#and to THINK we may have these things animated?!?!?

[soulhollow]

I grew up in a very rural part of Maine. Think, a fifteen minute drive on a tiny two-lane road to get to the closest town, where a single traffic light got installed when I was a teenager.

Maine is (or at least, the part of it I was in), entirely trees, or sparsely-dotted farmland, or dirt roads. If you're willing to drive a few hours, you can get to rocky rugged glacial coastlines that you have to walk carefully on (if you can get to the beach at all, most are more like cliffs). I knew this was beautiful, in a way, but it was forever humid in both the winter as well as the summer. I loved winter because we'd get snowed in multiple times (and by snowed in I do mean the snow was occasionally taller than I was). A few times, I went to school on my dad's snowmobile because the school administration didn't call snow days very often, because it was Maine. We were accustomed to -15F and deep snow.

In the summer, it was as humid as Louisiana, as Florida, and every horrid biting insect imaginable came out, because Maine was their land before it was ever populated by people. The news had 'mosquito advisories' because very small children, short-haired animals, and the elderly could literally die from how dense the mosquito clouds were. May-September were bug-net seasons, you had a net around where you slept (because they'd come inside each time the door was opened), and besides whining around the room like midges, they carried diseases that people also died from every year.

I couldn't really go outdoors from May-August because, on top of all that, I was allergic to mosquito bites. :) I'd puff up with quarter-size welts and develop a persistent fever for days, from just 1-2 bites. If I got 10+ (normal), I was in hell for about a week at a time. Maine basically kept me housebound until I could drive (because, yeah, bug spray is a thing but they'll bite anything that stands still long enough).

And then I moved west. I moved to Colorado. I know there are mosquitoes here, people have said you encounter them if you go into the mountains, but I've seen two of them since 2008.

Two mosquitoes.

Colorado's the first place I've ever truly gotten to see for its beauty. The sunrises and sunsets are very frequently gorgeous here. Breathtaking. You never get accustomed to it. The mountains, snowcapped for most of the year? Amazing. I didn't get to see mountains very often, back in New England. Everything was drowned in trees, it was often hard to see the sky at all.

I'd dreamed of desert, and Colorado's semi-arid with some desert, but this region felt more like home from the first week I arrived in it than Maine ever did. The climate is unbeatable. (When my partner and I leave it, in time, we're hoping to go north, if finances work out. If not, we might have to go back east-ish, which would be alright, but I know I'd miss this climate belt. My heart wants to go north, to remain in 'semi-arid' land.)

[manchestereyes]

we may not think of dan and phil as outwardly romantic, but they are deeply romantic in the smallest ways.

dan, who we know is closed off to everyone else, will ask phil if he wants a call from him while he's in the hospital. he makes a list of things phil needs to do in elden ring while they're facetiming. he'll send phil texts in their own nonsense language to check in. he'll go to the ends of the earth to stand up for phil and his intellectual property, like the 7 second challenge. he'll go skiing without phil just to see if it's something phil would enjoy. but he keeps phil in the loop the whole time.

and phil. phil. he'll bring dan in for a video after one of the hardest years of dan's life, just to cheer him up. he gives dan the space to tell their story, trusting him with all his heart because they've been in this together since 2009 and navigated their way through hell and back. he films an extra segment while editing just to reiterate how much he loves dan's book. he cries at wad because it's the culmination of everything he's seen in dan for the past 13 years and finally the world gets to see that too.

they wait for each other to wake up so they can have breakfast and watch an anime together. they'll let each other know when their favorite treats are back in stock. they make sure they don't snack too much so they can have dinner together. they've intertwined their lives so deeply that they only grew closer after spending so much time apart. i can only imagine how wonderfully secure that feels. ❤️

[deanangel]

Under Heavens Control

pairing: sam winchester x angel reader .ᐟ | minors do NOT interact

synopsis: heavens weapon and a winchester, both destined for something better, yet stuck with each other. unclean and full of sin they meet.

warnings: religious themes , mentions of blood and death (very briefly) , smut p!v unprotected sex (wrap it UP!!) , finger fucking , kissing , cumming inside , cockwarming (if you squint) ..

word count: 1.5k

THE air inside was thick and cold, restricting the amount of breaths one could take. the sound of screams evident in one's ears. crimson liquid staining the concrete walls, metal chains bounding one in place for eternity. despair and death overwhelmed anyone who dared to enter.

heaven to humans was the best place to go to in death. anything you wanted, you would have. it was sickening for you to think about honestly.

locked up and forced to do the angels' dirty work was how you spent your days.

being a weapon was all you knew.

there was no escape even if you tried, the other angels – your 'siblings’ – kept you on a tight leash, always finding a way to fix you when you malfunctioned. 

the children of god were pure, clean, and all things innocent. while you were none of those. rabid, dirty, sinful, and so on is what would be used to describe you. the first to go to war and the last to come back, blood staining your entire being.

you found solace in the ones like you; however, they never lasted long. always being taken away far too soon. warm hands cradle your face as if you were their pet, cooing softly that this is what you were made for. that you didn't need friends, only them. so you stayed, and never fought back. angels were the light, yet somehow you were the dark.

chained down and all alone is how you sat, until the faint sound of footsteps echoed throughout the halls. your breath hitched, awaiting whatever came your way. the voice of another rang into the cell. 

“we need you to go down to earth, a few souls are to be collected…early.”

the booming sound was opposite to the eerie silence you were used to. you knew deep down that this could be your chance to break free, escape from the shackles of heaven that weighed you down. but when push came to shove, you were under their control. trained like an animal, domesticated like a dog to bend to their every word.

watching silently as they unchain you, immediately jumping back like you'd attack. some dogs go rogue on their owners, they're afraid you may be next.

standing up with shaky legs you follow them, shoulders slumped and head low.

“make it quick, we don't need to waste anymore time.” the voice ordered, harsh and direct.

the sound of bare feet pattering against the floors filled heavens walls contrast to the usual heels and dress shoes.

eyes following your form as you trudge through the halls. the prayers of humans wash over you like a tidal wave, ears ringing as millions of voices flood into your mind. yet, you found the power to focus on one. his voice was calming, you could listen to it for all of eternity.

the wind cascading around your form snapped you out of your trance, wings almost failing to set you down safely onto land. it had been millenia since the last time you were set to go to earth. you were here last when lucifer wasn't the devil, instead he was a friend..

shaking those memories out of your head, you focus on the task at hand. 

collecting souls.

the human soul was pure and untainted, it held power that many wouldn't be able to wield. the more souls in heaven, the stronger it was.

it was your job to help make the empire better. it was a shame that they took the souls early, poor people. as an angel you didn't have empathy, but you liked to pretend you did when regarding humans.

the names were engraved into your brain, programmed into your software. that's how they kept you sane. taking you apart and rebuilding you once you showed signs of rebellious behavior.

the suns harsh rays beat down on you; however, it wasn't uncomfortable. the heat was better than the cold dark room you were kept in. taking souls was a rather simple job, but not when the soul was him. the man whose prayers you zeroed in on while in such a weak state.

sighing you made a choice, he would be last. and then – hopefully – you would've gotten over the nagging feeling in the back of your head that he could save you. get you away from their judgmental gazes and harsh orders.

you didn't want to do this, you were an angel. why you? why not capture a demon and make them heaven's pet. 

instead god chose you.

did he get off on this? one of his children being used and crafted to be as vile as the devil himself. it was his sick and twisted way of entertainment.

you didn't dwell on the thought much longer. ‘make it quick.’ repeating in your head over and over. making your way around the world, taking each soul in swift and precise ways.

here you were, standing in front of him.

sam winchester.

his brown hair framed his face perfectly, his entire being ethereal under the moonlight.

from what you'd been told, he was somewhat like you. being injected with demon blood as young as 6 months old, watched and manipulated by demons it was sad really. your hand came down onto his face gingerly. caressing his soft skin with care. a warm feeling filled your body, engulfing you in a blanket of comfort.

sam stirred slightly in his sleep, eyes opening to look up at the figure standing before him. a warm glow emitting from them. their presence was calming, lulling him to slumber. yet, he knew better than to fall for the trap of the supernatural.

“shh, you're safe. i'm here to help.” you cooed softly, copying the way you were spoken to. hand coming up to stroke his hair. he grabbed your wrist to stop you, his touch didn't burn like others did. instead it felt right.

“who are you.” he questioned, his voice rough and hoarse from his previous sleep. your heart fluttered and the warmth came crashing down–harder this time.

“i..i'm here for your soul, sam. heaven's orders.” you couldn't help but admit, something inside you compelling you to do so.

like he had greater control over you than god, than heaven.

his grip tightened and he sat up, bringing you closer to him with a slight tug.

he was beautiful, so beautiful.

sam couldn't help but stare in awe at you. your beauty was unmatched, like a rose in a field of weeds. you stood out. he could tell you didn't want to, he felt something pull him to you. he fully knew that you wouldn't hurt him when he brought his other hand to your face, running his thumb over your bottom lip. his heart melted when he heard the hitch in your breath at his actions.

you were laying with him, soft moans leaving your now swollen lips as he pumped his fingers inside you. your nails dig into his forearms as he lay behind you. “sam..” his name rolling off your tongue like silk. your back arched, deepening his fingers. “just like that, sweet girl..” he whispered into your ear, edging you on. his long, thick fingers hitting that sweet spot everytime. your hips shuddered and bucked against his as your orgasm came down over you.

sam continued his relentless pace as you came down from your high. chest heaving and pants escaping your mouth breathlessly. “y'so good f'me.” he whispered as he brought you closer, slipping his cock into your tight cunt. his arms encased you, but unlike heavens hold it wasn't cold nor painful, it was warm and brought great pleasure. you whined at the feeling of him stretching you out, juices coating his cock until he bottomed out. he kept a slow and torturous pace, keeping you still with his hands so you couldn't move.

