#[ putting this on Roy's blog since it's regarding his blog ]

[flameleads]

I have... questions about possibly coming back. And thoughts. Bear with me while I think out loud here. I'm seeing people move over to carrd versus Google Docs. Are they really that much better accessibility wise? Because, if so, I'll switch over. I'm just staring at the website right now not sure where to start, and my brain is very resistant to doing that much more work. I know I need to rework my rules anyway, but moving everything over to a new site with new formatting rules... yeah my brain said nope. At least right now. I would probably purge my entire ask box. That anxiety is not worth it. I might also purge some of my drafts that I'm just not feeling. Honestly, part of me was considering starting over completely on a new blog, but I really like how I built everything here, and I don't want to do extra work. I think that's what a lot of it is coming down to: I don't want this to feel like work. I like writing replies from my phone on Disco, which is where Roy is letting me write again. Slowly. No pressure. Coming back here would mean I would have to make a lot of changes. I don't miss how I made this feel like a job in the past, how many hours I felt I had to put into everything so it was perfect, how I continued to seek validation from my RP partners that I was good enough. See a pattern? It's me. Hi. I'm the problem. It's me. So... low activity? Just come on here once in a while to write when I feel like it, have fun, ignore FOMO, and not feel obligated to be a writing machine? Maybe it's possible. Maybe it's Maybelline.

[daresplaining]

hi! long time admirer of your blog! is there any particular reason why matt (specifically) pretends he's dead when something goes fucked up in his life? is it as a result of trauma or a past experience 'cause i have yet to figure it out myself. thanks in advance! hope you're having a wonderful day!

Hi, and thank you!

That's a really interesting question. To my memory, Matt has never psychoanalyzed himself on-panel about this, so I suppose it's up to us.

The short answer is that each faked death tends to be tied to the specific circumstances that surround it, as well as Matt's state of mind at the time, but there are noticeable patterns. (I'll do a quick run-through of The Deaths of Matt Murdock, but here's a more comprehensive (though not quite up-to-date) overview for anyone unfamiliar.)

His earliest faked deaths were more about pragmatism than anything, and had to do with protecting-- or simplifying-- his secret identity. His very first, of course, was "killing" Mike, which he presented as just being a matter of convenience. The Mike identity, while fun, had outlived its purpose and was starting to cause Matt trouble in his relationships with Karen and Foggy, in addition to just being a tiring logistical nightmare. (Also, Mike was cooler than Matt and that just wouldn't do.) There wasn't much forethought to his decision, he just encountered a situation in which Daredevil (Mike) would be in danger and suddenly thought, "Hey, what if he died?"

Matt (thinking): I just thought of something! ...The nuttiest idea I've ever had! But, if I can pull it off...it'll end my triple-identity bit...forever!" Daredevil vol. 1 #41 by Stan Lee, Gene Colan, John Tartaglione, and Sam Rosen

Matt's second faked death came about when supervillain Starr Saxon discovered his secret identity. This threat to his double life brought out feelings of resentment that Matt had been harboring toward his civilian identity since issue 1. In these early years, in an effort to hide his powers and superheroics, Matt turned his mild-mannered alter ego into an exaggerated caricature of a blind person, played at being helpless, prevented himself from acting on his feelings toward Karen Page, and dialed down his personality. He believed that this was necessary, but he also hated it and found it stifling. Added to this was his overall bitterness toward the ableism he had experienced since his accident, and the sense that the world around him viewed him as helpless (Matt mentions in an issue shortly afterward that his least favorite sentiment is pity). Thus, at this point, he saw the Matt Murdock identity as a prison, and the Daredevil identity as liberation, and so he grasped at the idea of faking his (Matt Murdock's) death not just as a way to counter Starr Saxon's threats, but also as an opportunity to finally rid himself of an identity that he actively disliked.

Matt: "My problem isn't Daredevil--and never was! It was always Matt--the blind lawyer--the hapless, helpless invalid! He's been my plague...since the day I first donned a costume! Then, let Matt Murdock no longer exist!!" Daredevil vol. 1 #53 by Stan Lee, Roy Thomas, Gene Colin, George Klein, and Artie Simek

Fortunately, Matt largely got over this resentment after he stopped putting his different identities into such rigid boxes. He does occasionally give up one or the other of his identities from time to time, but we don't see him actively killing an identity out of hatred again. Which is...certainly a positive sign in regards to Matt's overall mental health.

Instead, in the decades since the Starr Saxon incident, Matt's faked deaths have tended to revolve around two vital needs: the need to escape from something horrible in his life, and the need to protect his loved ones. Sometimes it's more of one, sometimes it's more of the other. In the Nocenti/JRJR run, Matt screws up real bad by cheating on Karen Page (at this point still recovering from her drug addiction and very fragile) with Mary Walker. Matt gets nearly killed by Typhoid Mary, wakes up in the hospital and learns that Karen has discovered his treachery. He finds himself at a crossroads, hating himself for the betrayal, hating the violence in his life and the seeming futility of everything he does, and feeling unable to cope, he abandons his civilian identity, vanishes from the lives of the people who know him, holds a symbolic "funeral" for Matt Murdock, and runs off upstate.

In the Chichester/McDaniel run, Matt ends up with a convenient body double in the wake of a major secret identity scare and decides that it would be best to fake his death in order to protect his loved ones. The only person who knows he's still alive is Maggie, his mother, because Matt goes to her for name suggestions for his new civilian alter ego (she ends up suggesting "Jack").

Maggie: "Oh, Matt, thank god you're alive!" Matt: "No 'Matt', Maggie. Not anymore. That's become a dangerous name for anyone too near to me." Daredevil vol. 1 #325 by D.G. Chichester, Scott McDaniel, and Christie Scheele

After becoming a full-on supervillain in Shadowland, Matt again decides that it's "for the best" if his loved ones think he's dead, and he vanishes off to New Mexico. In this case, the only people he allows to know the truth are Elektra and Ben Urich. Then there's Matt's memorable, utterly bonkers deal with the Kingpin in the second volume of the Waid/Samnee run after his, Foggy's, and Kirsten's lives have been ravaged by one supervillain attack after another:

Matt: "My offer is this: You guarantee the safety of my people, and the identity bell gets unrung. Think of it as a perverse twist on witness protection. Everyone--Foggy, Kirsten, everyone--will be told I'm dead. Meanwhile, you'll give me a new name and identity known only to you. You'll get back the secret you paid for. You'll oversee the plastic surgery so that only you recognize the face. Hell, even I won't see it. Hell, graft the mask to my skin. I won't care." Fisk: "But you'll still be Daredevil." Matt: "That way, you'll always know where I am. How to use me even when I don't think I'm being used. And how to, at any time, take anyone or anything away from me that you don't want me to have." Daredevil vol. 4 #16 by Mark Waid, Chris Samnee, Matthew Wilson, and Joe Caramagna

And then, of course, we have our most recent example, in which Matt coped with the chaos of his recent life and the violent death of his brother by using Mike's corpse as a body double and fleeing the city to go fight ninjas with Elektra.

What's interesting about these faked deaths is the gap between the reasoning that Matt offers himself versus the actual reality of what he is doing. Each time, Matt is convinced that his loved ones will be better off, safer, even happier if they think he is dead. And of course, this is not based on nothing. Matt has suffered tremendous loss, and has brought great pain into the lives of the people in his orbit. He lost his father. He accidentally got Elektra's father killed, and then later had Elektra herself die in his arms. He contributed to the circumstances that led to Heather's suicide. One of his villains killed Glori. Another killed Karen Page, and nearly killed his mother. Yet another put Milla in a psychiatric hospital, possibly permanently. His brother just literally died in his place. Foggy's life has been in danger more times than I can list. Matt's story has a towering body count, and he carries that grief with him at all times--particularly in circumstances when his life is in shambles, when enemies are closing in, and when those around him are in the crosshairs or have just survived being there. Of course Matt would think that everyone would be "better off" without him around. In the purest, most practical sense, he's probably not wrong. And so, when he lets his loved ones think he is dead and tells himself it's for their own good, I do think he genuinely believes it.

