#but i do that in the end that’s not what defines an artist’s legacy or how they end up remember

[evilbihan]

A guide to writing Tomáš

This is a Bi-Han centric blog, but I really want to talk about the mischaracterization of Tomáš too because it irks me to no end and I believe he deserves better. Not to mention that most of his mischaracterization usually comes at Bi-Han's expense as well.

Tomáš is not the sad, broken, overly sensitive crybaby the fandom likes to portray him as. Every time I see yet another version of the same fanart where poor Tomáš is bawling his eyes out and running into Kuai Liang's arms because Bi-Han was being "mean" to him, I immediately unfollow the artist. Tomáš is a grown man, it's disgusting how the fandom keeps babying him. Not to mention it's getting boring and on top of that, it's completely wrong characterization of both Bi-Han and Tomáš. In the scene where Bi-Han snaps at him, Tomáš barely even bats an eyelash. He looks confused and annoyed if anything, not heartbroken, and he certainly doesn't break down in tears either. Tomáš literally chose to talk back to Bi-Han, he's not afraid to say what he thinks, which is proven by the fact that he even confronts Liu Kang for letting his family die. Tomáš is courageous and he stands up for himself. This man watched his entire family get murdered in front of him and chose not to let it haunt him. ("Their ghosts no longer haunt me.") Of all three Lin Kuei brothers, he's the one with the highest emotional maturity, choosing not to let emotions cloud his judgement, unlike Kuai Liang (blind anger/hatred) and Bi-Han (frustration). Tomáš is so much stronger than people give him credit for. He's not some damsel in distress that needs saving and he definitely doesn't need Kuai Liang to defend him, especially not from Bi-Han who respected Tomáš and his skills enough to let him join them for important missions when he had everyone else in the Lin Kuei at his disposal. It's awful how some fans deliberately paint Tomáš as weak and Bi-Han as cruel, so they can make Kuai Liang look better.

A lot of the traits that define Tomáš are usually taken away from him in fanfics and fanart and given to Kuai Liang instead. Tomáš is the loyal, brave and kind brother who wants peace above all else, who wants his brothers to reconcil, who is truly selfless and respectful, even towards some of his foes. Believe it or not, Tomáš is not the "soft" brother. He chooses to be kind and fans mistake it for weakness. Despite being angry at Bi-Han, Tomáš doesn't want vengeance against him. He wants his brothers to stop fighting, for Earthrealm's sake and because they're family. Tomáš might be the youngest of the brothers but he's wiser than them. He has seen enough death and bloodshed to know no one will come out of this war as a winner.

Tomáš used to idolize Bi-Han, not Kuai Liang. Bi-Han, who is known to be cold and ruthless. As I said before in another post I made, Tomáš is no less ruthless than his brothers. He is not sweet and innocent. Just like Bi-Han and Kuai Liang, he was trained to be a lethal and stealthy warrior. Even before joining the Lin Kuei, Tomáš was a hunter. He grew up in a family of hunters. Listen to his taunts at the end of each round and the way he giggles while performing one of his fatalities. Tomáš enjoys hunting, he enjoys the thrill of it.

There is no part of the story or any intros that indicate that Kuai Liang and Tomáš were ever close before their falling out with Bi-Han, but it is said that Tomáš used to admire Bi-Han. I don't know why the fandom made up the wholesome bond between Kuai Liang and Tomáš because of that one scene in which Kuai Liang conveniently tells Smoke that they're brothers because he needed him on his side. Kuai Liang doesn't even bother interrupting when Bi-Han reprimands Tomáš. He even questions Smoke's resolve. What brought them both closer are a few shared ideals, such as the wish to honor their father's legacy and continue their duty of protecting Earthrealm. Kuai Liang is now the only family Smoke has left, which is why he's doing everything he can to prove worthy of his trust. He calls himself the Shirai Ryu's second in command, he's the one who recruits Hanzo, he's supportive of everything Kuai Liang does and never contradicts him despite having different opinions than his brother, possibly out of fear of losing his family yet again.

Tomáš is a very curious and open-minded person. Unlike Bi-Han and Kuai Liang who are both equally disgusted by the idea of fame and stardom, Smoke seems eager to play a part in one of Johnny's movies when Johnny suggests giving him a role in a film he made. He's also the one reaching out to others to try and bond with them, to make friends. He tells Raiden that he wants to visit Fengjian, he asks other characters questions about themselves etc.

Tomáš is without a doubt traumatized from what he's seen and been through. Similar to Bi-Han in the previous timeline, Smoke is concerned that he's tainted by evil due to his nightmares about the Enenra. Ashrah reassures him that her kriss can't sense any evil, but there's a chance he might still become corrupted.

I hope this makes sense and will help writers and artists out there to portray Tomáš more accurately in their works. Too many people in the fandom have a wrong idea of who this character is.

[warping-realities]

Dalton Academy - Power Hungry

“Let me see if I understood correctly. A fancy school is offering me a scholarship for my senior year for no apparent reason, just like that?”

Michael asked with an expression divided in equal parts of disbelief at the proposal and disgust at the male figure sitting in front of him in the modest but comfortable living room of his family. The surprise was genuine, as well as the disgust, although there was no concrete reason for the second, after all the blond, muscular and well-dressed young man in front of him had not treated him with anything other than respect and politeness. But that air of arrogance, of knowing the world was there to serve him, was for Michael the essence of white privilege, and therefore the antipathy was... inevitable.

"I wouldn't define Dalton Academy as just a 'fancy school,' Mr Jones, nor would the invitation be a no-brainer. Dalton is an extremely exclusive school and all students are handpicked, the school board makes no mistakes, accepts only senior high school boys and the only ways to get in is if you are a legacy like me or by invitation like you, if you accept of course. So sorry, but if you are among this year's choices it's because someone saw something of value in you.

Conclued the boy, and Michael couldn't help feeling that the boy himself, Chadwick Wentworth Hartfield IV, was not among those who had seen that value in Michael. Asshole. But if that typical Chad thought Michael was going to lick his feet just because of his last name and an invitation to a prestigious school, he would discover that he was dealing with a personality that was pure steel. He would obviously accept the proposal, studying in a place like Dalton would be extremely beneficial for his studies and his academic future. Even if for that he needed to put up with figures like the one that was placed in front of him at that moment.

"May I ask why the school sent a student who hasn't even started the year to talk to me, instead of a teacher or an alumnus?"

" The council asked me to come to your house as they believe that our proximity in age will facilitate your adaptation to The school. And why I was chosen has to do with what I told you before, I am a legacy, my father studied in Dalton, in fact all my male ancestors have studied there since the opening of the school at the end of the 19th century. You could say that Dalton is part of my heritage. A heritage that I am willing to share with you Mr. Jones. Dalton formed some of the most impressive personalities in our history, future politicians, athletes, renowned artists... and contrary to what my last name might make it seem, the school is very eclectic, the choices are not based on finances but on what Dalton has to offer to the best candidates and how they will reciprocate. But don't worry, a formal representative of the school will come and talk to your parents if you answer positively to my next question: Are you ready to change your life?

……

It was the first day of school at Dalton and Michael was feeling slightly uncomfortable. He was as far as he could see the only black boy in the entire school. Eclectic my ass… he thought as he headed to the school's amphitheater to receive the orientations for the beginning of the school year. Despite the dislike he felt, he couldn't help but admire all the opulence of the place, with its imposing columns and marble floor, it really did give the impression of being an environment that formed success stories.

As he entered the amphitheater he saw Chadwick strutting with a group of other young men, all already in uniform. Trying to avoid contact with the other boy as much as possible, he sat in the first empty seat. And to his surprise he found himself facing the first non-white face that day. An Asian boy, with delicate features, who seemed to be even more uncomfortable than him to be in that place.

"Hey, I'm Michael, it's such a relief to see someone who doesn't look like they just got off the Mayflower!”

"Hi, I'm Edward."

Answered the boy, with a timid voice. Apparently it was going to be difficult to get some interaction from the other boy, but Michael was willing to try, a friendship with an introvert would be much better than putting up with the Chadwicks of life.

"So how did you end up in Dalton? Invitation or legacy?"

"Invitation, my dad almost didn't believe it when Chadwick Hartfield told him there was a place for me here."

"Ahhh, so you already know Chadwick?"

"Father and son, the Hartfields own a large slaughterhouse, meat packing plants and the like, they are the biggest suppliers to my father's chain of restaurants, so Chad and I have meet over the years..."

The boy replied, seeming to loosen up a bit. So he was rich too, although he lacked that air of arrogance that seemed to surround Chadwick. Michael thought there was a hint of discontent in the boy's voice as he referred to the Hartfields, then he jumped at the opportunity.

"Are you friends then?"

"Hardly, Chadwick's family is old money, my father is a Chinese immigrant who made a fortune from his own work, Chadwick and I have nothing in common. Although my coming here may mean a certain... concession for part of the Hartfields."

"Hmm, I understand..." Michael replied without really understanding, money was money, wasn't it? What difference did his origin make?, In his opinion every rich man was the same, regardless of where that wealth came from. Of course, he wasn't going to verbalize it in front of Edward.

And it wouldn't even be necessary, because at that moment an imposing, middle-aged man, wearing an impeccable suit, was addressing the students gathered there, giving Michael an excuse to interrupt the conversation.

“Good morning gentlemen, I am Principal Vincent Carmichael, and I will be responsible for your welfare and education at Dalton, we will have plenty of time to get to know each other better throughout the course and beyond, so today I will be brief. It is a great pleasure to receive you for what will certainly be a transforming year in your lives. Some of you already know Dalton's story, your families are part of that story, of our legacy. And as legacies, I ask you to be kind and helpful to those who are now part of this history, to guide them, point the way and integrate them as it should be. For those of you who still see yourselves as outsiders and perhaps still wonder why you're here, know that the our board makes no mistakes, you are exactly where you should be.”

Michael couldn't explain why, but he felt a chill when he heard those words, which echoed inside his head like a bad omen. Giving himself a mental shake he forced himself to listen to the rest of the director's speech.

“Here in Dalton you will be assigned to your dorms according to a pre-selection. However, as we value the relationships of friendship and companionship that we hope for and we are sure that you will form here, these dispositions can be modified if there is interest from the parties. You will find the location of your dorms and the names of your roommates inside the folder you received when you arrived at school. Finally, in that same spirit of camaraderie, in addition to sports teams, theater, music and debate clubs, the school has several student clubs, led by some of our legates, but for which you can receive invitations or apply, do not worry about being excluded, I'm pretty sure you'll all find a place in one of them before you even know it....”

The director continued, while looking at the group of young men that Chadwick had been talking to and with whom he was sitting next to. And Michael felt that strange feeling again. To try to get rid of it he decided to open the folder and there next to his name and location of his dorm was the name of his roommate: Chadwick Wentworth Hartfield IV.

"Fuck!” Michael murmured, as Principal Carmichael concluded.

"...because Dalton will forever be your home."

………….

"So what's it like sleeping under the same roof as the prince of the privileged?"

A slender dark-haired young man asked with a snarky expression to Michael.

"It's not so bad, he leaves me alone and I have no interest in what he does."

Michael replied. He was in his second week of classes and oddly enough he seemed comfortable with his situation, even having already made a group of friends, which included Edward, Jaime, a grandson of Mexican immigrants and Jonathan, the boy who had asked him about Chadwick. The truth is that Chad had to leave him alone, thanks to the total indifference that Michael showed him. In the first days the other guy tried to start some conversations that varied between the typical bro talk, sports, women, drinking... and bragging about his lifestyle through countless stories of travels, parties and whatever.... the fact is that for a few days now the interactions between the two had boiled down to "good morning and good night." Which to Michael was fine.

"Now, if we analyze the situation well, in theory you also sleep under the same roof as him. And isn't it a little hypocritical of you to call others privileged, Mr. son of a senator?"

Michael continued teasing his friend.

"First, my dorm is in another building, so I can categorically state that I don't sleep under the same roof as Chadwick. And second, yes I recognize my privileges, but there's no comparing my father's job to the capitalist machine that rich men like Chadwick portrays. No offense, Lee."

"I don't take offense, and all my dad wants is to be compared to the likes of Chad's dad, i believe he would take that as a compliment. And don't take what Michael said to heart, he adores your dad , there's probably a poster of his campaign taped to his bedroom wall."

The other boy had proved to be much less shy over the days and now he even cracked jokes.

"You know, I preferred it when you were shy... but yeah, I really admire Senator Roberts' work, he does so much for underprivileged communities and minorities. I'd like to do something like that someday."

"Are you thinking of becoming a politician? I can try to get you a summer internship with my dad if you want."

"Politics is not out of the question, but I'm thinking of being a public defender or something. But there's no way I would pass up an internship with Jack Roberts, thanks for the offer John."

"Speaking of offers, has anyone here gotten an invite to one of those student clubs?" Edward asked.

"I'd rather have a glass of acid than indulge in such elitist nonsense..."

"You'd be surprised what you can get down at one of the elite clubs, Roberts." Said a deep voice with a touch of arrogance at that moment, making the boys all turn at once to face Chadwick standing next to their desk in the library study room.

"Michael, I'd like to talk to you for a moment. If you don't mind."

"Hum..sure..."

Michael replied while getting up and accompanying his colleague to the other side of the room.

"I'm glad you made friends Michael."

Said Chad with an expression that did not denote any happiness. Seeing that Michael

once again avoided answering him the boy continued.

"Jonathan Roberts has his connections, despite his...quirky style. And Chang has... potential. So do you. I don't know what happened or how I might have offended you, but I'd like us to be friends. You may not know, but I am the president of one of the oldest clubs in Dalton, The Crows. And I am currently in the process of selecting our new members, I would really appreciate it if you would consider joining us."

Michael didn't know what to answer, because while he felt an instant dislike for the other boy and planned to change dorms as soon as possible just to get away from him, that was another opportunity for him to create the necessary contacts for his future career. And he couldn't help but wonder for the thousandth time what the school's and Chadwick's interest in him would be, he was a good student but not brilliant, he was far from an athlete, he was the son of a firefighter and a nurse and not knew influential people. He had already discussed this with Jaime, who also didn't seem to understand why both of them were there and seemed willing to dig deeper to find out. Although Michael didn't need to know why he was there, he only cared about making the best of the situation and that meant...

"Yeah, sure. I'd love to join the Crows."

He replied with the most fake and forced smile he had ever given in his life.

……

That late afternoon, instead of heading to his dorm, Michael went to meet Chadwick in one of the towers of the immense structure that was Dalton's central building. Apparently the Crow Club occupied much of the top floor of the tower. Reaching the top of the stairs he slammed the door, overcome with the familiar sense of foreboding he wondered again if he shouldn't turn around and put all that pretentious nonsense to rest. He was about to do exactly that when the gigantic door to the room opened with a noise that sent an icy shiver down the boy's spine, who stood staring at the entrance to the room with the feeling that he was about to enter the gaping mouth of a predator about to swallow him, which made him wonder again if there was still time to run away.

"Michael, glad you came, come in."

Said a casually dressed and much more cheerful Chadwick than Michael had ever seen before, which only added to the uneasy feeling that coursed through Michael's mind and spread through his body. Which reached the edge of a panic attack when he heard the door close behind him.

" Welcome to the Crow's Nest. Sit back and make yourself comfortable, Michael. This will be your favorite room for the rest of the year, it belongs to you and you to it. But before I introduce you, I would like you to introduce yourself. I feel like I don't know anything about my roommate and new brother."

Chadwich said as he sat down in a leather armchair, his cocky air back in full swing. Did Michael really want that? Being Chadwick's "brother", were his future plans worth as much sacrifice at his present? Such thoughts were swept from his mind when he saw Chadwick reach for an object beside the armchair. Was that... a basketball?

