#+ given the constraints of the live show

[gilears]

one time i was talking about sophomore year with a friend and we were talking about our favorite scenes from the forest. and i was like “oh my GOD that one scene where fabian has to—wait…” and had to stop and think. and it was not canon it was his scene from o&t. thought you’d like to know that lol.

HELLO. this is the best thing ive ever heard... i like knowing this so much.. o&t can be canon if you want it to be. take my hand.

[reasonsforhope]

"It is 70 years since AT&T’s Bell Labs unveiled a new technology for turning sunlight into power. The phone company hoped it could replace the batteries that run equipment in out-of-the-way places. It also realised that powering devices with light alone showed how science could make the future seem wonderful; hence a press event at which sunshine kept a toy Ferris wheel spinning round and round.

Today solar power is long past the toy phase. Panels now occupy an area around half that of Wales, and this year they will provide the world with about 6% of its electricity—which is almost three times as much electrical energy as America consumed back in 1954. Yet this historic growth is only the second-most-remarkable thing about the rise of solar power. The most remarkable is that it is nowhere near over.

To call solar power’s rise exponential is not hyperbole, but a statement of fact. Installed solar capacity doubles roughly every three years, and so grows ten-fold each decade. Such sustained growth is seldom seen in anything that matters. That makes it hard for people to get their heads round what is going on. When it was a tenth of its current size ten years ago, solar power was still seen as marginal even by experts who knew how fast it had grown. The next ten-fold increase will be equivalent to multiplying the world’s entire fleet of nuclear reactors by eight in less than the time it typically takes to build just a single one of them.

Solar cells will in all likelihood be the single biggest source of electrical power on the planet by the mid 2030s. By the 2040s they may be the largest source not just of electricity but of all energy. On current trends, the all-in cost of the electricity they produce promises to be less than half as expensive as the cheapest available today. This will not stop climate change, but could slow it a lot faster. Much of the world—including Africa, where 600m people still cannot light their homes—will begin to feel energy-rich. That feeling will be a new and transformational one for humankind.

To grasp that this is not some environmentalist fever dream, consider solar economics. As the cumulative production of a manufactured good increases, costs go down. As costs go down, demand goes up. As demand goes up, production increases—and costs go down further. This cannot go on for ever; production, demand or both always become constrained. In earlier energy transitions—from wood to coal, coal to oil or oil to gas—the efficiency of extraction grew, but it was eventually offset by the cost of finding ever more fuel.

As our essay this week explains, solar power faces no such constraint. The resources needed to produce solar cells and plant them on solar farms are silicon-rich sand, sunny places and human ingenuity, all three of which are abundant. Making cells also takes energy, but solar power is fast making that abundant, too. As for demand, it is both huge and elastic—if you make electricity cheaper, people will find uses for it. The result is that, in contrast to earlier energy sources, solar power has routinely become cheaper and will continue to do so.

Other constraints do exist. Given people’s proclivity for living outside daylight hours, solar power needs to be complemented with storage and supplemented by other technologies. Heavy industry and aviation and freight have been hard to electrify. Fortunately, these problems may be solved as batteries and fuels created by electrolysis gradually become cheaper...

The aim should be for the virtuous circle of solar-power production to turn as fast as possible. That is because it offers the prize of cheaper energy. The benefits start with a boost to productivity. Anything that people use energy for today will cost less—and that includes pretty much everything. Then come the things cheap energy will make possible. People who could never afford to will start lighting their houses or driving a car. Cheap energy can purify water, and even desalinate it. It can drive the hungry machinery of artificial intelligence. It can make billions of homes and offices more bearable in summers that will, for decades to come, be getting hotter.

But it is the things that nobody has yet thought of that will be most consequential. In its radical abundance, cheaper energy will free the imagination, setting tiny Ferris wheels of the mind spinning with excitement and new possibilities.

This week marks the summer solstice in the northern hemisphere. The Sun rising to its highest point in the sky will in decades to come shine down on a world where nobody need go without the blessings of electricity and where the access to energy invigorates all those it touches."

-via The Economist, June 20, 2024

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Cloudburst

Enshittification isn’t inevitable: under different conditions and constraints, the old, good internet could have given way to a new, good internet. Enshittification is the result of specific policy choices: encouraging monopolies; enabling high-speed, digital shell games; and blocking interoperability.

First we allowed companies to buy up their competitors. Google is the shining example here: having made one good product (search), they then fielded an essentially unbroken string of in-house flops, but it didn’t matter, because they were able to buy their way to glory: video, mobile, ad-tech, server management, docs, navigation…They’re not Willy Wonka’s idea factory, they’re Rich Uncle Pennybags, making up for their lack of invention by buying out everyone else:

https://locusmag.com/2022/03/cory-doctorow-vertically-challenged/

But this acquisition-fueled growth isn’t unique to tech. Every administration since Reagan (but not Biden! more on this later) has chipped away at antitrust enforcement, so that every sector has undergone an orgy of mergers, from athletic shoes to sea freight, eyeglasses to pro wrestling:

https://www.whitehouse.gov/cea/written-materials/2021/07/09/the-importance-of-competition-for-the-american-economy/

But tech is different, because digital is flexible in a way that analog can never be. Tech companies can “twiddle” the back-ends of their clouds to change the rules of the business from moment to moment, in a high-speed shell-game that can make it impossible to know what kind of deal you’re getting:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/02/27/knob-jockeys/#bros-be-twiddlin

To make things worse, users are banned from twiddling. The thicket of rules we call IP ensure that twiddling is only done against users, never for them. Reverse-engineering, scraping, bots — these can all be blocked with legal threats and suits and even criminal sanctions, even if they’re being done for legitimate purposes:

https://locusmag.com/2020/09/cory-doctorow-ip/

Enhittification isn’t inevitable but if we let companies buy all their competitors, if we let them twiddle us with every hour that God sends, if we make it illegal to twiddle back in self-defense, we will get twiddled to death. When a company can operate without the discipline of competition, nor of privacy law, nor of labor law, nor of fair trading law, with the US government standing by to punish any rival who alters the logic of their service, then enshittification is the utterly foreseeable outcome.

To understand how our technology gets distorted by these policy choices, consider “The Cloud.” Once, “the cloud” was just a white-board glyph, a way to show that some part of a software’s logic would touch some commodified, fungible, interchangeable appendage of the internet. Today, “The Cloud” is a flashing warning sign, the harbinger of enshittification.

When your image-editing tools live on your computer, your files are yours. But once Adobe moves your software to The Cloud, your critical, labor-intensive, unrecreatable images are purely contingent. At at time, without notice, Adobe can twiddle the back end and literally steal the colors out of your own files:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/10/28/fade-to-black/#trust-the-process

The finance sector loves The Cloud. Add “The Cloud” to a product and profits (money you get for selling something) can turn into rents (money you get for owning something). Profits can be eroded by competition, but rents are evergreen:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/07/24/rent-to-pwn/#kitt-is-a-demon

No wonder The Cloud has seeped into every corner of our lives. Remember your first iPod? Adding music to it was trivial: double click any music file to import it into iTunes, then plug in your iPod and presto, synched! Today, even sophisticated technology users struggle to “side load” files onto their mobile devices. Instead, the mobile duopoly — Apple and Google, who bought their way to mobile glory and have converged on the same rent-seeking business practices, down to the percentages they charge — want you to get your files from The Cloud, via their apps. This isn’t for technological reasons, it’s a business imperative: 30% of every transaction that involves an app gets creamed off by either Apple or Google in pure rents:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/doctorow/red-team-blues-another-audiobook-that-amazon-wont-sell/posts/3788112

And yet, The Cloud is undeniably useful. Having your files synch across multiple devices, including your collaborators’ devices, with built-in tools for resolving conflicting changes, is amazing. Indeed, this feat is the holy grail of networked tools, because it’s how programmers write all the software we use, including software in The Cloud.

If you want to know how good a tool can be, just look at the tools that toolsmiths use. With “source control” — the software programmers use to collaboratively write software — we get a very different vision of how The Cloud could operate. Indeed, modern source control doesn’t use The Cloud at all. Programmers’ workflow doesn’t break if they can’t access the internet, and if the company that provides their source control servers goes away, it’s simplicity itself to move onto another server provider.

This isn’t The Cloud, it’s just “the cloud” — that whiteboard glyph from the days of the old, good internet — freely interchangeable, eminently fungible, disposable and replaceable. For a tool like git, Github is just one possible synchronization point among many, all of which have a workflow whereby programmers’ computers automatically make local copies of all relevant data and periodically lob it back up to one or more servers, resolving conflicting edits through a process that is also largely automated.

There’s a name for this model: it’s called “Local First” computing, which is computing that starts from the presumption that the user and their device is the most important element of the system. Networked servers are dumb pipes and dumb storage, a nice-to-have that fails gracefully when it’s not available.

The data structures of source-code are among the most complicated formats we have; if we can do this for code, we can do it for spreadsheets, word-processing files, slide-decks, even edit-decision-lists for video and audio projects. If local-first computing can work for programmers writing code, it can work for the programs those programmers write.

Local-first computing is experiencing a renaissance. Writing for Wired, Gregory Barber traces the history of the movement, starting with the French computer scientist Marc Shapiro, who helped develop the theory of “Conflict-Free Replicated Data” — a way to synchronize data after multiple people edit it — two decades ago:

https://www.wired.com/story/the-cloud-is-a-prison-can-the-local-first-software-movement-set-us-free/

Shapiro and his co-author Nuno Preguiça envisioned CFRD as the building block of a new generation of P2P collaboration tools that weren’t exactly serverless, but which also didn’t rely on servers as the lynchpin of their operation. They published a technical paper that, while exiting, was largely drowned out by the release of GoogleDocs (based on technology built by a company that Google bought, not something Google made in-house).