“please, please!” you let out, pleading loudly for him to go faster. he gently caressed your hips, his thumb tracing circles into the skin.

soon the sound of skin slapping filled his room, your moans and his grunts echoed through the walls. anyone within a mile radius could hear what was happening, and he nor you cared to mind.

you gripped onto him tighter and so did he, his hold on you was bruising. pushing himself as deep as he could, he came. a warm sticky substance coated your inner walls. tears were streaming down your face. he stayed inside, tugging you so you were facing him, bringing your lips to his in a searing kiss. it was passionate and full of love, not dark and hungry.

you and sam were connected, bound together. not by heaven but by the duality of man.

you were more bad than good, and he was more good than bad. yet, you found solace in each other. both born to be weapons.

one got away, while the other stayed under their holders control. but, that would not happen again, for sam was yours and you were his.

heaven had no control anymore.

authors note: hiii everyonee! this is my first sam smut so please lmk how you feel!! comments are appreciated. i hope its okay because to me its not the best but i had to get it out of my head!!

[the-most-humble-blog]

Humans: The Ultimate Flex—Suck It, Animals and Aliens

Proof We’re the Crown Jewel of Evolution (and Why No One Else Even Comes Close)

Let’s not sugarcoat it: humans are the GOAT species. We’ve got opposable thumbs, complex languages, and the ability to feel existential dread at 2 a.m. over a dumb thing we said in 7th grade. No other species—or hypothetical alien race—has anything on us.

Think I’m exaggerating? Let me prove it with some brain and logic magic that’ll make you want to high-five yourself. Animals? Aliens? They can sit down and take notes.

1. Opposable Thumbs: The OG Superpower

First, let’s talk thumbs. Most animals are stuck with paws, hooves, or tentacles. But humans? We have these magical little appendages that let us write novels, build cities, and scroll endlessly through TikTok.

What Makes Us Special: Our thumbs can touch every other finger, giving us precision grip. That’s why we’re holding smartphones while chimps are still throwing poop.

Think about it: If aliens show up without thumbs, we’re dominating the handshake game.

2. Pattern Recognition: Brain Magic Level 100

Your brain is basically a biological Sherlock Holmes.

You See Faces in Clouds: That’s pareidolia—a fancy way of saying your brain loves patterns so much, it creates them even when they don’t exist.

You Predict the Future: Well, kind of. Your brain analyzes past experiences to anticipate what’s coming next. That’s why you can dodge a falling object or, more importantly, guess the next plot twist in The Bachelor.

Here's a Thought: Meanwhile, a lion can’t even tell that the waterhole is a trap until it’s too late.

3. Language: The Ultimate Mic Drop

Other animals communicate, sure. Dolphins click, bees dance, and your cat meows at you for food. But humans? We’re dropping sonnets, memes, and political debates.

Infinite Combinations: With 26 letters (or however many your language has), we can create endless words and ideas.

Aliens Could Never: If they don’t show up speaking Shakespeare, are they even worth the hype?

Humble Brag: We’re so good at language, we invented emojis to make up for not having enough ways to roast each other.

4. Memory: A Blessing and a Curse

Your brain doesn’t just store information—it rewrites and replays it like a director’s cut of your life.

No Other Animal Remembers Like This: Elephants may never forget, but they’re not lying awake at night cringing over awkward trunk waves.

Your Mind Is a Time Machine: You can travel to the past (memories) and imagine the future (dreams). Animals? They live in the moment like some kind of zen monks.

Fun Flex: Humans can create fictional worlds better than reality. Ever see a dolphin write Game of Thrones? Didn’t think so.

5. Problem-Solving: We Literally Break Physics for Fun

No other species solves problems like we do.

Fire: We didn’t just discover it; we harnessed it.

Tools: We’re the only species that looked at a stick and thought, “Let’s kill something big with this and eat it.”

Space Travel: Meanwhile, most animals don’t even understand up and down.

Alien Diss: If they haven’t figured out intergalactic travel yet, are they really that advanced?

6. Humor: The Ultimate Sign of Intelligence

Here’s the big one: humans laugh.

Why It’s Special: Humor requires recognizing absurdity, connecting ideas, and delivering them with timing.

No Competition: Animals might look funny, but they’re not cracking jokes.

Weird Thought: If aliens can’t meme, do they even matter?

7. Consciousness: The Unbeatable Crown

You’re aware of yourself. You can ask questions like, “Why am I here?” and then immediately distract yourself with cat videos.

No Other Species Has This Level of Meta: Animals act on instinct. You can reflect on your actions—and cringe at them later.

We are our Brain: Sure, consciousness makes us anxious, but at least we’re not stuck chewing cud and staring at nothing.

Humanity Wins, Every Time

So, yeah. Are humans perfect? No. But are we leagues ahead of anything else on Earth—or in the universe (so far)? Hell yes. Our brains, thumbs, and ability to crack dark jokes about it all make us the species to beat.

Animals? Cute, but predictable. Aliens? Call us when they invent sarcasm. Until then, humanity reigns supreme.

Think humans are awesome? (Of course you do—you’re one of us.) Follow The Most Humble Blog for more unapologetic takes and hilariously sharp insights into why we’re the best.

[hyperlexichypatia]

So, I do think the distinction between "reform" and "abolition" can be a little vague and abstract, because at what point has something been so "reformed" that, ship of Theseus style, it's now essentially a new thing with the same name? Conversely, when is something "abolished" and replaced with a new thing serving essentially the same function?

The latter is essentially what's being proposed when people talk about "abolishing police/prisons and replacing them with social workers/ therapists/ psychiatric treatment." Predictably a number of people in the notes of OP talk about "therapy" and "treatment." That's not abolition, that's just rebranding coercive control into something nominally non-punitive. Reeducation camp? That's just a synonym for "prison." You don't have an abolitionist politic; you have a thesaurus.

By contrast, when I talk about psychiatric abolition, I get a lot of questions like "Don't you mean reform? What if we fix psychiatry so that it's just a set of techniques to help people manage emotional states that are distressing to the person experiencing them?" and I want to say "Okay, cool, but that would be so conceptually far removed from what psychiatry is, or ever has been, that it wouldn't make much sense to use the same word for it."

So when I talk about "abolition" or "reform", mostly the distinction I'm making is how integral the oppressive aspects are to the institution, and whether the institution would be recognizable if the oppressive aspects were removed, and even that can get blurry.

Like, I do support family abolition and youth liberation. I do not support "parental rights." And in the example scenario, I would not support allowing a 3 year old to go off with a stranger. I don't think that's contradictory. Meaningful choices must be informed and risk-aware. A 3 year old simply does not have the life experience to understand the risk involved in going off with a stranger, let alone the abstract reasoning to discern "The person who is offering me what I want right in this moment is not necessarily someone acting in my best interests overall." Her choice to go off with Nice McDonalds Stranger is not an informed or risk-aware one. Her caregivers should stop her and remind her about being safe outside, and give her opportunities to take smaller, safer risks to practice her risk-taking and decision-making skills.

"Isn't that just parental control with new coat of paint, like you just said about prisons, you hypocrite?" I don't think so. Because it has an entirely different basis. It could become just parental control with a new coat of paint, because power structures tend to reassert themselves when challenged, but I don't think it's conceptually impossible for caregivers to have the responsibility of preventing children from making non-risk-aware major choices without enshrining "parental rights" as a legal concept.

Children in the U.S., with very few exceptions, do not have "rights" in any real legal sense. They are functionally the property of their parents or guardians. What (sparsely enforced) legal protections they do have are not "rights"; they're, at best, welfare. Like domestic animals. Some parents may choose to conceptualize their parental responsibilities as protecting their children from non-risk-aware choices while guiding and supporting them in risk-awareness, but legally that is in no way required. People commonly assume that parents have their children's best interests at heart, but parents' legal power over their children is not dependent on this. Parents have no legal obligation to recognize, let alone cultivate, their children's risk-awareness, autonomy-exercising skills. It is perfectly legal and largely socially acceptable for parents to intentionally stymie their children's decision-making understanding in order to use "they don't understand" as a pretext for controlling them. If the child is at all disabled, this can easily be translated into adult guardianship and turning an 18 year sentence into a lifelong one.

And a property relation cannot be reformed into a rights-based system. You have to abolish the property relation first.

Also. I mean. I genuinely don't know exactly what a legal system that respected children's personhood and autonomy without expecting them to have the risk awareness of adults would like. I really don't. I know how individual parents strive to support their children's autonomy, but I don't know exactly how to legally codify that. I suspect it would look similar to the supported decision making some disabled adults have won, but also different from that, since of course, disabled adults are adults, not children.