But of course, that also isn't entirely true or realistic. Sending the people who care about him into mourning again and again is not protecting them. And when you really look closely, it's obvious that Matt's most frequent reason for faking his death is the same reason he clings so strongly to the Daredevil identity despite the pain it has caused him: escape. When Matt feels stressed, under pressure, unable to think, or powerless, he can always put on that suit and hop out the window. And when Matt's world is falling apart and he cannot cope at all and doesn't know what else to do, he abandons his life. He escapes into a different identity. He leaves. In his head it's for the people he loves, but it's clearly also for himself. And as frustrating as this coping mechanism can be as a long-term Daredevil reader, I also love it for how incredibly human it is.

With all of this said, though, I think the funniest answer is that Matt inherited some kind of when-in-doubt-fake-your-death gene from his mom.

[thegayhimbo]

Stranger Things Runaway Max Review (3/3)

If you haven't yet, be sure to check out my other Stranger Things Reviews. Like, Reblog, and let me know what your thoughts are regarding the show or the upcoming season! :)

Stranger Things Comics/Graphic Novels:

Stranger Things Six

Stranger Things Halloween Special

Stranger Things The Other Side

Stranger Things Zombie Boys

Stranger Things The Bully

Stranger Things Winter Special

Stranger Things Tomb of Ybwen

Stranger Things Into The Fire

Stranger Things Science Camp

Stranger Things “The Game Master” and “Erica’s Quest”

Stranger Things and Dungeons and Dragons

Stranger Things Kamchatka

Stranger Things Erica The Great

Stranger Things “Creature Feature” and “Summer Special”

Stranger Things Tie-In Books:

Stranger Things Suspicious Minds

Part 4: Billy Hargrove

Those of you who've followed my blog know I've never liked Billy as a character. I loathed him back in 2017 when he was first introduced to the show, and the following years since have done nothing to improve my opinion about him. If anything, I've continued to despise him not just because of how repulsive he is as a person, but because of the never-ending parade of excuses and abuse apologies I've seen this fandom make for every shitty thing he's ever done.

As a general rule of thumb, I don't like abusers. I especially don't like bullies. In the past, I've been forced to put up with people who've behaved like Billy does. People who constantly projected their issues onto me and others because they needed an outlet for whatever the hell their problem was, and didn't give a damn about how hurtful they were being. These were the kind of people who were snide, cruel, rude, unpleasant, and unkind because they could get away with it, and who enjoyed getting a rise out of others because their lives were so miserable that they could only get satisfaction by putting others down. Whatever empathy I initially might have had for them has been replaced with cold contempt, and I want nothing to do with them anymore.

I want to be clear that I recognize Billy as an abuse survivor, and that the way Neil raised him played a major role in turning him into an abuser. To the book's credit, it does not shy away from depicting the abuse in all of its ugliness, or how Neil's twisted values rubbed off on Billy in the worst possible way. I can understand why Billy became the way he did, and even pity him to some extent.

What I am NOT sympathetic towards, however, is Billy taking his rage out on everyone to the point they become collateral damage, and inflicting abuse on Max to the point her life became a living hell. I have no patience for fans who either victim-blame Max for the way Billy treated her, or victim-blame others characters (like Steve and Lucas) for the way Billy treated them. I also don't have the time or patience for people who want to act like Billy's history gives him carte blanche to be vile and hateful to others. It's the same feeling I have for other characters outside of Stranger Things, including the Roy Family from Succession and Henry Bowers from Stephen King's IT: Even if the writers gave valid backstories to these characters to explain why they are as messed up as they are, it still doesn't make their behavior excusable, and trying to act like it is does not make those characters endearing in any way.

But even with all this context, none of it makes Billy look better in the book or on the show. If anything, he comes out looking worse.

He's still belittling and nasty to Max when he can get away with it:

He intentionally goes out of his way to isolate Max from others, including driving away the friends she initially had in San Diego (Ben and Eddie), and later tries to do the same thing with Lucas and his group:

At one point, he goes out of his way to break the arm of Max's best friend, Nate, in order to drive him away (and it works):

This event btw (Billy breaking Nate's arm) is the reason for why Neil and Susan decide to move to Hawkins. Billy, of course, doesn't take any responsibility for his behavior, and instead tries to blame Max for what happened:

At one point, Billy sets a dead cat on fire as a means for getting under the skin of his so-called friend Sid, which succeeds in driving Sid away when it becomes clear just how unhinged Billy truly is:

Multiple times, Billy either abandons Max to skateboard home on her own, or threatens to:

He repeatedly treats girls like shit, with the big difference being he's more open about being a sleazebag compared to Neil (which doesn't make him a better person by any means):

Notably, from the show, he speeds up his car the moment he sees Mike and his friends on the road, and Max is genuinely scared that Billy is going to hit them. It gets to the point she grabs the wheel in order to stop Billy. And the moment Max does this, she is TERRIFIED that Billy is going to hurt her for it:

He also breaks Max's skateboard as punishment for her hanging around Lucas:

When Billy finds Lucas later at Joyce's house in the season 2 finale, Max is genuinely scared for Lucas's safety in that moment:

And finally, when Billy starts beating Steve to a bloody pulp, Max is genuinely scared that Billy is going to kill him:

What really gets under my skin is how Billy knows that what he's doing to Max (and to others) is wrong, and still does it anyways. He likes getting a rise out of people. He likes being vicious to others when he can get away with it.

For as much as some fans like to wax poetic about Billy being a complex character...........he really isn't. His character, and the way he carries himself through life, can be summed up as "I'm miserable, so everyone else gets to be miserable with me." He isn't even unique in terms of that kind of character. I can point to other shows and movies (True Blood, Star Wars, Breaking Bad, Succession, Stephen King's IT, etc) where the type of character Billy represents has been done to death before.

To put it bluntly: I'm tired of characters like Billy. It's easy to be a bully. It's easy to be cruel. Nothing about that makes me remotely interested in him.

There's a rich hypocrisy in how people in this fandom will direct their bile at Susan for turning a blind eye to the abuse Neil dishes out to Billy while simultaneously turning a blind eye to the abuse Billy dishes out to Max. I cannot begin to describe how many times I've seen fans either downplay/whitewash the worst of Billy's behavior, make excuses and abuse apologies for him, or else victim-blame every other character for the way Billy treats them. There is clear-cut, irrefutable evidence that Billy is an abuser, and fans still want to pretend that he wasn't.

In a way, a lot of these excuses/apologies are so reminiscent of the ones made for real life abusers that it makes me wonder if the stans who project themselves hard onto Billy (and become vicious towards anyone who dares to say anything negative about him) are going through something awful in their personal lives to make them behave like this. Otherwise, why are they pretending that a character's actions aren't abusive? There's no other satisfying explanation.

And if it sounds like I'm unsympathetic, it's because I am. I have seen so many Billy stans over the years who have gone out of their way to bully and harass anyone who is slightly critical of Billy, or else deliberately go into the #anti billy hargrove/ #anti harringrove tags to pick fights with Billy antis and then play victim when those people (rightfully) get irritated with them. It's gotten to the point my sympathy for them is non-existent.

You guys know damn well why there are out people out there who don't like Billy. Own up to it. If you want to sit there and headcanon Billy being a woobie soft boi who's secretly a sweetie-pie that truly loved his sister and wasn't abusive to her, that's your business. Don't come trying to shove that headcanon down our throats, and then act upset because we reject it.

And last, but not least........let's talk about Billy's *ahem* behavior towards Lucas on the show.

Part 5: Billy and Lucas

When I first saw season 2 back in 2017, even before the Duffer Brothers gave their interview about Billy, I pegged the guy as a racist. Everything about his behavior towards Lucas, to his comments to Max about how "there's a certain type of people in this world you stay away from" and how Lucas was one of those kids, was a big indicator for me at the time about Billy's bigotry. When the Duffer Brothers later came out in an interview and confirmed he was racist, I wasn't shocked:

Last year, Caleb McLaughlin (who plays Lucas) also came out and confirmed this in an interview:

Now Jason is a whole different character that I will talk more about when I review Lucas on the Line, but it's important to note that Caleb was firm in pointing out that Billy was racist, and that Billy specifically targeted Lucas because he was a black kid. Both Billy and Neil were bigots, and Max even acknowledges this in the book:

There is a whole on-going discussion these days about fandom racism, how characters of color in movies and TV shows get the most bile and contempt directed at them, and how there's a tendency to have their pain and traumas dismissed in favor of white characters, and Stranger Things is no different. In fact, this is arguably one of the first shows where I became aware of how prevalent fandom racism is, and it all had to do with how many people were determined to erase Billy's racism towards Lucas and deny that it ever was a thing. Disgusting isn't a good enough word to describe this.