Shapiro and Preguiça’s work got fresh interest with the 2019 publication of “Local-First Software: You Own Your Data, in spite of the Cloud,” a viral whitepaper-cum-manifesto from a quartet of computer scientists associated with Cambridge University and Ink and Switch, a self-described “industrial research lab”:

https://www.inkandswitch.com/local-first/static/local-first.pdf

The paper describes how its authors — Martin Kleppmann, Adam Wiggins, Peter van Hardenberg and Mark McGranaghan — prototyped and tested a bunch of simple local-first collaboration tools built on CFRD algorithms, with the goal of “network optional…seamless collaboration.” The results are impressive, if nascent. Conflicting edits were simpler to resolve than the authors anticipated, and users found URLs to be a good, intuitive way of sharing documents. The biggest hurdles are relatively minor, like managing large amounts of change-data associated with shared files.

Just as importantly, the paper makes the case for why you’d want to switch to local-first computing. The Cloud is not reliable. Companies like Evernote don’t last forever — they can disappear in an eyeblink, and take your data with them:

https://www.theverge.com/2023/7/9/23789012/evernote-layoff-us-staff-bending-spoons-note-taking-app

Google isn’t likely to disappear any time soon, but Google is a graduate of the Darth Vader MBA program (“I have altered the deal, pray I don’t alter it any further”) and notorious for shuttering its products, even beloved ones like Google Reader:

https://www.theverge.com/23778253/google-reader-death-2013-rss-social

And while the authors don’t mention it, Google is also prone to simply kicking people off all its services, costing them their phone numbers, email addresses, photos, document archives and more:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/08/22/allopathic-risk/#snitches-get-stitches

There is enormous enthusiasm among developers for local-first application design, which is only natural. After all, companies that use The Cloud go to great lengths to make it just “the cloud,” using containerization to simplify hopping from one cloud provider to another in a bid to stave off lock-in from their cloud providers and the enshittification that inevitably follows.

The nimbleness of containerization acts as a disciplining force on cloud providers when they deal with their business customers: disciplined by the threat of losing money, cloud companies are incentivized to treat those customers better. The companies we deal with as end-users know exactly how bad it gets when a tech company can impose high switching costs on you and then turn the screws until things are almost-but-not-quite so bad that you bolt for the doors. They devote fantastic effort to making sure that never happens to them — and that they can always do that to you.

Interoperability — the ability to leave one service for another — is technology’s secret weapon, the thing that ensures that users can turn The Cloud into “the cloud,” a humble whiteboard glyph that you can erase and redraw whenever it suits you. It’s the greatest hedge we have against enshittification, so small wonder that Big Tech has spent decades using interop to clobber their competitors, and lobbying to make it illegal to use interop against them:

https://locusmag.com/2019/01/cory-doctorow-disruption-for-thee-but-not-for-me/

Getting interop back is a hard slog, but it’s also our best shot at creating a new, good internet that lives up the promise of the old, good internet. In my next book, The Internet Con: How to Seize the Means of Computation (Verso Books, Sept 5), I set out a program fro disenshittifying the internet:

https://www.versobooks.com/products/3035-the-internet-con

The book is up for pre-order on Kickstarter now, along with an independent, DRM-free audiobooks (DRM-free media is the content-layer equivalent of containerized services — you can move them into or out of any app you want):

http://seizethemeansofcomputation.org

Meanwhile, Lina Khan, the FTC and the DoJ Antitrust Division are taking steps to halt the economic side of enshittification, publishing new merger guidelines that will ban the kind of anticompetitive merger that let Big Tech buy its way to glory:

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2023/07/biden-administration-corporate-merger-antitrust-guidelines/674779/

The internet doesn’t have to be enshittified, and it’s not too late to disenshittify it. Indeed — the same forces that enshittified the internet — monopoly mergers, a privacy and labor free-for-all, prohibitions on user-side twiddling — have enshittified everything from cars to powered wheelchairs. Not only should we fight enshittification — we must.

Back my anti-enshittification Kickstarter here!

If you’d like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here’s a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad- free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/08/03/there-is-no-cloud/#only-other-peoples-computers

Image: Drahtlos (modified) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Motherboard_Intel_386.jpg

CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en

—

cdsessums (modified) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Monsoon_Season_Flagstaff_AZ_clouds_storm.jpg

CC BY-SA 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/deed.en

[whenmemorydies]

Preliminary thoughts on The Bear, race, power and privilege

I’m a non-Black woman of colour who has spent all of my life in the west…so I’ve consumed a lot of television media that is produced by and for the white gaze. The most obvious way that gaze plays out is when people of colour are non-existent in a cast, or when they are included, are tokenistic, bit players.

A more insidious manifestation is where POC are cast to play parts that could just as easily be played by white folks: characters that have no interiority or external relationships related to their cultural identities, wider communities or individual or collective histories (for example, Mindy in The Mindy Project for most of its run, or the characters of colour in Season 1 of Bridgerton).

I've had some thoughts about how The Bear (thankfully) avoids tokenistic and "colour-blind" representation. I also have some thoughts about how the show models meaningful allyship. I'm so keen to discuss this with folks and hear what others think about it too.

Unambiguous and unapologetic

The Bear is confined in its universe, particularly in season 1 where it’s focus is tightly bound to the physical location of The Beef as the setting for almost every scene. Episodes of The Bear are generally not very long, so time is precious (every second really does count). These factors necessarily limit how deep we can get into each character. But the show is so good at drawing on different means of communication: images, lighting, score, soundtrack, phrasing, callbacks to previous episodes, other cultural references etc, that each episode is like a jewellery box with gems waiting to be unpacked and pored over. I've said that I have started reading this show like a tarot deck because of how rich the symbolism in each episode is.

So despite the constraints of time and setting, characters of colour in this show are also so very rich in their realisation and portrayal. These characters are unambiguously and - this is important - unapologetically racialised: through language (see: Tina’s use - and occasional weaponisation lmao - of Spanish), physical appearance (see: Sydney’s two-tone braids and her stunning, prolific collection of headscarves throughout the show), culturally distinct names (see: Sydney Adamu, Ebraheim, Tina Marrero, etc), food (see: Carmy’s peace offering to Syd in ep 1x03 of Ebra’s family chicken suqaar - a popular dish in the latter character’s birth country of Somalia), etc.

GIF by @chefkids

These may seem like small and inconsequential details to some. In fact I’ve been seeing a lot of commentary from folks online saying that what they like about The Bear is that race isn’t mentioned at all on the show. But make no mistake: race is all over this thing. The examples I've given are only some of the many references to racialised histories and cultures that build out the broader fabric of multicultural Chicago here.

What is not present in The Bear is a script that is wasting time explaining the characters of colour and their rich inner and outer lives to white folks. Those things are just a given and we are invited to witness them being brought to vivid life by this cast and crew. And I am fucking here for it.

Respect and allyship

Another thing I LOVE about this show is the respect given to, and the recognition of, the experience, talent, drive and ambition of its characters of colour.

This is most obvious in the relationship between Syd and Carmy who are signalled as complementary equals in many ways. Others have written on the importance of the representation embodied by Sydney’s character and you should search out that analyses, especially when its authored by Black women. The only other thing I’d say about it is that I love Sydney’s character and I also love endgame Sydcarmy (even if it’s only hinted at in the last second of the last frame of the last ever episode lmao…I will take whatever I can get of these two 😭).

I also see the show’s respect and recognition manifest in The Bear's investment in its staff, particularly in season 2. Everyone who worked at The Beef has a role at The Bear and Carmy, Syd and Nat fund the ongoing training and upskilling of their largely racialised staff to make sure this happens. Ebra and Tina are paid to attend culinary school (Carmy also gives Tina his prized knife for her studies and beyond). Marcus is sent to stage in Copenhagen to develop his skills as a patissier. And then we have The Bear itself - what started as Carmy and Michael’s vision, is now the whole team’s baby, with Sydney literally being made the captain of the ship by Carmy at the end of ep 2x09.

GIF by @savagegood

Part of what was so tragic about Carmy's fridge spiral at the end of season 2 was that he didn't get to see how beautifully the team came through in a crisis. Instead we had him internalising, regressing and lamenting how he had let everyone down. This language centred Carmy as the be all and end all of The Bear (saviour vibes) when this couldn't have been further from the truth (particularly in a season where the man spent so much of his time not in the restaurant but chasing manic pixie no-last-name-having Claire....but I digress).

Carmy is his best when he checks his ego, takes a step back and realises that he is not alone. He is part of a whole chosen family supporting one another at The Bear. And I get the sense that the folks creating this show know that we need more white folks using their power and privilege to step back and facilitate access, and less gatekeeping white saviours taking credit where its not due.

After all, and paraphrasing Viola Davis, the only thing that separates people of colour from anyone else, is opportunity.

12/04/24 Note: I’ve amended this post because I forgot to mention the most pivotal example of Sydney along with her relationship with Carmy. Also made some slight stylistic changes to phrasing cos i fixate on errors lol

[pickingbelovedoffthesofa]

MY CRITICISM ISN’T JUST THAT IZZY DIED. This isn’t because he’s my favorite character. And nobody is wishing they were being handled with kid gloves. Every time I see that take, I want to scream. I can think of LOTS of ways that his death could’ve been handled better. I actually LOVE when my shows and books hurt me. I SEEK OUT media that kills characters I love. Honestly, this show was my break from that. But it’s only good when it makes sense. I’m sorry, but that was weird. Like, really weird. Nobody eulogized him? They didn’t bury him with his leg? He couldn’t think of any reason to go on living because he was just a part of Blackbeard? When Ed called for help, the crew had already written him off as dead despite the fact that this show exists in the universe it exists in and characters have literally been skewered in the same spot and been totally fine? Sacrifice Auntie and Zheng’s weird “soft”thing/reconciliation that felt unearned for the TWO MINUTES that could’ve been better spent paying respect to a major character. I would love more of Auntie and Zheng, but like… let’s be real. The opening with Ed and the fisherman? Cut that down just a smidge. I mean, it wouldn’t have been any more choppy than the rest of the episode turned out. It’s not like we’re just bitching to bitch. I can actively SEE some small ways that it could have been helped. Still wouldn’t have been enough given the constraints but it would’ve been a start.