"Tell me Mike? Do you like basketball?"

Chad asked with a smug smile. Which caused Michael's feeling of anxiety to be replaced by another, hot, intense anger.

"Why, Chad? Because every black boy must be a basketball fan, is that it???"

"Wow, calm down brother, it's not that much, I just thought you should enjoy..."

"You do not know anything about me!"

"That's exactly the point, isn't it? Getting to know each other, forming bonds, a brotherhood."

"Why? Why me, and don't tell me you don't know, because you do."

Tump.

The ball landed on the ground and bounced back into Chadwick's hand, shutting Michael up in the process.

Tump. Again.

"You don't like me, do you, Michael? You never did, from the moment we met I saw the way how you looked at me, like I was some kind of monster, some freak. Be sincere."

Tump.

"No, I don't like you." Michael found himself responding against his will, as if he couldn't control his own vocal cords. At the same time, a kind of anesthesia spread through his body, preventing him from moving. The feeling of panic returning with multiplied force.

Tump. Tump.

"Ah, progress, everything would be easier if you had collaborated from the beginning, but I admit that I have a certain difficulty understanding your... kind."

Hearing that made Michael's eyes flash with anger that gave him enough strength to try to get up and go.

Tump. Tump.

The sensation of anesthesia returned.

"Impressive Mr. Jones. Such willpower will take its toll. But I wonder why my comment would provoke so much aggression. Ahhh... you think I'm racist, is that it? Or maybe an elitist? Well, I abhor racism, and as for elitism, well... I'm elite, aren't I? But so are you Michael, so are you. You've been offered the chance to become someone... better. To be a part of something bigger, a brotherhood, to be by my side, in the elite. A chance many would die to take and you spurn and grudgingly accept... so I ask you again, why?

Tump.

"Why? Listen to yourself, Chad. The size of your arrogance. You talk about community, about brotherhood, while at the same time you brag about being part of an exclusive elite. You talk about belonging, but you don't know what what it is to belong, you represent those who only know what it is to own.

Tump.

A sour expression spread across Chad's handsome face. As if he wasn't used to dealing with someone who antagonized him. Which was probably true. Which made Michael's panic rise even higher.

Tump. Tump.

"And I am the prejudiced one."

Tump.

"But you didn't actually answer my first question.”

Tump.

“Do you

Tump

“…like…”

Tump

“…basketball?"

Tump.

"Yes."

Michael replied grudgingly.

"Well, wasn't it easier to have answered the first time I asked?"

Tump. Tump. Tump.

"No, it was not..."

"I'm tired of repeating it, but... why, Michael?"

"Why? Because people like you look at people like me and see a stereotype: black kids are obligated to like basketball just because they're black."

"People…”

Tump

“…like…”

Tump.

… me..."

Tump.

“Tell me Michael, isn't it hypocritical of you to accuse people like me of looking at you and seeing a stereotype while you look at me and everything you see is also a stereotype?"

Tump.

"I... I hadn't thought of it that way."

"I see..."

Tump.

“But thinking the right way isn't exactly your strong point, is it? At least not for now…”

Tump

"What?"

Exclaimed Michael but Chad just smirked and continued to talk.

"I overheard your conversation with the insufferable Roberts today… a very commendable attitude, wanting to work for the community, change the world. But not the first thing that comes to mind when I think of you... Mike."

Tump. Tump.

"I told you, my name..."

"I know your name, Mike, how could I not know the name of my roommate, my second in command, my brother, who despite differences in color and social class, is so much like me in so many ways."

"What the fuck are you talking about?"

"Calm down, be quiet now, and take off your top clothes, they can get a little…constricting."

Michael felt his arms move of their own accord and carry out Chad's orders automatically, while he screamed in rage and despair inside his own head without being able to express anything.

"I’m surprised, you had a respectable foundation, Michael. But there's room for improvement.

First of all, You don't like me and to be honest I don't like you either... not yet. But since I'm being honest there's something about you that attracts my attention, even my admiration I would say. You are ambitious Michael. You didn't hesitate to accept coming to an unknown school just for the advantages you could get. Even though you didn't like me, you accepted to join the Crows because you knew that this would open doors in your future . And you even made friends with people who could offer you ways to move up in life. Although they are not the friendships I would have chosen, I admire your initiative. But your mistake was not taking advantage of the true opportunity that was at your side all the time, me."

Tump. Tump. Tump.

"We're going to fix that and a few other things, aren't we?"

Tump. Tump.

What the fuck is this psychopath talking about? Thought Michael without being able to voice it.

"Looking back, I think our problem started when we first met, because you were already willing to dislike me just for being who I am. All that anger and resentment you have towards people of a higher social class prevented any kind of bond from being established between us, didn't it?"

Tump.

"But you know what I think, Michael, deep down all that anger is envy, envy of me, envy of my lifestyle. An immense envy of those who can have whatever they want, be whatever they want."

Tump. Tump.

Was it, was that true? No, no. He was happy with what he had, with who he was.

Still, being able to have what you want, when you want it must be an incredible feeling, said an insistent little voice in the back of his mind.

"And you know what envy really is? A form of admiration, after all desiring what belongs to the other, desiring to be in the other's shoes, there is no greater form of admiration. Isn't it Michael?"

Tump. Tump.

"You admire men like me."

Tump. Tump.

"All that ambition of yours, that desire for power. Real power. Power over others, over other people's lives."

Tump. Tump.

"You aspire to be someone who controls the pieces on the board..."

Tump. Tump.

No no! Michael denied to himself. He was ambitious of course, but that was about having a better future, doing something better, being someone better! Someone who could be admired, someone who could be envied, someone like...

"...to be someone like me."

"No..." Michael continued to deny it, but something was growing inside him, a dark desire, a desire to dominate, to subdue, to control.

"Of course there is only one of me, but there is space in my life for others, and I will be a good leader and a good friend to my companions, my brothers. And you accepted to be one of them, the first of them. And so you'll be closest to me, my deputy and make sure things are in order. And when we leave Dalton you'll have what it takes to achieve all the success and power you want, as long as you remember the origin of it all and to whom you should be grateful."

Tump. Tump.

Yes, he wanted it, he would take it, he would do what Chad wanted and he would be grateful for a lifetime if it gave him the chance to dominate, to conquer, to be better, better than everyone else, above everyone else... No, no, that wasn't him, that wasn't him!

"We're almost there, Michael, almost there, but I still see challenge in those eyes of yours. That's why I want you to close them."

Tump.

"That's right, close your eyes and go back to the day we met, it's me and you sitting in your room and talking, tell me what you felt when you saw me that day?"

Disgust, Michael thought, but his mouth said something else.

"Admiration."

"Good, very good. And why did you feel that way?"

Tump.

"Because... because you represent the kind of man I want to be..."

"And what kind of man would that be?"

Tump. Tump.

"Rich, confident... powerful."

"I'm flattered to hear that Michael, as much as I was the first time that very day."

What is he talking about? Michael thought. He'd never said that before... he hadn't even thought about it...or had he? But he knew he truly admired Chad…

"Actually, I think we recognized each other despite our differences, didn't we? Because deep down our similarities were much greater! Two ambitious men, who know what they want, who know that the world will belong to them. My experience in these things is much greater, but you are intelligent, you saw in me the opportunity to grow, to learn. And I saw in you someone at my height, who could be a partner, a true friend, someone to respect me, to follow and support me, a brother indeed."

Tump. Tump. Tump.

"And then there's the fact that our physical similarities, I don't mean the color of course, but the size, the stature. It's hard to find someone who compares to my physique. But for someone like you who has a daily training routine at the gym and has played basketball since childhood... oh, basketball! My father was always irritated by my devotion to the sport, he would rather I played Football, but my passion was always elsewhere and finding someone who loves basketball as much as I do, was invaluable. Imagine my happiness when I see all those trophies in your family room... it was almost like a gathering of souls, don't you think, Mike?"

No, not like that, Michael of course liked basketball, had even played a few times. Yes, daily training, competitions, victories, everything to the winner and he was a winner, just like Chad, it takes one to recognize the other…and the conversation? One of the best of his life! It was almost like finding a lost brother... even better: a lost and wealthy brother who could provide him with the means to become what he deserved to be, what he would be.

But what about that comment about their size? Chad was huge, with the physique of a Greek God, whereas Michael... well... you don't become a winning basketball player without a winning physique... and if even Chad marveled at his physique surely it should be impressive!

And in fact, at that moment Chad was in awe of what was happening in front of him. Michael's muscles expanded in waves, each pulse amplifying the volume, the boy's lean, defined physique giving way to broad, bulging muscles. Pectorals like two slabs of meat, thick biceps and horseshoe-shaped triceps. The process appeared to be painful, but Michael showed no sign of feeling anything. With his eyes closed and expression relaxed, it actually looked like he might be enjoying it.

And in reality he was. The sense of numbness that had gripped his body for the last few minutes was replaced by a strangely erotic throbbing, like an erection, only throughout his entire body. That feeling was exhilarating, it was intense, it was power! And if there was one thing Mike Jones respected is power! The waves of transformation continued, elongating the boy's body, causing his uniform pants to become short and giving him a thinner appearance again. But that didn't last long, as his muscles increased again with his thighs testing the limits of his pants and his calves taking on a perfect diamond shape. His dick was also affected, even though it was already of an enviable size, it grew in such a way that it would be impossible not to attract attention even when Michael was fully dressed. Finally the boy's features changed from reasonably attractive to artistically sculpted, albeit surrounded by an undefined air of arrogance and superiority. Leaving before Chad someone who despite their differences in many ways could be considered his equal.

Still, Chad's work wasn't quite finished, he needed to secure a few other things.

"Then came the first day of school and you came straight to meet me in the amphitheater. Ready to start your journey of ascension with the best possible guide. I could see the genuine happiness when you found out we were going to be roommates. And the admiration and gratitude to know that I guaranteed it myself."

Tump. Tump.

"And in this last week, the admiration and respect became a bond. The conversations at night, about the women we've gone out with, about the parties and drinking of each one, your desire to know the places I met... your desire to be my friend, to be by my side, to make sure what I want comes true."

Tump. Tump. Tump.

Michael, Mike, Big Mike… he felt that sensation build to a point that was almost… orgasmic. With Chad's words being burned into his very soul, as if through them a part of the other boy had seeped into him and expanded, infecting and overpowering every piece of who he was and cementing his transition into someone completely different, ruthless, up for anything, a predator, yet still loyal to his leader and ready to carry out his plans, their plans.

"And it all culminated in the moment you've been waiting for since you heard Principal Carmichael talk about the clubs. The moment you became a Crow, one of us."

Tump.

"So, I would appreciate it if you open your eyes and accept reality fully, brother."

And that's what Mike did.

The giant that had been Michael opened his eyes slowly, as if it were the first time he had done so in his life. Focusing his vision on the one in front of him, his roommate, his leader, his passport to everything he deserved. Then he smiled, a smile that conveyed extreme confidence and arrogance.

"Is everything okay, bro?"

Chad asked with a twin smile.

"And why wouldn't it be, brother?"

"You seemed a little distracted to me, I don't tolerate sluggishness when I'm speaking, especially from my vice president."

"I would never think of leaving you talking to the walls, Chad"

Mike replied, his smile taking on a mocking air.

"Don't try play clever on me, this is a game you can't win."

"Fair enough, since you can't beat me on the court."

Mike replied, as he quickly took the ball from Chad's hands.

"Asshole"

"A less than eloquent response from the king of cleverness."

"Fucking Asshole"

Chad replied making both of them burst out laughing.

"So what's so important you have to say, Mr. President?"

"The most important thing for a president: expanding membership, and you have a huge role to play in that, so pay close attention to what I'm going to explain to you."

Mike hung on every word and when Chad finished, knowing the kind of power he would be entrusted with and what he would do with it, he couldn't help but smile again.

[the-way-astray]

What's your favorite cannon thing you truly like about Keefe Sencen

I DARE you 😈

i've been dared . . .

definitely my favorite thing is the fact that in flashback/legacy he was 100% not only supportive of sophie and fitz's relationship despite having a crush on sophie, but also actively tries to keep sophie from doing something that could even be interpreted as implicative. there was a poll a while ago about whether people thought sophie and keefe were (even unintentionally) emotionally cheating on fitz, and i answered a hard no. and the main reason for that was because of keefe. he does so much to try to keep sophitz together during that time, including telling sophie to confide in fitz, telling her to tell him about the matchmaking thing, shutting ro down (or at least doing his best to), and generally speaking, he did not have to do all that. like, yeah, any decent person would be supportive and not actively try to break their two friends in a relationship up, but keefe goes way beyond that and actively tells sophie exactly what to do in order to keep her relationship with fitz intact. every time fitz "catches" him with sophie it's lowkey painful to think about what keefe must be feeling because he spends so much time trying to prevent that exact thing from happening. there's even a line in legacy where sophie admits this herself. one of the only times he uses his empathy not dubiously is at the end of legacy, where sophie "tells" him (i use the term loosely) that she and fitz broke up. and he immediately says "i'm sorry", expressing out loud his sympathy for their relationship's end.

(one thing i've heard people misinterpret a lot in anti keefe things is the "blond hottie" line, which they say is an inappropriate thing to say about someone in a relationship. that was not said by keefe. that was said by ro. she says that when she's trying to convince sophie that bronte can't be her bio dad, to which keefe then says "unless she gets that from her mom". that's all he says. sophie then wonders whether that meant he agreed with the blond hottie assessment, but that doesn't come from anything he actually says.)

it surprises me that i haven't seen keefe lovers talk more about the fact that fitz literally commissioned him to draw him and sophie in a very romantic pose in a very romantic spot and keefe did it. so i'm going to talk about it. once again, this is not just baseline "my crush is in a relationship, oh well, guess i won't interfere" stuff. this is going above and beyond to keep sophie and fitz together. again, keefe has a crush on sophie. i'm not an artist, but obviously art doesn't just pop up out of thin air. he spent some time making that drawing. and all that time is yet another reminder that his crush is in a relationship. he could've told fitz no, made up some excuse as to why he couldn't do it, and that would've been well within his right. but he didn't. so that's a thing worth mentioning. (i'm going to just say i don't like the argument that fitz knew what he was doing when he asked keefe for the drawing, though. i think fitz just thought "sophie likes keefe's drawings! let me get her one of those" which is sweet in and of itself.)

in unlocked, keefe thinks something like "he definitely should not be happy that two people close to him were going through a rough patch. but, if he was being honest, he wasn't really sad" or something to that effect. and i like that. he has a crush on sophie, so of course part of him will be happy she's now single again. it's realistic. i've definitely talked about this before, but jealousy isn't a character flaw to me. it's only the actions that a character does because of their jealousy that defines whether or not it's a bad thing. but the thing with keefe is that he never allows the fact that he likes sophie to outwardly affect sophie and fitz's relationship in any negative way when they're tentatively dating. sophie and fitz fell apart for a lot of reasons, but the reasons were entirely on sophie and fitz, and had nothing to do with keefe himself. in fact, you could argue they only lasted as long as they did because of keefe.

i complained a lot about how much he doesn't shut up about his hair in my rant. but that was mostly at his humor style and the fact that he literally talks about it at the weirdest times (in his registry file . . . ) more so than the fact itself. and truthfully, he doesn't even talk about it that much. but i think it makes a lot of sense that he takes pride in it. it's the physical manifestation of rebellion against his parents who have controlled every other aspect of his life. he's also an artist, and i think it's a pretty neat thing that that extends to the way he styles his hair. also it looks good. i will die on this hill. just don't look at the laura art. jason chan is my king and keefe's hair is very cool and- *gunshot*

there's also a handful of moments where keefe uses his humor appropriately, to ease tension. best example i can think of is the one katie brought up in this post which is the moment in flashback right before the celestial festival (climax). magnate leto gives them all these sparkler things to light if they're in danger, and keefe sets off a couple prematurely "just to make sure they work" *wink wink nudge nudge* and sophie specifically says the "bit of levity" helped tame the "monster" she's been battling the whole book. when he's able to use his humor appropriately, and not at weird times about weird things, he can be a valuable source of comfort. these moments are unfortunately few and far between, but they do exist.

keefe is also good at calming sophie down when she's panicking, when he's not using his empathy to force her to tell him her feelings. i personally like it more when he's comforting her using his words than his emotional breezes, because that speaks more to his personality than it does to his ability to use his emotional breezes to calm her down. another example katie discusses in the post above is when he's talking to her about the bronte-is-her-bio-dad theory. sophie was panicking because she was thinking about the implications of it (prentice, him acting horrible to her, etc.) and keefe brings her back down to earth with his reassurances that this doesn't change anything about her. when she says bronte can't know she knows, he immediately gets her to reconsider in a gentle way, because like. that's the entire point of her search for her bio parents. he does all this using his words (actually i just checked and he does use his emotional breezes a couple of times but his words do have an impact on their own so we're disregarding that), which does prove that he's very good at knowing what to say to keep her calm.

