#//don't have live-action icons yet

[heroicmultiverse]

Continued from here:

@thesweetestsupervillain

"No, can't say they ever have." Jen rolled her eyes at the terrible fruit pun, and continued trying to break free, to no success. If Gourmand had restrained her with something normal like chains or rope, she'd have had no trouble escaping, but this taffy stretched just a little too far for her to break out of it. It was just her luck she'd be facing someone with a gimmick.

"Look, I'm not billing by the hour here, so let's just cut to the chase. What do you want with my client?"

[star-mum]

tis time for me to change my phone theme (took longer than I thought it would tbh)

[thereismoretomylifethenice]

“We don’t have to be in love, but maybe we could be friends.” ( Cassie @ Hans // sharp-teeth-and-wide-grins )

@sharp-teeth-and-wide-grins

Although arranged marriages were merely a fact of his social class, Hans Westergaard could not confess to being thrilled by this agreement with the Roosevelt family. For his twelve brothers, his mother had arranged brilliant matches. As ruthless and precise as his father, she wasted no time in selecting marriages that came with numerous advantages for his ambitious family. There were no such attractive features with the Roosevelt family. They were merely nouveau riche; hardly an interesting claim to a man in his position. Of course, the fact that his own family owed their current standings to his great-grandfather’s clever exploitation of opportunities mattered little to him. A great-grandfather who murdered his cousin for the throne was part of the natural evolution of power. A man who happened to make money selling medicine was just a businessman. Hans knew he could not complain too much though. After the disaster in Arendelle, he was fortunate that his mother arranged anything for him at all. While Hans’s father had tacitly agreed to his plans to usurp control of the small nation, rewards only came with success. When he failed miserably, and the only thing preventing a war with Arendelle was Elsa’s preoccupation with undoing the damage caused by a deep freeze in July, he quickly became the family pariah. In his father’s world, something as dramatic as the Queen of Arendelle freezing her entire kingdom during a panic attack should not have deterred Hans from succeeding in his goal. The fact that he very nearly did succeed hardly mattered to his father. There were no trophies for ‘almost’ or ‘just about there’ in this world. Perhaps, though, he could turn Miss Roosevelt into something useful. With a bit of time and some polish, he might be able to pass her off as an equal to any other woman his brothers married… and perhaps a bit better. A refined, clever wife could act as an open door to a man whose own prospects for social advancement were rather dim at the moment. But if she could make useful friends and connections, he might be able to take advantage of that. Cassie’s rather naïve statement, perhaps the first full sentence she had managed since they sat down for this excruciatingly awkward tea, internally gives him reason to have confidence in his plan. Her words reek of inexperience, and that was something else he could use

On the surface though, eager to not let the young lady read his whirling mind too easily, he offered her a charming smile over the rim of his teacup before setting it down on the tea table. “Is that all you wish for, friendship? If we’re going to be together for a good many years, I feel we should try to aspire toward something more interesting than that. Unless you’ve got other commitments and calls on your emotions, so friendship is all you can spare right now?” he teased her lightly. 

[picaroroboto]

For the past couple days, I've been unfortunately cursed with thinking about Zenos yae Galvus. I don't even particularly like him - not that I dislike him either, Zenosfuckers you can put your scythes down - but it seems to me like a lot of the fandom either greatly misunderstands him, or doesn't even care to try to understand him, which from an objective standpoint as someone who cares deeply about writing in video games kind of pisses me off. But I'm more pissed about the fact that I'm apparently going to keep thinking about this issue until I actually write a character analysis of him.

Q: "But, what even is there to analyze with him? Isn't he all about wanting to fight the WoL and nothing else?"

Well, you wouldn't be wrong with saying that. That motivation is at the forefront of his character, and even if you look closer, everything about him comes back to either "violence" or "lack of understanding of others". But there are more meaningful sides to his deceptively simple character. That question of meaning is what I really want to look into - what does his character mean, what symbolic or thematic role does he play in this story?

Q: "Better question: why are you posting this on your art blog/Fate meta sideblog?"

Good question, with a stupid answer: I have all of 6 followers on my FF14 sideblog, and around 150 here. Let's go under the cut so they don't have to read a wall of text, unless they want to.

When you look at and compare FF14's villains, you can see a very clear change, no doubts thanks to the change in main writers. ARR Gaius and Thordan are more or less two-bit villains - Gaius's memeable iconic Praetorium speech gives us insight into how fascists try to justify themselves but little into Gaius's actual personality, while all Thordan gets as far as depth of character is an NPC in a sidequest remarking that he wasn't always a bad person and was probably doing what he thought best for his nation. Nidhogg is a little more understandable, since revenge is a relatable motivation to anyone who's been hurt by others. In Stormblood, Zenos and Yotsuyu are both presented as deserving of pity even as they do terrible things. Come Shadowbringers and Endwalker though, the story takes a greater interest on why villains like Emet-Selch and Elidibus do the things they do, and the player is allowed more options to try to understand them and see how similar they are to the WoL. Hell, Hermes and the Endsinger are barely "villains" at all, with the level of sympathy the story shows them.

What I'm getting to here is that Zenos, with half his arc in Stormblood and the rest in Endwalker, is sort of caught in the middle of this shift. He played the role of the rival character in Stormblood really well, but come Endwalker, he's standing on a stage full of heroes and villains with grand causes and deep motivations, as the guy whose sole motivation is fighting for pleasure.

It seems he's not unaware of this contrast himself - when Jullus confronts him for ruining Garlemald for no good reason, he retorts with "Would you be happier had I a good reason?" Zenos makes no attempt to justify his own actions and doesn't care that his reason seems incomprehensible and unforgivable to others. Yet in that same cutscene Alisaie hits him with the fact that if he keeps living solely for pleasure, he'll die alone. When next we see Zenos, he's alone at the Royal Menagerie waxing philosophical about what he really sought in the battle with the WoL.

See, what really motivates Zenos isn't just the thrill of battle - this guy has gotten Battle High and the joy of human connection confused. Really.

Even before he gets so perturbed by the idea of dying alone, there's other suggestions, like his proposal of friendship to the WoL when they fought in Stormblood, and then later his dying words in which he explains that he never understood others - at his core, he's just lonely. I know there's an official side story that tells it, but you don't need to know the exact details to glean that he had some sort of tragic backstory. Sad, but not a surprise, considering he's the prince of the Garlean Empire, raised to take the throne and continue the Empire's legacy of violence.

At his core, he's a very lonely person, but also a thing of violence, raised using violent methods for the purpose of causing more violence. Violence is how he lives and breathes - the only way he gets any sort of connection with others in a world of hurting and being hurt is the brief connection warriors dueling as equals can sometimes find. Don't deny that this sort of connection exists - FF14 is great at making fights that are both fun and tell a story. Hence, why he goes crazy for the WoL, but also refers to them as "friend". In their fights, he senses (or thinks he senses) similarity between him and them. Beneath all the madness is a pure, genuine joy in seeing the self reflected in the other...but he also instantly gets on the train to projection-town, population Zenos, and assumes the WoL is exactly like him, ignoring or failing to notice that they also fight for deeper meanings. The worst part is, he doesn't even notice that what he's actually seeking in fighting them is connection until Alisaie's aforementioned callout.

So he goes and angsts for a while, then turns into a dragon again and flies across the universe to help us kick the Endsinger's tail feathers, then issues his challenge for that duel he'd been longing for. But what's changed is that he starts with a question - "Such pleasures you sought for their own sake, and for no other reason, is that not so?". Dying after the duel, he's full of questions too: "Was your life a gift or a burden? Did you find fulfillment?" Alisaie's suggestion that he'd die alone actually spurred him to realize what he actually sought in the WoL, and now he's asking all these questions in an attempt to, for the first time in his life, genuinely connect with another human being.

The questions aren't important just because they're a sign of how Zenos has changed in Endwalker - they're actually the thematic heart of Endwalker! ARR may have had "Answers" as it's theme, but EW is the expac of questions. Namely the biggest question of all: What is the meaning of life? Different characters have different answers to that, leading to the grand-scale symbolic conflict being the Endsinger's despair - her belief that there is no meaning in life - versus whatever reasons the WoL chooses to live for, left, as always, up to player interpretation.

When you look deeper, Zenos isn't actually as out-of-place in the symbolic conflict as he first seems. His depressed worldview - that metaphor about drowning in a swamp again - seems to align with the Endsinger's view about life being meaningless. But he aids the WoL in defeating her. In that way he serves as part of the answer to her question about the meaning of life. He may have resented life at times, but he still found meaning in chasing pleasure. Not the strongest or most beautiful reason to deny oblivion, perhaps, but it did enable him to help the WoL triumph. I think of Zenos's philosophy as being connected to the concept of "Amor Fati"...largely because this quote explaining it sounds like something he'd say, or at least agree with on some level:

"and if our soul has trembled with happiness and sounded like a harp string just once, all eternity was needed to produce this one event—and in this single moment of affirmation all eternity was called good, redeemed, justified, and affirmed."

So he does have a meaningful role in Endwalker, as the "Amor Fati" against the Endsinger's "Memento Mori". I think that in this the story shows that his reason for living, while somewhat shallow, is not necessarily a morally wrong thing in and of itself (setting aside for a second all the people he hurt in his pursuit of that). It's just that, since it is a lonely pursuit that denies everything except for his target, it still feels empty. The core of the counterargument against the Endsinger's despair is that both pleasure and fulfillment are necessary to live a meaningful life in a meaningless universe, and that's why Zenos is here in Endwalker. Why he even exists in the story in the first place.

Even if you're one of the people who deeply hates Zenos...well, you probably wouldn't have read this whole thing if you did, but I still think it's important to read into characters you dislike, because every character in a story is written for a reason. Plus, trying to understand even their worst enemies is one of the WoL's key traits as of ShB and EW. With his last breaths, Zenos was trying to understand the WoL too - carrying this understanding of him with you as we move into our next adventures is the least you can do for your "friend".

