#and this is the most western media has ever gotten?

[thehealingsystem]

i'm watching this video, near the end of it but....yeah, honestly I gotta agree. everything said in here is correct. and I'm kinda disappointed they're correct. I can't necessarily blame myself because most other people fell for it but damn. I really thought this show was more leftist than it actually was and defended it from a leftist perspective. but now I realize that the stupid liberal straight up bigoted opinions people had with this show is not because they're misunderstanding it, but because the show cultivates it. it actually wants people to reach these conclusions. I do love arcane but I loved it more for the leftist potential that it had, not because the show is actually leftist. I recommend giving it a watch all the way through even if you don't agree with some of the things they say. if you're a leftist and watched this show then I think it will be an eye opener, it certainly was for me

[lilyliveredlittlerichboy]

it's time now. it's time to imagine the brightest future you can, and talk about it.

a future where people only work 8 hours a week and everyone's basic needs are met. a future where we are more connected to nature and eat seasonal, local produce. a future where you look out for your neighbours and they look out for you. a future where you actually know who your neighbours are. a future where everyone is just a lot more relaxed and able to do whatever they want to do - this 8 hour working week has given people their lives back and now they're able to make community events, work in community gardens, sing and dance and spend time with their kids, play whatever sport they want, travel, read, create art and music.

People are interacting with each other in good faith again because money as an ulterior motive has all but disappeared. Cus you see a few decades ago they made profits illegal. All money has to be put back into the company and CEOs can take home a salary only, no bonuses and it can't be more than 3x what the lowest paid employee makes. You can go to jail if your company is found to make profits, advertise on a large scale or pay its high ranking members more than what's allowed.

Jail still exists but mostly people go in for financial crimes (greed still exists); drugs are decriminalised and available to use safely. people are not as desperate now so there's been a massive reduction of violent and petty crime and most of the people who still do this are teenagers who get away with a slap on the wrist. police are not armed anymore and are heavily penalised if they abuse their power or hurt a civilian, and their role is more that of mediator, signposter (to community services, social services, and free and accessible healthcare including for mental health) and security. together with the former military they make up an "emergency task force" which are called upon in times of need and crisis, for floods, fires, other such disasters.

the stock market completely collapsed after profits were made illegal and people had to find other ways to figure out what a company was worth: such as how they treat their staff or how accessible their processes are. as a result of this, as well as more widespread disability thanks to Covid and an ageing population, accessibility is fucking incredible now. most places are accessible to the vast majority of disabled people even without them having to ask for a single thing. If they have to ask, accommodations are made quickly and without fuss and this is completely normal now. disabled people are more visible than ever in public life and this has led to a generally kinder, more tolerant public life.

Everything is slower now. Social media as we know it died decades ago and Internet 4.0 is efficient, will find you accurate answers and the websites you're looking for very easily and fast. there's monopoly laws restricting how large companies operate online. online ads are all but illegal - there's "phone book" esque pages where you can promote your business or service and that's allowed but not anywhere else. Lots of people are still annoying and some of them are still cruel but overall living together as humans has gotten so much more chill. We've tackled climate change and reversed much of it, now it's a global day of mourning whenever a species is found to be extinct through human intervention. these days used to happen much more frequently but it's very rare these days. Most everyone gets the day off and is encouraged to read about the lost species or hold themed funerals. Globally everything has gotten better - there's much more global equality now after a bunch of western/formerly colonising countries almost self destructed and then instead decided to own up for colonialism, pay reparations to a lot of countries in Africa Asia and Latin America, as well as indigenous nations of North America, Oceania, even in Europe. The USA doesn't exist anymore instead its a whole host of separate nations all managed by the native people whose land it is. The UK doesn't exist anymore. England is still sad about it but Wales, Scotland, Ireland and Cornwall are called Cymru, Alba, Eire and Kernow again and they've formed a Celtic Union for better collective bargaining power in the EU (which still exists, somehow. Its better now. England may still be out of the EU I'm not sure). Migration is common and foreigners are welcomed into any country with open arms.

I may try to write something about this. I have a vision for a future and it's so lovely. Here, on earth, with the starting point being now. We have a lot to work with and only a few changes could make such a difference. Demilitarisation, UBI and maximum working hours, greedy financial practices made illegal. Conservation and education on local plants and nature and food. Community building on every level. Giving people their lives back.

This is all extremely possible. If it were up to me, very little in society would be left unchanged but it would all be people friendly changes. changes that aim to support the poorest and most marginalised, changes that aim to punish greed and exploitation. It's a work in progress of course. But I have a vision for a better world and dammit if I'm not going to share it with you.

[sirenalpha]

One thing I didn't expect getting into PJO fandom was how much camp mom!Percy content there was and especially how much genderbending for Percy there was as in my experience genderbending has gotten less popular everywhere over my time in fandom, but PJO has many long and very popular fem!Percy fics which I'm not sure I've seen before ever in any other fandom, and they're usually combined with fem!Percy also being portrayed as being camp mom or adopting or bearing children like other male characters who get babygirled or have fans say get this man a child aren't even on this level for being portrayed in fic with taking care of children and genderbending

I initially found it surprising because Percy is presented as very stereotypically masculine, PJO is a YA series and a very fast paced one, it acknowledges it's dealing in archetypes by focusing on Greek myths, there's not a lot of subtleties, like this is a series that outright has characters talk very literally about fatal flaws, and while Percy might be named after a famous Greek hero who would obviously be an idealized male figure to an ancient Greek audience and there was inspiration taken from that to create Percy, he is definitely far more grounded in modern American conceptions of heroism and masculinity

Percy never cries once in the series regardless of what pain and trauma he goes through, he is even contrasted with Grover and Tyson who are two male characters who do cry, but they're shown as being in need of Percy's protection from bullies including a female one in Grover's case, and whereas Greek heroes freely express strong emotions and frequently weep, Achilles threw himself on the ground and practically had a tantrum after Patroclus's death in the Illiad, Achilles' wrath includes his weeping

Percy excels in sword fighting which is a masculinized weapon even within physical combat already being masculine (see how Annabeth only gets a dagger) but its association with heroes comes from medieval knights, Greek soldiers did carry swords, but they were short swords not the more popular arming swords and rapiers in American media, and their main weapons were spears both thrusting and throwing, to use Achilles again he mostly uses a spear in the Iliad and he's commonly depicted on vases with two spears not holding a sword

I think you could even make an argument that Percy riding horses is a more modern masculine trope as well despite the horse girl trope because of knights association with horses as calvary troops or even with cowboys and outlaws from Westerns since Percy rides bareback, he's the character most commonly depicted on horseback including during combat and not depicted as winning over a horse's trust as is common in a horse girl narrative, Percy instead has Blackjack's loyalty for saving his life which he didn't even do himself and their initial meeting happens between books and just in comparison, Greek heroes in the Illiad use chariots rather than actually riding the horses, but this is a more minor point 

Percy is also presented as very masculine in his emotional dysregulation especially his anger as it is frequent and intense as well as his impulsiveness, yes this is in part due to his ADHD but just compare to Annabeth who also has ADHD, she does not present her symptoms in the same way (as is typical in real life between boys and girls), only Clarisse gets close to the same amount of anger and she's treated far more negatively about it by the narrative than Percy is, this sort of anger is expected and more typical from men and boys whether or not they have ADHD and it's reflected in Percy's depiction

Even his poor results in school is arguably masculine, Percy's bad grades are kind of treated as a joke and not taken very seriously despite as far as we can tell from the small bits of his schooling we do see he's not getting appropriate accommodations for his disability and we don't know the other demigods grades, but his mother, Sally Jackson, prioritized her schooling and did well enough grades wise to finish out her high school education after dropping out and then be accepted at university

It's also in his relationships with women and girls, Percy is adverse to female leadership, he butts heads with both Thalia and Zoe in ttc even if he comes around on them, and while he tries to be more supportive with Annabeth in botl but he ends up taking over as leader anyways and I get he's a protagonist so he needs autonomy for the story to function, but it's as much about how it happens and that this is repeat behavior for him and about the fact he's violently angry in his internal narration at Artemis's hunters over just giving Annabeth a pamphlet as he's in the middle of beefing with Thalia and Zoe, like that is some serious misogynistic possessiveness that is not addressed and it all pushes Percy into a very stereotypically masculine role regarding leadership and not accepting women as leaders

he also has multiple girls romantically interested in him, Annabeth, Rachel, and Calypso even if Rachel is foisted off later with the Oracle and Calypso left on her island to make his get together with Annabeth as easy as possible, and yes female protagonists also get put into love triangles with two men, but it's the addition of Calypso that pushes this out of thematically relevant love triangle territory into something a little closer to male fantasy of a lot of women being attracted to the male protagonist

He also idolizes and is protective of his mother, Sally Jackson isn't really a real human being with flaws in his eyes, but his perfect saintly mother placed on an untouchable pedestal and he's perfectly willing to kill her husband, their abuser, just as the Perseus in myth was even if he does ultimately allow her to do it herself and she gets involved herself in the TLO battle, but it's still pretty typical of male heroes to violently protect their mothers (see OG Perseus)

and just for the camp mom/maternal side, Percy isn't really depicted being around younger kids, Riordan is allergic to filling out the camp, but nearly all the named characters are older than Percy, the only exceptions are iirc Tyson, Nico, Bianca, and Will. 

