people, and Steve stands against it". Yes, and? I don't need to remind anyone that Hitler was legitimately elected, do I? And we need to be careful when it comes to a character standing up to a particular action the government has taken and trying to paint that as the character standing up to the entire government - those two are not the same thing.

It's not that everyone in the US congress is a villain, it's that some are. It's not that the system is inherently wrong, it's that some people in it are doing it wrong and need to be held accountable. To claim that since people had voted for them they should be allowed to do whatever they want is... concerning.

So I'm sorry but no, I disagree with Steve being a paragon of America's exceptionalism. The movies are America-centred, that's for sure, but to claim Steve falls prey to that and he's some form of defender of those ideals, that he protects the belief that America never did anything wrong in history and that they're better than everyone else is a wrong assumption - believe me, if that was the case people like me wouldn't like him! Let me finish this with words from the man himself:

“I believe in the American dream. But THIS…this is some sort of NIGHTMARE!”

“You people telling me how I just don’t understand? When it’s you people—you clever people—who don’t get it. I don’t let people die because it’s the lesser of two evils, or expedient, or because it serves the greater good… I don’t compare the act against something else—I see someone who needs help… And I help. You think it’s a weakness. You think it’s simple… But you’re wrong. It’s what makes us human… Which is exactly what we’re supposed to be fighting for. I know who I am. I rescue the helpless. I raise up the hopeless. I don’t measure people’s lives… I save them.”

“Patriotism taken too far is fanaticism. No matter who you are or where you’re from. Foreigners aren’t your enemy, son. I’m the son of immigrants. When I was a kid it was my father’s people, the Irish, who were looked down on. Called filthy foreigners. Discriminated against. Is that the xenophobic America you want? All religions, all nationalities, we all want the same thing. To see our children grow strong. To provide safety to our families. To live in quiet times. Peace, son. Isn’t that why we became soldiers in the first place? To fight for a peaceful world?”

“There’s nothing patriotic about corruption or cover-ups…or defending them. But exposing them, well, that takes a hero.”

Sorry this got so long 🙊

#Steve Rogers #Captain America

[spider-xan]

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy silly irreverent memes just as much as anyone else, and maybe I'm being a fun sponge who can't read social cues and humour right now, but I feel like I'm getting major deja vu right now in terms of both memes crossing the line from funny fandom in-jokes to being projected back onto the text as if it's textual, and 'I would survive a horror movie, unlike these stupid characters' smugness, like, 'Jonathan is so stupid and oblivious, how has he not figured out that Dracula is obviously evil!' has been replaced with 'Jack is so stupid and oblivious, how has he not figured out that Dracula is responsible for the fog!', and instead of how it's so ridiculously obvious that Lucy is being attacked by a vampire that Mina and Jack are stupid for thinking it could be something else before they are aware vampires exist, unlike us smart and genre-savvy readers who figured it out right away, it's how the characters are too stupid to make the connection between the fog and Dracula, or that they haven't even caught on that something has gone wrong at all - which is not really supported by the text, just like Jonathan's supposed naivety and inaction at the start of the novel.

Also, I understand that Van Helsing is strongly disliked or even hated by many, and no one is obligated to like him, and yes, he is a flawed character who has made mistakes, some understandably unforgivable to some readers, but we can criticize him for the actual things he's done wrong without misreading and misrepresenting him to make him look worse; Jack explicitly wrote that Van Helsing was anxious and afraid that Dracula is escaping today, and yet, that's still being read as him and everyone else being totally oblivious to the fact that something has gone wrong, and that the fog is relevant to the situation.

And finally, the characters are all ultimately narrative devices rather than real people with sentience, so it's also important to remember that Stoker is using them to tell a narrative story, not post a wiki article explaining facts - we are meant to make the connections about the fog and its significance ourselves, so he's not going to write out everything to tell you exactly what to think while using his character as an objective mouthpiece; and as I explained earlier, there are other characterization reasons that may explain Jack's sparse entries yesterday and today other than mind-boggling obliviousness.

#dracula #dracula daily

[glass-needles-and-futurisms]

Some rambly thinking-out-loud Muse fan angst...

I realize that everyone has their own tastes and subjective opinions, but there's just something heartbreaking about fans on social media and the music establishment at large collectively giving up on Muse. Even posters on this very website have all but consigned Muse to the "cringier than Nickelback" dustbin.

And you know what? It's fucked up, and I'm probably going to regret this post but I want to get angry.

