#and i feel like the main things i would be interested in regarding june are mostly headcanon related anyways

[dungeons-and-dragon-age]

i love June lots and i want to see her in DA4 So Bad but. i should probably get Ari in there tbh.. Both for WoS Consequences TM and also so that i can witness bald guy on bald guy violence

[doll-elvis]

have you ever read child bride by suzanne finstead? do you find it accurate.

thank you very much for this ask ꨄ︎!!

I have indeed read "Child Bride” and as for its’ accuracy I wouldn't go as far to say it's entirely inaccurate but I do have several bones to pick with Suzanne Finstad as a biographer as I believe she has let her bias (obviously not liking Priscilla) get in the way of her better judgment, which in turn, has corrupted the overall validity of her book. For example, giving Currie Grant a platform to tell his version of events regarding Elvis and Priscilla in Germany, including a claim so egregious that I truly have trouble understanding why so many in this fandom praise this book 😭

I think a lot of Elvis fans consider/recommend “Child Bride” as the antithesis to Priscilla’s “Elvis and Me” which is fair considering Finstad highlights some very valid criticisms against Priscilla i.e her hiring a second, much more aggressive, lawyer to get more money out of Elvis, and her introducing her family (Lisa Marie and later on Navarone) to the “church” aka cult of Scientology etc. etc.

- however -

The book as a whole comes at the expense of Elvis and what I mean by that is that Suzanne Finstad is not someone who has his best interest at heart (I mean look at what she has said in some of these recents documentaries about Elvis) and in order to push her narrative that Priscilla was some fourteen-year-old s*xual deviant, she has made some incredibly inflammatory statements about their relationship, and it literally starts with the title of her book (referring to Priscilla as Elvis’ “child bride”)

And the main reason as to why I cannot comprehend how fans praise this book is that Finstad goes with the story that Currie Grants tells, which includes him saying that Elvis (24) and Priscilla (14) were having penetrative intercourse after their 3rd or 4th date ⬇️

excerpt is from “Child Bride” by Suzanne Finstad

So this is why I tend to cringe when I see other fans praise this book… I know it’s not their intention but they are inadvertently promoting a falsehood that says Elvis was committing statutory r*pe against a fourteen year old Priscilla

Not only does that go against what Priscilla and others have said about the physical relationship she had with Elvis in Germany, but it goes against the pattern that Elvis followed for almost every single (long-term) relationship prior to Priscilla and even after

A girl that Elvis deemed “special” or in other words- good enough to marry- was not a girl that Elvis was going to have penetrative s*x with, especially not when he had the more worldly starlets of Hollywood and the showgirls of Germany and Paris at his disposal

PRISCILLA PRESLEY: “In the past, he said that he wanted a virgin (to marry)”

DEBRA PAGET: “He always said he’d marry a virgin”

LAMAR FIKE: “Elvis respected virginity. He used to tell Alan, “I’ll never break a virgin. There are too many whores around”

We saw this with Dixie Locke, we saw this with June Juanico and Anita Wood, all of whom, in their many years of dating him never had penetrative s*x

We even saw this with women like Linda Thompson and Ginger Alden who he waited several months with before consummating

So because of that I have an incredibly hard time believing that Elvis would abandon his morals after just 3 or 4 dates with Priscilla, especially when he was having s*x with age appropriate girls like Elizabeth Mansfield, who often took Priscilla’s place in Elvis’ bed after she left

Another issue I have with “Child Bride” is that she has often either misquoted people, or written things that contradict what they have said to other biographers- basically many things haven’t added up when cross referencing between books

I have mentioned this one before but it is just so blatant, that I feel compelled to mention it again ⬇️

So here we have Joe Esposito re-telling a throwaway comment about Priscilla made by Elvis

excerpt is from “Good Rockin’ tonight” by Joe Esposito

And then here we have Suzanne Finstad’s retelling of that comment, where she has misquoted Esposito in order to make Priscilla out to be the s*xual aggressor

excerpt is from “Child Bride” by Suzanne Finstad

Instances like this give me extreme pause when determining if a biographer could be trusted or not- and when I was reading through her book again this comment about Sheila Ryan nearly made me bust out laughing

excerpt is from “Child Bride” by Suzanne Finstad

“Sheila never had an orgasm when she was with Elvis”… like are we talking about the same Sheila Ryan or-? ⬇️

excerpt is from “Baby let’s play house” by Alanna Nash

All in all, “Child Bride” definitely makes for an interesting read (mainly the second half of the book) but it’s one that I will probably never pick up again as I cannot get over Currie Grant’s involvement, especially his claims about Priscilla and Elvis that are completely unfounded

Scandal sells quite frankly and I no longer underestimate what people will say for money, ESPECIALLY when it comes to Elvis- I mean look at the claims made by Dee Stanley who got a whopping $100,000 from the National Enquirer to tell stories about a woman she never even met (Gladys)

So I would not be surprised in the least if Currie has been handsomely compensated for selling his stories to biographers like Finstad, because again, scandal sells, and him approaching Priscilla first isn’t nearly as page-turning as Priscilla offering up s*x in order to meet Elvis

[kef-meister]

Metroid Prime .... 4!

While they aren't Star Fox or F-Zero fans (I see you), the fans of the Metroid series have had their patience tested multiple times over the series' lifespan. On June 13th 2017, Metroid Prime 4 was announced to the world. Now, June 18th 2024, Metroid Prime 4 has been given a release window: 2025.

It's been seven very long, very interesting years. But instead of dwelling on that, it's time to go frame-by-frame on the release trailer and give some notes on why that particular part stands out to me. I've gotten so hyped I've gotten analytical. This is what it means to go even further Beyond. ________________ 1. "Cosmic Year 20X9 Galactic Federation Research Facility" Metroid (1986)'s manual states that the Galactic Federation was established "in the year 2000 of the history of the cosmos", and that the original story of Metroid starts in 20X5.

Given that the Prime games are allegedly happening in the story-lines between Metroid and Metroid II … there's a continuity error with the main series, which I'm hoping is addressed rather than hand-waved.

Metroid II: Samus Returns (2017) has a trailer claiming it took place "less than a year" since the previous adventure. So that'd be in either 20X5 or 20X6 - the latter of which would place it in the same year as Metroid Prime: Federation Force. If that's the case, then Super Metroid would take place in 20X6/20X7 … but Prime 4 takes place in 20X9???

That this sequence takes place on a Galactic Federation Research Facility is VERY interesting though, especially considering the Big Reveal later on. 2. Samus' Gunship!!! I've watched this frame-by-frame and I'm convinced that the ship which is landing is pre-rendered, whereas the stationary ship allowing Samus out is the actual model. It's an incredibly clever trick to save on resources.

The ship itself is the Hunter-class gunship from Metroid Prime 3! What stands out here is that Samus is leaving the ship from the TOP panel - where she previously would enter and exit this ship from the bottom lift just behind the cockpit. I think it's also missing the Ship Grapple upgrade. Then there's the recreation of Metroid Prime's intro with Samus' space jump; the music; the zoom-in; HUD turning on ... Uuugggh, 11/10. Give it to me now. Put it into my veins and make me a weird hybrid.

3. Samus' Power Suit! It's Metroid Prime 3's Varia Suit, right down to the missile launcher design. This makes me feel VERY certain this story is going to take place very shortly after Prime 3's conclusion - like how Super Metroid follows up almost immediately after Metroid II.

The Morph Ball seems to behave almost exactly like it does in Prime 1 with its wonky physics. Loving this, seems to suggest the Prime 1 Remaster had a very solid engine ready to re-use. Prime 2/3 remaster when? 4. The Heads-up Display The HUD actually matches Samus' actual visor design! After Prime 1, the visor changed shape but the HUD didn't - now it has the extra notch at the top. It's higher contrast; Energy goes into the top notch, and the Map (now all blue!) has directions on it now.

Missiles take up one of the four slots on the left is weird. Maybe there's less Beams. The HUD doesn't seem to react when Samus switches between Beam and Missiles???

The Combat Visor makes a great distinction between which things are friendly, which are hostile and what you're locked onto on its little mini-map in the top-left.

The Scan Visor isn't intrusive with its overlay - and shows 2D images instead of 3D ones. Seems to make a better distinction between things you have and haven't scanned yet.

Going off of Metroid Prime Remastered, I legitimately think there's a team at Retro Studios doing their best in regards to (visual) accessibility. Love that. 5. Space Pirate Action Scenes! These tube-tastic dipshits keep looking more and more like Halo Elites and it bothers me, but they're here and awful! Blowing up a door!

Around 1:05 there are Galactic Federation humanoids wheeling away a thing. We like things here. We also have some friendlies fighting alongside Samus here, but they're most clear on the minimap.

6. The Big Reveal Later On Holy shit it's Sylux MetroidPrimeHunters. Holy shit, it's about time this fucker showed up instead of being a 'secret ending' cameo. I am absolutely loving the guitar riff in the background for the stinger here.

I'm very convinced those floating jellies are Mochtroids - not Metroids. It'd explain why they aren't latching onto anything. The biggest question is whether Sylux used the egg he stole in Federation Force - or this GF facility has been making Metroids. The GF will never learn. 7. To Go Even Further Beyond Samus has left the building. In this shot she's still in the Varia Suit. These avians on-screen have longer necks and brighter plumage than the 'birds' we've seen on Talon IV; there's no other creatures on-screen.

BONUS: The logo looks like the rendering of a black hole. That's probably not important at all.

Okay thank you for reading. See you next mission!

[mirai-e-jump]

+act Magazine July 2023 Issue ft. Masashi Ikeda Interview (translation below)

Publication: June 12, 2023 (between episodes 15-16)

"First, please tell us how you were chosen for the role, and what you were thinking when the decision was made."

Ikeda: I originally auditioned for the role of one of the main five warriors (kings), and wasn't selected, but, there was an audition for the additional warrior (Jeramie Brasieri). When I was chosen to play the role of Jeramie, I was more confused than excited. Then, the realization slowy began to sink in, and my heart felt full of excitment and anticipation. I've been watching tokusatsu shows since I was a child, and I've always had a strong desire to become a hero. My favorite show was "Kamen Rider 555," and I was such a huge fan that I had all the transformation belts. But even still, it feels strange being chosen to be apart of a hero production.

"After appearing in a Sentai series, many of the actors are still active, as it's considered a gateway to success for young talents. What are your thoughts on this?"