(also the fact that he was even helping her search for her bio parents is another example of him going above and beyond to keep her relationship to fitz intact. he didn't have to do that at all.)

and lastly, i think i mentioned this in my rant and maybe a couple other places, but i think keefe's jealousy when it comes to family is written very realistically. in neverseen, he's jealous of fitz, biana, sophie, and dex when they hug their parents, and there's a line where he specifically says "i hate watching it. them and della" (them referring to fitz and biana). in unlocked, he's again jealous of dex's family and wishes he'd been born into a family like his. and i think that's written really well. it's pretty subtle and not really shoved in your face, too. i'm pretty sure there's a total of three times it gets brought up: the "them and della" line, one line at the end of neverseen where sophie and dex are hugging edaline and kesler, and then the line in unlocked. very blink and you miss it but i like that. it's one of the few things the narrative doesn't dump a truckload of pity on keefe for, and it makes the few times it is brought up even sadder.

oh, and also i think he's handsome. sue me.

[tyrantisterror]

What's the worst legacy sequel you've ever seen? What, in your opinion, separates a good legacy sequel from a bad legacy sequel and what's the worst thing you think a legacy sequel can do?

The worst that I've seen is probably Rise of Skywalker. It's close competition, though - both Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom and Jurassic World: Dominion have moments that are significantly more stupid than anything in Rise of Sky Walker, but I also think both have a bit more creative effort put into them - Fallen Kingdom has that third act where it basically becomes a Resident Evil adaptation except with a murder-saurus in place of the Tyrant, and Dominion has the whole locust plotline which, while terrible, is at least an unexpected direction for a Jurassic Park sequel to go into that tries to figure out something ELSE you could do with the genetic engineering premise of the franchise beyond just making dinosaurs. Like, all three Jurassic World movies have big problems and they get progressively dumber with each installment, but they're also all ambitious to some degree that I still feel respect for, even if they never really actually reach those lofty aspirations.

Rise of Skywalker, on the other hand, has no ambitions at all. It has nothing it wants to say, no unique twists to pull, no real identity of its own. It's a potroast made of leftovers from better movies, a resuscitated corpse of something much more interesting, patched together like a Frankenstein's monster and abandoned to a cruel world just as callously.

It has no desire to do anything new, merely a checklist of Things You've Seen Before That the Focus Groups Say You'd Probably Like to See Again. Any character that can be slipped into an arc that was done in a previous Star Wars film is slipped into one no matter how little sense it makes for them, and any character who can't is either forced to tread water with nothing to do (hi Finn!) or just quietly shoved off to the side early on and forgotten about (hi Rose!).

Any story beats that weren't in the original films are simply grabbed from a box that reads "time tested cliches to keep your script moving with minimal effort." Make the plot a treasure hunt so we can just race from scene to scene with the flimsiest justification possible and try and trick the audience into thinking something is actually happening! What's that, audience interest is flagging? Quick, throw in a cameo of someone from an older movie! What's that, they're bored again? Pretend to kill one of the old characters, but make sure to reveal they actually lived in no more than two scenes down the line, or else we might piss off the fanboys! Hey, let's look at the Cinema Sins videos for the original movies and see if there's some gripes we can "fix" with this one for added fan cred! Can't disappoint our audience!

It's the story-telling equivalent of smothering something in salt to cover up the funky taste of the close-to-the-expiration-date ingredients.

As for what makes a good vs. a bad legacy sequel... ok, so, let's define legacy sequel first. A legacy sequel is a film or TV show that is a sequel to a popular film or TV series that ended a good many years ago, which brings back some of the old cast of characters (generally played by the same, and thus much older, actors that played them in the past) along with adding a new cast of characters played by younger actors. It tries to replicate the tone of the original series despite being made in a different era and probably by different writers and directors, and generally aims to give you that Ratatouille style moment of nostalgia.

I think most Legacy sequels are kind of doomed to be mediocre at best on the outset because the goal of them from the moment of conception is so mercenary - they're not created to Tell A Good Story, they're created to Keep Consumers Invested in a Lucrative Content Franchise. They have the artistic aspirations of a McDonald's Hamburger - "This tastes exactly like what you had as a kid, and doesn't that make you crave more of it?"

I don't think that art made for mercenary reasons is doomed to be bad, mind you - I mean, almost ALL movies and television were made to make money first and foremost. Even the classic High Art movies I love like Seven Samurai and The Third Man were made for mercenary reasons at the end of the line - it didn't stop the people who were working on them from having artistic goals, but it's a fact nonetheless.

But Legacy Sequels just have an uphill battle in the "artistic aspirations" department, because most people with artistic aspirations don't want to recreate the feeling someone else inspired with their art - they want to put their own stamp on it, their own spin, their own voice. And that will often mean something VERY different will be made, something that might piss of the fans - something that doesn't taste like the McDonald's hamburger you had as a kid, even though it came in the same wrapper.

The worst parts of Legacy Sequels are the only parts that Rise of Skywalker is made of - the parts where the story is clearly only trying to show you things you know, only trying to reheat the leftovers so they taste like your memories, only trying to trick the nostalgia center of your brain that you're four years old again eating at McDonald's. "Here's the thing you know! Here's the running gag you liked, repeated five more times by actors with far less enthusiasm! Here's the same basic premise as the first film, but the stakes have been inflated to make it feel like a progression! Cameos! Catch phrases! Eat your hamburger, you consumer pig!"

The rare good legacy sequels don't really TRY to be legacy sequels. They're just... sequels. Another story in the same world as the first, bringing back the characters who actually have interesting arcs left in them, creating new characters with their own shit going on who have good chemistry with the pre-established characters and setting, expanding on themes from the original and exploring parts of the setting that hadn't been explored yet, and all in all telling their own story that's related to the first one's but still manages to be its own distinct thing.

There are not many good legacy sequels, because a good legacy sequel is different than the McDonald's hamburger you ate when you were four, and might make less money than desired because of it.

[chroniclesofamber]

Zelazny's 'Shadows', NyCon 3, The Statler Hilton, September, 1967

"Literature, of necessity, contains shadows"

[O]ne of his most crucial self-critiques was [Zelazny's] decision that he was “overexplaining” to the reader and should instead “avoid the unnecessarily explicit” and not “go on talking once a thing had been shown.” In a speech given at a 1967 science fiction convention he elaborated on this insight, declaring, “Literature, of necessity, contains shadows … A writer never writes an entire story … You live part of it yourself.” He went on to identify these shadows, gaps that the reader fills in, with the fabled “sense of wonder” that, to science fiction readers, defines the texts they love:

“Writing involves your taking everything in through those little cryptic bugs that crawl across the page and construct things around them. This is where that strange thing called ‘sense of wonder’ comes into play … It sort of enfolds this shadow area. Into those shadows you project those things you are looking for.”

Krulik considers this determination to avoid overelaboration “a central philosophy” of Zelazny’s writing. But what Zelazny posits in his speech, and what remains foregrounded even in a linear, plot-heavy work such as The Chronicles of Amber, is that readers experience the magic of shadow, and thus the sense of wonder, through language. Readers can imagine the streets, the plumbing, the business models of Amber as they see fit; the “emotional archetype” of the fantasy novel derives from Corwin’s story and how he tells it — both the worlds themselves and the ellipses that lie between.

Just as the reader experiences Amber through Corwin’s voice, the fate of Amber lies in Corwin’s hands, even after he decides he doesn’t want to be in charge any more. The outcome of the first half of The Chronicles of Amber comes down to learning who among the scheming, self-involved members of the royal family can master the Pattern — can, that is, control and focus their actions to execute a careful plan in order to achieve a goal.

"...the Pattern I drew to the sound of pigeons on the Champs-Elysées..."

By walking the Pattern, Corwin regains his memory and Dara assumes her true form; by failing to master the Pattern, Brand is defeated; by failing to repair the Pattern, the patriarch Oberon is doomed. And when Corwin gains access to the Courts of Chaos, enabling his ultimate victory, he does so not through the old, broken Pattern but by making a new one, a process that calls forth memories of a happy interlude in his past — on Earth in 1905 Paris — even as it demands an excruciating precision:

“I did not meet with the physical resistance that I did on the Pattern … a peculiar deliberation had come over all my movements, slowing them, ritualizing them. I seemed to expend more energy in preparing for each step — perceiving it, realizing it and ordering my mind for its execution — than I did in the physical performance of the act. Yet the slowness seemed to require itself, was exacted of me by some unknown agency which determined precision and an adagio tempo for all my movements.” (542)

Could there be a better description of the act of writing? If Zelazny began The Chronicles of Amber struggling to find his preferred artistic path, he ended the series’ first half with a reminder of the difficult requirements of both creative process and practical accommodation, and, arguably, a more mature vision of both. For Corwin, if Amber is not what you thought it was, it is well worth preserving. If the Pattern you thought was your legacy no longer works, the only thing to do — the only way to defeat the forces of Chaos — is to draw a new Pattern of your own.

— Cox, F. Brett, “A Series of Different Endeavors 1972-1979”, Roger Zelazny: Modern Masters of Science Fiction, 99-101, Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 2021

[bite-the-bloody-hand]

6 SONG SOUNDTRACK

PART 2 - INTERNATIONAL POST-PUNK/GOTHROCK

If part 1 was the glitter-soaked psychedelic fantasy film produced by Creature Shop circa 1981, Part 2 is our early 2000s experimental grunge goth tragicomic vampire flick doomed to the wal-mart bargain bin until it gets rediscovered in 2036 and has a huge fandom renaissance. Decided to separate this into its own post for archival reasons (and to make edits/additions easier to track.)

Thanks again to @chaosteddybear for the original tag! I won't be tagging anyone in these subsequent entries, since they're bonus material. However if you see this and want to try it yourself, tag me when you do so I can lay ear on your tunes!

Rules: If you're tagged, make a new post with links to music and/or lyrics describing the following: 1. An event that defines your character's past 2. How your character sees themselves 3. How others view them 4. Their closest relationship (platonic or romantic) 5. A major fight scene 6. End Credits song

Spotify || Youtube Music || lyrics with English translations linked in song titles

PLUSMINUSNULA - Ob​č​as*

'Sometimes It seems to me That I'm a stranger in my home Sometimes It seems to me That I'm a king with his head in the guillotine'

Trapped in a city meant to be the bastion of civilization against the monster-infested wasteland, Zell found far worse monsters with him inside the walls. There was no reason to stay, no reason to take the inheritance of his father's damnable legacy.

IAMX - Sorrow

'My northern heart weighs like a stone And the burning sadness has become my home The tortured world wants Me to hate But there’s A world inside Where my love can bury my rage'

He's hurting, aimless, longing for a home;

NIN - The Hand That Feeds **

'What if this whole Crusade's a Charade and behind there's all a price to be paid for the blood on which we dine justified in the name of the holy divine Just how deep do you believe? Will you bite the hand that feeds?'

Pressed into service to a God he doesn't follow and a campaign his heart cannot support;

BUCK-TICK - KODO (HEARTBEAT)

'I don’t know why I’m living, but even so, I think I want to live passionately, if I’m loved I’m sorry, thank you'

And he's so terribly sorry for being him, but if this is all he is, he's grateful for any love at all;

BORIS & SUN O))) - Blood Swamp [instrumental]***

And he will hunt you, hunt you, restless and persistent;

BARONESS - Tourniquet

'I've got an artificial heart It beats but I can't feel a thing It's an unofficial part It bleeds but I'm already gone'

Until he is finally allowed to rest.

*I wanted to get tracks from both Czechia and Mongolia since those are the closest real-world equivalents to where he's from, but sadly I couldn't find any Mongolian goth or post-punk that fit. ALWAYS open for suggestions tho

**the 'outsider' track for this set. Initially I didn't want to lean on any artists that were too well known, but I had to include Bite the Hand because it fits thematically and, well. It inspired the name of the blog. Teehee

***Does anyone else remember SINISTER? Man that was a weird flick. Well shot though.

[crowroboros]

stares at you stares at you stares at you

opinions on carl from echo vn Echo vn?

stares at YOU

Carl Hendricks. Where do I begin with him?

Simply put, he's great. I think everyone in the main cast is very compelling as characters, and Carl is no exception. I don't even think his route is bad or the weakest. In my opinion, it's on par with the rest. It just suffers from being the first done and thus comes off as disjointed and disconnected from all the others when looking at the VN as a whole (though I do wish his relationship with Flynn was present in his route. Especially how close they are. But again, first written, not everything was figured out I suppose.)

His struggles with anxiety and self-worth are some of the more grounded and relatable aspects of the vn and it's nice to see such things depicted in a way that isn't either complete ass or written off as a joke. Howly approached it in a more realistic way than most I'd say. His anxiety is taken seriously, and I appreciate that as someone with some anxiety issues of my own. The interview scene shortly before the hysteria was rough, and the way Carl describes what happened really highlights how anxiety can affect the way we perceive the people around us.

Do I think Carl was nervous and a bit awkward during the interview? Hell yeah. I know I would be as well. But do I really think that the interviewer was able to immediately tip off to the fact that Carl wouldn't be into it? Do I think that the interviewer was just thinking "man what an absolute fuck up this guy is. jobless"? No. But damn, I completely understand how Carl's mind was able to fill in any blanks to make those assumptions. When you see yourself as a fuck up, as worthless, you begin to read into what every slight tone change or off look can mean. You end up projecting those thoughts onto others and end up believing that they see you the same way. It sucks. And I really like that Chase still had his back and tried to comfort him after the fact without talking down to him.

I also like that who he is isn't defined by his anxiety both by the characters within the vn and from a meta perspective. Carl is an artist, he's goofy, laid-back, and likes to play games. And his friends see all of that, to them he isn't just "the one with intense anxiety" but is instead he's "Carl Hendricks". It's a common pitfall many make when writing characters who struggle from one thing or another where the writers hyper-focus on that one aspect and forget to flesh out the character beyond that.