Like... I get the criticisms, I really do. I get all the charges that the music hasn't been as rich and nuanced as it had been when the band was in their twenties. I get the decline in the poetic lyrics, the overbearing synth fetish, the warmed-over socio-political hyperfixation, the perceived lack of substance. I'm not a blind fangirl; in fact, I'm probably more hyper-aware and sensitive to the breadth of the criticisms than anyone.

And you know what? All this does is make me even more fond of the band, warts and all.

A bit of a meandering personal anecdote, but I used to be pretty active in professional wrestling fandom. I also did a lot of reading on hyperreality and the culture industry for school. And what I came away with is wrestling is an entire industry that dehumanizes its performers, treats them as little more than perfect, muscled action figures to parade on social media and reduce to snappy youtube highlights, reducing decades of physical training and industry experience to a "THAT'S A SLOBBERKNOCKER!" meme.

And you know what? Even after I drifted from wrestling fandom, I could never unsee that systematic dehumanization again. I see it in movies, in cartoons, in books, and yes, in music.

Call me a cantankerous old millennial, but the way music gets marketed nowadays just doesn't sit right with me. Even with something claiming to be DIY and organic like tiktok rappers or indie artists, there's this aggressive eye towards marketing and hustle, towards gaming the algorithm and Spotify playlists. Even the attempts to be "real" and "relatable" feel artificial and manufactured.

And that's one of the reasons Muse means so much to me: for all their stadium rock cringe and synthetic polish, somehow it still feels more flawed, more earnest, more real than whatever's on tiktok right now. They're not even trying to be aesthetic or relatable, because Matt Bellamy is a Tom Morello-fanboying space alien just trying to make sense of an increasingly fractured political landscape the only way he knows how.

If you've been a fan of any kind of long-running rock band, you know there's ALWAYS that phase where things just felt wrong, where nothing is hitting like it used to and the albums aren't as tight anymore. But bands learned to soldier on through bad albums, because rock as a genre left room for fucking up and fucking around in a way that the throwaway competitive nature of more mainstream pop doesn't. Unless a pop star had a massive obsessive Taylor Swift-sized following, one bad album was a death sentence.

Sure, this created something of a systemic rot in the genre where rock in general felt static compared to the freshness and dynamism of younger musical acts. But the entire discourse around dinosaurs and "legacy acts" just felt to me like wrestlers being treated as action figures all over again. It's younger audiences signaling to bands "you're not allowed to make music anymore, because you're old and irrelevant and embarrassing."

Fuck. That. Shit.

Let artists be artists. Let pop stars be pop stars and let dad bands be dad bands. If this mentality had persisted then, we never would've gotten David Bowie or Leonard Cohen or Johnny Cash. And even they made their fair amount of shit music before they finally got their flowers.

And sure, even by dad band standards Muse is still pretty fucking weird and embarrassing. But this is what letting artists age gracefully really means: allowing weirdos to keep flying their freak flag even if that freak flag isn't "cool" like Radiohead or Rammstein or My Chemical Romance or Måneskin or any of these other bands "better" than Muse.

Yeah, I know I'm not making much sense right now. Rant over.

#muse #muse band

[khihi]

As a french person who read les misérables at school but has never watched the movie/musical, I'm quite curious about what has attracted many (foreign) people to it. Feel free to rant and share your thoughts, I'm genuinely curious

OH GOD OKAY LOOK HERE'S THE THING FIRST OF ALL the musical is absolutely incredible. I'm a musicals fan in general but les mis is something else. It will make you cry and laugh and somehow it will also make you proud to be French even when you're not French.

Long rant/fucking essay under cut so I'm not bombarding everyone who doesn't care about musicals or dead French dudes

I wish everyone could watch a live performance of it as their first experience of les mis because I feel like most people only see either the movie or the 25th anniversary concert. And while I adore the 25th anniversary concert and I'm a Les Mis 2012 Movie Defender 4 lyfe, I think both of those won't anchor you into enjoying les mis quite as much as an actual, professional live performance of the show will (bc the anniversary is mostly just standing and singing and the movie is.. flawed).

