#⁎⋆ ꙳✧∘ gena talks !

[jeanzoriley-cod]

((Gena talks: no role-playing today for me. I am currently in the hospital right now so I’m just trying to get better. Please leave some messages and ask and read logs and enjoy the one shot I wrote for Jeanz and Johnny.))

[inklores]

the new story panels for miguel omfg he’s such a tired dad <3

best believe i’ll be writing similar scenes for pdtg 😌

( art creds to cteec on ig ! )

[essektheylyss]

As a Luxon stan, I am in fact increasingly obsessed with the Fold, which I'm sure is a surprise to no one. "Sophisticated probability predictions—" oh, did you mean my absolute favorite form of divination bullshit? "Pure potentiality—" OH, DID YOU MEAN MY ABSOLUTE FAVORITE FORM OF MAGIC BULLSHIT?

[xycuro-illuminati]

See with Zdarsky's run it was so unbearable and awful and sucked ass but there were other dd runs going on like Daredevil & Echo. Not only that, Ahmed is trying his best to work with this shit with the fault legit being having to continue off of zdarsky, boring, and the cane depiction. I was v close to just dropping dd but I'm willing to give the new run a chance. I have a stronger attachment to dd and it's characters other than matt so maybe that's why but I was close to going full dc and dmc. Plus Zdarsky's run (at least on tumblr) had a majority poor reception anyway. I'm down to ignore it and move on.

Mckay with Moon Knight?? Absolutely not. The mk system is DEAD (as far as we know) and now it's just continuing off while also grabbing niche hero characters and writing them in xenophobic and ableist ways. Reading a few panels alone has me so uninterested esp when I mostly enjoyed the original mk comics. MK was a second fav but now I'm just dropping it completely and not looking forward to read another run again nor engage in any mk media. It's just a headache to think about at this point.

[revvethasmythh]

like, I get why people don't like edgelord style characters and find them exhausting, i really do. but I was raised by a style of book that exclusively features edgelord protagonists that intentionally bars them from experiencing a single moment of dignity in their entire lives, and I think that explains why I love them, actually

[drifting-pieces-blog-blog]

Breaking down the Comics: Power Imbalance.

Moon Knight, Issue #6: White Angels

I'm be honest, I'm a sucker for the Marc Spector stories. In the original run, they were actually kinda rare. 

Marc hated being himself so much that he was hardly around. Most of the time you alternated between Steven and Jake trying to build their lives away from the Marc Spector days. 

You focused on Steven building up his connections, his love with Marlene, and his money. 

Then you focused on Jake and his friendship, his connections with the street and common people, and his outlook on life. 

When you did get Marc, you got a few panels of him being emotional or angry. 

Many of the comics in the first runs open with a description of who they are and it was always stressed how different they were. 

"Jake Lockley: Easygoing, streetwise cabbie. Marc Spector: Grim veteran of wars fought for money. Steven Grant: Refined millionaire financier." 

And it was easy to see that Lockley was a favorite because of how much care and time was spent following Lockley and his friends: Gena, Crawley, and the two boys. 

There was also a heavy push for Moon Knight, of course. They were trying to get a superhero comic off the ground, after all. 

But they treated Moon Knight like his own entity back in the original run. A force that was none of the three. Cold, emotionless, and powerful. 

But sometimes the emotions of one of the three pushed through to Moon Knight and complicated matters. Then it was unclear on just who Moon Knight was. 

In this opening comic, we see Grant's butler, Samuels, waiting for their return. 

"Good evening Master Grant... Ah, that is.... Master Moon Knight!" 

"Relax Samuels, I'm Grant now. What have you got there?" 

"A telegram, sir. But it's not actually for you... Ah, that is, it is for you, but it was addressed to Marc Spector." 

"I'll read it to him." 

An interesting exchange. The narration says it was a joke, but you have to remember that the system has yet to declare itself a system and still thinks it is one man trying to use disguises. 

Though with each opening, we get more a distinct introduction on Steven, Marc, and Jake, and even Moon Knight. It's as if Moench is pushing for them to be themselves and Marc is pushing back in denial. 

Steven reads the telegram, which is a coded message addressed to Marc. 

Instantly they blank and clearly dissociate. 

"The man of many names and many pasts does not answer, his eyes glassy, staring at one of those pasts." says the narrator. 

Marc tells Frenchie to prepare for a 'holiday' and heads down into the mansion. 

Here we find Marlene waiting for him. We also see where I have conflicting feelings on Marlene. 

She jokes that she was dreaming of four men while waiting for him. 

"But WHAT a four! First there was this goofy guy named Jake - He made me laugh. Then Marc was your typical darker, no-nonsense type of lover. My favorite, as usual, was dreamboat Steven. But the fourth one, I hae to admit, added a touch of forbidden spice... He was almost like a silver ghost." 

And it makes Marc smile. 

Marlene clearly has a favorite. She's deeply into Steven and wishes that he would just stick with Steven as an identity. She only ever calls him Steven and is always teasing them. 

But now and then she does acknowledge that she is aware of the differences in them. 

At this point, it's easy to defend her and brush it aside. She has never heard of DID, the Moon Knight system is in denial, and they are presenting as one man that is trying to claim a new identity. So of course she wishes he'd just stick with Steven, the normal dreamy guy that likes high class and loves her. 

But there are more and more instances where he will flat out tell her to use a different name and she refuses, only ever calling him Steven. These moments start to make themselves more clear and she still refuses to acknowledge them. 

Her blind love for Steven starts to edge into ableism and abuse. But that's something that comes along a lot later on. 

For now, Marlene is a strong supporter of them. She helps them with their other 'identities', She listens when they break down, and she acts as a grounding tool more than a few times. 

But I digress. That's an argument for another time. 