Ikeda: I would like to grow as a person throughout the next year. I'm not content with just being in a situation that's considered a gateway to success, so I want to perform as well as the other actors, and I want to do my best as to not destroy the legacy or quality of the past works that my seniors have created.

"The character of Jeramie plays a very important role, but what was your first impressions of him?"

Ikeda: Since Jeramie is a "storyteller," my first assignment was to narrate the story. What I thought was most interesting, is that Jeramie has been narrating since the beginning with Episode 1. It's unusual for a hero to also narrate the story.

"Your first task was to record the narration, right?"

Ikeda: That's right. Actually, at the time, I myself didn't completely understand Jeramie. I also wasn't familiar with doing narrations, so I had a hard time trying to put Jeramie's character into it. In order to convey Jeramie's emotions, the director gave the advice, "Try moving like you're in a play," so I tried speaking while doing a flashy pose and putting my hand in my hat. It's a recording, so luckily the cameras weren't turned on (laughs). I tried various things out, so it took two to three hours to record the narration for Episodes 1 and 2. The phrase "tosa" was created at that time. It wasn't originally written in the script, but the director had the idea to, "add in "or so it goes" at the end."

"The phrase "tosa" is a strong and memorable one, isn't it?"

Ikeda: That one phrase helped me a lot. The unique way of saying "or so it goes" was the foundation of Jeramie for me, and I was able to envision his character.

"Jeramie is a character of many strong traits. In official material, it also describes him as having an "annoying personality" (laughs)."

Ikeda: Ahahaha! He's pretentious, has a high sense of pride as a storyteller, and has a repetitive way of speaking…Even still, I try to be conscious of the lines I perform, and try to speak in abit of a joking way, or speak with alot of tension when it comes to things he doesn't understand. Jeramie is 2000 years old, he's composed, and enjoys talking to people. That's the kind of character I try to create when performing.

"In regards to Jeramie, what did you and the director discuss about?"

Ikeda: Reading the script, within his annoying, awkward, and narcissistic personality, you can also find a cute and innocent side of him. We discussed how we should remember those points, and express them in order to make him a well loved character. Actually, when I'm told something happy or sad, I react to them honestly and show my true emotions. I'm the type of person who understand emotions easily, so I hope I'm able to show that off.

"How did the other warriors react to such an intense character?"

Ikeda: Everyone said, "You're a nice character. I'm envious" The way he appeared in Episode 11 was very cool, he may be the narrator, but he has an intense presence. He's not just weird and annoying, he wants to help the world for the better more than anyone else. Jeramie's father is a human, while his mother is a Bagnarak, and although he has complex feelings about being a "child of love," he is a pacifist who has a strong desire to help those living in difficult situations, and wants to stop the war between the humans and Bagnarak.

"On the first day of filming, were you deeply moved by the fact that you were finally able to join the heroes you had been longing to work with?"

Ikeda: When I first appeared, I was wearing the Spider Mask that hid my face, so I didn't really feel it then. But, when I was able to let go and take off the mask, I thought, "Uwa! I'm finally going to become a hero!" and an excited feeling overtook me. When we were filming the transformation, I thought, "What should I do? What kind of face should I make when I transform?…" (laughs)

"What kind of things were you conscious of during the transformation scene?"

Ikeda: Jeramie's fighting style is brilliant. He can manipulate spider webs at will, uses his two weapons, a dagger and shooter, he can fly around, and is very smart. When I transform, I don't do it with a lot of enthusiasm, but rather, with a sense of grace. However, the pose is a abit "pretentious" and is kind of annoying (laughs). To transform, I bend my body back as much as I can while saying "Royal Arms." Suspended by a wire, my body flies up, and in a blur, turns into Spider Kumonos, but it's also filmed from the camera above me. It was the first wire acting in my life, and when they first explained the moves to me, I was like, "Eh? We're going to do this?" It was surprising (laughs). Furthermore, my body felt really stiff, and even though they said, "You're not bending at all," I really was bending to my limit…The action director said, "It's difficult for beginners." He also said, "I'm know I'm asking you to do something impossible," but I felt frustrated that I couldn't do it, and my back and abdominal muscles were sore the next day (laugh).

"Do difficult transformation scenes await you in every episode?"

Ikeda: That was the main one for Episode 12, so I won't have to do it every time. However, the director told me to, "Keep my body soft," because it might happen again in the future. That's why I'm going to work hard on my flexibility and try to become even closer to Jeramie.

"What are some highlights to expect in Jeramie's future?"

Ikeda: The relationship between the five kings, Racules, the Bagnarak, and the consequences of their actions, will be the main highlights as the story unfolds. But, how will Jeramie be involved, and what kind of relationship will he have with other Bagnarak? I think it's worth paying attention to see what Jeramie's up to, and I hope you will look forward to the movie being released this July.

[acourtofthought]

regarding your previous anon I just wanted to say that in a fairly recent livestream/interview deal she did in the last few years she said 'not much has changed since my initial drunken ramblings in the beginning' I'm paraphrasing there, but I don't think she's gonna make any big ship changes when she's close to wrapping up the series (also it was so funny to see e/riel's being all over that like it was ever planned from the beginning lololol)

YESSSS!!!!

If you ever find out exactly which one that was, I would love to know because I remember hearing that but have since forgotten where so I was never able to include a screenshot or link in my posts. She said "not much has changed from that initial pitch but the world has now expanded".

If we think back to that drunken rambling and when she pitched her ideas to her then editor, we were told a few things.

She said she knew who the first two spin-off books would be about but she was keeping the third open. For the third, she was debating between 5 possible ships and was considering a book set Pre ACOTAR.

That particular drunk lunch took place in 2016 (I'm guessing) as she was still drafting ACOWAR.

If, in 2016, she knew who the first two spin-off books would be about then logically, who did that mean?

Nesta and Elain. Especially when she says in multiple interviews she would love to tell the sisters stories one day and we know she had already done research for Elain's book while pregnant with her first child who was born in June of 2018.

Who also had the most buildup as a possible love interest for the sisters in ACOMAF / ACOWAR? (around the same time she said she knew who she wanted the first two books to be about?).

Cassian and Lucien hands down. Lucien's ENTIRE story in ACOWAR was based around worrying for Elain's safety, fighting his way to be by her side, helping her through her depression, going after an army based on her vision, giving her time to deal with her engagement to Graysen, running all the way from the shore to find her after battle, his having met her father, her inviting him back to Velaris, him standing beside her during the meeting at the end of the book.

Az and Elain might have had a few "moments" in ACOWAR that E/riels use for their proof of endgame but Az was still 100% in love with Mor when you consider that he still looked at her with hunger in ACOFAS while Elain was sitting in the room with him. The question at the end of ACOWAR was not "will Elain and Az get together" but "what will Elain and Lucien do about her mating bond now that she invited him back to Velaris". When the author wasn't sure who was getting the third book and everything suggests Elain was getting the second, all signs pointed to Elain and Lucien as the main POV especially when you consider that as an individual Lucien also had way more buildup than Az in ACOWAR. He was SA by Ianthe, chased out of his home in Spring, was feeling sadness over not having a home when Feyre slipped into his head, guilt over Jesminda, the pull to Elain, the reader (but not Lucien himself) finding out Helion is his actual father, and he fought in his first war. SJM left us with too many unresolved plots for Lucien to not give him a book.

It wasn't until after the release of SF and she was discussing it that she made the comment above "my plan for the intial spin-offs didn't change but the world expanded."

And you know what expanded?

Az suddenly got a bit more of a mysterious background, he got a bonus with hints of a possible mating bond, and SJM introduced the possibility of time-travel what with Merrill's research and the Trove's ability to open doors between worlds. Az ended up connected to the crossover.

THEN it was later announced that she was contracted for additional books (and maybe a new series).

If her intial plan didn't change then Nessian and Elucien were always going to be resolved first and now Az's romantic arc / journey is the direction she decided to take things after finishing the main story of the Archern sisters.

Yes, Az and Elain nearly kissed and had a harmless flirtation going on but it never got off the ground did it?

Ever since the Elucien bond snapped into place, the real question has not been "will Elain and Az end up together" but "will Elain and Lucien end up accepting their mating bond?" And just as SJM had Nesta share experiences with others before ending up with Cassian, she had Elain attempt to have an experience with Az but I don't think he was ever meant to be more than a slight detour in the Elucien journey so as to make their path to one another a bit more tension filled. And I think the reason SJM introduced Az's possible mate in his bonus is that she didn't want readers to feel bad for him for too long because even though she's on track for an Elucien endgame, we know that Az isn't going to be sad for very long as he's got his own mate waiting in the wings.

[tornrose24]

Sorry for the wait for more of those TGAMM Aladdin AU ideas. I saw how long it took between the first and last post. I got very busy, especially with working on a certain fan fic. Here is part 2. (Part one is here in case you forgot).

-So as said before, Molly wants to pass herself off as a rich princess so that she can provide for her kingdom AND be able to see Ollie again. However, Libby (who is passing herself off as a handmaiden) forms the entire background and backstory of a made-up kingdom so that Molly’s lie isn’t exposed that easily. The main problem is ensuring Molly is convincing enough to sell the story since she’s not a good liar. Somewhere there is a montage where Molly is being taught how to lie and struggles with it (likely a certain fake magician is an unwitting test subject, much to her displeasure).

–Elsewhere Jinx is angry about the loss of the lamp and is looking for other methods. Ollie shows suspicion, which makes her further eager to hurry up. Except there’s a big commotion that disrupts her and it’s coming outside…

–There’s a huge procession leading up to the Chen’s palace. Singing is optional (I’m not sure Scratch would be keen on singing in this case, but the “Physique, weak at my knees” line would need to be omitted if that happens since that’s not appropriate to sing regarding a young teenage girl. If you want to imagine him dressing in drag, you are free to do so).

-So they enter the palace. Molly barely manages to be convincing as she tells Reuben and Esther that she wishes to provide some financial aid for the kingdom. However she is completely thrown off when they assume that she is here for their son’s hand in marriage. Molly tries to backpedal and say that’s not why she was here.

-But of course, Scratch (who is posing as her advisor and disguised as a human, as you might recall) makes things worse by saying that she’s trying to figure out if OLLIE is good enough to be married to her. Libby has to do quick damage control before both Molly and Scratch anger the sultan and his wife by asking if they should stay for the night since it’s the festival today (this plot point comes from the 2019 film). Reuben and Esther manage to agree since they are desperate for someone by this point.