[purpledemonlilyposting]

Lorch is talking about writing again...

[Lily's Post]

Where do I even start here?

Okay first lets define what subtext is. Subtext is when a detail or meaning is conveyed indirectly through tone, dialog, character actions etc.

I talked about gay icon Gus Fring in relation to Lorch's thoughts on villains recently. Him being gay is entirely subtext. Even his final scene in Better Call Saul that practically hits people over the head who didn't pick up on him being gay is still subtext.

Gus is not the kind of man to come out and say "I'm gay", you won't see him at a Pride parade, you won't see him decking Los Pollos Hermanos in rainbow flags during June. That's just not in character for him. And yet both shows still, through subtext, communicated to us that Max was not just his friend and business partner but his lover.

(even the name of their restaurant Los Pollos Hermanos is a clue. It was not unusual for old school gays to just claim to be siblings in order to explain away why they live together)

And Gus' final scene in BCS shows him very much mooning over the sommelier he seemingly often chats with at his favorite bar. But we can also see him decide at the last moment to not get involved as his cold, dangerous drug and revenge filled lifestyle won't allow for love to spring anew. None of this needs to be stated aloud.

Okay with that out of the way lets dissect Lorch's nonsense:

So as usual Lorch's opinions on writing all absolutely come down to her not getting it and being bitter that other people do.

Whenever she talks about writing or fandom it becomes clear that the one thing Lorch absolutely can't stand is not being the smartest person in the room. But she has never been the smartest person in the room. So instead she has to decide that things other people understand that she doesn't are just worthless and overused and need to be done away with.

Subtext, worldbuilding, metaphor, lore, they're all just stupid things people use to SEEM smart, because LORCH doesn't understand them and so they must not matter.

Notice she doesn't give a single example of these things. She just starts with the assumption that people only use subtext because they think they have to or are trying to "look smart" and not because, you know, most audience members don't want to read or watch something that's basically the cliff notes of a story like you do, Lily. Subtext can aid in immersion and believability, especially when it comes to dialog.

You don't understand how to make an analogy either I see.

How the fuck is Lorch putting serialization in the same category as subtext and metaphor. Serialization is a method of story delivery, Lorch. It goes all the way back to dime novels and penny dreadfuls.

Something could be completely absent of subtext and metaphor and still be serialized. The fuck are you even talking about?

People don't "understand your point", Lorch, because you don't know what you're talking about and every single one of your opinions just comes back to your inability to understand narrative and your annoyance that other people do. But instead of expanding your understanding you try to control how people engage with and discuss narrative. You haven't deconstructed shit you just rage like a child at writing techniques that have been refined over centuries.

[yukipri]

So, I binged The Acolyte last night.

I had a mental block and couldn't get myself to start while it was coming out, and I also haven't touched any High Republic era media before which made me hesitant. But the spoilers/gifs/fanart etc I saw convinced me I should give it a try.

I'm not a huge fan of binging, I like sitting and thinking with each episode, so I expected to just watch an episode or two, give it a day or so, then continue if I liked it.

But, to my great surprise, once I started, I couldn't really stop (aaand stayed up till 7 AM, oops).

I think it had several things going for it:

-The acting was genuinely phenomenal. I feel like I would have felt completely differently about the show if different actors had been involved, and i mean that more strongly than I usually do. Their delivery in certain moments really sold me.

-It's not your usual Star Wars genre. I'd consider it mystery/suspense with a touch of horror, and it really does come together. Some of the characters are experience a more stereotypical Star Wars action/adventure story, but are jerked out of their genre at certain moments. It's pretty neat, and makes the twists fun and interesting (even if you were completely spoiled beforehand, like me lol)

-The costumes were gorgeous and unique.

-Some truly gorgeous cinematography, shots that have beautiful composition and lighting.

-It was rich in lore and references, some from Legends that I caught, many from the High Republic that I didn't catch but appreciated nonetheless. It felt deeply connected to the SW Universe.

-While cynical, the writing says things that I've thought about but never really thought Star Wars would have the guts to say. The writing is also Tight, meaning that little moments of character interactions bring up things that will be necessary/helpful to the plot later, and I appreciated that. There felt like very little waste.

-There are genuinely no "good" or "bad" guys. Every character makes mistakes or has horrible qualities, yet also positive ones. We see and understand motives, even if we don't agree with them, and see the fallout of those actions. This made almost everyone compelling. The narrative and writing gives the audience space to think.

Things that I wasn't as much a fan of:

-I felt like most of the sets felt kind of generic and Earth-like, especially in comparison to the rich costumes and alien characters.

-There are some fantastic fight scenes and emotional scenes, where the acting and cinematography was fantastic, but I wish the music had been a bit more memorable. I can't really recall any of it, and I feel like there were scenes that could have been truly iconic had the music resounded more with me.

Now, some more specific thoughts, SPOILERS below:

On Sol:

Sol is a character who, I believe in most cases, I would have absolutely despised. But holy shit, Lee Jung-jae. I am not exaggerating when I say that his performance is perhaps one of the best, if not THE best performances I've ever seen in live action Star Wars. He played this character so tenderly, so genuinely.

Despite being misguided, having made terrible decisions, and making mistakes that even he acknowledges, Sol himself always truly thought he was doing what was right, and loved Osha with his whole being even at the end, and it Shows. The way he looks at Osha was so sincere.

This is why I can't get myself to hate Sol as a character. It makes me feel so conflicted, like how can a guy with so much love and genuine desire to help and do good go so wrong? And that, I think, is one of the major points of the show, and Lee Jung-jae absolutely sells it. What a phenomenal actor. You could genuinely watch this show for him alone.

On Osha/Mae:

When the first info/promos for Acolyte came out and Amandla Stenberg was announced as the main character, I admit I was a bit confused. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't that I thought she couldn't act, but it's just that her face is so kind. She looks so warm (and gosh, she's so beautiful), but it made me go hmm, she looks like a Good Guy Protag, a Hero, so I was a bit confused as to how she was going to lead "the Acolyte," which from the title, I assumed she'd be Dark Side. Even with the early promo scenes of Mae fighting Indara, I wasn't really sold on her being "Dark."

And it turns out, that was exactly the point of the casting.

Amandla was perfect, and was brilliant at portraying two characters who not only have different and distinct personalities, but also both shift and change throughout the show. Mae never came off as "Dark" to me, because she isn't. Osha's not necessarily Light OR Dark, but she's independent. They are balanced, yet cycling, reminiscent of that little palm-to-palm circling ritual that the girls do. Amandla's portrayal of them was poetry, and made me so very invested in them.

I think if there's one thing I really wish the show had included more of, it's both Osha and Mae's pasts between their tragic separation and their reunion in the present. What was Osha's Padawan-ship actually like? I feel like the exact reason for the timing of her leaving the Order was ambiguous, and I wanted to know more. And was Mae with "the Master" the entire time?

I truly wish Osha could have heard the full story from Sol, because of his many crimes, ironically, killing her mother really was a genuine accident. There are things I wish he could have apologized to her for, or that she could have understood about him, such as how that night at the coven was largely driven by how Sol felt connected to her. This is one part where, while I get how the writers went this way, I do wish I could have felt more closure to their relationship.

I found it so tragic that Qimir erased Mae's memories and they had to be separated so soon after finally understanding each other. I really hope that if there's a season 2, they can be reunited.

On Qimir:

Preface by saying I was spoiled regarding his identity long before I started, by all those thirsty posts/tweets. And man, I GET IT.

But thirst magnet aside, I found him a genuinely fascinating character. For one thing, he's kind of an ironic character to *be* a Darksider. He seems so chill and laid-back, is honorable (or at least keeps his word), and despite his words about using emotions to harness energy, we don't really see him passionately mad/anything really. In contrast, the Jedi we see around him are furious, scared, sad. It's interesting that he almost seems more calm, but not necessarily because he's trying: he just doesn't care.

Manny Jacinto's portrayal of the character made him so damn Likable. Which, is pretty hard to reconcile with the fact that I genuinely liked Jecki and Yord, but a lot of his lines make me just go, y'know he's got a point. Like the whole, "She was a child," "You brought her here." Like yeah. Honestly, fair. His little quips, the delivery, the I'm-just-a-chill-dude attitude, actually keeps his word, and on the flip side, undeniable ruthless skill and viciousness that took down a whole team of Jedi single-handedly. It's a very BRRRRRR combo.

In general, I don't really get too attached to "Dark Side" characters, and don't really have a favorite Sith. Or at least, I didn't, but I think Qimir (or whatever his actually name is) might claim that spot now. Truly peak character, I truly hope we get to see more with him.

And this is kind of an aside, but can I just say, it felt unreal to have entire fight sequences focussing on just two Asian actors, with the other protagonist we see a black girl, for huge chunks of the show? No white people except comparatively brief side characters? In a Star Wars show?!?? All of them unique and well fleshed out and phenomenally written and acted?? None of it felt like "forced diversity," it's all so natural, that when I step back and thought about it in these terms it just...again, feels unreal. I'm so grateful for these characters, and hope we get more like them.

On Jecki and Yord:

Honestly given what I saw about Yord before hand, I was expecting him to be far more annoying than he was. Sure, he was a little stiff, but he felt like a young Jedi Knight who was trying to prove himself and do his best, and I think he very clearly did care for Osha.

Jecki, gosh I loved her. She felt very similar to Ahsoka, if a bit more by the book. She was very wise for her youth. I loved the budding friendship between her and Osha, how they helped each other and weren't jealous.

The thing about both of these characters, which I think the writers did so well, is that they felt like protagonists. In another story, they would have been the main characters, the heroes. Both of them were so young, so early in their training/careers. They could have become Obi-Wans, Ahsokas. Jecki especially was bursting with so much potential.

But alas, this was not that story. It makes it that much shocking when their lives are cut so abruptly short. We were given time to get to know these characters, to care for them, and then without much fanfare, boom. Gone.