After Marlene brightens his mood, we see him changing out of the Moon Knight outfit and into Jake's clothes. 

He tells her that they need to head to St. Lucien on vacation. 

"Well, as long as we'll be together -- and alone, Steven..." 

"Not quite alone, Lady, an' call me Jake, now. And not that I don't like Nedda's cookin', but cabbies prefer the chow at the joints like Gena's diner. [...] And her kids, too. Not to mention, Crawley. Grant promised them a vacation for their help against the committee's five hitmen... And Steven Grant, I hear, is a man of his word." 

This is interesting because this is the first time Jake has outright corrected her like this and spoken of his preference for the life he's building on his own. 

It's also worthy to take note that Jake, Steven, and Marc are more and more starting to talk about the other's as separate people. 

They are aware of one another now, or at least becoming more aware of their own identities. 

Can I also take this opportunity to say that Jake's unique accent is most prominent in this issue too? 

"Guess you're lucky the Angel O' Moicy just arrived." - Jake Lockley, a new york cabbie. 

So they hop in a plane and Steven takes them all to St. Lucien. They're put up in a fancy hotel and one of Gena's boys notices something. 

"The Ghetto. They got invisible walls here too, Ray, just like at home. There's only one difference... The color's the same on both sides of the wall." 

in Steven Grant's hotel room, Marlene finds the telegram. 

Image supplied because holy crap: 

"I unpacked your bags, and something tells me you're not going 'sight seeing.'"

"What do you mean?" 

"I mean this wire sent to you, Steven!" 

"Not to me-- It was sent to Spector." 

"It's no longer funny, Steven, but I hope you are joking -- Because if you really think of yourself as two or three or four separate people--" 

"I just forget once in a while, Marlene -- It's a problem, yes, but I'm able to control it..." 

WHOA. WHOA WHOA WHOA. Steven Grant is aware there is a problem. We've just reached awareness. 

AND THE DENIAL. "I'm able to control it." A line put in the MCU said by Marc. 

HMMMMM. HMMMMMMMMMMMMM. 

Back to the story. 

So why are they in this country? Marc has a friend from his time in South America. They were up against a rebel coup and this man apparently saved his life. 

He's now director of police and has called in an owed favor. 

What's interesting is that he introduces Marlene as "My friend and aide." 

It further puts in the idea that Marlene acts more of a guide and grounding tool. 

It would seem Marc's friend has a voodoo problem linked with missing persons. 

There is belief in the poor side of town that someone is using Voodoo to turn people into zombie slaves (this is a legitimate thing that happens in certain cultural beliefs so color me impressed for 1980s writing). 

They discuss the power of belief and using it against people. 

Marc sets out to interview the families of the missing, but Marlene stays behind to ask his friend something. 

"I'd like to ask you something about ste- About Marc. Was he ever really ruthless? A heartless killer?" 

"Yes and no." 

"Marc Spector is a strange man. A man with many sides to him." 

We have to remember that Marlene met Marc as a mercinary that was raiding her father's dig site and aided in the eventual death of her father. 

While Marc did come back and save the other archeologists and fight against Bushman, Marlene has mostly been watching Steven and Jake try to clean up Marc's life. 

While out talking to people, Marc learns there is a leader called "The White Angel" that is kidnapping people. 

He interrupts an attempted kidnapping and saves the people, but the kidnappers get away. 

TIME OUT: Something important comes up here! 

MOON KNIGHT HISTORY: Moon Knight was originally introduced in "Werewolf by Night" where he was hired to kill Jack Russel (the funniest name in the world to give to a werewolf and even funnier when you learn that the person that named him had no idea there was a dog breed called jack russel terriers). 

In his dealings with Jack Russel, Moon Knight was bitten by the werewolf! But, he was somewhat resistant! Rather than turn into a wolfman every full moon, instead he becomes stronger and faster! 

At this point in the Moon Knight story, it's unclear what Khonshu is. As far as the story has said, it's just a statue that may or may not hold the mystical power of an Egyptian Moon God of vengeance. 

So during the full moon, as Moon Knight, he attributes his strength and power to the werewolf virus! 

Now, for a while now, the virus has started to fade and with it, his strength. 

This is really bumming out Moon Knight, making him feel weak and useless. 

During the fight with the kidnappers, he struggles against all the men and he feels the werewolf virus fading. 

So when Marc returns to the hotel, he's in a MOOD. He complains about the werewolf virus leaving him and how soon he'll just be a regular man in a cape. 

It's also making him think about Voodoo. How the poor people are at the mercy of something because they believe in it. 

He and Marlene have a discussion about how 

"Those are just the poor and uneducated, Steven. Others have adapted to modernization - Even prospered under it." 

"Yes, and those are the ones responsible, in part, for the plight of the ones I saw tonight...And the ones I saw tonight are precisely the kind of people Marc Spector never thought twice about. If a campaign meant stamping out a village, tough!" 

"What are you trying to say, Steven?" 

"I don't very much like Marc Spector." 

Uh oh. Now the question is, who is talking here? Is it Steven Grant becoming aware and viewing Marc as just a killer? Or is this Marc voicing how much he hates himself and wishes he was someone else? 

And in the very next page we have Marc, and it is Marc, up to shady business. 

He waits for Gena to go for a swim before he approaches her boys: 

"Listen- I've heard you two talking about people in shantytown. How'd you like to help them? How'd you like to risk your lives by walking in their shoes as targets for the zuvembies in hopes of slamming the lid on a certain voodoo houngan's kidnapping operation?" 

"Yeah, as long as Mama doesn't know." 

MARC. This is why you have no friends in the current runs. The things you do with Lockely's friends that puts them in danger! 

Meanwhile, Frenchie and Crawley are out doing their own thing and stumble on a poppy field being used to make Heroin. They also discover that the White Angel is a white man that owns the plantation. 