I don’t know what’s going on on Twitter. I don’t doubt that there are bad actors that are harassing DJ and crew. But those of us screaming in our small corners of the internet are ALLOWED TO HAVE CRITICISMS. It’s almost like some of y’all need to be handled with kid gloves. So scared of hearing anything negative about your precious show. Well, it’s MY precious show, too. It’s okay to admit when things don’t live up to your expectations. It’s okay to move the goalpost, even, and try to be positive when that happens. But it almost feels deceptive to try to convince other people that their criticisms are without merit (especially when some of them are just objective. That shit was RUSHED. The pacing was BAD.)

[queenofthursday6599-blog]

You know I don't think Timmy actually ended up sharing Wanda and Cosmo for all that long with Chloe in the grand scheme of things.

I mean there's various points in the show that seem to imply that having Fairy GodParents is a temporary thing. Like extremely temporary for most kids.

As in even being 10, and having gotten Cosmo and Wanda at age 8, Timmy's considered as having been a GodChild for a long time. Even if that's only a couple years.

Like there's a reason why there's multiple episodes about all of Fairy World being interested in whatever Timmy's up to.

Timmy's an outlier case.

He's going to end up aging out of the system (bar any breaking of any major rule that the fairies can't find a way to forgive) and everyone knows it.

They made a whole live action trilogy of bending the rules just for him where he gets to keep his fairies as an adult, and then turns into a fairy at the end of that trilogy.

He's a, probably wouldn't have made it to adulthood without fairies, kind of a case.

That's not the case for most kids who get fairies, or at least it's heavily implied that's not the case for most kids who get fairies.

Take Cosmo and Wanda being Crocker's fairies in 1972, and having already been his fairies for about 2 years by that point, but having had been Billy Gate's fairies in 1970.

We're never even given a hint that Billy lost his fairies traumatically, because he grew up to invent the internet just fine, and we never hear about him beyond that. And it seems like if a kid traumatically loses their fairies before their ready, it ends with them being a screwed up adult.

Which tells me that whatever situation Billy was in to need fairies resolved itself shortly after the time travel thing.

Heck even then, it was heavily implied that Crocker's life, even qualifying for fairies, was better than Timmy's was. Considering the only things mentioned is that he's got a single mom that works multiple jobs, and when she doesn't she tends to focus on her hobbies, and an evil babysitter to deal with.

He's not bullied at that point, he's not struggling academically, the only things wrong with his life (before getting over dosed on magic mindwipe and being disfigured and losing his mind as a result, which turned him into a social outcast) is that he's got a single mom who works a lot and leaves him with a mean babysitter so she can have me time.

That's it, that's what makes him qualify.

And he would have aged out of at least one of those problems before turning 18. He would have been 14 when he would have naturally outgrown needing to have a babysitter (as that's how old Vicky starts babysitting Timmy).

Then by that point he would have also been old enough to get a part time job of his own. Lightening the financial lode on his mother, and possibly freeing up some of her working time to actually spend with her.

Meaning it's possible that both of his fairy qualifying problems would have resolved themselves by age 14 or 15.

But also the kind of miserable it takes to get godparents (at least when that baseline is first established) is temporary for most kids.

I wouldn't be surprised if the typical Fairy GodParent & GodChild relationship typically only lasted like a year or two for most kids.

[And it seems like the majority of kids we meet who have GodParents, get them at age 10.

I'm pretty sure Timmy being 8 and getting his Fairies, is the youngest kid we ever see having Fairies.

Other than de-aged Vicky that one episode, but because it happened in the constraints of one of Timmy's wishes, I'm not going to count it. Especially because when Cosmo and Wanda are reassigned to Vicky, no one comes to erase Timmy's memory of having fairies, so she doesn't have to worry at all about hiding them which all other godkids do.

Also Vicky is just given Cosmo and Wanda and not her own fairy, which I feel heavily implies that all of this is falling under wish logic, and not normal logic.

Crocker is the second youngest, because he had Cosmo and Wanda at 9.]

Especially in cases where the root of the kid's misery is something they have the power to personally confront and change.

Like if a kid gets a fairy because they're being bulled at school to the point it's ruining everything else in their life. [Bully is making it to where they can't complete school or home work, causing grades to drop, meaning no extracurricular stuff, and getting in trouble with parents.]

But that kid manages to reveal what's happening, and gets things to change, and their life goes back to how it was before. Then that kid obviously doesn't need a GodParent anymore to make up for their miserable life.

I could easily see plenty of situations where a kid might only have a GodParent for less than a year.

Like Hazel's situation from A New Wish weirds me out, because all her problems are super temporary problems that resolve in like a few months to a year for most kids who have those problems.

It's missing her older brother who left for collage. Which most kids eventually get over after just getting used to them no longer living in the same house as them.

When the younger sibling gets used to the older siblings absence, a pretty good chunk of them revel in the bizarre experience of being either the new oldest, or an only child for the rest of their own childhood.

It's moving to a new city and having to make all new friends. Which Hazel does over the course of season 1. She's got 3 friends if Dev counts.

Everything causing her to need fairies is all extremely temporary. Which is a large part of the reason why I don't think she'll be one of the kids to age out of the system the way Timmy was.

She's got parents who love her, she's not struggling at school, she doesn't have an abusive babysitter, she's already started making friends at her new school, her brother came home from collage, but even then that's something she'd just grow out of eventually.

So I feel like unless something in her life changes for the worst, she's going to only have Cosmo and Wanda for a few years at most. And lose them around age 14-15.

Sure her problems are a lot more relatable than Timmy's ever were.

Which is understandable considering Timmy was a kid who had literally everything going wrong in his life, except he wasn't living in poverty.

From neglectful parents, being bullied as school, an abusive babysitter, being specifically targeted by a teacher for harassment, being the target of a girl's stalker crush on him, being canonically considered an idiot even without Crocker targeting him (even though I'm pretty sure he just has ADHD). And that's just the major stuff he starts off with.

That's not even getting into like the magical enemies he makes over the course of the show. Who are out to get him from then on.

And the fact that his parents weren't actively malicious towards him, just forgetful and oblivious.

But Hazel's problems are also all a lot more temporary than Timmy's ever were.

And that's like, the big thing that makes them different and give me the feeling that, while Timmy definitely aged out and had fairies until the last possible moment, kids like Chloe and Hazel probably only had fairies for a few years at most.

That's most likely why Wanda and Cosmo still refer to Timmy as their last godchild before retiring. Even though they were assigned Chloe years after they were assigned to Timmy.

Chloe's issues probably resolved at some point and Timmy returned to being a singular GodChild from that point on.

[I'm guessing she grew a backbone at some point, lets her parents know all the pressure they put on her was making her miserable, and stopped being a complete doormat for literally everyone. Because those were her big problems that caused her to qualify for Fairies.]

Which was probably extremely awkward for Timmy in the aftermath of Chloe having her memories purged of fairies, considering they only spent time together because they were made to share fairies.

Sure Timmy had seen kids lose their fairies before, like with Remy, but he'd never cared then because he hardly spent any time with Remy, and no one would call him and Remy friends.

But it had to be weird when it inevitably happened with Chloe, because by the end there, she basically lived in the Turner house.

Heck of the two kids who get fairies in A New Wish, I'd say that Dev is the kid more likely to be an age out case than Hazel. If he ever regains godparents.

Considering having a single parent, who literally loves business and money more than he'll ever love his own kid, is a bit more of a permanent misery than "I moved to a new town and have no friends, and my brother went off to collage" is.

Just to be honest.

Like maybe it's different rules because Hazel is a post-retirement passion project for Cosmo and Wanda, and they can stay with her until she'd age out because they're not on official rotation or whatever.

But no one will be able to convince me that she'd actually need fairies the entire rest of her childhood unless something horrible happens to her in season 2.

Like baby girl those are some temporary issues that tend to resolve themselves within a year, how are you going to keep qualifying for fairy godparentship the rest of this series?

[angryaromantics]

Friendly reminder that romance negativity isn't a real, societal issue, and conflating it with sex negativity is abhorrent. I get why people do this: we’ve linked the aro and ace labels in our minds. They are both labels that describe lacking something that most people view as intrinsic to personhood. There are people within both communities that show a heightened level of negativity toward this drive that they “lack.” So, if sex negativity is bad, romance negativity must be equally problematic in the same way, right?

Except sex negativity falls fully into purity culture and has a real-life impact on our lives. It’s given birth to poor sex education, restrictive dress codes in schools, atrocious reactions to SA survivors. The list goes on.

In contrast, romance negativity largely affects no one on a societal scale. In fact, romance culture often fits within the blueprint of purity culture, i.e. the expected life of marriage between a man and a woman who only have sex to reproduce. If anything, romance negativity is actively going against the general grain of what’s already acceptable to polite society. Not looking for your spouse, and living your life without the constraints of romance? Horrifying!

Equating these two things just doesn’t work. At all. When the negative of the one (sex negativity) works with the positive of the other (romance culture) to prop up the axis in which purity culture functions. I’m not saying romance negativity can’t be harmful in an intra-community sense, because I’m sure it is to some aromantic people. But, we’ve gotta stop confusing those community issues with the way society already functions, otherwise we’re going to start kicking down.

Honestly, another point those posts never touch on is where aro and ace people already sit on the political ladder – we flat-out don’t have enough power or standing to influence society or ever become oppressive. Like at all. So honestly, you could argue that it’s intra-community issues all the way down.

[dallasgallant]

Dawn goes down- Vamp au lore post

This is organized the best I could think of as it’s more of a universe than a story (there’s so much that could be done with it). I’ve drawn some aspects and others will be more explained. Will treat this like a master post so it will be updated as lore is talked about!

Long post ahead!

