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mskatesharma · 3 years ago

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You are right and you should say it (re Anthony)

There is a really weird gatekeeping attitude in the fandom where you can’t criticise Anthony, or he can do no wrong.

I love Anthony; he’s a great character, and I do think he is better overall on the show, plus nothing he does is irredeemable and is understandable to some extent given his trauma, BUT HE SHOULD HAVE APOLOGISED. There should have been an apology to Edwina, yes she missed the warning signs, but he let her believe what she wanted to just to get his way and only confirmed he didn’t love her after she’d already ran away from the altar? How is that ok?

And I know some people say Kate is to blame for forcing Anthony to still marry Edwina, but he was the one who got them in that mess, he should never have proposed, and yes he admits that, but he never admits it to Kate, and he never explains himself about the proposal to Kate either.

This fandom has always been weird about criticising Anthony (and I haven’t exactly been shy about it in the past). Like, even talking about the fact that he's a dick in the book is apparently somewhat controversial. It's an historical romance novel, the hero being a prick isn't exactly unique is it? And in season one of the show? Jfc, people talk about how well Jonny understands Anthony, and if he of all people can accept that Anthony was a toxic ass in season one, I don't see why everyone else in the fandom struggles to understand that as well.

Knowing and exploring Anthony's trauma and grief gives a better understanding to his character, adds depth to his motivations and actions, but it does not excuse him when those actions are shitty and end up hurting people. It really isn't that difficult of a concept to grasp, and yet this fandom insists on being stupid.

An apology was the very least he owed to both Kate and Edwina, it's obvious no? I think we all know why Edwina should have one? He led her on. Yes he told her he couldn't give her passion, and he talked about duty, and she acknowledged that, but he also never corrected her whenever she talked about love in front of him, like at the lake in episode five, or when the Queen called them a true love match. He never spoke to Edwina privately and spelled out that he wouldn't love her; that it never was or would be about love for him. It’s like you said, how is it okay that he only makes her understand his intentions AFTER she’s ran from the alter because she finally sees how he looks at her sister? And he knows that she feels something for him, it should be obvious. This is an experienced man, and he sets out to charm Edwina; Edwina who is naive, young and innocent, and clearly has a crush on him, and he courts her HARD. Obviously, it's only ever a front that he presents her with, but that's still what she falls for. Tbh, I get so irritated with his reaction/hurt at Edwina's dirty looks towards him in episode seven, because how is he surprised that she had feelings for him? That she's angry at him? It makes him look so stupid.

(I’ve talked about Kate here.)

Also, do you ever think about the fact that Anthony was the person with the most agency in this whole situation, and yet still, most of the blame is placed on either Kate and/or Edwina. Okay, yes Edwina kept going on about how Anthony was the only one that she wanted, and the only real point of action available to Kate was to tell Edwina how she felt about Anthony, and the fact that they were mouth breathing real close to each other, but Anthony had so many options and choices available to him, and still he kept them on this path? Anthony is the man in this situation, he’s the one with rank, a title and money in this situation, he literally holds all? at least most of the power in this whole mess, and yet he still gets off so lightly.

He was the one who could have called off the engagement. He was the one who could have not proposed to Edwina. He was the one who could have not pursued Edwina in the first place, or stopped once he realised he was getting no where or that he couldn’t give her what she wanted or deserved. He was the one who could have made clear on multiple occasions that he would never love Edwina, and he did not plan to, to the woman in question. Yes Kate asked him to continue with the engagement after the dinner with the Sheffields, but that he actually went through with it? That’s still on him. He knew that whatever he felt for Kate would not just pass, that it wasn’t mere passion, and yet still he continues down that road despite knowing it’s unfair on Edwina. Kate could only ASK him to continue; he was the one with the power to actually follow through or not.

And you’re absolutely right, he never explains to Kate why he proposed to Edwina. And in all her pontificating in episode six, or even seven, Edwina never asks him or wonders why he proposed, or continued with the engagement in the first place. The two people who deserved explanations and apologies...and he doesn’t tell them shit. The only people he expresses any sort of regret or apology to are Violet and Mary...and I don't mean to be rude, but they're not the ones that really matter here are they?

#ask #anon #anthony bridgerton #kathony #kanthony #kate x anthony #anthony x kate #kate sharma #THE WRITING THIS SEASON WAS INCREDIBLY LACKING

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tma-ficrec · 4 years ago

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Five All Time Mod Recs

To start off this blog, we decided to submit ourselves to the mortifying ordeal of being known and show y’all our TMA top fic recs!

These are fics of very different premises and categories that stayed with us and soothed our souls. Feel free to ask for more recs (or more specific stuff) because we’re definitely not done. Enjoy!

Mod Ami:

Statement Ends by @martivist 4k words. Jonmartin. Angst. Post-canon AU. Ending Speculation. Lore speculation. S5 AU.

"Final statement of Jonathan Sims. The Archivist. Statement given… I think it’s June? We haven’t done very well counting time since the days stopped. Summer 2019, call it that. Statement begins.

We’ve found a way to send them back where they came from. All of them."

Forty-some years after the apocalypse abruptly ends, the final acts of Jonathan Sims and Martin Blackwood come to light.

Mod note: This fic... goddamit this fic. I read it halfway through s5 and I genuinely think this is one of the best endings the show could have had. It hit all the points Jonny made and then some. This fic is pain, yes, but the best kind.

Ninety Feet To Home by @judesstfrancis 33k words. Jonmartin. No Powers AU. Baseball Players AU. Fluff. Pining.

Jon isn’t really Martin Blackwood’s biggest fan. And he knows it’s a him problem, because it’s not like Blackwood is a terrible person or like he loses on purposes just to ruin Jon’s life, but he can’t help it. In his defense, if you were on a hot streak and the same person kept coming in and ruining it for you every single time, you'd harbor a bit of resentment towards them, too.

Mod note: I’m so obsessed with this AU that I broke my vow of not making fanart for TMA and made fanart of it. Yeah. Sue me. It’s the perfect levels of pining, ridiculousness and it brought me (an argentinian whose only baseball reference is the HSM musical number) tremendous joy. As the us-statians would say: home fucking run. ALSO, MARTIN BLACKWOOD IS LATINOOOOO.

Maybe not the stuff of legend by imperfectcircle. 14k words. Jonmartin. Post-canon AU. S5 AU. Ending Speculation. Lore speculation. Angst with a Happy Ending.

Martin forgets slowly at first, and then all at once. One moment he's grasping at memories, desperate without knowing why to retain even a single image of an angry, scarred stranger saying incomprehensible things about eyes, and the next, nothing. He can't even remember what had him so anxious just now. A car alarm, probably, or a dog barking in the distance. He's always startled easily.

Mod note: I still quote it to myself from time to time. ‘’Martin, you ate the megalodon’’ makes me giggle and also terribly sad. This is an excellent way of exploring entities lore, as well as grief and hope.

the garden of forking paths by @bibliocratic. 49k words. Jonmartin. Post-canon AU. Ending Speculation. Angst with a Happy Ending. Use of Spiral Doors.

Whatever he had predicted might happen, Jon wasn't expecting to survive upon demolishing the Panopticon. He certainly wasn't expecting to be rescued.

Instead, he wakes up in an alternative universe where he's never been the Archivist, and Martin Blackwood doesn't exist.

Martin Blackwood wakes up somewhere else entirely.

Mod note: I’m argentinian and the major element in this story is a Borgues book. OF COURSE IT’S HERE. This fic is an absolute ride and so so so beautiful - multiple universes and Jon and Martin doing the same thing over and over and over again, with hope of finding each other.

Family, Found by Dribbledscribbles. Gen fic. 9k words. S4 Divergent. Canon Divergence.

It’s Basira who catches onto it.

The collective shift that seems to come over them when heading in or out of the Institute. Not just the oppressive sensation of being observed, their every move catalogued for the voyeuristic cravings of some unseen Eye(s). That feeling remained with them even when they left the Institute these days, but it was always stronger inside its walls. That wasn’t the change. Nor was it the point.

The point was: making life worse for Jonathan Sims.

Mod note: Do you want to hit the Eye? Do you want all the Entities’s plans to be twarted by the power of found family? Do you want everyone who blamed Jon for everything in S4 to sit down and apologise? This is your fic.

Mod Ebby:

the apple of the eye by gocrazygostupid. 2.8k words. Fluff. Lore speculation.

TELL ME, ARCHIVIST

WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE SONG?

i'm not sure. i don't really get the chance to listen to music

if i told you, what would you do with it?

Mod note: I am absolutely weak towards any fic that gives the Entities some form of sentience, no matter what canon said. Especially when these interactions are so surprisingly soft.