But I don't know exactly how to legally codify "A three year old's freedom to make major life-altering decisions independently of their caretakers [who may or may not be the same individuals as the ones who conceived/birthed them] should be contextual and nuanced based on their degree of risk awareness, but a 10 year old's should be far greater, and an 18 year old's should be absolute and irrevocable." I kind of touched on it here, but I really don't know exactly what it would look like to codify protections for children's limited risk awareness without compromising their autonomy.

However I do know, with absolute certainty, that we can't get there from here. We can't even meaningfully examine the question of children's legal status unless we abolish the concept of parental "rights" of ownership over children.

The other reason I'm generally annoyed with the "Abolish X" crowd who actually DO mean "abolish X" and not a watered-down version is that ime they very rarely have fully thought out the implications of what they're demanding and then get angry when other people ask about it.

"Family abolition means completely removing legal ties for family units and allowing all children the choice of where they live" okay. So if I see a three-year-old throwing a fit because she doesn't want to leave the park, and I go over and tell her if she comes home with me she can stay as long as she likes and then we'll get McDonald's on the way home, that three-year-old should have the ability to make that decision? The parent or guardian has no legal recourse to stop me from taking her? Cause if the answer's no, that's not abolition, that's reform baby!

"I'm done talking about what we'll do with rapists and murderers after we abolish prisons, it's all anybody ever wants to talk about!" Well yeah man! 98% of people just interpreted your words as "we're going to let murderers roam around killing people at will"! You need to explain very clearly what plans you have that will stop them that aren't incarceration or you're not going to make any headway! And if your answer involves any form of "well of course SOME people can't be allowed total freedom" - that's not abolition, that's reform baby!

I'm not even gonna touch the number of people who think we should abolish the police and replace them with what are essentially roaming squads of vigilantes dispensing "community justice", whatever the fuck that means.

Like these aren't "gotcha" questions, they're legitimate problems you're going to have to contend with. And if you wave away all these questions with "you're just making up ridiculous scenarios" and "we'll think of something to fix that once we destroy the current system", then yeah actually, I DO think you care more about sounding radical than about making any kind of change.

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

I've been thinking if there's like beastmen hybrids on twst. Like if there's half fae in twst such as sebek, would there be half beastmen or like hybrids of two animal characteristics. If that's the case, how would be treated in a beastmen society or in sunset savanna (Would it be like in beaststars 🤔). I'm not sure if twst covered this yet, but I would love to hear your thoughts about it!

Uhhh 😅 Afraid I’m not familiar with Beastars, so I won’t be making reference to it in my response!

No beastmen hybrids have been mentioned thus far, but I’m sure that some must exist. Granted, there may not be that many due to the lore stating that different kinds of beastmen generally don’t get along. There has also been canonical tensions between beastmen and humans in the past (as well as perhaps some cultural clashes, based on some interactions I’ve noticed, such as Jack being uncomfortable when Crewel calls him a “good boy”). I assume the same occurs with merpeople, of which there aren’t many on land to begin with, and fae, who are isolated within their own exclusively fae communities.

I don’t think we know enough about beastmen societies to draw a definitive conclusion on how a hybrid might be treated. However, I imagine there would at least be some level of pushback—though maybe not as intense as what Sebek’s parents likely faced. This behavior would at least come from the related parties, and the pushback would vary depending on what species are involved. For example, if it were two predator animals or two prey animals getting together, that might be more acceptable than predator x prey, and land animals x terrestrial animal might be more acceptable than terrestrial animal x merperson or terrestrial animal x avian. The more similar the two are, the less the social resistance, basically.

I’d also think that an exception to this would be hyenas; Ruggie and Leona imply that hyenas are seen as second-class citizens and that the King of Beasts had to work hard to integrate them into society in the first place. So… if you’re a hyena hybrid, life might be tougher for you due to the prejudice already in place about one half of your heritage.

Generally I don’t think biracial (or bispecies??) relationships are a common thing. Because of how uncommon they are, I think most people would look at those families strangely (not that they should; it’s just how I honestly believe they would react, especially considering the real world sentiments about this).

[hailturinturambar]

Míriel's trajectory in The Rings of Power

This analysis, like Elrond's, will not be about a dynamic, but about the life and trajectory of Míriel, the last legitimate Queen of Númenor.

And to understand who Míriel was, what motivated her to follow Galadriel to Middle-earth and how she will reach her bitter end, let's analyze what Míriel's life was like, and even more importantly, how Númenor came to be.

When Eärendil came to Valinor and asked the Valar for help in the war against Morgoth, Men fought alongside the Gods and Elves. These Men, brave and courageous, were rewarded for their help, for their countless years of suffering.

An island, they were given. Prosperous, immense, full of animals, of nature, of everything most prosperous that the Valar could grant to Men. There, they would find peace and live far from the Shadow and the malice of Middle-earth, which did not disappear with the imprisonment of Morgoth.

In Númenor, the days of Men would be good and joyful. They would know no pain or suffering. The people of Númenor became more like the Elves. Long life was granted to them, and their deaths would not be painful or distressing.

When their bodies grew weary after long years of living, they would cast off their bodies to find peace. But long life is not immortality, and as the years passed, what had seemed a blessing brought anguish to the hearts of the Men of Númenor.

While some Elves left for Valinor, others remained in Middle-earth. Elros, Elrond's twin brother, chose his human half. Elros became the first king of Númenor, and they called him Tar-Minyatur.

Tar-Minyatur was the first king, but not the last, and his reign was long. Peace was in Númenor for many years, and Men and Elves maintained friendship.

Of the Elves, Men gained great learning and knowledge, and were nearest to them in Wisdom and Beauty, and were considered almost gods by the Low Men of Middle-earth.

But the people of Númenor loved the Sea above all things, and they became great seafarers, and their greed grew. The Men of Númenor began to desire more, to sail farther, to visit more Middle-earth.

Far from the horrors of Middle-earth, the shadow began to weigh heavily on their hearts. Númenor seemed too small for them, and as time went on, the friendship between Men and Elves came to an end.

It is in the Second Age that we meet Tar-Míriel, Queen Regent of Númenor, daughter of Tar-Palantir. But who was Tar-Palantir? To understand his daughter, we need to know her father. Tar-Palantir was the twenty-fourth king of Númenor.

And unlike his father, Ar-Gimilzôr, Tar-Palantir loved the Elves, as he was taught by his mother. Many kings before Palantir were estranged from the Valar. Tar-Palantir wished to return to the old ways. He was known as a great seer, and he alone foresaw the future of the White Tree of Númenor, Nimloth.

It is during this period that we meet Míriel. When Captain Elendil arrives in Númenor, accompanied by Galadriel and Halbrand, Míriel is surrounded by her court. From a distance, Míriel may appear to be a cold and distant queen, contrary to elven customs.

Behind this mask, however, lies another Míriel. Galadriel's arrival in her kingdom is an unexpected attack. Míriel was chosen to rule Númenor in place of her father, but Tar-Palantir's ideas disgusted the people and to quell the revolt, his daughter assumed the throne.

Alongside Míriel, we find Pharazôn, her cousin and faithful advisor. In the books, it is reported that in the beginning, Míriel was in love with him, but I firmly believe that this context does not exist in the show.

Returning, Galadriel, unknowingly, threatens Míriel's rule. Once Galadriel demands a ship and soldiers, believing that Men owe something to the Elves, for having obtained the Island of Númenor. But, as Queen Míriel said, they owed nothing.

At the end of the First Age, Men fought for the destruction of Melkor, they deserved their Island and all its gifts. Galadriel was too consumed by her pride to think about it. And Míriel, obviously, was on the defensive. Her reign was on a tightrope, and an Elf demanding in her court was dangerous.

Convinced by the Great Deceiver, Halbrand and Galadriel will remain in Númenor, but under guard. I really like the scene with Elendil and Míriel. When Míriel says:

"The Faithful believe that when the petals of the white tree fall, it's no idle thing, but the very tears of the Valar themselves, a living reminder that their eyes and their judgment are ever upon us."

And there were petals already fallen on the ground around the tree. I believe that this moment between Míriel and Elendil was the most honest Míriel has felt in a long time. There is a great weight on her shoulders, the weight of the truth she hides.

Because like her father, she is not an enemy of the Elves, but she fears the destruction of Númenor. Her father foresaw the future of Númenor and confided it to his daughter, and only she knew it. A very heavy weight to bear.

When Elendil helped Galadriel, I imagine that Míriel felt that she had finally found an ally after so long. Someone who, like her, does not hate the Elves, but keeps it a secret. And she chooses Elendil, of all people, to help her.

In my opinion, Míriel is always tense, rigid, afraid that someone might discover her secrets. This becomes obvious at the end of the episode, when we find Míriel sneaking around the castle of Númenor. After being forced to hand over the throne to his daughter, Palantir, was imprisoned at the top of the Tower, far from everyone on the island.

Míriel is apparently one of the few allowed to be in the king's presence. Míriel's words to the king are interesting. Galadriel's arrival was not unexpected, but rather untimely. Her arrival proved that the terrible end of Númenor would come to pass.

In her dream, Míriel relives the vision granted by the Palantír. The end of Númenor never changed, no matter how hard Míriel tried. And while Míriel is in the Tower with her father, tormented by the vision, Pharazôn is quelling the revolt of the people of Númenor.