Also I imagine your first experience of it being the brick probably would not help you see why foreigners love this story so much because that thing is CHONKY and I've absolutely not read all of it - I've literally only read bits of it that include my faves. Sorry Hugo but I'm not here to read your rant about Paris' sewage system, I'm here to read about Grantaire bullying Enjolras and laugh at Marius for crying against a tree for hours xx

Les Amis de l'ABC are the main attraction for me and I think a lot of les mis fans tbh. Their friendships combined with their doomed narrative is just the absolute best and worst, emotionally speaking thing. Just the fact they believe so strongly in wanting to change the world that they're prepared to fight and die for it but they're also just a bunch of super young guys who drink and laugh together makes my heart hurt. They're martyrs to a hopeless cause but they're so human.

It makes you want to see them happy and victorious (I know there are a lot of mundane college kids les amis fics out there where they're "all happy and nothing hurts" because of this) but also that doomed narrative is so delicious every single time (which is why me and other les mis fans come crawling back to rewatch the musical whenever we're presented with the opportunity).

And DO NOT get me started on ExR. Grantaire and Enjolras are THE most angsty ship in the world, they make me ill. Grantaire is so in love with Enjolras even though his depression makes him a lot more aware of just how fucked they all are in this revolution, he's like a moth to a flame. Also the guy who played Grantaire in the 2012 movie shipped ExR. George Blagden if you can hear me right now I owe you my life and I hate them for cutting your Drink With Me solo.

Also the female characters in les mis are SO FUCKING GOOD HOLY SHIT like yes Cosette and Eponine are both madly stupidly in love with Marius "Just Some Guy" Pontmercy but to me it always felt like Marius was their love interest rather than the other way around. He's the chain that links Valjean to the revolution and back to the Thénardiers, but Eponine and Cosette are both so much more interesting to me personally than him.

AND FANTINE?? Fantine who had her life torn to shreds and does everything in her power (of which she has NONE) to protect her little girl and is punished, like fucking everyone in the story, for being a good person?? but who is always shown to be a sympathetic character?? written in a time when women were possessions and prostitutes were seen as scum of the earth?? Once again it's emotionally catastrophic, but it's beautiful. I for one enjoy when stories reach into my chest and squeeze my heart to pulp.

ALSO I'm such a sucker for motifs and symbology and themes and all of that Good Literature Shit, which les mis has in buckets, so there's also that.

so yeah

tl;dr the characters are my babies, i love a masterfully crafted story, and the music makes me feel shrimp emotions. PLEASE SEE THE MUSICAL.

thank you for letting me infodump this fine sunday afternoon <3

#les mis #ask

[septembersghost]

I know you must hate talking about this subject and you've given some really good advice for ignoring things, but just wondering if you have an opinion on the new sofia coppola interview/article on the movie from a day or so ago? I'm trying so hard to not care, but it really broke my heart. There's already so much bad press about elvis and this is killing me and making me so sad. It just seemed so different than the article from last week in tone it surprised me and took me off guard.

it's okay, i'm touched you trust and confide in me, even though i know there's not a lot i can do to assuage this as a whole, just having someone listen can help sometimes. tbh i'm not following press about this at all, so i only know anything when someone tells me. i'm not completely sure which interview you mean? in the most recent one that came up, she said:

"“I didn’t want to villainise him,” says Coppola, but she has been fairly honest about his flaws. “It was the most non-Elvis movie about Elvis. But I didn’t want [the film] to be about a drug addict. I like to leave things to the imagination. It’s just not my style to be in your face.”"

the article itself is what characterizes him in a particularly negative framing, but sofia doesn't actually say that? (and editorializing in articles like this is simply so annoying - when i googled this interview, a different article about the film came up which included a sentence saying elvis "blatantly stole his music," which is totally untrue and an incorrect framing, and i've read enough terrible/inflammatory/poorly fact-checked/unkind articles at this point that my brain shuts off when i see something i know is inaccurate or coming from a place of bad faith).

additionally, she said: "She was reminded of “my mom’s generation, and how my mom grew up with a big force of a husband”, but also the feelings that surround an early love. “All those stages of transition, from girlhood to adult womanhood. I felt it was relatable,” she says."