I WOULD PLAY IT

I WOULD LISTEN

in the chillest land and on the strangest sea by imperfectcircle and raven (singlecrow). 19k words. S4 Divergent. Canon divergence, in the space between 159-160

Jon remembers a statement he read years ago given by a Jesuit priest, who said that the shortest prayer he knew was, just, fuck it, as in fuck it; it's in God's hands. He takes Daisy's hand and trails on after her.

or; hope is a thing with feathers.

Mod note: Everytime I read this fic, I end up at least a little teary eyed. It’s not exactly happy, more bittersweet, considering, but I still love it.

Come Love This World (Come Hate It, Too) by cedarbranch. 3.3k words. Character Study, fluff and angst, spans s1-5. Canon Compliant.

Jon never liked poetry, until Martin.

Mod note: Yes I am picking fics that personally came for my heart one way or another, not much else to say, besides that “it feels like loving you” haunts me still to this day, in a good way.

i love you, i'm glad i exist by kissyourlocalmoth. 1.7k words. Scottish safehouse period. Fluff. Established relationship.

Martin was thinking of a poem. It’s name sat on the tip of his tongue, aching to get out. It was a lovely one, too: something about how life felt easy now, at peace; how the small things felt like everything, a poem about… the importance of the little moments. These last few days had been like that, he thought. He couldn’t stop smiling to himself recently, and even Jon teased him about it sometimes, though he was hardly less giddy. He thought of the immense joy the little things brought him now, the mugs of tea they made for each other, how he would lay in their bed late at night staring at the ceiling, his love nestled against his chest, overflowing with so much contentment and fondness he did not know what to make of himself.

Mod note: Short and sweet, it was the first time I read that particular poem, and now it’s forever intertwined in my head with little scenes of jon and martin in the scottish safehouse before 160 happens.

exit wound by autoclaves. 3.1k words. Post-canon AU. Ending speculation.

Suppose there is a house on a hilltop. Suppose there is a story. There is always a story, and every universe is always expanding.

Mod note: I would’ve liked to tag this more, but it would probably spoil the twist it has. Reading back on it, the narration reminds me of the statement from 196, which I find fitting and a funny coincidence, considering.

#the tags used for each fic are tags we plan to use in the future #authors: feel free to ask us to untag you if you wish!#mod rec #fic rec #tma #magnuspod #the magnus archives #fanfiction #fic rec list #the fanfiction archives #list: mod rec #tag: jonmartin #tag: post canon

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schrijverr · 4 years ago

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The Great Whale Fight of 326,501

Some of the crew doesn’t believe that whales exists, when this comes to light a fight starts between the two sides, ending in flat-planeters and fun Tshirts.

On AO3.

Ships: none

warnings: none, but tell me if I missed anything or if you want me to tag something!!