As for the tiresome, pathetic excuse Billy stans offer about how Billy was really being protective of Max...............Seriously? That's what your going with?

We're talking about a guy who drove away Max's friends, sadistically broke her best friends arm, blamed her for things that weren't her fault, repeatedly abandoned Max to skateboard home either because he didn't want to wait for her or because he wanted to shag the next girl he laid eyes on, made it clear to Max that he hated her and wanted nothing to do with her, was repeatedly abusive to her and worked to isolate her from everyone and everything she loved. But now he suddenly cares for her safety?

I know I'm being sharp here, but the constant mental gymnastics people do to make Billy seem less awful than he really is has caused me to lose a lot of respect for this fandom.

As for the people who will inevitably bring up Dacre's take on Billy........... @scoopertroopers put it best in the post I reblogged from them last year: 1.) The Duffer Brothers are the ones who wrote Billy to be racist (and said as much in the interview they gave), and 2.) Caleb McLaughin, a black actor who has been subjected to racism from this very fandom, has a better claim to say whether a white character's actions on a show constitute racism.

Billy was a racist. His treatment of Lucas was racist. Period.

Final Thoughts:

This is defiantly a tie-in book I recommend buying and reading. It's faithful to the show, and it gives more insight into Max's character. There are parts of this book that may be hard to get through because of the subject matter, but it is worth it to see Max come out on the other side and begin to find a place where she can belong and feel safe.

[myfavoriteanimals]

Movie Review! “Marley and Me” with friends!

Me and my friends, Roi and Bea, are doing a movie review of Marley and Me (2008). In this vlog, we each give our own opinions regarding our field of interest. For a more in-depth explanation for each, I will link their blogs at the end of this post!

My initial thoughts on this film are that it’s fairly realistic and relatable to first-time dog owners. Although the owners, mostly John, were very irresponsible in choosing to adopt Marley. He went and got Marley without prior research and thought about how to take proper care of a dog. Especially considering Marley is a Labrador breed, known as a large breed with lots of energy and maintenance. Continuing in the movie, they weren’t equipped to handle such a dog; even their strength of will was lacking, they were too lenient and weren’t able to discipline Marley. But as a movie, this brings about very interesting and funny scenes.

Marley growing up, wasn’t the type of dog to listen to commands or behave himself, not because he was “The world’s worst dog” but because he was never taught to. There were also realistic aspects in the movie where Dog owners are strict about not letting dogs poo or pee at the beach lest they get shut down or receive complaints. The dog obedience teacher also made points about training but ultimately gave up on Marley, which is sadly not uncommon with overactive and rowdy dogs like him. I would also like to point out that; the way they carried Marley as a puppy under the armpits like a baby; it’s not the most suitable for dogs as it puts a strain on their shoulder blades due to the weight of their body. Also, another thing is that dogs should be neutered while they’re still young since it will be painful or difficult when they’re old. I also found it sad that Jenny mentioned abandoning Marley, understandably she was exhausted, but when she said “Just get rid of the dog! It’s just a dog.” a sad but realistic truth that happens with some pet owners who are unable to take care of their pets. But ultimately, Marley stuck around till the end and is undeniably a fun, exciting, and loving dog.

Throughout the movie, things have started to settle down with the family. Including Marley’s temperament, which is natural for aging dogs. Sadly, this also comes with the complications of age. Although Marley wasn’t perfect, and neither was their family life smooth sailing, ultimately, he gave his all and was a very loving dog to his family. The film overall was heartfelt and touching. Roi: https://www.tumblr.com/justarandomblog2102 Bea: https://marleyjohnandjenny.carrd.co/

[dailylogyn]

Logyn Meta: Loki & Sigyn’s relationship in the Marvel Comics

Photo Source (by Sexy-Salmon): https://lokisergi.tumblr.com/post/70164902295/siege-loki-problems-it-almost-looks-innocent

Other Logyn Meta’s: https://dailylogyn.tumblr.com/tagged/logyn-meta

Did you know Sigyn was in the Marvel Comics long ago? Did you know Loki had a wife? 

Oh...that’s probably because Marvel wanted you to forget their terrible writing mistakes concerning this great Norse Couple. 

Let’s dive into this exploration of history where the Marvel writers realized they fucked up on telling a perfectly good couples story, and in the process, setting off a spark of rebellion that caused some retconning and a group of fans to demand justice for both Loki & Sigyn -- not just as a couple, but as their own individual beings. 

#JusticeforSigyn #JusticeforLoki #JusticeforLogyn

Where it First Began (Meeting & Marriage of Lies):

In September of 1978, Thor #275 came out featuring the first appearance of Sigyn, Loki’s wife from Norse Mythology. She was introduced as a beautiful Asgardian Loki had randomly come across while looking into a crystal ball inside his castle, wanting to find some companionship to fill his loneliness. 

However, when Loki came with riches and jewels to offer her in exchange for her hand in marriage, Sigyn outright rejected him, stating she would never take someone as vile as him, even stating she was already engaged to an Asgardian Warrior part of Odin’s guard -- Theoric. 

Unable to accept this, Loki came up with a plan to have her fiancee killed during a mission, resulting in the Trickster taking on the disguise of Theoric in order to take Sigyn for his own. Despite having slightly suspicions of her lover being more romantic than before, Sigyn didn't notice that her lover wasn’t exactly who she thought he was.

Now comes the day of the wedding as Odin marries the happy couple. This was when Loki finally revealed his true self and what he had done. Odin tried to null the marriage, but it was against Asgardian law for even the High Father to do such a thing. Hence, Sigyn accepted her fate as Loki’s wife. This caused Odin to name her the Goddess of Fidelity. 

Where it’s Heading (Cargo of Incantation-Fetter’s Arms):

Loki being Loki, he did some shit that ended up with him being imprisoned in a tree by Odin, something that infuriated Sigyn, resulting in her trying to take control over Donald Blake to use over the All-Father as a way to free her husband from his punishment. However, it didn’t work out, resulting in a bunch of other crazy shit happening and putting Thor on their trail.

After Balder was killed, Loki was put on trials for his crimes and received yet another punishment that Sigyn had to protect him from -- having burden over the fact she was “the evil’s wife.” Just like the classic Norse tale, she holds a bowl over his head, shielding him from snake venom and leaving to empty it momentarily when it became full, resulting in Loki cursing her. 

Also, Loki and Sigyn had a child -- Narvi, but they died young, being used as the binding to imprison Loki (following the Norse myth too.) 

Some more crazy shit happens and now Odin has shackled Loki to Sigyn so he doesn’t cause anymore trouble. Loki of course is not pleased about this one bit. Having had enough of this, he went to Odin demanding to be released, only resulting in him being banished to an outpost. 

There Just Might be Hope????:

Some more shit happens again, resulting in Loki being stuck in an astral form and bound to a suit of armor so he could reside in Asgard thanks to Sigyn. A fight happens with Thor, Loki and Mephisto, putting Sigyn in danger. This is when for the first time ever, Loki ends up having a tender confession of love over Sigyn, asking Thor to save her since he could not.

It’s unknown if this is just Loki putting on an act or being real, but you know how the Trickster God can be. 

After the battle, while Loki had released Sigyn from her marital vows, his wife swore to always be there for him when he needed her.

And that’s the last we see of Sigyn’s regular appearance in the comics in 1996. She makes a cameo in Avengers: Unleashed #1 in 2019, but it’s nothing more than a flashback to her time of helping Loki. 

A Hypothesis & Notes on their relationship in comics:

The whole entire plotline consisting of Theoric and Loki killing him in order to obtain Sigyn is just something most of the fandom doesn’t like. Not only does it objectify Sigyn, but it makes Theoric a Pointless character to introduce anyway, only used as a tool for means in which Loki can get Sigyn, when honestly, he could have done so in a different way.