-June sees right through the BS. She can tell there’s something off about this princess, unlike the others who came before her. What kind of princess wouldn’t know that her brother was available for marriage? Also wow that advisor is kind of a jerk and doesn’t seem to have any problems speaking so casually with the princess in public.

–Ollie is just not comfortable with the whole thing. He feels like this princess is trying to sell herself off and doesn’t actually care about providing financial aid.

-Jinx watches all this and she finds the princess to be oddly familiar-looking.

-The night of the festival arrives. There’s dancing and food (guess who goes for the latter and terrifies the onlookers?) A lot of people are showing great interest in Molly and want to know about her kingdom, but she wants to talk about theirs and how she could help them. Thankfully Libby is still guiding her a few times. She is able to win everyone over with her joy and eagerness. Even Reuben and Esther are starting to be impressed.

-Eventually, Molly just wants to party with her friends. She even gets Scratch to dance with her and he is starting to have fun with her. She is happy that she got him to open up a bit more.

–The latter does not escape Ollie. He is not used to seeing a princess treat her subjects as equals like that, and it’s oddly refreshing. June voices her concerns to Ollie that Molly might not be who she claims to be, and advises him to be cautious.

-Libby found a way to sneak in the magic carpet and offers it to Molly, because she is a bit of a shipper and knows what can set the mood.

–Scratch finds out and isn’t impressed. He thinks it would be neat if Molly did manage to get herself a prince, but he’s starting to worry that maybe he’s getting her too deep into things. Also, he doesn’t like how Jinx has been constantly looking at Molly.

-Molly eventually tries to approach Ollie. June gets in her way at first, but the girl realizes Molly has at least been sincere in wanting to aid the kingdom, so she lets her meet up with her brother. June intends on learning more about the girl, because maybe this could be someone Ollie might want to be with someday, compared to the usual girls.

-Ollie tries to explain to the princess that he is NOT interested in marrying so soon. He already has a lot to shoulder before he’s old enough to take the throne, and finding a wife this soon is the last thing on his mind. Molly admits that’s not what she wants either, and that most kids should be thinking of boyfriends and girlfriends instead of future husbands or wives. She also tells him that he truly could be a great ruler if he was free to rule as he wished.

–Somewhere around this time, Molly accidentally reveals something that gives away her identity. Likely a phrase or key word. Ollie catches it as Molly offers him the experience of a lifetime–riding a magic carpet–and to just get to be a teenager for one night and not think about huge burdens.

-Cue the ‘Whole New World’ montage where its two kids going on a carpet ride, exploring the lands beyond the city, and falling in innocent young love.

-As Molly and Ollie stare out at the city, Ollie’s suspicions grow. He is able to trick Molly into revealing that she’s the girl he met that one time.

–In a panic, Molly (as expected) lies and claims that she is a real princess who was in disguise since she doesn’t want to admit the truth or give away who made her a princess. A part of Ollie isn’t convinced, but he goes with it.

-Scratch finds out that Molly lied and is not impressed, even if he appreciates that she was trying to keep him a secret. In fact, he’s getting a bit concerned.

-Ok, so the drowning scene would be a combination of the original and 2019 films. Jinx has Molly captured, chained up, and taken to a body of water. Libby is the one who catches this and takes the lamp and carpet to follow after them because she is scared that things will go south.

–Jinx accuses Molly of not being who she is and that she has the lamp. Molly lies (partly because she does NOT want Scratch to end up in this woman’s possession, and she’s gotten an idea of what her fate would of been, had she brought the lamp to her.)

-The drowning scene plays out how you’d expect. Molly ends up in the water, but gets the lamp and activates it. Scratch panics and has to get her to make her second wish to be saved and he gets her out of there before she drowns. She is relieved to be saved and he is upset because he almost lost her and he’s grown attached to this girl. In fact she is the first human he’s ever cared about to this extent.

-Scratch enters ‘Papa Wolf’ mode as he returns to the palace with Molly in human form and demands the attention of June and Ollie because he knows someone tried to kill Molly and they need to bring that person to justice. He is mad as hell and terrifies the siblings a bit, but Molly calms him down and tells him who was responsible, which leads to everyone to make a plan.

-June had done some research beforehand and realized that Molly’s kingdom is entirely made up. However, she sets aside confronting Molly about it since she finds it odd someone would go out of their way to drown her.

-The next day, Jinx is shocked that Molly is alive. The girl has told Reuben and Esther what happened, and they confront Jinx and want to know what is going on. In a desperate move, Jinx tries to hypnotize the couple into believing her lies… and at this point I realize that I didn’t think of giving her the staff. Let’s just say that she has one, and Molly can figure it out and breaks it.

Of course, even though Jinx ends up getting arrested, she not only escapes, but she realizes that Molly does have the lamp. Not only that, she is able to correctly guess who Scratch is. The fact that their seems to be a genuine friendship between the two doesn’t escape her notice.

–Reuben and Esther are thankful to Molly and say that they are in debt to her. They say that they would gladly be happy to have her as their son’s future wife. Molly tells them that she doesn’t think she is ready to marry Ollie, and wants to respect what he wants. The couple is still insistent, and Molly tells them that she would genuinely need time to think about that, because all she wanted was to help the kingdom. However they are still insistent and in her panic, she runs away.

–She is too overwhelmed. Even if she likes Ollie, she knows that she is not ready for that future right now, not to mention the lies she told that could get her in trouble.

-While Molly and Scratch are alone, he snarkily wonders if Molly is going to take back her promise to free him and use her last wish on herself. To his shock, Molly does NOT want to go back on her word. However, she needs to figure out what to do about the situation she is trapped in, without resorting to that. She tries to reassure Scratch that she will free him like ehe promised…

-“Whoah, I didn’t ever say I wanted to be free, Moll. Do you have any idea what that would mean for me?”

–And so, Scratch gets defensive when Molly tries to figure out why he would suddenly be so against the wish when he has made it clear that he HATES the position he is stuck in. He explodes on her and tells her that being reduced to a powerless, pathetic mortal who can easily die without any magic to protect him like her and everyone else is the scariest thing he can imagine. Molly counters that while that could happen, living out your life, no matter how short, is better than being trapped, alone, and forced to answer to another if you don’t want that.

–Scratch gives up and locks himself back in the lamp. A frustrated Molly leaves the palace.

–Molly returns home to her family who are relieved, and she tells them everything. She tearfully admits that she doesn’t want to have to keep living a lie for the sake of everyone and she doesn’t want to abandon her family or get married so young. She also deeply regrets pushing Scratch and wishes that she could help him be happy.

–Pete and Sharon tell her that it is better to be yourself. They don’t want to see her suffer and to be honest they aren’t ready to give her up yet, even if it was to a prince. They also tell her to give the situation with Scratch time and maybe the two could talk things over. If he wanted to, he could even stay with them (Though he has to get his own food).

–Molly smiles and tells them she will do that and mention that offer. Besides, she could gift him the carpet if he wants to see the world. However, she must be honest with the royal family first–this is one problem she needs to solve on her own.

–As Molly heads toward the palace someone bumps into her on the streets. Confused, Molly continues on, but fails to realize Jinx was in disguise and took the lamp.

–A wickedly delighted Jinx summons Scratch out of the lamp in private. He is deeply confused at first and is about to grumble to Molly until he realizes who awakened him. He then realizes that things are about to go south, but unfortunately, he can’t do anything about it.

To be continued in part 3.

[a-froger-epic]

New Interview with Rose Rose (June 2023)

As some of you know, I have friends in the Russian Queen fandom (a handful of lovely Ukrainian and Russian ladies who are translating my writing) and so I was linked to this. It’s an exclusive interview Rosemary Pearson (Rose Rose) gave to the Russian translator of her books. The questions came from people in the main Russian Queen fan forum. The interview was posted in Russian. 

Here are some excepts in English.

Question: If you could turn back the clock, would you break up with Freddie again [...] or would you stay in a relationship with him, and what would happen?

Rose: I would break up with him again because he was, well and truly, attracted to men.

Question: Did you share the details of your childhood that you described in ‘Growing Up’ [Rose Rose’s new book, ‘Growing Up With ‘Filthy Lucre’’] with Freddie? If so, how did he react? Did he tell you about his childhood?

Rose: No, we didn’t tell each other about our childhoods, except that he and I went to boarding school. I mentioned this in my book.

[…]

Question: Which album covers and which Queen videos did you find artistically interesting?

Rose: The most interesting for me in that regard is the video clip for “Bohemian Rhapsody”.

Question: What are your favourite Queen or Freddie Mercury songs?

Rose: I like “Bohemian Rhapsody” the most.

Question: Did you and Freddie mostly coincide when it came to your tastes in music and art, or did you often have disagreements?

Rose: At the time, our tastes completely coincided. Jimi Hendrix is still my favorite artist.

Question: Which artists was Freddie particularly drawn to during his years at Ealing College? In your opinion, did Freddie imitate someone in his artistic work during his studies in Ealing? How would you describe his painting style in those days?

Rose: Freddie liked the work of Russian futurists especially and Russian ballet costumes. But, to be honest, he was not particularly interested in anything but his own imagination and the pop culture of the 60s.

[…]

Question: Did you and Freddie give each other gifts (like birthday gifts)? If so, which ones?

Rose: No, we never gifted each other anything. We weren't that sentimental about it.

[…]

Question: Have you seen the 2018 movie Bohemian Rhapsody? If so, how do you feel about the film?

Rose: I’ve seen it. About half of the movie is completely false.

[…]

Question: [...] Not so long ago, [Mary Austin] decided to auction off most of the art collection and personal belongings of Freddie’s. What would you have done with those things if you were Mary?

Rose: If I were Mary, I would donate it all to the Victoria & Albert Museum in London. Freddie would have preferred it this way, and it just goes to show how few people really understood him. It’s a shame that it won’t happen, as the museum staff are keen to preserve Freddie’s heritage for future generations. [The Victoria & Albert Museum researcher recently approached Rose for advice about the young Freddie Mercury’s interest in the museum’s expositions, in particular, of Russian ballet costumes, but this is a different story. - Note by the interviewer].

Question: What would you say to Freddie if you had the chance?

Rose: I’d say, “I’m so happy that you were able to realise your potential in such a brilliant way!”

[…]

Question: How do you respond to criticism of your work?

Rose: I ignore it!

Question: Did any of your children inherit your desire to become an artist?

Rose: No, they all hate what I do.

[…]

Question: What creative ideas or projects would you like to accomplish, but lack the opportunity? Does it bother you or do you prefer to focus on achievable goals?