Frenchie and Crawley get captured and the two boys also get 'kidnapped' as planned. 

They watch as the White Angel uses drugs to turn the prisoners into zombies and manage to use a radio to contact Moon Knight. 

Moon Knight shows up and fights. Marlene also shows up with the police. Marc's friend gets pinned down by gunfire much the same way Marc was years before and Moon Knight manages to save him just as he was saved. 

They defeat the bad guy and free all the prisoners. 

Back at the hotel we see a pissed Gena telling the boys that they are not to work for Lockley anymore. 

Jake cuts in that the boys were heroes and saved everyone. 

Gena says that they are banned for working for Lockley for at least a whole week. It's hard to say no to Jake. 

Okay so, this was a really interesting issue. We are 6 in and we’re starting to see the system not only become aware, but also imbalanced. 

It also gets into a bit about the power of belief and power imbalance with the poor class. It doesn’t go too heavy on it this time, but you can see the unrest there. 

What’s interesting is that we are starting to see Steven also getting more power and opinions on Marc. Also a power imbalance? 

And because I’m me, I did my reviews backwards and started with the end of the run then jumped to the beginning. So we already know that at the end when Marc is at his most vulnerable with his father’s death, Steven steps up to help him and protect him. But at this point, we get disgruntled Steven and he’s about to go off. 

Raise a glass to classy Steven everyone. He’s a real pistol people and I’m excited to show you him! 

We’re leading up to a serious system meltdown and it is heartfelt. 

I'm be honest, I'm a sucker for the Marc Spector stories. In the original run, they were actually kinda rare. 

Marc hated being himself so much that he was hardly around. Most of the time you alternated between Steven and Jake trying to build their lives away from the Marc Spector days. 

You focused on Steven building up his connections, his love with Marlene, and his money. 

Then you focused on Jake and his friendship, his connections with the street and common people, and his outlook on life. 

When you did get Marc, you got a few panels of him being emotional or angry. 

Many of the comics in the first runs open with a description of who they are and it was always stressed how different they were. 

"Jake Lockley: Easygoing, streetwise cabbie. Marc Spector: Grim veteran of wars fought for money. Steven Grant: Refined millionaire financier." 

And it was easy to see that Lockley was a favorite because of how much care and time was spent following Lockley and his friends: Gena, Crawley, and the two boys. 

There was also a heavy push for Moon Knight, of course. They were trying to get a superhero comic off the ground, after all. 

But they treated Moon Knight like his own entity back in the original run. A force that was none of the three. Cold, emotionless, and powerful. 

But sometimes the emotions of one of the three pushed through to Moon Knight and complicated matters. Then it was unclear on just who Moon Knight was. 

In this opening comic, we see Grant's butler, Samuels, waiting for their return. 

"Good evening Master Grant... Ah, that is.... Master Moon Knight!" 

"Relax Samuels, I'm Grant now. What have you got there?" 

"A telegram, sir. But it's not actually for you... Ah, that is, it is for you, but it was addressed to Marc Spector." 

"I'll read it to him." 

An interesting exchange. The narration says it was a joke, but you have to remember that the system has yet to declare itself a system and still thinks it is one man trying to use disguises. 

Though with each opening, we get more a distinct introduction on Steven, Marc, and Jake, and even Moon Knight. It's as if Moench is pushing for them to be themselves and Marc is pushing back in denial. 

Steven reads the telegram, which is a coded message addressed to Marc. 

Instantly they blank and clearly dissociate. 

"The man of many names and many pasts does not answer, his eyes glassy, staring at one of those pasts." says the narrator. 

Marc tells Frenchie to prepare for a 'holiday' and heads down into the mansion. 

Here we find Marlene waiting for him. We also see where I have conflicting feelings on Marlene. 

She jokes that she was dreaming of four men while waiting for him. 

"But WHAT a four! First there was this goofy guy named Jake - He made me laugh. Then Marc was your typical darker, no-nonsense type of lover. My favorite, as usual, was dreamboat Steven. But the fourth one, I hae to admit, added a touch of forbidden spice... He was almost like a silver ghost." 

And it makes Marc smile. 

Marlene clearly has a favorite. She's deeply into Steven and wishes that he would just stick with Steven as an identity. She only ever calls him Steven and is always teasing them. 

But now and then she does acknowledge that she is aware of the differences in them. 

At this point, it's easy to defend her and brush it aside. She has never heard of DID, the Moon Knight system is in denial, and they are presenting as one man that is trying to claim a new identity. So of course she wishes he'd just stick with Steven, the normal dreamy guy that likes high class and loves her. 

But there are more and more instances where he will flat out tell her to use a different name and she refuses, only ever calling him Steven. These moments start to make themselves more clear and she still refuses to acknowledge them. 

Her blind love for Steven starts to edge into ableism and abuse. But that's something that comes along a lot later on. 

For now, Marlene is a strong supporter of them. She helps them with their other 'identities', She listens when they break down, and she acts as a grounding tool more than a few times. 

But I digress. That's an argument for another time. 

After Marlene brightens his mood, we see him changing out of the Moon Knight outfit and into Jake's clothes. 

He tells her that they need to head to St. Lucien on vacation. 

"Well, as long as we'll be together -- and alone, Steven..." 

"Not quite alone, Lady, an' call me Jake, now. And not that I don't like Nedda's cookin', but cabbies prefer the chow at the joints like Gena's diner. [...] And her kids, too. Not to mention, Crawley. Grant promised them a vacation for their help against the committee's five hitmen... And Steven Grant, I hear, is a man of his word." 

This is interesting because this is the first time Jake has outright corrected her like this and spoken of his preference for the life he's building on his own. 