Bianca is fridged very early on with Zoe acting more as her mentor than Percy, Will literally only exists to heal Annabeth when she takes a stab for Percy in TLO, and then with Tyson, Percy is explicitly an older brother but it's not like he's maternal towards him, he physically protects Tyson from bullying and stands guard over him and looks out for him on the quest all more stereotypically masculine behaviors, but that's about it and Tyson drops out significantly after SoM, Nico is similar, he's a reoccurring character but he's not actually with Percy for significant chunks of the 3 books he's in so it's not like Percy gets a lot of mentoring or caretaking time with him, he's mostly concerned about Nico's physical safety and getting him somewhere safe same as with Tyson and Grover and I do think it's notable that when Percy thinks Nico betrayed him after going to the Styx he's furious enough that he wants to outright kill Nico and the only reason he doesn't is because he's been kidnapped, not exactly the world's most maternal behavior

Percy is definitely in a masculine protector role and not a mom friend role, he's not shown doing things like healing or wound care or helping younger characters through sickness, he doesn't do domestic labor like cooking, cleaning, or grocery shopping, he's there to fight bullies or get you to camp safely

So if Percy's so masculine, why does he get made into camp mom or genderbended so frequently?

There are two extremely significant reasons for this

the first I believe might actually be accidental, Percy has gone through a lot of shit in his home life regarding Gabe's abuse and Poseidon's absence and he is very clear about how negatively this has impacted him

in his internal narration

Percy never talks to anyone else about his issues with his family, he doesn't even talk about his mother whom he loves deeply even after he sees her strangled by the Minotaur and is in extreme distress over it and I believe this is due not for some masculine he can't cry reason (or at least not solely) but because Riordan wants to keep up a fast pace in the story, the audience got the information in his narration so Percy doesn't need to repeat that information by telling it to someone else

But we don't get other character's internal narration, the only way to learn about their emotional issues is for them to talk to Percy about it, and Percy is actually fairly attuned to others emotions (common for someone who has suffered abuse but also he's the narrator so he has to be observant) he clocks Luke's anger and Annabeth's crush on Luke, he notices Thalia's discomfort driving the sun chariot etc etc so he tends to ask people about what's going on with them though they also sometimes bring it up on their own

and Percy can't say nothing to them as that's rude and weird so when Grover talks about being guilty over Sally's 'death' or is afraid he's too cowardly and useless or Annabeth talks about her dad and step family or Thalia talks about her mother, and so on, Percy is there to be sympathetic and offer assurances and suggestions

this makes these relationships all uneven, Percy provides this emotional support to the rest of the cast and receives none in return as he never talks about his issues, so instead of Percy falling into brooding or man pain as would be more typical of a male character with these sorts of heavy issues, he's internalizing all of them while providing emotional support to others which is more typical of a female character, especially a mom friend even if Percy isn't portrayed performing other caretaking duties and if he's acting like a mom friend by providing emotional support, it's not much of a leap to a camp mom role, it is in character for him to be curious and sympathetic if he notices something going on with the people he knows

but the second reason is even more significant

The themes of Percy Jackson are built around the Greek pantheon as a dysfunctional family and trying to resolve them into something healthier and in the climax of the series, Percy rejects immortality to demand that Zeus, the father and patriarch of the entire Greek pantheon, care about his children and make all the other gods do so as well

it doesn't matter how masculine Percy is, the stereotypically masculine role of the father, the literal patriarch in a family, is to have control over his children and provide for and protect them, not to care for and raise them, and so when Percy demands that Zeus, the ultimate patriarch in all of Greek myth, take care of his kids after five books of being critical of the gods' parenting, he assumes a role akin to a stereotypical nagging wife and mother begging her husband to engage emotionally with his children

This is the crux of Percy's characterization and the thematic core of the entire series, everything else Percy does is like set dressing in comparison to the importance of this scene in understanding Percy and his positioning within the text and his family 

the logical extension of this on Percy's behavior is ultimately stereotypically maternal not paternal, it can safely be assumed that should Percy have a child of his own, his concern will not be to merely have custody of them or protect them from harm and meet their physical needs, he will want to be emotionally engaged with them and ensure they feel loved and cared for since he didn't get that from his father or step father as a child 

Caring for the emotional well being of children, any children even the rich stuck up ones at Yancy, and offering emotional support for his friends and loved ones is who Percy is

Camp mom and genderbending him, essentially making his sex conform to the most significant and stereotypically feminine aspect of his characterization, is not that far of a stretch for fanfic writers, fandom thrives in the holes left by canon and Riordan neglecting to create many characters younger than Percy and separating him from the few that do exist and choosing to focus heavily the action/adventure part of the series over home life and the mundane make this a very enticing way to explore other aspects of Percy's character especially given the context of the series overall being an exploration of dysfunctional families and breaking the cycle of neglect and abuse

so in the end, it's not that surprising given this canonical basis for it

[tomato-bird-art]

SF ZINEFEST 2024! Some pictures from the San Francisco Zinefest last week! I had a wonderful time, and it was SUPER busy! thanks everyone who swung by to pick up prints and zines from me, I really appreciate it. It was really heartening to see people enjoy my art and remember me from over the years—I’ve had a very busy year and not as much time to “be an artist” as I’d like, so it was very invigorating to be around other queer artists again in a dedicated and enthusiastic space. When online a lot, you tend to forget how it is to be around art in person, and this was a great reminder of it—also every year, I’m always excited to see the beautiful outfits and fashion of the attendees! Someday I’ll dress up more special, but alas it’s just work and apron for me XD

I also finally got to meet longtime mutual and incredible artist @megamoth in person, and got a copy of their Devilman zine series here I contributed to some years ago! Here’s a pic with a cool itabag as well.

This year, I debuted a few new works:

“Fujo X-Ray Visions”

is a collection of personal comics from the past year I’ve been posting here and on Patreon, mostly about trying to balance life as a cartoonist and as someone pursuing some new career experiences in the healthcare field. Like “Voids and Visions” before it, there’s a bunch of personal stuff and angsting along with regular goofiness.

It’s available now both as a physical zine, as well as a digital download!

“If All The World Were Mine!”

My collection of artwork and comics I’ve done for my medieval rpf side account, @angevinyaoiz over the past couple years. It’s a mix of some serious historical illustrations, goofy cartoons, and nsfw works. It’s probably one of the most “niche” things I’ve ever made or gotten into as of late, but I’m happy for the audience who has appreciated my work over the past several months. It’s available currently as a physical zine purchase on storenvy, and I’m planning on making an expanded digital zine version available later—fill out this form to be notified!

“Best Yaoi Movies of 20th Century Hollywood”

In this collaborative project I did with my friend @titilvating, in the style of classic cut and paste, copied zines, we offer our takes on 19 movies made before the year 2000. Many are acclaimed classics; some are underrated gems.  We made this zine to both introduce folks to the richness possibilities of classic movies; whether longtime cinephiles familiar with queer subtexts,  or young fujos looking for more material to sink their yaoifangs into.  Our sample size caters to our personal tastes rather than “good representation” and reflects a fraction what’s out there, with a focus on western US/European media, but hopefully can serve as a fun introduction and celebration. Old movies are a lotta fun, who would’ve thought?

It’s available now as a free digital download, but contact me if you’re interested in a physical edition as well!”

Other Works:

My print version of “The Sons of God” was very well received! I realized sometimes giving little titles to print pieces make for great conversation starters, and I got to chat a lot about my inspirations for the respective pieces. Grab a physical print here!

Ending Thoughts

Overall, I’m glad I got to meet lots of people this year and also pick up lots of zines! I didn’t have a chance to really browse this time around since it was so busy, but I got to trade a lot with folks and also pick up some cool zines and stickers myself.