If you want to make anything for it (or any of my aus, headcanons etc.) go ahead! Might be my ego talking, but fjdndmdmd

Base story-

The gang are a group of nomadic vampires, they go from town to town feeding, wreaking havoc and moving on before there’s any danger to them. There’s small pockets of fun but it’s a taxing existence… they’re surviving more than they’re living. 1967 they decide to settle in Tulsa for longer than a normal stay, which means more subtlety than their usual chaos and law running.

It’s a rocky start for them as not even the oldest of them has done the “traditional” Dracula method of slow feeding over a period of time off of people. As you can imagine this starts out horribly (imagine two-bit just hanging off your ceiling like a lizard. It went BAD lmao) until Dally found Buck. The two quickly entered an arrangement where Buck finds and sends food the gangs way.

As the gang becomes more settled they get more free time, Pony still loves movies. He and Johnny spend one morning out to late, confused by the darkness of the movie house — run ins with Dawn and the sun aren’t anything new to them. Except this time, Johnny gets burned badly and the two of them have to take refuge under the porch of one Cherry Valance while the gang has no idea where they are.

The vampires-

The term to refer to a group of vampires would be a “Brood” and a more permanent place they’d stay instead of motels and RVs would be a vampire “nest” -> they’ve currently taken up residence in the long abandoned Curtis house.

They’d also never use the term vampire themselves, for multiple reasons, they’d instead say: Wanderers, drifters etc.

Vamprism isn’t easy, in fact it has more constraints than it does freedoms— it seems that way some nights anyway. Darry views it as “just how it is” there’s no way out and you just have to live with it… that’s what he tells Ponyboy anyway. Darry views things as just fine as long as they all stay together. [ au is simultaneously a fun time with vampires while also slightly vampirsm serves as metaphorical towards poverty/being an outsider. ]

The gang has had countless close calls with sunlight, either with shotty sun protection jobs, traveling to long or plain forgetting. Short exposure like this hurts but it won’t scar permanent unless a tad longer/precise or an incident like Dallas and his former St. Christopher.

However, the most important thing when it comes to the gang is that… Johnny Cade is the head vampire. It is a wonderful bit of irony that the short, scared looking Johnny is the most powerful/originator of the bunch. Him being so assuming is actually quite protective of the entire gang, and while he is the head and that earns him a certain respect and attention he isn’t exactly the leader. That role has been given over to Darry similar to canon.

Vampires don’t age… physically or mentally! While there’s room for personal growth, change and wisdom vampires would maintain the hardwiring of their age at the time of their death. While pony is well beyond the age of 14 he still deals with bouts of irrationality/excess angst and confusion someone at the age would have.

The gang-

Johnny: Oldest of the gang and the head vampire. Takes a lower spot out of choice, despite his strength he’s scared and often quite similar to canon. After some talks he and Pony try and only eat “bad people.”

Dally: The first turned by Johnny sometime in the 1870s, he was a member of a Wild West show left for dead by a former partner. Johnny was lonely and saved his life by taking it, unknowingly Dally had on his pendant when turned leaving him scarred. Has an even greater disregard for law than he does in canon and is one of the ones to ‘clean up’ for the gang. Carries a knife and gun.

Pony: Turned second by Johnny, was met further down the line and they became unlikely friends as Pony just thought him to be sick. (Whether their friendship was genuine or through accidental hypnosis is unknown and forgotten). Still a quiet and thoughtful boy though a bit disruptive and quick to anger… he’s been 14 for a long time and that starts to wear on you. Carries a knife.

Two-bit: Third turned, this time by Dally! Met one night at some saloon (remember this is 19th century) and decided to turn him to keep him around. It was a bit of a botch job but it did work, Two isn’t mad about it as he’d probably get caught cheating and die anyway… this is more fun. Also one of the wilder of the gang who ‘cleans up’. Has two guns.

Soda: Turned fourth by Pony, Soda is his favorite person in the world and he wouldn’t live forever without him. It took a lot out of pony to do this and nearly scared Soda into a second death. It took him the longest adjustment period to get used to everything and ok with it. He likes the fun he gets to have and the lack of rules. Carries a gun and a knife.

Steve: Turned fifth by Johnny for soda, who had similar reasons to pony but saw what it took out of him and wasn’t about to risk it. Steve’s the designated driver of the group often whipping the RV or whatever vehicle they find down the highway, wears driving gloves and tinted goggles as they often cut it close with sunrise. Will swap with Dally when he needs a break. Carries a knife.

Darry: Served briefly as a loosely informed daytime protector (human guardian) until it got to risky. Turned sixth by Johnny for Pony, who wasn’t going to have it happen again. While he was turned last he took to it the quickest, whatever it took to keep the brothers together (especially considering the state of late 19th century boy homes). Leads the gang, critical on sticking together, clean up and finding a place to stay. Carries a gun and a knife.

Pony is in a bit of a weird state with it all, he likes the gang and likes his brothers but he hates the way they have to live and how desperate it all is. They’ll be nights where he’s out on his own where he just goes to see movies or read etc instead of taking time to feed… which worries Darry with how he keeps accidentally starving himself. He’ll either end up feeding him or bringing a cup or two. Since settling down things have gotten slightly better.

Humans -

Cherry : she’s relatively the same to how she is in canon apart from having vampires take temporary refuge under her front porch. Will they be gone before she discovers them?

Buck: While he was fed off once, he’s not a ‘thrall’/protector in a traditional sense though the gang will call him ‘Renfield’ as a joke. He’s under no spell (but thinks he is) they’re just friends, he sends unruly customers, cops and competition their way occasionally as long as they bring no buzz his way.

Sandy: Soda’s past sweetheart when he was alive who he had to leave behind. She was never fully aware what happened, just that his little brother got sick and not long after all three of them disappeared. Since the brothers were turned the latest, there’s a possibility of her still being alive but extremely old.

Bob and Randy: Like Cherry they’re relatively the same to their canon selves. Randy is more observant of illness and disappearances in town and Bob has horror movies on the brain, he’d never suggest vampires — lest he be seen of as insane but he has thought about it. (Unlike cherry there’s not a lot of direct involvement)

[anniebeemine]

the proposal- s.r. x reader

Part of ITAV. Can be read as a standalone, but doesn't have to be :)

As Spencer watched you glide effortlessly across the ice rink with Naomi, he couldn't help but feel a deep sense of appreciation and admiration. Naomi was beaming with joy, her laughter ringing out as she skated beside you. She wore the purple gloves you had made for her, her tiny hands barely visible as they gripped the sides of the rink for balance. Her beanie, a thoughtful gift from Penelope, added a touch of playful charm to her outfit, and had her name embroidered on the front.

Spencer’s heart warmed as he took in the scene. You had a natural way with Naomi, a patience and kindness that went beyond anything he’d experienced before. He could see how much Naomi adored you, how she looked up to you with a sparkle in her eyes that he had rarely seen. You had become a part of her world in a way that made him rethink everything he thought he knew about relationships and parenting.

The way you interacted with Naomi, your gentle encouragement as she wobbled on the ice, your easy laughter, and the way you seemed to instinctively know how to make her feel special—Spencer realized just how right you were for both of them. He’d never brought someone into his life who fit so seamlessly into it, someone who was not only good for him but exceptional for Naomi. It was in these moments, watching you with her, that he felt a profound shift in his understanding of what he wanted for his future.

Meanwhile, as you skated hand-in-hand with Naomi, you found yourself reflecting on your own feelings. You had never imagined yourself as a parent. The idea of having a child seemed like an anchor, something that would tie you down and limit your freedom. You had always viewed children as a responsibility that came with constraints—an endless list of needs and demands that would prevent you from living a carefree, spontaneous life.

But Naomi was different. From the moment you met her, she had subtly changed your perspective. She had a way of drawing out a side of you that you hadn’t known existed—a nurturing, caring part of you that was willing to embrace the responsibilities of parenthood. The joy you felt in making her smile, in watching her grow and experience new things, was something you had never anticipated. Naomi had transformed your view of what it meant to be tied down. She made you see that being there for someone, supporting them, and sharing in their happiness could be profoundly fulfilling.

As you skated with Naomi, her playful call of “Buttercup!” echoed through the rink, a new nickname she had given you with a beaming smile. It was a reminder of how deeply she had come to care for you and how much you had come to care for her. The nickname, though simple, was a sign of the bond you had formed—a bond that was growing stronger with each passing day.

Spencer watched from the sidelines, his mind racing as he considered the future. He knew that you were not just a passing part of his life but a significant presence who had brought an unexpected joy and stability into both his and Naomi's lives. The love and care you showed Naomi made him realize that this relationship was something more than he had ever anticipated. It was something worth holding onto, something that made him think about a future where you, Naomi, and he were a family in the truest sense of the word.

And for you, as you skated with Naomi and felt the warmth of her hand in yours, you began to understand that perhaps the life you had once viewed as restrictive was now filled with a new kind of freedom—one that came from love, connection, and the joy of sharing your life with someone who meant everything to you.

-

In the stillness of the night, Naomi woke up feeling restless. She sipped her water and turned over in her bed, only to notice a faint light coming from the living room. Curiosity got the better of her, and she tiptoed out of her room, her small feet padding softly on the floor. As she approached the living room, she saw you and Spencer, both asleep on the couch. 

The movie was still playing, casting flickering shadows across the room. You and Spencer were asleep on the couch, leaning into each other, the blanket draped over you both in a comforting tangle. Her gaze drifted to the bowl of popcorn resting on Spencer’s lap. The popcorn looked too tempting to resist, so she carefully approached, trying her best not to wake either of you, knowing she’d be sent back to bed. Gently, she slid the bowl from Spencer’s lap, her small hands gripping it securely. As she turned to head back to her room, she accidentally stepped on something hard and small.

Naomi glanced down and saw the little red box, now slightly askew on the floor. She knelt to pick it up, her curiosity getting the better of her. She set the popcorn down and opened the little box. 