On one hand, I sorta Hate That. On the other, I deeply respect the writers for going there, because I think it did have an Impact on the story and show.

On the Witches/Mother Aniseya:

Admittedly I was a little ehhhhh on some of the world-building regarding the witches, just the use of the words "witch" and "coven" and some of the chanting with gasping cackling women etc felt a bit caricature. I do get that they wanted us to have a vibe for this group and to get one with limited screentime, and sometimes stereotypes are the way to do that. I didn't love it, but also didn't mind it too much.

I actually really loved Mother Aniseya. For one thing, the actress is Gorgeous, her costume stunning, and she really sold the whole otherworldly ethereal immortal goddess vibe well, in a way that still felt Star Wars. For the other, I liked how she was the soft, empathetic one, it kinda contrasted with expectation of her position.

I also loved Mother Koril, and how again, she was designed as a character foil to Mother Aniseya. I love how we didn't see too much of them, but could still see that they were partners who loved and respected each other (I hesitate to say "wives," because I feel like their society may not exactly have the same concept of marriage, but partners was undeniable). I think it was a neat Oh moment when they stated that Mother Koril is the one who carried the twins. Love them.

I know I'll have more thoughts, but yeah, to sum it up, I enjoyed Acolyte a ton more than I thought i would, and am so glad I gave it a chance.

Other things:

-Mentioned earlier that I love "little moments of character interactions bring up things that will be necessary/helpful to the plot later." Some actual examples of this: When we see Sol noticing Osha's tattoo and Osha saying he must hate it, which in the moment, shows the kind of guardian-student relationship they have, and how little seems to have changed for them in the time they've been a part. Later, it's shown to clearly identify Osha after Mae steals her clothes. Another is the rolly polly moth things, which at first seem just like a way to show This Forest Dangerous, but then are a plot point to temporarily escape from Qimir, and later on, to show Vernestra's connection to the Force (and also her light whip). Stuff like that, I really like.

-I so appreciated Qimir's Cortosis helmet. For one thing, it's neat that it's not just cool-looking or a disguise, but actually is Force-blocking. I think an official SW account factoid said that this is also how beskar works, though beskar is stronger. The two effects this has: when the user is wearing it, they're forced to confront what's inside of them. The other, is that it hides the wearer's identity from Force users who would otherwise recognize them. The latter is my personal headcanon for beskar helmets, so it's very gratifying to see it in canon! The former has some interesting implications for Force-users who wear beskar.

-The cynical view of the Jedi Order as an Institution, and all the politics, corruption, and obscuring of dirt that that entails. Admittedly this may be because of my own increasingly cynical perspective on the Order, but it felt honest and I agreed with most of it. The fact that individuals are trying their best to do "good" does not negate the fact that they are pretty much acting as Space Cops. This line by Senator Rayencourt felt especially raw:

"I think the Jedi are a massive system of unchecked power, posing as a religion, a delusional cult that claims to claim the uncontrollable. [] Your emotions."

Framed as a religion having unchecked power—that feels uncomfortably realistic! And also zeroing in on how for all their power, the Jedi are still people, and just as fallible (and therefore, must necessarily be held just as accountable).

Also:

I can see how this portrayal of the Jedi may make some folks uncomfortable, especially if you love the Jedi, but I long hold that the Jedi as an organization are deeply flawed. It's part of why I personally like the "fall of the Republic" era; both the Galactic Republic and Jedi Order have deep, fatal flaws, and this is an era where that all comes to a head—one where they must fall, or fix themselves.

So in conclusion, my favorite parts: the characters, and the moral grayness of almost everyone. Many stories may claim there's no good/evil dichotomy, but few ever truly show it, but this one did.

I'm not sure yet if I want to "fandom" over this or if I'm pretty satisfied with having just watched it, but it was definitely worth the watch and I'm glad I gave it a try!

~~

~~

I also kept a lil document of live reaction notes as I was watching, which I'll copy below:

Episode 1

UEDA?? The planet is just, UEDA?? A pretty common Japanese surname?? That's like. Naming a planet Johnson or somethin...

Loving the costumes 'n set

Oh wait I recognize this scene, it's the one they played as a preview at the AMC Star Wars marathon

Idk how to feel about the Space Generic T-Shirt

Ooh Neimoidians (thank you for no horrendously exaggerated Evil Japanese Accent TM), and interesting Jedi ship shape

Oh interesting interesting they intentionally paralleling TPM eh

Hrmn not a positive first impression of Master Vernestra, her lines are so mechanical

Very cool pilot chair droids and tentacle alien

Osha says practice vehicle safety and wear seatbelts and protect your head!

Oh Osha has Trauma I see. Girl ain't getting good sleep

Oh wow Sol Loves Osha, oh no is this going to lead to Padawan Jealousy Trauma between Osha and Jecki. How much are we heavily paralleling TPM here

Kill the dream eh?

Episode 2

Oh there are multiple Jedi temples, that's nice

Jedi Temple using same security system as Jabba is...uh

Mae tips, good for her

Master Torbin just sittin' there, lookin like some random youtuber. why tabi socks

Man I dig Mae's patchwork cloak with massive princess hood.

It's pronounced KAI-meer??? My Chinese ass thought it was Chee-mir

Barash Vow

Ohhh so Mae doesn't know that Qimir...? (was spoiled)

Episode 3

ooh i like the fairy clione things

Ohhh village all women??

Mother Aniseya is stunning

Oh she and Koril blatantly lesbian, fantastic

Oh gosh the Jedi are NOT looking good here. They don't have the right to train children?? WTF

You must let the children take the test?? And if they pass the Jedi will take them away??? That does NOT sound very consensual!!

Oh gosh, selling "you are special" to a child, after separating her from her community...

Really feel like "how does taking a child away affect their community" should be factored into jedi stuff

Mae that is...sudden and violent wtf

Kinda not trusting Sol here

Episode 4

Wow Kelnacca looks...mentally stable

Ohhh Qimir's ship? Looks suspiciously Kylo Ren-ish

Qimir really suspicious eh

Oh wow not using the Force or anything, just using a sniffy guy

They're really doing a Fellowship of the Ring walk huh

Look I absolutely adore Mae's long gorgeous cloak but that is going to drag half the forest floor with her

Not liking those tree bulbs. looks spider eggy

Osha don't Touch the Thing, that's such a Pippin move

oh no, not spider eggs...rolly polly moth vampire thing

Really enjoying Osha and Jecki's friendship, I'm so glad it's not former Padawan jealousy

Oh, Mae, oh no....knowing spoilers...oh...

The red lightsaber igniting next to Osha's head...dang what fantastic composition

The lil hand twitch and head snap. I Get It.

I remember when "Darth Teeth" was trending

And wow that's a Cliffhanger

Episode 5

Oh no Osha knocked out that doesn't bode well

How many against one is that damn

The double spear through then hidden head lop...wow

holy shit booma-saber

Oooooh the cut treeeeees damn

all that death before even the opening title

Honestly GO JECKI, that's very impressive, her win against Mae AND double saber against Darth Teeth, Anakin level spinning and drama

Holy shit Jecki's death was brutal...

She was a child - You brought her here - FAIR

Why risk discovery - I did wear a mask LMAO

Damn did he just casually break Mae's leg

I don't make the rules - the Jedi do

The Jedi say I can't exist...wow

Holy shit Yord's death

Damn full on brawl

I've accepted my darkness, what have you done with yours

Damn really yeeted Qimir from the fight by sticking a light on his back

Pip tho ;_; killin droids feels like killin pets...

They've turned you against me - really Anakin quotin

Wow Sol, not even going to see Jecki????

And wtf how can Sol not tell that Mae's switched them??? Has fandom been grossly misunderstanding how the Jedi use the Force....how the fuck can any Jedi tell apart any clones eh...

While not exactly subtle, I appreciate how lil details in character interactions have had pay offs. Like the tree bugs and Osha's tattoo being a way to identify her

Episode 6

He really just makin a hot pot

his lair kinda looks like sequels Luke's island

Not sure how I feel about the elephant rock bird things

Honestly glad we get to see Sol upset and affected by everyone's deaths. Might explain part of why he can't tell apart the twins?

Oh he's really wearing hakama hakama

Wow Qimir really just getting in buck naked eh. Is this the scene that Manny froze his balls off for

His line about it being fine in a fight but vengeance a few hours later

Oh he brought a change of clothes

Damn the Jedi are taught "it fades"???

Aww Osha, u aren't tempted by the soup??

Oh wow we revisiting bodies, that feels...u usual for SW. Oh there's a Kel Dor... (why are there no flies buzzing yet. or are there no flies yet)

Mae wakes up so peacefully compared to Osha

Oooh sensory deprivation mask, all dark, nothing but breathing, evocative of Darth Vader even if breathing is not similar

Episode 7

Vergence....iiiiinteresting

Sol, stalking lil kids is creepy af

Oh my god you're just gonna break in???

See - You cannot deny the Jedi have a right to test potential Padawans - Why the fuck not???? You don't have the right to stalk, spy on, break into random people's homes, and talk directly to their children without permission from guardians??

Guh Sol....

Interrogation after isolation from guardians....

Oh, the Jedi Council is right for once??

Do not alter this little girl's destiny because you have formed an emotional attachment to her

Gosh I thought Indara was the most innocent in this buuuuut

Episode 8

I'm surprised they never added Darth Teeth's mask to the front credits

"See you in hell" Oh I know Han mentioned Hell like once but I thought they were avoiding mentioning it in newer media

Holy shit Rayencourt: I think the Jedi are a massive system of unchecked power, posing as a religion, a delusional cult that claims to claim the uncontrollable. - Kinda uncomfortably real!!

-We don't control the Force - no, your emotions - OOF

I didn't realize till this ep how the cool Brendok eclipse got that line, it's the comet ring. super neat

oof Mae climbing out of the scene of Trauma...

Oh that is some Wu Xia shit

"I will destroy you if i must" really??