I also think his relationship with his family name and his parents is interesting. I see a lot of opinions online about him being the typical spoiled rich kid and that his anxiety shouldn't be as bad as it is with the money he has. And while sure, money can make affording help easier it alone doesn't solve his issues. That's something that takes work. A lot of work. Furthermore, even though the Hendricks family is rich due to their ice-cream business and status as the founding family of Echo, we still need to take into consideration that he lives in Echo. The town itself is struggling and that immediately puts a divide between him and the rest of the population. We see it in Route 65 where Karen (the bus driver) refers to him as "pomp and yachty-blooded", to which Carl is described to then get a sort of distant look on his face. He's socially isolated because of his identity, something that isn't helped by the fact that it's pretty obvious that there is a pretty serious disconnect between Carl and his family legacy. That's even part of his route's conflict, dealing with the fallout of James and John's relationship. We also know that his parents tried forcing him into a business degree when he first went to college with Chase, something that quickly fell apart. To me, it's clear that Carl is under a lot of pressure and stress to walk the path that his family has laid out for him, and that he doesn't receive much support in his own interests and goals in life. This most certainly wouldn't have helped with his anxiety and self-esteem, feeling as if you're meant to live up to a legacy you have no interest in reaching.

I could talk about this vn all day, Carl included, so I might expand on this when I get home later cause I REALLY want to talk about his dynamic with the rest of the group (especially Flynn). But in short; Carl is great. Both as a character and as a person. If I was somehow ripped from this reality and plopped within the plot of Echo, I think Carl is probably one of the characters I'd be both the most willing to talk to and one of the characters I'd get along with the best. Proud member of the Carl Defense Squad.

[starry-blue-echoes]

Have a few queries/plot bunnies regarding the Jonaplat AU:

When Jotaro uses Star Platinum to sketch the Egyptian fly from the spirit photograph of DIO, is that using Jonathan's artistic talent or Jotaro's?

What are Jonathan's thoughts on the Speedwagon Foundation?

One of JoJo's defining traits is his capacity for sympathy and a mindset where he tries to imagine the consequences his actions would have on other people, even if they appear to be enemies. Would there ever be situations where he refuses to obey Jotaro out of principle?

Would Death 13 interfere with Jotaro's dreams about Jonathan's life? Could the *opposite* happen?

Given that his mental fortitude and ability to withstand fear are the main reasons Speedwagon decides to join him, his averse reactions to fire must really be messing him up, huh?

Would Jonathan be able to communicate with other sentient stands? The only one in Part 3 I can name off the top of my head is Anubis (who actually could be an interesting avenue to explore the implications of WHY Jonathan was reborn as Star Platinum, depending on how similar Anubis' predicament is. Crack Idea: Anubis + Hamon-induced soul restoration/redemption like with Bruford = Luck & Pluck 2.0? الحظ والنتف? lol)

should i have maybe spaced these questions out in separate asks?

So in order:

1)Definitely Jonathan’s but it was boosted with his new incredibly precise vision and speed. I image that as he was studying to be an archeologist, Jonathan probably learned and practiced how to make sketches of real things quite a lot and was pretty good. Nothing extraordinary but definitely on par for the course. Of course, now as a Stand his drawings got a significant bump in queslity because he can now do and see things a human never could

And to add more to the drawing thing….. what if in their down time when they’re in hotels Jonathan ends up drawing a lot. Of Danny, Erina, Speedwagon, Zeppeli, the Stone Mask, countless things from his life. This also ends up weirding Jotaro out because these are the people from his dreams, yet he’s never seen any of them before. Jotaro might even hide the drawings or decide he’s going to deal with it later because right now it isn’t a priority. He doesn’t throw them away though, just keeps them folded up in an inside pocket in his jacket

2) He’d be very proud of what Speedwagon was able to accomplish with his life and that he’d been able to make a legacy for himself that was able to persist long after his death. He’s happy that at least Speedwagon and Erina were able to live in comfort after he was gone (also slightly unrelated but I’m pondering on whether or not to do Jonaeriwagon for this AU just because fjdbgjdbf)

3) Honestly? I don’t think he would that much. While Jonathan does sympathize and feel empathy, he also would know the importance of defending one’s self and loved ones, and he’d get really attached to Jotaro and Co and that protectiveness will probably override his sympathies. He wouldn’t be outright cruel though, just fighting as much as he needs to in order to keep everyone safe.

The only times Jonathan would likely hold back would be if the person is already well and beat and wasn’t too much of shitty person. The more smug, genuinely cruel and otherwise vindictive the person, the less he’d be willing to show them sympathies. For example, Polanreff. He was honorable and accepted his defeat, so Jonathan would see no issue with saving his life and him eventually joining the team

4) Oooooo I didn’t even think of that. This time around Star Platinum would actually be able to be brought into the dream because Jonathan would also be technically asleep, but unlike how Kakyoin brought Hierophant into the dream like in canon, Jonathan would be just as trapped as the living humans because Death 13 Dream Logic. Death 13 would probably being him into the dream out of general curiosity because this has never happened before

5) Y e a h. Jonathan hates his new fear, especially because of how crippling it can be at times, double especially because of how it affects Jotaro. And it’s going to be REALLY bad during the entirety of Italy because from Jonathan’s perspective he’d just died and didn’t have time to fully process that whole thing

6) You’re right, the only sentient stand in Stardust was Anubis, but that’s also definitely very interesting. While I’m not sure about other Sentient Stands, given Anubis’s mental link with the person holding the sword it could definitely be possible for him and Jonathan to communicate. And you’re right, we never actually learn….. really anything about Anubis, so a team up could be an interesting possibility

7) It was no issue answering them like this, feel free to do either

[mymarifae]

sighs... i adore the finale of mlp: friendship is magic so much. there was clearly a lot of love put into those last three episodes, and you can just feel the writers and the artists fondly bidding these characters one last farewell, y’know? it’s the (bitter)sweet ending this special show deserved.

but also, while the writers bring twilight and her friends’ story to a very clear end, they (pretty masterfully, if i do say so myself) leave room for equestria’s story to continue. everything was set up for generation 5 to showcase how equestria and the lands beyond have evolved and how twilight’s legacy lives on!

so i’m just kind of flummoxed by how it’s... not.

like. generation 5 wants to be its own thing, and that’s fine. but it also desperately wants to be this seamless continuation of generation 4 and it’s like. um. you can’t be both, man. in its attempt to juggle both of these ideas, it just completely fuckin’ retcons 9 seasons of worldbuilding and development.

where are the winter spirits (not using their canon name because Naur)? you know, the ones that feed off of animosity and fighting? where are the dragons? the hippogriffs/sea ponies? the changelings? the griffins? the yaks? where is the crystal empire? how have 0 records of twilight’s literal School Of Friendship survived? how are there not even simple legends about nightmare moon and her defeat, or tirek and his defeat(s), or chrysalis, or anything?? how has all that world-defining history just been lost?

where is star swirl and the other pillars? ... ok granted they’re probably not immortal but again: not even a whisper of their legacy has remained?? what about celestia and luna? or starlight glimmer’s!?!? out of all the most powerful ponies equestria has ever seen, you mean to tell me only the image of twilight and her friends has stuck around . and that like Two ponies (sunny and her dad) are familiar with them.

where the fuck is discord*

(* comics i have not read are not being acknowledged atm. because really - a character with literally unlimited magic who is deeply tied to the mane 6 and would have been dedicated to maintaining their legacy and protecting equestria for eons to come should have come up in the movie/show by now)

why am i supposed to care about opaline when season 9 of fim ends with two of the most spiteful, interesting antagonists the show has ever introduced (i love cozy glow and i think she’s a fascinating character and i wish the show had more time to dive into why she’s like that, but i’m reluctant to put her on tirek and chrysalsis’ level. she’s like 11) are encased in stone, and since we know that sort of magic-stone-imprisonment is not permanent...? like ??? get this random (and frankly, Ugly) alicorn out of my face i want to know what happened with THAT before you go trying to establish any new Big Baddies

i wouldn’t have as many issues with a new generation/make your mark if it wasn’t determined to cling to fim as its foundation. but since it is.......... what the fuck is going on. why are you paying homage to one of the best iterations of my little pony when you can’t even keep the worldbuilding straight for 2 minutes

[rappaccini]

it's been a year or so since arachnophobia was drafted so i guess i'll do a retrospective

warning: this is a salty, sappy ramble

so to get it out of the way: atsv is a massive achievement in animation, and one of the best superhero movies ever made. it pretty much guaranteed that miles morales is going to be an a-list hero forever, told an ambitious and well-executed story, and-- look, everyone's talked about how great it is. it's a movie that'll define a generation. it's an instant classic. it changed the perception of what's expected for cg animation. college classes will be taught about its animation, score, and storytelling. its legacy speaks for itself and i don't need to praise it anymore than it already has been. i do agree with most of that praise.

it was also a terrible working environment for its animators. none of that artistry is worth hurting your employees, and if you have to hurt people to make 'good' art, then maybe you suck at it. it probably wouldn't have gotten so bad if the writers had a coherent plan from the start, stuck to it and actually gave a shit about the artists who they keep flaunting on their social media and dragged out for the oscars campaign to insist that Atsv Is Real Art. oh so now you want to recognize the artists? when they might get you a trophy? okay. we'll see how bad the btsv work environment gets now that you got away with it and have even more pressure to deliver an even better final product for an even bigger audience on what's sure to be an inhumane deadline given that the initial release date was two months ago.

(who wants to bet there'll be an ai art controversy given that sony just publicly admitted they want to use it to make their movies now. sure lord and miller said they won't but can we really believe anything they say?)

it's also not a perfect movie. which, sidebar: there is no such thing as a perfect movie because perfect movies are impossible to make. there is always something that can be improved. and critiquing something you love is a good thing because it's always good to challenge things to be better.

a few criticisms off the top of my head:

the spider-society allegory is underbaked; more on that soon.

the two days in which the plot takes place mean it's fast-paced, but the emotional beats of the romance don't make sense when you realize how little miles and gwen actually know each other.

the romance itself is efficiently delivered. every moment is carefully crafted to advance it, the pop songs and score used under the scenes are beautiful, the cinematography is gorgeous, the actors and animators worked their ass off to give miles and gwen chemistry. but the relationship is still hypocritical when you actually hold it up to the themes of the story. more on that later. it's like a perfectly-organized essay that answers the wrong prompt. a+ for effort, but what the fuck do you think this is about?

and then you read a little deeper and realize all their main points were plagiarized from other students' papers. shit analogy i know, but that's how it feels when you realize all of miles and gwen's big romantic moments were ripped off of other relationships they have with other people.

and then you realize that they spend so much time arguing for one specific point, and accidentally present a countersolution to the one they're offering that's even better. yes, this is about 'gwen should be able to fall in love with spider-man and it should end well' being the argument, with miles presented as the guy who can do it... as hobie emerges as the spider-man who gwen has the deepest bond with, trusts the most, and who's actually taken action to support and empower her for months (as opposed to miles, who she barely knows, doesn't listen to her or make her feel safe enough to tell the truth to, and whose support of her consists of saving her from falling twice, making her laugh a few times and getting her a plate of food at a cookout once). and as hobie is presented as a genuinely sincere person with good motives, instead of the shallow bad boy rival he's introduced as. like... guys? you accidentally wrote a story about how hobie is the better boyfriend and ended it on "but we're still going with miles, for some reason!". how did you not catch that.

the story would've been stronger if miles HAD been recruited to the society. give him actual time to reconnect with gwen, peter and peni. let him befriend margo, pav and hobie for more than five minutes each. let him slowly discover that the society's bad instead of instantly finding out, and make the price of his inclusion the total compromise of his values. especially since his relationship with gwen is so heavily focused on. more on that later.

and especially since the spider-society narrative isn't intersectional enough. it's about race, but fails to discuss how gender, sexual orientation and class would also factor in to who's accepted by society: yes, miles is black. but he's also straight, male, from a middle-class background with an upwardly-mobile-looking future-- there are a lot of ways for a boy like that to advance within the system, especially when you consider--

-- that miles and miguel are already foils. wish they'd spent more time together to highlight that. especially since they're introducing miles's flaws in atsv to set up the reveal of prowler miles/ the 'you should've been a villain' twist. massive missed opportunity to not sit them in a room together and let them talk, or give them a mentor relationship before it devolves in them ripping each other apart.

... honestly? a lot of miles's metanarrative feels like it was ripped off of hobie. right down to the 'you're supposed to be the prowler' twist, and being the one spider-man who's supposedly good for gwen. i love the 42-miles-is-the-prowler twist. but i can't help but go hmmm at all that, especially since hobie's in the movie and is acknowledged to have a revolutionary motivation and a special connection to gwen that are both treated as secondary to miles's. what's going on here. why are we taking hobie's metanarrative away from him and dangling it right in front of him.

like. to be perfectly honest? it'd make more sense if miles were on track to become another miguel than a prowler. he's the nonwhite spider-man who's the controversial heir to peter parker's legacy, who's fixated on finding his way into the multiverse to get a girl whose name starts with the letter g back. who will only be tolerated if he obsesses over collecting canon events like pokemon cards, and wants to be liked and accepted by the general public so badly that he might sacrifice being representative of his own community to get it. and miles almost drank the kool-aid before he found out about his dad's death event. shouldn't we focus more on that?

the decision to focus so much on shouting "take that" at the racist fans who don't want miles to be spider-man, while avoiding saying that racism is the source of that hatred and attributing it to fanboys checking off canon event boxes... was a choice.

and also not necessary, when this movie could've ignored those fans and just been about spending even more time with miles.

making the brownest depiction of miguel o'hara yet the face of that hatred and describing him as 'animalistic'... was a choice. and frankly, a cowardly one that offsets the blame for the miles backlash onto other poc projecting their internalized trauma onto him instead of what it is, which is racism coming from mostly white people.

it's also dishonest to imply, through making miguel found the society after atsv, that the fandom toxicity started with itsv miles. with respect to miles, he's not that special. that shit's been here since 1960. it would've made far more sense if the society were as old as spider-man's canon itself-- and if miguel were its latest custodian instead of its founder. institutionalized oppression wasn't created by one guy after all. the metaphor would've been stronger if it acknowledged that the people who created those systems are long gone, and everyone is both complicit in and being harmed by them.

including miles. which is probably why we're going the 'miles is excluded' route: to avoid implicating him in pulling on some of the society's levers of power. you know, like the ones that are hurting gwen.

weird as hell that the spider-society's canon doesn't acknowledge that it isn't largely based on peter parker. hello? he's half the population of hq. why are we not talking about that? why does peter b not react to this?

peter b parker was character assassinated. to artificially inflate the miles-gwen connection into something deeper than it ever was.

after itsv set miles and ganke up as best friends, ganke did nothing and miles cold-shoulders him the whole time. okay.

pav and his world are great, but they could've been anybody. so they should've been swapped out with a female spider-person so gwen has literally one female friend she's nice to and miles has one female friend he isn't trying to make out with. someone like anya or cindy.

there are like five different beginnings and endings to this thing.

and coming from a gwen fan: gwen is the worst thing about atsv, the same way she's the worst thing about itsv. respect to the people who see gwen as a co-protagonist, but no, she isn't. atsv is not ~gwen's movie~. she did not ~steal the movie from miles~ (if anything, hobie did. good for him). and this isn't a white savior story (yet. if gwen gets btsv's big hero moment of saving miles's dad and world from the spot and is rewarded with a romance with him, then it becomes one, but we're not there just yet). just because she has a pov and more screentime doesn't mean she's on miles's level. she'd have to have a primary plotline that doesn't revolve around supporting miles for that to happen, not just a subplot about her conflict with her dad that's resolved so she can go get her actual resolution where she earns the respect of... the parents of a boy she hung out with for two days over two years and promises them that she'll take care of their son and help him support them.