It's also worthy to take note that Jake, Steven, and Marc are more and more starting to talk about the other's as separate people. 

They are aware of one another now, or at least becoming more aware of their own identities. 

Can I also take this opportunity to say that Jake's unique accent is most prominent in this issue too? 

"Guess you're lucky the Angel O' Moicy just arrived." - Jake Lockley, a new york cabbie. 

So they hop in a plane and Steven takes them all to St. Lucien. They're put up in a fancy hotel and one of Gena's boys notices something. 

"The Ghetto. They got invisible walls here too, Ray, just like at home. There's only one difference... The color's the same on both sides of the wall." 

in Steven Grant's hotel room, Marlene finds the telegram. 

Image supplied because holy crap: 

"I unpacked your bags, and something tells me you're not going 'sight seeing.'"

"What do you mean?" 

"I mean this wire sent to you, Steven!" 

"Not to me-- It was sent to Spector." 

"It's no longer funny, Steven, but I hope you are joking -- Because if you really think of yourself as two or three or four separate people--" 

"I just forget once in a while, Marlene -- It's a problem, yes, but I'm able to control it..." 

WHOA. WHOA WHOA WHOA. Steven Grant is aware there is a problem. We've just reached awareness. 

AND THE DENIAL. "I'm able to control it." A line put in the MCU said by Marc. 

HMMMMM. HMMMMMMMMMMMMM. 

Back to the story. 

So why are they in this country? Marc has a friend from his time in South America. They were up against a rebel coup and this man apparently saved his life. 

He's now director of police and has called in an owed favor. 

What's interesting is that he introduces Marlene as "My friend and aide." 

It further puts in the idea that Marlene acts more of a guide and grounding tool. 

It would seem Marc's friend has a voodoo problem linked with missing persons. 

There is belief in the poor side of town that someone is using Voodoo to turn people into zombie slaves (this is a legitimate thing that happens in certain cultural beliefs so color me impressed for 1980s writing). 

They discuss the power of belief and using it against people. 

Marc sets out to interview the families of the missing, but Marlene stays behind to ask his friend something. 

"I'd like to ask you something about ste- About Marc. Was he ever really ruthless? A heartless killer?" 

"Yes and no." 

"Marc Spector is a strange man. A man with many sides to him." 

We have to remember that Marlene met Marc as a mercinary that was raiding her father's dig site and aided in the eventual death of her father. 

While Marc did come back and save the other archeologists and fight against Bushman, Marlene has mostly been watching Steven and Jake try to clean up Marc's life. 

While out talking to people, Marc learns there is a leader called "The White Angel" that is kidnapping people. 

He interrupts an attempted kidnapping and saves the people, but the kidnappers get away. 

TIME OUT: Something important comes up here! 

MOON KNIGHT HISTORY: Moon Knight was originally introduced in "Werewolf by Night" where he was hired to kill Jack Russel (the funniest name in the world to give to a werewolf and even funnier when you learn that the person that named him had no idea there was a dog breed called jack russel terriers). 

In his dealings with Jack Russel, Moon Knight was bitten by the werewolf! But, he was somewhat resistant! Rather than turn into a wolfman every full moon, instead he becomes stronger and faster! 

At this point in the Moon Knight story, it's unclear what Khonshu is. As far as the story has said, it's just a statue that may or may not hold the mystical power of an Egyptian Moon God of vengeance. 

So during the full moon, as Moon Knight, he attributes his strength and power to the werewolf virus! 

Now, for a while now, the virus has started to fade and with it, his strength. 

This is really bumming out Moon Knight, making him feel weak and useless. 

During the fight with the kidnappers, he struggles against all the men and he feels the werewolf virus fading. 

So when Marc returns to the hotel, he's in a MOOD. He complains about the werewolf virus leaving him and how soon he'll just be a regular man in a cape. 

It's also making him think about Voodoo. How the poor people are at the mercy of something because they believe in it. 

He and Marlene have a discussion about how 

"Those are just the poor and uneducated, Steven. Others have adapted to modernization - Even prospered under it." 

"Yes, and those are the ones responsible, in part, for the plight of the ones I saw tonight...And the ones I saw tonight are precisely the kind of people Marc Spector never thought twice about. If a campaign meant stamping out a village, tough!" 

"What are you trying to say, Steven?" 

"I don't very much like Marc Spector." 

Uh oh. Now the question is, who is talking here? Is it Steven Grant becoming aware and viewing Marc as just a killer? Or is this Marc voicing how much he hates himself and wishes he was someone else? 

And in the very next page we have Marc, and it is Marc, up to shady business. 

He waits for Gena to go for a swim before he approaches her boys: 

"Listen- I've heard you two talking about people in shantytown. How'd you like to help them? How'd you like to risk your lives by walking in their shoes as targets for the zuvembies in hopes of slamming the lid on a certain voodoo houngan's kidnapping operation?" 

"Yeah, as long as Mama doesn't know." 

MARC. This is why you have no friends in the current runs. The things you do with Lockely's friends that puts them in danger! 

Meanwhile, Frenchie and Crawley are out doing their own thing and stumble on a poppy field being used to make Heroin. They also discover that the White Angel is a white man that owns the plantation. 

Frenchie and Crawley get captured and the two boys also get 'kidnapped' as planned. 

They watch as the White Angel uses drugs to turn the prisoners into zombies and manage to use a radio to contact Moon Knight. 

Moon Knight shows up and fights. Marlene also shows up with the police. Marc's friend gets pinned down by gunfire much the same way Marc was years before and Moon Knight manages to save him just as he was saved. 

They defeat the bad guy and free all the prisoners. 

Back at the hotel we see a pissed Gena telling the boys that they are not to work for Lockley anymore. 

Jake cuts in that the boys were heroes and saved everyone. 