I like that they stick with Sigyn being the faithful wife of Loki (that’s who she is), but they honestly don’t give her any agency in this besides that trait alone. The writers don’t even let Sigyn be her own damn person! She is SO MUCH MORE than Loki’s loyal wife. SHE IS A FREAKIN GODDESS! I know there is more we can do with her.

Instead of pulling the ‘woe is me, my husband is evil and I’ll just go along with it’ card, something else could have been done. LIKE LITERALLY, ANYTHING ELSE! We know Loki can be a troublemaker, but Sigyn knows how to deal with his shit. She isn’t some damsel in distress here! It’s another reason Loki likes her.

Couples can bicker in times, it’s normal in marriages and relationships, but to have Loki whining about how much of a burden Sigyn is is just....WHY? I mean, you went after the woman and killed another guy for her. This is what you wanted! *shakes head at writers*

I will give them kudos though for some of the stuff near the end when Loki actually starts displaying his true feelings of love towards Sigyn. And sadly we only got a little taste of that...and we aren’t even sure if it was an act or Loki being real.

THE FACT THAT SIGYN ISN’T EVEN IN THE COMICS ANYMORE SINCE 1996. She’s only mentioned, but it’s just as a tale, not as an actual person who USED to be his wife. They literally killed her off. EXCUSE ME! #JusticeforSigyn (We’re still waiting for her in the MCU...)

NORSE MYTHOLOGY TIE-INS:

There were some moments in the comics between them that they writers took from Norse Mythology with them. Thought It’d be important to list.

Loki’s Punishment of snake venom dripping onto him while Sigyn holds a bowl to collect it and shield him.

Narvi being Loki & Sigyn’s son who was killed and his insides used to bind Loki for his punishment.

Sigyn being Loki’s wife. 

DIFFERENT WRITERS, DIFFERENT CHARACTERIZATION:

As is the case with everything out there, if you have different writers working on the same project, there is bound to be a difference of characterization and interpretation, resulting in OOC moments or just something completely different altogether. After researching and pondering on this subject, I FULLY believe this is what has happened with Loki & Sigyn’s relationship in the comics. Let’s take a look at the evidence I’ve found:

For the comics Sigyn’s creators were Roy Thomas, John Buscema and Tom Palmer. 

Loki’s creators for the comics were Stan Lee, Larry Lieber, Jack Kirby, Violet Barclay, and honestly, many others.  

My favorite quotes on them from the comics:

Wait? Despite the crappy writing, I actually have quotes I like from the comics? GASP! I call these the only positives from the comics of their relationship. 

“My Sigyn-- the love of my immortal life...” — Loki, Thor Annual Vol 1 #19

“Aye-- For only Sigyn, of all in the realm eternal, feels love for Loki. And among all Asgardians, only for Sigyn does Loki feel...” — Loki, Thor Annual #19

“Sigyn loves me-- just as she is the only thing in the nine worlds that I truly love.”— Loki, Thor #483

Photo Source: https://www.zerochan.net/1262293#full

Fandoms Wish for MCU & Future Appearance Justice:

Fans would like to see Sigyn make an appearance, not only in the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe), but also the Marvel Comics once again. They would like to see Loki & Sigyn’s characters done justice with proper writing, especially regarding their relationship with each other. 

This is why there is plenty of fans out there writing Fanfiction, making Fanart, Roleplaying and even Cosplaying them, giving their interpretation’s of what their relationship would be like. This is THE VERY REASON this blog and @sigynappreciation​ was created to help spread awareness and unite fans who feel the same way. 

These characters are very near and dear to our hearts. Some of us even worship them in our religions. We would like to see their relationship grow and portrayed in a way that helps fill the pieces of the missing puzzle to how they came to be in Norse Mythology. 

CONCLUSION:

Although their relationship in the comics usually leaves fans grimacing, at least we got to have it explored. Who knows if Marvel will ever touch anything with them ever again, but at least it’s brought together a small community that continues to go strong -- and honestly, that kind of unity is what Loki & Sigyn would want. 

So imagine to your hearts content! Draw that fanart! Write those fanfictions! Dress up in that cosplay! Be those characters! But just remember, you have a family here to love and support you. 

SOURCES:

Sigyn’s info on Marvel Database: https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/Sigyn_(Earth-616)

Loki’s info on Marvel Database: https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/Loki_Laufeyson_(Earth-616)

Sigyn on Marvel Universe: http://www.marvunapp.com/Appendix/sigynthor.htm

Logyn on the Shipping Wiki: https://shipping.fandom.com/wiki/Logyn

Loki & Sigyn’s relationship through Media: https://www.alehorn.com/blogs/blog/norse-mythology-loki-and-sigyn

[pynkhues]

.... any succession fic recs? 👀

Yes!! I haven't read a lot for it yet, but some of the stuff I've read has been staggeringly good. I'm generally more into gen fic in this particular fandom, but have enjoyed some Stewy x Kendall, Gerri x Roman and Naomi x Tabitha too.

A few recs under the cut!

“I wanted to get out. From under all this. Take the money and run.”

Kendall tells Stewy even though he knows he’ll never get it, not like Naomi does. He’ll never understand the crush of it, the heart-stopping head-fucking fear of failing a tyrant. Kendall’s been ignoring the shape of it for a long time, putting pieces of it together in the back of his mind in total darkness like a blindfolded man. It doesn’t matter that one day his dad will die. It doesn’t matter about the money or the hostile takeover or the stolen files or any of it. There’s no running. Kendall’s Logan Roy lives inside his head.

Stewy laughs. Stewy laughs for a long time.

“There is no out, Ken, what the fuck are you talking about? You were born this and you’ll die this. You are what you are, and what you are is a fucking Roy.”

Kendall hates him, for a moment. Lightning-strike furious. What the fuck does he know about any of it, about his dad’s swinging dinner plate-sized hands, about getting 24% name recognition in reliable international polling, about puking every time you think about a car swerving off the road in the rain. About finding out that you can do something unthinkably, unimaginably terrible, and it doesn’t matter to anyone you know but you. There’s a scar on his arm that no one else who hasn’t already been told how it got there can ever know about, and he’s sick of it, and it’s not fair. He hates Stewy for a moment because Stewy’s right.

“I wanted to do the right thing, Stewy, for once in my fucking life.”

Stewy laughs again, more briefly, and the predator flash of his eyes in the neon of the motel sign is a torture all its own.

‘There is no right and wrong, Ken. How the fuck do you not know that yet? Not for people like you. Like us. There’s shit you get caught doing and there’s shit you don’t.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about. You really, really fucking don’t,” says Ken, and fuck, there it is. The road less travelled, that only he has ever driven on. The path he’s down where Stewy can’t follow. That place beyond Stewy Hosseini where he never thought he could go.

“You’re not telling me something, and when I find out what that is, and I will find out what it is, Kendall, don’t you think I won’t, so I am warning you that when I do find out I am going to be righteously fucking pissed,” says Stewy, and if Kendall thought those were a predator’s eyes before—

“Yeah, you will,” says Kendall, because he knows exactly how perceptive Stewy is. Exactly how weak he is. Exactly, precisely what both of them are.

And treat this night like it’ll happen again by postcardmystery. 8k words. Kendall x Stewy. Post s2. (CW: internalised homophobia, some homophobic language)

I tried to pick a shorter excerpt, but I literally couldn’t, this fic is so. good. The voices are pitch perfect, and it’s got this incredible build to it overall that goes back and forth between time and point of views and just rips your heart out. The premise itself is pretty simple – after the press conference at the end of 2.10, Kendall calls Stewy, and they drive through rural America while Kendall has a breakdown, and it’s just - - unspeakably good. I love it so so so much, I have no words.

r/roysucks Connor’s gf just posted on Instagram (instagram.com) submitted two months ago by webbedscrum_2279 23 comments share save hide report

[–] DM_ME_SAMESMAIL 40 points two months ago I too like to escape to my yacht in the Mediterranean when my family and I are on trial for covering up rape and murder. permalink embed save report reply

AITA for accusing my father of multiple crimes on his own news station? By amleth 3k words. Gen fic. Post s2.

And now for something completely different – epistolary fic which is just reddit news threads of the Roy family drama. I love an epistolary fic and this is just totally charming, and made me laugh a lot out loud.