Inside was a beautiful ring. A thin gold band with a sizable rock on it. She rubbed the velvet lining, moving the entire box so she could see the light bounce off of the diamond. Naomi reached out, taking the ring between her fingers, and slipped it onto her own finger, though it was still too big and slid right off. She giggled softly, the sound echoing in the quiet room.

Naomi decided right then and there that she liked the ring too much to leave it behind. She stood up, cradling the ring in her hand, and made her way back to her room. Quietly, she pulled open the drawer of her little pink jewelry box, a cherished gift from you, and placed the ring inside. It sat there among her collection of plastic rings from vending machines and toy necklaces, a new treasure added to her stash.

Feeling a sense of satisfaction, Naomi climbed back into her bed, hugging her stuffed animal close. She drifted off to sleep, the ring now safely hidden away in her room, where it would remain her little secret. As she closed her eyes, she thought about how she’d tell you about it tomorrow.

-

Naomi stirred from her sleep, feeling the gentle touch of a hand softly caressing her cheek. Her eyes fluttered open, adjusting to the dim light of her room, and she saw you standing over her, a tender smile on your face. The warmth of your hand on her skin was comforting, but there was something different about the way you were looking at her.

"Hey, sweetheart," you whispered, your voice soft and soothing. "I'm sorry I woke you up. I just wanted to say goodbye before I left for the day."

Naomi blinked, still groggy from sleep, and pushed herself up slightly in bed. "Where are you going?" she asked, her voice small and curious. She rubbed her eyes, trying to shake off the sleepiness.

You brushed a strand of hair from her face, tucking it behind her ear. "I have to go run some errands, just a few things to take care of," you replied, your tone gentle. "I'll be back later, okay?"

Naomi nodded, but she wasn't quite ready to let you go. "Can I come with you?" she asked, her voice carrying a hint of hope.

You smiled, leaning down to kiss her forehead. "Not today, sweetie. But how about we do something special when I get back? We could go to the park or watch a movie, whatever you want."

Naomi nodded again, though she couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. She watched as you stood up and made your way to the door, your footsteps quiet on the carpeted floor. She slipped out of bed, her tiny feet padding softly as she followed you down the hallway.

As you reached the front door, Naomi tugged at your hand, looking up at you with wide, sleepy eyes. "What are you going to do?" she asked again, her curiosity not yet satisfied.

You knelt down to her level, taking her hands in yours. "Just some things I need to get done. I have to find some new shoes, return some things, nothing too exciting. But I promise I'll be back soon, and then we can spend the rest of the day together, okay?"

Naomi nodded, feeling reassured by your words. She wrapped her arms around you, hugging you tightly. "Okay. I love you," she murmured.

"I love you too, Naomi," you whispered back, holding her close for a moment before finally letting go. You gave her one last smile before you opened the door and stepped outside.

As the door closed behind you, Naomi stood there for a moment, feeling a strange sense of unease. She turned around to head back to her room, but then she heard a noise coming from the living room. It was the sound of something being moved, followed by a muffled curse.

Curiosity piqued, Naomi tiptoed toward the living room, peeking around the corner. She saw her dad in the middle of the room, tearing through the cushions on the couch, his movements frantic and desperate. He was searching for something, his usually calm demeanor replaced by a sense of urgency.

"Dad?" Naomi called out, her voice small and unsure.

Spencer looked up, his eyes wide with surprise as if he hadn't noticed her standing there. "Naomi, hey," he said, trying to keep his voice steady, though she could see the worry in his eyes. "What are you doing up, sweetheart?"

“Buttercup woke me up on accident,” Naomi yawned, plopping down on the couch and rubbing the sleep from her eyes. She glanced at the mess around her dad, her curiosity piqued. “What are you looking for?”

Spencer hesitated, his gaze flicking to the floor as if searching for the right words. "I'm looking for a very important ring, Naomi," he finally said, his voice soft but filled with a weight that Naomi didn't fully understand.

Naomi's eyes widened, a pang of guilt tugging at her heart. She thought back to the little red box she had found the night before, the ring she had slipped into her own jewelry box, thinking it was just another pretty trinket. "Who’s it for?" she asked, trying to sound casual as she shifted on the couch.

"It’s Y/N's," Spencer replied, his voice barely above a whisper, as if saying the words out loud made the situation all the more real.

Naomi’s heart sank even further. She didn’t want to get in trouble or see her dad upset, so she bit her lip and shook her head. "I haven’t seen it," she mumbled, avoiding his eyes.

Spencer let out a sigh, running a hand through his hair. "Okay, sweetheart," he said, though the tension in his voice was unmistakable. He gave her a small, tight smile before returning to his search, his movements now more methodical but no less urgent.

Throughout the day, Naomi noticed how tense her dad was. He seemed distracted, constantly checking drawers, opening and closing cabinets, and even going through the laundry, all in a futile effort to find the missing ring. The worry lines on his face deepened with each passing hour, and the lightness that usually filled their home seemed to have vanished.

When you returned home later that evening, the atmosphere was noticeably heavy. But as soon as you walked through the door, Naomi felt a small surge of relief. You greeted her with a warm smile, and she couldn’t help but feel comforted by your presence. After catching up on your day, you and Naomi settled down on the living room floor to work on a new puzzle you had surprised her with earlier, the colorful pieces scattered around you.

You noticed that Naomi seemed quieter than usual, her little brows furrowed in concentration as she carefully placed each piece. "You okay, Naomi?" you asked gently, glancing over at her.

Naomi nodded quickly, but there was a flicker of something in her eyes—something that told you she had something on her mind. You decided not to press her, instead focusing on the puzzle and enjoying the quiet moment together.

Naomi suddenly stood up. "I’ll be right back," she said, her voice soft as she darted off to her room.

You watched her go, curious about what had sparked her sudden departure. Moments later, she returned, clutching something small in her hand. She walked over to you, her steps hesitant, and then slowly held out her hand.

“I found your ring,” Naomi said quietly, her voice laced with guilt as she opened her palm to reveal the delicate piece of jewelry. 

You felt your breath hitch. “Naomi, where did you find this?” 

She bit her lip, her eyes welling up with tears. "I… I found it last night in the living room, in a little red box. I didn’t know it was important, so I put it in my jewelry box. Daddy said it's yours. I’m sorry," she whispered, her voice trembling with fear of what your reaction might be.

You smiled softly, wrapping your arms around her in a comforting hug. "It’s okay, Naomi," you reassured her, stroking her hair. "I’m just glad you told me. You did the right thing by bringing it to me."

Naomi sniffled, burying her face in your shoulder. "I didn’t want to get in trouble," she mumbled, her small voice muffled against you.

You pulled back slightly, looking into her eyes. "You’re not in trouble, I promise. I know it can be confusing sometimes, but it’s always better to tell the truth. Thank you for being honest with me, okay?"

Naomi nodded, feeling a weight lift off her shoulders. She glanced at the ring again, her curiosity returning. "Is it really for you?" she asked, her voice tinged with wonder.

You nodded, smiling as you held the ring between your fingers. "Yes, it is. And it means a lot to me—and to your dad, too."

As if on cue, Spencer appeared in the doorway, his eyes widening in disbelief when he saw the ring in your hand. "You found it?" he asked, his voice thick with relief as he rushed over to you both.

"Naomi found it," you explained, smiling as Spencer knelt down beside you.

Spencer looked at Naomi, his eyes softening as he pulled her into a hug. He looked at you, his eyes filled with a mix of emotions. "I’m so sorry, Y/N," he began, his voice soft but earnest. "This isn’t how I planned any of this. I had a whole evening planned—a special dinner, maybe even a picnic under the stars—but then I couldn’t find the ring, and everything just fell apart."

You held out the ring to him. “Then we can wait.” 

Spencer let out a soft chuckle, his tension finally easing as he looked at you with a mixture of relief and love. He gently took the ring from your hand, his fingers brushing against yours as he slid it onto your finger. The simple yet profound act felt like the culmination of everything you had been through together.

As the ring settled onto your finger, something clicked in Naomi’s mind. Her eyes widened as she looked between the two of you, her mouth forming a small “O” of realization. "Did you just… propose?" she asked, her voice filled with a mixture of surprise and excitement.

You and Spencer exchanged a quick glance before turning back to her with matching smiles. "Yes, sweetheart," Spencer said, his voice warm and full of affection. "I just proposed."

Naomi squealed with delight, her little feet kicking excitedly as she launched herself into your lap. "Can I be a flower girl? Please, please, please?" she begged, her eyes shining with hope and happiness.

You laughed, wrapping your arms around her as you shared a joyful look with Spencer. "Of course, you can be the flower girl," you assured her, ruffling her hair playfully. "We wouldn’t have it any other way."

Naomi’s squeal of excitement filled the room again as she hugged you tightly, her arms around your neck. Spencer reached over, wrapping both of you in his embrace, and for a moment, everything else melted away. The three of you were wrapped in a cocoon of love and happiness, the promise of a future together solidified in that one small, unexpected moment.

The grand plans didn’t matter, nor did the perfect setting. What mattered was that you were together, ready to take on whatever came next as a family. And as you held Naomi close, Spencer’s arms around both of you, you knew that this was just the beginning of a new and beautiful chapter in your lives.

[maul-of-shame]

I think a lot of people are forgetting that Elrond and Galadriel didn't read LOTR and aren't aware they're going to be in laws. They don't have the 4th wall powers that we, the audience do. As far as either of them are concerned, Cborn is dead and given that Galadriel placed a higher priority on hunting Sauron than returning to him (assuming she believes that he's in Valinor), Elrond is takes the role Cborn would have had. I hope we see more Elrond and Galadriel moments in season 3 😊

They've both been through the same shit, they GET each other, and there's no 'expectation' attached to their relationship, and that is liberating when it comes to healing each other's trauma.

Absolutely, this point is spot-on!

Elrond and Galadriel's connection exists on an entirely unique plane where no one, especially not us as the audience, can dictate how their bond should look or evolve.