Nice dagger saber

Okay Sol that is Cool

oh gosh, the plot-relevant inversion of clothes resulting in it reflecting how they swapped light/dark is SO cool

very yin yang fighting

Damn it keeps coming down to the unarmed opponent thing

Damn, Mae going the justice route

Damn, just Damn

Gosh the thing about Sol is that he is SO well acted, so sincere in his love and devotion, it's hard to hate him

I'm glad the helmets block the Force identity like that tho, fits headcanon

Glad Basil continues to shine

Oh no. Vernestra...I thought you were doing the right thing revealing the truth, but instead you're continuing the cycle of covering up crimes

Oh...use Mae to find Vernestra's former Padawan...that's a cycle alright

And ends with Yoda okay

[paraphwrites]

@carpediemma made a poll post about which characters would be who in an alice in wonderland au and none of the one's winning are the ones i want so i will now be justifying my thesis

alice - niko. above all else, alice must be curious and kind. she is also afraid, a lot, because she's in a wild new world - very similar of how niko is scared and in a new world (both ghost/supernatural, america, and a world without her father)

white rabbit - edwin. polite yet preoccupied, punctual yet anxious, obsessive yet unpredictable, always dressed smart... the similarities go on. and while i think some of their actions might not align entirely, i think there is a case to be made for edwin shewing someone along, insisting it must be done his own way

mad hatter - charles. playful, defiant to social norms, bit of an eccentric dress style! though charles is a bit less over the top, i feel that in the right environment, he could go totally mad. hatter has a lot of fun but there is this hint of despair to him which to me, entirely emulates charles

the dormouse - jenny. tired, confused, and underpaid, next question

the march hare - maxine. unpredictable, bizarre, reckless, excitable. not a huge character so not too much to go from but i see some loose similarities in the erratic nature - it's not that they're evil, it's that they're so invested in existence that they might stab you

please do not think of the implications of shipping the dormouse and the march hair i will not be held responsible for that

tweedledee and tweedledum - litty and kingham. petty?? childish?? looks similar??? guys come ON there is no more iconic duo in dbda! they're not very kind, they're not anti violence, they love attention- am i talking about the tweedles, or litty and kingham? you literally can't tell.

the caterpillar - tragic mick. appears when alice is uncertain and needs help, prompts her to reflect on her own identity. not particularly nice but is very helpful and kind, in his own way. calm, almost cryptic, slow manner of speech.

cheshire cat - the cat king. im not gonna explain this one

ok guys bare with me for the next two. they're kinda controversial. i could see them flipped and i did flip them many times but this is what i decided on

the duchess - esther. the duchess is abusive to her child (monty), but can be overly affectionate, as well. duchess is hella comedic in a dark way, she's got a fucked up relationship with power (duchess is a slave to the Queen, esther is a slave to the Snake), she's absurdly contradictory (like esther and her contradiction of wronging girls using lilith's gift)

the queen of hearts - the night nurse. the queen cannot see a way of life other than executions. i know she SEEMS hella emotional, but legit, i think it's more this desperate desire for feelings and sensations because she is so stuck in a loop of being listened to. the night nurse is similarly stuck in this loop of bureaucracy. neither are happy and neither have any true meaning to their lives. they both also seem to lack a nuance to empathy (nurse thinking ends justify the means so no need to feel guilty about the means, almost viewing finding the boys as a game in order to feel SOMETHING). neither would not survive a day in therapy

the king of hearts - kashi. foil to the queen of hearts, very minor character. gentle, soft spoken, trying his best, exists more in his own universe than anywhere else. the key difference is if they went to therapy, kashi's therapist would end up getting therapied, and king would just break down sobbing

the knave of hearts - monty. while if esther was the queen, maybe this would be more apt, but this is my analysis so i'll do what i want. the knave is a victim of absurd injustice, is somewhat sympathetic but ultimately a perpetuater of this same system. monty does the same thing with esther & her abuse. he is also young and handsome which, we've all seen joshua colley, i don't need to explain

the talking rose - crystal (with/pre-david.) haughty, mean, cruel, flirtatious. she's not a villain but she's definitely not on your side. she's critical, both of your looks, personality, and general vibe. but she's also just one of the many flowers, kind of how crystal was just one of the rich kids, not really doing all that much

in this version, i'd have when the flower's roots are freed be the same energy as the boy's getting rid of david. moment of self-transformation, free from curse. i will probably make a follow up post on how i'd do the plot, but i wanted to throw that bit on david out there.

[cleolinda]

(For our purposes, listen to it without the visuals first.)

I wasn't going to keep posting about Unreal Unearth, but something happened yesterday.

It's been five months since I first heard this song, and I'm still astonished by it. You know the tiktok skit about the Star Wars wedding music, and the guy is grooving along until the Imperial Death March filters in, and then he's kind of alarmed, like, wha—? And then he realizes it slaps anyway and he keeps dancing? That is "Eat Your Young."

It's the morning of March 17th. The EP with the first three singles from the new album has dropped. I've got my phone blasting the song on the bathroom counter, I don't understand half what the man is saying nor did I expect to, I'm cheerfully mumbling along in the shower, grooving along,

wait they did what for a war drum

Get some Pull up the ladder when the flood comes Throw enough rope until the legs have swung Seven new ways that you can eat your young Come and get some Skinning the children for a war drum Putting food on the table selling bombs and guns It's quicker and easier to eat your young

What the fuck, this song goes so hard. That's the chorus. The conceit of the whole album is that it loosely follows Dante's Inferno, so this is the third circle of hell, gluttony. Hozier himself says that he wasn't specifically thinking of Jonathan Swift's A Modest Proposal—

“I don’t know how intentional the reference to Jonathan Swift was in this. That essay [Swift’s 1729 satirical essay A Modest Proposal in which he suggests the Irish poor sell their children as food] is such a cultural landmark that it’s just hanging in the air. I was more reflecting on what I felt now in this spirit of the times of perpetual short-term gain and a long-term blindness. The increasing levels of precarious living, poverty, job insecurity, rental crisis, property crisis, climate crisis, and a generation that’s inheriting all of that and one generation that’s enjoyed the spoils of it. The lyrics are direct, but the voice is playful. There’s this unreliable narrator who relishes in this thing which was fun to write.” [Apple Music album notes]

—and I believe him. The song's not a suggestion, a proposal; it's an invitation to atrocity in progress. I also believe he probably wasn't thinking of Greta Thunberg's iconic speech at the UN Climate Action Summit, not specifically, but that's what I hear in the song, like the flip side of a coin:

You have stolen my dreams and my childhood with your empty words. And yet I'm one of the lucky ones. People are suffering. People are dying. Entire ecosystems are collapsing. We are in the beginning of a mass extinction, and all you can talk about is money and fairy tales of eternal economic growth. How dare you! [...] You say you hear us and that you understand the urgency. But no matter how sad and angry I am, I do not want to believe that. Because if you really understood the situation and still kept on failing to act, then you would be evil.

I feel like on some level, even coincidentally, "Eat Your Young" is the answer to the question, what would you sound like if you were that evil? Who would you be? I can think of a dozen possibilities just off the top of my head or looking around my blog, from something as petty as studio executives mangling trees to deprive striking workers of shade (while hoping they lose their homes), all the way up to the US school-to-prison pipeline. The National Rifle Association keeps politicians in its pocket while the US has more mass shootings than days in a year, Nestlé fucks shit up around the world as a way of life, even ChatGPT sucks up water while threatening jobs—and for what? And yet, I promise you most of these things weren't the inspiration for an Irishman’s song—some of them hadn't even happened yet. There's just that much fresh You Would Be Evil to go around. I am certain that Hozier wrote the song partly about (as one article puts it) "Ireland's housing crisis: Millennials, a generation sacrificed," given that time back in the day when he helped occupy a building—a housing crisis happening in multiple countries. There's so much of the world I'm not touching on. I can stuff a paragraph with links and it's utterly inadequate.

I haven't even mentioned war.

There's an overwhelming sense this decade of the future being fed into a meat grinder. That sense is in this song. What would it sound like to be in the head of someone who didn't give a shit about anything but profit? Well, it might sound like this.

And if you haven't heard it, well—I'm going to sound absolutely out of my mind after saying all that, but "Eat Your Young" has a beat and you can dance to it. It's sexy. And I'm certain that's on purpose. You get seduced into the sound of it, as if by something demonic, something that enjoys sucking down the future and is not going to stop. And the sheer fucking catchiness of the song keeps you listening to it—thinking about it—when maybe you push away the dry headlines we get everyday. If you let this song stay in your head, it becomes a lens. Five months later, I still think about it when I read the news. Maui was on fire and tourists stayed. Within days, the prospect of developers swooping in to buy up land reared its head. If there's something still to take, there is ground to break, whatever's still to come. Get some.

I was born in 1978 —I'm late Gen X. In my forties, I'm young enough to worry about the future still; I’m neither so rich that I can just plan to retire to Mars, nor so old that I can know I'll be safely gone before the world might go up in flames. But I'm also not my nephew, whose school year just started back up, or the neighborhood kids who race him home down the sidewalk in the afternoons. Yesterday, he had his very first mass-shooter lockdown drill. He’s six.

I think music can put the feeling back into numb fingers, and I think that's why "Eat Your Young" works so well—Hozier calls the song fun and playful, and I think you have to have that, something you can live with rather than just switch off for your own mental survival. We need music to feed spirit at protests; we need something to keep our feet moving. Don’t give up, don't close your eyes and slip away. Those kids, they have dreams we could try to steal back for them.

Since I mentioned Maui:

Why Hawaiian sovereignty has undeniable context for the Maui fires

The Climate Crisis and Colonialism Destroyed My Maui Home. Where We Must Go From Here

How You Can Donate and Help Support Maui Communities Right Now

The Maui Strong Fund

[brujitaadinbo]

I'm back again with my crazy posts about DINBO parallelism and other iconic couples from cinema or any material. I have had a lot of things to do but I have taken the time to watch Batman content, because I love it, it is one of many favorite characters I have. Watching one of the cartoons of this character I saw a beautiful reference to Catwoman---Batman, in that connection that they have always had.