“You’re quiet,” she observes. “That’s a first.”

“Yeah, well, the Turks beat it out of me. Gave you a run for their money.” He waggles his eyebrows. “So what is this? Whips and chains? Are we doing the whole boat-sex thing? I heard Shiv and Tom are looking for a third —“

Gerri finds what she’s looking for: a black leather binder. She drops it on the bed and begins paging through it, and Roman cranes his neck enough to recognize that it’s just full of documents, not like, dick pics. “I’ve given some thought to what you proposed a few weeks ago, and I agree that we should make things official in some way,” she says, and he blinks.

“Uh,” he says. “Which — what part of it?”

“Take a look.”

Gerri closes the folio and hands it over. It’s deceptively heavy, and the print on these pages is way too fucking fine, he thinks, paging through it. “Is this some kind of, like, Fifty Shades of Roy sex contract? Because it’s not that I’m not into it, but I think there’s a strong argument for going paperless —”

“Strictly speaking, this isn’t legally binding,” Gerri says. “Just something I threw together with regard to our business arrangement going forward. But with no respect to the family — the past few weeks have really illustrated that no one should take anyone at their word right now. Give me a little more than your word.”

Evacuation strategies for a yacht on fire by devourthemoon. 11k words. Gerri x Roman. Post s2. Explicit.

After the events of s2, Roman and Gerri fake being married as a professional alliance, only, y’know, maybe it’s not so fake. This fic is just so, so much fun, and messy in the best possible way. The author nails all the character voices, and the sex scenes are just the right amount of hot and ridiculous, and I just love it all a lot too.

Kendall estimates it will take an hour for the first articles to go up. Some rapid-fire blog without oversight—the New York Post, maybe, or wherever those Vaulter hippies have skulked off to—will slap a catchy headline on it and report his words verbatim. Give or take a gif of his face when he switches to script number two. New York Times, Washington Post, AP, those fuckers take longer. They like to bleed the story like Middle Ages plague doctors for its marrow, fact-check and add context and analysis and as many backlinks as their servers can handle. Still, a couple of hours, and his face will be plastered on every major news outlet. His voice will play over the nightly talk shows. He’ll trend on Twitter. A few more days, and he’ll be the star of analysis segments, podcasts, weekly briefings. Maybe, fuck it, maybe he’ll trend on Twitter again.

It’s been years since Kendall read Shakespeare. But that shit sticks with you, gets under your skin and emerges when you least expect it, like eczema or Keynesian economics. He knows how the media will spin this. Kendall Roy Attacks CEO Logan for Years of Corruption. Prodigal Son Disrupts Family Legacy to Restore Credibility. That’s how Hamlet ends, right? And Macbeth, Lear, Othello, Romeo and Juliet, even Titus fucking Andronicus. The spilled blood sinks into the ground, the seedlings sprout forth from the soil, and a new castle is built on the bones. Order out of chaos, or at least close enough an approximation that the tabloids will buy it.

Legacy for profit by owlinaminor Post-2.10. Kendall Roy. Kendall through Shakespeare analogies – just - - ooooof. It's a beautiful, lyrical character study that weaves through Roy family history and teases at a future none of them are even sure they want. It's gorgeous writing.

For the next few days Shiv would have to keep the pressure on Kira like an open wound because there were other women, victims that Nate’s people were going to find one by one as soon as that phone call disconnected. Mo was her father’s friend, good friend, for a long, long time. Nate and Gil, Sandy and Stewy, too many sharks in the water and the share price probably dipped to a new low but she would never check a stock ticker. Her husband’s nerves fraying at the edges on national television. She had promised a woman she’d never met before that she would kill roughly one third of the top male executives of her family’s company. Her company.

The last look Rhea gave her before she shut the car door was concern close to fear—no longer the same woman who heard their pitch in the safe room, who laughed with her at Argestes. Rhea had only looked into the abyss; she got cold feet and she didn’t even know what it’s like to grow up in it.

Her family’s company is hers, will be hers. Even from a whale fall, new life would spring.

Feed his flesh to wayward daughters by reogulus. 2k words. Shiv Roy. Set during 2.09.

This entire fic is set around Shiv bribing Kira not to testify, and god, it is so good. It’s bleak and rough, and really hones in on the complex ground Shiv walks as a character. It's another brilliant study of what it takes to be a Roy, and the way they make the awful choices in order to fulfill this legacy that they don't even know they want.

Kendall sets down his fork. “So. Tell me. Is it everything you wanted? Is it what you thought it would be?”

Roman stills. He never does that. He’s constantly a menace in motion, slouching and fidgeting, worse even than Kendall at his amphetamine peak. “What? The view from the tippy-tippy-top?”

“His regard.” Kendall wipes his mouth with the edge of the white cloth napkin. It comes away pink from the steak. “Dad. He’s all yours now.”

Roman still hasn’t moved. Finally, he lurches, like corroded machinery come uncertainly to life. “Yeah, man. It’s fucking tight as hell. I love every beautiful daddy and me moment I was a good enough little boy to earn.” He snorts. “Fuck you.” His face goes curiously slack then, like something Kendall’s own face would do. An intermission in the performance, an energy cut. Something genuine finding its way to the surface. “Why don’t you tell me. When you got everything you wanted, how the fuck did that make you feel?”

Nauseous, is the first word that springs to mind. Sick. Scared. I’ve never had everything I wanted, there’s that. I’ve never once had a single fucking thing I wanted. There’s that, too.

Interim leadership by arbitrarily 2k words. Roman + Kendall. Post s2.

I love Roman and Kendall scenes generally, but this one which features Kendall and Roman meeting for the first time a few months after the press conference in 2.10 is just a bit magic. The push pull dynamic that's just inherent to them mixed with the genuine affection and brotherly love is really special, and arbitrarily embraces both in equal measure. It's a great little fic.

There are lots more of course, and I'd also recommend checking out other works by these authors, but I hope this is a good place to start! :-)

[yashashveeroy]

Hey Roy,

Hope you are doing well ❤️😁. So I went through all the basic rules laid down by you and I would like to appreciate you for being so clear there as I understand the efforts put by you behind answering any question!! Having said that, I would like to put an 'Ask' from my end and there is no doubt in getting no constructive feedback from my side. I assure you of that 💯. Feedbacks are important and I respect your time and space too. So please take your complete time.

Ask: Could you please do a read based on 👇🏻:

Virgo sun, Leo moon, Cancer rising, Libra venus and Scorpio mars!

Thanks,

Mehak 💕

#astrology #astro #roy #interpretations

Hello there @mehakblogz-blog!! Firstly, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR RESPECTING AND UNDERSTANDING THE ASK RULES!!🥺💜💜💜 It means a lot to me! I feel very appreciated 🥰💖So, here’s my interpretation of your Big 3 and other two placements!

Please read the newly added Rules regarding “Asks” here before reading this interpretation.

Virgo Sun:

You’re the second person here in my asks who has all the 3 modalities of the zodiac in their big three!! So, you also get to experience best of all the three worlds!! Oh what fun!🥰 Virgo is a mutable sign. It’s flexible, organised and ready to get things done on their “to do” list! Since it is an earth sign, it’s very grounded, giving and inviting. And I’m sure you are too! I remember you tell me in the group chat that you were in a certain position at a school. A teacher or a facilitator? I could be wrong, forgive me. But, if you are a teacher, I can tell that children look up to you as a literal second mother. I’m not saying that because others do too, I’m saying this simply because I think a few students must really adore you. Your nurturing and affectionate relationship with students gets you extra brownie points 🥰 I see that you worry a lot about your loved ones. You try your level best to make ends meet and you definitely succeed! You are a homeboy but you love to go out as well! For a lot of people, you an “Angel in disguise” and you might be completely unaware of that aspect.

Leo Moon:

Your Leo moon makes you a true warrior at heart. It’s fantastic! This along with a Virgo sun brings out your ‘love for the finer things in life’ kind of nature. You love it when you’re childishly creative yet detail oriented. Showing affection even in the slightest manner is your love language. Cooking rich food and feeding your loved ones fills you up. You often seem to endure your bad days alone and that’s okay. A lion needs to get to his den for a lil T.L.C.!! Your family really loves you for the gifts you buy them. Fine taste I must say. You show yourself quite a bit of love! I love that! Keeping yourself prim and proper is something you love doing. Omg you’re a hopeless romantic for sure but you definitely aren’t the unrealistic expectations type!🤣 what a combination!! But yes, you want to give your all to your lover and be in control. You aren’t afraid to live at all. And I can tell that you’re gonna be quite a parent💜.