Not because he wants to help Míriel, not because he trusts her decision, but to increase his influence. While Pharazôn calms the people, Míriel is seen with an Elf-Friend, a dangerous position for a queen of Númenor.

And now we find Galadriel confronting Míriel. After gathering information about the Symbol branded by Sauron on her brother, Galadriel returns to speak to Míriel and tell her of her discoveries.

However, the Galadriel of the first season is far from being good at talking. She is as proud as when she faced Gil-galad's sovereignty, but she is also desperate. Because Galadriel's internal struggle, for her, must be everyone's struggle.

She demands that Míriel fight by her side, that she save the people of Middle-earth and put an end to Sauron's power. Was it worth taking so many risks? For Míriel, probably not. Her reign was not entirely legitimate, not while her father was alive.

And Galadriel loses all her chances when she throws this truth at Míriel. Her greatest fear, her greatest insecurity. Because the others cannot know about her father's health. And if the people revolted again? Too many risks.

To avoid a revolt, and because of Galadriel's insolence, Míriel was right to arrest Galadriel. But Galadriel never knew when to stop, never knew when to stop demanding things that were not her right.

It was indeed absurd for Galadriel not believe that the king would go against his own daughter to help her in her mission. Galadriel spent a long time hunting Sauron to remember how a royal court worked.

When Galadriel finally realizes the king's condition, she finally calms down. I believe that recognizing how much Míriel needed to be strong to contain a revolt on the island, made Galadriel feel ashamed of her arrogance.

Míriel maintains her firm stance, stating that Galadriel will be sent away, but it is her father's calls that soften her. She may be the strong queen of Númenor, but here, alone, she is just a daughter worried about her father.

Galadriel questions her about her refusal to follow the ancient traditions and Míriel is honest once again. She tells how the vision harmed him, how he believed that the Valar would condemn them if they did not return to the old ways. This revolted the people and Míriel was chosen to contain the storm.

A fragile position, easily taken. She kept the vision a secret, hiding the destruction of the island from everyone. It must have cost Míriel a great deal to tell Galadriel the truth, to let her contemplate the haunting vision.

Míriel and Galadriel seem to understand each other in this scene, two lonely women who have long been fighting a silent war, a war where no one else would stand by them. And Míriel cannot risk everything, not for Galadriel.

The people are glad that Galadriel is gone. Halbrand does not matter to them, since they believe he is only a mortal. For the people of Númenor, the Elf's departure would bring peace once more.

Pharazôn and Míriel watch Galadriel's departure, but this is the point of no return for Míriel. Because she can pretend to Númenor that she does not trust the Elves, that she does not believe in the old traditions, but she is her father's daughter and her belief cannot be changed.

When the petals of Nimloth fall, Míriel knows that the path of Númenor's destruction is by the Elves, but because of the distance between Men and Elves.

There are many meanings in the exchange of glances between Míriel and Pharazôn. She believes in the judgment of the Valar, and to my mind, his gaze is skeptical, but he is tense, because he understands what his cousin has decided, and he cannot go against the queen, not directly.

Míriel's speech is strong, powerful and full of bravery. She will not send her people to war in her name, she will fight by her side to protect the people of Middle-earth. A grandiose action for a queen to take. To me, this demonstrates Míriel's strength and kindness. She is brave enough to fight alongside her people.

Reunited with Halbrand and Galadriel, Míriel investigates the Enemies' advances in Middle-earth. But, once again, Galadriel is forcing the decisions of others without realizing it. Which worries Míriel.

Míriel risked a lot to help Halbrand, to help Galadriel. Her weakened position in the kingdom became even more unstable when she decided to help an Elf. She needs Halbrand to actually be present on the mission, or everything could go wrong.

Míriel leaves it up to the two of them to decide how to proceed, encouraging Galadriel to make things right with Halbrand. In the Tower, with the king, Míriel tries to calm her father. After all, he has achieved what he always wanted, peace and friendship with the Elves. But there is a darkness in Míriel's destiny. A destiny that only he can see.

Darkness awaits her in Middle-earth. But it is too late to turn back, Míriel has no choice. She trusted her father in helping Galadriel, but now she is unsure of what to do.

As the people of Númenor prepare to leave, their ships are attacked. The people are discontented, many fearing the departure for Middle-earth. Pharazôn tries to convince Míriel one last time, but she trusts, whether by choice or not, Galadriel and follows the Elf's advice, as long as she keeps Halbrand in line.

With Halbrand present, they are ready to leave. It is like the pride before the fall, is it not? All of Númenor is happy, excited about the departure. Love, however, can turn to hate just as easily.

What the people of Númenor did not know was that they were not going to seek Sauron, the Great Enemy, the Follower of Morgoth, because Sauron was already among them. All along.

Adar is a new enemy, totally different, one they never thought they would fight. Meanwhile, without knowing what awaits them, Míriel and the warriors of Númenor are arriving in Middle-earth, and it will take time to find the army of Adar.

Their arrival saves the people of Middle-earth, they would not be able to fight for much longer against the forces of Adar. Even more so because Míriel brought her soldiers, strong men capable of fighting Orcs, not ordinary people who just hoped to survive.

Proving her strength, Míriel leads the soldiers as they fight for Middle-earth. It is not a difficult fight, they still have the advantage. And Miriel is happy to help all those people, she truly believes that this will save them all, that with it, Númenor will be safe.

And for Miriel, delivering Halbrand to the people of Middle-earth is a good thing, because they will finally have the king they have been waiting for. And with Miriel's blessing, they quickly believe in Halbrand and his lineage. After all, he lied to everyone.

Sauron is not the only enemy. And Míriel never thought that after the capture of the Orcs and Adar, they would be in danger. The awakening of the mountain scatters the queen's forces and many are lost in the world of darkness and fire.

Míriel is not only a queen, but a great leader, a great warrior. When she sees that her people need help, she wastes no time and goes to fight, saving everyone she can.

Míriel, when she suffers an accident, is deprived of her sight. Once again, she recognizes her fragile position. Not even in her most vulnerable moment can she show weakness, show that she needs help.

She leaves as best she can, accompanying the survivors of Númenor and Middle-earth, all wounded and hopeless. Elendil is always very good at breaking down Míriel's barriers. When he asks about what she sees, I think it was too much for her. She was strong, but it was another heavy weight for her to carry. So she asks him to keep going.

When everyone is safe in the camp, she no longer needs to pretend. Yes, a blind queen was a vulnerable queen, but did that erase all of Míriel's strength? A setback did not diminish his strength, just as the loss of an arm did not make Maedhros any less powerful.

Míriel’s strength knows no bounds. Because she is not lying or trying to convince Galadriel, she is being honest. Númenor may have suffered losses, but they will not give up.

They will not let their enemies destroy all that is good and pure that remains in Arda. She will fight, as her ancestors fought, she will fight for the freedom of the people of Middle-earth, as the founders of Númenor once fought. Is Míriel's loss of sight the darkness her father foresaw? Or all the darkness that will come to dominate Númenor by her choice?

Back at sea, heading towards Númenor, Míriel is trying her best. She may be without her sight, but she will not be vulnerable, she will not let others deceive her.

She will not even accept help. Elendil, perhaps, is the only one she trusts now. But she feels guilty, because he lost his son, because of her, because of her mission.

The loss of Elendil is hard, but his loyalty to the queen is unshakable, and Míriel leans on him, because she trusts him. Because she desperately needs friends, allies. And Elendil is true.

Was it at that moment that everything changed? Maybe. Now, Míriel was not only the queen of Númenor to Elendil, but a new feeling arose through the loss, the war, the suffering they shared together.

And returning to Númenor is uncertain. Míriel will have to bear all the consequences of the war, of all the deaths. But the worst part is that she is alone, because she doesn't know that her loss was even greater.

There's one thing I think about a lot when I watch the first episode of season two. When the people of Middle-earth were leaving in search of a better place, it seemed like they were talking about Númenor. And I wonder what Halbrand's arrival in Númenor would have been like (if they hadn't been attacked, of course) without Galadriel's presence. Everything could have been so different. There are so many possibilities. And before I start analyzing season two, I have to be honest. I was furious with how little Númenor was involved in this season. Númenor will be of great importance in the course of the series, and they simply threw its development aside.

Since Míriel's arrival in Númenor, many things have happened in Middle-earth. But the people of Númenor do not know that Sauron has returned, that he is forging Rings and deceiving the Elves. The problems of Men are different.

Míriel's situation in Númenor is not at all favorable. She returned with half of her people, many perishing in Middle-earth, dying horrible deaths and their bodies could not be rescued and taken to their families.

The king, her father, died while she was away. And above all, the people were furious with her. All the odds were against her. Which made everything easier for her enemies.

It is in Númenor that Míriel realizes that her situation has changed. She is no longer the queen who keeps the peace, pushing aside the old customs, but rather the queen who caused countless deaths.

At her father's funeral, her doubts begin. Nobles, men of power, all are very close to Pharazôn. Some even think he should rule in Míriel’s place. The people’s anger seems very good for him.

But Míriel still has Elendil. He is her eyes and ears, and he keeps her informed of the intrigues of the court. It is a beautiful scene, when Míriel comforts her grieving mother.

Grief is a difficult thing, ugly to deal with, ugly to feel. Often angry. And Míriel understands this. She is not angry about the mother, she feels sympathy. She wants to erase her pain, and that is what connects her to her people. She does not rule by fear, but by love and strength.