"I just put myself totally in her perspective and tried to make a film about what if you were her. I didn’t think too much about all the different perspectives. Yes, it was a different time, different culture, but there are elements that remain the same."

we know he could have a fiery temper (yet was always quick to apologize), we know he could get into dark moods and low moments of creative frustration, we know about the issues he had in romantic relationships, we know he struggled with his health, both physically and psychologically, and with managing that in various ways, some tragically damaging, and none of that erases that he was also profoundly kind, generous, loving, funny, spiritual, talented. so i hope it keeps that dynamism. i'd imagine it has to in some way, coming from that feminine perspective that everything is noting, doesn't it have to in order to understand why she fell in love with and was captivated by him, why she continues to love him and speaks highly of his legacy to this day? i know i don't necessarily have a...favorable...opinion of the casting choice here, but if he really does turn out to be that one note figure, it will entirely eliminate the power of the story, even for priscilla too.

my best recommendation is not to read the negative and salacious press and be aware of preconceived biases and misinformation, but i understand curiosity gets the better of us sometimes and we want to know what's happening, even if logic is telling us it'll make us feel worse. i'm so sorry this is making you sad! i know i always go back to elvis and his outlook/relationship towards fans to try to offer comfort with this, but i truly believe he wouldn't want our hearts to break over things we cannot control or change, over perceptions of image (as he himself said: the image is one thing, and the human being is another). his goal towards fans was always one of connection and happiness and the power of music. the focus on highly personal, intimate details ultimately makes me a little uncomfortable because it wasn't what he wanted us to hold onto. like i've said before, you don't have to fight battles for him, you can just keep whatever joy and emotions you feel towards him for yourself. outside opinion on most anything is varied, even divisive, but it doesn't change what you find - that's the sacred thing.

#anonymous #letterbox #elvis presley #priscilla 2023

[ellanainthetardis]

What do you think about Cinna? Do you think he asked to be D 12 stylist before or after Katniss volunteer? What about his participation in the rebellion plan?

Thank you, @curiousnonny

*crack knuckles*

So Cinna... I think I have unpopular thoughts about Cinna, lmao. First of, I think it's canon he asked to be 12's stylist when he saw Katniss volunteering. He tells her it's his first games and he volunteered too and he didn't want to do it before, basically implying he's against the whole thing (and winning her trust in the process).

I think back in the day when the fandom was more active and people were very vocal in their opinion, there were a lot of people who were hating on Haymitch or blaming him for turning Katniss into this huge symbol, putting everything at his door when, actually, it's Cinna who turns her into that symbol.

Who first starts the Girl on Fire thing? It's Cinna. Who visually turns Katniss into the Mockingjay? It's Cinna. Who provides the iconic Mockingjay uniform? Cinna again.

I think Cinna is a good person who really wanted to make a change in the world. He saw the state of things and he decided to make a stand, he decided it couldn't last. We don't get anything about his backstory so it's hard to say what his motivations were. i know some people hc him from coming from District 8 but I don't agree with that just because I don't think they would have people from outer District allowed to live and prosper in the city (I don't remember if it's a fanon thing or if it was in a Capitol Couture thing but I consider canon only the base text of the books and the movies and that's not anywhere in there). I do like the idea that he comes from the "lower" circles of Capitol society though and that, while not on the same scale as the Districts, he struggled and thus was more aware than the elite of the real state of rot in the Capitol.

However, I think Cinna has a bit of martyr complex in him and that's not a good thing. Being willing to die for a cause is different than wanting to die for a cause and I think with the wedding dress thing he knew he was going to be taken and die. He could have run. I don't think he stands there entirely by principle. I think by killing CInna in front of Katniss, yes, Snow sends her a message but it's also something she carries with her, something that lights the spark of rebellion even more within her, something that keeps her going afterwards because she needs to avenge him. Is that all calculated by Cinna, I don't know, but I do think he really wanted to sacrifice himself to the cause, to make his own life have meaning. He's an artist after all and they have weird ways of looking at life sometimes.

So, yeah, I see Cinna as this untouchable figure in the fandom but to me he's really more flawed than what most people would go for. That's cool because I think it's more interesting when characters have layers and that doesn't erase his commitment or what he achieved but maybe he wasn't just that saint who took an interest in Katniss because he wanted to take her under his wing. He was looking for a way to light a match and he found her in her. I wouldn't say he manipulated her exactly but he did befriend her, he did nudge her on the path he wanted her to take and he did turn her into a symbol without her consent (and yes we can argue she did that herself but she did it unconsciously while he did it very purposefully). He's a man and she's a young girl who trusted him blindly so I think it's interesting to wonder, while not negating the fact he cared about her and he probably hated what it would do to her, how much calculations went into his behavior because of his role in the rebellion...

I'm curious to hear everyone else's thoughts.

@curiousnonny

#ask #anon #meta #curiousnonny

[margridarnauds]

4 + 20?

mythical creature you think/believe is real?