Gena says that they are banned for working for Lockley for at least a whole week. It's hard to say no to Jake. 

Okay so, this was a really interesting issue. We are 6 in and we’re starting to see the system not only become aware, but also imbalanced. 

It also gets into a bit about the power of belief and power imbalance with the poor class. It doesn’t go too heavy on it this time, but you can see the unrest there. 

What’s interesting is that we are starting to see Steven also getting more power and opinions on Marc. Also a power imbalance? 

And because I’m me, I did my reviews backwards and started with the end of the run then jumped to the beginning. So we already know that at the end when Marc is at his most vulnerable with his father’s death, Steven steps up to help him and protect him. But at this point, we get disgruntled Steven and he’s about to go off. 

Raise a glass to classy Steven everyone. He’s a real pistol people and I’m excited to show you him! 

We’re leading up to a serious system meltdown and it is heartfelt. 

[jeanzoriley-cod]

Uh, I was reading at a college level when I was in third grade.

I do this weird thing where I can sing along with a song, even if I've never heard it before.

@las-almas-border-patrol @backseatsoldier @b1gm0n3yb1gg3rc4n3

@ask-roachsanderson

(screw it what's a fun fact about yourself also @ people I'll go first I'm allergic to myself

@escapetheslaughter

@ugly-astral-taurus

@bees-official

@gremlininthedark

@bloodmoon-da-idiot

@multifandomcutie13 )

[jeanzoriley-cod]

(Hey, dears. I have had a death in the family. I’m going to take a day or two to mourn with my family. I’m sorry to poof away again, but I hope you all understand. Please keep sending asks and the like. I love you all and I’ll be back in a day or two. 💜 -Gena Talks)

[inklores]

miguel o'hara── a study in security

it's really funny how most of my finals this quarter have me reading so many pieces that relate with the fics i'm writing and the characters i have brainrot over. i'm reading chapter 6 of eva illouz's book, "why love hurts," and the section about how love and security can't always co-exist hit me... because that is exactly how miguel o'hara regulates his life and shapes his influence within the spider-society.

"Security is often seen as incompatible with passion, or even as leading to its demise. But I would argue that this need for “security” and/or for “adventure” is not an invariant constituent of the psyche; or if it is, then security and adventure take on changing shapes in different cultural structures. They are also outcomes of the social organization of the psyche. Security derives from the capacity to control and to predict one’s environment; adventure, by contrast, derives from feeling challenged, either in one’s social identity or in the ways in which one knows how to do things." (Illouz, 219).

rewatching atsv and i notice just how locked and authoritative miguel runs his facility. micromanaged down to the knick-knacks hobie swipes. the differences in lighting and color theory with how miles & the gang associate with different spider-people, being lit in white and warm shades... then we meet miguel and he is in pitch dark with reddish and deep blue undertones. his character design is similar to the spot, where the sketch design is still visible amidst the rendering and coloring. this color palette carries with him and it sucks all his interactions in with it. from berating gwen after miles escapes to watching archival footage of his daughter, it's so deeply rooted that breaking out of that sphere will quite literally destroy what little he already has left and what he managed to preserve.

the man is STRESSED. we see that from his design to his dialogue. he believes he is single-handedly keeping the multiverse together and he expresses it multiple times. he thinks he can't have comfort and duty at the same time, believing that is what it means to be spider-man. it takes away his humor too, pointed out by peter b. when he says all spider-men are supposed to be funny. the only time he really shows any sort of wit is when he interacts with lyla and maybe jess, but even then, it's so dry and sarcastic. (save his interaction with baby mayday bc that man is also a father.)

but he's "okay" with this great responsibility. this is his security because it's what he's able to control when once, he wasn't able to control anything and it left him so badly wounded that it isolated any possibility of change or evolution for the order of things. when miles left, he shouted, "ALL HE HAD TO DO WAS LISTEN!" and then a softer, almost baffled and frustrated, "why didn't he listen...?"

illouz talks about how visual stimulations or even the presence of something we can hear or see can shape or crush the way we look at ourselves.

Research on the impact of media images on how individuals perceive their bodies suggests that images of perfect bodies have negative effects on self-esteem and self-concept because watching these images suggests to people both that others can achieve them more easily (competitiveness) and that others view them as important (normative legitimacy). Media images thus become a source of disappointment through the implicit mediation of what we think they say about others’ expectations of us and about their achievements compared to ours. Widespread images of love may instill ideas that others achieve love when we do not, and that achieving love is normatively important for successful life. (Illouz, 220).

hobie mentioned it before we officially meet miguel. he says miles seemingly has it alright with his parents and stable family life. and someone like miguel, who keeps a watchful eye over everything that goes on with spidermen, knows that. and he's jealous of it, i would argue. he believes as spider-man, there is a required sacrifice or weight of loss to carry.

while it is a very recurring trope with every iteration of spider-man that's been watched or read, miles has felt loss and loneliness. but he hasn't felt it in the way miguel has because what miguel went through is so singular and unique to him. the only ones who may understand what that would feel like would be gwen or even pav, seeing their dimension and/or livelihood beginning to crumble.

but miles has everything... and is also spider-man and i just know that burns miguel. it's not what he believes should be the order of the "spider-man journey," even though happiness and responsibility can and has worked together. example, peter b. and his daughter.

it's inconceivable for miguel to think something or someone can deny him or run the other way. because everyone is primed to understand that it's his way or quite literally, the destruction of everything. nobody can suggest another way. nobody can say no. aside from the doomsday vibes, miguel is also objectively scary when he’s genuinely angry. not even irritated or annoyed. irate. he’s also colossal. he’s mr. property damage. this need for control and this ability to maintain it under his thumb fuels his antagonistic relationship with anomalies or things he sees as a threat to his security. he doesn't like to be challenged, he likes to be listened to because he knows how the multiverse works and what can come out of it if even a single spider-person has a foot out of line.

and with all the hints left over at the end of the film of how miguel may be wrong, that there is a way to fix the multiverse while protecting the people they love, there will be some serious fractures to his security and everything will open up once again.