I blame @assyer for this whole fic and will deny any responsibility in the creation or origin of this fic.

~~~~~~~~~~~

A whale.

It is a normal animal that most on this earth are familiar with. Hardly anyone has seen one in real life, but almost no one has never heard the word.

But the mechanisms are not from this world, except for Tim, who will tear his own hair out if you mention a whale in his presence.

Tim does not hate whales, of course he doesn’t. Whales are great, sweet animals that he cannot picture in his mind because they’re so big. Tim used to love whales. Used to until the Great Whale Fight of 326,501.

It had all started with Brian getting fished out of the sun. He had been there for a few centuries while the other were exploring the rest of space until the narrative would let them near Camelot again.

When Brain was out of the sun The Toy Soldier asked concerned: “Are You Alright, Old Chap? Not Too Lonely In The Sun?”

“No, no, I had the whales to keep me company.” Brian answered.

“Brian, are you delirious? Is your mechanism failing?” Jonny slapped his face, trying to snap him out of whatever daze he was in, “We both know whales aren’t real.”

“According to my books whales are gigantic seas creatures native to the planet earth documented during the human era.” Ivy told Jonny.

“Of course there are whales, they were in the books.” Tim backed Ivy up.

“Books are rubbish and full of myths, you can’t trust them. Whales aren’t real and even if they were they’re apparently sea creatures, not sun creatures.” Jonny said.

“No, they were there, in the sun. They had puppy eyes, very sweet.” Brian insisted.

“Yeah, okay, Brian is broken. Where is Nastya?” Jonny let go of the lapels of Brians coat, how it had survived he did not know, as the drumbot fell back to the floor.

“I’m here.” Nastya replied distantly from where she was standing at the observation deck, desperately looking to the sun.

“What the fuck are you doing?” Jonny asked.

“Trying to see one of the whales. I miss whales.” Nastya replied.

“I just said they aren’t real.” Jonny threw his hands up.

“And since when do you get to decide that?” Tim asked, “You are not really the one I would go to for facts. Whales are real.”

“I’m with Tim here.” Ivy said.

“Hey! When I showed up and said whales were my favourite animals you all didn’t want to believe me, but now we’re defending them?” Marius exclaimed.

“Because it was funny, Marius.” Tim replied, “Besides, whales don’t prove you’re a doctor.”

“I didn’t even say that!” Marius’ yell was ignored.

“I don’t think whales are real.” Ashes said, picking a side despite not having an opinion just for the chaos of it.

“Yeah there are.” Nastya frowned, “There are space whales and water whales. I saw them when you left me after I sunk on that one planet.”

“You mean that time on earth, before any interesting evolution had happened?” Jonny asked, “That was ages ago, you probably don’t remember it right.”

“Exactly, whales aren’t real. They’re made up by not real scientists.” Raphaella mixed herself into the conversation as well.

“See, the scientist agrees. I’m right.” Jonny said smugly.

“You never believe Raphaella, why are you starting now?” Marius protested.

“Because you believe her, so why not now, von Raum? Wanna explain that?” and Marius wanted nothing more than to punch Jonny in the face, especially when Raph send him an inquisitive look and Ashes grinned: “Yeah, Marius, why won’t you explain that one?”

He clenched his fist and then just went for it, sucker punching Jonny right in the face with his metal hand, enjoying the crunching noise his jaw made.

“Whale side started!” Ashes yelled, before charging at Marius.

After that it was every man for himself. Ashes was chocking Marius while Tim was trying to fend off Raphaellas wings, while Ivy was trying to save herself from Jonnys attacks, who was getting help from TS after a quick order. Brian laid forgotten on the floor, still trying to heal, and Nastya smartly heaved herself up into a vent before anyone could drag her into it.

There was no clear winner, even after the whole thing had dragged on for three full days, so each side declared themselves the winners.

In the following days there was no fraternization between them. If before you were friends with someone who did or did not believe in whales, depending on which side you were on, now you weren’t.

Raphaella and Marius no longer did science together, Brian and Ivy were no longer invited to The Toy Soldiers tea party and Jonny was giving Nastya the cold shoulder, while Ashes refused to play cards with Tim.

This went on for a long while, about four months, but it was getting annoying, so Jonny knew that he would have to stoke the fire before it ended.

Taking inspiration from Ulysses he proposed a truce by giving Nastya and Brian both the same shirt that read: ‘I was lefd on a plannet end al I saw was a wale’

The two in question were ecstatic, both with the shirt and a reason to leave the fight that had broken out. Brian didn’t like fighting and Nastya just didn’t care enough, she only wanted to see some more whales. Brian was easily convinced to fly closely past a sun in an attempt to spot them.

Ivy, however, was not at all amused at the shirts. When she saw the two wearing them, she immediately found Jonny and yelled: “A sun is not a planet and there are no whales in the sun!”

“Why not, it’s also flat and in space?” Jonny shrugged, “Besides, Brian and Nastya seem to think otherwise. Thought they were on your side?”

“They were, uh, they are!” Ivy said defensively, “You’re just trying to win them over.”

“And I feel that is going pretty well.” Jonny stuck out his tongue.

“Wait, Jonny, did you just say that suns are flat like planets?” Marius asked, from where he was sitting on the couch. Beside him Ashes smelled Jonnys bullshit they and innocently said: “Yeah, duh, who doesn’t know that?”

Marius gaped like a fish and looked like he was about to explode as Ivy screamed: “We literally fly past planets every fucking day! How the fuck do you not know they are round not fucking flat!”

“Because I have common sense, Ivy.” Jonny told her, basking in the chaos he was creating, “If I stand then the ground around me is flat. There is such a thing called being level that can’t happen if a planet is round, it has to be flat.”

“Yeah, how can you debunk that, eh, Ivy.” Ashes grinned.

“Planets are big, okay? They can be round with a slight slope that you don’t notice and therefore feel flat, but they are not flat, just look outside, just look through any of the windows on Aurora and look at any planet ever.” Ivys cheeks were beginning to match the color of her hair as she got angrier.

“And how do we not fall off then, someone has to be on the underside.” Ashes asked, phrasing it like they were telling her something and she was dumb.

“Because gravity!” Marius exploded, “Tell me you know fucking gravity!”

“No, I don’t believe in that.” Jonny said calmly, backing Ashes up without a blink.

“First whales, now this, what are you going to say next.” Ivy screamed frustrated.

“Fucking nothing if I have anything to say about it.” Marius said, jumping Jonny to kill him so often it would take a month to reform.

And with a cackle from Jonny a new fight broke out again. The animosity from this fight lasted about a year, but was never fully resolved.

The terms whale and flat in combination with planet were banned, with Aurora shooting anyone who brought it up again.

So yeah, Tim used to love whales, Marius too, but the Great Whale Fight of 326,501 kind of ruined it for everyone that wasn’t Ashes or Jonny as well as Brian and Nastya, who now spend about an hour every week together trying to spot some whales out there in the vastness of space.

#RR writing #The Mechanisms #the mechs #Jonny d'Ville #Nastya Rasputina #Ashes O'Reilly #Ivy Alexandria #drumbot brian #the toy soldier #gunpowder tim #marius von raum #raphaella la cognizi #Aurora #whales

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dragimal · 4 years ago

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now that s5 is over and I’m starting to wind down from the high of the finale, I think I can finally grasp *exactly* why I have mixed feelings on s5. to be clear, I absolutely ADORE TMA as a whole, and still consider it one of the best pieces of horror media I’ve consumed. but s5 left me feeling... not bad, but off, even when there’s plenty I still rly like abt s5

it mainly comes down to 2 things for me: 1) the severe tone shift, and 2) Martin being Fucking Weird for a lot of the season

a lot of ppl have talked abt how s5 just wasn’t as scary as the previous seasons for various reasons. one kinda inevitable reason was simply that a lot of the mystery of the horror had been revealed at that point, and a monster is never as scary once you can see it clearly. but I think the bigger reason is that the format shifted from horror anthology to.... sociology anthology. like, every statement of s5 felt like a sociology paper on fear and systemic abuse, rather than something meant to chill the reader

this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, honestly-- like I said, much of the mystery had been revealed, so I think it was an understandable move to try to shift the narrative somehow. also, I love sociology papers! I think they’re interesting to read, and s5 gave us some rly creative frameworks for some of them (the poetic carousel, Oliver’s professional assessment, Jared’s garden--)

however, I do think the tone shift was still a bit jarring, esp considering what the audience was used to up to that point. perhaps that’s an appropriate move, to match a plot point as game-changing as the literal apocalypse. BUT that doesn’t mean the tone shift still wasn’t a bit of a let-down, in terms of horror and tension

like, yeah a lot of the mystery was gone, but Hill Top Road ended up being the big mystery of s5... and we weren’t even fully aware of it til almost the end of the season? sure, there was plenty of fan speculation, but we were also considering SO many other possibilities, Hill Top was never rly a core theory until VERY late in the game. like, the mystery seemed to take a backseat to the sociology papers, if that makes sense, lmao

literally the ONE episode to give me chills down my spine like the good ol’ days pre-s5 was MAG196: This Old House. Annabelle vaguely threatening Martin, and ending on, “You have no idea who’s listening, do you?” fucking SUPERB, I was absolutely DELIGHTED by the possibilities of that one line! like, what did it mean? were we gonna go full meta??

but the last few eps after that were... frankly kind of a letdown from that spike of tension? I think those last eps are what rly cinched this idea for me-- that s5 was literally like reading a sociology paper. it rly all was just, arguing about the possibilities, considering the consequences, and making decisions. which, again, isn’t necessarily bad, but it’s not horror-- it’s a thought exercise with an apocalyptic garnish

EDIT-- I forgot to say, I think this is part of why MAG200 simply didn’t hit me the same way it hit others. it was intellectually satisfying-- it tied up loose ends, closed character arcs/relationships, left some delicious ambiguity-- but not emotionally cathartic, if that makes sense? like, I was expecting to cry, but I didn’t even rly get teary? I was grinning and delighted by all the satisfying conclusions, but I didn’t feel that emotional RELEASE that I was expecting and hoping for