They are both wounded people, trying to move forward, healing on their own and then healing together, but the process is long and good, there is still a lot of development left (plus they are going to want to exploit Batman every time they can with more movies or series, ect)

Selina and Bruce are a magnetic couple and they complement each other, they don't need to be cheesy or be together all the time, because in their intimate moments, they show each other everything. The hero in the making and the antihero who seeks redemption.

Very much in the style of Din djarin and Bo katan; These two are more possessive of their responsibilities and more closed BUT they recognize well when they feel attracted, when they feel good working together and taking care of each other, sharing moments, living in the moment without labels.

It's something I love; in many comics and series such as Batman Rush Selina and Bruce understand each other very well, so much so that Catwoman and Batman also coincide and suddenly even their hidden personalities come to light. So they work as a team, their romantic dates destroy criminals and save the city, kicking ass.

It reminds me a lot of Din and Bo in their adventures with Grogu, solving problems together, traveling, having adventures, destroying imperials.

I love that Batman in his own way is protective of Catwoman but I feel like he can improve that, he is a very dense character and still has things to fix, just like Selina.

Something like Din; He doesn't talk much but he shows with actions that there are people he cares about and will protect them at all costs, just like Bo.

Din and Batman have as much in common, as do Bo and Selina.

And hey, I don't deny that they have a long way to go to become a healthier couple, but hey, with so much that they've been through, who would be completely fine?

Who is not sick in some way in their emotions???

For the same reason, I relate them to DINBO because both couples fight to be better, more balanced, even if they separate for a while or are together at another time.

I love that both Din and Bruce, although they don't talk much or don't express themselves well at all, when they do, they are very tender and know how to melt the heart of the person they are talking to with their words. .

Just like when they talk to Selina or Bo and they almost always leave them speechless, they don't know how to react. As much as to flatter them or to apologize to them and even an I love you like Batman says in the comics to Selina or a "I'll serve you" to Bo Katan.

And now to close this post; I love how Batman and Catwoman have that very particular and acid humor, their own silly jokes and she accepts them. Like when she gets pregnant, they don't know it yet and he offers her a "Bati bucket" for nausea or when they are already checking Selina and she tells him "it's cancer" he with a soft smile tells her "it's not." and she takes it with her typical humor LOL

It reminds me a lot of Din and Bo's humor, their own jokes "the element of surprise" and those knowing laughs. Or that Bo is ironic about the pog soup thing.

That Din tells her "that's what happens for stealing imperial ships" and she responds that way. Very consistent with their personalities.

I love it and I will continue sending DINBO, getting information and parallels as long as I can. And batman and catwoman are my roman empire.

this is the way.

[dayfalwastaken]

Notable Slenderman designs from over the years

Something Awful: As the users of the original Create Paranormal Images thread took to calling him, "Poo Poo", the first Slendy on this list is sort of a composite variant of his first depictions. After Victor Surge had made "the Slender Man" people started creating their own photos and a couple even drew him. Designs varied, but many featured arms that turned into tentacles or tree branches, and blank faces with either few or very pronounced facial features. These first drawings gave me the impression that Slendy was a creature that attempted to blend in and look human, but if examined its nonhuman aspects would become apparent almost immediately, empty face notwithstanding. As such, while his suit gives the impression of a well-dressed man, if one looks at it from a small distance they'll note the lack of buttons, pockets and other such accessories, so in a way the suit is like a second skin as opposed to actual clothes. Merely a disguise.

Marble Hornets: The Operator! Version that got many people into the Slenderman mythos, the Marble Hornets rendition streamlined the many variations of the Something Awful forum into a simple yet iconic design. This guy is very tall, and makes it clear that he's the furthest thing from human. Proportion-wise, his torso is not even half of his total height, while his arms almost reach the ground. Weirdly enough, his hands don't seem to have fingers? And look to be morphed into the suit, though they could be wearing fingerless gloves. He has a straight upper body and shoulders, and in most entries has barely if any shadows on his face to enunciate human features. As in, most of the time his face is completely blank, although there are entries where you can spot the outlines of a nose, mouth and eye sockets.

TribeTwelve: To me, the Administrator is a more grounded (heh) Slenderman. If you ignore the times he's shown to tower over humans, this guy, while tall, isn't abnormally long. He even has human-looking skin and visible eye sockets! With regular proportions for a Slenderman depiction, he's pretty tame in appearance when he doesn't have his tentacles or spider legs out. So really, he's just a regular man in black with no face, which makes him a bit more believable but still creepy as all hell.

DarkHarvest00: Gorr'rylaehotep! This dude's like a streamlined version of the Marble Hornets Operator, which was himself a streamlined Slendy. He's like an expected evolution of a live action Slenderman, where his body isn't elongated so much as it's scaled up for him to appear larger. That said, he's in no way thick, being quite thin for a big guy in a business suit. Luckily, that doesn't take away from his scare factor, as he's remains an imposing figure throughout the series... In the shots where he doesn't move too much, that is… Having fewer overall appearances in DarkHarvest00, he's also the most consistent Slendy on this list to keep a totally blank face with no features. Neato!

Slender: the Arrival: This guy isn't slender. Like, at all. He's well-built for a Slenderman and, dare I say, kind of muscular-looking. If you shorten his arms, he's just a big human, but I think that strengthens the unease you have when you see him. The others, aside from the TribeTwelve design, don't really hide their uncannyness. Once you’ve spotted them, you know there's something wrong when you look at them. The Arrival Slenderman takes it a step further. He gets all up in your face, not even stalking you all that much. He almost refuses to blend into the background, opting to terrorize you up close. He doesn't obscure the fact that he's an otherworldy entity that shouldn't exist, and I think that's great. His ragged skin and ears melted into his skull offer him an incredibly distinct look, and given how well the game uses him, he's super scary to play against. He's also among the first Slendermen to feature a red tie, which will go on to be a very popular design choice when depicting this character.

The ways people chose to draw/show/model Slendy have always intrigued me, so I made this lil thing to show off the differences in a few designs over the past decade! I hope you've enjoyed reading through this, and I'll see you next time when I'll draw and analyse five more. Have a good day!

[shakingparadigm]

I love Mizi and I'm sorry I don't talk about her enough. I love characters who have their worlds turned upside down and have to break themselves free. I love characters who are so obviously changed by their circumstances, even down to their physical appearance.

(long ramble ahead! sorry.)

As anguished as I am by the fact that they cut her hair, it's honestly genius that they cut off the last part of her that symbolized her love for Alien Stage. She was iconized by her first round, a performance that she anticipated so much she planned her entire outfit beforehand. She wanted to wear a cute dress, she wanted to dye her hair, she even got rid of her glasses. She created a version of herself inspired by idols, blinded by glitz and glamour and false optimism. She sang and danced her way to the grave dressed as a spectacle. And she was happy to do so! So far in her life, very little went wrong. She lived a happy, loving life with her alien parent, showered in toys and such. In her eyes, being a pet was a blessing, singing was a privilege, standing on that stage was an honor. She was ignorant to the suffering of those who weren't as lucky. She never considered the possibility of losing Sua because they knew each other so well. Her voice followed Sua's like a moth to flame. She was naive enough to believe that everything would turn out alright, that within this glittery death game they would be the exception. So to have such a horrible thing happen to her, to see her universe drop cold at her feet, naturally it's too much for someone who lived her life through rose-colored glasses. Dying was supposed to be an honor, yet the crowd roared as if it were a joke. Barbaric, loud, cruel and mocking. Cheering and jeering over a lifeless body. Viewing her universe as nothing more than a broken plaything. Disposable, a loser. Her love for Alien Stage and the eager, shiny new persona she dressed herself up as died together with Sua. For the remainder of the competition she is in a daze, incredibly disoriented and in turmoil. Round 5 was even delayed because she refused to participate. In Black Sorrow, when Mizi and Till run into the Cerberus-like alien, Mizi is standing completely still, hand over her mouth in shock while Till moves to get up after being beat down. Mizi has a tendency to shut down (in VIVINOS' words, "crumble") in the face of danger and extreme stress. This trait becomes even more severe after the trauma of Sua's death. Mizi is so detached she's not paying attention for two whole rounds, delayed one, and even when she finally performs she's in constant terror and confusion. I think Mizi snapping and attacking Luka started something for her. She broke out of her daze and acted on the anger that's no doubt been rising inside of her since round 1. It's not necessarily growth yet, but it's something. After Hyuna saves her, she at least seems more present. The resistance was incredibly jarring for her because she's never been in an environment without aliens before, which can be seen in the first half of All-In. The turning point for Mizi is when Hyuna is restrained by guards, the large image of Luka causing her trauma to resurface. The interesting thing about Mizi and Hyuna's relationship is that they see themselves in each other. This familiarity is also the motivation for them to save each other. Hyuna temporarily disassociates, enough for the guards to restrain her and begin taking her away, just as they did to Mizi not too long ago. They both understand what it's like to lose someone, to break down at the thought of them. Mizi, who up until this point has been confused, clumsy and hiding behind backs, recognizes herself in Hyuna's response and springs into action.

Mizi built her life around lies and false hope, crumbled down after realizing the true nature of the game, and spent the rest of her time on that glorified chopping block just trying to process the weight of her situation. The long pink hair that she maintained resembled not only her naiveté, but her stagnance. Her idealization of Alien Stage, her blissful ignorance to suffering, and her blind compliance to a cruel system were traits that she carried with her for almost her entire life. Unchanging, just like the length of her hair. But within that moment of Hyuna's helplessness, Mizi shakily stands on her own two feet and dashes forward. Despite having no plans or experience, she attacks. Mizi picks herself up and acts on her own volition. No aliens. No restrictions. Her life is in her own hands now.

She's fired at. The bullet grazes her cheek. Her hair is shot off. Despite losing a part of herself, she does not falter.