I was uncomfortable with the way Pharazôn took advantage of Míriel's limitations, and I believe that was the intention of the producers. He sees her as vulnerable, unable to see everything around her, and that is good for him.

But he does not deceive Míriel and she refuses to show him what she has hidden. The conversation, the choice of clothing, in my opinion, proved Pharazôn's intentions towards Míriel. She chose white, obviously this motivated him to wear red. This contrast is present for all the nobles of Númenor.

It must have been desperate for Míriel not to find her Palantír. The enemies were inside the castle, not just the outside people. Did she suspect her cousin? Maybe. But I doubt she suspected Elendil's daughter.

The coronation seemed more like a play created by Pharazôn. And Míriel was the main attraction without her knowing it. When she stares at him, blindly, wearing her white dress, while he wears red, she perfectly represents the future sides of Númenor. The faithful and the King's Men.

Míriel positioned herself with grace and power against those who want her downfall, against those who want her to give up the crown. Eärien is the change, the storm, what will define the Fall of Númenor.

Because they expose Míriel as an Elf-loving queen, a follower of the old ways. This is the spark that her cousin's supporters have been waiting for. Did Eärien ever imagine that she would play a part in the Downfall of Númenor? Probably not.

Chaos ensues at the coronation, until the arrival of the Eagle. Proof that the Valar were choosing Míriel, but Pharazôn uses this as a power play, his way of getting the better of his cousin. He is imposing, a man, and beloved by the people. He knows that Míriel has no chance.

While the Scepter has passed to another hand, Míriel is confined to her Tower. Just as her father was before. It is ironic, how the people of Númenor, who consider themselves superior and wiser than the Men of Middle-earth, continued to act like the followers of Morgoth.

It is a sad end. To be a great queen, to fight alongside her people, and to be imprisoned as an invalid, as a threat. It is Pharazôn's way of showing his strength, his power. To show how he has Míriel in his hands.

Elendil is one of the few faithful to her, while her daughter uses her pain as a mechanism for revenge. Alone in her Tower, Míriel is visited by Elendil. She talks about how the people call for Pharazôn, how they easily accepted him as king.

Elendil does not agree with her, there are still faithful clamoring for their queen. When he says that Míriel has opened his heart to the faithful, I wonder if she has not opened his heart completely.

When Elendil tells his vision in the Palantír, that's when Míriel gives up fighting. Because for her, her defeat would be the salvation of Númenor, the last chance for her people to survive.

So she begs Elendil not to fight for her, not to harm the future of her people. But she does not know what Númenor will be like without her power, without her leadership.

Because all the men of the Sea Guard must abandon their posts if they remain faithful to Míriel. Because the king's men, with Kemen, have destroyed the altar of the faithful, destroyed the statue of Nienna. Míriel has always been Númenor's only salvation. And by choosing to give up Míriel, the people of Númenor have doomed themselves.

I know that Tolkien's universe is not focused on romantic love, but I like to think that Elendil was in love with Míriel. Pharazôn gave him a choice, he would be free if he chose him over Míriel. But Elendil is not capable of doing that.

And despite being deeply angry with Míriel (caused by pain) Eärien knew, deep down, that Elendil would only listen to Míriel's words. So she begs, and asks that Míriel be allowed to visit Elendil.

Elendil remains firm in his decision, he is incapable of betraying Míriel. But she is desperate, because she wants to save him. It is a beautiful dynamic, because there is no need for kisses and romantic declarations, the love, the affection, is there.

Because Míriel is crying for him, because she does not want to lose him, because she does not want him to suffer. And he prefers to die, because he cannot betray her, because he would never be against his queen.

Míriel is a queen of sacrifice. She sacrificed herself by taking the throne in her father's place. She sacrificed herself by leaving for Middle-earth and fighting the forces of Adar. And she sacrificed herself again, by choosing Elendil.

It is her true sacrifice. The risk of perishing, of abandoning her people, abandoning the faithful who believed in her, who wanted her on the throne. Because she had to take this step. Take this risk.

By choosing to take Elendil's place and be judged by the Valar, Míriel has proven herself to be a powerful queen, good, strong, and capable of feeling empathy for everyone in her kingdom. She tells Elendil that he must take the first step, if they are to save Númenor through faith.

And she is choosing this path, for Elendil. She does not fear the sea, the sea is always right. She accepts judgment. And the Valar know her heart, they recognize that her intentions were never bad.

She is declared innocent, but it is not enough, not now. Those who believe in her still cry out for her, but it is difficult to fight against an entire kingdom of traitors, of liars.

To Elendil, Númenor is lost and they must leave. Let Men follow Pharazôn, let them choose their own fate. But Míriel, as a captain, will not abandon ship. She will not abandon Númenor.

But she needs Elendil to guide them, to save the faithful, to protect the good people who still reside in Númenor. Because Númenor may be lost, but there is still hope.

Míriel cannot leave Númenor. It is her home, her kingdom, where her father reigned and died. For better or worse, she will remain. But Elendil does not have to fall with her. He must be the last hope of his people, the one who will lead them to the day of light. She presents him with Narsil, and asks him to reclaim his place of nobility with the sword.

In season two, this is Míriel's ultimate sacrifice, as she agrees to give up her freedom for the future of Númenor, so that those who remained faithful to the Valar may know freedom.

After Poppy's devastating speech, we see Queen Míriel one last time. Míriel, shackled, before Pharazôn, on his throne. But she doesn't bow, as no one does in Númenor. She doesn't lower her head to Pharazôn.

Because he may have the Scepter of Númenor, or the throne, or even the love of the people. But he cannot be greater than hope, than faith. Míriel has a warrior spirit and it won't be Pharazôn and his allies who will destroy her strength.

In my opinion, it was a strong way to end the season. Even though she is imprisoned, it shows that Míriel remains with her queenly spirit, with her unshakable strength.

And for those who have read the books, we know what awaits her, we know what her future will be like, but I'm still curious to know how her journey will be addressed.

Before the show, Míriel didn't have much prominence in Tolkien's works. She was practically the daughter of Tar-Palantir. Pharazôn has always received more attention for his alliance with Sauron. But in Rings of Power, Míriel is the true protagonist.

And I loved the development of this strong and complex character. There is so much to discover about Míriel still and I can't wait. The actress's impeccable performance also helped, of course.

Since there were three trajectory analyses that received the most votes, I started with the one with the most votes, Elrond. Now you all have received Míriel's. And the next and last one will be Sauron's.

[lananiscorner]

Perhaps I was not clear enough in my original reblog, but I think you may have misunderstood several points of my post.

I was not trying to invalidate anything about the OP or miss its point--I was adding onto it, because for some adults who enjoy media for children, nostalgia is part of the appeal. I am sorry that the nature of your childhood meant that this could not be the case for you, but that doesn't change the fact that it is a factor for some, including for me. Your experiences are not universal, and neither are mine.

Personally, I occasionally rewatch cartoons from my childhood because they take me back to "simpler times". I occasionally watch shows or movies like them, designed for kids, even today as a grown adult long out of childhood, because there is something comforting for me in enjoying a well-made show/movie that focuses on the core messages we try to instill in future generations in terms that nobody can miss: be brave, be understanding, be kind, make friends.

The reason why I went into the second topic of my post (the stigma around adults consuming media for kids being puritanical panic around the potential of adults corrupting or hurting kids if they engage with the fandom) is because this is precisely the reasoning I see flung around most often by other people as criticism of adults who are in fandoms for child media or who enjoy media for children.

Gonna repeat that again: BY OTHER PEOPLE. I do not agree with that take.

I cannot count the many times I have either received asks myself, or have had mutuals receive asks, saying we should not be in fandoms X, Y, Z, because a grown adult enjoying stuff for children is creepy.

I was pushing back on said argument, to state why it is, in fact, beneficial to have people of multiple age ranges enjoying the same thing, precisely because it is the argument I most frequently had people try to wield against me and my mutuals.

I WISH I had no need to bring it up. I WISH that sentiment (that all adults who enjoy stuff for kids or are hanging out in fandoms for said media are creeps) did not exist, but it does, and so I decided to address it, before anybody tries to jump into my ask box and go "hurgh, hurgh, that post you reblogged about how we shouldn't shame adults for enjoying media for kids--do you not realize what massive creeps you are?"

You also grossly misinterpreted what I meant by "not every". "Not every" does not automatically mean "a good chunk" or "most". It means "not 100%". At no point, did I make any statement about how many percent of adults who enjoy kids media or enjoy hanging out in fandoms about kids media may be abusers, but I did acknowledge that they exist, because they do. They do exist in kids media fandoms, as they do in any sphere of life where kids may be present. So let me state this clearly for the record: In my experience, it is an incredibly small number, but it is not 0%. It is also not 100% though, which is what some other people like to assume.

There are plenty of people who are into children's media or part of those fandoms for entirely normal, healthy reasons:

They enjoy the simplicity of it.

They enjoy the quality of the writing/animation/music/various other parts of the work.

It helps them work through trauma or tough times.

It gives them nostalgic comfort.

They have loved ones or friends who enjoy it and want to be able to connect with them about it.

[Insert probably around half a dozen reasons here that I cannot think of at the moment.]