Rose: I’ve done everything I wanted to do.

---

Honestly, I liked Rose Rose always, but now I properly love this woman. What a legend.

[battlekidx2]

The Ghost and Molly McGee Season 2 Thought So Far

I can’t believe I haven’t talked about The Ghost and Molly McGee yet. I have multiple drafts in my docs and on tumblr but I could never really get my thoughts across as well as I would like but I’ve decided to just put my thoughts out here because I really do enjoy this show.

The ghost and molly mcgee is one of those shows that shocked me with just how much I enjoyed it. I think that’s purely because it doesn’t fall into the tone of show I usually lean towards. I usually gravitate towards shows like Arcane, Invincible, Amphibia, and The Owl House to use recent examples. Shows that are very bittersweet (or in Arcane’s case straight-up tragic) and know how to gut punch you with emotional moments. I feel seen in certain aspects of these shows and the hard truths they portray that many people have experienced but that isn’t what I need all the time and the Ghost and Molly McGee perfectly fits what I need outside of those types of shows.

It’s a show that champions joy and connections and it sees the best in people. In a time that seems to be filled with hate and is hard to experience day to day, this is the type of show I need to unwind and feel a bit more hopeful.

The Ghost and Molly McGee had a phenomenal first season. It was an amazing introduction to the characters, world, and themes of the show that ended on a bang with Molly vs the ghost world. I had a lot of excitement heading into the next season, but was unsure of where the show would go from that explosive finale and I can safely say that the second season is off to a great start. 

I love the introduction of the Chens and how their profession of being ghost hunters comes into conflict with their friendship with the McGees. It's an interesting dynamic that adds a level of tension to Molly and Scratch’s adventures that wasn’t present in season 1. There wasn’t much of a threat of anyone discovering Molly’s friendship with Scratch or exposing their escapades, especially after Libby was brought into the fold, so I really like the decision to add threats on the human side of things.

The Chens themselves have a lot of potential as characters and are already interesting foils to the McGees. Most of them don’t have much development yet and they are very similar to the McGees in terms of personality, but the show has already set up very interesting plotlines for them. 

Ollie in particular has a lot of potential due to his discovery at the end of “I Really Wanna Dance with Some Ollie”. He made the conscious decision to not tell his mother that he discovered that Molly is friends with Scratch which sets up an interesting conflict in his character and it adds depth to his actions and bond with Molly. 

Right now he is a copy of Molly in many ways (as are all of the Chens with the McGees) but it’s only a few episodes into season 2 so there are a lot of opportunities for growth.

I also really like June and love that she’s canonically autistic. The Ghost and Molly McGee is great when it comes to representation. It is very racially diverse and I appreciate that it has background/normalized lbgtq+ characters and is now including main characters that are intentionally and explicitly neurodivergent. Representation matters. I’ve written about why I believe representation is important before so I’ll spare the essay but I believe that people being able to see aspects of themselves not depicted as frequently in media in characters on this show, especially this show’s age demographic, is a good thing.

Another development I really liked is what the show has decided to do with the ghost world, specifically the chairman. The idea that Scratch is forced into a role of authority after the events of the finale is really interesting. There are so many directions they can take this idea and it’s a really good way to force Scratch out of his comfort zone and get him to grow. This also expands on the lore in regards to the ghost world which we still know little about. I look forward to the ways in which this can explore Scratch’s character and give us more insight into the show’s lore.

Scratch gets some very poignant character moments even outside of the chairman development  in these episodes with the best example being “A Soda to Remember”.

“A Soda to Remember” is my favorite episode of the batch that dropped because of how it juxtaposes Scratch’s character and the glimpse of his past with the wacky antics of the episode. There’s a palpable melancholy to the flashback at the end of the episode that works so well considering the overall tone of the show. It builds a lot of emotion and intrigue around it that makes the episode and Scratch’s arc in it hit a lot harder.

Episodes in The Ghost and Molly McGee almost always end on an optimistic note so that final scene strikes a unique emotional cord within the show. This technique was used sparingly in the first season with it only occurring in the episode “Out of House and Home” when the McGees lose their house and when Scratch is taken back to the ghost world in “The Jig is Up”. The show knows when to slow down and allow these emotional moments to sit which is part of why I enjoy it so much.

This actually might be the plotline I am most interested in seeing explored in the future.

Overall I think the second season of The Ghost and Molly McGee is off to a great start!

[artofmimi]

Hi idk if you ever go on here but Twitter confuses and scares me . I saw you retweeted some art of Sethos, and I really like that guy and I also think ur opinions on stuff are really interesting, so I wanted to see if you'd said anything specific about him. However, Twitter confuses and scares me, and I scrolled through some of ur tweets and realized that i'd only made it to June 30th and did not have the mental fortitude to keep going. All that to say, if you have any particular opinions on Sethos I would like to read them here on Tumblr. Obviously ignore this whole thing if you just don't want to respond , and sorry that this is weird

hello there! first of all, i don't think this is a weird ask at all. there is nothing wrong with asking questions so please don't apologize :)

secondly, i really like sethos – a lot! i feel like i don't talk very much about cyno but he is, in fact, one of my favorite characters from genshin. the opportunity to learn more about cyno's backstory and the fact that he gained a new narrative FOIL really excited me. juxtaposing the physical and personality differences between both of them (sethos with his green eyes/brown hair/inviting smile/sociability vs cyno with his red eyes/white hair/resting bitch face/social awkwardness) really highlights their character traits, i feel.

one of the things that drew me in lot about sethos (and this may be a tired comparison so apologies in advance) is that he reminds me a lot of claude from fe3h. not just the physical similarities or the fact that he's an archer, but it was mostly his sense of curiosity and his disposition towards other people. the lines he says, i can see coming from claude's mouth. he gives off a strong sense of intelligence and cleverness.

but honestly that's really as far as i can do for (admittedly very surface-level) analysis for sethos! i haven't played cyno's second story quest yet so i don't know anything regarding the temple of silence plotline or what role sethos plays in it other than what the version update trailer teased. i know that sethos is a reference to the egyptian god, set, and he juxtaposes with cyno, a reference to anubis. i know that set is the god of disorder, violence, foreigners (out of many things) and one of the main stories he is known for is how he usurped his brother – so i have my guesses as to how the genshin storyline goes. however, obviously, my knowledge of egyptian mythology is very shallow so i don't want to make too deep of an analysis unless i really know what i'm talking about haha

anyways, i'm glad that you find my opinions interesting and that you at least tried to scroll through my twitter LMAO i do check tumblr semi-often bc i do still like reading the tags people read on my posts. i still find tumblr's askbox system and archiving system by far the best out of the "big" social media platforms these days but i've gotten really accustomed to just saying out inconsequential thoughts on twitter and rambling out analysis threads on there. they do get lost very easily though so alas. once i do finally finish cyno's story quest, i promise i'll come back to this post and share my thoughts on sethos, just for you anon <3

[alyjojo]

June 📿 2024 Monthly - Pisces

Preshuffle: Chaotic energy 🫨 You’re overflowing with emotions because you can’t handle everything coming at you at once, or it’s unreliable. It’s like you can’t commit to one lane for more than two seconds before something else needs your attention, and rather than getting a card of feeling overwhelmed, it’s feeling more like you’re about to act out emotionally, or…cry. Scream into the void. Snap 🫰

Meditation: It was a well, you know, for water. A deep one. Couldn’t even see the bottom. I was afraid of falling in. And I heard the song title “A Deeper Well”. Literal and to the point, that’s it. I really don’t know this song at all, but it must resonate to be so literal.

Main energy: 5 Cups

This energy is very tricky because of what I’m seeing - which won’t apply to everyone. I’m seeing “survivor’s guilt” first off, if you don’t know what that means then you’re lucky. There’s a possible car wreck, some kind of disaster where someone else got hurt, and you didn’t. But should have? I’m also seeing prison. Probably involving a friend, Friendship is focused here. Maybe you can’t afford to pay someone’s fine or help them get on their feet, but you really want to. For some a person may simply have made their own bed 🛏️ and what can you do? They’re stuck with it now. But this causes you to feel deeply sad, remorseful, focused on regret, pain, and what is lost. If you’ve had to separate from people for whatever reason, it’s made you sad, and I’m definitely seeing regret on your end for where that applies. Regarding what - I don’t know. Could’ve should’ve would’ve - if I knew, sort of energy.

What’s going on in June:

The Magician:

You’ve manifested a stable connection, home, relationship with someone that is a fuckboy/girl at heart, unreliable, non-committal, doesn’t take things seriously, reckless with their impulses, does stupid shit and has no control over themselves. Maybe moved in with them? Could be family. You didn’t know that when you made this decision (who does?) Or perhaps you were the one impulsive, in order to help someone else. Could be love, but I’m getting more of a roommate or friend - platonic with shared interests, maybe a coworker kind of vibe. Could be switched and you’re the one that flakes out of something that was solid - or that was the goal at least.

9 Wands rev:

It’s possible you spent a lot of money on a person or situation - I’m seeing a savings for disaster kind of fund, being dipped into for the sake of saving someone’s ass. And that you didn’t or don’t necessarily have it to give. If not money, then you’ve been forced to release something you’ve held onto very tightly. Could be the connection itself. 4 Swords rev following can show something that *can’t heal* - and there is a lot of independent energy here. Spontaneous actions fucked something up for sure, and it could be financial, a whole relationship, or even the worst case scenario - someone’s life. Having to let go could be literal. 5 Cups can be mourning, if that’s you I’m sending you big hugs & I’m very sorry.

4 Swords rev:

This can show already being healed - but with 5 Cups running the show it’s more like something that can’t fully be healed. Someone is beyond pissed, this Queen of Swords may be you or the other person - because regret is here if it’s you. Sadness if it’s not, while simultaneously being pissed off that someone would put you in the positions you’ve been put in. This Queen is guarded af, she’s very smart and protective over her heart - which is there, and big, but it’s under quite a bit of logic first. She uses her head to deal with problems - not her heart, which this person has (had to?) become for whatever reason. It’s not being more specific so, different reasons for all. One thing is for sure: you don’t appreciate people making stupid decisions that mess with *your* life and relationships. I mean, who does? For most it feels like them. If it’s you, it was unintentional or wasn’t supposed to play out in this way - but it’s over with now and there are regrets. There’s no fixing this, whatever it is, someone goofed up and the other person has their sword up, ready to strike.