Mizi has now cut off her old self. No more long pink hair, ready to be tidied and tied up with a neat little ribbon, dyed bright colors to catch the eye of an insatiable audience. No more dressing and prepping like a lamb to the slaughter. Her hair is short, pure pink, messy and unkempt and falling over her eyes. She is not the same person she was before. She's learning to fend for herself, pushing against opposing forces and moving forward despite everything. She drives the bike herself, determined, stronger. Hyuna calls her "solid". Mizi is no longer a commodity for entertainment, a plaything who's suffering is eagerly consumed by alien viewers. She's become her own person, hurt and upset and determined to save others from the fate Sua suffered. I love her for everything she is.

[xinyuehui]

Link Click live action drama EP1-4 thoughts

Where to watch: Bilibili (no eng subs at the moment) Bilibili English site (Releasing on Jun 22, assuming it will have subs)

After seeing the atrocious live-action adaptation of Fox Spirit Matchmaker, all hope is lost. But the Link Click drama is produced by the same team who adapted Hikaru no Go (Qi Hun), which was good. Let's see how this goes…

Plot

The screenwriter said this is a prequel, but I disagree. I would describe it as taking the Link Click universe and creating a canon adjacent edition of it, an AU to the original. The outline of the story is very similar, but the finer details and premise are very different from those of the donghua.

In the donghua, the boys were already engaged in time travelling, and we learn later on that they met at university. So far, it has never been explained how they discovered their superpowers.

Whereas in the drama they changed the premise, Cheng Xiaoshi meets Lu Guang for the first time when Lu Guang rescues him from being beaten up by a fish vendor...interesting choice of first meet...Cheng Xiaoshi explains that he was born with a natural instinct, but it's not exactly clear what the superpower is. Qiao Ling is also unaware of Cheng Xiaoshi's superpowers.

Instead of Emma, we have Zhang Xueting, a corporate worker that face injustice. But in this case Cheng Xiaoshi doesn't take over her body, but some other guy. The relationship she has with her parents and the iconic line "Dad, mom, I miss you" is no longer in the drama. I feel like this one is a miss since the family aspect has been shifted.

Then the noodle lesbians...haven't appeared, unless they moved that to a later episode???

Following the donghua, the next one is Chen Xiao who went back in time to say final words to his loved ones before the earthquake. This one made me cry once again 😭

Characters

Everything has changed. OOC at some moments in my opinion. Since season 3 of the anime is not released yet, I'm taking a wild guess that the drama will have an original ending as well. The donghua team appears to have no involvement with the production of the drama.

Qiao Ling is not just a landlady, she is also a journalist at her day job. By the looks of it, helping people will be executed through her reporting profession, and it seems like she will have a lot more involvement compared to the donghua.

Her parents also comes into the story, her parents on the right in the screenshot below. They run a restaurant. Cheng Xiaoshi is very close to them and helps out some times.

Cheng Xiaoshi is portrayed as someone with no real job, he hasn't gone to university and uses idioms incorrectly. Obviously Lu Guang couldn't have met him at uni in this universe. He's a lot more exaggerated and cartoony. I have mixed feelings about this.

Because of the casting, Cheng Xiaoshi is shorter than Lu Guang. I'm sorry to all the girlies who were into canon tall Cheng Xiaoshi 🙏

Lu Guang now has a back story, he has a teacher who passed away that taught him about time travelling?? He briefly mentioned he found the Cheng Xiaoshi they were looking for. Looks like they will unveil the superpowers origins in the drama.

^ A glimpse of the teacher in his memory. Can you believe it's Yuen Kingdan?!?

The overall acting from the cast is fairly well done. There are several actors acting as Cheng Xiaoshi at the same time, and it still feel like it's the same person. Anyone who watched the Hikaru no Go live action will find familiarity here, as some of the actors from that production are also part of this one.

Overall

It's okay so far, although that might change as it airs. It's difficult to digest if you treat this as a faithful adaptation (I know the none cdrama fans have been questioning why Lu Guang don't have white hair). However, if you watch it like it's an AU, and resist the urge to compare it, it's not unwatchable.

I do have one small complaint, the drama should have had a different title because now it's going to get mixed up with the donghua content when people look it up.

One last thing. The ending song slaps hard!

[aces-and-angels]

title: do not fall apart before they do. tiktok originally made by umnia_ video transcript below the cut

[ID: With the magnitude of what has been happening in Gaza in the last 8-9 months, I really hope you guys deeped it when people of color were trying to tell you to pace yourselves- because now is around the time a lot of you are going to start *clicks tongue, slashes hand over forehead* Like, there's going to be yet another tragic massacre right in front of you on your screen- and you're just not gonna react because you're burnt out. and that's when they get you. This is- this is an endurance test.

Colonialism *laughs* and- and death and destruction. Necropolitics is an endurance test. How many people can we kill before you tap out on even seeing them as people? Until you- until you don't get it. Until you just- it no longer registers. How many people does it need to be? 300,000? 400? It- they will just keep going.

They don't see them as people. So what- what avenue do they have to stop? What avenue do they have to go, "oh, my god!" Like- they don't have one. They don't see these- they see them as- they don't even see them as numbers on a sheet. They don't think of these massacres by the numbers. Everyone else has to do the numbers. They don't even see the numbers. They're thinking in terms of the spreadsheet that has the bombs and the money on it. They're not thinking about the people, ever.

200 people? Okay *muttered speech* They have this double tap thing (which is a violation). It's a war crime where they go, "We'll do a little small explosion here. Everyone will run to try and try to save everybody- and we'll do another one." That would've horrified you in October, and now you're just like, "Yeah, cause it's Israel." That's how they get you. That's how they get you! That's how they get you.

(speaker mimicking others' most common comments) Well, what are we supposed to do? They say it's a civil war in Sudan. Wha- how am I meant to boycott gold like that? How does that even work? Like- I'm being asked to boycott so many things.

This- this is- this is when people of color have told you all of the different pitfalls. It was for the moment here- this moment- where Meta keeps switching off the political content even when you switch it back on again. It's for the "I haven't seen anything about Palestine in like, four days." It's for the "they- they bombed the school and they burned all the kids inside- all the kids." And you go, "Yeah- I mean, god, Israel- just- is there no low they won't stoop to?" It's for that moment. It's for that moment. That's when they get you. That is when they get you. That is when they get you.

And it's now no time for half measures. You've gotta be "October heated" about every single moment. And some of that means that you don't tap in until like 2 PM each day. Or you have- you cannot be guilty about the one or two things you do a day that are for you. You don't have to feel guilty about the week where you are just silent reposting and getting your mental back because at least you're doing something.

Like- that is how you maintain your humanity as they keep going. Because they can't- they don't- they won't stop. And if you can keep up with them, they run out of money, and that's when you can get them. And there's no recourse for them anymore. They need someone at every single speech going, "You're funding a genocide." They need everyone turning up to vote against them.

They- there's so many different avenues that mean you don't have to sacrifice your daily coffee and your nice little bubble bath to ruin their lives when they do this- when they kill this amount of people. You can really disrupt stuff. Even if it just means that your one action for the whole week is explaining to all your co-workers why that person who shouted at Jimmy Kimmel is an icon. That's the- that's the one.

Because finally- one day they run out of money- they run out of goodwill. They are worn down by the fact that you won't let this go, and they stop. You've disrupted their balls- you've disrupted their interviews- you've disrupted their money. Boycott, boycott, boycott. And eventually *speaker makes explosion sound* it all shuts down.

We're watching it shut down right now. That's why they're getting vicious. One might argue this entire assault is the final flamethrow of a dying empire. Do not let them guilt you into using everything you have in your power to maintain your humanity and stay in the fight. And that does not mean you have to be burning yourself out every day. It means sometimes that your only daily action is those instagram posts- those instagram stories. But you're still not stopping. No one's gonna shut you up.

Go as slow as you need to as long as you want. Do not stop. Because this is the moment. This is the moment that they're waiting for you to cave. They're waiting for you to burn out and to not- and to not see those kids as kids-- and to not see that granddad-- and to go, "What?! Another atrocity? What- another thing they're doing in the prison? What? Another thing? Ah, look at the dog! The dog they sent on the poor grandma."

You can't just be like *clicks tongue, slashes hand over forehead* and you can't just go like, "Why does no one care?!" You just have to beat them at the endurance test.

The- if you ever- if you ever-- I mean all people of color can do this for you, but if you ever need an example of an endurance test, pay attention to Palestinians. Follow Palestinians. They have been in this for a time- a length of time you cannot fathom. There are people who have been born into this who were born of people who were born into this, okay? They know endurance. Follow their lead. They're still graduating. They're still having their coffees. They're still doing their makeup, and--

And you just keep going. Just keep going. Just keep going. Just keep going. Because the thing is, you can- you can maintain your sanity. They cannot maintain this. This cannot go on forever. This will end up falling apart, but only if you don't fall apart first. END ID]

[oddverse]

Dont Talk (Put Your Head on My Shoulder) pt 2!!!

4:02 pm

Another young man sits in his living room toying with something in between his fingers, face and hands illuminated only by stove light and open blinds. He's playing the waiting game.

It's been two hours since he sent those messages, he's been cleaning for three.

Well… Three hours have passed by at least…

He's been really trying to make an effort around the place lately. Considering Prosciutto has already walked out on him twice for the state of the it, he didn’t seem to tolerate half assery in any facet of life. No nonsense work ethic seemingly applying to living quarters as well.

 "It's not even a room I would smoke in! I'd be wasting the cigarette!" hissing all the way back to street.

He hardly cared the first time, gauging him for just a prig, old fashioned. It's not like he was gonna beg him to change his mind.

The second time did sting a little, he'll admit it. His own mother never even griped at him that way. It's been a hard necessity for his company ever since then, anything to avoid another night of cringing himself to sleep.

He focuses back to his hands, revealing the little joint he was working on, he had to have something to offer. He learned very quickly Prosciutto is not someone to do anything without personal gain. Musing as he brings it to his lips, swiping his tongue against the glue.