For those who’d like to keep up with what I’m doing, follow me here, on Patreon, either as a member or free-follower, since I tend to post my sketches/WIPs there first. For me now, it’s back to the grind of school and also continuing creative projects. I have a lot of stuff I dream of doing, and it’s always a challenge to balance that with what needs to get done. If I learned anything from this event, it’s how valuable it is to connect with people in the real world art space (Something I always learn and forget like every few months.)…also, always bring water and snacks—can never be TOO prepared!

Wishing you all a good autumn,

-Allie

[mariacallous]

US President Joe Biden confirmed on Thursday evening that a 24-person prisoner swap had taken place with Russia, in what would be the largest such exchange since the end of the Cold War.

Among the most notable of the 16 returnees to the West – four Americans, five Germans and seven Russian political prisoners – are Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, former US Marine Paul Whelan, opposition activist Vladimir Kara-Murza, a dual Russian-British citizen, and RFE/RL journalist Alsu Kurmasheva, a dual US-Russian citizen.

Going in the other direction were eight prisoners, excluding two minors, most notably Russian assassin Vadim Krasikov, who has been held in a German prison since 2019 for the murder of a Chechen exile in Berlin, and Pablo Rubtsov, also known as “Pablo Gonzalez”, who is believed to have been a GRU military intelligence agent posing as a Spanish journalist working in Poland, Ukraine and other former Soviet countries.

The prisoner exchange, which took place at Ankara airport, had been in the works for many months, according to multiple analysts. Indications that the swap was in the final stages came with reports that some of those released had been moved from where they were being incarcerated, as well as the speeding up of trials in Russia and Slovenia.

In Slovenia on Wednesday, two Russian deep-cover spies arrested in 2022, whose real names are thought to be Artem Dultsev and Anna Dultseva, pleaded guilty to charges of spying and falsifying documents in a court case held in private. The Ljubljana court sentenced them to time served in prison and ordered their immediate expulsion. The two minors in the exchange are thought to be their children.

Key to the swap was Germany’s reluctant agreement to release the hitman Krasikov, who was serving life for the killing of Georgian citizen Zelimkhan Khangoshvili in Berlin, a crime the judge called an act of “state terrorism”. The western prisoners, on the other hand, were widely seen as being sentenced in show trials on trumped-up charges.

On February 27, 2022, Polish authorities detained Rubtsov on the Polish-Ukrainian border and later charged him with spying for Russia. He had been detained in Poland ever since, reportedly spending time in solitary confinement.

ABW, the Polish internal security agency, claimed the man was carrying out operations to benefit Russia while posing as a journalist and was on his way to Ukraine when detained.

The man was a dual Russian-Spanish citizen, and, under the name of Pablo Gonzalez, he was working as a reporter for several Spanish media, including online newspaper Publico and TV station La Sexta. The fact he was arrested by the ultra-conservative Law and Justice (PiS) government lent some weight to arguments by his lawyer and wife back in Spain that he was arrested because of his “inconvenient” reporting. A campaign demanding his release was organised by international media groups such as Reporters without Borders, to no effect.

Christo Grozev, former lead Russia investigator for Bellingcat, had reported for The Insider in 2023 how Rubtsov allegedly gathered intelligence for Russia and tried to gain the trust of Russian opposition activists so he could report back on them. Grozev’s reporting was based on investigative work by a Russian independent outlet, The Agency. Among others, he had allegedly gotten close to and reported on Zhanna Nemtsova, Boris Nemtsov’s daughter, and people from her circle.

Donald Tusk, the ABW or any other Polish authorities had not made any public statement by the time of publication.

Until today, the largest prisoner swap since the Cold War was in 2010 and involved a total of 14 people, including Anna Chapman and Sergei Skripal, a Russian military intelligence officer convicted of spying for Britain, who was later poisoned by Russian agents in Salisbury.

[jasper-tarot-reader]

You desire Questions, I arrive to Deliver.

What was your first deck? What's your most recent deck?

Outside of learning reading Western playing cards and Lenormand, is there anything else you're wanting to learn?

What's your favorite memory related to reading?

What's the most difficult reading you've done?

List your favorite decks, however many you have the energy for (even if it's just one!). Why are they your favorite?

Khajiit, I appreciate you dearly for filling my ask box at a moment's notice. This is a welcome reprieve from turning into dust from magical over-exertion.

What was your first deck? What's your most recent deck?

My first ever deck was the Dragon Tarot by Nigel Suckling and illustrated by Roger and Linda Garland. It taught me a lot of important lessons about reading tarot (and the importance of nuance in readings, "negative" meanings in cards, et cetera) that I've carried with me. I don't use it as much anymore because I used it so much that it's become fragile and there's only so much I can fix with tape. I named mine Abbot, or maybe I discovered that was its name? I don't recall.

I recently put in an Etsy order for three decks from three different sellers - the Night Vision Oracle Deck by darklingwoods, the Pathfinder Oracle Deck by skullgardenshop, and the Etsy-only Divination Special by thegreenwolf (which includes three books, an osteomancy kit, and the Tarot of Bones). Thus far, only the last has gotten to me so far, so the answer would be the Tarot of Bones! I'm still in the "appreciation" phase of this deck rather than getting right to readings with it. I don't think I've ever had a purely-photography deck like this one before, and it feels like it would go quite well with my copy of the Antique Anatomy Tarot.

Outside of learning reading Western playing cards and Lenormand, is there anything else you're wanting to learn?

Well, I've seen Kipper cards floating around, and you mentioned them earlier today, so that's also on the list. In addition, I've been wanting to dust off my notes on astragalomancy (divination with dice) and getting into bibliomancy (divination with books) and shufflemancy (divination with music players and shuffle buttons).

What's your favorite memory related to reading?

This one time I stayed up too late doing a tarot reading and thought that one of the gods I was doing a reading with wanted me to commit treason. I went to bed because clearly that was a sign that I needed to stop.

What's the most difficult reading you've done?

These Three Kings Divination readings make me want to turn to ash. They're very useful and very fun to do, but unfortunately I do not have all the fucking energy in the world to crank these bitches out like I do regular readings.

List your favorite decks, however many you have the energy for (even if it's just one!). Why are they your favorite?

Don't do this to me... I'm not going to say I love all of my decks equally, because that's factually not true and the existence of the Shame Corner proves that it's factually not true. Usually I like a deck because it is both gorgeous (to me) and easy to read with. But let's do this real quick, using the categories from my decklist:

Animal & Plant Decks

Crow Tarot ("Uldren") - A very beautiful collage-style deck, I actually like it better than the author's later Guardians of the Night Tarot despite the other one being more broad.

Seed & Sickle Oracle - Have you seen the gradient that the cards make together in a circle? Fucking perfect.

Fandom/Media Decks

Bayard The PokeOracle - I threw this together out of Pokemon cards I had laying around before I gave away the bulk of my collection, so there are some oooold cards in here.

Magic: The Gathering Oracle - A more recent acquisition, I was happy to see that Wizards of the Coast went the oracle route and focused on one plane rather than trying to make the tarot structure work. A definite step up from the Dungeons & Dragons Tarot.

Neopets Tarot - My bias is definitely showing. Not only does this deck feel like it was made by someone who actually knows and loves tarot, but the artwork is also incredibly on-theme and on-model for Neopets itself.

Mythology/Religion Decks

Myths & Legends Tarot - One of my few indie decks! As a matter of fact, I backed this one on...I think it was Kickstarter? It is lovely and pulls on, well...myths and legends from around the world. My only complaint is that the w*nd!g% is featured on one of the cards, which means it's hard for me to use it. Most of the time I can avoid that card, though, by nature of there being 77 other cards in the deck. Otherwise, it's a gorgeous deck, and I'm looking at the creator's other decks on Etsy and rubbing my little paws together.

Tarot Of The Divine - Yoshi Yoshitani's absolutely gorgeous deck. Like the Myths & Legends Tarot, it pulls from myths and legends around the world. Unfortunately, like the Myths & Legends Tarot, it has a card that makes me grimace a little. The Rainbow Crow is a legend that keeps getting attributed to the Lenape people, but it's more likely that it came from...well, white people making up Native American stories. At least it's not at the same level as the Dangerous W from the other deck.

I still love them even though they suck a little...

Queer Decks

Gay Tarot - This is the first queer deck I got, and as someone who's generally masc-leaning with my queerness, it was very comforting for me. The box is actively falling apart, so I need to find a good new storage solution for it and its guidebook... It's very comforting. It was the first deck I got where I was like "oh, I'm not alone after all" and that was something I needed when I got it.