6 Swords:

Moving on is the only thing you can do, for most again this is someone else’s problem, someone else’s monkeys, they done fucked up and all you can do is release it. Move on. Easier said than done. I don’t see any emotions or depth to this connection, so this could be like…you have a roommate that sells drugs, you have no idea, they get caught up in some bs and you’re now having to go to court, be a witness, get all involved in something you didn’t even do, don’t appreciate, and there’s no reciprocation for this thing. You don’t get time back, repayment for damages, an apology even for some, it’s just throwing in the towel, *fucking wasted*. Effort, money, time, emotion, a lease, that’s what I’m seeing with this. The Moon at the bottom shows things being hidden from you, you probably don’t have the whole story, and maybe never will.

Temperance rev & The Tower rev:

There’s not much wiggle room with these interpretations. You’re pissed off 💯 as much as sad. You avoided the worst of it, that’s a good thing, or it could have been worse and you should be thankful for that…but I don’t see you seeing it that way. You’re focused on the failure, the wasted effort, time, money, love even, everything that’s falling out of these 3 Cups…friends. Friends may hurt you, ones you wanted to keep but couldn’t, and in many cases they did it to themselves or can’t forgive you for something you’ve done, either/or. Temperance rev shows no reconciling, which is a repeated message, no healing, no fixing, there’s just - the end. Forcibly. That could be super fkn traumatic depending on the situation so…

Advice: The Hermit, and with that I heard the Serenity Prayer, which idc what you believe in or don’t, it’s your call - but that’s what I heard. Stay out of this one, there’s nothing you can do. 333 may mean something for you.

“God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”

Signs you may be dealing with:

Scorpio, Gemini, Sagittarius, Aquarius, Libra & Aries

Oracle: ✨

33 Integration 🧬

We are a sum of all of our experiences in this and other lives. We all bring forward a wealth of knowledge, talents, and wisdom. One of the challenges is remembering who we are. We are bombarded every day in every way with messages on who we should be, what we should do, what we should wear, how we should live…

These messages coming from the media, society, our family and friends, and even strangers can drown out who we are really meant to be: who we have grown into lifetime after lifetime. Find some quiet moments in your day to identify and start a relationship with that small, strong voice inside of you. Pretty soon you won’t hear the other messages. Many times in your interactions with others, you hear that small voice tell you something is not right. Your logical mind tells you stop it, nothing is wrong, you’re being silly/dramatic or overreacting. You may ignore your inner voice in a quest to fit in, be loved or admired. You do not realize that your inner voice is warning you that the other person’s energy is not matching their words or actions. Listen to your instincts about this situation or person.

We enter into June as:

The Lilac Key 🔑

“The last thing out of Pandora’s Box was hope.”

Change is coming. It is imminent and cannot be avoided. The desire to run from this situation is tempting. However this is a necessary challenge for you. You are going through the labor pains of birth. This may indicate a painful divorce or partnership ending bitterly. In all situations it represents a death of an old way of living, thinking, and surviving. Lilac Key appears when mere survival is not enough for you. Your will to live is what is forcing the change. It is a change of consciousness, which in turn will lead to a balance of harmony in all areas of your life. Cleaning up the past is a process that is often painful; yet hope and joy are the after effects. Remember, once the key has been used to open the door, once you have entered this new consciousness, you cannot go back. You will be left with a new way of living, one without keys - for where you are heading there is no need for locks 🔒

What is to be learned in June:

Sun Sparkler 🎇:

“Integrity is what turns on the light.”

Sun Sparkler reminds us that it is through kindness to others and being of service that we are abundant. Are you living your life as fully as you can? Are you being honest and kind to others? Do you hold the door open for people on the elevator, or let it close? Do you let people merge over in traffic, or pretend not to see them? When we put a blinder on one area of life, it creates the same blind spot in every area. You can’t shut out pain without shutting out pleasure too. Sun Sparkler reminds you of the miracle of honesty, it leads to integrity. You may have done work for another but do not expect a reward, revel in alignment with Spirit, self-esteem is the gift. You’ve been elevated to a new level spiritually, continue to serve others and life will prosper beyond your wildest dreams.

Yellow may be a lucky color 💛

[ix-c-999]

Hihi!! I followed you from the soulbonding anon ask, its nice to see other people with similar experiences. May I ask what its like for you? I've only been able to talk about this with one or two other people and I'm terrified of overstepping boundaries or misunderstanding something hff im trying to understand myself a bit more but also stay respectful about it- I've seen quite a bit of syscourse already and its stressful ;w;

Hello! Thanks for your message and your interest!

Firstly, I should explain that I (Vyvian, the original host of the system) don't actually identify as a soulbonder, although I don't really have a problem with people thinking of me as an unintentional one as long as they think of me as a non-created system first.

What happened in my case was that, at more or less the exact same time, 1. I was removed from a formerly abusive situation and placed in an isolating one, 2. I started self-shipping with my main F/O (F.ord Pr.efect from Hit.chhiker's Gui.de), and 3. my system went into total dormancy.

(Note about my system: we're traumagenic and have never fully intentionally created an alter, so we're very different from the rest of the soulbond community in that regard in that our experience can be explained by a psychological process our brain already does. You can see why I don't really consider myself part of that community.)

Anyway, because of how lonely I was (both from the isolation and from my alters not being around anymore), I leaned very very heavily into my self-ship with Ford and coped by imagining him with me constantly. With my self-ship friends and on the blog I ran at the time, I talked about him like he was real, e.g. "Ford and I went to the store today" or "I showed Ford this meme and now I'm showing you".

Every so often, though, I'd have moments where I dissociated and where the house I was living in seemed unfamiliar to me (I had just started living in it, but I'd been familiar with it for months before then). These were accompanied by an intense sense of alienation, unfamiliarity, non-humanity, and being trapped - things that Ford canonically feels as an alien from Betelgeuse stuck on Earth but that I just chalked up to dissociating while feeling weird about my new living situation.

About eight months after fully beginning to self-ship, I had a manic break in which I was compelled to write a series of spiritual Documents. My F/O is notably non-spiritual and I was too consumed by the mania to imagine him on purpose.

At the most intense point during the break, I involuntarily felt Ford's presence as intensely as I would feel someone physically next to me (I've never felt it that strongly before or since) and got the impression that the spiritual ideas I was writing about could be viewed psychologically as well (which is more in line with what Ford would say). This was immensely helpful, as I believe that, had I not incorporated psychological views of spirituality into the Documents, things could have gone a lot differently for me in ways I wouldn't want them to.

Some members of my system think that Venn split during this incident but didn't knowingly front until the rest of my system came out of dormancy. Some think that it was a major event that contributed to his development as an alter but that that wasn't the event that brought him into existence per se. Some think that Venn is a literal spiritual gift from Betelgeuse (our guardian star) and that Betelgeuse gave him to me at the moment when my mind would be the most receptive to accommodating spiritual entities.

Either way, Venn either continued to form for the next few months or else had already split and extremely covertly co-fronted with me some of the time. I was still imagining Ford around me as a fictional character and I recall that it became easier and easier to imagine him, to the point where I didn't need to consciously do it anymore.

My system fully came out of dormancy last June after about a month of me feeling like they could come back. I correctly predicted that my system's new lineup would include a Ford fictive induced by self-shipping. I was not able to predict some of the ways in which he would very quickly diverge from my already canon divergent characterization of him, nor that he would become the new host of the system (to the point where, for a while, I was only a co-host as opposed to a secondary host. My system now has two hosts and two co-hosts.)

I think the fact that I imagined Ford with me CONSTANTLY is what contributed to Venn becoming a host. If my brain is used to Ford as a constant presence, it makes sense that the alter of him would be constantly around. However, some of the members of my system who attribute a spiritual explanation to Venn's existence think he's a host because he's a spiritual entity and therefore behaves anomalously compared to other alters.

A TLDR to your question about what it's like: I imagined my F/O with me constantly and treated him like he was real with no expectation that it would lead to an alter in my then-dormant system, and then when my system came out of dormancy, it included a fictive of him that became a host.

As you can see, I'm unable to speak to the experience of intentionally creating a non-physical entity, and the involvement of spirituality is ambiguous at best. So I hope my base of knowledge is still helpful! If you have any additional questions and feel comfortable with it, feel free to DM me (which goes for anyone reading this)!

(Additionally to your thing about discourse: I would recommend a system in your situation to follow tags like "endo safe" and "endos please interact", as well as "pluralgang" which is intended to be endo-friendly, although I'm not sure if you identify as a system and thus how useful those suggestions would be for you. In general, I recommend occasionally looking at the tag "endos dni" for the express purpose of blocking everybody who uses it.)

[dustinfrueh012]

The Astronaut's Wife (a Film Review)

Negative Reviews Aren’t Necessarily a Bad Thing

Prompted by Tubi to finally watch The Astronaut’s Wife before it left the streaming platform on Friday, June 3oth, I went into it kind of expecting a less than stellar film. I was, however, cautiously optimistic that I’d like it. I was hoping to find one of those rare gems of filmmaking that I’d, at the very least, respect and appreciate, and maybe even love. Those type of experiences don’t happen often, but when they do, it’s worth every second to risk it. To better illustrate my point, it’s entirely possible that I might not have tried it at all, were it not for the film’s alleged saving grace: the performances.

 According to pretty most reviews, (both professional and everyday consumers,) the one quality that saves it from being tossed in the proverbial rubbish heap is the performances of its stars, Johnny Depp and Charlize Theron. They’re said to be on-point. That alone convinced me.

”What I am is a true American hero. Now, the President of the United States of America said that, and you heard him.”

Written and directed by Rand Ravich, The Astronaut’s Wife reeled me in with its opening scene, and it isn’t long before I’m transported by it. Some of those first scenes are beautiful to behold, and I don’t compliment it lightly. It’s fascinating to simply watch the actions of the main players and listen to their carefully chosen words. It’s through those that the audience learns about the close-knit relationship between Depp’s Spencer and Theron’s Jillian, whom he affectionately refers calls Jill. Their marriage is complicated, and is seemingly made stronger by their mutual respect and a deep, admirable love. There’s a lot at stake, and in Ravich’s directorial debut, he makes those stakes clear.

Par for the course, it’s not long before everything they thought they knew and believed to be true comes crashing down like a riotous game of Jenga. Their world can only implode. The latter is emphasized for dramatic effect, because one of the common criticisms speaks directly toward this. With an approval rating of just fifteen percent on Rotten Tomatoes, and an audience score of thirty-three percent, the critic’s consensus is that the film “moves at a snail’s pace and fails to generate enough intrigue to keep viewers interested.”