I do not judge anybody who likes media for kids for liking media for kids. As long as you are not harming anybody, you do you. Have fun, live your best life, enjoy the things you enjoy.

And regarding your question "How do you think about people who WORK in animation??" - In general, I think most of them are incredibly talented people. Whether they are decent people in a moral sense is something I cannot judge, unless:

A) I get to know them personally (highly unlikely).

B) They use their amazing talent to create something bigoted/hateful.

C) They publicly interact with others in a bigoted/hateful/abusive manner, or records of them interacting in such manner in private become public.

And if B or C ever happen (e.g. Rowling), I simply block them, stop interacting with their material, and move on with my life.

I like to think of people as innocent until proven guilty. I do my best to treat strangers with respect, understanding and kindness, and I say "do my best" because nobody's perfect--we all mess up sometimes and there have definitely been days when I have been physically or emotionally drained enough to be a sad ball of rage lashing out at anyone who interacted with me, and also because I am well aware that I have certain culturally-ingrained biases that I am actively doing my best to unlearn. But my default is always "assume decent person, until proven otherwise".

I will conclude by saying this: I wish you the best and I hope I made my point clearer this time.

Quick edit to add: I will also mute this post now, in the interest of not getting into any further arguments and derail OPs post even further. My initial reblog was meant to be a simple addition in further support of letting people enjoy what they enjoy.

I really have no patience for posts talking about "adults who only watch kids' cartoons," because, like...people accuse me of "only watching kids' cartoons," despite all evidence to the contrary. It doesn't matter how much I talk about other adult media I like, if I post too many things in a row about Steven Universe or The Dragon Prince or The Owl House, people come out of the goddamn woodwork to accuse me of "only watching kids' shows."

So I really can't take people seriously when they start talking about the supposed "problem" of "adults who only watch kids' shows." Are the "adults who only watch kids' cartoons" in the room with us right now, or are you basing your entire opinion of people solely on their fandom blog? Like, come on.

It makes me think of the couple years I spent volunteering in a school library. The librarian talked a lot about how it's hurtful to enforce "reading at grade-level" on every student with no nuance. Teachers would try to force their students to check out books "at proper grade-level," instead of letting students pick out whatever they wanted (even if it was "too easy"), and it resulted in a lot of students deciding books were boring, too hard, and only good for making them feel stupid. They started to hate reading entirely, because people constantly shut them down and told them they were stupid for not reading the right things. This was especially brutal on disabled students.

I personally apply the same philosophy to adults. You don't know what someone might struggle with, you don't know what someone's history is. You might think a piece of media is "too simple," but that's your experience and your opinion. People learn and grow and experience the world at different paces, and what seems to you like a "simplistic" piece of media may be the most complex, illuminating piece of media someone else has ever had the opportunity to experience. It doesn't make them "stupid" or "childish," and believing that it does is cruel and counterproductive. You cannot wield shame as a fucking cudgel if your goal is education, support, and helping people expand their horizons.

I don't think a culture of shame is helpful. I don't think a culture of "if you like 'childish' things, it means you're too stupid for anything else" is helpful. I don't think constantly making fun of children's media does anything other than demean people--and not just the people who enjoy it, but the people who make it, too.

[dcdreamblog]

Greetings. I’ll admit, I have no way of knowing for sure how much of what I’m about to ask would really be in your usual wheelhouse, but I couldn’t help but wonder if I could ask for information on the Teen Titans…or more specifically, the lineup featuring Dick Grayson (when he was still Robin and hadn’t yet become Nightwing), Starfire, Beast Boy, Raven, and Cyborg. You see, I’ve been a HUGE fan of this team ever since I saw the ‘dramatized retelling’ cartoon about them from the early 2000s as a child. And I’ve not only continued to remain a fan of such in the years since, but also worked to try to gain as much knowledge as I could through reading as many sources as I could find and making educated speculations from there to the best of my ability. However, in light of just how knowledgeable you appear to be, I was wondering if you could give an explanation on the history of that line-up, how accurate that 2000s ‘dramatized retelling’ cartoon was compared to the real thing, and what those five in particular are currently up to nowadays (up to and including their current relationship status if such isn’t too gossipy for you, as I’ve always felt that Starfire was a better endgame girlfriend for Nightwing than Barbara Gordon and am also a proud believer/supporter of Beast Boy and Raven as a couple (though I’m willing to be respectful and not push anything if reality doesn’t match up with my dreams), not to mention have great interest in the rumors I’ve heard about Cyborg and that friend of his named Sarah Simms who runs a social group for disabled kids)?

P.S: Apologies if I got overly rambly in this ask… :/

I'd love to tell you about the Titans but I think you may be falling into something of a common conspiracy theory. Because the Gotham tabloid often get this bee in their bonnets about Bruce Wayne secretly being the mysterious Batman, that of course leads them to bothering Wayne's adoptive children with his first ward, Dick Grayson assumed to be the first Robin and later Nightwing. As is shown by these conspiracy theories (like the equally popular theory that Superman is secretly Daily Planet reporter and Lois Lane's husband Clark Kent) our understanding of who our costumed protectors seem to be in their private lives is seldom as straightforward as we think. This of course goes the same for businesswoman Barbara Gordon who seems to get sucked into this quagmire by virtue of being the daughter of beloved Gotham police commissioner James Gordon. That being SAID, and with groundwork laid, let's talk about the "New Titans"

(The cover of a comic album produced by Detective Comics. Detective has tried to do this "real superheroes as comic stars" thing a few times and it's never been very popular. No wonder they're #4)

(A promotional image of Cartoon Network's "Teen Titans" animated series) While I do enjoy what was done with this series, a lot of the same creatives who worked on the classic MAU cartoons also worked on this. It's not what I would call a first person historical document. First of all, obviously it's line up isn't fully correct. Showing only Robin, Starfire, Cyborg, Beast Boy and Raven as the "main team" whereas the team's actual membership in that era included the first Kid Flash and Wonder Girl. The cartoon also treats this team as the first assemblage of the Titans, when that is also not true in a historical sense. Robin specifically had been a member of said original Titans alongside Kid Flash, Wonder Girl, Aqualad and Speedy. (Who all appeared in the series, save Wonder Girl for some odd reason) I do find it amusing that the show was never able to show Robin without his mask on, because obviously the creative team couldn't know who Robin was beneath his mask whereas the personal details of the other Titans have become at least partially historical record. Again conspiracy theorists love to claim the show contains hidden clues pointing toward the Bat-Wayne theory but I roll my eyes at that as much as I roll my eyes at it anywhere it pops up. (Some particular wingnuts have even chosen to insist that the invented character "Red X" is meant to map onto Wayne's deceased second son, Jason Todd. Which is a theory that is well enough buried simply for being in such poor taste) Most of the stories used in the series are either partially or fully invented, and even what events ARE shown that have a foot in truth are shown DRASTICALLY out of order. Sometimes related to censorship, such as real life mercenary and contract killer Slade Wilson AKA Deathstroke being renamed to simply "Slade" and having his profession softened for television. The Doom Patrol is shown as originally captives of the Brotherhood of Evil, whereas in reality during the show's run the entire team save for Beast Boy himself was assumed KIA after their confrontation with the Brotherhood outside Four Heroes, Maine. They wouldn't be fully reunited with Beast Boy until years after the show's conclusion. I was too young to remember this but I've read anecdotes about the Markovian people lodging protest about American actress Ashley Johnson being cast to play Terra, when the real life Terra was obviously Markovian just by her accent. As well as the softening of her portrayal from a knowing and malevolent traitor to the team rather than a misunderstood victim of Slade's manipulations. There was a short lawsuit involving Neil Richards, aka fashion designer "The Mad Mod" due to his portrayal on the show. while Richards did indeed conduct some rather odd criminal activities, he had, by the time of the show's airing served his time and had founded the now famous "Mad Mod" fashion empire. The suit was settled out of court by Richards who made the public statement "I don't want to be the bad guy, attacking the children's favorite cartoons. I just don't want this all to be summoned on top of me again." The only note he asked of the production is that the episodes never speak his legal name. Though the production went the extra mile of changing the character's appearance for the real Mod's famous ginger bob and green smoking jacket to a crimson bowl cut and union jack coat. As for the modern "fates" of these five, they're all rather simple I'm glad to say. All five are still active superheroes, still close friends and still highly trusted members of the superhero community. As for their romantic entanglements, I couldn't comment on that. Not only am I historian, not a gossip columnist but the personal lives of superheroes are kept rather close to the chest. For the most prominent reason that any public knowledge of their romantic attachments would place those people at terrible risk.

[quiveringdeer]

gosh KRBK twt has been soooo PEAK since the leaks. Like we are eating these crumbs up sooo good and I'm living for it!! everyone being inspired to make new art and fic drabbles about it!!! ugh I'm so happy I made it into this fandom before so I can enjoy all this joy first hand as it's happening 🥹🧡❤️

[lifenconcepts]

I absolutely agree with that and am SO happy to find someone similar to me!! I’ve never been one to hate on the shit another finds good but the popularised versions of identities being this half which is just sunshine and rainbows always feels a little unjustified for how much those same people which say ‘embrace the weird! Be yourself! Love others!!’ and say they support those which unapologetically go against what social norm has been formed, suddenly go from all kind to ‘yuck! How can you say that? That doesn’t seem right.. you’re not one of us!’ the very moment you mention you support real fur instead of faux, that hunting and genuinely mauling your food with your hands is okay, feel angry when another animal marks your home or vehicle, or any other variation of not being the ‘aesthetic therian’ others so believe is the ‘only’ way of being alterhuman.