[like. honestly. all they had to do was show gwen consciously choose to put on her sweater instead of his hoodie-- and therefore confirm to his parents that she's his friend, not his girlfriend. if it were a friendship story instead of a romance, that scene would mean gwen's choosing to stand up for miles and do right by him to redeem herself for the sake of being a good ally, and not so she can show her future boyfriend's family how loyal she is.]

indulge me this rant:

that's the problem. it's not that spider-gwen is a bad character, or a bad fit for the spiderverse movies. she's an amazing character, and perfectly suited to a story about exploring different spider-man universes and questioning the canon they're held up against. atsv in particular more than justifies her presence because of that fuck canon message because there's no better female character to put in these movies to deliver that message than spider-gwen.

and it's not that gwen 'has no place in a story about miles' -- when she's the bellwether for if he's actually learned his lesson in the end. if miles really understands the importance of breaking canon, and wants to be different and make things better for everyone, he'll encourage everyone to break their canon, even if it means he won't get what he wants from them anymore. if gwen breaks hers, he won't date or end up with her. if miles knows that and still supports her, then he's a fully actualized hero.

the problem isn't gwen. it's gwiles. it's that the writers care more about making gwen miles's girlfriend than about making gwen her own person or following through with their own themes about representation, inclusivity and breaking the boundaries society imposes on you. the problem is that gwen was literally only put in itsv to kiss miles at the end and they simply cut the kiss.

and now gwen's only getting a pov in atsv and btsv so she can kiss him at the end of the trilogy. her perspective is only being tolerated because she'll be miles's girlfriend in the end... which ultimately means it's still all about him. her backstory is here to make her sympathetic to him and show how compatible she is with him, and to give her loneliness issues he can fix and a need to belong somewhere so she can regard his world (... and moving into it when they end up together-- there are so many hints through the subtext that ~gwen doesn't belong in her own world, but she could belong in his~-- and you know he's not moving to e65) as a positive. her action scenes are to show how useful she'll be to him (because that mary jane backlash from the raimi movies is somehow still going). her plotline's about how he's so special that he can inspire a gwen stacy to end up with a spider-man and live. the spiderverse movies inverting the gwiles narrative to make it about gwen defying canon to be with him isn't a good change. yeah we sure ~Did Things Different This Time~ but what's the point of doing things differently if you're going to do it worse.

and it is worse. how exactly is it an improvement to take a story about a queer girl refusing to give into a system designed to kill her or take her agency away by forcing her into a romance with a straight boy who'll always have power over her (same difference tbh), and... straighten her up* to make her okay with being that straight boy's supportive secondary girlfriend? it's not. it's fucking not.

(*yes, gwen is trans-coded. but coding isn't explicit representation; everyone who doesn't want gwen to be trans can say she isn't and be technically correct. and they still stripped her of all her sapphic qualities. odds are making gwen trans-coded was just a way to say 'look, we didn't straightwash her! ((but if you don't want her to be queer, hey, we don't either. just don't bring it up and you're good))' while still making sure she's all about miles. and even then, this trans-coded girl's story is still probably going to boil down to 'if this straight boy loves me and his family accepts me as his girlfriend, i get to live and be happy.' what the fuck. gwen could've been the landmark representation for an entire generation of queer girls with a story that uplifts them and tells them they have a right to exist without compromising themselves, the same way that miles is that for black and brown kids... and now that may never happen-- in the movies, in the comics, anywhere-- because miles needs a white marketable girlfriend more, i guess.)

it's stunning, insulting, dishonest, deeply sexist, more than a little homophobic and somehow not surprising that they're twisting her metanarrative into 'what if i can get a boyfriend and live!' instead of 'what if i don't need that boyfriend at all and am better off without him,' and painting miles as the shining hero who'll make things better for gwen instead of the guy who's currently most responsible for putting her in that position. most of all how gwen accepts canon as a given and needs miles to teach her that she's a person, and only breaks canon For Him. are you fucking kidding me. like please unpack if it were miles needing gwen and peter to explain to him how he doesn't need to follow a stereotypical narrative, and then he only breaks canon to help them, the white people, to show them how supportive of them he is and how sorry he is for not showing up for them more even when it would have hurt him, and the narrative only rewards him when he does something in their interest. you see it now, right?

my thoughts on that haven't changed.

if anything they've gotten worse because that depiction isn't going to stay in the spiderverse movies. no, i can't "just ignore the movies" because their depiction of gwen is already spreading. now with gwen's comics being derailed to make her more like spiderverse gwen and an entire generation of kids' perception of spider-gwen now being "she's miles's girlfriend! isn't their love story great?", and all the discussion of gwen's character now revolving around miles -- if you like and defend her, it's because you want her to end up with miles; if you hate and deride her, it's because you don't want her to end up with miles-- its not a stretch at all to say that miles morales is the worst thing that has ever happened to spider-gwen.

gwen stacy had peter and the bridge, spider-gwen has miles and the earth-8 babies. exactly fifty years after that first fridging, and ten years after spider-gwen's creation fixed that problem... we're right back to square one with spider-gwen being Spider-Man's Girlfriend all over again. the only difference is, now it's miles instead of peter, and somehow that makes it even more dangerous-- because at least peter had such an established relationship with mj that we all knew meant if gwen got girlfriended it wouldn't last, but miles doesn't have that yet which means gwen might actually stick to him. good luck tiana.

and it's much more insulting. they really found a way to make sure miles's story always centers a white person, and gwen's always centers a straight guy and they're framing it like it's this mindblowing, special thing that no one's ever done before, when a hero-gets-the-girl plot is the most predictable thing they could've done and both of their characters have already gone on to do so much better apart. really. we're doing this shit again. okay.

yes, btsv might not go through with getting them together. yes, all the pieces they need to reframe gwen's interest in miles as her projecting her need to belong onto him are there. yes, they could end the movie as friends who got over their fixations on each other and are better for it. but i have no faith in that given how hard they went with gwiles in atsv, and how they clearly love that they did it. i hope they don't! i have no faith that they won't!

and now that the synergy's kicking in and lord and miller are in charge of the sony spider-tv shows and will probably keep doing gwen dirty there too if they get the chance and another spiderverse movie using their version of gwen confirmed to still be in development, the damage they've done to spider-gwen might be irreversible. gwiles will probably be a thorn in her side for decades, when it could've just been one awkward mistake eight years ago that we moved on from, and miles can't have an actual friendship with gwen because every time they're together they're going to be pressured to kiss. the spiderverse movies could've done something genuinely new and introduced gwen and miles's relationship to the general public as a platonic friendship where miles supports gwen in resisting that girlfriend role instead of trying to reel her into it like he does in the comics. instead, they tripled down on reinforcing a shitty canon while acting like they're reinventing it. now they've pretty much guaranteed that miles is and will remain primarily responsible for gwen losing her autonomy and having to conceal her queerness. and because of the way marvel's internal hierarchy works, gwen will never be able to confront him. she might not even be able to avoid him at this point.

my one silver lining is that spider-gwen is now a well-known enough figure in mainstream culture that she'll never disappear, more people have discovered her comics, and an entire generation of kids now know who she is-- and plenty of them eagerly see her as queer and sapphic, even in spite of the movie's heavy preference for gwiles. hopefully, more of those kids will read gwen's comics someday. hopefully when they do, they'll find gwen as her own person in her own world with her own stories, and won't have to find out that she used to have those things before being miles's girlfriend took it all away from her. hopefully, the spiderverse trilogy will turn out in hindsight to be the last dying gasp of the straight gwen camp before her queerness takes center stage and she never has to date miles or peter again. hopefully she'll leave that shit behind for good in a few years instead of a few decades or never at all. and if not, hopefully when those kids take control of her character, they'll do better by her.

but there's just no guarantee that their takeaway will be that gwen's her own person, given that the movies are working overtime to tell you otherwise, and a lot of them don't care to look up gwen's original story, or see the gwilesified version as better. and if they do... who knows what damage will need to be undone by the time they get some level of creative input into her. god forbid that gwen end up having gwilesbabies that need to be retconned, if they ever can be.

anyway. watching atsv was a dissonant experience. everything else about the movie is mostly phenomenal, but as a gwen fan, i'm here for her first. so seeing gwen's world fully realized... and then fully realizing that gwen's narrative has been twisted to make her all about miles... was something. scene after scene of gwen's personality being finally complex and comics-accurate, but her motivations being entirely off. having romantic feelings for her peter parker? she would not do that. being passionately in love with miles? she would not do that. telling him 'oh i wish we could end up together if only canon would allow it'? she would not do that. letting gayatri singh, an alternate version of herself, remain in danger because canon says so? she would not do that. only interfering with canon for miles? she would not do that. needing a boy she hung out with for two afternoons to tell her she should define her own narrative, and deciding to do it but only to protect him and give him what he wants and be his love interest? she. would. not. do. that.

i left the movie theater very disappointed, very aware that marvel's synergy would mean the sv movies would have that effect on comics-gwen, and pretty much immediately started outlining this fic on the drive back. it started as a one-shot au where miguel accidentally sends gwen to comics-65 instead of sv-65 and she talks to her comics self, then it morphed into a story where gwen fully snaps and becomes a supervillain, and that led to dusting off a bunch of half-finished spider-gwen fics i had lying around: sv-gwen finding her headstone in a 1610 graveyard during itsv, gwen-8 hating her life, gwen-617 forming her council, among others. in a sense i guess i've been writing this thing for years, and then brought it all together at the last second.

and then it took off from there. i reread every spider-gwen appearance, every gwen stacy appearance, the refrigerator monologues, and then some. rewatched all the amazing spider-man and sv movies, and all the cartoons where gwen features. took a shitload of notes. and then four weeks later the outline was complete and the first chapter was ready to go.

in general, the aim of the fic was to reimagine atsv as a story where gwen's a true co-protagonist by giving her a storyline that can be read mostly in parallel with miles's, in which she explores her own canon, all the bad implications and missed opportunities, why the fandom and the writers keep insisting that she has to replay it again and again, and what the effect of that would have on gwen and her relationships. say everything canon can't, and give her the happiest possible ending that canon won't ever give her.

to do that we had to expand the spider-society metaphor by directly implicating the movie's own canon. no, atsv, you're not the exception, you're literally doing the exact same shit you're claiming to be different from. can you really meaningfully subvert or break canon when your story itself is canon-- and is so canon that all the other canon starts imitating it?

and we have to make the metaphor intersectional. the society's a great introduction to allegorical sci fi. the movies did a great job applying the spider-society metaphor not only to spider-man canon (and comics/storytelling) as a whole, but to greater society... but only from the perspective of race. and that's a problem because the second they made gwen the deuteragonist, they expanded the metaphor. the spider-society can't just be racist-- it has to be sexist and homophobic too, because society and storytelling/comics/the spider-man canon are those things too. and the story has to challenge those systems and end in taking them down, not in gwen saying "i will actually totally submit to them with a smile on my face. this is what i needed all along!"

therefore, we have to acknowledge that in the same way that miles and gwen are black and white in a racist system that harms miles, makes gwen complicit in that harm and challenges him to rebel against it and her to sacrifice her comfort to support him and his community and put his needs over her wants--... they're also a straight boy and queer girl in a homophobic, misogynistic system that harms gwen, makes miles complicit in that harm and challenges gwen to break out of it and miles to sacrifice his comfort to support her and her community, and put her needs over his wants. atsv completely failed to acknowledge the latter... because it wants to continue that cycle, with the only change being that miles benefits from it now.

(like. can we please unpack that the spiderverse movies are full of sociological theming relating miles's journey as a character to his experience as an afrolatino boy... and then conveniently ignores the sociological undercurrent behind a black boy who feels isolated from his community and tremendous pressure to succeed in a white world viewing a hypothetical relationship with a white girl he puts on a pedestal and sees more as a concept than as an actual person as a quick and easy way to get himself that validation. or a queer girl who's been violently rejected by her community for her queerness, and was homeless for months while being bombarded with messages that she's supposed to be a straight guy's girlfriend and her life is meant to revolve around him even if it kills her, suddenly fixating on getting a straight boy to claim her as his girlfriend in order to be accepted somewhere, even when she literally tells him it will only hurt her. they laid it all out in atsv, and yet every scene between miles and gwen hinges on '~but them wanting to be together is the Real Subverison and aspirational somehow~.' because the movies don't want to acknowledge that their favorite ship will fuck up their trilogy's central themes by turning a celebration of difference and deviation from the status quo into an assimilation narrative if miles and gwen end up together. )

which, indulge me this rant: means the core theme of the spiderverse movies is probably going to shape out to be hypocritical (the spiderverse is for everyone! as long as you're a straight boy!) and miles as a hero will immediately have his morals compromised in the end, because the first thing our great champion of inclusivity will do after he breaks his harmful canon is smile at another marginalized person he claims to love and encourage her to remain in hers so he can kiss her whenever he wants. the fundamental problem with this ship hasn't changed in the adaptation from the comics to the movies. because the problem is inherent to the ship itself and you can't fix it without violating the core of who these characters are as individuals and what their stories are about. as bluntly as i can put it: if gwen and miles get together, miles instantly becomes miguel, someone who thinks he's superior to canon, breaks it when it suits him and forces everyone else to conform when doing so means he gets what he wants. and he becomes the villain of her story because he is now the primary reason why it's being taken from her. the only way for him to break that cycle is to voluntarily refuse to participate in it and choose not to be in a romance with her at all.

that was one of the big goals of this fic: deconstruct the societal forces screwing gwen over, how miles is unintentionally complicit in reinforcing them, how that would destroy their relationship, how both of them can be better than this, what it would take to fix things, and what it'd look like when it's better. examine those things in depth, and then reconstruct the story in a way that actually fixes the problem.

and, where appropriate, use atsv as a model: show gwen being initially enamored with the society until she realizes what canon's going to do to her, discuss what prejudices are preventing her from being a fully actualized character and how her own friends are reinforcing them, give her a moment where she says 'fuck it' and interferes with canon in mumbattan, give her a confrontation at hq with miguel over her anomalousness and her useless mentor over how they failed to protect her, give her an ally in hobie brown refusing to go along with how the rest of the society and his own friends treat her, give her a demonized alternate self in a supposedly broken world to empathize with, give her a societal structure to break down at the end of the story, and utilize the spot as an existential threat to the worlds in which she and other gwen stacys have their own stories. and unpack gwen and miles as narrative foils, but you know, actual foils dealing with the same problem in opposite ways, and not just ~ooh, we have so much in common, like being teen superheroes from new york with the default traumatic experience and powers for spider-people and similar gpas, artistic hobbies and cop dads, we're so star-crossed.~ if gwen really were the co-protagonist of atsv, that's what her arc would be.

my thought process was, 'if the spiderverse movies really are going to redefine gwen's story to make it about getting a boyfriend again, and everyone in the fandom either has no idea that gwen's story was ever something different or genuinely thinks that shit's better, there needs to be a rebuttal. and it needs to be so good that people have to give it a chance based on the quality alone.' so the fic had to do everything. it had to be about gwen stacy, spider-gwen, female characters in spider-man and comics and fiction in general, girls and queer girls and queer white girls, how the roles girls are given in fiction mirror the ones they're allowed in real life, how canon and fate are arbitrary and written by people who don't want the status quo to change, how fanon can reinforce and subvert the status quo, a coming of age story, a love story, a self-love story, a feminist story, a spider-man story that knows it's a spider-man story, deconstructs the meaning of a spider-man story, examines it, and then reconstructs it. it had to do everything and it had to be so fucking good that even if you don't like what it has to say, you can't deny that the presentation was excellent and that it's one of the best fics in the fandom. i have like ten posts of painstaking notes on this blog and i still don't think i've annotated half of it.