He's fastening it as quick as he reasonably can before he feels a tugging at his index finger, he already knows what the familiar throb is. He doesn't fight it either. He relaxes, letting Beach Boy creep out and pull itself taut like the needle in a compass. He-

It knows Prosciuttos is going to knock on that door any minute now.

Waving the eager thing away like smoke in his face, he sets the finished product down and makes his way to the peep hole, watching.

The hallway is still empty but his heartbeat is so close now, Pescis own chest beginning to thrum at the little act of voyeurism, he doesn't know why he's taken up this particular habit with the man, just getting a look at him. It's rare to see Prosciutto like that, like no one is looking at him. Maybe it's just nice to see past the charade of ever present stoicism, a moment he's not performing.

But it does feel like he's doing something dirty.

When a pale hand clad in navy opens the stairwell door he has to still himself, heart pounding so hard now he can feel it in his ears. This is his favorite part, long legs are next making their way to him, one foot in front of the other like he's treading some kind of perpetual tight rope. Moving his sights up to his face, the daily grimace soft and unfocused. Even unguarded he is so… Modelesque. Pesci doesn’t know anyone else who could make his dingy hallway look like a cat walk.

But the moment doesn’t last long enough when Prosciutto is already rapping his knuckles against the door. Toe to toe now and he has no idea. Pesci knows what he ought to be doing but doesn’t want to break his gaze quite yet. Just a little longer…

"Pesci!"

He has to hold back a laugh at his frustration, putting on that iconic scowl, now distorted in the fish eye lenses. He can hear the dramatic huff he heaves out, going for the locked knob to twist it roughly in his impatience, firmly knocking again.

'Oi Pesci!!! Come to the door!"

The fun is up when he can see him reach into his breast pocket and pull out his phone.

Pesci swings the doors open at that, Prosciutto wide eyed from the sudden action.

"Sorry boss! I didn’t even hear you at first." Forcing an awkward smile and leaning on the frame with one hand, sheepish and rubbing the back of his neck with the other, he sees the usual sharpness return to his face after the shock wears off.

"You ought to be more attentive."

Tutting his tongue as he steps underneath his arm to get past the walk way.

"-And don't just snatch your door open like that, you had no idea who was out there."

Prosciutto himself can be dangerously oblivious some times.

Pesci might be truly stunned.

"Sorry, Pro..."

He's slipping off his blazer now and Pesci notices just how pink his face is from the heat, it's not like he's come back from a marathon or anything intense like that, just, sun kissed. Even so, it makes him appreciate the visit more, he must've been cooking with all those layers on anyway. Even with the generous amount of chest he shows off in those button ups.

What.

Changing his own minds subject before it has a chance to anchor to him as something that needs later reflection, he tries to show off his good manners by reaching for the his coat. That gets a side eye but Prosciutto does oblige him, letting him set it the on the rooms designated hanger, a nail in the wall.

He’s still slowly perusing the small living room, looking up and down for any clue of what the plan is.

Or maybe he’s just looking for things out of place.

So Pesci uses that as an opportunity to skirt behind him and grab the homemade cigarette off of the coffee table, Prosciutto jerking around just as quickly, looking at him like he expects an answer for the display. He shoots his hand up to reveal his surprise, held between his index and middle fingers.

“Spinello?”

That gets a rare look out of him, a wryness in his eye like he’s trying not to smile. Pesci knows he loves free things.

“Is that why you invited me over?”

He’s reaching into his pocket now, eye contact unbroken until he finally fishes out what he was looking for. His zippo. He tosses it and Pesci barely catches it in his free hand, smacking and juggling the thing before he can finally grasp it. Holding it tight in front of his chest. “Yes!”

No!!!

“-And no!”

Prosciutto isn’t even paying attention now, strolling past him and the furniture to open windows that aren’t his. He’s surprised he isn’t being scolded for the foot in mouth-edness.

“I mean-! there’s more to do is all…” Exasperated, he watches his superior make himself at home.

“Well?”

He says it like an invitation, Pesci can't explain how.

He's gotta stop overthinking this.

“I rented a movie! A DVD!"

He just wants a normal night to get to know the one coworker who will give him the time of day. Maybe Prosciutto is just as lonely feeling.

"I think it’s a little old though…"

Prosciutto perks up at that.

“How old?”

Pesci tips his head to the side trying to estimate without spoiling the surprise. “Uhhhhhmm, hm. I actually didn’t get that good of a look.”

Rubbing the back of his neck in thought.

“I’ll just show you the case and you’ll probably know.” He shrugs.

Maybe they could really be friends at some point.

“Maybe.” He muses to himself, Pesci wonders if he can read minds.

 Refocusing on the task, he goes to his dining table where a little bag is set, back turned so Prosciutto can’t see the title. Blue eyes try to peer over broad shoulders but back off at a very sudden spin around by Pesci, playfully tossing the case at him now.

“Catch it!”

Prosciutto tries to register what is happening before the movie smacks him right on stomach and lands on the floor. Pesci has burst out laughing now, raucous from triumph, Prosciutto can only stand and stare at him keeled over and hugging his sides. Still taking good care not to crush the little reefer still in his hand.

“Did you win Pesci? Are you happy with yourself?”

 All it does is add more fuel to the well contented cackling.

"If that was a VHS you would've damaged the thing!" He's trying to gain some control back and failing. Lip curled from scowling he tries to ignore the newfound aggravation and goes to look down at the movie, the case flipped over only showing it’s summary on the back. He only notices a sharp dressed man surrounded by red.

“I’m sorry fra that was just too good. You never get got like that!” Laughter subsiding to a satisfied calm.

Prosciutto rolls his eyes.

“Hilarious…”

He ought to make Pesci come all the way over and pick it up himself but he withholds. Bracing for the creak of bone and joints, he lowers himself to the floor and grabs the little box. Glaring at him the entire time. Lifted back up he breaks the contact when he flips the movie over and finally catches the title of what they’re watching tonight.

And it surprises him, it truly does.

He does not gasp or gape, he just stares at the big red font looking back up to him, stunned silence stamping out any sourness he had present. Pesci takes notice immediately, setting the joint down, a nervousness sluicing over him in the quiet. He never knows what to make of an awkward silence, especially from Prosciutto.

“Is that one alright?” He almost doesn’t wanna know what can of worms he's potentially just opened.

Prosciuttos heart almost clenches at that, he’s so prepared to be let down. He takes a finger and strokes the front of the little box, just a second for reminiscence.

“Pesci..”

That gets him reeling.

“Oh god, we really don’t have to watch it or anything at all if you just want to smoke and go home- I thought you might-“

“Singing in the rain? Pesci? This is a classic!” Smacking the case with his backhand. Brightened face finally meeting anxious eyes, the wind completely taken out of his sails. Pesci seems to be understanding now, his shoulders slumped in defeat.

“You've already seen it??” It does make him ache in some way, the poor man really does try.

“Pesciiii, Pesci, Pesci…” Striding to his companions front and giving the bicep a couple proud pats, keeping the hand there in an excited  grip. Pesci looks down at the contact like he expects it to burn, Prosciutto tries to reassure him. Reward him for such good taste.

“I adore this film. I haven't seen it in a long time.”  Trying a gentle smile, he's so out of practice Pesci might not even notice the attempt.

"Really?" Meeting Prosciuttos eyes again.

"I've never seen the DVD case for it, I didn’t even recognize what was on the back."

Pesci smiles at that, cheery at Prosciuttos nostalgic mood. It feels like getting a good grade on a test you were worried about. A +.

"Well I'm happy I made a good choice! For a second there I was worried I had struck a nerve."

He pauses for just a second, contemplating the last part.

"-You almost looked sad."

But he says it in a way that is less sympathetic and more like he just saw some mythical creature.

"Sad? No, I was just deep in thought." Pesci is gracious, or just oblivious enough to let the idea be dismissed right then.  Prosciutto just wants to get the evening started, handing Pesci the case as he scans the room for something he can't find.

"Where's your ash tray? Put the movie on and I'll grab it."

Leaving Pesci as he walks away to look before getting an answer. He knows his way around enough to not get lost.

"I think it's in the bedroom!" He tries to say before Prosciutto has already disappeared into his room. He looks at the lighter and joint on the table and assumes that means get that started too.

Using his free hand he grabs one at a time, setting the stiff stick in between his lips, crossing his eyes to get good look at it. It takes a few flicks of the sparkwheel before he gets the thing to light. Smoke streams heavily from the end, heavier than a cigarette, the smell slowly filling the room. He hears Prosciutto scrambling to get back into the living room, ash tray in hand. The other raised to swat as an empty threat.

"I said the start the movie! The movie! Give me that!" He goes to snatch both and Pesci lets him, watching him set up the tv himself all while hogging the joint too. He's so hard to take seriously outside of work.

Pesci just laughs at him again.

[weirdmarioenemies]

Name: Spider

Debut: Cut the Rope

Hee hee. As much as I love seeing attention to anatomical accuracy in stuff, it is even more delightful to see a creature so abstracted, yet so instantly recognizable! This spider is such a classic Cartoon Spider. A spindly little fuzzy ball with big ol' eyes. It even has only six legs! And yet it's so distinctly spider, while lacking all the most iconic spider aspects! Do you think it's recognizable no matter what, or is it something learned? If someone never witnessed this type of stylized spider in any media, would they recognize it as a spider at all? I don't know, and I'm not planning to raise a baby and shield their eyes from funny cartoon spiders to find out. Do that on your own time! If you're a monster.

I've always adored the way these spiders are animated! By default, they sit on the peg, legs hidden, looking even less like a spider than usual. Just some lint you should probably wipe off. But with big ol' eyes! The Lint That Looks®

Then, the moment a candy is attached to its peg by a rope, the spider springs into action! Up it goes, legs straight up! A good indicator that you should be aware of what it's about to do, and it is also just cute as the dickens, especially with the tilt of its head. It's always just felt so Right to me, like the exact thing that a spider that looks like this should do!