Not to be dismissive of many, highly regarded reviews (even Siskel & Ebert said that while they didn’t hate The Astronaut’s Wife, untilmately they were apathetic towards it,) but the first act isn't meant to fly by with lightening-quick speed. It’s just not. Furthermore, the pacing is near perfection. In fact, I wouldn’t object to a little more time with Mr. and Mrs. Armacost, to sit with them before the inevitable craziness ensues. Instead of a plot moving at breakneck speed, it’s a predominantly taut, psychological thriller set in a similar vein as The Invasion of the Body Snatchers, with a fairly even balance of science fiction and horror.

As the title suggests, the main focal point revolves around Jillian, as it explores the impact on her psyche and her physical and mental well-being. Theron gives everything to her portrayal of the doting wife and the passionate educator. In many ways, she’s the victim, though she doesn’t come across as such. She has to be the pillar of strength, because her character is intentionally left in the dark and she has to discover what really happened in those mysterious two minutes of her husband’s failed mission. There’s more to everything at stake for her character, but anything more would spoil it. One scene, in particular, between Spencer and Jill, was extremely moving and contrary to many criticisms, the dialogue is on-point. It’s powerful, relatable, and it never feels disingenuous. There’s a strong resemblance to real life to it, almost as though it was taken from an actual conversation.

 None of it seems unrealistic or far-fetched, despite it being science fiction. And that’s saying a lot, because there are plenty of stories in the genre that feel a little unrealistic, and require the suspension of disbelief. I’m not even entirely certain how the filmmakers made it seem so grounded in reality, while simultaneously keeping solid ground in the speculative nature of the story. In response, I can only shake my head in disbelief, wondering if the naysayers somehow forgot that it’s predominantly sci-fi, a genre that almost celebrates the improbable, the unnatural, and the fantastical. Plus, it’s fiction. Escapism at its finest. Making sense or being completely logical isn’t always a necessary ingredient. Why else do we consume fiction, if not for escapism?

 Actually, with the exception of the ending, there isn’t a lot that’s extravagant or impossible. But I love the dramatic culmination of events. It doesn’t really bother me that what took place can’t happen like it did. In context with everything that came before, the resolution felt natural, like it was meant to be. Earnestly, I can’t imagine it ending any other way.

 ”There is something I need to tell you, Jill...About what happened. All there was...was the cold. I knew what the cold was...it was death. Then the cold faded and then I felt warmth. It was the warmth of you.”

 Now, was the basic concept of the film unoriginal? To some extent, yes. Frankly, it’s something that the sci-fi/horror community has seen many times. At the same time, though, it’s not always about originality. Sometimes, execution takes precedence, and I love that about this film. The thing I appreciate most about The Astronaut’s Wife is that its emphasis is on the characters (Jill, specifically,) as opposed to the Other. There’s a beautiful examination of what it means to be human, to be flawed as well as moral. Whereas a lot of stories have a tendancy to simplify good and evil, the film seems to cast a spotlight of understanding on both sides of the coin, and that’s very refreshing.

 The outstanding performances weren’t limited to Johhny Depp and Charlize Theron, either. Girl, Interrupted’s Clea DuVall’s portrayal of Jillian’s empathetic sibling was nothing short of moving, and my appetite for her scenes insatiable. And almost juxtaposed with DuVall’s Nan was Joe Morton’s Sherman Reese (Speed,) a disgrunted NASA representative who might or might not be in his sound mind.

Needless to say, I love everything about this film. The cinematography is beautiful. The haunting notes of the score is the perfect accompaniment, complete with a sense of palpable dread and suspense. The special effects are neither over or underdone, and kudos to all involved for not making it look or feel like CGI. I could go on and on, but reading my high praises is probably starting to sound repitive and nauseating, so I’ll wrap this up.

 If you’re at all curious, I encourage you to give The Astronaut’s Wife and chance and form your own opinions. You might just find another film that you enjoy. If not, then at least you can honestly say that you saw it, didn’t like it, and give your reasons why. If nothing else, go into it strictly for the rock star performances. I hope that I never forget this underrated, extremely polarizing film.

Rating: 5/5 stars

[ykoriana-imperatrix]

SDC Month - December 2022 - Monday #1

Today, we welcome back the "unpopular opinions" project. As I said back in June, said opinions might or might not actually be unpopular; it is difficult to know for sure in a fandom this small. But the name remains just as catchy, and perhaps that is all that matters.

The obligatory disclaimer: if you feel there is the chance you might be even the slightest bit offended by any opinion expressed in this post, you are of course entirely free to avoid it entirely. To quote my June self, perhaps some of my other SDC month projects (or other SDC-related posts) will be more to your liking.

(Cut for content and spoilers for roughly the entire series, just to be on the safe side.)

And now, for my maybe-controversial statement for this fine day: The main impact of the difference between SDC years and ours when it comes to characters is making Aurum's feats for his age seem even less plausible.

Let me emphasise one thing: by no means do I think that said difference is an unnecessary worldbuilding aspect or anything of the sort. No, actually I do very much find it an interesting part of the world as a whole, though for the most part, I think that it does not impact the story and in-universe events all that much... and on that note, what I wanted to address here is how it intersects with out-of-universe perception of the characters (well, one in particular).

This said, the above may be a bold statement still, but think about it. Regarding the really young characters (Ykorenthe, Leaf, Poppy when we're first introduced to her, etc.), the difference the conversion makes is so small as to be (in my humble opinion) practically negligible. Then we have the characters who start the series in their teens, 20s and even early 30s, for whom, yes, there is a bit more of a difference, but is your view of, say, Carnelian as a character changed that much — or at all — when you consider him to be nearly 16 rather than nearly 15 at the start of the series? Or Molochite and Osidian being closer to 15 than to 14? Even the likes of the older Keal, Jaspar, Vennel and Grane are only gaining a couple of years at most via the conversion. (And sure, there can appear to be a big difference between, for instance, 30 and 32 when it is your age that is personally involved, but when considering fictional characters from an outside their world perspective? Not so much.) We do start seeing more of a gap when it comes to the characters over 40, but even then, I'd say it's not the sort of thing that would tend to change one's view of any of them all that much? An age gap is less significant the older a person (real or fictional) is, after all, and I have to say, the actions and motivations of these characters, and the general way I view them, remain the exact same when I take into account that Ykoriana's 41 years at the start of the series would be 44 in our world, or that 42-year-old Sardian would be the equivalent of 45, or that Akaisha's 51 years would correspond to 54 of ours, and so on. And then we get to the characters who are already considered elderly in-universe. To me, Legions and the rest of the centuries-old Wise remain just the same when accounting for their age in real-world years: unbelievably ancient. Others might disagree, but seriously, is someone being closer to 748 years old, already unimaginably old (not to mention, well, impossible in reality) by human standards, that different than them being closer to 700? Within the limit of normal human lifespans, Nurpayahras and Nayakarade's ages at the beginning of the series (81 and 76 respectively), for instance, do become more impressive in real-world years, but then again, we never see them do anything that would be too unbelievably physically strenous for someone the equivalent of 87 or 81 years old? (The staves could help with any mobility issues, for one, and travelling from the Masks forbidden houses to the Chamber of the Three Lands for the election could be completely atypical in terms of their usual day-to-day physical activity, for all we know).

But now we get to the Ruling Lord Aurum, the clear outlier, who — don't be fooled by his birth year on the family tree — has been confirmed by the author as indeed being supposed to be 80 (SDC) years old at the start of the series. And yes, I know that people who are in remarkable physical shape in their 80s and 90s do exist in real life, but in those cases, said people usually maintained constant levels of significant physical activity throughout (most of) their lives. The fact that Aurum endures a cross-continental journey (and the return back not too long after) at that age — and bear in mind that no matter how much he might try to keep physically fit and active, this is for all intents and purposes a pampered nobleman that most likely had never left Osrakum before — is nothing short of mind-boggling. This is a man who keeps up (or at the very least manages to keep up appearances in that regard) with people four to six decades his juniors. And all this, to be quite frank, does already stretch my suspension of disbelief quite a bit — now add to it the fact that at the start of the series, Aurum is supposed to be the equivalent of a real-world 85-year-old. Let me tell you, my fellow fans, either this (fictional) man was blessed with exceptional good fortune and genetics... or at bare minimum, something does not quite add up here. (But fun as that would be, let us leave conspiracy theories for another time, shall we?)

[du04]

May Wrap-Up

Films

Started the month by rewatching The Passenger (2023), my favourite film of the year if not of my life for years to come? It was definitely even better on the second watch. I then later in the month re-rewatched it (so twice this May), and on the third watch I started to feel like I know this film so intimately, and that because I've engaged with it so much it's like I have a version of it in my mind that is different from what people might get from it? I've never been THAT enthralled by a film like that before, but I suppose it's just because I'm a fan, fan, that I feel this way.

Afterwards, because my mind at that time could think of little else, and I wanted to ride that wave of obsession, I purposefully watched films that I knew I would not Love.

The Blair Witch Project (1999). I first saw the remake when I was in middle school with my friends at the cinema on Halloween, and I remember being so scared (in a good way), back then I never watched horror films, but I remember having had a good time? So it was only time I watch the original. It was alright. I get the hype, especially in regards to its context, but I was personally a little bored and got little out of it. Still glad I watched it.

Louder Than Bombs (2015). I love Joachim Trier, actually the first and probably only proper review of consequent length I've ever written was for Oslo, August 31st (2011), back in 2019. Later on The Worst Person In The World became one of my favourite films ever, and I've been awaiting the right time for a rewatch. Anyway, Louder Than Bombs was... underwhelming. I love Jesse Eisenberg, he's one of my favourite actors, but this film is still weird. I feel like it kind of says nothing? The topic of war/journalist photography resonated with me for personal reasons, but I feel like that theme wasn't developed properly. My favourite part of the film was definitely the "Word monologue", I loved the montage (linked below). Also, that character, Conor, reminds me so much of one of my college buddies, physically and psychically it's scary!

Saw III (2006), .... It served the purpose of me wanting to watch a horror film, I guess. It was boooring, the editing feels like it's trying to make up for everything it's lacking. I really am looking forward to the films getting better.