Star Spinner Tarot - A tarot deck by Trungles, this is a beautiful deck and the fact that it comes with four different copies of the Lovers is great. I actually read with all four Lovers in the deck!

RWS & Friends Decks

In-Between Tarot - I love a deck that takes the RWS and twists it a little, and a deck that embodies the stepping stone between the cards to help explain the journey is incredible. I see why Cernunnos called dibs on it so fast.

Tarot For Kids - Though the cards are fucking huge and hard to shuffle (probably because they were made to be thrown down and swirled around on the floor), I think this is an adorable deck that easily explains the RWS, even though it's changed to pull out some of the more occult/usually Wiccan- or Christian-related elements (the High Priestess becomes the Moon Queen, the Devil becomes the Bully, et cetera). If I knew a person in the 8-years-old-ish range who wanted to get into tarot, this is the deck I would offer them.

Tarot Of Oppositions - Remember how I said I love decks that take the RWS and twist them? Yeah, this is a deck that actually depicts its reversals. The moment I pulled it out of its box, I connected with it with a very sudden click. The downside is that the cards are made of thin plastic rather than cardstock, making them painful to shuffle over and over again.

Vice Versa Tarot - Again, another "RWS-and-twist". Instead of reversals, it has the opposite side of the scene on the back of the card, so there are no card backs! That also makes it...very interesting to shuffle and pull cards from. Do I flip a card after pulling it from the top? Do I just take it there as it sits on the deck? I have to re-figure it out every time.

Space & Travel Decks

Arcana Of Astrology - If you are ever in the market for a Western astrology based oracle deck, this should be the beginning and ending of your search. Gorgeous cards, detailed guidebook, and a fascinating stretch into the houses and comets in addition to the planets and zodiacs. And so many moon cards. Every moon phase plus both eclipses get their own cards.

Spooky Decks

Antique Anatomy Tarot - If I could get away with eating one deck, it would be this one, because the combination of slight color correspondences with the bones and the detail of the drawings makes it so fucking crunchy and tasty. This is actually made by the same person who made the Arcana Of Astrology deck, so maybe I just like this one author/designer. Either way, I want to put this in my mouth.

Tarot of Bones - I just got this deck and it's already working its way into my favorites list. The amount of detail that went into choosing the bones of each cards...the beautiful photography...the consistent internal logic of what bones are what suits... My only complaint is the usage of "totem animal" in the guidebook, but this is something that I can just ignore and focus on every other bit. It's certainly less intrusive than the Myths & Legends Tarot's and Tarot Of The Divine's grimace-level cards.

Man, apparently I have a lot more decks on the adoration level than I thought...

Either way, thanks for dropping by, Khajiit!

~Jasper

[mesaprotector]

was reading recently about the "to be lawful or good" trope (follow orders/respect rule of law, or do what's right?), and it occurred to me that western values are so idealistic on the matter that "good" is almost always chosen, and a character who believes the law is the greater good is usually painted as morally dubious and hypocritical. tvtropes points out that in the parallel "to be chaotic or good" dilemmas protagonists almost always choose chaotic. i guess that makes sense from the point of view of fiction as wish fulfillment, and the ideal world for an american is one where they can do whatever they want without consequences.

psycho-pass is a really good example of media where this does not happen. anime in general tends to be more respectful of "lawful" values, sometimes to excess from my own western point of view (too many anime i've seen, workplace abuse is "dealt" with by learning to work harder). but urobuchi at least has a nice concept of what a balance can look like. (spoilers below, of course).

akane tsunemori is the most lawful good character to ever lawful good. she has constant positive intentions, cares for everyone in her society, and does so by enforcing and interpreting the law - and would not have it any other way. there's an amazing quote from her near the end of s1 (i have not seen the later seasons):

"People have always detested evil and sought out a righteous way of living. Their feelings, the accumulation of those peoples feelings are the law. They’re neither the provisions, nor the system. They’re the fragile and irreplaceable feelings that everyone carries in their hearts."

when faced with "to be lawful or good", she never once gives up on the law, no matter what. she has at least two chances to kill a dangerous villain outright and rejects both as being against orders; when the law itself tries to ensnare someone she loves, she finds a way out by following the rules instead of just breaking them like any other hero would.

dungeons and dragons kind of threw the alignment system at players and told them "you, there, interpret this". it's difficult and a lot to ask. from the little experience i have with it, most players only care about good/neutral/evil, and as for law vs. chaos they're just treated like different flavors of ice cream. it's far more compelling to treat them as equally important - a lawful good character and a chaotic good character are as far apart, morally, as a lawful good and a lawful evil one.

psycho-pass s1 doesn't have a chaotic good character. the closest it gets is kagari, who could perhaps be called chaotic neutral (though i have trouble calling any literal cop chaotic, he was essentially forced into the role). but it does have a fantastic example of a chaotic vs. lawful conflict, just on the evil side - makishima vs. sibyl.

i think where i wanted to go with this is that part of maturity is learning that two people, or groups of people, who are fighting, may very well both be righteous, and talking it out is often not a solution. i think most modern politics is like this, but that's just my feeling. there are some fairly evil people around, to be sure, but the vast majority of people are not - and recognizing that those different from you are in some ways righteous, and that you yourself are in some ways capable of evil - is really a critical sort of humility.

i might be a little too thrilled with myself for having realized this so early - i was the only kid in my class who liked "lord of the flies", and i still do like it. tumblr used to really have a thing about hating it back when the audience on this website had an average age of 16. i hope those people who insisted "but i'd never have grown up to do anything bad" have learned better since. but looking at how many older people (including apparently most writers) haven't gotten the memo, i'm not too sure.

[alpaca-clouds]

Wishy-Washy Cyberpunk

It's punk-o-clock, and today I wanna whine a bit about Cyberpunk and (if you have followed this blog for a while) the loss of many of the punk ideas.

Now, let me be fair. A ton of the old Cyberpunk stuff was not super punk either. Like, sure, it was defined by this idea of "capitalism bad, I gotta fight capitalism", but outside of it... I mean, there is tons of sexism and racism in a lot of Cyberpunk media - old and new - as well as that "rugged individualism" so typical of western media, and to be frank... That's not very punk.

But I really gotta say: I feel that for the last ten years Cyberpunk has gotten a ton more popular than it had been before and with that... Well, things have happened, that usually happen when things become pupular. They get turned into the most mainstream-friendly version of themselves, loosing basically anything about them that ever was unique or... you know... critical of anything.

That is not to say that no more good cyberpunk gets published - but more that the more mainstream titles pushed to the public are just not really Cyberpunk in many regards. Because they still have all that racism and sexism and what not. And even in the cases where they try to be more this often gets messed up through big companies. (There are a ton of good punk ideas in Cyberpunk 2077, but those get really lost in the noise of it being too much of a Triple-A game.)

Maybe it is just bitterness over this book, but I kinda feel that it started with Ready Player One. A book that had a really good premise, but never did anything with it, instead opting to just go nostalgia-wank for... how many pages was it? With the ultimate moral being "Capitalism is good actually, if it works in my favor."

And not to go all feminist on you, but... I think one of the big issues is, that a ton of the big mainstream cyberpunk stuff is currently written by white, cishet, abled, middle and upper class men. Aka the kind of people who most profit from the current system - and do not have the kinda anger they would need to rage against it. Or, to put it more bluntly: They are the least punk people around.

I did a quick dip into good reads and what not and had to admit that... this really is in general a thing. It seems that around 2010 there was a big dip in marginalized folks writing (or rather getting published with) Cyberpunk - and a big take-up in those named cishet, abled, white, upperclass men writing/getting published with it. At least percentually - and especially when it came to outright marketing the stuff as Cyberpunk.

Like, there was still a lot of good stuff happening in regards to self-published and indie-publishing... But the big publishers? They kinda went into the wrong direction.

Cyberpunk is a super interesting genre. And it just... deserves better than this, frankly.

[davekat-sucks]

Its weird to bring this up but has there ever been an animation/cartoon that appealed to boys or had boy protagonists? in the modern era, Cause netflix sure as hell would flip that off, mao mao, and villainous got cancelled, And amazon only has invincible at best But most shows especially indie ones always seemed to focus on girls, helluvaboss, TADC, glitchtechs, murderdrones, And etc etc.. they all seem so for girls most of the time or even starred a girl protagonist, I especially saw that art spaicey made, First of all, Idea wise, It was terrible because spaicy clearly wanted attention, second of all Most of the characters there or "indie animations" where girls

I guess I can only name skibidi toilet, madness combat, and space king for a few, and probably that upcoming bunderkin animation, Just odd to see this in the cartoon and the western animation history, More boys are getting into anime these days. I am not sure if homestuck was even a boy thing.