which is the goal i suppose. another of the edicts was: if atsv is going to seriously make the argument that comics, animation and comic book movies should be regarded as high art, and analyzed as such, then the same should also apply to this fanfiction. arachnophobia was built to be enjoyable as a first read, and even more so as a reread. it's meant to be dissected, and if you do you're going to find a lot of spider-gwen canon, spider-man canon, comics canon, and beyond. there's a reason these chapters open with quotes from film, television and literature that already are classics or will be classics someday, and it's to put this fanfic in direct conversation with them. the spider-society directly imitates structures of heteropatriarchy, and gwen's arc takes her on a big journey through and away from them, on purpose. like atsv, this project was ambitious by design, and it is meant to be analyzed from the lenses of comics canon, storytelling as a whole, and the sociology that they reinforce.

i think i pulled it off. not to swing my dick or anything, but i'm genuinely so pleased with how it all came together. so many happy accidents, so many tie-ins to so many canons, working on so many different levels. it's not perfect, but boy does it work. i'd never be vain enough to claim that it's The Best Fic In The Fandom (there is no such thing) but i wrote it with the purpose of getting it up there, and it's up there.

however. i would do some things differently in retrospect. i will discuss them in excruciating detail.

i tried a greek chorus/second person angle, with the narration acknowledging the presence of "you,"-- eventually revealed to be the audience-- and the narrator being a spider-gwen herself. there was a whole twist at the end of chapter one where gwen was in the graveyard with her 1610 self, and the narration lets you know it knows you're watching and that you're complicit in what's happening to her and that shit was cool. it got too messy when miles showed up because it became easy to confuse him with you. make of that what you will. so you-the-reader got third partied into being the spider-society extras, who excessively monitor gwen and comment on her actions. gwen can still be annoyed with you, but there's enough distance so you don't feel like you're being directly implicated. even though you are. idk. i kinda wish i kept it.

this fic was written over the summer of 2023. even over the course of one year the conversation about gwen's character has massively changed. if i were writing it now, knowing that we're one conversation away from gwen confirming her bisexuality, and that her world, her queerness and her age are being stripped from her to force her into spiderverse synergy? that would have absolutely changed things. specifically i'd have been so much cuntier in my author's notes right away instead of sneaking it in later.

also, that joke about gwen and em jay never getting around to their toxic hookup would've been replaced by them being exes. in a world where gwen isn't constantly being dragged away from home, they would've worked out their feelings.

initially the gwen-a conversation was with gwen 65 as she is in the comics; very multiverse-focused. however the idea of meeting a gwen65 who never dealt with multiverse baggage was too great. this is what we're missing because of sv synergy and editorial cowardice: gwen, in her own world, living her life. however this also means we can't confront the situation that gwen a is being forced to compromise herself and leave everything she loves, to be like gwen b. and to have gwen b disown that concept and flip off the synergy more definitively. if i were writing it now i'd add some indication that gwen-65-no-subletter is out there somewhere and they just can't talk to her or something. best of both worlds. damn!

the fic does go into sv-gwen's trans identity, how it informs her perception of gender, her need to comphet her way to being accepted, and how she stops trying to assimilate into straightness by the end. but i think i could've done more to discuss how the society feels about it. i should've added some note somewhere about how the society recognizes her as a girl, but not a trans girl. no one's allowed to bring it up, including her; same way that gwen's trans-coded but can't say it out loud during the movie: plausible deniability so people who don't want her to be trans don't have to think of her as such. i'm gonna explain it as "the bar's so deep in hell that gwen's just happy they're calling her by the right name and helping her transition. she hasn't thought through why all these grown men who are attracted to her don't want to acknowledge that she's amab because if she does, she'll realize what they want to do to her and lose it.'' if i write the hobie fic i think that'll come up there. he would definitely have put it together.

speaking of hobie, yes the fic's interpretation of him is as a queer person. his particular kind of queerness is unlabeled and based in an understanding of gender and sexuality from the '70s and therefore disconnected from gwen's 2020s headspace. it's mentioned in the margofic but there wasn't a point where gwen herself brings it up here. should've found one. damn.

likewise with hobie and gwen's relationship-- it's somewhere between a qpr and relationship anarchy. since gwen's in denial about it and doesn't have the language to articulate it, that's never mentioned. bet i could've slipped that in somehow though. damn.

i still have mixed feelings about gwen 617's depiction. she had to be that way because the council had to be started by sv-gwen to justify her being the protagonist, but 617's too important. i still feel like i could've done her better. damn.

i have more mixed feelings about miguel being the leader of the spider-society now. if i were writing it now i'd just ignore the movie saying miguel founded the society, and reinterpret it as an institution that's as old as the concept of spider-man, where miguel is just the latest custodian. that would've drawn more attention to him being as much a victim to canon as he is an enforcer of it. and i'd have miguel be following the lead of a peter parker mentor, the same way miles is, but that relationship would be the reverse of miles and beter's: cold and full of constant put-downs and do-it-like-me's. too late to change that. damn!

there's one more aspect to peter's culpability in the death of gwen stacy that was left out of his convo with gwen. peter telling her 'by the way i put on my mask and stalked her to london, so she came back to nyc because she figured there was no point in hiding from spider-man in england if he just followed her there' (he did all that! it's canon!) kind of undoes og gwen's agency in returning. which she would have, because the writers wouldn't have ever let her go. also fic-gwen would never have forgiven him if he told her that. didn't gel with the themes.

given the later realization of the possibility of time passing differently between dimensions (and earth-65 having an unusually fucked timeline because of society meddling,) i would have used that. something like gwen realizing miles will eclipse her and keep advancing while she stays the same, and the inherent imbalance there. atsv's peter pan analogy in reverse: gwen is a girl who's being prevented from growing up so she's always young and available for the boy who wants her, unable to access the time to process that she doesn't want him, and always disadvantaged whenever they fall out because she can't process her thoughts or feelings as fast as he does. it even ties in to comics-gwen having her age reduced over and over to keep her a teen and lessen the age gap between her and miles. damn!

later realizations that gwen's world was retconned to take place in the 90s/early 00s would've absolutely changed her perception of 65a, which is in the mid 2010s. that's a fun change! would've loved to differentiate 65 a and b that way! or play up how the time unique to spider-gwen was scrapped to make her derivative of peter's, acknowledge the retcon with gwen returning from miles's dimension and being like 'why is it 2001 now' and use that to discuss how the society's deliberately fucking with earth-65's reality to force gwen out of it for good so they can girlfriendify her, the same way canon currently is. the sinister implications of the society deliberately making a trans girl's world more hostile for her for years to wear her down emotionally so she'll be eager to move into miles's marginally less transphobic dimension would've been insane. damn!

these changes aren't worth going back and editing the fic for, but it would be different if i were writing it today.

........ but i DID make some changes after it finished. i'll own up to them here:

changed chapter titles once my 'female fronted rock bands preferably with a spider-theme in the song' playlist finally hit the nine needed for eight chapters and a title.

in general: jess's world didn't have a subnumber when i wrote the fic so i had to rely on the wiki. when it was confirmed to be 332, i went back and changed it.

chapter 2: tbh i was so sure i'd get fried by the fandom for writing a fic where gwen dumps miles that i pulled a few of the spiciest lines from chapter 2. snuck one section back in bc enough time passed that it felt safe. that's the one where she asks him if he was lying when he said he wanted to be her friend. (he did! he immediately started treating her like his fake girlfriend from canada! that sucks! let's unpack it!)

the spiciest line still isn't there by the way.

chapter 3: after gwen being closeted bi was basically confirmed in smash 4 i snuck in a bit in chapter 3 about gwen having a moment of bi realization over gayatri. and pav's reaction. it WAS gay, as several ppl pointed out. and i can't help but sprinkle in more salt about canon gwen being unallowed to be anything but straight because she Has To Fuck A Spider-Man.

chapter 4: letting gwen say she hates spider-man and that meeting miles and peter is the worst thing that's ever happened to her. because she probably should, and it is because look at where meeting them led. if gwen had never met miles or peter, she'd be home, and able to mature and be queer in peace. they are why she can't have any of those things.

overall explaining why making gwen have miles's babies is evil.

-> in chapter 3 we add a bit to her mention of her transition to discuss her intentionally not wanting kids. and the society having opinions about that.

-> in chapter 4, gwen puts together why that's game over for her character: it means she can never be her own person again and will always tied to the guy who impregnated her, seen as an accessory to him-- and even to her own children. if gwen dates miles, she can dump him. if she marries him she can divorce him. but if she has his kids, she will always have to return to him and will be demonized every second she isn't picking up after their spider-brats.

-> and in chapter 7 we meet a gwen who's stuck in that web and get her perspective on the matter: it sucks.

chapter 5: clarifying the sexualization situation. the reason why spider-gwen is treated Like That by the society in the fic is reflective of how she's treated by canon and fandom. as bluntly as i can put it: all the men want to fuck her (even when she's underage.), and if they personally can't do it they'll use whichever self-insert they relate to most as a proxy-- miles being the latest one. that is the status quo spider-gwen specifically can't escape. so the in-universe application of this phenomenon is that the society's grooming gwen. all this time they've been slowly isolating her, wearing her down emotionally, and pressuring her into submitting to an inevitably-sexual relationship with someone they've preselected for her. the hiccup in this situation is that gwen unexpectedly refused their candidate and started rebelling. gwen has slowly but surely put it together over the course of the fic, earth-8 just clarified it for her, which is why she's such an emotional wreck. the confrontation with miguel made her finally ready to tell it to herself bluntly and now that she's all out of fucks to give, not afraid of death, and in a safe place to unpack it all, she does.

chapter 6: added gwen a cracking a gwen m = gwenom joke. didn't think of it when i wrote the fic. then realized given the alternate spider-person variations, peter b. and miles g., follow the naming convention of [firstname +middle initial] the most prominent gwen variant we'll probably get in btsv is a gwen m. and a perfect pun on gwen m, is making her a gwenom. (didn't switch a to m elsewhere because at this point it'd be too exhaustive to go line by line. plus, fic-gwen has such a deadname-related kneejerk hatred of her middle name that she wouldn't fuck with it)

chapter 7: further clarifying the gwiles-8 situation as a sham of a relationship where gwen and miles pretend to be perfect in public but in reality are much colder; and both did something unforgiveable to each other and neither is willing to admit to being the victim or having victimized each other. in gwen's case, she initiated a sexual relationship with a teenage boy even though she was 20, which is gross. and years later he turned the tables and basically babytrapped her. and they've been living in the epilogue of gone girl ever since. not sorry! i hate this world and what its creation has done to gwen! and i'm so interested in the implications of gwiles if it were ever acknowledged that they'd be terrible for each other!

chapter 7: mentioned earlier, but i'll repeat it for the sake of thoroughness: gwen-8 having miles's kids doesn't guarantee her survival. the second those kids are old enough to get their own titles, she's irrelevant and will probably be fridged, assuming she isn't already. and gwen-8 knows and hates this.

chapter 8: further clarification that miguel wants to use the spot to erase worlds that don't match the canon. you know. synergy. a way to make the society cross the line into outright evil, and create a more existential threat to all the gwens, who know that the way to force them to be the Girlfriend is to make it impossible for them to have their own worlds. and salt, because that's what's happening to gwen in the comics right now.

so those were the big changes. overall i'm very pleased with how the fic spun out. idk whatever was in the water last summer that made me write something this dense and layered in two months, but i hope the city pumps that shit back in!

i'm surprised it got the response it did. spiderverse fandom has its highlights, especially in regard to the artists there and the incredible creativity they're capable of. this is another one of those fandom creativity incubators. in ten years a whole cohort of animators, visual artists and comics artists are going to come into their own, and this fandom and the relationships they made here will have been the starting point for many of them. and i am very excited to see what they do.

but. this fandom is also a nexus between the worst comic bros (the ones who don't even read the damn comics they're cyberbullying people over) and the most annoying puriteens (the ones who think hobie's 30 because they can't read context clues). some of you are smart! some of you are very dumb! some of you are nice people! some of you are assholes! some of you get it! some of you are straight-up bigots! some of you are trying so hard to be forward-thinking that you've horseshoed yourselves into being accidental bigots! some of you are gwiles shippers, and not all of you suck but whenever someone's being an dumbass or an asshole in this fandom, it's always one of you! i made the right choice staying in my own little corner and i was 100% sure that given how toxic the fandom is and how defensive certain members are over their headcanons, they wouldn't take kindly to me taking a weedwhacker to the movie they love and to their fandom's perception of it.

like. i am VERY aware that we jump the shark in every chapter. in 2, gwen gets a glimpse of Planet Ghostflower, hates it and intentionally dumps miles in the meanest way possible, in 3, she kinda steals the fandom cinnamon roll's girlfriend, and thinks about killing him. in 4, she tells the schlubby dad character she hates him, disowns her girlboss mentor, and miguel's one bad decision away from trying to make out with her. in 5, the love interest who's going to last is the one nobody wants and they were fucking on the down low the whole time. in 6, fandom sweetheart peter 65 was an incel school shooter allegory and gwen-65 was never into him and manslaughtered him. and in 7 gwen and miles don't get together, mutually agree a relationship between them would be terrible, and Planet Ghostflower Gwen says that her relationship with miles is a pr stunt that went too far and that she doesn't love their perfect little gwilesbabies.

that's... a lot. and i get that.

by and large the people who read the fic seem to have liked it so... whew. met a few nice people as well, and the fic convinced some people to try gwen's comics, which is really the best thing i could have hoped for.

as for the margofic, i have less to say because i didn't plan to write it until it happened, it's not dealing with fifty years of canon, most of the structure was already defined by the gwenfic, and i didn't get any hate from it. i'm glad it exists, and margo as a character is treated terribly by the fandom, and fuck those people. the flowerbyte fandom seem like nice people, i simply do not usually go there. and from a writing perspective it was nice to get into her side of the events and the 'why do diverse legacy characters matter' debate. i will die on the margo-is-an-mj hill.

and finally, there are two more fics technically planned for this accidental series-- one for miles and one for hobie. i have very long outlines for them that keep getting longer. but

1) i don't have the time to write them

2) i'd rather wait and see how miles-42 is characterized and how the spot fight goes down before going in on those

3) i'm intimidated by how dumb the discourse is around both of these characters and idk if i want to have people coming after me for what's gonna be in these.

a fic about how if miles genuinely joined the society he would've tripled down on the exceptionalism mindset he bought into at the end of itsv, become complicit in reinforcing gwen's canon and started turning into a mini miguel before margo yanks him back from the abyss, or how hobie's relationship with gwen pulls him out of a passively suicidal mindset, helps him find a balance between his personal life and his politics, and how his narrative is multiversally linked to gwen's and miles's in very different, very fascinating ways.... nah those would've been too much i think. with respect, i don't think the fandom's smart enough to understand that miles has flaws, or that hobie isn't miles's yes man and has a personal life outside of his politics.

especially when both of those fics involve showing the offscreen fight between miles and hobie that was over gwen on the surface and subtextually about how miles is realizing he can't use her to hide from his insecurities anymore and lashing out at the easiest target he can reach as a final effort to avoid them that absolutely blows up in his face. it's a great scene! no way am i posting that! i don't want to invite demons into my life or my inbox!

so yeah uh. that will be all i think. maybe i'll write the milesfic and hobiefic someday, maybe i won't.