Dead Ringers (1988), Cronenberg's Eastern Promises (2007) is one of my fave films, and I also loved A History of Violence (2005). Crimes of the Future (2022) also kind of changed me. So overall, it seems I'm a bit more of a normie and like his recent stuff more, but nonetheless I still vibed with Dead Ringers, it has an interesting premise for sure. I did not expect the opioid addiction plot lol. It was fine overall. I had been wanting to watch it since I first came across this:

And I finished the month with Bottoms (2023). It disappointed me, I love early 2000's deadbeat/bro comedies, which it was pitched to me as, and Bottoms did get a couple chuckles out of me, but oh my god does it try SO HARD, it really took me out of it. Overall, kinda dull and all-over-the-place.

Music

I generated the receipt one week into June so it's biased, but whatever.

Books

I technically finished Killers of a Certain Age this May, but because I was basically done, I had already written my review for it the previous month so... yes. Go read April's wrap-up there if you like.

I then read In Memoriam, and I really enjoyed reading it. It's not the best book ever and maybe not even that memorable 🤓, but I was engaged and read basically all of it in one go. I did not enjoy the 'romance', which I believe heavily made up the first 15 or so %, but once the main characters leave for the front, things got interesting, and I got hooked. I enjoyed the author's descriptions and the directions she took. This made me want to read more WWI books, and I'm surprised I haven't before, since I do have an interest for this era. I actually read In Memoriam because another similar book (gay WWI) I wanted to read wasn't available, called Dry Land by B. Pladek. The next WWI book I will read will definitely be All Quiet on the Western Front that my coworker recommended to me.

Games

I started playing Pentiment (details later).

Podcasts

Started listening to the audio drama The White Vault, and really enjoyed the first two seasons. However the third was absolutely awful, the voice actors were terrible it was unlistenable, but I push through and am looking forward to learn the resolution.

Museums

Visited for the second time a museum in my city, of which I had only seen the first floor with Egyptian and Greek archaeological pieces (which I loved), this time to see the permanent exhibition of paintings, most notably Bruegel's, I especially liked his Tower of Babel. And I also liked this painting called "A Chamber of Curiosities" by Frans II. Francken.

Visited my city's museum, it was fun and really well-made with lots of interactive stuff, and I loved the exhibitions regarding life here in this day and age.

Buys

I bought my first skateboard :) I've been slooowly trying to get comfortable with it. My goal being the skill of fluidly cruising on it. I also bought a really cool spatula (lol), and a poster of my fave film 😏.

Live shows

I went to see Nils Frahm. I haven't been to that many live shows in my life (#growingupinthemiddleofnowhere), but this was really the worst one I've ever been to, I considered leaving after 30 minutes :( I guess I was not that familiar with his oeuvre, which wasn't really smart of me. And since it's quiet music, you could hear every single creaking of chairs, and people kept coughing too 😭. I was, overall, not very focused, and very distracted during it all. Lessons were learned!

---

Hope your month was fine and bearable, and that you watched or read cool stuff.

xx.

[a-silent-symphony]

NIGHTWISH Welcomes Bassist JUKKA KOSKINEN As 'Official' Member

NIGHTWISH has announced the addition of bassist Jukka Koskinen (WINTERSUN) as an official member of the band. Koskinen, who made his live debut with NIGHTWISH in May 2021 at the band's two interactive experiences, had spent the last year touring with NIGHTWISH as a session musician.

Earlier today (Sunday, August 21),NIGHTWISH released the following statement via social media: "We're delighted to announce our dear friend Jukka Koskinen is officially inaugurated as a member of the band. We've been incredibly thankful to have him on our side while touring and it only feels natural to have him join the band officially."

Koskinen joined NIGHTWISH as the replacement for Marco Hietala, who announced his departure from NIGHTWISH in January 2021, explaining in a statement that he hadn't "been able to feel validated by this life for a quite a few years now."

Back in June 2021, Koskinen spoke to Kaaos TV about how he landed the NIGHTWISH gig. He said: "I received a phone call from the NIGHTWISH camp and was being asked if I would be interested [in] the bass player position regarding what has happened, that Marco has left the band. And, of course, obviously, when I got that phone call, I thought it was, like, 'Woah.' As an outsider, obviously, I couldn't think that, especially in NIGHTWISH, I couldn't think of it even that this sort of thing could happen. But, of course, life is life. And, yeah, absolutely, I immediately, of course, said that yes, definitely I would be interested."

He continued: "I always listened to NIGHTWISH; I always liked their music a lot. [It's] very soulful music. And then we made a few arrangements. [In April 2021], approximately, I was in Finland practicing. I had a meet-and-greet. We had a meet-and-greet before as well, but another one where we practiced together for the first time to see how, playing-wise, the chemistry was going, and get to know each other more. Kind of [like] an audition — obviously, of course. Any band who would find new guys to come in or so, you would need to have these things. I would do the same if I would be on the other side of the table, if you know what I mean. So, yeah, everything went good. After the audition thing, everything went very smoothly, and the guys said, 'You're in.' And what did I say more than with the happiest smile, I said back [to them], 'I'm in.' But we're talking, of course, as a session musician spot now for the upcoming 'Human. :II: Nature.' tour."

Asked if he had ever played any NIGHTWISH songs in the past, Jukka said: "No, I hadn't played [any of that material]. I've listened to NIGHTWISH ever since the early Spinefarm days, when they were [signed to the label] — [1998's] 'Oceanborn'; maybe from that [album] onwards. Music-wise, I played in the past with a few kind of, like, not similar, but maybe that style or genre of music in the past. But I never played NIGHTWISH music. That was kind of, like, from a player's point of view, I couldn't believe it that when I started practicing the songs, or trying them out even before everything was settled, I just thought that I would try it out, it just felt that my playing style is something that really fits to this — I had this feeling. And it was really, really, of course, great to see then afterwards, hearing from the other guys — they basically told me that 'it feels like you've always been playing bass here.' It felt very natural."

Koskinen made his live debut with NIGHTWISH at the band's two interactive "An Evening with Nightwish In a Virtual World" concert experiences that kicked off the "Human. :II: Nature." run. NIGHTWISH performed in a tavern called "The Islanders Arms" built in a virtual world for two nights. On both nights, the fans experienced a one-and-a-half-hour performance, hearing songs live off "Human. :II: Nature." for the first time ever. These two nights had their own, slightly different setlists.

In May 2021, NIGHTWISH keyboardist and main songwriter Tuomas Holopainen said that Hietala's decision to leave the band "came as a bit of a surprise." He added: "It was a really tough pill to swallow. And for a few days, I was actually quite confident that there's no coming back, that this is it. I remember talking to Emppu [Vuorinen], the guitar player, and we were, like, 'You think this is it?' 'Yeah, I think this is it.' I mean, enough is enough. So much has happened in the past. Something that broke the camel's back, as they say. Then, after some time had passed — a few days — we started to think that it's been such a ride of 25 years, with so many ups also, that this is not the way to end it."

Tuomas elaborated on NIGHTWISH's reasons for carrying on, saying: "I think we still have something to give, and that's the main point. The music is still there. We felt that there's still so much music that needs to come out from this band that, 'Okay, let's give it one more shot.' And then finding the new bass player was really easy."

He added: "It's not like we do this just because we need to do it and there's nothing else to do. On a personal level, I feel that there's still so many stories and melodies that I want to share with the world with one lineup or another, so that's why you want to continue and keep on going.

"I've said this a million times, that a lineup change is the ultimate energy vampire, and that's how it really felt and still feels."

"Human. :II: Nature." was released in April 2020. The follow-up to 2015's "Endless Forms Most Beautiful", "Human. :II: Nature." was a double album containing nine tracks on the main CD and one long track, divided into eight chapters, on CD 2.

Photo credit: Jeremy Saffer for NIGHTWISH

[narutakijune]

About ATLA Relationship Arcs

So, this is me, finally trying to write some meta after lurking in my little tumblr corner for months! Hi!

Although I’ve tried to tag properly, if you are a Kat*anger and just want to enjoy your favourite couple in peace, this might not be the post for you. I am not trying to bash characters but I do have a lot of critical stuff to say about the writing.

Anyway, you have been warned and here is my story about my personal first Atla experience: I watched the show this year for the first time, and after the end of Book 1 I decided to look up spoilers, because after what happened to Yue, I wanted to make sure that Zuko and Iroh would be ok. So I knew what was going to happen: Kat*ang endgame and absolutely no Zutara at all. Still, by the end of Book 3, I was convinced that I had read wrong - that there would be an epilogue with a different ending or at least that Aang would only get together with Katara post-show- in that Korra series or something - because anything else wouldn’t make sense- right?

….

After I got over my shock and surprise, I went online and found out about that decade-long aggressive passionate ship war and how even the showrunners got involved.

And then I really worried that I might have missed a few points. Apparently ”Aang and Katara were the DNA of the show”, according to the creators themselves, and “Zutara could never have happened”.

Another popular anti-ZK argument I found was: Why do you always go on about Katara and Zuko? Just look at Zuko and Aang! They are the hero/ anti-hero and each other’s foils, their relationship is much more meaningful!”

So I tried to find out what it was that I apparently couldn’t see.

(Another disclaimer: I love analysing stories (like many Zutarians apparently) and this will get long and rambly. If you get bored to tears when people start talking about “narrative structure” you will probably not like this.)

Talking about narrative structure, I do believe that, in order to let your story, your characters and their relationships really shine, a good basic structure is important. There should be a recognizable development and individual parts of the story that build upon each other and lead to consequences and change, until there is a completed arc - because it is all about the journey that takes you to a satisfying ending, right? So that’s what I tried to do, with my personal Kat*ang vs. Zutara take, I tried to look at the structure and development of their relationship arcs.

The argument that threw me off track for a while is that compared to Aang and Zuko, Zuko and Katara’s relationship is not supposed to be that relevant for the plot. After all, Zuko is the foil, the anti-hero, the deuteragonist to Aang, who is the hero protagonist.

This is all true of course. But then why is it that in every finale, Zuko’s main opponent (and later ally) is not Aang but Katara? Why is it that their sun/moon, red/blue, fire/water dichotomy is so obviously highlighted?

I think one reason why Zuko and Katara are paired off so frequently in the story - as opposite elements, as opponents and as allies - is that they BOTH are Aang’s deuteragonists. While Zuko also acts as antagonist and Aang’s foil/mirror, Katara takes over the more traditional deuteragonist role of confidant / best friend/ narrator.