I don't think TADC or Murder Drones are exclusively aimed towards girls just because they have female leads. Even other series aimed towards girls had gotten appeal from male fans. I mean, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic being one of the more modern examples. There are also a lot of male fans that are into the magical girl genre too. From Cutie Honey, Sailor Moon, and PreCure. As well as female leads can still draw in male audiences and still be aimed towards the male demographic. Look at Soul Eater, a shounen series that has a female main character. Shows like Helluva Boss are made in mind from a fujoshi. Appealing to other similar fans in mind that come to see hot yaoi. Not uncommon for Boys Love media to do so. People like to jab at characters being obvious coomer bait or Tumblrsexyman because of it. Jax would be one too for TADC, but fanservice was not the main focus. It just happens that fandom that has a lot of female fans or very vocal female fans, speaking up about it. Doesn't help when people think of action series in Western animation, they think of it needed to sell toys like other series such as GI Joe, He-Man, and Transformers did in the past. Story is there, but toy merch is the main focus to help keep funds. Indie animation does merchandise too. But I think it is because indie animation is indie, there is a more guarantee that it gets to the animators, voice actors, and the rest of the crew behind it. Series like Transformers or He-Man, go to the company first before going to its animators, writers, etc. Of course, it still kind of applies today in other media such as tokusatsu, but stuff like the former is more recognizable in the West. As well as in animation, action fight scenes can be hard to animate or come up with if the person behind it doesn't know about what makes a fight scene or battle work. Fight scenes vary of all kinds. From fist to fist combat, someone using weapons, characters using their surroundings to take a field advantage, the reaction from the setting and characters itself from getting hit, etc. The execution can be tricky if someone is not familiar with the genre. Not many go this route and opted in for series about drama to make it easy to animate when it is just characters talking.

[keikakudom]

Agsudisg I'm so glad you liked it, Kazi, I literally sat down the moment I finished reading and started drawing cuz you freaking killed me, I MEAN, vox being stubborn and denying help, and Alastor stubbornly giving him the aid he needs, but crouched in their respective toxic egos and self-image? So delicious. Alastor, who needs to know why he was left behind, and vox who's desperately pouring himself into the new thing... Ahhhh...

The part where he implies he really was running off to die...and Alastor goes all soft...the shared frequency, the antenna petting... I reread that multiple times bc it's so good...and the claws, the claws, vox denies wanting help from alastor to the last, but the claws!

(also we tots need full seasons and reruns of 'Let's Shit on Vox', I bet Alastor even encourages to call in with more info, not that anyone would bc they're too scared. Hey, does carmilla have to listen his obsession LOL)

Btw for the artist questions, if you want, 9, 14, 30?

YOU NEVER FAIL TO MAKE ME GUSH, ES AAAA...oh lemme tell you when I lock-in, i do NOT fuck around with toxic old men yaoi. When I get better at writing, I hope to capture all their glory✨

I have never really written in this particular weird genre, I don't even know what to call it? Disgustingly intimate love/hate? At least, that's what I aspire for it to be XD

Heheh the part where "Alastor goes all soft" is also a little on the part of RR!AU characterization, so it's a bit exaggerated. He's trying to ween his way in appealing to Vox again, but RR!AU Vox is just so tired. Alastor keeps bringing up the past....This was kind of a wacky scenario to write because it does skip/make you infer a lot of stages of development, but the AU is close enough to canon that I think it's not far to imagine filling in the gaps hhh....

LMFAO yes, Alastor def encourages call-ins, "The 'Let's Shit on Vox' show, your one-stop opportunity to diss Hell's most saturated overlord!" -- on the rare occasion someone actually called in, Alastor killed whoever said something off about Vox that wasn't to his "flavor" of hate.

Carmilla has already read through these two idiots and just rolls her eyes at their immaturity. If she's there for Alastor's radio show, she's just in the background, utterly done and convinced they're playing everything up for entertainment at this point. Now that has me thinking, if Alastor ever started feeling something unfamiliar and god-forbid genuinely *good*(????), he would probably consult Rosie or Carmilla for it first........and Vox would ask Charlie.....oh..........

Aaaand Artist Questions under the cut, TYSM for the ask <33

9. What are your file name conventions?

I have terrible file organization. Many of them are named "a", "aa3", "asgv", "fhgh", or other random keyboard smashes. Recently, I have a bad habit of naming files "sketch1", "sk1", "skht1", or some misspelled way-- it's gotten so bad I'm up to "sketch22".... I find things by icon only.

14. Any favorite motifs?

Straight edges and shapes, maybe? I started drawing with an anime style though I'm mostly into western media-- I think it's very satisfying to have nice shape design/silhouettes though, but I don't draw in a super cartoony or exaggerated style so it's kind of hard to tell that I like and have fun doing it. I'm kind of scattered and like to dip my foot into everything unfortunately.

30. What piece of yours do you think is underrated?

None really, but if I had to pick one for HH, maybe this one.

For my older art, definitely this one. I mean, I don't love it anymore, but I really thought I ATE with the concept at the time.

[peachjagiya]

Yes to talking about the dynamics between the individual members and the company. I was started thinking about this again because of Bam's insta, actually, haha.

I agree that I think JK and Tae have a different relationship with the company, as opposed to other members like Namjoon or Jimin. And I definitely think there are similarities between Jk and Tae's approach -- and I think that is based on their own personalities as well as their closeness/influence on each other. Probably a better way to put it but I think they understand their responsibilities when it comes to the company but they have both decided to trust themselves first and foremost. I think about JK's "I'd never do something that everyone thought was wrong but when there are multiple ways, I'm going to do it my way" (paraphrased) and Tae's point about "being free" and his definition of free being different than others.

I think one of the similarities between JK and Tae is their comfort doing "non idol" things.

So the pup-stagram lead in. JK deleting his very popular instagram right before his solo launch simply because he didn't want to have it anymore (and sure, he's using weverse which benefits the company but seriously what doesn't). How does he spend his time on the social media: dance challenges, tipsy midnight lives and, now, managing an instagram for his dog. Carefully curated social media presence. My man said, Imma do me, thankyouverymuch. And let's not forget Tae. THE visual of K-pop. The face that launched a thousand ships. World's most handsome man. He goes to literally anything and grown men for miles lose their minds. What does he do with his anticipated solo launch? A close up of Yeontan. BRILLIANT. They both have different tastes and sounds (yet still have shared playlists!) but both so clearly have decided they are doing to redefine "idol" in a way that works for them.

Obviously there are differences. The company has goals (take over the western world!) and JK is central to that. And that supports his goals. So he benefits more directly from the company than Tae. I cannot articulate how much I love Tae's album strategy - from the sound, the visual, the vibes and the choice not to use the same in house team that has overlooked and undervalued him for 10 years.

I also agree with the point about Jin and Yoongi. I think they maintain a slightly more distanced or level perspective. I think it comes from age/maturity. When they started, they were young but not children. It's also interesting to think about how personal confidence and insecurity plays into it. I think Yoongi was confident in his abilities (he had been working on music prior) but had insecurities/anger about what it meant to be doing this in a k-pop space. Jin may have been insecure about his dancing or singing but he immediately stepped into the role of (handsome) hyung and knew it was needed of him (Yoongi's chicken blender meal, ew). I also think it comes from Jin having some security in his family background and him taking the role of hyung very seriously (more so than "idol"). Yoongi's relationship I think has evolved as he has gotten older, less angry and more successful. I think he has seen it for what it is and understood what needed to be done but that he also understand that changes as they literally built that company into what it is today.

Jimin and Hobi (until this documentary) are interesting because I'm not sure we ever really see them outside of idol mode. JM has acknowledged that even at the beginning he was hyper focused on roles and responsibilities. Maybe because they are performers and dancers. Namjoon used to be more that like that too -- the weight of being the leader - but I think we started to see that shift once he got to released Indigo. In fact, I think their solo careers are really how we can sort of tell so much about not only their tastes but their approach. Ok, this is getting too long. sorry for the rambling.

All of this, yes.

Their solo careers really did show much more authentic sides of themselves. I am so here for who Namjoon became in lives last year. Just a bit more free. When he has so much pressure on him to lead and maintain, I really enjoyed seeing him talking openly and standing up for himself.

Here's a thing I'm pondering: I wonder if they'll find it hard going back into a group setting. I think these guys love each other so much on a personal level but their different professional approaches could create... Hmm, not tension as such...