[jeanzoriley-cod]

((I'm turning anon off for a day at least. I'm not in the best mental state and the hate anons aren't helping. After a day I will turn them back on. -Gena talks))

[inklores]

i need an atsv fic based on this one particular episode of modern family

[drifting-pieces-blog-blog]

Breaking down the Comics: Writing a legend, building a history.

Today we aren't reviewing an issue of Moon Knight. Today we are going to talk about something important.

So who wrote Moon Knight?

"Easy!", you might say. "Doug Moench!"

Sure. But you'd be surprised to find that it's not as much as you'd think.

Doug Moench wrote issues 1-15, 17-26, 28-33.

He returns in 1998 for a 4 issue mini seires Vol 3 "Resurrection Wars" which revives Marc Spector, who had been killed off in the previous volume.

He continues in 1999 with Vol 4, another 4 issue mini series "High Strangers/Strangeness" which won an award for favorite limited series.

He also wrote werewolf by Night, which gave us the first iteration of Moon Knight. An instantly popular character that made appearances in other comics like "The Hulk" before he was given his own comic.

He had time to work on the designs with Bill Sienkiewicz. They built up the weapons, the costume, the cab, and the copter.

He also built up the side characters of Gena, Gena's two boys, Crawley, Frenchie, Detective Flint, and Marlene.

He set the ground rules:

Moon Knight system is Jewish.

Marc, Jake, and Steven are a part of a system and are not one man pretending to be someone else

Jake is the one that is friendly and loves being with the people.

Steven is posh, collected, and takes care of things.

Marc is the one with experience, has the skills needed to get things done, and holds all the pain.

They are former Mercenaries who did terrible things and have deep guilt.

Khonshu resurrected them to act as Moon Knight

They strive to protect any who would come to them for help that perhaps might not get it elsewhere

I would even argue that he was building up to the fact that Moon Knight himself was his own form of alter but it has since been glossed over and replaced with the idea that Marc is most often the one under the mask.

Pretty simple rules to follow to make it a Moon Knight comics, but you'd be surprised what some writers have done with it.

These comics were written long before DID was acknowledged and the different forms of PTSD and Dissociation were defined.

And yet, here we stand with a traumazied man from Chicago slowly working through a freshly cognizant system and trying to figure out how three (four) people can work together towards not just a life, but life as a superhero who wants to help people.

Further more, an odd thing happened in this.

We had a comic that often focused more on mental health than on super powers, heroics, or villains.

More often than not, we watched Marc, Jake, and Steven struggle with themselves and one another. We watched stories unfold from the villain's point of view, often just being ordinary people pushed too far by a system that failed them.

More so, we watched Moon Knight sympathise with these villains.

How often he let them walk away or he let them kill their abusers, wondering if he was doing wrong himself.

How can he help when sometimes the help he offers is not what is needed?

We even watched him fail. We saw him lose his temper and cause damage. We saw him curl into a ball and break. We saw him get lost in his own nightmares and dissociative fuges.

Moench stepped forward and often handled current events with raw emotion. We saw his characters cry over the loss of public iconic figures. We watched people struggling as they returned from war. We saw child abuse and poverty. We watched economic struggles with classism and we watched people struggle to deal with grief.

We even watched them deal with antisemitism over and over again. How many times were the victims of his stories Jewish and trying to survive in America? What about the story that took place with the mass shooting in the Synagoug? We heard stories of Generational trauma as elders struggled with survival after the Holocaust.

Moon Knight was a unique comic unlike any other I've ever come across. For it's time and for it's topics at the time. What's more, this comic continued.

It was no 'special of the week' comic and spanned multiple years as they grew.

What do we know about Moench? Who did he write this comic for?

The Moon Knight in the Were Wolf by Night certainly didn't have all this depth. He was just a man dressed in silver, fighting a monster and ultimately choosing the side of the monster.

Moench himself was from Chicago. He knew what it was like to live in the city and see the fall of factories and hard times on the streets. We know he witnessed the times of Vietnam veterans being forgotten and abused. He witnessed a lot of changes happening in the world and the places he was writing about.

He wrote about what spoke to him and what he saw around him.

And in his stories, there often were no clear heroes, winners, or villains.

But there was one issue that he chose to add into this comic that was already filled with so many things that other comics avoided.

Moon Knight wasn't written as Jewish in that one shot cameo. He wasn't written with DID either, but I'll get to that.

There are interviews of Doug admitting that "I didn't say, 'I'm going to sit down and create a Jewish character.'"

In fact, he picked a name and later found out it was a Jewish name. This made him do research. Not just into Judaism, but into the areas that Marc Spector fought in and where his family came from.

Do you have any idea how many writers of that time and our current time simply slap the label of "Jewish" on a character and refuse to actually look into what makes them Jewish?

I can't say how much he researched and how much he got wrong or right, but I do know that when he did choose to dive into topics that touched on certain issues, he handled them with a grace that is often overlooked.

The writer that came after Moench? Alan Zelenetz, a former Jewish day school principal from Brooklyn.

Zelenetz had been acting as an editor for a bit before he took a look at Moench's early start.

And it was in Issue 37 and 38 where we get the real backstory of Marc Spector. A man running from his Rabbi father.

Marc now became the son of an Orthodox Rabbi who had been forced to flee Czechoslovakia after the Nazi invasion.

Here, we get the story of Marc running to the Marines. Running to the mercenaries, and running from home. Perhaps even, running from G-d.