These two are free from the expectations or constraints of what’s “supposed” to happen based on outside knowledge. They certainly don’t see their future relationship as in-laws as a given, so their relationship is genuinely theirs to explore.

Their chemistry feels so deep and genuine precisely because it isn’t bound by any traditional family role or societal expectation.

Both Elrond and Galadriel have lived through millennia of war, loss, and hard choices, and they’ve developed a bond built on shared experiences, genuine understanding, and respect. Elrond gets Galadriel’s drive, her sacrifices, and the toll they take, while Galadriel recognizes his wisdom, patience, and loyalty. It’s rare to see characters who don’t need to explain their trauma because the other person just knows—they’ve been through the same fires.

And what makes this relationship even more intriguing is the lack of obligation or label tied to it.

There’s a liberating effect here: both of them are healing and supporting each other in ways that go beyond friendship or family ties. When they come together, it’s like two souls unburdened by destiny but bound by choice. Each moment between them is open to interpretation and possibility, and that freedom feels refreshing and real.

For Elrond, his connection with Galadriel feels like the home he never really had in the ways that matter most. Through his life, he's often been in roles of service and loyalty—to his family, to Gil-galad, to his people—but with Galadriel, he doesn’t need to be the wise, steady counselor or the responsible guardian. He can let his own vulnerabilities show, unafraid of being judged or misunderstood. In Galadriel, he sees a person who recognizes his struggles and his sacrifices without him having to speak a word, and who knows the gravity of loss in the way only someone who’s carried that burden for centuries can.

And for Galadriel, Elrond is a refuge she never expected but always needed. As much as she’s a warrior, a leader, and a force of nature, she’s also a person with deep wounds. With Elrond, she’s able to lay down her armor, put down her sword and shield, trusting him with the side of herself that’s tired, uncertain, and still healing. There’s a comfort in being with someone who doesn't require her to be constantly unbreakable. Instead of being another soldier in her battle, Elrond stands beside her as a partner, a friend, and a kindred soul.

They share this understanding, a bond that’s impossible to reduce to labels or roles. Each look, every moment between them, is layered with the kind of depth that goes beyond words—They're two people who simply get each other. Their relationship isn’t defined by duty or shaped by societal roles; it’s something they’ve chosen to build together. And perhaps that’s what makes it so liberating: their connection is entirely theirs, shaped only by the mutual respect, trust, love, and affection they’ve cultivated over time.

In a world where they both carry the heavy weight of their respective roles, this bond is like a breath of fresh air, a reminder that they don’t have to be alone in their struggles.

They’re not defined by destiny or forced together by obligation; they’re here because they choose each other.

Over and over again.

It’s a love and connection that doesn’t need words to define it or titles to legitimize it. It’s simply there, in every glance, every shared silence, and every act of unwavering support. And in a life full of responsibilities and ancient sorrows, that freedom is the truest form of peace.

[gale-gentlepenguin]

So, I’ve come to realize that people fall into two camps when it comes to creators having alterations to another work when in a different medium.

Camp 1: The “Shut your mouth it’s great” where all changes are justified and no one has a right to complain.

Or

Camp 2: The “This didn’t go as written” so it’s trash because it didn’t do everything EXACTLY as it’s supposed to.

Quite frankly I hate both these approaches. Mainly because there is nuance when changes are made compared to an original work/story.

Allow me to explain.

1. Time constraints: Tv shows but mainly movies, have a limit to what can be shown in the physical medium. So not everything can be included. You can only add so much before a movie becomes a slog or a tv show runs far too long.

Who to blame: honestly it’s the writers/directors who bear the responsibility of what’s aired and what’s cut. So if there is complaints on what was cut and what wasn’t… it does fall on them. But also the studios for the length given.

2. Budget constraints: How much money does it cost to make? Live action adaptations suffer from this the most. Because to properly adapt a powerful scene can be very costly.

Who to blame: Studios are mainly the decider of budgets, the writers and directors have to work around this constraint. Now some blame does fall on how to allocate budget, but in most cases it’s because studios won’t pony up. It makes sense, as the point IS to make money. Not spend so much.

3. Flow progression: This is where a show has to alternate the order of scenes and events to better manage scene progression. Not every flashback or episode can air in the order. It could disrupt the flow of everything. Or maybe the story needs to be concise and not just time wise. But maybe certain characters can’t be where they are needed. So events maybe altered in order to flesh characters out more. Or maybe a change to help bring up stakes.

Who to blame: It’s a director/ Writer choice. And in some cases, editor choice. This is where things get subjective and when I say blame, I mean who’s responsible.

4. Character changes: As a result of time and flow changes. Events that brought focus to a character can often be altered in order to better fit or condense an arc for viewing. Now this can help or hurt certain characters.

There is also cases where this new medium is a chance to fix the character because of reasons that the author wanted to change how the character is perceived.

Who is to blame: This is a writers decision and the actor who portrays them. Now the actor is given direction and is so less responsible. But to say they have no impact is also not true. It also could be that the constraints forced the hand of writers. And in that case that causes the changes.

Overall making adaptations can be hard to do and I think it’s important to give shows the benefit of the doubt when lobbying criticism.

But, if something is bad and does massive alterations for little reason… then criticism is warranted

[blaithnne]

I think my one complaint about Anders is that I wish we’d seen him leave of his own accord at least once. Unfortunately I doubt that would be possible due to time constraints but, I think if we’d gotten to see how Hilda was affected by him actually leaving and not being fairynapped it would have better shown what kind of person he is, and been a really good representation of what a lot of real kids go through. That moment where Hilda finally realised her Father abandoned her is so heartbreaking, raw, and real, and the fact that it’s later revealed he didn’t kind of undermines that.

I’m not against Anders changing for the better - it’s a kids show, and it makes sense they’d want to give him a character arch instead of just introducing him to be a dick lol. It also makes sense for his character to have nearly losing his entire family forever be a wake up call for him. But I wish we’d gotten more time with him, and really seen the effects of him leaving for real. Without that, we can generally assume that it had the same effect as him being kidnapped did in canon, but it’s just not the same.

I’m of the opinion that introducing Hilda’s dad as a concept was a good decision, and I don’t think it undermines the shows found family. It gives Hilda a relatable and realistic aspect to her that I think is important for kids in similar situations to see. I am, however, very biased in that regard.

My biological father was an asshole who fucked off before I was born, but I’ve had no absence of family or fatherly role models - I’m very close with my adoptive dad and my grandad. But that didn’t mean I never had questions, or insecurities.

It’s easy to look at fictional tropes and say that found family is clearly superior and biology doesn’t mean shit, and that’s true! But when you’re living in that reality, when you’re young and coming to terms with it for the first time, it’s hard. Especially when you’re surrounded by people who all have blood relations with their families, and when the person you’re related to is regarded as a dick. it really makes you feel isolated and like there’s something wrong with you, like you’re an outsider — you’re different.

Real life people are messy and have insecurities that defy reason, you might logically know that biology doesn’t matter, but when you’re thirteen and insecure and full of inner turmoil, you can’t help but feel bad.

Personally, as I got older, I met people in similar situations and realised I wasn’t alone, that it was okay to have those feelings but it didn’t make them true. But at that age, having grown up in a rural community, I really was alone.

Hilda’s insecurities in season 3 are a great representation of that, she feels like she’s never had a proper family, this thing with Frida, David, Tontu, Alfur and Johanna and Astrid is all new to her. You can tell her Father’s absence has hurt her, how she’s felt different and alone and like something was missing. Hilda defines her worth through her relationships with others, how she can help them make them happy, it destroyed her when she felt like she failed Frida, imagine how she feels about her father.

What I think season 3 was missing was for Hilda to realise that she doesn’t need Anders, and that her happiness isn’t reliant on him being there, I wish she’d had a tad more agency in the relationship, yk? She wants him to be in her life, and he’s going to make an effort now to do that, but she has a support system in place and will be perfectly fine without him. I wish the show had properly acknowledged that just because this is how things ended up, it wasn’t the only option — with or without Anders, Hilda would still have been happy with her family in the end, the fact that he’s a part of it is a nice bonus, but not an essential one.

In general, I think Anders is the best they could do with the time they were given. Having him be a realistic shitty dad who loves his daughter but is just so bad at it is relatable and realistic, though I wish they’d better emphasised that just because he loves hers that doesn’t make his actions okay (perhaps by slightly altering Johanna’s moment with Hilda at the end of The Job), because it’s clear, I think, as a diehard fan, but might not be for more casual viewers.

Having him be redeemable and stick around to do better is a good conclusion for his arch, it’s a happy ending all around and makes sense for the story - it could’ve been weird if they just had him show up and then immediately leave with zero resolution to his character, unless they made him an all out irredeemable abuser, which I think would’ve been worse than what we got. Portraying abusers as unforgivable and cartoonish villains only makes it harder for real life victims to recognise their situations, so if it couldn’t be portrayed properly (which thanks to time constraints and the overall narrative I don’t believe it could be) I’m glad they went with something else.

What we’ve got is, and I know I’ve said this many times lol, a realistic depiction of a crappy, absentee father, that young viewers can recognise and relate to. On that end, the biggest issues are Hilda’s lack of agency within their storyline, since she has no control in the resolution of their relationship, young people looking to this show for ways to cope with their own situations might be discouraged by the end resolution of “he decided to stick around”, since that resolution rests on his decision, not Hilda’s, if that makes sense.

TLDR; Overall, I think Anders’ was a good character and the best that could’ve been done with what the team was given, but,

A) I wish we’d gotten to see him leave of his own accord at least once, so that Hilda’s final realisation that he left her on purpose has more impact and doesn’t loose its meaning in retrospect, and,

B) That Hilda had more agency in the final resolution of their dynamic, that their happily ever after wasn’t entirely reliant on Anders swearing he won’t leave. An alternative solution, maybe presented earlier on in the season when he first left, that provided her with a coping mechanism/outlet in case he does, so that her happiness and mental health isn’t in his hands, would’ve been pretty neat.