4) maybe i'd rather slowly dip out of sv fandom because there are better uses for my time than staying around and waiting for a movie i have a bad feeling about, that will certainly be visually stunning but is probably going to bother me a lot from a narrative perspective and have a lot of skeevy labor practices behind the scenes. especially since lord and miller have proven with atsv that they're willing to write an entire movie to respond to fan hot takes they don't like, i'm fully anticipating them spending all of gwen's scenes agonizing over How Perfect A Girlfriend She Is For Miles in response to the misogyny the fans threw at her for not being cartoonishly devoted to him.

indulge me this rant: does gwen need to apologize to miles and work to earn his forgiveness? yes! should miles get to be angry at her? yes! but he should also be angry at peni, who also helped chase him down! and he should be even angrier at peter b, the adult who knew miles better than gwen ever did, who wasn't being coerced by miguel the whole time, who was taking selfies with his baby while chasing miles down. and idk man but watching fucking spider-gwen crawl after the spider-man they're forcing her into a romance with, begging him to forgive her for not being supportive enough when her own death's hanging over her head? gwen interacting with an alternate self and likely being encouraged to Defy Fate by Getting A Boyfriend in a reversal of the council of spider-women plot point from her comics designed to make it all about dating miles when the entire point of the original plot was to save her from that? gwen probably being 'rewarded' in the end for being miles's loyal little helper with a kiss? gwen either finding the will to live or literally being saved from death because she ~loves miles that much~? a reference to earth 8?

i simply don't want to see that shit and i have no desire to spend years in a fandom where i'm anticipating something that'll make me angry and sad. whenever i've been in that situation before-- especially when it comes to a female character being handled by a bunch of straight guys who only see her as the male character's accessory-- it was always the smart move to bow out early and observe from a safe distance.

so maybe i will. i want to give it a chance. i don't doubt that it'll be beautiful and groundbreaking and slick and wonderfully scored and that it'll mostly do right by miles... but i'm here for gwen first. and because i'm here for gwen first, my gut's telling me to get in the lifeboat now before the iceberg hits and i'm going to listen to it. hopefully i'll be in such a different place by the time btsv comes out that i can completely ignore it if it goes that route. if i don't ever write those fics, hey, leaving off on giving gwen and mj their own fics is kind of nice.

and that goes for most spider-gwen stuff. we're at this frustrating crossroads now for her character where we've never been closer to gwen coming out of the closet and it's never been clearer that all her creatives know she's queer and want her to get there... and yet the general audience is demanding her and miles, and she's been dragged out of her world by editorial for movie synergy to be set on a bench for miles to kiss for the third or fourth time, and that'll only happen again when btsv releases. and god only knows what'll happen with miles's inevitable live-action movie; if gwen's his girlfriend there too, which is currently more likely than not, then it might be over for her for decades. i have no interest in seeing that, and i'm not touching any of her comics until she's out of the closet and/or back in 65; or any piece of media with spider-gwen where she's shipped with miles, period. at this point it's a coin toss as to what'll happen to her, and i don't like that uncertainty. so depending on how shit goes, i may never get back to gwen.

so in a sense, this fic was also meant as a way to mentally barricade myself against btsv screwing gwen over and her canon possibly never recovering from gwilesification. and... i'm still mad about it. i'll never not be mad about it. but i feel like i've gotten my thoughts together on the situation, turned them into something positive, and let a few other like-minded people in her fandom know they're not alone in being unhappy about this. if the worst case scenario hits and gwen goes full earth 8, then i at least left on a high note. the problem's been acknowledged, diagnosed, and a solution's been laid out. now the ball's in the fandom and canon-makers' court to do something with it. i hope that happens a lot sooner than i'm assuming. i'll always root for that last dying gasp of straight gwen to happen, and to happen very soon. and god knows i'm already clowning myself hoping insomniac pulls a fast one and makes gwen cindy's love interest in spider-man 3.

if you actually made it to the end of this note.... thanks for indulging me.

oh, also sometimes when i'm Really Done with a fic i lock it because people have scraped my shit to repost on wattpad and that sucks, so if arachnophobia and something more vanish, they're not gone, you just have to log in.

[camerongrn]

chromatica - lady gaga

lady gaga's sixth studio album 'chromatica' marked her return to her dance-pop roots after the failure that was joanne. this album, released in 2020, follows the formulae set up by early 1990s house and dance music, taking clear inspiration from ballroom cultures. this concept-driven record adopts this persona of an otherworldly cyberpunk-like setting; chromatica, a distant planet where people come together through dance. the tracks really impersonate this theming, all being dance-focused with this playful and colourful sound. this concept-driven album feels like the perfect evolution for a legacy artist such as gaga.

if i could use one word to describe the themes explored in this album, it would have to be 'fun'; it is such a healing album. although gaga discussing pain and suffering throughout the album, it is always turned on its head in a positive manner. gaga's attitude on this record is that of someone who wants to make others happy, she explores these ideas of inner struggle and failure set to dance beats. despite her suffering, gaga uses pop as an antidepressant on this album, and i really applaud that. the instrumentals really back up this narrative. synth. synth, synth, and even MORE synth. synthesisers are the main voice for this album, they appear to do all the talking. bloodpop uses these bright melodies to provide a perfect backdrop to gaga's voice, they blend together amazingly. gaga really thrives in these dance-pop albums. i have to also give props to this albums interludes, they are AMAZING and really help to build this world of 'chromatica'.

my favourite track will always be 'babylon', THE album closer. this track discussing gaga's public perception, dismissing the gossip, really encapsulates the albums overall sound. its this playful nod to grace jones and the b52s all while doing its own thing. the piano, the sax, the chants; they all create this movie-ending scene of dance and party despite worries, chromatica to a T. the wordplay in babylon is also incredible: "talk it out, babble on/battle for your life, babylon". despite being a infectious dance track, babylon is also a unique demonstration of gaga's underrated lyricism.

overall, 'chromatica' is definitely a part of my top 3 gaga albums. what is there not to love? gaga returns to her roots with this album after her frequent detours during the late 2010s, coming back with an addictive play on house and dance music. moreover, the concept of this album is so interesting, it's a shame she didn't get to explore it more due to covid. however, this is by far one of the 2020s more defining albums, with the era still going on today with the announcement of her chromatica ball film. nonetheless, chromatica is a great addition to gaga's catalogue and a must listen.

favourite track: babylon

least favourite track: 1000 doves

spotify link: Chromatica - Album by Lady Gaga | Spotify

★★★★★ 5/5

[septembersghost]

Sometimes it feels like people like to pat themselves on the back for dissing Elvis because it’s the cool thing to do

I’m the anon who deleted TikTok btw. I was tired of the same repetitive comments about Elvis and decided finally to delete that annoying app LOL.

i'm not sure what you saw on the clock app, though can guess it was probably the same stuff that's said on twt, but any reason you feel to get rid of that app, or anything that's stressing you out!, is a good/valid one.

when it comes to e, between misinformation, misunderstandings, and decades' worth of caricatures and this almost prideful disdain towards him - the origin of which i can't quite figure out? - he's been an easily mockable and reduced figure. like even beyond, idk, judgment of his struggles and addictions and health, or the massive volume of tabloid accounts, or the cardboard camp of impersonators, or the feeling some seem to have that he was too excessive or gauche, or define him by vegas as a kind of sideshow, there are some, i've come to find, that outright reject the idea he was in any way a serious artist. the article i read recently...basically posited he wasted his entire life and talent, in a way that was so cruel and dismissive of everything he ever did after sun records. things i can't even fathom saying about a person. ("success corroded and finally destroyed a budding talent who might have achieved so much more than just celebrity. He might have been an artist...by 1958, when he was inducted into the U.S. Army, his beauty and his creativity were behind him. A few brief echoing rays of the glory that had been might suddenly shine through, yet the sun had all but set." seriously? he was 23 years old in 1958! it's a complete erasure of nearly half his life. and it's particularly jarring as some of what's said in that piece is astute and well-written, yet some of the rest of it...i refuse to even quote.) he created so much wonderful music later, but it routinely gets ignored. (plus he wasn't a songwriter, as if that invalidates his astonishing musicality and gift of interpretation and arrangement). the movies, and critical view of them due to what they are, unfortunately do not help. this embarrassment surrounding him, the sense that his talent was squandered and his legacy tarnished, mixed with misperceptions of his character, is so ingrained in the pop cultural zeitgeist that there are always going to be people set to take him down a peg or deride him or shake their heads rather than lend any sympathy for how and why things unfolded as they did.

that video analysis i shared about the film mentioned him as this sort of quintessential american tragedy, the hollowness of the dream gone wrong, even though he was still trying so hard up to the end, still sharing that love with his audience, and i think sometimes we're uncomfortable looking at tragedy and illness and exploitation, so it's easier to ridicule or blame or turn into a joke. i also think his sincerity and emotion as a performer, the movement that came to him naturally that he couldn't switch off, the unique ways he utilized the power of his voice, read as, for lack of a better word, cringeworthy, to many, because society at large struggles with raw expression. a combination of factors thus make him an easy target. he's that halloween costume, spangles on a jumpsuit and what they erroneously view as shlocky music, or he's the worst perpetuated things, but never real, never explored or offered understanding. it's lousy and disheartening, but it unfortunately is what it is. (i can imagine only a fraction of why this stuff used to upset lisa marie the way it did.) i don't require people to be perfect to care about or be touched by them. human beings are not saints. he was flawed, he had a temper, he certainly misstepped, he made choices along the way that proved to be destructive. he was also generous and gracious and forgiving and compassionate, kind in a way that embraced people and made them feel seen and like they belonged, in a way that's still radiant in recollections, and in what we find in ourselves too.

catherine martin recently said, "elvis is a humanist. he believed in people and kindness and connection, and i think he wanted to use music to bring people together." he'd say, "i'm just a singer. i'm nobody special. do you think they'll remember me?" he always marveled that people came to see him, and held fast to that idea that the happiness and love in that connection of the music was worth something. as my friend wrote to me, there's a lot of dreck out there, but it's boring. there's no fire there, no passion. without the fire and passion you can't even get elvis at all. meanwhile, here we are, nearly fifty years later, on technology that didn't even exist while he lived, still finding reason to remember him, to wax poetic about him, to connect to him and to one another, to find that same joy and solace in the music. i have to believe that matters so much more. some of this other stuff is just useless clatter, you know? there's music and there's noise. i'll choose the music every time.

[f3ralblog]

Why Everything Isn’t and Shouldn’t be “Jazz”

I came to Pittsburgh and learned more about jazz music than I had ever anticipated learning, thanks to the rich history in the region and the stories the music itself tells. Musicians like the great Roger Humphries, Dwayne Dolphin and Ahmad Jamal who both exist in history and propel the music today. Artists like Mary Lou Williams, Stanley Turrentine and Billy Eckstine who exist through performance and the retelling of stories, in a language that can be heard, felt and explored universally: jazz.

I love the music. Unequivocally - it speaks to me on a level that very little does. It’s intellectually stimulating, emotionally charged and present-facing by its nature. Improvisation, as a form of expression, changed my life.

But when I read the word “jazz,” in publications or in descriptions of music, I can’t help but believe that the word has been diluted. The work of countless Black artists, and over a century of art, has morphed into a catch-all for music that isn’t well understood. Or soothes you during your morning commute. Or literally just contains a saxophone.

An entire American history, forgotten.

There is music that is jazz, and there is music that is not. If it’s confusing for you, great, because this train of thought haunts me daily. I don’t think I can easily define jazz music. I hear with my own ears the influence of jazz in music today and every day. The general understanding, though, is that music that developed from jazz deserves a cavalier shove under the same umbrella. That could be fine for all of the other genres. Not that it is, but that it could be.

Not this one. Not the pioneering, uniquely American achievement that is jazz music.

Pittsburgh loves its generalizations. WDVE and rock music? Synonymous - everyone knows that! They just know rock music, you know? Media and journalism - same thing right? Television news is completely unbiased! Their sources - infallible! Indisputable!

Not this one. Not the pioneering, uniquely Black American achievement that is jazz music.

My band, Feralcat and the Wild, has been called jazz. And well...I don’t think that’s quite it. More like a hyphenate. It’s easy to hear that jazz music has inspired so much of what I make. I just don’t think my work fits into that same umbrella. The wisdom of all of his past lives are available to him, but ultimately the impact Aang makes is on his present. Yes, I’m comparing myself to the Avatar, the Last Airbender.

It’s like I keep getting pulled back into a meeting that I’m desperately trying to escape from.

I think I wish, like any lifelong learner would, that more folks saw what I see in the music. I see innovation, and a bold, never-ending legacy of evolutionary storytelling. In my own lessons, I implore my students to dive into the details of the music; an effort to develop critical thinking and a historical context for the impact of black Americans on music in the 21st century.

I immediately think of Robert Glasper, who popularized blending hip-hop with jazz and soul. He has gone on to win several accolades for his work, which both takes clear direction from and diverges from “jazz.” Glasper doesn’t call the music he creates “jazz”. In a NYT interview with Nate Chinen, writer of the book Playing Changes: Jazz for the New Century, Glasper said “A lot of the time I prefer not even to say ‘jazz,’ because technically I do more than that.” He, like so many contemporary artists who have studied jazz extensively, works within his medium to ultimately evolve from jazz music.

Might I suggest using descriptors like “jazz-inspired” or “jazz-influenced” instead? Maybe use more specific sub-genres to create a clearer picture: free jazz, jazz fusion, bebop, swing, post bop, and cool jazz are all wildly different means of describing improvisational music based in jazz harmony.

Perhaps go deeper, and try to understand what about the music you’re listening to made you think of jazz. Are there rhythmic feels derived from Carribean and African musical traditions? Is there noteable individualistic expression? Are there references to the “Great American Songbook?” Use those words to describe the music you’re hearing; unless you can draw a clear line between the sounds you hear and the legacy of Bird, or Miles, or Lady Day, or any historic jazz figure. Even then, be that specific.

Jazz is dead - reborn, not resurrected.

If it lives, it lives to preserve history. If it lives, it is through its everlasting impact on the evolution of the arts.

[introtofa]

W E E K 5✦

✦ CLEARING THE AIR

Can I have an opinion? Yes. Write in first person? Yes.

Do I need references? It's a case by case basis.

When writing, you may be drawing upon not-just your own practice.

For those cases, you'll want to cite. You can choose different reference methods (cite, footnote or bibliography) but be consistent.

Overall, they're looking for: CONSIDERED, QUALITY WRITING.

Writing about YOU! How you came to be expressing what you are in the studio!

Your influences! Story! Personal context culminating into your art!

[as long as its not substituting word count] You can add drawings and maps - inspiration map?

Links for moving image works are also possible.

You can bring over some of the same references as studio; be transparent, and re-write.

Drafts in the hand in? Save your drafts, but don't hand them in.

✦ HOLLY WALKER provides some insight.

Not a 'writer' - make art so I don't have to write. I tell stories, reflect on memories, sing songs, gossip, scroll Tumblr... How can personality and the body become present in the writing. The body of work, my body of work.

Her nude works ended up getting uploaded to Pornhub. How can I engage a viewer/reader in a performance through a page, what demands can I make while my body is absent? No passive bystanders. Figuring out how to find research, practices and theorists that support and validate my voice, positionally and writing 'style'. Helpful space - Wellington Zinefest.

Artist statement technique - write down words of interest and art practice 'brain dump'. Then put these words into Google anywhere. eco feminism / women / performance art / queer theory / 1960s performance / identity / sovereignty / relational aesthetics

Julia Kristen - defined the distinction between the semiotic and symbolic aspects of language.

Capturing ephemera - language not physical, standing apart from the written word but just as valid. Theory is philosophy applied to art. Martin found he could cite Marcel Duchamp and Elvis Presley in any text he wrote.