Zelenetz wanted to lean into the Jewish past and Jewish story. He explored themes of using a holy book to create a villain while playing with Jewish myths. He also explored Antisemitism without toning it down or hiding it under comic bookish villainy. He portrayed Moon Knight facing white supremacist vandalizing a Jewish Cemetery. He showed Moon Knight saving the Torah from a Synagogue fire. He also showed a strained relationship and the question of Moon Knight finding his own relationship in what he does with his father's views.

Alan Zelenetz edited/wrote shorts for issues 18, 21–22, 27, 32, Then wrote the whole story for issues 36–38.

Zelenetz voiced that he was looking to add some Jewish representation into his workforce and perhaps into the comic industry at the time. Considering his background, perhaps he was the only one at the time that had the proper knowledge to play with things the way that he did in the story of Elias Spector's death and Marc Spector's pain.

He did not stick around with Moon Knight for long after. Though, he admits that he wanted to play with the fact that Khonshu was an Egyptian god and Marc was from such a Jewish background. I am sad we didn't get to see that story.

After that, Moon Knight's original 1980s run was finished. The question of what to do with Moon Knight, where to take him, and who would take up the mantle of writing him now lay in the hands of Marvel.

Many failed after this. They failed to keep the heart of what Moon Knight stood for and who Moon Knight was. His Jewishness was forgotten and his mental health became a joke.

Not to say all of them failed. There are a few shining stars that gleamed in the darkness and I like to think that it was these moments that kept Moon Knight going all these years.

Moench didn't set out to write a story about mental health, and yet his approach is the most real I've seen. Hardly a shining picture of perfect representation, there is still something there in watching the character almost seem to push back against the unintended desire to push him into a corner.

No matter how often Jake and Steven and Moon Knight were seen as Marc pretending to be someone else, there was always ALWAYS that correction. Always that push back.

Call it the writer's curse of characters misbehaving and taking on a life of their own, but perhaps there was something more there. Perhaps he felt the weight of time and cry of the suppressed and overlooked.

So many of his stories danced the line of "I can't say it because it will get edited out by the big wigs at Marvel, but if you would just look... Just look over here for just a moment..."

And years upon years later, a writer did see the whispers there and said "I see the story of pain. I see the cry of mental health." Lemire told the story that Moench couldn't and from that, we are still pushing forward with McKay.

And more, perhaps we will see the Jewish story that hides in all that also get a spotlight again.

In the era of big battles, cross-over events, explosions, and super villains cackling about domination... I still look back at Stained Glass Scarlet, The Druid, the Music Box, And Colloquy.

As I finish the original 1980s run, I brace myself to dive into what comes next.

I think I'm trying to find where and how the original run ventured so far into the dark and insulting territory it did and the journey back into a revival that now means so much to so many.

In a way, perhaps it mirrors a journey into our own mental health. How easy it is to become lost in what everyone around you tells you that you are and how you are supposed to be until your own doubt sets in to drown you. Perhaps it is the journey of Moon Knight's character emerging from this to find a path to healing that is what kept us here so long.

[jeanzoriley-cod]

I love you Vi! I'm back now and in a better mind space. -Gena

what the fuck is wrong with y’all? honestly. to every anon who keeps sending hate, rape, homophobic, transphobic, etc. asks to the askbogs, what the fuck man? seriously, are you so much of a child that you can’t keep every thought that goes on inside that small brain of yours to yourself? this is the 21st century, realize the times you’re living in and grow the fuck up. fucking twats. i’m genuinely so sad that @jeanzoriley-cod had to step back. y’all make me so fucking pissed, dude.

-vi

[whumpsday]

Whumpmas in July #7

Post a link to your favorite whump fic of all time!

so once again, i want to avoid saying the same thing i've said in previous years, and i've already talked about a lot of my favorite whump fics for WIJ before since this same prompt was used last year!

here is my post from last year, with a bunch of my favorite whump fics of all time. those fics include:

Dollhouse by @sowhumpshaped

Hazeshift by @whumpwillow

Magnanimous Moonrise & Savage Sunset by @not-a-space-alien

Of Vampires and Men by @whumpy-writings

Riot Kings by @befuddled-calico-whump

The Dark Side of the Sun by @quietly-by-myself

The Monster of Lindborough by @secretwhumplair

Things End | People Change by @whumpcloud

Tomas and Rowe by @whumpzone

you can find links to and summaries of those in the post linked above. here's 5 more of my favorite whump fics!

🔥 Bahkauv by @deluxewhump - Three friends traveling to the city stop off at a hunters camp to purchase a vampire for one of them to research at the university he will be attending. They purchase something a little different instead. (monster/vampire-adjacent whumpee, rescue/recovery, caretaker new master, burns, torture)

🧙‍♀️ Demon's Haven by @whumpwillow - Summoning demons for requests with a price far less expensive than one’s undying soul is common practice for witches, especially those who practice dark magic. Haven just wants to unlock a grimoire she found with the help of demonic magic, yet she ends up not in a battle of wits and wills but comforting a tortured and traumatized demon. (demon whumpee, rescue/recovery, desperate begging whumpee, accidental whump, caretaking)

💔 Shattered by @oddsconvert - Years of being held captive, under the vampires brutal persusasion has finally broken Declan, shattered his mind. Not living but not quite dead, paralysed in a comatose-like state. Vince decides his once delicious bloodbag has finally reached its end, selling it during it’s final few days. When August sees the advert for the dying human, he knows what he must do. Taking on the responsibility of nursing Declan back to health - though he is woefully unprepared for just how deep and severe the damage is and the hardships that will arise whilst tackling it. (vampire whumper, vampire caretaker, rescue/recovery, caretaker new master, recovery from mind control)