I firmly believe that....I don't know if I want to say that *ghosts* exist, because that's a term that has a lot of implications. But I think that we have enough consistent accounts, including by some friends of mine who are sensitive to this sort of thing, to suggest that some trace of human beings who are dead remains after they're gone. Whether that's something that's more like a trace or a photograph or a more conscious entity is something that I feel is more complicated, or why, if both exist, some people seem to have more of a postmortem presence than others. But. I do believe that people linger on in some form or fashion.

But I feel like "mythical".....and this is my experience talking, has certain connotations that ghosts don't always fit, so I'm also going to say that, as a Celticist, and, specifically, one who does what I do, I fully and completely understand that our image of the people of the Sidhe has rapidly evolved over the years and that the perception we have of them now is now what a ninth century peasant in co. Wicklow would have had. I have scholarly objectivity here and, even though I do believe that gaelic polytheists should have the right to worship their gods AND to study them in a professional capacity if they want to, I'm not one of them.

That being said.

You will NEVER find me dicking around a fairy fort. Nope. Not today, Satan.

In general, I adopt a firm attitude of "not sure if I believe, but not going to fuck around and find out" when it comes to the supernatural, especially from other cultures or belief systems, because I REFUSE to be the white girl in a horror movie.

favorite disney princess movie?

I used to watch Disney movies all the time with my aunt as a kid and, when I moved to Florida when I was 13, we had season's passes (and then they jacked the prices up, because....Disney), so I would constantly be in the parks, so this is a tough question.

I'd say Sleeping Beauty was my favorite when I was a kid (...MAYHAPS I had a small crush on Maleficent), Brave was my favorite in my early teen years (I swear I did NOT know I was going to be a Celticist, there was just...a lot of foreshadowing), and then Frozen. Am I aware of Frozen's various flaws, including and especially its current status as a cash grab? Yes. Do I still love it, because Elsa was probably the first Disney royalty I ever really *related* to? Also yes. Many fond memories of blasting out "Let it Go" while I was being driven to my community college program when I was about 16-17. One of the last films I actually watched in theatres before the pandemic hit, next to Rise of Skywalker, was Frozen II. And in the present, this is probably cheating since it isn't part of the animated canon, but I've gotten bizarrely attached to the live action Aladdin.

It should probably also be noted that, while I LIKED the Disney princess movies, my favorites were always the animal oriented ones -- So I did love Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, and Snow White (though, being the gory-minded child I was, I actually kind of preferred the bootleg animated version where they included the corset and the poisoned comb), but my real favorites were probably Aristocats, 101 Dalmatians, and Jungle Book.

[snudibranchs]

new vs old scott (why i think new scott not being a total dick is okay plus a fan theory, also spoilers obv)

big uncapitalized textpost under the cut lol,

okay i usually don't involve myself too much in fandom discourse but i've been getting a lot of bad faith criticism of the new animated series by fans of the comic and movie so here's my two cents plus a little loose fan theory.

i'm gonna preface this with yes, i noticed the the scott in the new animated series "scott pilgrim takes off" scott is significantly different from his movie and comic counterpart, and i actually think that's a good thing.

there was a deliberate effort by the animators and writers to make scott more likeable, and i think this was a great with the new direction, he's actually very cute and lovable personality, despite his glaring flaws, with the new direction the series went with ramona being the main character, i totally see how she would care about him and try to solve the mystery of his disappearance.

not like scotts some some sort of prize to her or anything but i can see how she would care about him and when you want the audience to project onto her as the new main character, you gotta make the audience care scott too, especially the ones who may not even be familiar the source material.

and i think the inclusion of "old scott" is a very good choice too for, well, there's a lot to unpack and my thoughts are kind of disjointed so bear with me:

old scott is literally the old scott from the comics.

i mean, yeah that much is obvious, but what i'm saying the scott we see at the beginning of the series isn't the scott from the comics, even before the fight with matthew patel.

he is actually a different person and incarnation of the same dude, from an entirely different universe that was created when old decided when old scott tried to reach back in time.

this is supported by a few things:

i mean, time didn't collapse immediately when old scott ripped scott out of the fight with matthew

even if through some writing contrivance time didn't rip itself in half, old very much still has the memories of the movie or comic's scott pilgrim with defeating the exes, (also a cute little symbolic way to say that this new series literally does not erase the old series, or the old scott's character, which i think is nice)

the very on the nose name of "old scott" as in it's a scott that is old but could also mean the very literal old scott from the comics, in a very clever double meaning imo

the fact that, as we mentioned before, scott behaves entirely in this series and the canon events of the comics literally play out entirely differently, eg: at the party where scott tries to talk to ramona, scott just awkwardly compliments her shoes in the comics, talks about pac-man in the movie, talks about the old dic sonic cartoons in takes off

speaking of which that; scott's very, very prominent mention of "imagine that, the same dude voicing two different versions of the same guy", i don't know about you but that explicit mention of "two different versions of the same guy" seems more than a tongue in cheek self aware reference and feels more like deliberate foreshadowing to me.