as for jonmartin, I want to be clear here. I am NOT one of those ppl that thinks jonmartin came out of nowhere in s4-- I think the buildup pre-s5 was excellent, and their finally being together at the end of s4 was so so earned and rewarding. I’m also NOT one of those ppl that thinks arguments = abuse. I think when I briefly criticized jonmartin in s5 in the past, ppl got this impression that like, I think that jonmartin miscommunicating and having bad coping mechanisms... means that they’re bad for each other and abusing each other? and that’s just not the case??

I admit that my initial response to some of the jonmartin weirdness may have been a bit harsh, but even at the time I still loved jonmartin and was simply looking at their relationship with a critical but loving lens

what I have a problem with is that Martin pulls just as much bullshit as Jon in s5, and NEVER gets called out for it

this post I made a while back gets more into the details that bother me, but essentially, there’s always been this rly uneven “accountability scale” (idk what else to call it) for Jon vs. a lot of other characters-- in that, Jon always gets called out for his bullshit, while a lot of other characters don’t. now a lot of this is perfectly explainable as Jon being the main character, so we simply see his fuck-ups AND the subsequent consequences more often than any other character. and there are plenty of characters that I absolutely do NOT blame for going a bit overboard (I give Melanie and Tim in particular a ton of leeway here, given their respective situations. they more or less have full rights to bully Jon imo)

but, the problem is, there are also a LOT of moments where other characters say something absolutely horrific to Jon (namely Basira and Georgie in s4), like imply that he’s responsible for problems he had absolutely no control over, or fucking blame him for literally being groomed into an Archivist by people/powers he couldn’t even grasp... and those accusations are just left to sit and fester in Jon, completely uncontested

the nice thing abt s5 is that most of this is addressed-- like Basira’s completely unfair double-standards for “monsters”, and Georgie unknowingly blaming Jon for his trauma, etc.-- in very satisfying ways.

.... except for Martin.

without rehashing that linked post too much, Martin’s main problem in s5 is that his go-to response to trauma is denial. he denies the fact that he wants to kill avatars for his own satisfaction (which is a completely reasonable desire on its own tbqh!), and instead continues to lie to himself (for quite a long time) that killing avatars is actually helping anyone but Jon and Martin. he denies that Jon’s become a real full-fledged “monster”, and refuses to acknowledge all the baggage that comes with that

this denial unintentionally projects a lot of rly fucked-up messages at Jon, like: Jon is now a freaky horrorshow (even when he’s doing something completely innocuous, like talking casually about his powers); Jon’s fears over losing his autonomy/identity to the Eye, and his fears over his proven abilities to hurt others, are invalid; monsters inherently deserve to die, despite Jon technically being one; Jon not being able to use his powers “well enough” is some failure on his part

now, none of this is to say Martin’s characterization on its own is a bad thing-- I actually think it could’ve been interesting! it’s a perfectly reasonable trauma response, it tracks for Martin’s character pre-s5, and could have been a rly interesting perspective to explore.... if it was ever actually challenged by the narrative or other characters

I think the closest we got was Martin’s conversation with himself in his own domain, when his double calls him out for fantasizing a happy ending where Jonah is dead and Jon and Martin kiss (OUGH.... JONNY YOU HURT ME..), but that still never rly addresses the hurt that Martin’s denial causes Jon

and god, I was rly holding out-- Martin seemed to chill out on the denial a lot after the first third of the season, and I was hoping it might go a similar route as Basira, where it would just take a while to rly address Martin’s issues. but then Jon and Martin have their argument in MAG194, and I was fully on Martin’s side of it, UNTIL he said, “You weren’t meant to enjoy it this much!” (in reference to Jon killing avatars), and when Jon calls him out, Martin just brushes over it!

BOY when I tell you I went BALLISTIC.... FUCK YOU Martin, YOU’RE the one that went all Kill Bill and PUSHED Jon to feel the same way!! JESUS. like I get that that wasn’t the core of the argument there, but oh my god that one bit...

and once again, to make myself perfectly fucking crystal clear here, this is coming from someone who relates heavily to both Jon and Martin. I can see exactly where Martin is coming from for many of his decisions, and the trauma that’s led him to mentally protect himself like this. so it only makes me more frustrated to see him refuse to face his own issues, while still (understandably) expecting Jon to face his issues. yes, Jon pulls a LOT of bullshit in s5 that he deserves to be called out for (and called out he is!), but accountability goes both ways, Martin! you can’t demand responsible behavior from others if you’re not willing to extend the same courtesy!

#the magnus archives #shut up ashley #tma

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double-moonlight-lonelyeyes · 5 years ago

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The Magnus Archives 165 Liveblog

How are we going to get emotionally messed up this time?? Let's find out! Revolutions.... sounds like the Spiral maybe?

I HEAR CALLIOPE MUSIC!!! >:(

Aha, it's an enormous merry-go-round. Got it. Not sure it's not the Stranger, then, the circus imagery is just SO pervasive.

Oh we NEED to experience them. Of course.

What are the riders/victims???

Jon. STORY TIME. The London Zoo??

Whomst?? IS IT HELEN?? Is it the spiral after all?

Ok definitely the Stranger. Not your face. Gross body/identity swapping.

Woop. As has become the custom, we're exploring the flip side of the Stranger: loss of identity and the horror of rebuilding yourself from the scraps of others. Cementing my feeling that the Spiral and the Stranger are close, bitter rivals for this patch of fear.

I almost got a whiff of the Desolation there, interestingly, with that idea of competition and zero-sum games that clings to it.

I'm kinda digging the merry-go-round horse as metaphor for a system that is totally locked in its groove and completely unresponsive to distress, incapable of mercy.

Another metaphor for the communist uprising? Jonny, who'd have thought?

There's that "other entities kicking the End in the jimmies and running away laughing" thing again.

Okay. We done? We finally done?

FUCK OFF NOT!SASHA

FAT! MARTIN! CONFIRMED! In the MOST HORRIBLE WAY POSSIBLE

I really can't blame Jon for wanting to gloat a little! I'm actually quite enjoying it!

Jon............

Jonnnnnnnnn..........

Okay disturbing to hear Jon deliberately invoke the Eye but also YEAH!!

Oh, Martin thinks that's the sexiest thing he's ever seen. Heck yeah.

Jon is obviously more disturbed by his own behavior but that's why we love him.

#the magnus archives #tma spoilers #tma s5 #tma 165 #liveblog #the stranger

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secondgenerationnerd · 5 years ago

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Rainy Day

Hey! It’s been a minute since I posted something. Thought Yall would like a cute risque superstar fic. Enjoy!

The world outside their window washes away with each passing storm. Jon and Mar’i couldn’t care less. It’s the first day in too long that neither had classwork, work work, or hero work to do. They wake up in their studio apartment by a loud clap of thunder. Jon wipes sleep from his eyes and checks his phone. Mar’i rolls towards the windows, watching the rain as it hits the glass. Jon rolls over and wraps an arm around her waist, kissing the back of her neck.

“Morning, Star.” He murmurs against her skin, voice still heavy with sleep.

“Morning, baby...” she turns her head back a bit to look at him. “No nightmares?”

Jon Kisses the top of her nose, “Not a single one. I get my best sleep when you’re in my arms.

“Remind me why I fell in love with your cheesy ass?” Mar’i asks, laughing softly.

“Something about my smile... Or maybe it was my glasses...” Mar’i shoves his shoulder playfully, maneuvering around to face him. He plays with the curls in her face. Her fingers trail along his jaw and his lips. Jon kisses her fingers gently, “ Do you have practice today?”

“Nope. Nothing on my schedule today. you?”

“Hmmm... Nothing aside from holding my beautiful fiancee in my arms and kissing her senseless.” Jon presses soft, lazy kisses to her cheeks, nose, and lips. Mar’i melts a bit, guiding his lips back to hers. They don’t need to worry about someone bursting in on them or rushing because they’re running late. Mar’i trails her hands over his chest, loving the way his muscles move under his skin. Jon plays with her hair, letting the dark tendrils fall to the pillow. He smiles as she fiddles with the edge of his shirt. “You can’t steal all my clothes...”

“Why not?” Mar’i nips at his lip. “You like when I wear your shirts. I remember several times you showed me how much you love me in them.”

Jon laughs and brings her leg over his hip, “I do like you in them. Just as much as you like me not in them.”

“Well, I’m marrying the boy of steel. Can you blame me for liking all the perks that come with that?” Mar’i plays with his hair. “I love you, Jonny.”

“Love you more, Starshine.” Jon kisses her again. Mar’i’s skin begins to warm the more they kiss. He smiles to himself, loving how she feels against him. “So soon, star?”

“Unless you have a banana in your boxers, I’m not the only one who’s excited.” Jon pouts a bit, which makes her kiss him again. They’re slower than normal to undress, hands trailing over scars and beauty marks. Mar’i kisses the mole on his shoulder, nuzzling her face into his neck. They stay on their sides, neither really wanting to be on top. Jon brings her leg over his hip again. He watches her face as he presses into her. The way her beautiful green eyes roll back in her head. The soft purr from the back of her throat. They set a lazy, slow pace. Mar’i plays with his hair.

She’s always teasing him about needing a hair cut. He usually tells her that she would be devastated if he cut his hair. Jon traces a scar along her sternum. He hates seeing the ways that people hurt her. Jon presses his lips to her throat, hearing the soft purr again. Mar’i pulls him up for a kiss. So many conversations they’ve had with a simple kiss. So many goodbyes. So many hellos. So many you’re okay’s. Mar’i sighs as her first orgasm rolls over her. Jon takes some pride in that. As time wears on, they both explore in a way they haven’t had the chance too. Focus on the journey and each other.

“Hmm...” Mar’i smiles at him, half her face hidden by a pillow. “That was nice, baby.”

“It was.” He tucks one of her wild curls behind her ear. “I love you.”

“Love you more.” She kisses him again, before leaving their warm bed for a shower. He gets up and moves to the kitchen. The soft sizzle of sausage and delicious scent of pancakes fills their small apartment. As he plates the food, two arms wrap themselves around him from behind. Jon smiles, holding her hands as they sway.

Let the world outside wash away. They don’t need anything more than each other.

#superstar #superboy #mar'i grayson #jon kent #nightstar #smut

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comicteaparty · 5 years ago

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June 29th-July 5th, 2019 Creator Babble Archive