Maybe just a tiny bit of the awkward initially? Or you might start to see these differences a bit more clearly? This is all just supposition though and they're veterans by now.

It's interesting to think about how they'll navigate this after a period where they've been separated for a long time though. Naturally you'd fall into a routine with each other if you spend most days together but the seven of them are distinctly separate now and did a lot of growing professionally last year. Obviously they all still talk but they're not spending a lot of time working together.

Clear subunits have developed and matured over this period too. JK and Tae, Jimin and Yoongi. But then Jimin and JK are going to have a shared experience, Joonie and Tae too. Yoongi has a very different experience from the other six. And some things might be exactly the same: maknae line still a natural trio (thinking of Jeju), Jin still everyone's mummy, Jimin and Hobi still super close, everyone still holds Namjoon to the highest regard.

The dynamics will be super interesting.

I have a hunch - and honestly I'm just thinking out loud, these aren't hard and fast opinions as such - that JK might be key. He's interesting to me because I think his age and role in the hierarchy of the band has made him at times compliant with the requirements of being an idol and recognises how the company aligns with his goals and yet sometimes he seems extremely weary of it. He seems the most conflicted, maybe. I wonder what 2025 will be like for him most of all.

(the delulu in me says his conflict is very heart versus head but... Let's leave that out of this post for now.)

I'm really intrigued and excited to see. Whether they slip back into full group or if a solo-but-together approach helps them out. I personally would love a tour to include their solo stuff.

Now I'm getting rambly. Thanks anon, this is so interesting to think about 💜

[alovelyburn]

Hi! Do you know any media - either western or eastern - with a character like Griffith in it? Thanks

That's a tough one. There are tons of characters who evoke similar tropes or are directly inspired by Griffith, but it depends on which parts of Griffith you're looking for. So... I'll give names and then just kind of expand on how they are Griffith-esque.

Giorno Giovanna from JoJo's always struck me as a bit of a Griffith Lite. He's idealistic but ruthless, a strategic thinker, has big dreams and does a lot of sus things in pursuit of more positive goals. He's also given to poetic proclamations.

The classic is Ryo Asuka from Devilman, who is a direct inspiration for Griffith and has a very similar role/dynamic with Akira (the protagonist... you probably know this already but you know) to Griffith's and Guts'... emotionally, but not behaviorally. Like Ryo and Griffith don't act anything alike but they have similar functions. Yeah.

Laurent from the Captive Prince is partially inspired by Griffith - I haven't gotten very far in that book, but Griffith is a stated inspiration.

Chrollo Lucilfer from Hunter x Hunter is kind of a hybrid Griffith/Femto type figure to me. He hits a lot of the same buttons as Griffith but is much more overtly malevolent. Still, the intelligence, strategic thinking, his way of going from adorable to terrifying, and something about the way he... talks... Always reminds me of Griffith. And like Griffith he's quite difficult to read and can instill existential dread in orders without doing very much. Also, books.

Blade of the Phantom Master (Shin Angyo Onshi) has a ... lot of things in it that remind me of Berserk, but when it comes to Griffith, they have two different characters that kind of ring the bells. For Griffith the human, the main one is Hae Mo Su, who is the main character's deceased best friend who appears only in flashbacks once you're past the middle of the series. The other oen is Aji Tae, the main villain - a lot of people compare him to Griffith, but he's more of a Femto, although he sometimes pretends to be a Griffith. Also because of plot things, it's... an interesting comparison.

Artorius from Tales of Berseria has a lot in common with him - mind you I've never actually played the game so take it with a grain of salt. But he's a silver haired idealist who becomes unemotional due to a severe loss and then proceeds to do awful things in the name of benefiting humanity so, there you are.

If you want something MUCH MUCH MORE LIGHTHEARTED than anything else on this list, I'm Stanning the Prince is a romance manhwa webcomic that simultaneously strongly evokes Berserk and turns it into like... a lighthearted romance comic. The younger/crown prince is physically identical to Griffith and has a Griffithy vibe... also his sigil is a blue and white wolf whereas his brother's sigil is a red and black bird, so like.... anyway but again this is romance comic so don't expect it to go too heavy.

Le'Garde from Fear & Hunger (dark RPG) is perhaps the most 1-for-1 comparison I've seen in terms of role and story, though he has some non-Griffith twists to him. He is directly based on Griffith, though. I saw a review call this game "Undertale, but it's Berserk."

All that said, the closest I've ever come to being like, this guy may as well just be Griffith was... Canute from Vinland Saga. When he first appears, this comparison will seem pretty shallow but just hang in there. By the time I paused in my reading (which I need to get back to) I was like, oh this is what Griffith would be like as King, cool cool.

[ladedanixie]

I'm just gonna address this under the cut.

I love helluva boss. Its not a perfect show, but I deeply enjoy it and have re-watched it to death, especially when I was in bad spot. So when I critique it, its not from a place of hatred or pettiness, its more from a place of knowing how good it could be with better execution and focus. Now that I have gotten that out of the way, onto what I wanna say.

Just because someone critiques the show, or dislikes something you liked, does not mean they lack media comprehension or are just a hater. For example, Western Energy and Ozzie's being addressed in texts on Stolas' phone or people not understanding Blitz also cares about Stolas. Or even Seeing Stars, or Queen Bee not giving time to have an awkward moment or two. They say it'll be addressed eventually or its subtext.

And I'd concur. The show isn't over yet, it has 2 and 1/2 seasons more to go. But, that doesn't mean everything done so far is perfect.

First off, I understand that Blitz cares, Truth Seekers proves that, Ozzie's proves that, but if you're defending the texts in Western Energy or even the picture Blitz has on his phone of him and Stolas in Ozzie's, I'd like to counter that with not everyone is as obsessed with the show as you or me. There are casual fans, who yes, will throw their hat in the ring and critique the show, they usually don't pause or go back to read or double check the photos. That and some world-building elements, like the difference between Sinners and demons and imps, aren't explicitly addressed in the show. Sure Season 2 has somewhat addressed it, but there wasn't clarity and most causal viewers only know because other more invested viewers tell them. I know this because I'm a huge fan, and my friend who I got into the show, often asks for explanations.

People nitpick sometimes sure, like in Oops, when most people asked why didn't they just shoot Fizz (my friend was one of them), whereas I didn't think anything of it (probably mostly because I play dnd and I accepted Fizz's song as a Nat 20 on performance). Or claimed the song was too long, I loved the song and how long it was.

But nitpicks aren't bad, nor is all nitpicks made by solely casual fans. And not all critiques are nitpicks. I personally think that some bring up good points. Such as Western Energy and how Ozzie's was addressed in a series of texts between Blitz and Stolas, which if you blinked, you could have missed it. That and in order to read them, you would have to go back and go by frame by frame to read it. Pausing in-between. I am not of the belief that the texts should have been cut, but I do believe it could have been acknowledged if only a little in Seeing Stars (which I do have my opinions on, but I'll that in another post.) Because that would have been better structurally and could have set up the texts better.

Now to address another argument people make against critiques. And I will use Season 2 as my main example. Most people argue that the reason why Season 2 has gotten so much flack is due to people's built up expectations, the fanon, they created in their head. And sure that might be true. I've seen it in the reaction to Stella, which Sarcastic Chorus on youtube did a fantastic video on that that addresses the issue about that far better than I ever could. So check that out.

But I'll touch on it here anyway. Season 1 Stella was barely fleshed out. All we knew was that she was angry that Stolas cheated. Some eagle eyed views noticed her anger seemed to be mostly about him sleeping with an Imp and not the cheating, but aside from that, a picture, and a few split second scenes (Pilot: Blitz apologizing to her. Her telling Stolas to get up instead of her. Octavia briefly mentioning her.) We didn't know anything else about her. Some folks theorized about her in ways that created a lot of depth, only for Season 2 to reveal she was purely one dimensional with no sympathetic virtues whatsoever.

She was an abusive wife bound to Stolas out of a non negotiable duty to the Goetia family. It absolved Stolas of any responsibility or fault. Western Energy took it a step further and then robbed her of any weight as a villain in the story by introducing her brother and making him the mastermind. While Stella was painted as a pretty, petty, short-sighted, spoiled, impulsive brat. Which that's ok. I'm fine with her one dimensionality. Since the show never promised more than that. But some folks were really angry about it, claiming that the show did promise more. Now, that is a good example of building castles out of nothing but a potential future. Not to say that people aren't allowed to be disappointed with Stella's lack of depth. Because while the show didn't promise more, the lack of concrete evidence to the contrary allowed the space for potential. Thus, this is also a good example of how the show could have avoided this, if it were only clearer about Stella's personality from the beginning. Perhaps a scene or two more illustrating this.