Cancer Rising:

Shhhh! A secret: Cancer risings have been gifted with an inbuilt abundance of ‘youth serum’. You people are literal round and baby faced vampires! How does it feel to be god’s favourite?💜😭😩 LUCKY!!! You can be quite deceiving in a fun way you know 🤣! You lead your daily life filled with emotions and intuition. You do what you think is right and that’s it! A bit stubborn in nature though. Combining your Virgo sun, Leo moon and Cancer rising, you give such “Boss Man” vibes. Always there to guide with a lil bit tenderness. But if crossed by someone, it’s over💀. You seem to come from a very traditional family with a lot of old school ways 🥰 it’s a warm environment. Your relationship with your parents must be amazing most of the times! And if you have siblings, I’m bet you love to take care of them. I do sense a few body image issues but I believe that you’re confident enough to face them.

Libra Venus and Scorpio Mars:

To me, BLESSED ARE THW ONES WHO HAVE A LIBRA VENUS. I love this placement. Omgomgomg. You’re definitely so homely and submissive when it’s needed. But otherwise you practice diplomacy. Libra is ruled by Venus so it naturally feels right at home in your case and you have some of the purest of qualities of a libra Venusian. Starting with: your charm, people want you. I’m telling you this much. Oh you’re such a tease though 😏😈. Tell me, do you sing as well? This placement brings you many gifts and talents. You’re amazing at handling money unless going on shopping spree enters your mind🤣. As for your Scorpio Mars, let’s just say you’re bossy and very analytical when doing something serious. It’s what’s so sexy about you. You have the power to make or break a person with this placement. You don’t ask for help, people come to you for it. You have ways to get things done with your sneaky mind. You don’t mingle with people personally in a work environment unless you see fit.

I really hope this resonated with you and that you enjoyed reading this interpretation!! Leave me your feedback through comments!!🥰💜

Love, Roy.

[taiblogcomics]

All Out of Outlaws

Hey there, that live service you paid for but only used once. I hope you liked last week's anniversary review as much as I liked writing it. Now we're back to the usual stack. We're on a streak with Red Hood junk, so let's get back into it~

Here's the cover:

Since it's an anniversary issue of its own, the cover is way glossier and higher quality than usual. I don't object to homaging most of Jason's old teammates in the sky, but why the fuck is Crux there? Like, why would you remind us of Crux? Nobody liked Crux, nobody even remembers Crux. At least he's partially covered by the logo, but not nearly enough. Like, Isabel's worth way more of a cover appearance than Crux. Anyway, other than Crux, this cover's pretty good. Very movie poster-esque.

So this book takes place "one month ago". That somehow means it takes place after issue 48, AKA the unnecessary tie-in issue, and that other story arc that ended last issue. You got that? One month ago is after the tie-in story, but before the story that just ended. You can tell all this because Bizarro is still here instead of trapped in hell, and Jason Todd's narrating to himself about how Punchline tricked him regarding Duela Dent. Yeah, there's no moment showing how he realised this, even though that'd make good story in itself. No, he's just here because he's already pissed at the Duela deception.

After the flashback, we return to the present. This is after issue 49, just so you know where we stand. It's pretty clear Artemis and Jason have just slept together. That... seems odd to me. It's odd to them as well, so that's forgivable. Jason acknowledges that really he just needed some human contact. Because, like, Roy is dead, Bizarro is in hell, and Starfire is in space. Thankfully, he mentions Crux not at all. Jason thinking Crux is a friend worth missing would be more disbelief than I can willingly suspend. Anyways, they're interrupted by a welcome sight.

The loud yelling returns us to seeing Monsieur Mallah yell like a drill sergeant at the Outlaws of Tomorrow, or whatever those kids were called. You remember them: Devour, Doomed, Cloud 9, DNA, Babe in Arms and Mombie (which I swear I came up with before it was ever written in an issue), and Vessel. Anyways, they were my favourite part of the last dozen issues or whenever they first appeared. Jason points a gun at Mallah to try and get him to stop yelling at the kids, and Ma Gunn calls him out on it. Basically, she's hired Mallah and the Brain to train these kids, since Jason keeps skipping out on it. If he disapproves of her methods, then he should train them himself. He concedes the point, and opts to leave the kids in her care.

Jason leaves, heading up to Dr. Veritas' lab. This is where Duela's ended up after they rescued her from the flashback. She's alive, but part of her recovery has been reconstructive surgery. Her repaired face has basically left her non-verbal and mostly unresponsive. Jason has a plan, though. It's probably supposed to be his pocket, but I swear it looks like he's taking this out of the fly of his jeans. That's extremely worrying, almost as worrying as what actually happens: Jason hands her a rubber Joker mask, and she puts it on. With her "face" restored, she starts laughing--and doesn't stop. Jason wonders if this was a good idea after all. I'm gonna go ahead and venture "no"~

Following that, we advance three weeks, where Duela has been doing physical therapy in Suzie Su's private gym. She's been struggling, and is still mostly non-verbal, but at least communicates in laughs and animal noises. Jason decides the best way to get her to improve is to taunt her. Surprisingly, it works: when he dumps enough insults, she's able to stagger to her feet well enough to attack him. He says he knew she could do it with the right motivation, and she's pleased with herself. Pleased enough that when the time skips ahead again, she's perfectly verbal once more.

This scene takes place in a graveyard. Not just any, but the very grave that Jason once upon a time clawed his way out of. Naturally, she thinks that's cool. This is Jason's "don't make the same mistakes I did" lecture, but Duela doesn't want to hear it. She's too mad at Punchline and Joker for treating her like shit. Jason understands, but he says he'll be there for her when she decides to change her mind about being a crazy psychopath. They both return home to Ma Gunn's, but while Jason laments some thoughts to Artemis, Duela decides to escape. Just like the teen she is.

Partway off the grounds, she actually encounters Pup-Pup. Yeah, the talking Superman plush doll is still somehow hanging around. I might pick on this series a bit, and rightly so sometimes, but how many other comics do you know where a sapient talking plush toy of one of the world's greatest heroes is a recurring character? That's fantastic. That's exactly why I read comic books. Anyway, she stops to chat with Pup-Pup, because when life throws that much weirdness at you, you stop and interact. She relays an exaggerated version of her backstory to him, talking about how her father beat her while her mother laughed, and she killed them both in the end. Pup-Pup sees right through it, and the pair of them end up hanging out all night until Jason finds them both asleep in the yard the next morning.

So it's a bit later, and they're in New York. A bank's been broken into by... Agent Smith from The Matrix?? It's a group of guys in shades and suits who are all identical and refer to themselves as sharing a single collective mind. I don't care that they call themselves "The Chairmen", that sounds like Agent Smith to me. Fortunately, the Outlaws are here to beat them up. Joker's Daughter and her pal Pup-Pup have joined as the pre-requisite third member(s), but partway through the fight, the strain of the fight causes Duela to have some sort of mental break.

Very suddenly, it's no longer funny for Duela. She's not into the violence or death. She is just a teen, after all, and I guess it built up over time. The rest of the Agent Smiths are dealt with while Jason comforts Duela and removes the Joker mask from her. No doubt he's going to store it back in his trousers. And so, after the fight, Duela gets cleaned up, dresses like a normal person, and returns home to her parents. Artemis imparts the wisdom that it doesn't matter how you live, as long as you're living the way you want, it's the greatest act of defiance there is. Jason also allows Pup-Pup to stow away in her backpack, just to keep an eye on her.

After returning Duela to her home, Jason and Artemis ride on for a while. Then, abruptly, Artemis pulls over. It's as far as she's going, at least with Jason. But they both agree: he doesn't need her around anymore. He's a capable guy who can stand on his own two feet. And so Artemis also departs, she taking one road, and Jason driving down the other. And that road Jason's on? Why, it's the road home. The road back to Gotham. Jason muses that he was an okay sidekick, a crap supervillain, and a great outlaw. But what he was most of all... was a good friend.