The exact definition that’s been burned into our brains like a branding has gotten boring! There’s no right way to be yourself, because you’re the only one who knows what you actually look like! And no matter how much I see ‘alterhumanity is different for everyone’ I still tend to think that not all really get that into their brains. They take in the words but not the MEANING behind them. I want others to just blatantly face the facts that some find it nice, prefered in fact, to just want to be able to think and act like an animal. None of that explanation of why and how. (I love to find meaning behind everything but that’s simply because my soul craves knowledge) I too sometimes believe it to be great for the simplicity of a creature’s mind. You can enjoy harming another life without some twisted sense of pleasure (although that’s also fine. Huntings dogs were bred to hunt. Ofcourse they will be happy to hunt), to go where you walk simply because it’s what feels right (why must you understand the journey or destination in mind when birds migrate simply by how it feels and where is better? They don’t think ‘oh gee! It’s the 8th of September! I must get going to Portugal otherwise I may not survive the cold!’ Their minds subconsciously gather the temperature change and just vaguely understand they need to fucking go some place warm), and it feels irritating to fight for this in a community that claims to support and understand eachother alot- BUT ANIMALS DO NOT NEED TO EXPLAIN THEMSELVES! They don’t! They don’t decide to just casually start feeling some way and try change to be that, no! They feel a way, and so they are that. And that may change, it may be wrong, but who cares!? Emotion is emotion and sensation is sensation. Whatever feeling comes along then it’s that feeling which is invoked. This makes more sense with examples but I just had to get it off my chest.

You won’t find a flying squirrel explaining to another ‘look, I just don’t feel enough like a rodent enough because I’ve seen the air like the birds and bugs, perhaps I’m not made for this body because I love the air as must as the trees. Is it so wrong?’ No. It’s just living as it fucking needs to, eats shits walks and floats, and will die when it needs to. Our human minds allow for a lot more to do and various things to come of it, but they also are just so much of a plague of questions that assault simple activities. Ah- I could go on for hours, but everyone needs to know that an alterhuman will be alterhuman even if they don’t explain themselves. Maybe someone misunderstood themselves but to what extent does it even matter? Maybe it’s chosen maybe it’s involuntary but why are you policing another? Is life showing any sign of rules? Sure, patterns exist, and there may be exceptions for moral wrong doing, but in the end it’s always up to subjective perception to decide what is right for you. We already have human-made rules, it’s called the law. Don’t kill or abuse others, don’t steal and destroy another’s property, and the rest is up to your grubby little hands to decide (some laws are idiotic I will admit).  And I needed to get this out for a long time but damn it- ALLOW others to exist without a label! Allow yourself to go unlabelled! It’s a common practice but it’s not as neccesary! Do you know how much agony you’ll be spared if you stop going ‘well how much of a Therian am I? What counts as Otherkin? Have I experienced any symptoms of So-and-so in the past month?’ And rather spot what makes you feel better in your body, what brings happiness, and what you do often. The cause ain’t even all that neccesary to understand unless you want to. Just focus on what you feel like and what you want to see in yourself and then you can go all ‘let’s find a word for this’. Honestly. The English language has already so many words, and that’s not even taking into account those which grown lost with time. You really think newly-made terms don’t hold as much value? Or that a single word must explain your own mind and body? Your soul is boundless, but able to be gazed upon at times. So why limit yourself to fit into a new box just to claim you ‘escaped the system!!’ as you once more alter yourself and grow bound to mere words and a fear for others judging you.

Okay that’s a bit off topic now, thanks for the opportunity to ramble, but yeah. Let animals be animals. And animals don’t need to explain themselves, they can blatantly do whatever feels good or right at the moment without it having define their entire existence or life. Animals can be dirty, mean, confusing, nasty, dangerous, scary, but still have nice qualities. And even if not, it is not their fault.

Never ever mistake me. I am not just in favor of the uwu romantic version Being An Animal. It's not all moodboards and waxing poetic about tails/wings/etc and running in the forest wild and free. All of that stuff is GOOD and FINE and a nice outlet for all flavors of nonhumans, please do not stop engaging with that sort of thing. I'm talking about me also wanting to embrace the gross and so-called ugly and less fortunate aspects of animality. like when you're wrestling a large prey animals into submission so you can eat that day but it fuckin Gets You with a claw/antler/horn/hoof/beak/etc and suddenly you're hurt real bad. Lost an eye, a toe, half your tail. Got a permanent limp from being stomped so hard that will make hunting difficult so you may not live your full natural lifespan. dying of severe cold or heat and then your body decomposing slowly, being food for other things. scent marking with piss, shit, musk. being young and inexperienced so you go without food for days cuz you can't hunt for shit.

there is no part of animality that is something I don't desire. I want it all, because all of me is animal. does it suck to downgrade from human sized complex brain to smaller wolverine brain? No not really! I am not mourning the loss of things I never asked for in the first place. sure I could say that woo, less complex brain means less capacity for things to go wrong, but that is a very human lens to look through. does a wolverine know it's "lucky" that it cannot have certain human mental illnesses because its brain may not be that complex? no, and that's why I'm not worried. I could turn into one fully physically overnight and then die stupidly 2 years later and that would still be ideal. sure I also may romanticize some things in ways that are not really Natural for my species, like how I think places that feel like Home just seem so beautiful to me, but no damn animal is perfect. I am allowed a couple flaws. several, in fact, lmao.

I Crave It All

[colbyheartland]

So I love Dandadan actually because through those first seven episodes I couldn’t stop repeating to myself “Wow Momo is so fucking cool” like she’s such a genuine badass. My shounen senses were primed for her to just get saved over and over again, maybe just helping out every now and then but no SHE’S the one doing the majority of the saving. She and Okarun both feel like real people and they’re setting up a sweet and genuine romance that doesn’t feel creepy. The voice acting is also so good like she is SCREAMING out here.

Usually when an anime has two protagonists and one is a female she feels like a passive observer just getting swept along for the ride even when they’re supposed to be “tough” it fades away or they are made lesser to make the male lead look better. But Momo and Okarun actually work together!!! They both act like human people!!!! Including the ugly parts with Okarun’s avoidance tendencies and Momo regretting when she does lash out because she knows she’s in the wrong. And they talk about it after she does!! It comes with a healthy dose of “teenagers are kind of mean because they’re still maturing” which is normal and amazing to see.

This anime is healing something I didn’t even realize was broken when I found myself not having to cringe away from little moments that make me uncomfortable. There is a bit of fanservice going on (thanks grandma) and yes I get episode 1 starting off as a bit much for people but honestly, genuinely, did you think aliens WEREN’T going to try and probe someone in the Alien Ghosts Anime TM. Kidnapping humans and cows for experimentation is what they’re most famously known for. You are meant to be uncomfortable and weirded out by this episode. An episode that ends when she unlocks fucking psychic powers and blasts that alien through the wall of a SPACESHIP like hello??

Momo Ayase is that character you give a gun to if you want to shorten the book by half and the author gave her one in the form of psychic powers.

[starry-bi-sky]

Ugh im writing this on mobile but i’ve been thinking about it nonstop for an hour and I’m just- mmmmm thinking about Clone Danny and his wardrobe choice as Phantom. Cuz like, he doesn’t have any powers, right? He has no built-in secret identity and suit that he can change into in a flash of blinding circular light. If a ghost shows up he’s just got what he’s got on, and whatever he has in his bag.

And I’m just. I have a lot of thoughts about him and his canon self, thoughts that i dont think i can all fit on my phone and im. Thinking about the dichotomy between him and his canon counterpart. From an in-universe perspective, the halfa Danny Phantom looks remarkably human-like. Especially compared to the ghosts he fights, all of whom are unnatural colors, shapes, and sizes. From flaming hair to glowing eyes and pointed claws, there’s nothing about them that doesn’t scream “ghost!” “Inhuman!” “Unnatural!”

And then you look at Danny Phantom, the ghost boy fighting them. And he just… looks like a glowing human boy. The only unnatural thing about him is his white hair and green eyes - and green eyes is a natural human color. Maybe not the shade it’s in, but it occurs in human genetics. He’s about as close to human as he can get.

Think about that from an in-universe perspective, and then think about it with the idea that ghosts take pride in their ‘ghostly’ look. They pride themselves on looking scary; unnatural; inhuman. It’s a showcase of being unique, of their own individuality, of their interests and wants. Looking ‘scary’ is part of ghost culture, and if not scary, then unique and ‘inhuman’. They don’t want to fit in, they want to stand out.

And you look at Danny Phantom, as his canon self without any of the fanon customizations, and he’s none of that. He’s about as human-looking as a ghost can get. He’s got human-like skin, hell he’s even tanner than he is as a human! His hair is normal, his eyes are green but normal, his hands? Soft and round, not a claw in sight, and his teeth are blunt and ears are round.

His suit is all black, it doesn’t even tell you anything about him other than he probably died in a lab accident, and he looks like he’s straight out of a b-rate comic book. There’s no story to tell about him, he’s a book with the pages all blacked out in ink.