🧟‍♀️ Part of You by @sowhumpshaped - I’ve been thinking about it a lot. About whether I could do it. At the end of the day, there’s really no other alternative. Gena is my responsibility, and I’ll do everything to keep her safe and fed. (undead whumpee, cannibalism, lab whump, gore/dismemberment, tragedy)

⚰️ Another Path (BG3 fanfic) by @asidian - Astarion has spent two hundred years waiting for a hero to come. It isn't the foolish sort of idle dreaming that one reads about in adventure tales, no – he doesn't moon about in picturesque arched windows, pressing his hand to his chest and sighing. But he does hope sometimes, furtive and distantly yearning, in the same way he still prays to gods who never listen, every now and again. (vampire whumpee, rescue/recovery, starvation, caretaking, whumpee x caretaker)

@whumpmasinjuly

[johnprice-asks]

Cap'n since I'm on medical break cause o' tha' stupid cocky arse recruit, can I chill in yer office for a bit an' just paint in silence? I won't bother ye, I just can't get any peace an' quiet right now an' I feel like my brain is goin' ta explode. *She looked like she was a minute from being completely overstimulated as just breaking* ((Gena talks- Not me projecting my entire overstimulated day on Jeanz.))

Come in, Come in, lass. Ya’ always welcome to sit im my office if you need it.

[shelbeetaylor]

Character Introductions (Part 2)

-> story masterpost

moodboard by @singingslayingsoprano

Genevieve Santira

Most of her life, people have only called her Genevieve, but Evie’s calling her Gena has begun to stick.

Genevieve uses she/her pronouns.

Genevieve is 20 years old at the beginning of the story, and her birthday is on May 16 which would make her a Taurus.

Genevieve is known as the Crown Princess’s maidservant to those outside the palace, but those inside know her as one of Cassandra’s best friends.

Likes: working with her hands like sewing and embroidery, helping her father in the smithy, and taking care of her friends

Dislikes: playing mother to the chaotic individuals she happens to be friends with, her inability to read or write, and Cassandra only when the princess doesn’t listen to her

Genevieve often frequents the taverns of Vale Serine not to drink but to listen to the songs played by the traveling bards. Since she cannot read or write, the lyrics of the nomadic musicians provide her with stories she wouldn’t be able to know of otherwise.

If Genevieve lived in our world, her playlists would probably be filled with songs by artists like Rihanna, Selena Gomez, and SZA.

Genevieve, though quite confident in her ability to perform her job adequately, she struggles a lot with her life at home. Her parents were forced into marriage and out of their village after having her brother--who she hates talking about-- out of wedlock. Genevieve was very young when her brother disappeared, and her home life took a turn for the worse. Now she relies on her time away at work and the adventures Cassandra drags her on to grant her reprieve.

Face Claim: Angel Coulby as Guinevere in BBC Merlin

moodboard by @singingslayingsoprano

Wesley Moonbourne

A lot of people often refer to him as Wesley, but Evie has deemed it more appropriate to call him Wes.

Wesley uses he/him pronouns.

Wesley is 20 years old at the beginning of the story, and his birthday is on October 14 which would make him a Libra.

Currently, Wesley holds no official title, but by training in Vale Serine under the instruction of Theo he hopes to earn himself a spot as one of the knights of Nevernia.

Likes: dogs, hunting, and playing chess

Dislikes: feeling like he doesn’t belong, Evie feeling bad, and being without his dog Ranger

Wesley grew up in the outskirts of Bellbury, a city surrounded by farmland, so one of his odd interests is agriculture. Most of his days in Bellbury were spent voluntarily helping around the nearby farms, much to his family’s chagrin. If Wesley wasn’t able to become a knight, his dream would be to move out into the countryside and live on a farm with his animals, his dog Ranger, and the love of his life.

If Wesley lived in our world, he would listen to a variety older music like songs by Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley, and The Beatles.

Wesley, having just moved to Vale Serine, is really struggling with trying to fit in. He wants to be accepted by the knights and especially by his idol, his cousin Theo, and he’s trying his best to become friends with them whether it’s by acting cool or sneaking along on their adventures. Hopefully his newfound friendship with Princess Evie will lead him in the right direction.

Face Claim: Noah Beck

moodboard by @singingslayingsoprano

Terran Willows

People usually just call him Terran, but the knights are also partial to Terr-man or giving him briefly-used, more colorful monikers… Sir Enoch’s favorite at the moment is Bog Man.

Terran uses he/him pronouns.

Terran is 20 years old at the beginning of the story, and his birthday is on June 20 which would make him a Gemini.

Terran is currently studying as an apprentice to Galen, the Court Physician, and he has been working under Galen for about five years.

Likes: his mother’s yearly visits, reading, and practicing magic in his room

Dislikes: Galen’s intense exams, getting scared, and Galen’s overprotective rules about magic and going out

In the spirit of helping people, Terran dedicates as much of his time and energy into improving the lives of others. While he is working towards becoming a physician full-time, Terran volunteers around Vale Serine helping those who need it. Sometimes the knights will even tag along to help and protect him, especially if he’s making a trip into places like Serine’s Hope to hand out food, provide free medical care, or distribute clothes.

If Terran lived in our world, he would definitely be a big fan of Maude Latour, but he would listen to mostly folk music like Hozier, Lord Huron, and Noah Kahan.

While Terran is quite proud of who he is as a person, there is still a lot of turmoil inside his head about it. He grew up in the outlying villages of Nevernia where it isn’t uncommon to see friends string up friends for being queer or possessing magic. Terran managed to escape that environment with his secrets intact, but the inner demons spawned in that hell have followed him to the big city, though he’s lucky to have Galen there reminding Terran every so often that he is not a monster for the way he was born.

Face Claim: Colin Morgan as Merlin in BBC Merlin