I’m gonna say to start out with that I think this is a good issue. Heck, I think this is a great issue. It’s very character-driven, which is kind of what I always want in these things. Would much rather read something that develops the characters than just another fight scene.

I guess the issue, then, is A) does the character development make sense, and 2) do we care? And honestly... I don’t really care that Joker’s Daughter got a happy ending. Nor do I really feel it was earned. We’ve followed the character’s entire history on this blog, after all. Honestly, it probably would have made a lot more sense if she’d stayed on as part of Generation Outlaw. I just don’t think there was any build-up to her sudden realisation that “oh crap, everything I do sucks”, and thus her sudden retirement/redemption doesn’t feel earned.

But hey, at least Crux wasn’t in it~

Next issue, Jason finally goes solo!

[flameleads]

I’m finishing my rewatch of FMAB (since I have season 5 on DVD), and I stopped before the big fight with Father on the Promised Day. While I watched, I paid attention to a few things for Roy.

1. His voice is strained. It’s difficult for him to talk. 2. Izumi moves him without anyone asking her to. She tells him what she’s doing basically every time she does, and he’s forced to trust someone he’s never met since he has no other option. 3. Everyone else could see Father’s tendrils when he had them pinned. Roy couldn’t. He had no idea what was going on. He only knew that he was pinned to the ground again. 4. When Father lets them all go, Roy is the first to ask if everyone’s all right. Does he have any idea what’s going on? No, but it doesn’t matter. He’s putting his fear aside and acting as a Colonel to check on everyone.

Father also creates a sun while he’s holding the power of god down there, and he says something along the lines of, “Shall I let these flames loose?” The camera then pans to the heroes, and we see Roy grimacing. I didn’t notice that before. We can attribute that to a multitude of things, yes: pain, discomfort, can’t see what’s going on, et cetera. But, I had another thought.

I think he was pissed. They took away his ability to safely use his alchemy. Want someone to turn flames loose down there? You’ve got the one and only Flame Alchemist right fucking there. How this all plays out in the manga is a bit different, and I want to bring attention to it.

For one, let’s start right where Roy gets dropped in front of Father.

"Have you gone blind? That’s great! Out of all the State Alchemists, your skills are the most troublesome” (Pride, Chapter 102).

Lest we forget, Mustang killed Lust and Envy almost single-handedly. One of those kills happened an hour or two beforehand. Pride knows exactly what sort of enemy Roy Mustang is, and he doesn’t underestimate him. In fact, he might be the only Homunculus who doesn’t.

All right, now that we have that established, fast forward to the scene where Father creates a sun. This is the dialogue that happens:

Father: “Now that I’m one with God, I can create worlds in the palm of my hand.” Hohenheim: “A sun... nuclear fission!”

It’s much more concentrated than what Roy does, but that is essentially what Roy is capable of. Havoc explains the basics of how his alchemy works in chapter 5: “The Colonel’s glove is made out of a special reactive cloth. When you rub it together, it sparks. The rest is just adjusting the oxygen level in the air around what you want to combust... and then... boom!”

But, that’s not all. We need to go back to the complete array for flame alchemy. There are a couple of blog posts (soterianyx and farginen) that cover the entire array, and both of them cover that part of it involves nuclear fusion. That was what Roy was truly capable of. Fun fact that both posts also mention: that’s the most burned away part of the array.

Now, fusion and fission are two different things. Fission is splitting of an atom while fusion is fusing two more smaller atoms together. But, Roy’s a genius alchemist. When Lust flooded the room with water, he was able to separate the hydrogen from the oxygen and create hydrogen gas. We can probably safely assume he’s capable of nuclear fission.

Is he capable of it on Father’s level? Oh fuck no. Father and Hohenheim are on different levels for well-established reasons. But, if Roy thought he was capable of using his alchemy then and there, that entire scene would’ve played out differently, and we all know it.

TLDR: I was thinking about all of this because after the Promised Day, he’s going to hate people touching him without asking him first. He’s going to have new nightmare material regarding this day and just having no agency. Then, my brain was like, “Oh yeah, there’s also this to consider,” and went off on a tangent.

Hi, my name is Kai, and I have a lot of feelings about a fictional character named Roy Mustang.

[influencemarketingplatform]

Increase Brand Awareness Through Influencer Marketing

I'm sure there's over a few advertisements. Consumers are bombarded with advertisements day in and day out. Faced with numerous, they've learned to tune them out. Just a few can break through the sound. So, it's not surprising that lots of businesses struggle to capture the attention of the desired customers. To break through the noise, you need to employ innovative marketing strategies. Many entrepreneurs are currently turning to influencer advertising to attain their viewers.

An influencer is a person who inspires people with their achievements, values, or lifestyle. Likeminded people respect their opinion and could be affected by their own recommendations. For example, influencers may promote certain products, encourage their followers to visit new destinations, listen to a podcast, or even see a new publication.

Influencers include print authors, business leaders, consultants, bloggers, and media statistics that relay their views before a loyal audience. However, there is a big difference between locating the influencers offered on your industry and getting them to promote your brand, merchandise or services to their audience or followers.

If banner ads or routine media purchases are not getting you where you need, it is time to consider leveraging influencers. Within this article, you'll discover how influencer advertising can help you produce huge brand awareness and increase your earnings.

Influencer advertising is the practice of collaborating with an influencer to market your brand, product, or service to your targeted audience. Influencers, the majority of the time, use content sharing to advertise your brand, merchandise, or support for their already-established followers or audience.

They might also take control of displays, competitions, giveaways, and other activities which will further publicize the brand.

Outside of the internet, influencers could be family members and friends or people around you. They also include community members and members. Within digital marketing, influencers include celebrities, industry leaders, athletic and style icons, and pretty much anyone with a massive social networking after on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

This form of advertising strategy is how we drive traffic to websites, and how earnings are being generated online. That's why businesses are tapping into this huge opportunity.

67% of electronic businesses are set to improve their influencer advertising spend in the next several years.

When trying to choose which influencer to work with, you ought to be certain on the specific kind of audience or following you want to achieve. Understanding where your preferred customer spends time on the internet can help you identify the ideal platform and influencer to target. This is where growing buyer personas will help. When you've got a comprehensive understanding of your target buyer, you can determine the specific kind of person they would be receptive to hear recommendations from. For instance, if you are attempting to promote baking products and fresh cookbook, it probably doesn't make sense to associate with a fitness influencer.

The number of followers that an influencer has will directly affect the price of partnering together. The more followers that they have, the greater your potential achieve. However, don't dismiss influencers with smaller crowds. They can be highly-engaged and quite receptive to recommendations.

Several factors can adversely affect the deliverability of an influencer marketing effort. By way of instance, choosing influencers who have no public link with your brand or who wouldn't normally use your merchandise or services. Forcing a rigid script onto the influencer, rather than cooperating to a more innovative approach, may even backfire if followers believe the effort is deceptive. It is important to create a natural partnership and collaborate with them to design a campaign that will resonate with your own viewers. Trust their feedback, since they are more acquainted with their audience.

Not certain if your social media strategy is really producing results? Curious if influencer marketing might be a better way to attain your intended audience? Don't hesitate to contact us. We are happy to assess your strategy and discuss methods to grow new awareness.

The Role of An Influencer in Your Online Marketing Campaign Many men and women tend to consider influencer marketing as actors promoting attractiveness products in television commercials: think Cindy Crawford in Revlon commercials. But, influencer marketing has evolved as the digital ecosystem has increased. Now, influencers can use a massive range of digital platforms to share details regarding your brand to their audiences. Influencers can mention your product or services in their social networking platform or produce a blog post that testimonials one of your merchandise. Outside the digital kingdom influencers can also attend events or conventions for meet-and-greets or they could conduct product presentations. Another manner influencer marketing may be used is by simply incorporating your products or new images to videos that are about another matter. This is much like the way flashy cars are placed in films or Target falls product placements in Netflix sitcoms.

When creating your influencer marketing strategy, you need to consider your intended audience and where they spend their time. If they're on social media every day, then that channel could be appropriate. Should they have an inclination to listen to podcasts, maybe it makes sense to partner with a podcast bunch which comes with an engaged audience.