The archive for the Creator Babble chat that occurred from June 29th, 2019 to July 5th, 2019. The chat focused on the following question:

Whether intentional or not, what would you say is the central theme of your comic?

snuffysam

The central theme of Super Galaxy Knights Deluxe R http://sgkdr.thecomicseries.com/comics/ is, to put it in a word, acceptance. Accepting that you can't change the past, accepting that you can't control everything that happens in your life, accepting that other people come from different walks of life and experience different hardships from you, accepting that you can't change other people's hearts, and learning to accept yourself even when others don't accept you.

Attila Polyák

The story of Tales of Midgard https://talesofmidgard.com/comic/book-1-cover-page/ does have a central theme, but most of the story mostly follows events that allow the exploration of the world. That said... If you look at it closely you'll notice that the story does involve themes about free will and the results and consequences of an actions taken.

Respheal

Kinda hit me just now that the central theme of Galebound (http://www.galebound.com/) might be "real change comes from a place of love, not hate". Basically, even if you have "good" goals, trying to achieve those goals from a position of hatred will just destroy everything around you, while doing something because of love elevates everything. Also row row fight the power(edited)

Jonny Aleksey

The Undefeatable J-Man ( http://jonnyalekseydrawscomics.com/thelatestpage ) So when I starting writing up the series years ago the idea was always going to be about the relationship between J-Man and his father. J-Man having idolized his officer dad when he was little but growing more distance after he becomes a hero and does his own "cases" (like a kid trying to be grown up). The inclusion of sidekick Sleepy Bear evolved from a fun silly idea into being a sort of little brother to J-Man, forcing him into a guardian role before he's really ready. I guess in short the theme has become maturity and hero worship.(edited)

ErinPtah (Leif & Thorn | BICP)

If Leif & Thorn (http://leifandthorn.com/) has a main theme, it's "communication." Partly because the characters don't share a first language -- and even as Thorn gets better at speaking Leif's, there are huge cultural differences that they need to figure out and talk through.

On top of that, if you dig down far enough, a ton of the problem-of-the-week type conflicts can be traced back to miscommunication! Someone hasn't explained themselves, or tried but didn't get it across very well, or explained it clearly but the other person didn't want to listen...

(The other problems are pretty much all about financial exploitation. Something goes wrong, it's either miscommunication or capitalism. Or both!)

But I'm A Cat Person (http://bicatperson.com/) is about broke recent college grads living on their own for the first time, but still making new connections and getting by with help from their friends. Also, immortal shapeshifters who need to be bonded to a human Master and will literally run down like a rusting machine if they don't get regular orders. There was a point when I figured the theme was "independence," but it's really more "interdependence."

...It's very political, but it takes place in 2010-2011, so the in-universe references have to be specific to that era. If they didn't, I'd be saying "stronger together" a lot more.

keii4ii

Heart of Keol (https://heartofkeol.com/) is about being let down by the one person you trusted, when you needed them the most. The feeling of "I'd thought they would care, but I guess that was too much to expect........" It's also about how you change (which hopefully includes healing -- though that isn't the case every time...) after such an experience. How that relationship changes afterward, and how it affects your other relationships.

Mharz

The Angel with Black Wings http://blackwings.mharz.com/ main central theme is "forgiveness" whether it's towards others or towards yourself. We've all been hurt before and sometimes depending on how tough it is, it can sometimes be so hard to forgive anyone even yourself. Some had so many tragedies happened to them that they had formed hatred towards the world that they just want to see it burn. Many of us formed self-loathing because we haven't achieve this kind of status we wanted for ourselves, or maybe we have blamed ourselves for something bad that has happened in the past. Forgiveness or lack thereof can greatly affect someone's mental health... and it doesn't just affect ourselves, but the people around us. CHAMPS http://champs.mharz.com/ aside from the slow-burn lesbian romance that's going on is about which victories are more important? The main characters, being athletes they'd want to win any match they can... but winning doesn't necessarily mean a satisfying victory. Sometimes you need to make a choice.

NeilKapit

What is this theme? Is it, according to that one guy from the Game of Thrones show, something for eighth grade book reports? Everyone knows storytelling is all about random shit happening to keep people in their seats, regardless of why.

Tuyetnhi

ha?

keii4ii

I think NeilKapit was making a joke about themes in general

Tuyetnhi

keii4ii

Not sure but my guess is he was sarcastically mimicking those who uh, don't "believe in themes"

Mharz

oh I thought it was pertaining to mine... becos my message was before theirs

I'm like did I say something wrong?

keii4ii

Nah, you're fine

Mharz

Ty keiiii

NeilKapit

It’s a joke based on a quote by David Benoit (sp?), one of the game of thrones showrunners, about how he approaches storytelling

It explains a lot about why the show went south so hard and so fast once they ran out of book material to adapt

Sorry if it sounded like I was dissing you or anyone here, I wasn’t

keii4ii

Thank you for clarifying

Mharz

it's good, bud. : D

NeilKapit

In all seriousness, the theme behind my comic We Are the Wyrecats (wyrecats.com) is coming of age in the worst possible way, with the protagonist having spent ages 18-22 in a coma, and awakening to a world where all the common sense heroism she and her friends tried to do ended up receiving a vicious backlash from the powers that be, where her friends have had to morally compromise in the name of survival, and where she realizes that people only allow you to do good on their terms

And what to make of things upon learning all of that

Nutty (Court of Roses)

In Court of Roses http://courtofroses.thecomicseries.com/ I'm trying to show the love, beauty, and power in self-expression, especially of the artistic kind and how versatile it can truly be. My bards will have a lot of challenges thrown at them to be solved uniquely with their talents!(edited)

Nutty (Court of Roses)

I wanna expand on that once they all start traveling together, as well as showing the importance of being able to seek help and comfort from others when you need it most.

Capitania do Azar

Haha central theme of my comic (www.sarilho.net/en/) is cooperation and this was super intentional because themes are super important and that's is why I spend so much time dealing with characters engaging in battle (edited)

MJ Massey

Not sure if this counts, but Black Ball (http://welcometoblackball.com/) is a deconstruction of the Great Gatsby and other 1920s literature which involves a lot of ironic tragedy. Emily is the common sense friend you wish all those characters had, because she has no time for that nonsense, and inadvertently comes in and makes people face their problems and, through that, become stronger, better people. While this is going on, she doesn't even realize that she's having an impact on people. Emily starts as sort of a passive doormat, being dragged around where her parents or the plot take her, but by the end she will find her own confidence and will become a more assertive person

Tuyetnhi

The main themes for OIYD! (http://oiydcomic.com/) is a combination of Fantasy vs. Reality, Truth and Lies, the scope of love, and the sacrifices or consquences made from those choices. Escapism, fantasies, and delusions often infer how we precieve our reality. And sometimes reality structures how these mindscapes are dictated. I want to explore such things under a romance between a dreamer and her dream, implications of trying to please your family and yourself, and what to do when your dreams can turn into concrete existence.(edited)

kayotics

Okay, so after some thinking, I think one of the main themes in Ingress Adventuring Company (https://ingress-comic.com/) is that healing isn't linear, and it can take a long time. That goes tied with the theme that sometimes there's more to people than what they show you. These aren't, like... SUPER obvious as themes yet, especially because most of the comic right now is a pretty light-hearted adventure story, but I think i'll get around to it.

deo101

Millennium's (http://millennium.thecomicseries.com/) main theme is really all about love, and overcoming great struggle through it. It's about healing and growth and finding your own family!(edited)

Jurinova

In it's core Home is a Distant Wish (https://tapas.io/series/hiadw) is about healing and finding one's own place in the world. It is about home but not just as a physical place but home as a feeling of belonging and safety, and most importantly about the right people. It is in many ways about people disconnected trying to connect again. There are more underlying themes that are a bit darker but I do like to think that the more hopeful themes are the dominant ones.

#ctparchive #comics #webcomics #indie comics #comic chat #comic discussion #creator interview #comic creator interview #comic tea party #ctp #creator babble

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ncfan-1 · 6 years ago

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ncfan listens to The Magnus Archives: S1 EP022 (’Colony’), EP023 (’Schwartzwald’), & EP024 (’Strange Music’)

In which a lot of plot material is dropped on us.

No spoilers past Season 1, please!

EP 022: ‘Colony’

- So we’re back from where ‘Freefall’ left off, with Martin retelling his close encounter with Jane Prentiss. What happened with the container full of worms that he presumably brought into the Archives, I don’t know.

- Jonathan’s silence after Martin says he can vouch for his sanity is so awful it winds up being hilarious.

- Martin picked up on the same thing that I picked up on the first time I listened to ‘Arachnophobia’—namely that the description of the worms rings a bell.

- It says something about how sketchy the Archives has become to me even at this point that I didn’t bat an eye that Martin regarded breaking and entering an acceptable part of “due diligence.”

- “I get closer, and I see that it looks more like a worm of some sort, maybe an inch long, with a silver, segmented body that goes black at one end, almost like it’s been burned.” This is a description of the worm. It stood out to me, and I’ll explain why at the end of the section.

- I wonder—did the edges of Martin’s shadow move because worms were moving in it, or does proximity to the Flesh Hive (or a host of the Flesh Hive) by itself have that effect?

- Oh, Martin, Jonathan didn’t once think about it in terms of you having disappeared.

- Because I have a slightly dirty mind, I assume Jane Prentiss was naked under that coat. Obviously, the holes in her body and the general state of decay her body was in would have distracted from that. Those images from Planet Earth of different species of cordyceps growing out of different species of animal corpses is firmly impressed upon my mind.