His name, if you take it as him only calling himself “Phantom” isn’t even all that unique. It’s a generic ghost term that you can find by googling ‘ghost’ and looking at its synonyms.

And then look at his behavior: yeah he fights ghosts, and fighting is all about ghost behavior. Its one of their social activities- but its clear from Phantom that he’s not being social. He’s being aggressive, he’s doing it for the sake of the living (which while fair, doesn’t make him look good in the context of everything else). Then he comes into the ghost zone, he doesn’t do much to integrate himself into the culture, and yeah he makes allies but it still doesn’t feel enough. He’s not participating in anything, he’s alienating himself.

All in all, Phantom looks like a ghost trying to pretend he’s human, that he’s still alive. And for a ghost culture that prides itself on not being alive? It’s insulting.

And then let’s circle back around to that human thing, but from a different angle. Probably one that’s more mindset than outside looking in. But Danny’s alienated by the rest of the town for ages despite helping them. And while him looking human likely has to do with his own mindset of viewing himself as “living, but with ghost powers” and thus reflects back as a ghost, it also makes it look like he’s trying to fit in with the humans.

“I am not a ghost” he says, with his human skin and blunt teeth. “I am human like you, see? See? I look like you.”

He’s making himself look approachable, friendly. ‘You can trust me, I’m not a ghost. I’m not like them. I’m not scary. I look just like you. I’m different.’ He looks about as harmless as a human child could be. He’s trying to be relatable. And in turn he’s giving his fellow ghosts a cold shoulder - i’m not like you, i’m better. I’m different. I’m not ghost. I may be dead, but I’m no ghost.

Danny is trying to tie his ghost self in with the living as much as possible - he wants them to think he’s almost human. The same way he wants to think that himself. He’s distancing himself from his ghost half and the ghostly qualities the others have. Whether intentional or not, he’s doing it.

He shows his face and goes ‘see? See? I’m just like you.’

And then lets look at clone Danny, mister not-a-halfa. Who doesn’t have his canon offensive capabilities, who only has his ghost sense and the ability to hit ghosts without gear, his scary eyes and pointed ears, and the ability to see weaker ghosts not visible to the mortal eye.

He has no ghost form, no powers. And yet the first time he goes out as Phantom, he wears a mask that looks like a skull. Instead of distancing himself from ghosts, he’s distancing himself from humans. And at first it stems from the need to be unrecognizable, the last thing he wants is for his parents to find out that he’s ghost hunting. To do that, he needs to hide his face. That’s the first step.

The next step is to act in such a way that people couldn’t possibly tie him back to Danny Fenton. He’s not distancing himself from ghosts, he’s distancing himself from humans. To do that, he acts inhuman. He wears his mask and wears baggy, shapeless clothes - his hoodie and his pants - and he learns how to act unsettling. His eyes glow green, unnatural and shining through his sunken-in, skull-like mask. But it’s not enough on its own. He must do more.

He wants to be the thing someone sees at night and turns the other way. See me and run, he says, crouched on all fours and crawling across a beam like a monster you see in a movie. Twisting his body in unnatural, fluid ways, like he’s not quite sure how having only four limbs work.

Run. He says, dead green eyes glowing through his mask, piercing through black night from the rooftop. I am wild thing. Come no closer, look no closer. I am not like you. I am not your friend. I bite. Run.

You cannot see my face. This is my face, I am not alive. I am not like you. I am an animal about to pounce.

He doesn’t want people to think he’s human, he doesn’t want them to think he’s anywhere close to it. Anything to prevent his parents from figuring out its him.

And the thing is, he doesn’t have to. He doesn’t have to appear ghost-like or inhuman to keep his identity safe, wearing a mask and wearing unidentifiable clothes is enough. But he’s choosing to act ghost-like; unsettling; scary.

And in doing so, he unintentionally participates in ghost culture. And while his clothes are not anything unique, or outstanding, his mask is. His clothes don’t tell anything about him, but that’s okay.

Imagine meeting this boy from a ghost perspective. This annoying, fleshy human boy who jumps into fights to stop you and catch you. You’ve heard stories of human ghost hunters, you know there are hunters on the other side. You have heard the horror stories, you have seen the scars.

And then this boy catches you. This human, fleshy boy who yells quips at you, who puns and insults you, who wears an unsettling mask and acts ghosty. He catches you, and you think you will be the next one on the chopping board.

And then you end up in the ghost zone, untouched. Unharmed. And you tell someone about it. You were caught and released by a human child who feels touched by death. And then you hear that the ones who’d been caught were freed by a fleshy human boy who was touched by death, and a boy who they call “Phantom”.

And, isn’t that the name of the child you fought?

And he talks to you, but then he’s in the daytime. There are living around. He doesn’t speak to them - he ignores them outright. He keeps his distance, he stays away. If he talks, it’s with his hands. They will not hear his voice.

I may be alive but I am no human.

And its just — ????? So good to think about. I’ll reblog later with more thoughts when I have my laptop, but god i just needed to get that out there.

[marcusrobertobaq]

What u explained is basically what I mean by "Carl's bias", after all the interest in the information came all from Carl's "lessons" about history and philosophy (and clear wish Markus becomes a real person - or at least the person he wants Markus, an android, to be).

According to the game any violence act is supposed to start a war against humans, the problem is they forgot it's a multi-branched narrative - or they just wanted to make a very stupid B&W point that is intentionally unrealistic or intentionally cartoon-ish for the sake of a satire about reality (what I think may have been the first idea until they had to wash everything out to sell the game).

"An eye for an eye and the world goes blind", it's better if everyone is blind equally rather than your opposite pretending to be blind. In the end of the day these said players don't really care about the message fr, they just wanna get the best outcome since it's a game, and games always got the good and best choices and outcomes, right? Maxed out stats and all this shit, like a RPG.

But there's one thing I'm interested here:

"(...) they will be more successful if they are the innocent, unarmed protester being harmed"

"He even states in a peaceful route that his people's sacrifice will help them."

There's a lot of religious tone and faith here, since it's basically what Markus character had as a core until they went for the more civil-activist one. No movements are really 100% peaceful, tho. And mfs sure hope u ain't violent so it's easier to repress directly, all u can hope is that in the end of the day u don't die for nothing and your ideals still live, cuz things are never welcomed with open arms. So endurance when the world is crushing u is (metaphorically) showing the "true humanity", refusing the "animal" while being crucified, not falling for the "temptations" (impulse), cuz "in the end God is always with them and He's just". Or at least it's the so called cloud that will fuck with how u see things and make decisions, cuz if the decision is the right one it will pay out, it's worthy.

Right?

It even raises a good question about Markus as a leader since part of his canon personal wish to "have a normal life among humans" comes from Carl (and originally also Riley) experiences, it's how he knows it's genuinely possible in a world that basically got no real place for it or perspective of being something more than a fake/empty imitation. But how much sacrificing people that is blindly following and put 'em lives in your hands and decisions would be being "selfish"? Cuz let's be honest, most androids are lost and see Markus as rA9 (or close to), this charismatic liberator figure that will lead androids to victory and freedom - that's why they follow him even if 'em own personal opinions and experiences are the opposite.

It also raise questions about how well it's possible to manipulate the human psychology into making things favorable to u (in this case support) - that's a characteristic of "charismatic leaders", the charismatic leader Cage was going for but def didn't care about the more scientific view, it's more about references.

At what level things are faith, naivety or purely statistical? We got the 3 mixed together exactly cuz we're the android leader with the future of a species in our hands, we're forced to be strategic.

I know Markus definitely using "human approaches" to try establishing a bridge with the humans so they understand what's going on, like trynna speak the same language (and that's on both main routes) but there's a very clear context and difference between humans and androids, but that's a 4th wall issue since it's supposed to be more like metaphors or focus on the human side of things, not really the scientific or technological aspect of AI developing desire for autonomy. That's the danger.

I want a simple, quick and in the face answer.

Why is "violence" ok with Kara and Connor (also always justified by something) but Markus not? Cuz he's the android leader? Cuz of his bias towards Carl?

I won't accept "plot convenience" or "Cuz the writer is dumb" type of answer.

[xenomorphicdna]

On the string propaganda

Heeellll yeah

Bestie is an entire PLACE

I look at those guys and let me tell you the soul of that thing ain't just in the puppet, it's in all the neurons carrying the thoughts and emotions, it's in the power rails that serve as the heart. All the memories in the memory conflux and all the numbers we see flicker across displays, the flux condensers, the puppet; a little avatar.

No way these massive machines see life the same way we do. They have their own experiences and senses and things they hold dear. A world we can't imagine, a way of living we couldn't even comprehend.

I could never tear an iterator apart to be just a puppet. Who am I to decide how's life supposed to be enjoyed or perceived?

You treat your creechurs however you want- I ain't gonna dictate that. But damn, hearing the thrums and buzzes of the linear systems rail? They are alive with so much power, these mechanical beasts are exactly what they should be.

[silverskye13]

My brother in law let me borrow Sonic Frontiers [also read: asked me if I had access to a PS5 and when I said yes, handed it to me and said "play this"] and now my two biggest gaming nightmares are merged into one! [Fast paced gaming mechanics and open world map structures]

Anyway, I've been playing for 8 hours.