Reasons Why You Should Use Influencer Marketing

I). Better Business Awareness A growing number of manufacturers are taking their advertising to another level and employing the support of influencers with large, engaged audiences. Recent statistics demonstrate that in 2018, 80 percent of entrepreneurs found influencer marketing effective and 89% say influencer marketing ROI is better than other marketing tactics.

Influencers give you access to their audience or followers, which naturally expands your reach. Putting into account that influencers are offered across numerous social networking platforms, collaborating with them will also enhance your social media presence and increase brand awareness.

Let's take a look at how two different brands use Instagram to increase brand awareness:

The outdoor retailer Backcountry partners with many outdoor enthusiasts. Their existence is particularly powerful on Instagram, where many travel enthusiasts go to live vicariously through the gorgeous photography. The photographs capture their attention as well as also the captions convince them why particular products are vital to their next camping adventure.

1 prime example is the influencer Chelsea Yamase (@ChelseaKauai). She uses long-form story captions to engage her viewers, weaving in personal experiences and ideas. By displaying vulnerability, she's ready to connect with her audience and gain his or her confidence. Because of this, the audience is more inclined to trust her recommendations and buy Backcountry's merchandise.

In another example, the Westin Hapuna Beach Resort turned into an influencer, Renee Hahnel (@ReneeRoaming), to market their recently renovated hotel. As she researched the hotel and reasons, Renee used Instagram stories and posts to highlight unique features, beautiful design, and thoughtful amenities. Lots of men and women visit Instagram to locate their next travel destination and trust recommendations from frequent travelers like Renee.

ii).Consumer Trust When people decide to follow an accounts on social media, they are inviting them to their everyday scroll--and life. Every time they use the stage, they know more about the person. They see their successes, failures, and they can often feel as if they're part of the lifetime. Frequent participation strengthens the connection; shortly, the influencer feels like a buddy.

As you probably know, people value the recommendations of friends and acquaintances.

Endorsements out of influencers can boost the authenticity of your brand and help you gain consumer confidence. Just as 49% of customers are known to depend on product recommendations out of influencers. When evaluating products, customers are looking for authentic reviews from authority figures.

By adding the ideal strategies and excellent content, influencers will be able to influence consumer purchasing decisions.

iii). Better Sales Improving sales is the primary objective of marketers who use influencer advertising. This year, according to a Tomson research , businesses earn $6.50 for every dollar spent on influencers. It is called to grow continuously within the next few years. This is ascertained by the fact that nearly all consumers now consider social media when making buying decisions.

It is worth noting that social networking existence issues because most people spend more time in their mobile telephones, absorbing content on these platforms. Online retailers are making great use of this, dominating and revolutionizing the purchasing experience. This survey indicates that 79% of smartphone consumers have made a purchase online using their cellular devices in the previous 6 months.

Another illustration of a prosperous influencer effort is Bigelow Tea. They started a marketing effort with influencers who encouraged the health benefits of drinking tea. They blended Bigelow Tea in their content in various ways: some produced initial recipes that comprised the tea and others flipped the packaging into DIY art. This generated over 32,000 blog page lobbied to get their sponsored posts.

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It's Cost-Effective

Influencer marketing uses many different pricing models. Often, the popularity of the influencer and their audience dimensions decides which strategy is best. Some influencers will collaborate with your brand simply because it is going to help them to construct their own brand in the procedure. In these instances, free products or experiences can be provided instead of a cash payment.

Additional influencers will accept pricing based on their functionality, where the amount you pay is proportional to the number of clicks and also the number of engagement (enjoys, shares, retweets, posts, etc.. ) your brand earns through their posts. Others will accept flat-rate prices, where you pay a particular amount per post or movie. This wide range provides you a lot of selections to choose from and permits you to pick the option which suits you the most.

Another case study is RESCUE, that desired to increase awareness of their natural health remedies. The bloggers shared their own personal experiences and included the RESCUE coupon in their social networking posts. The campaign produced amazing results, such as 133 million social media impressions and generated well over 6,000 clicks into the voucher website. From the end of the effort, their Instagram following had increased by 258%. The influencers also used Twitter to market the voucher and at one point, RESCUE was the #4 nationwide trending subject on Twitter.

How to Conquer Influencers Now, the effectiveness of influencer marketing ought to be apparent. Leveraging influencers is rewarding to you and your brand.

i). Create a debut

Let us assume you have identified two influencers you'd like to work with, named Brown and James. Brown has a massive audience or follower base and James has a far smaller fan base, which is more participated. Brown is a fitness coach with thousands and thousands of followers on societal networking platforms, published novels, and an informative blog. James' audience, however, may be smaller, but his few thousands of followers trust his opinions and follow up on every recommendation that he makes.

If you're planning to find both of both of these guys to promote your product, service, or manufacturer, you need to first look on their radars. You can do this in several Distinct ways:

Send a fast email complimenting or appreciating the influencer on their most recent social media post or blog article. You might also publish a story about the way the influencer's content or merchandise has helped you. Share the influencer's societal media posts or blog articles in your page. Post an superb review of the influencer's brand or product on your blog. Discuss a quotation or piece of information given by the influencer in your blog. Organize a meeting in a conference or media event. The approach you decide to use will probably be based on the influencers you're targeting. He can, however, be available for meetings at networking or industry events. On the flip side, James' may be responsive to thoughtful comments left on his social networking station.

ii). Be genuinely helpful When working with influencers, you would like to strive for a mutually-beneficial relationship. When you approach the relationship with a collaborative mindset, then you'll achieve more success. Should you share similar values and goals with the influencer, you are going to develop a more real partnership. This will be obvious for their followers and they'll have a better opinion of your brand and sponsorship.

It should never resort to a circumstance where you take advantage of an influencer's standing to improve your gains selfishly. It's vital that your initial contact is accurate and real.

Big Audience Brown, by way of example, doesn't require the societal boost that comes from your stocks, enjoys, or retweets. Even James' business likely doesn't stand to grow exponentially from 1 link or post shared in your blog or page. So, however, you choose to approach your connection with the influencers you're aiming, be helpful by all ways.

As time goes , the helping hand you extend out as long as it's really beneficial rather than just surface-level gestures, it is going to take your connection with the influencer of your decision to another level.

Australian fashion retailer Minnie & Maxxie talented influencers like Sarah from Sarah Merrett Styling bits from their selection of fashion styles to introduce them into the brand and to generate exposure and ultimately sales. Results showed 18,459 direct engagements with effort content and 333,445 consumers attained (size of the crowd reached).

iii). Prove your value If you are determined with your followup, you will find that your connection with your targeted influencer moves past simple and one-sided interactions but to a symbiotic one. As an example, you take the next step from exchanging social networking updates to sharing mails, then meeting up in person either for promotional events or collaborative workshops.

At a certain stage, you need to be prepared to demonstrate your worth and the worth of your brand, product, or services. The moment your relationship with a possible influencer exceeds straightforward helpful gestures, be prepared to describe the different ways your product could be unique and of advantage to the authority figure's real needs, in addition to the requirements of their followers and audience.

Never forget, however, that there is no way to guarantee an influencer recommendation (unless you've made your mind up to pay for it and form a contractual relationship).

Even though you may have some luck when you give it a shot the very first time, you may also have to work hard to attempt and improve relationships which never go anywhere. Influencers are often busy people, and they are not bound to like your product or manufacturer just because you've followed the actions discussed in this article.

You must do your research, start looking for opportunities to be helpful, and plan to demonstrate the advantages of your product and services. Additionally, you need to be aware of the unique needs of this influencer you're targeting. With continuing patience and persistence, you will discover your relationships improve and your brand profiting as a result.

As a result of this, brands need to work tirelessly and develop trust with their target customers.

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Conclusion Influencer marketing is without a doubt growing in popularity, and in many instances, it's the best way to engage with your intended audience. Collaborations between brands and social websites influencers will continue to expand in the coming years. You and your opponents could be going after the same influencers--and it is up to you who gets the offer.

To succeed, develop an influencer marketing strategy and start building authentic relationships with people who will have a real impact on the purchasing behavior of your intended audience.

If you are not sure how to start, you might want to speak with one of our advertising and marketing specialists today. We can help you create an influencer marketing strategy and identify possible influencers.