[sirfrogsworth]

Thoughts on Live Action Avatar: TLA

I'm sure people are going to hate this. Some for valid reasons. Some because of endless nitpicking that really has no bearing on how good or bad it actually was. Some because they have already chosen to hate it and it's just a self-fulfilling prophecy.

But I always root for things to be good. I want them to succeed. And I always go into everything I watch with the hope and expectation it will be good. I turn off my critical brain and try to just experience the show for what it is. As I said, I saw no trailers. I read no reviews. I knew almost nothing about the production of this going in.

Initially, things were rough... buddy.

And I think that is a longstanding problem with live action TV shows in general. I am always reminded of Star Trek TNG and how it took two seasons (48 episodes) before they figured out what the hell they were doing. Back then shows were able to find their footing and grow and learn. Actors were given time to find their characters and understand them and finally become them.

But now, every show has to be amazing from the start or they get cancelled. And I think people have become very unforgiving of first seasons as well. I feel like not enough people consider the potential of something getting better. And I think that is a shame.

So, yes, Avatar started out rough. They tried to cram all of the exposition into the first 20 minutes. And that was unpleasant. The effects were jarring at first. It is incredibly difficult to translate animation into live action. And please don't say the CGI was "bad." It wasn't. There was just so much that needed to be packed into every frame of this show to make it work, and finding a way to make it all seamlessly blend is a monumental task. I think the artists did an amazing job with the constraints of essentially making an 8 hour movie in the time usually given a 2 hour one.

But as the show continued, the actors seemed more comfortable in their roles. The showrunners seemed to figure out what worked and what didn't. The quality across the board started to improve. Especially when they started to deviate a little bit from following the cartoon. I also noticed that the effects that were jarring in the beginning eventually stopped bothering me and breaking immersion. I got used to them and was able to just focus on the story. And I think they got a little better as well. The bending was much more convincing as the show progressed. And it was a bajillion times better than the slow-motion bending of that movie that shall not be named.

And by the final episode, I was all in. The Avatar monster was really cool. And I was crying my eyes out and having all kinds of emotions. And there were some changes they made to the story which I actually thought made more sense. And I was glad this show was doing a few things to differentiate rather than being an exact carbon copy.

It won me over.

And I know it won't do that for everyone. And perhaps I am forgiving a lot of sins just because I wanted it to be good. The original was my absolute favorite show of all time. I just liked spending time with these characters again.

But I liked it more than I didn't and I'm hoping that is the general consensus, but I fear that is not the case.

Things I really liked...

I thought the actor playing Sokka was really great. They didn't give him enough humorous material. But I think this kid absolutely nailed the role. And if this gets another season, I do hope he can show Sokka's lighter side a bit more.

Ken Leung also did amazing as Zhao. I think he surpassed his cartoon counterpart in villainy. I loved hating him.

The final battle was beautiful. I think they probably dedicated a lot of resources to that. Maybe at the expense of other things. But I think it was worth it to end strong.

In the first season of the cartoon, the trauma was often skipped over or kept very brief. I'm sure the idea of dealing with genocide and war time trauma was not an easy sell to Nickelodeon initially. But they did actually take the time to show some of that trauma, especially with Katara and Sokka. And I cried a bunch.

They seemed to go to considerable effort to have a diverse cast. I am glad they learned that lesson from the movie.

That said, they probably could have brought back Dee Bradley Baker to make the animal noises. This might have been an overcorrection...

I guess this will give the anti-wokesters something to complain about since the original was already super woke and it is probably a challenge to complain about the new thing being woke as well. Though I'm sure they are up to the challenge.

Things I didn't care for...

The compressed timeline caused a few stories to be combined and accelerated. I understand why that was necessary. But there were some important moments of character growth that got lost.

Sokka's missing sexism. I think it is much more useful to see someone grow and change and let go of their problematic traits than to pretend that never existed. Sokka's sexism was a symbol of the conservative views within water tribe culture in general. It was also foreshadowing for the conflict with Pakku (which was also minimized). I just think young viewers seeing a character overcome ingrained ideals has a greater influence than just erasing that aspect from the character.

Things I hated...

Princess Yue's hair. You get the amazing Amber Midthunder to play Yue, and she does an amazing job with extremely abbreviated screen time, but I couldn't stop staring at whatever that was they put on her noggin. I know I criticized people for nitpicking, but that was very distracting. I don't know exactly how it could have been done better, but I worry a great performance is going to get overshadowed by... hair.

In conclusion...

I think the people making this show loved the source material. I can see that love. I think they tried very hard to make the best show possible. And I also know they are probably going to get a lot of hate. I still haven't looked at the reviews because I didn't want to be influenced when writing this. But I can feel the review bombing as we speak.

But this was not a Witcher situation where the writers didn't respect the source material. This was displaying how incredibly difficult it is to convert one of the most beautifully animated shows in existence into live action. Maybe that is an argument for not making live action versions. Though I usually love them when they work and am happy both versions exist.

I really hope people can remember the original still exists and they can completely disregard this and watch the cartoon any time they wish. This doesn't have to "ruin their childhood." These two things can exist and everyone is perfectly capable of ignoring all of the live action material.

But I do hope this gets another season. I think that final episode showed the potential. I think the cast was getting comfortable in their roles and they deserve another chance to show what they can do.

I love Paul Sun-Hyung Lee and I think he was a great choice for Iroh. But Mako's shoes are probably the biggest shoes in the existence of shoes to try and fill. I do not envy the task he was given. But every once in a while I saw that Mako spirit come out in his performance and I think he could use another season to really find that and show us what he is capable of.

This felt a lot like The Phantom Menace to me. There was actually a ton of amazing stuff to love in that movie. But it didn't quite work the way the original movies did. But I think this was good enough to hope for the future.

[angelofthepage]

Renegade Rose: Return to the Cycle

I got hit with a brilliant idea for a potential Bendy fan game that focuses on characters from the books. Most notably, I'm focusing on the cast of Fade to Black, so if you're still spoiler dodging for that entry, here's your content warning. Disclaimer, I am not a game developer and have no idea how one would feasibly create this, this is all just for fun as a hypothetical. (That said, if any fan devs are interested in this concept, my DMs are open, would love to chat with you.) Now, let's get on with the show!

Let's set the stage:

It's been a few years (maybe 1956 since that's when the VCR was invented?) since Rose and Ollie Sorenson’s daring escape from Joey Drew's twisted cartoon world, the Cycle. Ollie is well on his way to becoming a teenager, and Rose has been trying to move forward with her life. But no matter where she goes, the hallucination of Bendy follows her, and the guilt of losing Evan and Archie still eats at her soul. 

By some miraculous chance, Rose ends up with a VHS tape with a recording of the Joey Drew Show on it (maybe she recorded a rerun, or maybe she found it in someone else's junk/the library discards). The special TV has been unplugged for years, and her 3D glasses are snapped in half. But she wonders if maybe, just maybe, there's a way to go back and save them. So she tapes the glasses together and pops in the tape to see if her access point is still there. And sure enough, she's got a way in! 

With the help of Ollie and Dot, Rose makes it her mission to rescue Evan and Archie from their inky fates. Will she be successful, or will she find the ink pulling her under?

Gameplay:

I imagine this would work well as a first person action adventure experience that's mission based. (That said, upon consulting friends, I've had the suggestion for a Nancy Drew visual novel styled game, and that feels like it would be fun and maybe more achievable if I tried to make it real.) It has elements in common with BATDR, but the world isn't quite as open. Taking some inspiration from FNAF Security Breach Ruin and FNAF Help Wanted 2, Rose puts on her 3D glasses to dive into the cycle, which is our primary environment for exploration. In the cycle, she travels through a variety of areas to look for Evan and Archie, encountering a cast of quirky characters, some known fan favorites, and some new. On her quest to find them, Rose finds several items to help her solve puzzles and leave notes for her friends/mark her path. 

Rose’s central hub is in the living room of her real world house. Here, she can consult Ollie and Dot, look through notes of things she's seen on her adventure, and equip items to take with her into the cycle. That said, some of the horror would come from having something in the real world that shouldn't be there. The farther Rose goes, the more her hallucinated Bendy shows up. Sometimes he's there to tease her, and sometimes he has helpful hints about how to traverse the cycle. (Keep this in mind for later, this will be story relevant.)

While having the VHS tape means Rose can enter the cycle whenever she wants, there is a limitation. She can only stay in the cycle for as long as the tape runs for. This means she has to get in, complete her objective, and get out. Given this game would have some puzzle elements, I would feel bad putting someone in a time constraint to solve them. So rather than taking a Hades or Splatoon 3 Side Order approach, I'd rather let the levels themselves take however long they need to. The time limit wouldn't be imposed until Rose has completed her objective, where it's a mad dash to get back to a designated safety area (like Joey's office) so she can take off the glasses and get out. Think of it kind of like Pizza Tower. It could also lend itself well to some close encounters running away from monsters at the end of a mission. It would be interesting to use the Little Miracle Stations as a potential safe area to pause and exit the cycle mid-mission, given the ad for them that exists in BATIM Chapter 5. (This is the thing I wouldn't know how to translate if this was tackled as a visual novel instead.)

I’m tempted to throw something in here with closing your eyes as a mechanic, given the scene in FTB where Ollie walks back up to the entrance by imagining he’s walking on clouds. Letting Rose have one moment to do something impossible by focusing and using her imagination would be great. It would take a lot out of her, having it as a once-a-mission kind of deal might make sense. 

Another mechanic is the tape player. Per the Fade to Black moment of Joey talking to Rose ala the tape player, Rose being able to communicate with Dot or Ollie would be useful. It could work as a hint system, but it also works for plot elements. Using the tapes as a walkie talkie of sorts would also be interesting for having some interference from our antagonist, or for keeping in touch with allies we meet along the way. 