This doesn't mean, that I think the creators suck. I do think they are doing the best they can, and are putting a lot of effort into the story. No, I don't think that I could do it better. Which sidebar, sometimes dissatisfaction with the execution of a story, and wanting to do it better i.e. your way, can lead to some pretty cool things. Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao comes to mind (The author took inspo from Darling in the Franxx, they were unhappy with how it executed it's concept and they took it and made Iron Widow.) Or any multitude of fanfic. Or stories inspired by stuff in the public domain. But critique is ok, it helps with becoming a better writer/story teller. It tells you what works and what doesn't. Moreover, critique is always a suggestion not a command. Yes, haters exist, entitled fans exist, and people who completely miss the point exist. And yes, smaller projects tend to get more flack, especially when it involves queer stories, but that doesn't mean the rest is all noise. Multiple things can be true at once.

Claiming that people just don't understand subtlety or that they are plain stupid, is just disheartening. As though the only way to enjoy a show is to do so without complaint. I will admit I dislike negativity as much as the next person. I do in fact avoid it. Hell sometimes I don't like seeing critique. And yes, people are allowed to dislike, or express distaste with people critiquing the show. But again, it feels as though its being held on a pedestal, as though it can do no wrong, and its kinda a dangerous mindset to maintain. Nothing is above critique, nothing is perfect, and that includes your favorite shows.

Now does this mean that Helluva Boss is inherently a bad show? No. Are there problems with it? Yes. But, Beauty is in the eye of the Beholder though. Which means not everyone agrees. But I love this show. What's wrong with wanting to see it do its best, live up to its potential? (Oops is epitome of Helluva Boss's potential in my opinion, btw, and I look forward to more.)

Besides, Helluva Boss's creators are still gonna do what they are gonna do. Does it matter what someone on the internet says about it?

[matcheadz]

My thoughts (don't read if you have strong opinions. I'm both sides-ing the fuck outta this)

I just watched Iron Man 2.

I mean the Devil May Cry netflix show. About a week ago. I've been ambivalent about it, I've liked it, I've hated it, and now I think I've come back to center again. I'm taking the annoying centrist take on this, so if you lean more on either side you're probably gonna shake your head at this and ask why it was posted. "For posterity!" I say, clutching my pearls about media consumption/the rot that is adaptions or sequelitis while the world is imploding.

I'm a pretty big fan of the franchise, but it's not my Kingdom Hearts. If something's wrong with Kingdom Hearts, I'll have an opinion and you'll fucking hear it. With Devil May Cry, I'm pretty loosey-goosey about what I can like about its concepts. First and foremost, I love the balance between goof and action. Then, I enjoy the struggle with self-hatred, interpersonal/familial relationships, and finally the religious theming (both the vague christianity and buddhism/hinduism). I love the original games, I wrote an embaressingly long fanfic about it (embrace the cringe, for it taught me my vocab and grasp of prose was actually shit in retrospect).

The first thing you should know is I hate most adaptions. Really all adapations, the fact that they exist between games and tv shows or movies. I hate them on a philosophical level because you are inherently removing a level of engagement in order to make something thats the exact same shit. I hate remasters and remakes for almost the same reason--you will always be removing a vibe somehow. Just say you have no more original ideas and get off the stage.

I DO like reinterpretations--take something that's well liked, slap it against something else and staple it together. Its probably shit, most of the time they kind of are, but I like seeing what someone *else* saw from a thing I liked. We may have gotten two completely different things out of the original, and I like when they get things 'wrong.' My favorite thing is media that gets things 'wrong.' For fuck's sake, IT is my favorite fucking thing ever and I hate the movies AND the book!

That being said, this isn't a real re-interpretations nor a proper adaption. It's somewhere in the middle, and thats...kind of where my opinion is.

I've watched this twice, wrote down my feelings because I'm a little dweeb who journals when I have a hard time pinning my feelings down, and I think I know what to properly say now.

I liked it. As someone late to the DMC game, as someone who very much still enjoys the vibe of the original games, they took a gamble and did something different. Something very 'western,' with all the hangups that term has. What I really mean by that at the core is 'western' media, especially action, is usually all about showing the car explosions. To paraphrase a few people I spoke to that I trust on this, it didn't really speak to the true heart of the show. But more on that in a second.

This show is far from 'peak,' as my baby sister would say. It's watching a Marvel movie after 3 billion years of Marvel movies. I'm saying it heavily derivative. I with the plane scene I was thinking, "man, this is kinda like Iron Man..." and then Enzo was like "Why don't you have a suit of metal?!" and I was like 'aaaaalrighty then...' and then Ivan Venko bunny revealed his backstory and I was like "uh-huh. Yeah, okay."

Does it all hit? Fuck no, it doesn't. This show pulled a DmC, but instead of attempting some kind of manufacturing consent thing, it pulled a post-9/11 ignoramous, "the U.S.A is a theistic war machine brainwashing children into SS soldiers." And its kind of awful, but its also a very specific kind of plastic 2000s shit that is a guilty pleasure for me. Is that awful? Yeah, absolutely. Do we need a show that has *demons* being it's main villains to compare their environment to the middle-east in order to garner sympathy? FUCK no. We are living that reality right now. We ARE Tony Stark, we're providing the fucking bombs to genocide right now. The Lebanonese, Syrians', Iraqis', fucking Palestineans' blood is on our hands. We fight proxy wars through drone strikes, our military presses enter on an excel spreadsheet, shouts 'clear' and adds another layer of graveyards like its nothing. Fucking unfollow me, block my ass if you just read something that you didn't like. I wish you the life you deserve.

This isn't about my political opinions though, because I'm fucking tired a tumblr post for an account with 300 followers doesnt do shit. Everyone's life right now has this background radiation of terror and dread and a little tmi, I've been going on a bit of a depression spiral while I prepare myself for possible exodus.

The point is, the show is a bit shlocky and it certainly doesn't feel like the original games. And I think the reason why I'm not very strongly opinionated about this show (believe it or not) is because I told myself in the months leading up that this is NOT a dmc show. Its an attempt at a 2000s nostalgia-trap with action movie elements and a familiar character--its playmobil, not Lego. I enjoy it because I can laugh at the fact that it isn't the thing I grew to love, and because I never had my heart in this show in the first place. I saw the games and this show as entirely sperate, like an AU fanfic. And as some moots know, I don't...really read AU fanfic? Because the world is half the fun of a franchise and why would you want to do that to something you claim to love...?

GIVEN THAT, I went in with that attitude of when I jump into an AU fanfic. It's not "I have no expectations," its, "I expect this not exist the way I like and I'm just gonna sip on a juicebox and be a little flippant." And in that way, it was enjoyable. I'll probably watch season 2? I see season 1 as a hook for the concept, and the actual character moments that we know DMC come later. If they don't, well whatever, cause I already have the original series and there's so much more to talk about with the original. I doubt I'll ever watch the netflix show and think, "wow, this is a really telling character moment, I wonder what that means..." cause I never really expected them to be like that.

If you hate it, I completely get that. This is probably a beloved franchise for you and it probably feels like shit to have something that so much about identity to slap you in the fucking face with something that feels so wrong. If you just kinda dislike it, yeah I completely get your disappointment. If you like it or love it, sure thats fine, you're probably new! So, welcome! Don't play the second game!

I'm gonna be the most annoying centrist about this show (I'll probably never speak about it again), you'll have to make me a mediator of some kind of DMC debate where I 'devil's advocate' both sides just to piss them off. Kidding, like what you like. I'm tryna get the fuck outta my hellhole.

[frontproofmedia]

The Tampa Theatre's 'A Nightmare on Franklin Street': Keeping Halloween Alive in Florida

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By Hector Franco

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Published: October 29, 2024

When the state of Florida comes to mind for most people in the United States or around the world, things like flatlands, lousy traffic, beaches, high temperatures, retirement communities, hurricanes, and political snafus come to mind. However, in Central Florida, in the heart of the city of Tampa, the world of horror and Halloween is celebrated like in any other mid-western city. According to WalletHub, Tampa Bay ranks as the 23rd best city for Halloween enthusiasts, with metrics including the number of costume stores, trick-or-treat stops, and Halloween celebrations.  