- I wonder how much of Jane’s mind is even left at this point. Like, by the season finale, I can only assume that she’s dead and the Flesh Hive is running around with her corpse, but was she even properly alive anymore at this point? I honestly don’t know.

- If I’d been trapped in my home by Jane Prentiss and the worms for thirteen days, I would have been screwed. Like Martin, I keep upwards of a week’s worth of food on hand, but a lot of my stuff is frozen. Also, since we live out in the middle of nowhere, if we lose power, we also lose running water, and about the only thing I drink anymore is water.

- I imagine Martin doesn’t want to think about it (and who could blame him?), but I wonder if, while Jane and the worms were stalking Martin’s home, any of his neighbors tried to stop by. Or any of their pets. Does Martin have pets? (Did he have pets?)

- It’s a testament to how seriously Jon takes Jane Prentiss that he isn’t nasty to Martin at all after he’s done making his statement, that he volunteers to ask Elias to hire extra security, and goes so far as to offer Martin the use of a room in the Archives until the danger’s passed.

- Martin’s stunned stammering when Jon says all this is kinda heartbreaking.

- “Keep him. We have had our fun.” Y I K E S.

- Now, I talk about the worms—namely, the description of the worms, and why it stood out to me that these worms, the manifestation of an entity that hates the Magnus Institute, look the way they do.

Let me tell you about the silverfish. The silverfish is a small insect, ranging in size from half an inch to one inch long. It has a silver, segmented body that’s darker at the head, and it looks like this:

It doesn’t look exactly like the worms. It has legs and antennae; it’s not a worm at all. The funny thing about the silverfish, however, is that it’s the bane of many an archive in a humid climate, because among other things, one of its favorite things to eat is paper. I wonder if this was an intentional choice on Jonny Sims’s (the writer’s) part.

EP 023: ‘Schwartzwald’

- This is my favorite of the set I’m doing today, and it’s one of my favorites of Season 1. It’s just so lovely.

- So, was Jonah Magnus of German descent? Von Closen remarks upon his very strong opinions about the German confederation, and I get the impression that it is (or was, or possibly still is) much in use as a Germanic and a Scandinavian given name and surname.

- I listen to von Closen’s description of the Black Forest, and I wonder how it compares to the forests I know. I’d believe that the trees are taller, but the forests here are very dense, and the undergrowth can make them very difficult to navigate.

- I’d say finding a cemetery in the middle of the woods is incredibly creepy, but old, small family burial plots are so common in the South that it’s not out of the question that you’d stumble across one if you started walking across the backwoods in a really rural area. You can see a lot of them in farmland, far from the road at the tree line. My family’s old burial plot is in a cow pasture. One of the raised tombs is broken.

- Okay, I’ve read enough ghost stories to know that when a creepy old man tells you it’s dangerous to do the thing, that’s your signal to turn right back around and forget about doing the thing. From a more practical standpoint, even discounting supernatural elements, you shouldn’t do exploration of the kind von Closen is doing by yourself, because of the risk of being injured so far from civilization is a very real one, and it’s worse if you’re by yourself.

- And we have an intermission with Martin! And it turns out that Jonathan has been coming to the Archive well before seven in the morning for a while. Yeah, that’s not unhealthy at all.

- I would not be surprised if the books von Closen found in the mausoleum are of the same class of book as Jurgen Leitner’s stuff. Most of them were damaged past the capacity to read them, and the world is a better place for it. The fact that the one book he took away from the mausoleum is unaccounted for is… worrisome.

- A wall seemingly made of (probably evil) books molded together is a nice, evocative image.

- More eye imagery.

- The fact that the book von Closen found was probably in Arabic is kinda funny to me, because in Lovecraftian lore, the author of the Necronomicon was Arabic, and I think that’s the original language of the text.

- The text on the coin von Closen found, “Für de stille,” made the recording go staticky. It’s German for ‘For the silence’, if Google Translate can be trusted, and yeah, I know that’s a tall order.

- The date on the coin, 1279, is the year Ulrich II, Count of Württemberg, died. He was twenty-five.

- And now we get a story behind the creepy mausoleum. ‘Johann’s steps’ seems to carry on a long tradition of egregiously risky childhood games. And, indeed, what was it they were seen by?

- I can’t tell if Johann von Württemberg is supposed to be a historical figure or not.

- I love the detail about the old man being able to see despite having no eyes, and his head jerking up like a hunting dog’s responding to a signal. It so effectively signals that the only human thing about him is his appearance.

- The stinger is great—apparently this friend of Jonah Magnus’s nephew is the ancestor of another collector of the arcane, Mary Keay, and her son, Gerard Keay. Mary’s birth date struck me, though, the fact that she was born in 1924. Gerard was described as being in his late teens, so somewhere between seventeen and nineteen, in 2002 (‘Old Passages’)—I’d assume the reason Dominic Swain assumed him to be in his late thirties ten years later in ‘Page Turner’ was down to rough living. That means that Mary would have had to have been in her late fifties or even her early sixties when Gerard was born. It’s not impossible for a woman to have a child (and apparently her first) at that age, it’s just extremely rare.

EP 024: ‘Strange Music’

- I’m like Leanne; I’m not scared of clowns, but I don’t think they’re all that funny, either. Dolls can occasionally be creepy, but for the most part, they’re not—at least, not by themselves.

- Budel is a town in the Netherlands, it turns out.

- A loft is an… interesting place to keep something like a calliope organ. The fact that the organ and the steamer trunk full of mutilated dolls are the only things in the loft makes me think that Nikolai was hiding them there, like he couldn’t get rid of them but wanted to forget they were there.

- One does wonder how exactly the broken calliope organ played.

- The clown doll sounds like a Pierrot-style doll. I think the clown doll from Poltergeist was like that as well.

- The only way I have ever heard Calliope pronounced is “Cuh-LIE-oh-pee.” I’ve never heard it pronounced “Call-ee-OH-pee,” and I’ve certainly never heard it pronounced “Call-ee-ohp.” Who exactly pronounces it “Call-ee-ohp?”

- “Faster, faster” sounds vaguely demonic in origin. Just something about how frantically fast it is and how completely carried away Leanne gets while playing it, how lost in the music she gets. That and the fact that playing it immediately gets the clown doll’s attention.

- Wonder what Josh did that proved him to be “just another asshole.” From the context, it sounds like he cheated on Leanne or stole from her or something like that.

- I also wonder what it was that made the entity of the episode decide to target Josh and not Leanne. I really doubt it respects the fact that she’s the granddaughter of the person who owned the calliope organ.

- And some sinister delivery men (gee, I wonder who it could be, she says sarcastically) broke into Leanne’s house just to get at the organ and the trunk.

- And it turns out Leanne’s grandfather Nikolai Dennikin was an organist for a creepy circus called the Circus of the Other. Given that name, ‘Circus of the Other’, I expect that to come up again.

- And the stinger of this episode is that the sinister calliope organ has somehow ended up in the Archives’ artifact storage room. Which is a good stinger, I’ll admit.

#ncfan listens to The Magnus Archives

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eenefangirlanalysis · 7 years ago

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Instead the Eds are met with a completely different turn of events!

Eddy is thrown up into the air.

They’re cheering for him??

The Eds faces and reactions are priceless! Especially Ed and Edd.

Ed has always gone along with the crowd. Has he ever understood why the cul-de-sac kids dislike he and his friends? The same question goes along with the scams. Ed liked doing the scams so he could hang out with his friends. Through the scams they developed a close bond. The scams have also helped Ed to think more strategically.

Theory: Maybe, this is a reason why he acts dumber in season 5 because they’re not doing enough scams. That may not be the case, but Ed’s mind still grows because he is able to explore himself more like we see in the two season 6 episodes.

The constant debate from this movie is if the kids actually forgive the Eds or not.

Firstly, they’re giving all the attention and credit to Eddy. Edd faced Eddy’s brother and Ed was the one to defeat him.

To be fair, Eddy was abused in front of everyone and confessed something very personal.

I’ve always felt that the kids take things too fast. They don’t give the Eds a second to breathe before congratulating them and immediately accepting them as friends.

I’ve always felt that the kids were jealous of the Eds friendship. The kids never shared a close bond like the Eds. It took the kids YEARS to realize that all the Eds ever wanted was their friendship. They think the Eds will forget every awful thing they have done to torment, degrade and jeopardize their friendship with one another?. They’re still being inconsiderate.

Clearly, they don’t know the Eds like the audience knows them.

My most favorite moment in this scene is Sarah running over to Ed and hugging him. Precious!

Ed jumps in surprise when he sees his sister coming towards him. Why would he jump? He’s used to her abuse. Unless that’s all a mask. Ed constantly masks his fears and worries. Nobody knows what he’s going through besides Edd and Eddy... and Sarah.

Seeing Bro has redeemed Sarah. She saw what she may have become if she kept being the exact mirror image of her mom. Sarah, instead will take her own path because Ed has never done anything to hurt her. He has always been her caring older brother and she never respected him.

Sarah went through her own journey of growth throughout the movie. I really wish we could have gotten to see it because I love when we see moments of Sarah’s true colors. She really does love her brother and fears her mom. This is evident when she acts unsure of herself.

Sarah starts her new journey by giving Ed the hug he always wanted.

I feel like I didn’t screenshot enough smears.

Again, the kids are being rather rough with Eddy. He just came out from this abuseful beating. The kids have never thought about the Eds needs.

As Rolf pulls Eddy over, for some reason, Jimmy is running in the opposite direction he was looking in the previous screenshot. I thought he was going to run over to join Ed and Sarah, but he runs off to the other side for no apparent reason.

“Let Rolf rub the pit of victory, Ed boy!”

Eddy is so unsure.

Remember this callback?

This goes all the way back to a season 2 episode where Rolf congratulates Kevin in the exact same fashion.