Finally, this actually starts to feel like a spider! Don't you see? It's been spidery this whole time. It's been lying in wait, always alert, for the moment a morsel ends up in its trap. That's so spider! And now that the candy's rope is attached to its peg, the spider crawls along it, again, very spiderly, with the leg joints on display. Will it catch its inanimate prey...?

No, it shall not! It is an Enemy to the player, and if it gets the candy, you must try again. But don't feel bad for Spider! I believe this is the best result for it. These spiders have been living in boxes for who knows how long, waiting to capture insects who will never enter them. They've become so desperate they try to catch hard candy, which a spider could not eat! By Cutting The Rope and sending the spider falling, it is given a wake-up call, a chance to leave the box and live the life it was meant to. It can be free!

I also combed through a compilation video to ensure that Spider does, indeed, appear in Cut The Rope Mass Produced Promotional Cartoon For Babies. Here it is unimpressed by a grape! It later goes on to be involved in compulsory spider heterosexuality with a Spider With A Bow. Goodbye!

[9800sblog]

Pick A Card tarot reading - which Britney Spears musical era are you? 🤔

from ...Baby One More Time to Hold Me Closer, which one of the icon's released albums fit best with you at the moment? let's ask tarot and find out, what is the soundtrack of your life?

this was @saturnsbabe69 request! ;)

pick one tarot card from my very low budget montage (britney pictures simply fillers).

from left to right, north to south:

Pile 1 strength, Pile 2 hanged man, Pile 3 hermit, Pile 4 king of pentacles, Pile 5 6 of cups, Pile 6 7 of pentacles, Pile 7 judgement, Pile 8 the world, Pile 9 3 of pentacles, Pile 10 6 of wands.

-> pile 1

...Baby One More Time (1999)

you're all about soft power! the most important thing in your life is probably your friends, you'd do anything for those you choose to keep in your life and you love going out with them during summer, but you also love getting away from the center of attention to restore your peace, you're quite introspective. right now, you might be living the consequences from your actions, you've accepted it but you're still in suffering - you might have neglected a situation/person in your life or smother it/them out of desperation and now it's gone. you know the pain is temporary and you turn that pain into some beautiful thoughts, your perspective on life might be tinted but it's still somehow bright and beautiful. you might be going through a coming of age experience. you have the spirit of a leader and an ace, you know how to bring everyone together, yet you feel alone, you're looking for someone to be that person for you too, you might have many friends, but you want that special love ^^ your personality is big and people naturally gravitate towards you, you feel loved and loving, you feel you have so much and you just wanna give back to others, you're a really caring, sensitive individual, who uses rational thinking to protect yourself. main character energy.

your theme song:

-> pile 2

Femme Fatale (2011), S&M (Remix) (2011), B In The Mix, The Remixes Vol 2 (2011)

you're comfortable in discomfort, you dance while the world ends, you're both the parent friend and the party friend. you're unafraid and experienced and you have no time to waste on things that don't matter, the world is such an oppressive mess and you think there's no reason why you should let that take part in your chill time. you're someone that doesn't care about romance and you wanna have fun as much as you can, for as long as you can, the only time is now, you live in the present. you're the life of the party but when it's time for business, you take it seriously. you might have some anarchist ideologies, you seem to believe the socioeconomic systems of your modern world steals you of your personal power and ability to be a human, you call for a social awakening and you think there's no pretty way to do it - that might just mean "work is hard so I'm gonna party even harder" - you think being selfish (not self-centered) and not thinking about the future is part of self care. this era was the time when the popular belief was the world would end in 2012, people wanted to enjoy their lives as much as possible.

your theme song:

-> pile 3

Blackout (2007), Britney & Kevin: Chaotic DVD Bonus Audio (2005)

you're super introspective and private, you don't necessarily hide anything, but youre complicated, one would have to pay close attention and take their time to connect the dots and understand your entire vibe. some may think you put yourself in an unnecessarily unfortunate situation, like you have everything to go anywhere you want, but you just stay stuck; others think you are stuck, but you don't realize it, that you think you're powerful, but you're actually childish and delusional; the truth, however, is that you're in a moment of analysis to come up with the best plan before making bigger decisions, you like to wait for the most favorable time to take action. you might not have many friends, but those few close relationships fulfill you more than anything else ever could, they take over your entire heart. your heart is your biggest treasure and is the basis for all your decisions, you've been hurt and lied to in ways that has changed your entire worldview, so you're extra careful now and you may act in ways that others don't understand, you might feel like you're lying to yourself and others too. but you stay true to yourself no matter what, you might have very strong spiritual beliefs that keep you grounded and looking forward to the future, you know that limbo and pain are temporary and you're sure of your capacity to survive them, no matter that anyone says.

your theme song:

-> pile 4

Oops!... I Did It Again (2000), My Only Wish (This Year) (2000)

it's your world and we're just living in it, you feel like your life is a spectacle for people to watch and you have to be on your best behavior at all times. you prefer actions over words, you think people should act on their thoughts and feelings, instead of hiding them, so you worry and ponder a lot about yours. you are great at public speaking because you know how to manipulate reality into your ideals, almost like you have double personality; you've got many people to support you and put you back on the line if you stray from it. you like the feeling of nostalgia, you might think there's no reason to say absolute goodbye to your childhood, that might translate in the way you talk or dress, you're not childish tho, but you like that playful innocence sometimes, it can feel refreshing since you feel like people expect too much from you that you don't even understand. you think other people talk too much about things they don't know and you think it sucks that you still need to find a way to please them somehow, you wish the world was just you and your people.

your theme song:

-> pile 5

Britney (2001)

you're a walking contradiction! you're probably such a hipster!! >:) you love music that is older than you, you care so much what others think of you but you pretend it doesn't bother you at all, and you're very spiritual, but you have your yin/yang energies out of balance. you approach life as if you're stuck, but you know it's a temporary and natural situation, you need to go through that to become stronger, but you still mourn the fact that you can't do anything at this time, it's like having to exercise on a beautiful, sunny day. you're a creative soul but you don't use that creativity to deal with emotions, you wanna get things done, you're more comfortable and productive on a yang energy/way of approaching the world, you wanna be seen as a king, but not a queen (roles and responsibilities). you want everything and then some, you might like to use your material abilities to allow yourself to have many options. you probably have a superiority complex, fucking hipsters 🙄...... you remind me of lorelai gilmore! ;)

your theme song:

-> pile 6

Glory (2020)

you're the goat. you've worked really hard to reap the fruits of your labor, now you deserve to settle down. you dream of a knight in shiny armor - romantically or not, you want someone to take the time to see you in your most human form, you want to bare your soul, to show your dark and lonely side. you might relate to the saying that "it's lonely at the top", you might have everything you wanted, except for this one thing that is out of reach and that might be community, you seem to lack that sense of intimate and close relationships. you're really satisfied with life, you're happy and fulfilled, you have more than you need, there's just this one thing you think "damn, wish I could tap that".

your theme song:

-> pile 7

Britney Jean (2013), Ooh La La (2013), Bangerz (2013), Pretty Girls (2015), The Essential Britney Spears (2013)

you go with the flow and it takes you far. you might have recently ended a very important connection in your life because of sneaky actions and lies. you need no patience anymore, you've done your job, you feel comfortable in yourself, knowing you're not the problem. you think you'd be better if somebody more experienced would show you the way through life, specially if they're a spiritual guide (might be tarot). you wanna be that guide too, you like to share the things you learned with those around you. you think you can't control anything or anyone, except for yourself and you don't try, whatever happens, happens. you might believe in destiny, afterlife, God's plan, free will or karma.

your theme song:

-> pile 8

Circus (2008), The Singles Collection (2009)

you're a god of yourself and your own world, you're on a league of your own, there's no one quite like you, a trendsetter, others may try to copy but they could never get to be as iconic as you. you've been through some really difficult, overwhelming, surreal times, the way you deal with your demons is even more surreal, you're a boss, I lack words to describe how amazing you are. you understand the importance of family and friendships, you put those above any material matters, you're very nurturing, dedicated and you expect the same in return. you are protective of yourself and those close to you and you're ready to fight anyone that disrupts your peace. your grandness transpires into the little things you do, your confidence and amazing, outstanding personality traits shows in your everyday life, even when it's not your best work, it's still better than average. you might lack imagination (or creative control in your work), you like to keep low expectations, you're not used to things going well for you. you are an angel tho.

your theme song:

-> pile 9

In The Zone (2003) + DVD Bonus (2004), Greatest Hits: My Prerogative (2004), B In The Mix, The Remixes (2005)

you're all about big businesses. you think a lot about the circle of life, you're open to the guidance of those at the top of the hierarchy and you help those who are lower than you, you think people should help people. you don't wanna change anyone, you just wanna do your thing while other people do their thing. you are incredibly magnetic and you might use human instincts to get things done, pretty privilege being an example. there's a feeling of you coming out of the dead, you might have waited a long time for something that you have finally accomplished and you feel like royalty. this is the biggest time of your life (so far), you have that x factor, you're at the top, you wanna enjoy all of life's big and little pleasures and you have the freedom to do so.

your theme song:

-> pile 10

Hold Me Closer (2021), Toxic Pony (2022), ELVIS (2023)

you're a community person, it's people that build you up, you're likely an extrovert that loves to dance, party and travel with friends, you see nobody above nobody - if it was up to you, social hierarchies would be gone completely. this might not be the best time of your life, but you're incredibly hopeful because this moment in the present feels so otherworldly amazing. you feel as one with your environment, connected with everything and everyone. you feel safe to follow your heart because you have people to help you build your stability, you feel like there isn't one ruler above all - you might have recently broken up a deal with quite an important figure in your life, but it only broadened your horizons, like they were a lunar eclipse and you, the sun. your heart is strong and beating faster than ever! oh you're a big deal! super humble but hey you can totally brag!

your theme song:

i love britney spears