Protagonist Aang is what connects them, although they are on opposite sides: Both need Aang because he represents their hope to save their world. Very simply put, Katara protects him, so he can make the world a safer place again, and Zuko wants to capture him, so he can go home and be safe again. That rivalry between them is already established in the first episode, even before they meet each other: Katara, who hopes that the Avatar will return (as she tells everyone in the intro), and Zuko, who seems to be obsessed with finding him for more sinister reasons.

And just to make sure, I am not talking here about the characters’ feelings and emotions! This is just about the abstract roles they have been assigned within the narrative.

When regarding Zutara’s special connection to Aang and their rivalry with each other, it makes absolute sense to stress their “same but different”ness as well, visually and metaphorically: Red and blue, fire and water, sun and moon, arguably Painted Lady/Blue Spirit, and, when you put into account their story arc, also Oma and Shu.

With this basis, which puts them together and sets them apart simultaneously, their relationship already becomes very dynamic and interesting, even before you consider any romantic potential.

And here’s another thing, Zuko and Katara also have their own story arc within the main plot. Although they don’t have many scenes together before Zuko joins the Gaang, when they do meet there is always a new shift in their relationship and in quite a few cases their interactions are important for the main plot as well. If you just look at their “end fights” at each book’s finale, there is an obvious and consequential build-up, like any decent story arc should have:

Book 1 starts with Zuko as the powered-up enemy and Katara as the weak newbie waterbender. Both are battling over Aang. At the end of Book 1, they are finally established as equally powerful fighters but still fundamentally different (You rise with the moon, I rise with the sun!)

In CoD at the end of Book 2 happens the next step: they realize that they are not different at all! But Aang still doesn’t represent the same for them and they end up on opposing sides of the war again.

In the Book 3 finale, when Zuko has completed his own (anti-) hero's journey and Aang represents the same “hope” for both of them, they do not only join forces: Their “same but different”- traits make them such a uniquely suited match that they are even able to save each other’s lives during their fight with Azula (who in turn happens to be Katara and Zuko’s antagonist/mirror/foil).

And in addition to their own story arc they even get an individual recurring theme, which also appears in every book whenever their relationship status changes: The lost mothers, especially Katara’s mother.

In Book 1, Katara’s necklace (the symbol of Kiya) plays not only a major part in two of Zuko’s capture attempts, it is the reason for their very first one-one one encounter in the story.

Their first friendly connection in COD in Book 2 happens because they start talking about their mothers. And in Book 3, their final reconciliation (sealed with a very cathartic hug) happens after their life-changing trip which is, of course, all about Katara’s mother.

Again, I am not even trying to analyse their characters and motivations within the story - there are many metas that have already done that much better, more detailed and with screenshots. This is just dry structure and tropes and themes. But I think people recognize and connect with a well-structured arc, even subconsciously, which is one of the reasons that makes Zutara such a compelling couple. They complete and contrast each other, their relationship dynamic constantly changes, builds up, falls apart, reconnects. Such a setup is the perfect playground for a lot of creative takes on what-ifs and alternative scenarios and of course, shipping them romantically is extremely tempting - think of all the possibilities! It’s no wonder that the Zutara fandom is still so active decades after the end of the show. And it’s also no wonder that the Zutarians are known for “over-analysing everything”. You can only over-analyse if there is anything that gives you enough food to analyse to begin with. Which brings me to

KAT*ANG

I just go right to the top and take the quote from Br*yke themselves:

Kata*ng was in the DNA of the thing from the start…. [Zutara] was just dark and intriguing.

If you read this quote and then start watching the show, I would (grudgingly) agree that:

Aang and Katara understand and complement each other really well. Aang gives her the chance to have fun and go on adventures and in turn, Katara is his fiercest supporter from the very beginning, something that he really needs after he lost all his people AND has to find out that the world thinks the war is sort of his fault. In turn, the journey to the North Pole is as important to Katara as it is to Aang, because it is her dream to learn waterbending properly. That’s what she literally says when Sokka & Co try to banish Aang: (Sokka: Where do you think you’re going? Katara: To find a waterbender. Aang is taking me to the North Pole.) In that way, they are friends who give and take equally and are equally taken care of. They even have the last Airbender/ last Southern Waterbender status that connects them. The few times they have a fight, Aang does something in the end to redeem himself (perform some heroic feat) and Katara sees that she is right to believe in him.

Aang has this very sweet crush on her and it will be very sweet and wholesome when Katara will return his feelings at the end of their adventure after he has hit puberty. On the other side, there is also some heavy shipbaiting with Zuko: I save you from the pirates. The betrothal necklace. June and her excellent shipping taste. But in the end they are enemies, they barely know each other and, come on, it would be too dark and intriguing! There is no real threat against friends to lovers Kat*ang, the soft heart of the story. It’s very straightforward and there are a lot of simple “the hero saves the day” scenes for Aang but that’s fine! It’s not really my kind of ship but that’s not the point, it works for the story they want to tell.

End of Book 1.

In my - probably harsh- opinion, everything you really need to know about the Kat*ang relationship has been told by this point. If you want to be really mean, already by Book 1, episode 3.

That explains maybe why many (not all! but many) pro-KA arguments sound as if their shippers have not watched Book 2 and 3 at all. The Book 1 synopsis also perfectly sums up Bry*ke’s quote above. But then Book 2 and 3 are still there and I don’t know what happened but it seems as if they somehow decided that the Kat*ang story does not need any new and lasting input. Maybe because they were afraid that too much new development and change would stray too far away from their original Kat*ang vision. But there are still 2 more books and more adventures and Kat*ang somehow has to be kept apart until the finale.

So the tension in their potential romance is based largely on the question whether or not Katara will return Aang’s feelings. In general I don’t have a problem with that will-she-won’t she-technique. It works well in books where the love interest is not a POV or in shows/ movies where the love interest is not one of the main characters. But Katara is not only the female lead but also arguably the narrative voice of the whole story! As a result, this kind of writing makes Katara look as if she doesn’t have any agency in their relationship, which is not surprisingly a very popular anti-KA criticism.

Additionally, since her dream - learning waterbending - has been fulfilled by the end of Book 1, the relationship work becomes a bit one-sided. Of course Aang is the hero and his journey is the heart of the story. But in order to highlight their special connection it would have helped to give Katara another personal agenda, which Aang could have supported in some way. She is still the last Southern Waterbender and he the Last Airbender but this is not really explored in the Kat*ang relationship. And her other personal agenda, her mother, is already reserved for the Zutara arc.

Instead, in Book 2 and 3 the Kat*ang story is somehow all over the place. Of course there is new conflict and a few romantic scenes as well. But obstacles are either introduced too late or just dropped when not needed anymore, conflict is not resolved and their flirty, romantic moments never lead anywhere- and if they do, they lead to more conflict that is not resolved (yes, I am looking at you, EIP Kiss!).

Take for example Katara’s very sudden argument that they cannot be together now because there is a war going on. We hear her saying that for the first time in the very last episode (EIP) before the 4-part finale. That is too late to have any impact! That she has these kinds of thoughts was never even alluded to before. Not once.

Or the pattern Aang runs away/ is flaky - Katara is upset - Aang comes back and does his hero thing - Katara is relieved. In regards to their relationship arc, nothing changes here between Book 1 and the finale, only the stakes for Aang’s heroic performances get higher.

Or Katara being the one who is able to calm Aang down when he cannot control the Avatar state (which, in my personal opinion, is neither romantic nor healthy). This is also connected to the problem with the seventh Chakra, that Aang needs to let go of his attachment for her. I will be angry forever with how they wasted this for a possible relationship development! That Aang has to decide to either do his duty or save his forever girl (because let’s be fair, he did try to let go and only ran when he had the vision of Katara in danger) - that’s a fantastic setup!

But no, it doesn’t have any real consequences for Kat*ang at all. Instead there were only half-baked attempts – Aang does lie about his failed practice with Guru Pathik but the ultimate reason why his chakra is blocked is Azula, not his decision to run. Aang does try to let go of Katara for a little bit but then Azula shoots him. Nothing in Book 3 shows any change in his feelings that could have been a result of his instant let-it-go. If anything, he gets weirdly obsessive - which could have been used as a side effect of his blocked chakra but – again, no, nothing happens.

I suspect the whole thing was just introduced to create temporary drama for poor Aang, but it is never explained why Katara holds him back, what aspect of the attachment is blocking him or what would happen if he did let her go. Maybe they tried to make a statement about how love is more important than Avatar rules – which would have been fine but it’s also never properly explored. Instead, as soon as that plot point becomes inconvenient it’s simply dropped like a random rock™.

Compare all that to the Zutara arc, where both characters’ feelings about each other are always very much in the open, and where every interaction causes lasting effects in their relationship. Yes, it is unfair to compare that to Kat*ang, because up to the end of Book 3, Zuko and Katara almost never meet, while Aang and Katara spend almost every episode together – of course they cannot do meaningful things all the time. But on the other side, with Kat*ang, there would have been a great chance to show a subtle, gradual build-up instead.

It also doesn’t help that the Zutara arc seems hellbent on sabotaging every romantic moment Aang is allowed to enjoy:

There is Kat*angs first maybe-kiss in the dark before the background of the Oma and Shu legend. But it does not lead anywhere. Instead, Zuko and Katara almost reenact the legend itself in the Book 2 finale as two real enemies to almost-friends, including a glowy rocks-backdrop and the right costume colours, just so nobody misses the message.

In Footloose The Headband, Aang and Katara have a really sweet dance together, and everybody can see how they almost intuitively know each other's moves. This could be a great hint on how well they will fight together in the finale. But is it plot-relevant? No, because the final tag team is Katara and Zuko! While Aang gets paired off with random rock™.

Then there is Aang’s riding off to battle- kiss in DotBS, which Katara is not even allowed to enjoy, because keeping her feelings vague is apparently more important than character development at this point. It is the only romantic moment that gets mentioned again, but in a way that sinks the former cute and wholesome ship into the deep ocean, and the reason is - Aang is jealous of Zuko!

If all of this was only done for the sake of shipbaiting, then it really went out of control at some point.

In the end, the showrunners still had their reasons to choose Kat*ang, maybe because that corresponded more to their own vision, and there are still enough people out there who agree with them. Which is absolutely fine! In the end, what matters most is how you personally connect to the characters and nobody needs to defend their personal taste. But the typical anti-ZK claim, that all the Zutarians with their crazy analysis and rambling meta essays are reaching and delusional and that they desperately try to construct something that isn’t there, is not only a very lazy argument but simply not true.

And I’d claim that in spite of the canon choice, Zutara is technically the better written relationship. By far.