Eddy cautiously starts to come around to the sudden kindness. I would have trust issues too after growing up in neighborhood where kids don’t keep promises and tell others what you’re middle name is.

Eddy has never understood kindness. When he was dressed up as Carl he was about to have an anxiety attack because of how nice everyone was being nice.

Barely anyone has ever been nice to Eddy. He has learned from Bro that being nice never mattered. Eddy knew that wasn’t true, but he stuck with the advice anyway. He never had the best understanding for social norms. He did, however, in season 1 as he was the one telling Ed and Edd how to act. Once Bro took over his life Eddy forgets about himself.

“I’m so glad you’re okay, dude!”

Aw, this a precious Nazz and Rolf moment?

Hey, has anyone ever shipped them together?

Rolf is the only guy who has payed no attention to Nazz. He hasn’t payed much attention to any of the girls on the show. Fans have speculated that Rolf might be gay, but I believe it is due to his culture. He has different customs and is always busy at work.

Aside from that Rolf and Nazz are close friends. She, Rolf and Kevin all are. They’re not like the Eds though. They don’t have a complete understanding for one another. This is what the cul-de-sac wants to learn from the Eds.

“You’re awesome!”

As you all know I am a HUGE EddEddy shipper. I do ship EddyNazz though. They make a cute pairing. I can see them going out in the future.

I remember being ‘aww, Nazz kissed Eddy!’ when I first watched this scene.

I guess Nazz has broken up with Kevin and immediately moved on.

She still hasn’t taken her own pathway yet. Nazz is still going along with the kids. Knowing what Eddy has just gone through she wastes no time flinging herself into Eddy’s arms, rather roughly, and kissing him.

Everyone remembers when Nazz laughed in Eddy’s face when he thought they were dating, right? Nazz has very poor judgement. She is testing out different personalities through the series. Nazz is nice, but what else? We know that she suppresses anger. Is she mean at all? Did she really mean to make fun of or laugh in the Eds faces?

Eddy is quite taken aback by Nazz kissing him. I don’t blame him, everything is going so fast. He is still pretty beat up.

Thumbs up to AKA for keeping continuity going. This is a very life like situation where bruises can’t disappear in the blink of an eye whether you want them to or not. Especially in the cartoon world. Eddy has just faced reality.

Eddy had a crush on Nazz in the beginning of the series but then loses interest for Nazz halfway through season 4. He pays more attention to Edd.

I remember how Old Man Eddy, from Take This Ed and Shove It, didn’t show any interest in Old Nazz in his dream. He has no idea what Jonny refers to when he says that Nazz still has it.

“I am?” Eddy asks in response to Nazz’s compliment.

It’s sad how Eddy doesn’t think highly of himself. He doesn’t know whether to believe other characters when they compliment him. This is mainly his troubles from Bro who terrorized his mind.

It’s going to take a while for Eddy to be able to think straight again.

“I gotta admit, pal. That was so choice.”

This has to my favorite Eddy and Kevin interaction of all time.

I honestly feel that Kevin is speaking the truth.

Eddy and Kevin relate to each other in many ways. They hide themselves behind ‘cool masks’ and want to impress everyone. They’re both unsure of themselves. Both tend to come off as antagonist. The reason Eddy and Kevin tease or get revenge off one another is because they both fear that someone will find out their true selves. This has given them anxiety and paranoia.

Eddy opened the door for Kevin to be more of himself.

So, will they be friends?

Not close, but, I like to see a friendship coming out.

When Eddy was dressed as Carl, Kevin acted really nice to him letting his true self come out. Kevin was a different person around Carl. He was nice and accepting.

Kevin showed a different persona around Carl. He’s not the tough kid who the audience sees. Kevin is just a kid trying to understand life. Kevin wants to show his true self to someone and when Carl showed up, he felt as if he had a real friend.

Whether or not Kevin figured out that Carl was really Eddy, Kevin may befriend Eddy so they can become better acquainted.

“IT WAS?!”

Can this boy get any cuter?

He is genuinely happy that his confession turned things around. He has learned!

For the first time, Eddy is happy with himself.

The real Eddy is a shy,timid and goofy kid. He wants to have fun.

There are so many interesting background moments happening when the Kankers come to inspect Bro.

Sarah and Jimmy hug Ed. They’re both grateful to him.

Rolf is picking up Edd. He must be very proud of him for being the first to step up against Eddy’s Brother. I feel like he’s wanted to see Edd finally stick up for himself for a long time.

Nazz is hugging Eddy while he and Kevin are shaking hands. They’re reconciling about what has been done over the years.

What’s interesting is that if you look very closely in the second image, Eddy turns and looks at Nazz. He is smiling at her. He’s happy that Nazz finally accepts him.

The Kankers don’t want any part in the kids story. They have always stayed out from their lives. They only took part in their stories when they wanted to terrorize them.

Lee remarks, “What a deadbeat this guy turned out to be.”

And then Marie states; “He don’t look so tough.”

Again, May does not have any lines. Don’t you find that strange?

They’re insulting Bro at how he could fall pray to a door. Eddy has gone through a lot more slapstick injury then Bro.

Despite their actions, the Kankers seem more level headed in the movie. They want to help the Eds and they do. We see how the Kankers are people with human emotions. A big difference from Bro. Though they had their share of being the unlikeable antagonists, the audience saw more into what they go through in their lives to make them who they are.

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totalactionrampage-blog · 8 years ago

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Worst of the worst (of the worst): Battlefield Earth

As anyone who knows me can attest, I have a deep and abiding love for unpleasant experiences. I’ve been known to pull all-nighters when none are necessary, just because I don’t want to sleep. I seldom exercise, but when the mood strikes I’ll go on 40 km walks and return home with knees locking up and feet blistered. When I cook for myself, I make my food spicy to the point of pain. All of this is, of course, is insane. So why do I do this? Because pain provides context for pleasure. Because pain, on some level, is exciting. Because pain reminds you that you’re still alive.

Battlefield Earth is pain. In rough terms, it is the box that that one Bene Gesserit put Paul Atreides’ hand in. Battlefield Earth is the mind-killer. Battlefield Earth is the little-death that leads to total obliteration.

And I love it. It is wonderful, in its excruciation. Never before or since has a film aimed so high and fallen so low. It is a tale of ambition, hubris, greed, and failure. Battlefield Earth is a Calvinist meditation on the human condition. To watch the film is to experience the pain of Christ as he tread the Via Dolorosa, as John Travolta and Barry Pepper qua the Romans mock you and scourge you. The full weight of every cinematic sin which has ever been committed or will be committed weighs heavily on your shoulders.

And, like the suffering of Christ, Battlefield Earth has a redemptive purpose. There have been bad movies before, and there will be bad movies again; all are dwarfed by the enormity of suck that is Battlefield Earth. One feels oddly at peace, as the experience ends and the tension headache ebbs away. “The sun will rise in the morning,” you think. “There will come another day.” You might even learn a thing or two by watching it.

Join me, then, in finishing the Litany of Fear:

I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where Battlefield Earth has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.

Shall we begin?

Battlefield Earth opens in the year 3000. For a thousand years, Earth has been under the brutal domination of the Psychlos, a cruel race of dreadlocked alien Nazis kitted out in early-2000s mall goth apparel. The majority of humanity has been enslaved by these raver Klingons. Only a few pockets survive in the wild, where they have been reduced to a stone-age existence. One such specimen of humanity is Jonnie Goodboy Tyler (Barry Pepper), our protagonist. As the film opens, Jonnie is leaving his home on a journey of exploration. The audience doesn’t know or care what he’s after; neither does the plot. In short order he is captured by the Psychlos and enslaved.

Terl (John Travolta) is a Psychlo with a problem. As the chief of security for the Earth, he looks forward to the end of his tour of duty, only for the board of directors to extend his deployment another fifty cycles, with endless options for renewal.

Terl hatches a scheme: he will force his enslaved humans to mine gold for him, so that he can buy his way back home. They seem to spend most of their time sitting around in cages and hitting rocks against other rocks, so honestly his plan seems pretty unimpeachable. Conveniently for the plot, Terl chooses Jonnie to carry out his scheme. He puts him through an advanced learning program, taught by a hologram of an alien with very low self-esteem. In a matter of minutes, Jonnie knows all that there is to know. It’s kind of like if the cast and crew of The Matrix spent a long night huffing gasoline before shooting the “I know kung fu” scene.

The training program, of course, also teaches Jonnie how to pilot spaceships, as well as the history of all the earth, the cosmos and the Psychlo race. Having been given a shuttle, the shiftless and workshy Jonnie decides to bring Terl gold from Fort Knox’s stash rather than going to the effort of mining it himself. Since the writers have basically given up at this point, Jonnie also happens to discover a subterranean US army base fully stocked with inexplicably functional and still-fueled warplanes. Within a week, he has trained all the remaining humans to be combat pilots. Terl suspects something is amiss, and to prove his point he shoots a few cows as the horrified humans look on - planting the seed of rebellion that will be his own undoing.

The humans put their plan into effect by launching a full-scale attack on the Psychlo base. In the course of the battle, the massive dome the Psychlos have built over Denver is destroyed, and the Psychlos inside suffocate, unable to breathe the Earth’s atmosphere. Since the plot has entirely stopped trying by now, Jonnie finds a teleportation device and transports an atom bomb to the Psychlo homeworld, Psychlo. It detonates in spectacular fashion, exterminating all life. The humans celebrate this act of genocidal planetary annihilation, Terl is locked in the vault of Fort Knox, and at long last the credits roll.

There is so much wrong with this garbage film that one hardly knows where to begin. Though it sounds like the fevered ramblings of a lunatic, I assure you that the plot summary above is 100% accurate. Narrative elements are introduced and then forgotten about in the space of a single scene. Part of this, I assume, was a perceived need to cram in details from the equally nonsensical 1000-page L. Ron Hubbard book the film was adapted from; this was very much a vanity project for the Church of Scientology (on which more later.) But the film is already vastly too long, while (paradoxically) far too short to deal with all the elements it tries to introduce. The dialogue and characters are no better - Jonnie could have been played to satisfaction by an upturned mop with a cutout of Barry Pepper’s face glued on. John Travolta’s performance is at least memorable in its insanity; every scene he’s in crackles with enthusiasm and Very Big Acting. Travolta was having the time of his life, bless his heart.