these are my five main points but really i could go into a bunch of others about how every character (especially the exes) feels distinctly different than their previous incarnations, and how i think it's more than just establishing new traits for characters that weren't really given much spotlight in the source materials.

in conclusion:

the scott from the movies and comics feels like he was dating knives because he had an asian school girl fetish and sought her out, the scott from takes off feels like he was dating knives because she was fan of his band and she asked him out and he did know how to say no to her, still shitty but less shitty, which really sums him up in this series lol, and i think there's an explicit reason for that that's going to be established more in season 2, if we get it lol, thanks for listening to my garbage. :)

#nudi babbles #nudi's soapbox #scott pilgrim vs the world #scott pilgrim takes off

[ablooglie-wooglie-woo]

Greta's Barbie

I watched the movie yesterday with my sister, and after letting it stew in my mind for a bit, here my general thoughts about it:

First things first, this movie is an accomplishment of production design: from the outfits to the sets, the whole thing is such an authentic recreation of several Barbie's products that it genuinely boggles the mind. I don't know which Oscar category is responsible for these, but if this movie doesn't win at least one, I'm calling bullshit.

I didn't really care for the soundtrack, I can barely remember any of the songs and most of those are there more for the joke than to fill a Amazon Music playlist, anyway.

(I got a free three months after buying a new controller, don't judge me)

All the actors are great in their roles, but biggest kudos goes to Ryan Gosling as Ken, who is a fucking blast every single second he's onscreen, and Gosling is clearly having the time of his life playing the character, joyfully chewing the scenery like a starving dog.

People on Twitter are saying Best Supporting Actor will come down to him and Downey Jr. this year, and while I have yet watch Oppenheimer, I can certainly see the case for Gosling.

Part of it, I think, is because Ken himself gets the best part of the script, his journey from innocent teenager to dude bro to positive bro being great from start to finish.

I'm not saying Barbie herself doesn't get a good arc, mind you, she isn't the personality-less purity incarnate she was in the CGi movies (yes, I did watch those growing up), but it's also much more traditional: what Barbie gets is a coming of age story of a little girl growing out of the bubble of innocence of childhood and embracing all the joys and hardships of the real world.

And it works, it's very well-executed for what it is, but it's also noticeable the way the movie never gives her many significant flaws nor does the narrative ever makes her do anything that puts the audience against her. There's just less to chew on, is what I mean.

Which ties into a criticism I heard that the movie clearly holds back on criticizing the brand of Barbie and even her parent company: for all the movie points out that Mattel's ruled over entirely by men, the CEO is more of a likeable buffoon than someone with any real malice, the entire diatribe the teenage character (whose name I forgot, I think it was Sasha?) is more played more as a joke on how she's a very meanspirited and terminally online bully rather than the perfectly justifiable complaints they are, and so on.

Personally, though, I feel it is to Greta's credit that she knew exactly how far she could push it when it comes to this movie. I've seen way too many stories that attempt something daring only to crash into the wall that is the fact the genre/medium/franchise they're running on doesn't allow for those to be fully materialized, which only ends as the story being worse than something more traditional.

And besides, while the movie might be Feminism 101, it's important to remember that the internet is not the real world, and whichever is your favorite radical feminist author simply has far less reach than a blockbuster movie. It's good that a movie like this can tackle these topics and be this blunt about it, change gotta start out somewhere.

Having said that, while I found those funny, I do think the several self-aware jokes are likely to grate on at least some of you.

All that aside, as someone who watches a lot of movies being parodied in that scene, the Ken War segment made me feel personally attacked.

So that's Greta's Barbie: just a really great time all-around, very worth the price of admission.

PS: There is an inexcusable amount of horses in this movie, fucking overhyped, overrated domesticated pricks is what they are.

PSS: Michael Cera is in this movie. He plays, as usual, a Micheal Cera character. I don't get the hype over him, honestly.

#barbie #greta gerwig #barbie movie #barbie 2023