Since October 2013, one of Tampa's historic landmarks, The Tampa Theatre, has put the world of horror and celebrating Halloween to the forefront. The Theatre's "A Nightmare on Franklin Street" film series showcases various films throughout the horror world, ranging from classics in the genre to silent films and recent contemporary movies. The Theatre was first built in 1926 and is considered one of the 10 Most Beautiful Cinemas in the world by the BBC, as it was designed by famed Chicago-based architect John Eberson. The renowned architect gave the Theatre a night-like look with stars, adding to the experience of watching movies in the building. The Tampa Theatre has grown a reputation for being haunted, leading to the Theatre producing Ghost Tours, and with its 1238-seat auditorium, it hosts nearly 1,000 events each year. 

The "A Nightmare on Franklin Street" event began over a decade ago and has gone through numerous iterations and ideas. This year, the series runs for three weeks (October 11-31), showing more films than ever, with multiple days including double features beginning with the 1980s slasher classic Prom Night, which stars Jamie Lee Curtis. The festivities end on Halloween night, coming full circle with Curtis' most famous role of Laurie Strode in 1978's Halloween, followed by another tentpole horror classic in Wes Craven's Scream. 

However, one wonders how a series like this gets put together. In an era where streaming and watching films at home has become the norm for most movie watchers, asking audiences to pay to watch older films, albeit in a beautiful setting and atmosphere, is a tall task. 

One of the prominent people responsible for putting together the "A Nightmare on Franklin Street'" series is the Vice President and Director of Marketing for the Tampa Theatre, Jill Witecki. Witecki has been with The Tampa Theatre for 12 years and came to the theater from Busch Gardens, where she worked in marketing and public relations, putting together the theme park's Howl-O-Scream Halloween events. Before Busch Gardens, she was a reporter at the Tampa Tribune with a degree in journalism, working, as she puts it, in the 'media and storytelling realm' in Tampa.

Witecki's background working at Busch Gardens and the Tampa Tribune allowed her to have a vision for the passion and intrigue horror movies and the Halloween season could potentially have in Florida. 

"I've gotten to see the economic impact that horror and Halloween can have and how eager people are, especially in this part of Florida, it seems like, to start selling, celebrating Halloween the moment they can because we don't really have a fall season here," Witecki told Frontproof Media in an exclusive interview. "So we have to create it. I think the Central Florida Horror industry does that and gives everybody an excuse to start celebrating fall even when the weather isn't cooperating."

In some respects, the Sunshine State's lack of fall and winter seasons only strengthens its adulation for all things Halloween and horror. When Witecki first started working at The Tampa Theatre, she recognized the Theatre's haunted reputation could be used to facilitate horror fans and Halloween enthusiasts to help celebrate the popular holiday season. A conversation with the Tampa Theatre's CEO brought to fruition the horror-based film series to the Tampa Bay landmark. 

"There was an early conversation I had with my CEO about how we can maximize Halloween," explained Witecki to Frontproof Media. "Because there is all of this interest and all of these fans. I don't know what the number is now, but Halloween was a $4 billion industry at that point.

"Our first "Nightmare on Franklin Street" was in October 2013. We picked a Friday in the middle of the middle of the month and then ran through Halloween, putting a film series together. At that point, it was a lot of the top 10 one would think of. It was Psycho, Halloween, and The Shining. We put a little series together, and we included some ghost tours in it and people loved it. We can show movies every single day, so it was very easy for us to put together a horror movie series." 

While putting on horror classics is a must for the film series, showcasing cinema essentials of the genre is only one aspect of the series. The festivities have included live acts throughout the years, interviews, and question-and-answer presentations for certain films. This year, one of the shows included a Victorian horror troupe called Fangoria. In the past, specific films, including those of the silent era, were accompanied by an orchestra playing the film's score. The series also makes it a point to show recent horror films that may not have gotten their deserved time in local everyday theatres. 

Showcasing films like Halloween and Hocus Pocus are guaranteed ticket sellers for the Theatre. However, The Tampa Theatre also knows the importance of helping out local filmmakers. Each year, the film series shows locally produced horror films based out of Central Florida. Not many of these films sell out in the famed Theatre, but it allows local filmmakers to have their films screened in front of a large audience in a historic venue. 

"The evening of local horror is something that we've done for several years now because there is so much locally produced horror in Central Florida," stated Witecki. "I do understand that people are going to plunk down money to see Halloween because they know what they're in for. But for a local film, if you don't know the cast, if you don't know the crew, you may not be as willing to put out the money.

Witecki continued, "We do have those stalwarts that we have to show every year, like Halloween and Hocus Pocus. We sell out Hocus Pocus every year. We always want to include some of the best horror films that came out that year. So that's where you get Late Night with the Devil and Lisa Frankenstein."

The Tampa Theatre's reputation for being a haven for horror fans has grown over the years. This has led to some of the most recognizable names in the genre being featured at the Theatre. For example, during a presentation of 1988's Child's Play- the film's then-child star Alex Vincent attended the showing, and Marilyn Eastman did the same for a presentation of Night of the Living Dead. The Tampa Theatre also had author Andrea Perron give a presentation after a showing of 2013's The Conjuring. Perron and her family lived in the house on which the film was based. 

Horror films are known for pushing the boundaries of what's acceptable to be put on film. Sometimes, they can be bleak affairs where the villain comes out victorious or blood-filled gore fests where the kills and practical effects are the film's highlight features. But the world of horror and Halloween can be unique. Many different horror films can be shown to audiences ranging from children to young adults to seniors. The Tampa Theatre's selective film choices for the "A Nightmare on Franklin Street" series satisfy a broad audience despite horror's niche fandom. 

“The true horror fans are definitely niche," says Witecki.  "But that's one of the many reasons I love Halloween so much; there are so many ways to celebrate it. So, if you are into bloody gory slashers, we have movies that address that. If you're more into supernatural ghost movies, we've got some of that. But if you're into cutesy pumpkins and witches, we've got that too. That's where films like Hocus Pocus come in."

Perhaps The Tampa Theatre's greatest strength is its place as a beacon for film preservation and showcasing the medium how it was meant to be seen. There are more films available now to audiences than ever before, but the medium is treated at times as disposable. Streaming apps release a movie on their platform with little to no marketing, and it sits in perpetuity until it's removed without any physical or digital release elsewhere.

The Tampa Theatre treats films as the art form that they are. The loud laughs and cackles from a sold-out venue from a showing of Blazing Saddles can't be duplicated at home. The gasps in unison from an audience as the killer unsheaths a knife from the shadows is an experience meant for many, not one. No matter the size of your television or the booms from your speaker system, the theatrical experience of watching a film can't be replicated at home. In a world full of distractions, some of which are right in our hands, The Tampa Theatre is one of the few places where one can truly get lost in another world. 

"What you experience at a screening is the difference between going to a movie theater, going to a cinema, and experiencing a film with friends and family and community versus sitting on your couch and watching it on streaming," explained Witecki.  

"You turn on the movie, and maybe you're paying attention, and maybe you're not. Maybe you're scrolling your phone at the same time the movie's happening. Maybe you are walking around doing laundry, or maybe it's just background noise while cleaning your house. It's not the same as it is to sit in a theater. Turn your phone off and be surrounded by the movie. It's huge right in front of you. You can't escape it. And to experience all of those emotions with the people sitting around you.

"And with horror especially, it's great for sitting in a big room with 1200 people, and you can hear a pin drop. You can feel everybody holding their breath and waiting to see what's going to happen, and everybody screams and laughs at themselves for screaming. That's what the movie experience is supposed to be."

[arosexpositivity]

Read this article this morning, thanks to a close friend who thought I'd like it (I did).

If you enjoyed "everyone's beautiful, no one is horny" a couple years ago, this is an excellent followup to the fact that this has Just Gotten Worse Over Time.

One thing I would personally mention is that while, as the article states, this is most obvious in terms of sex scenes, it's also true of just about every sensory pleasure.

You know how we all ogle "anime food" with an almost feral thirst? There used to be scenes in western media that also treated food as a glorious pleasure. Fried foods, desserts, rich meaty dinners... When was the last time you saw food treated with love in a film?

The same is true of just about every kind of pleasurable thing one can do with one's body. Sex, drugs, dance, hell even fighting.

Ask any stunt actor who worked before the last decade and they'll be very clear: fights are now composited in post instead of with choreography, often putting stunt actors in greater danger in the process because they're forced to fight against nonexistent opponents without the ability to, eg, trust their partner to catch their weight. To say nothing of the additional lack of safeties in other ways that have become extremely common in the Marvel era, where stunts are usually performed in a very controlled environment that leads safety directors to cut corners since everything is "under control."

If you ever thought, "wow, the fighting in Netflix Daredevil looks So Good" that would be because it's actual choreography with multiple actors on set at once.

This evaporation of bodily pleasure from media extends well past just sex scenes.