The film is notorious also for its horrible design. The lighting for most scenes has a queasy quality reminiscent of a laser tag arena after far too much greasy pizza, while virtually every shot is from an extreme Dutch angle. It’s supposed to make the audience feel uncomfortable and disoriented, I would guess, in which case it congratulations are in order because one does indeed feel rather sick after a while. The net effect reminds one of an uninspired nu-metal video. The special effects are mostly executed competently, for the time, and are of the late 90s school of CG where everything looks vaguely like it’s made of Plasticine. Presumably, some talented artists were involved, which is a real shame because the concept art they were tasked with interpreting puts one in mind of nothing so much as the cover art for a Mexican bootleg VHS of Alien. Even the scene transitions are overdesigned and dumb: there are no less than a dozen of those stupid barn door wipes, which were jarring and weird in Star Wars, when handled by a competent editor, and which are physically painful here. I’d recommend accompanying them with the sound of a slide whistle if you have one to hand.

The people to blame for this unspeakable blasphemy of a film are, of course, the Church of Scientology. L. Ron Hubbard considered the book from which the film was adapted as somewhat of a masterpiece, in clear distinction to the portion of humanity who are allowed to handle sharp objects without supervision, and Scientologists were reportedly ordered to buy multiple copies of it when it was released to help it reach the top of the sales charts. Hubbard apparently had Travolta in mind for the role of Terl from the beginning, and after Travolta’s career was revitalized after Pulp Fiction he threatened, cajoled and pleaded until he was able to secure funding for the film:

Battlefield Earth is the pinnacle of using my power for something. I told my manager, “If we can’t do the things now that we want to do, what good is the power? Let’s test it and try to get the things done that we believe in.”

The Church of Scientology got in on the action, too, its members pestering 20th Century Fox to make the film until the studio heads got fed up and sold the rights to Franchise Pictures, a production studio specializing in untouchable vanity projects. With production costs spiraling to a reported $50 million, hype reached such a high that the Church of Scientology sent a giant inflatable Terl on a nationwide tour.

The success of this film rested on one crucial factor: that it didn’t turn out to be worse than an unanesthetized root canal. Oh, well.

There are reasons to watch this film. That a film like Plan 9 from Outer Space or Troll 2 should have been dreadful was a given: they were shot on a zero-dollar budget, with cardboard sets and props bought from the dollar store, “starring” actors who had never acted before and “directed” by people who had never directed before (and indeed still hadn’t by the end of production.) Battlefield Earth doesn’t have this excuse. A fleet of caterers arrived every morning on set to feed the production. Highly-skilled makeup artists, riggers and lighting technicians toiled away behind the scenes, while some of the biggest stars in Hollywood were in front of the camera. An army of tech artists produced CG assets for this picture, toiling away in obscurity for months in devotion to their art. The film shot was taken to a lab where it was treated by some of the best specialists on earth, meticulously assembled and given form and direction by a small cadre of editors. 50 million dollars were spent, and at the end of it all, Battlefield Earth was the result: a shining monument to failure. This film, which is everything that film shouldn’t be. It is failure. It is ugliness. It is pain.

And without pain, what is pleasure? You can’t afford to miss Battlefield Earth.

#battlefield earth #scientology #film review #bad movies #john travolta #pain #film

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mina-goroshi-blog · 8 years ago

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Worst of the worst (of the worst): Battlefield Earth

Join me, then, in finishing the Litany of Fear:

I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where Battlefield Earth has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.

Shall we begin?

Battlefield Earth is the pinnacle of using my power for something. I told my manager, "If we can't do the things now that we want to do, what good is the power? Let's test it and try to get the things done that we believe in."

The success of this film rested on one crucial factor: that it didn’t turn out to be worse than an unanesthetized root canal. Oh, well.

And without pain, what is pleasure? You can’t afford to miss Battlefield Earth.

#battlefield earth #scientology #film review #bad movies #john travolta #pain

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londontheatre · 8 years ago

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Military life isn’t for everyone. Even in peacetime, it puts a lot of strain on not only the serviceman or woman but also their family and friends. In a time of conflict, that strain gets even more intense. This gets worse if the service man/woman doesn’t fully believe in the cause and justness of the action they are being ordered to take. However, possibly the most difficult part of military life is when it ends. After a lifetime of service, adjusting to civilian life can be traumatic, to say the least. All of these themes and more are examined in Steven Dykes Glockenspiel at Soho’s Tristan Bates Theatre.

Glockenspiel tells the story of the funerals of three current and former members of the American armed forces. Whilst none of the deceased died on active service, they are all entitled to and receive a military funeral. At each, the Defence Department has supplied an Honour Guard (Aruna Jollah and Lolande Rufai) who are there to represent the people of the USA and hand over the flag that was draped over the coffin with the words “This flag is presented on behalf of a grateful nation as a token of appreciation for your loved one’s honorable and faithful service.” The funerals are very different. Single mother Debra (Tolu Stedford) attends the service of her daughter with her friend Yolanda (Laura Asare). Eloise (Katie Glaister) is coming to terms with the suicide of her husband, whilst keeping a secret from her sister-in-law Zinnie (Coren Lawrence) and her partner Assistant Professor Josh (Jon Parry). And finally, Justine (Hebe Renard) the young widow of a retired colonel must face the disapproval of his daughter who blames her for the death of her father. The funerals are overseen by undertaker Andre (Parys Jordon) an ex-military man with demons of his own to face.

To describe Glockenspiel as hard-hitting would be to understate this powerful play that examines so much aside from the obvious military angle to the various people’s lives. I liked the fact that Playwright/Director Steven Dykes actually allowed the audience to see both sides of the argument of the discussion on the need for the military. The writing was also interesting for two other points from my perspective. The first was that all three of the funerals were for members of the BME community – who make up around 30% of the American armed forces whilst being only 22% of the American population overall – and included mixed race relationships both accepted and resented. The second is that the term “War on Terror” was first coined in September 2001 which means that come next year, there will be members of the various military forces taking part in a conflict that began before they were born. Food for thought.

[See image gallery at http://ift.tt/1FpwFUw] The writing was matched by some equally fine acting from the cast. In particular, I would like to single out Tolu Stedford who was truly outstanding as Debra, trying to hold everything together whilst not really understanding why her daughter had died. Her final lines to Andre and Yolanda moved me to tears as she stood proud and erect forcing herself to go through the social niceties despite her world falling down around her. A truly wonderful performance from a fantastic actor. I also want to mention Arunah Jalloh for his portrayal of a soldier. Whilst not a huge role in terms of lines, the soldier was an almost constant presence on the stage and it takes a lot of skill to be able to be perfectly still yet at the same time be in every scene representing the constant presence – either directly or indirectly – of the military in the life of everyone.

The direction was spot on most of the time and I particularly liked the opening to Act II where the calm, self-possessed and reflective images of Zinnie sitting at the side was a marked contrast to the events happening in the centre of the stage. Whilst I though the set by Justin Williams was interesting, I’m not completely certain I fully understood what it represented and my impressions of it changed quite a bit over the course of the production. The costumes were really great and very appropriate. For once I can’t complain about the uniforms – a real bugbear for me – which looked pretty authentic, though I would advise whoever puts them away to watch how they fold them – a No 1 uniform would never be creased in the way that Carmen’s skirt was.

Overall then, Glockenspiel is a very deep, multi-layered production that is gripping in its writing and presentation. It left me really moved and thoughtful as I considered the plight not only of those that protect us day and night but the other people in their lives for whom the news is not just some happenings in far flung places but in fact something that will have an effect on them forever.

Review by Terry Eastham

GLOCKENSPIEL A new play by Steven Dykes Three funerals. One town. The longest war in its history. Far from the war waging overseas, a small American town is rocked by the deaths of three soldiers. As we meet the relatives we discover none of the dead were killed on active duty; the conspiracy behind each inglorious death preventing families from coming to terms with their loss.

‘Glockenspiel’ explores the lives of those left behind on the home front, celebrating the humour and spirit of ordinary people trapped in an extraordinary situation. Duty, Loyalty, Patriotism: What is the true cost of the War on Terror? “They drape a flag over a box, we get to stand in the rain, and the world’s a safer place because of it.” – Glockenspiel, by Steven Dykes.

Cast: Laura Asare, Katie Glaister, Jon Parry, Hebe Renard, Lolade Rufai and Tolu Stedford

OLD SOLE THEATRE COMPANY Creatives: Director & Writer Steven Dykes Company Producer Darius Thompson Co-producers Jon Parry & Rebecca Gwyther Composer James Neale Designer Justin Williams (THE OFFIES Nominated) Assistant Designer Jonny Rust Sound Designer Edmund Shaw Lighting Designer William Steggles Casting Director Ewa Kolozieiska

GLOCKENSPIEL A new play by Steven Dykes Wed 4 – Sat 14 Jan 2017 http://ift.tt/23UW86S

http://ift.tt/2iMvhp2 LondonTheatre1.com

#IFTTT #LondonTheatre1.com

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