Characters: 

Rose Sorenson: Our ever optimistic protagonist. Rose looks on the bright side, but more importantly, she’s driven. While other Bendy protagonists have endurance and magical powers to help them along, Rose has her wits and a strong imagination.

Ollie Sorenson: Rose’s little brother who has been through a lot. Ollie is a good kid, he means well, but he’s getting to an age where his whole world is changing. As his sister embarks on this heroic quest, he’s feeling like he’s brave and strong enough to take on the cycle and lend a hand too. This may get him into more trouble than he bargained for. 

Dot Lastname: Former writer at Joey Drew Studios, Dot is a curious soul who lost everything. Having never been able to find her friend, Buddy Lewek, she’s harbored so much guilt. Making sure Joey can never hurt anyone again would leave her satisfied, and being able to locate her lost friend would be even better. She agrees to help Rose one more time, in the hope that maybe, just maybe, Buddy is still alive. 

Buddy Boris: Since getting dragged down by the hands of the ink demon, Buddy has found himself trapped in the body of Boris the Wolf, struggling to maintain control. Upon encountering studio newcomer Rose, his memories are hazy. But the more she tells him stories of the past, the more he starts to remember. Buddy can’t speak verbally, but he can communicate through drawings and writing on the wall. (Need to have a moment where he hears Dot through the tape recorder and recognizes her, gotta have it be a little heartbreaking).

Evan: A former employee of Joey Drew’s and Gent, Evan is a big grump with big dreams of innovating the world. He’s a foil to Rose’s endless positivity with an air of irritation, but he means well. Except for trying to dismantle and steal the ink machine, that was a bit foolish and morally gray. Evan met his fateful death at the hands of the ink demon in Fade to Black, but as other characters have shown us, those who die in reality can end up reborn in the cycle. Where is Evan, and what has he become? Is there a way to bring him back home? 

Archie Carter: A mysterious Englishman who ended up as a lab rat for Gent, Archie is desperate to put an end to their reign of terror. Having gone from being suspiciously not human to a faceless ink creature, Archie sacrificed himself for Rose not once, but twice. He’s already encountered so many horrors in the studio. What kind of state will he be in if Rose finds him again?

The Projectionist: The monster that was once Norman Polk has caused a fair share of problems within the cycle, but perhaps he’s not as monstrous as he seems. After all, he’s only defending what’s rightfully his: a pile of ink hearts. (It could be fun to have him as a monster, then have Evan help repair his speaker so he can communicate with the group, showing he’s more confused than he is hostile.)

There are others I'd like to include of course. There's people like Jacob from DCTL that would make a fun ally, might be indulgent and put my “Abby Lambert is a perfect Alice” theory to good use. Depending on how far along Joey is, maybe there's an early attempt at Audrey somewhere in here. Maybe there's Wilson! There is a very small chance of Wilson, it's not likely, but I'm considering it. Twisted Alice showing up? Definitely considering it given the timeline would be fun to play with.

That's all I've got in my notes so far. Whether this ends up as a real fan game or stays as a concept for a fic/au, it's been really fun to brainstorm, and I want to keep playing with it. I feel like we're onto something here.

[canmom]

Animation Night 184: Mars Express

Animation Night is baaaaaack from Annecy break!

And yeah, the last couple weeks of this blog have been pretty Annecy focused here on the canmom entertainment sphere. And tonight that will continue! For tonight we shall right a wrong! And that wrong is...

...that wrong is that I didn't get to see Mars Express at Annecy last year. @mendely did and I was super jelly, OK!

For real though, this was among the hottest tickets at Annecy last year, and despite queuing a bunch of hours, I didn't stand a chance to get in without a reservation. But what is it? Well, it's a scifi movie directed by Jérémie Périn. Who's Jérémie Périn?

Well, the true veterans may recall Animation Night 1, when I showed you a certain music video for a song called Fantasy by DyE...

...that's not gonna embed, is it? But if you know, you know. (If you don't know, it's the one where the teens break into the swimming pool to make out and such and then a bunch of them turn into tentacle monsters.)

So Jérémie Périn is the guy who directed that! He's also well known for directing Lastman, a crowdfunded action series in which a boxer battles a bunch of superpowered agents to try to protect a psychic girl, not that you'd gather any of that from this trailer...

and writing for Crisis Jung by Bobbypills - don't blink or you might miss the boob-growing henshin and the guy with a chainsaw dick...

And while Crisis Jung isn't primarily his project, we can still definitely trust that when Périn is at the wheel, we'll seem some incredibly stylish, anime-inflected drama and also some proper freaky imagery now and again.

Mars Express, however, is Périn's first foray into film rather than TV animation, building on the big success of Lastman - and a pretty high-effort foray at that, taking some five years to make. And by all accounts it kicks total ass.

But what's it about? Classic cyberpunk noir material: a detective and the android replica of her partner return to their home planet Mars after apprehending a robot hacker. But the hacker is released, and they're given a new mission - to work with this hacker and go down to a colony where, ostensibly, humans and androids live in harmony, and track down a guy who jailbreaks the androids from their artificial constraints. That sounds pretty shady already, right? But the dirty secrets are only beginning.

Mars Express definitely pays its homages to those classic 90s anime films and OVAs like Ghost in the Shell and Armitage III, as well as games like Another World for the Amiga, but by all accounts gives it a fresh approach, with grounded characters - protagonist Aline struggling with alcoholism, her reconstructed partner Carlos with his floating holographic head carrying the whole identity issue of being a robot clone who's been rejected by his original's wife - which anchors plenty of juicy scifi concepts like renting out your brain as a computer, or something called 'resonance' which is how robots do it. What does that mean? The review I'm reading left it at that! Guess we'll find out.

Like most European productions it brought together a long list of production companies and it's a little tricky to figure out which ones are actual animation houses, but the main company seems to be 'Everybody on Deck'. They previously worked with Périn on Lastman, but otherwise largely seem to have worked on live action films. However, the animation was split among a variety of studios.

We can at least say that it brought in French animators from across the shop, some even on this very website. (At least I seem to recall seeing people having posted about having worked on it, though if I search now I mostly find peoples' reviews of the film). It's animation leans realist, with naturalistic motion taking advantage of anime-style 3s and 2s to give it a weighty feeling, embedding its characters in detailed environments with strong colour design...

And if we want to know more than that, we're in luck, since there's a pretty substantial 16-part making-of series partly available on Catsuka's youtube, starting with episode 1 showing the development of the script, with Périn and co-writer Laurent Sarfati bouncing ideas off each other. Only two other episodes are available: episode 11 shows some of the voice recording, and episode 16, which talks about the actual animation, interviewing various animators and showing some shot breakdowns. The last of these is probably the most interesting (to animators), talking about how the film went about realising Périn's 'precise, clinical' realist style.

The team were evidently very conscious of this being, for France, a first of its kind - a French-animated thriller targeting adults, with big ambitions to become a landmark film in French animation, able to stand up against the best anime. I'm not sure it's actually the first - for example, Summit of the Gods is also a tense, French-animated thriller with a realist art style! - but it's definitely a genre where there are very few examples to compare, and the team's ambition comes across as absolutely genuine.

That's probably enough to go on! We'll definitely also check out some of Périn's other work tonight, but Mars Express is our main feature! Starting in about an hour and a half at 8pm UK time, at our usual place, twitch.tv/canmom! Hope to see you there!

[probablyasocialecologist]

The great lesson that archeology has taught us is that the ancient history of the Amazon is marked by the production of diversity. When the Europeans first arrived in South America, there was an empire in the Andes that stretched across an enormous geographical area, connected with long roads, based on the taxation of agricultural production, and run by a bureaucracy built on noble families and headed by a supreme leader, the Inca. The absence of any political structures similar to those of the Inca Empire in other parts of the continent, particularly in the tropical regions that make up Brazil today, led scientists to propose hypotheses that attributed this to scarcity; the absence of the State in these regions was ultimately ascribed to the notion that there was something missing from tropical environments: fertile soils, animal protein, mild climates. Such pessimism about Brazil’s ability to engender so-called civilized forms of life, given its tropical condition and attendant constraints, has for decades been an object of study by the country’s intellectuals, many of whom viewed with skepticism the idea that Brazil was fated to be a tropical, mixed-race nation. Apart from the racism this view embodies, it is based on a false premise that has been undone by archeology: it has now been established that the Indigenous and other forest peoples who have occupied our country for centuries contributed to the rich, complex, and diverse ecosystems we have inherited today. Perhaps the strongest indicator of this incredible diversity are Indigenous languages, roughly 170 of which are currently spoken in Brazil. But if we consider all Amazonian countries, there are some three hundred languages, divided into about fifty families or groups. The Amazon has also been an important center for the production of agrobiodiversity. Plants consumed across the planet, such as cassava and cocoa, were first grown in the Amazon rainforest. Starting 5,500 years ago, in what is now the state of Rondônia, local peoples began to produce the dark, fertile soils known as terra preta [Amazonian dark earth]. Then, 2,500 years ago, this soil spread to other regions and at present covers various parts of the Amazon basin, encompassing perhaps 2% of the biome. Amazonian dark earth is a fundamental legacy of the Indigenous peoples of the past because it is used in farming today, ensuring the survival of thousands of people. Likewise starting 2,500 years ago, structures such as embankments, roads, ditches, and mounds began to be built across the Amazon region, although earlier examples can be found along the coast of Pará state, the lower Amazon River, and the Guaporé River. Along with Amazonian dark earth, these structures signal the establishment of fixed populations, some of whom lived in large settlements we might call cities. These peoples produced wonderful ceramic and stone objects, such as those found on the island of Marajó and city of Santarém, housed in museums in Brazil and abroad. It is estimated that eight to ten million people lived in the Amazon basin at the time of the European invasion. Many perished in the early centuries of colonization as disease, war, and slavery spread. When the first scientists began traveling through the Amazon in the eighteenth century, they found the region empty, and its ancient settlements covered by forest. The absence of stone structures contributed to the false idea that took hold over time: the Amazon was empty.