“To say exactly what one means, even to one's own private satisfaction, is difficult. To say exactly what one means and to involve another person is harder still. Communication between you and me relies on assumptions, associations, commonalities and a kind of agreed shorthand, which no-one could precisely define but which everyone would admit exists. That is one reason why it is an effort to have a proper conversation in a foreign language. Even if I am quite fluent, even if I understand the dictionary definitions of words and phrases, I cannot rely on a shorthand with the other party, whose habit of mind is subtly different from my own. Nevertheless, all of us know of times when we have not been able to communicate in words a deep emotion and yet we know we have been understood. This can happen in the most foreign of foreign parts and it can happen in our own homes. It would seem that for most of us, most of the time, communication depends on more than words.” ― Jeanette Winterson, Art Objects: Essays on Ecstasy and Effrontery

What language do I have that is a 'shorthand'? Slang? Places? Inside jokes? Colloquial terminology? Example with a collection of specific language with partner. If it is not 'proper' language or writing by dominant western patriarchal institutional standards... Then who is it proper for? Who does it work for? Fine those citations and references... find community.

Considering critically [thoughtfully] how my [and where my] positionally presents itself in my art practice. Think about WHO I am citing. Their positionally affecting their 'citational legacy'.

Embodied knowledge also becomes - or relates to - anthropology and autobiography.

"...citations as extensions of our relational world and as a way we can acknowledge and nurture the intergenerational relationships that constitute who we are, and how we come to know." "...CALLING FORTH OUR PASTS, CITING OUR FUTURES." - Hana Burgess, Donna Cormack, Papaarangi Reid.

✦ SAMPLING IS CITATION.

TRANSLATED FROM A DECEMBER 2023 GABINETE ARTICLE (found on Instagram)

"For me the sample has the function of reframing (?), you recount the history via a new perspective [...] I find that the sample has a profound connection with black culture through its principles [...] it is based on our very own history. And the sample for me isn't just in music, it is in the argument; you can sample video, you can sample ideas, you can sample words, the way in which we created this project was entirely sampled."

'Changing the future by pairing the past with a citational footprint; to bring in the stories of others into your citation.'

"The personal is political"; "The personal is political" ;"The personal is political"; Citing by citations citing other citations. Using a font created by a woman to write with further feminist embodiment.

[x----tine]

Last month, the exhibition Beautiful Fish in a Man-Made Pond was hung across the historic Wolhstetter house in L.A., the home originally designed for the arms strategist who inspired Stanley Kubrick’s Dr. Strangelove. The group show, presented by Amity, features artworks whose subjects beget other memories and associations, which the artists have tried to reimagine through a contemporary lens. This is the case for Cristine Brache and Łukasz Stokłosa, whose paintings focus in on the storied legacy of Playboy bunnies and the palatial estates of Europe’s former aristocrats, respectively. Their paintings are animated by the same morbid fascination with things that have an objective aesthetic value, but are haunted by sad and broken histories. “It feels beautiful, even if it is horrible too,” says Brache, who’s also publishing a book of poetry with Wonder Press this Summer. ” It’s important to remember that there are both sides in that image. It’s both bad and good, so it’s always your place to decide which side you are on,” echoes Stoklosa. After the group show opened, the two artists got on Zoom to talk about the how their works intersect, the disturbing legacy of Ludwig II of Bavaria, and the outbreak of demonic nun possessions in France that continues to fascinate Brache.

———

CRISTINE BRACHE: I was really happy to be introduced to your paintings. They’re very beautiful.

ŁUKASZ STOKŁOSA: I love your works, too. 

BRACHE: The work is pretty haunted on both ends. 

STOKŁOSA: Yes, and we often use similar sources. You also use vintage footage, right? 

BRACHE: I generate my own. For some of these recent ones I used A.I. I was referencing the older film stills and then making them look how I wanted using the aesthetic of the still itself. But the work is very cinematic in terms of storytelling and frames, in order to really capture a feeling.

STOKŁOSA: Yeah. So, we have that in common.

BRACHE: Yours feel a bit noir.

STOKŁOSA: Yes. It starts from this dark movie feeling, this foggy, shadowy aesthetic. Usually I use a brighter background and then recreate it on canvas. Basically, combining some footage I found, and then recreating it in the aesthetic I want to achieve on canvas. 

BRACHE: Do you have a solo show now in Dallas? 

STOKŁOSA: Yes, I do.

Photo courtesy of Cristine Brache.

BRACHE: Congrats. For that show, does it all feel like one made-up movie in your head? 

STOKŁOSA: The title of the exhibition was borrowed from the movie, Cries and Whispers, by [Ingmar] Bergman. The atmosphere of the exhibition was inspired by the movie, and I often work like that.

BRACHE: Do you like movies a lot?

STOKŁOSA: Yes. At this show in L.A. there’s going to be a painting from the TV show, Dynasty.

BRACHE: Oh, cool.

STOKŁOSA: It’s of the cake from the wedding. I watched it when I was a kid, so it kind of defined my aesthetic choices, this flamboyant, super wealthy interior and designs. Then I watched Marie Antoinette by Sofia Coppola, and it brings me this feeling that the spaces we visit, the palaces and museums, are not only these beautiful objects we look at, but have very dark stories behind them. But it starts from movies and pop culture.

Łukasz Stokłosa, Dynasty, 2024, oil on canvas, 40×30 cm.

BRACHE: Cool.

STOKŁOSA: I see that you have one of your works behind you. What’s the subject?

BRACHE: It’s continued from my series that I did at NADA in December, which was starting with Dorothy Stratten and the Playboy Bunnies. That one’s called Purple Bunnies. I used A.I. to change the image and colors. The symbol of a woman in a bunny suit is very particular. I love Dorothy Stratten, and her biography is so tragic. I was thinking about how people perform, and I use the word performance very loosely, but the performance of how we exist on a day-to-day basis, the different layers of strata that we have with our own privacy in our own personal lives, then what goes out to the exterior. Like, she was always smiling and super happy but then at home, it was a horror. That dynamic is something I’ve been thematically mining since I started making work. When I look at the image of a woman in a bunny suit, it’s obviously manufactured for straight men. It started this mass objectification of women in this specific way that didn’t really exist before Playboy. But it looks very beautiful, so it’s complicated. But those are encaustic works. I work with silk and ink, and then I embed the silk and encaustic, and then paint oil layers on top of that. So it’s a combination of different media. And encaustic makes silk turn transparent. So the ink then floats in this one-millimeter layer, and then on top of that is the glaze. It refracts the light in a vibrant way that looks different from regular oil paintings.

STOKŁOSA: When you were talking about these beautiful images of the bunny costume, it reminded me of working with gay pornography, because I also paint these paintings with boys. It’s very similar because we have those very sexy, beautiful situations, but you know what is behind them. But I usually always use vintage porn for my work. And the interesting thing is that, at one time, that was the only place where you could see men kissing on screen, and it was accessible. So it was a place of liberation. But on the other hand, you have this exploitation of people who were basically forced to do that because of a lack of money. It’s both a feeling that something is wrong, but also that it’s so interesting and beautiful.

BRACHE: Right. It’s such a compelling feeling, to position yourself between those two spaces. Being able to hold both things that are in direct opposition to my constitution is very complex. It feels beautiful, even if it is horrible too. But comfort in discomfort is very important. Otherwise the world becomes very boring, very fast. It also betrays humanity because we all have that range within us, in some capacity. 

STOKŁOSA: Yes. It’s important to remember that there are both sides in that image. It’s both bad and good, so it’s always your place to decide which side you are on. Sometimes, it’s impossible.

Cristine Brache. Talent Showcase. 32.75 x 26.25 x 1 5/8”. Oil, ink, and encaustic on silk and wood.

BRACHE: Yeah. Sometimes it depends on my mood, too. It’s like, “Today I’m tired of feeling objectified, and I feel all of this is violence, and I don’t like it.” But then other times, it’s like, “Oh, please objectify me..”

STOKŁOSA: Yeah. I feel the same.

BRACHE: That’s normal. Nobody wants to be objectified all the time. I don’t enjoy that, but sometimes it feels nice to be an object of someone else’s affection. 

STOKŁOSA: Again, it’s this public and private situation where sometimes you are forced to be in public, but you don’t want to be. 

BRACHE: Yeah, you put on the mask and perform it.

STOKŁOSA: So again, we are back in Versailles. You have to be public as a queen, but you’re this ordinary person who has feelings too. It’s not only the beautiful gold front, it’s something behind those horrible stories.

BRACHE: It’s what it takes to make that industry of the castle operate, to make it function on that very high standard of living at that time in particular. Do you have a favorite queen or king that you’re most obsessed with?

STOKŁOSA: I was obsessed with Ludwig II. He ruled in Bavaria in the late 19th century and he was responsible for those fairytale castles in the Alps. One of the Disney castles was inspired by him. It was a very tragic story because he was insane and very shy and probably gay. He was building all those palaces only for himself, he avoided people altogether. Eventually, he was killed by his servants, they drowned him in the lake.

BRACHE: Oh, wow.

STOKŁOSA: I was obsessed with the castles. Some of them were built with very modern techniques but look medieval. One was a copy of Versailles because he was obsessed with Louis XIV. It was basically a monument for him. 

Amity exhibition Beautiful Fish in a Man-Made Pond at the Wohlstetter house designed by Josef Van der Kar, photograph by Evan Walsh.

BRACHE: Have you been there?

STOKŁOSA: Yes, a couple years ago. It’s on an island. It’s an exact copy of Versailles.

BRACHE: That’s wild. Personally I’m obsessed with The Devils of Loudun from France in the 17th century. Ken Russell made a movie about them called The Devils, and there’s a Polish movie about the same nun called Matka Joanna. Her name was Joan. There was a case of possession in the convents and it was an epidemic, way before the Salem witch trials. But French possessions were way more sexual than the Puritanical ones of America. So this nun, Joan, supposedly signed a pact with the devil, Grandier, the mayor of the town. There was a sex pact, and then she started behaving like she was possessed. I mean, she was for sure possessed, but I don’t know by what. 

STOKŁOSA: By herself maybe? I watched this Polish movie about her, it was based on the novel by Jarosław Iwaszkiewicz [Mother Joan of the Angels].

BRACHE: Aldous Huxley wrote about it too. That’s the book that Ken Russell’s movie is based on. Ken Russell’s is the campy version, and then the Polish version is more elegant.

STOKŁOSA: Yes. It’s from the ‘50s or ‘60s, it’s black and white. 

BRACHE: Yeah. I spent some time in Poland. My ex is Polish, so I was in Szczecin and Krakow. I never went to Warsaw. 

STOKŁOSA: I’m from Krakow.

BRACHE: I liked it there.

STOKŁOSA: When was that?

BRACHE: 2011. A long time ago now, just after my graduation. What’s your favorite part of Poland?

STOKŁOSA: Krakow, of course. It has everything that I need. There is an airport, so I can go everywhere. The architecture is nice, and it’s varied in different parts of the city. I have my friends there, so it’s a good place to live. How long have you been in New York? 

BRACHE: I’ve been here since COVID, really. I moved from Canada. I was in Canada for four years. Before that, I was in London. I did my master’s there, and before that, I lived in China for two-and-a-half years. Before that, I was traveling around Europe. I was squatting in London, and I was squatting in Greece, and I hitchhiked from Athens to the center of Turkey, and I lived in Turkey for two months. I basically left the US with two-grand and bought a one-way ticket. 

STOKŁOSA: Whoa! That’s great.

BRACHE: Yeah. I wound up in China, and I was so broke when I got there. It was crazy, but it was a really great experience. That’s when I was in Poland as well. I spent a lot of time in East Germany and Berlin, all up and down Dresden and Leipzig. I drove through the Alps, and I went to Gruyere in Switzerland. That place also looked like Disney World. It was beautiful, the little villages. It looked fake to me, but it was real.

Cristine Brache, Almost Blue. 14 x 17.5 x 1 5/8”. Oil, ink and encaustic on cotton and wood, 2024.

STOKŁOSA: Sometimes all those castles and palaces look fake. You mentioned Dresden. For me it looks like a castle or palace from Beauty and the Beast. 

BRACHE: It’s crazy. What are you showing in Los Angeles?

STOKŁOSA: There’s going to be one picture from Dynasty and the other is Armor from Vienna. It’s renaissance armor and it’s gold shiny objects. For me it’s about masculinity and oppression and the situation when you’re wearing this metal object and it’s defining your position and shape of your body. It’s very oppressive but on the other hand, it’s so beautiful and shiny and you are this prince on the horse.

BRACHE: That’s funny. I’m understanding Jed [Moch’s, the curator] thinking more with putting our paintings in the same room, because I am showing those bunny works. The bunny suit is definitely a kind of armor. They used to tie the corsets so tight. I mean, my work’s very feminine and yours is very masculine, but it’s masculine in a soft way. It’s like a non-toxic masculinity. People usually think of masculinity as toxic nowadays, but it’s very beautiful, too. When it’s not toxic.

STOKŁOSA: Yes. Both masculinity and femininity are defined by the same oppressive rules of society. We both are victims of that.

BRACHE: For sure. There’s definitely toxic femininity, too. There’s a yin and yang between our work. 

Amity exhibition Beautiful Fish in a Man-Made Pond at the Wohlstetter house designed by Josef Van der Kar, photograph by Evan Walsh.

[followfire]

So I intended to do a small analysis of Jean’s Sea Breeze Dandelion skin, but then it turned into a longer (yet incomplete, there’d be more to say) analysis of Jean’s skin AND default outfit (here by default I mean both Favonian Devotion and Gunnhildr’s Legacy, as it is more about comparing them with the summer skin)…

But before I start with the actual analysis I wanted to tackle……. I feel obligated to complain about those designs first…… :) …… As much as I love this game, I have a lot of anger and frustration inside me concerning some Genshin character designs :)

Jean is visually nerfed.

Some things about her design were made just for fan service purposes, there’s no other explanation. Some things don’t even make sense. Jean is a knight, the leader of the knights, even. Character designers were tasked to design a knight. What did they think about first? …Hmm armor? Yes, let’s put some of it, like… on her hands… ok that should be enough… and then… A low-cut neckline. 

ಠ_ಠ 

What is the second thing we should think about when designing a knight? Oh I know! High heels.

ಠ_ಠ

There is absolutely no narrative purpose behind those choices. It doesn’t make sense practically speaking, and it doesn’t even suit her personality.

And I know we could argue that it’s because it’s Genshin’s artistic direction, that’s what they do, they tend to show a bit more skin than necessary, that’s what they want their game to look like. But the reason I find it so frustrating is that I think it really does a disservice to some characters, where other (male) characters don’t have to suffer from it.

The reason why I say that Jean is visually nerfed is because she doesn’t look as strong as she should when compared with Diluc for example. Jean and Diluc are both presented early as potentially the strongest fighters in Mondstadt, and the two pillars and protectors of the city. But when you put them side by side, Diluc is visibly taller, buffer, stronger, plus he’s got action cutscenes, which Jean doesn’t have. Jean is a twig, compared to him, and the high heels really don’t help in that regard. They tell you that Jean is strong, but they don’t show you.

Then again, maybe it’s not that big of a problem as I think it does fit them in some way… Diluc wields a greatsword, he jumps into a fight screaming “retribution!!!”, he’s more likely to use violence as a means to solve his problems, whereas Jean is more pacifistic and her most defining strengths don’t lie in her abilities in battle. But still! She does possess those abilities in battle! But the way she is presented to us, compared to Diluc, doesn’t help to understand how strong she is. If you put Jean and Diluc side by side, you might not think that they’re equals. You might think that Jean and her high heels are not as fitted to protect Mondstadt as Diluc is.

And then the skins arrived.

And don’t get me wrong, I like Jean’s skin. It is pretty and there are interesting things to say about it. I just think that if we’re going to have only one skin per character, it is a pity that Jean’s be a beach outfit. She could have had a stunning ceremonial knight outfit, for example, or a cool full armor outfit, but instead, she ends up with a beach outfit, because she went to the beach once in her life! Meanwhile… Diluc’s skin is extremely cool and makes him look even more like a warrior than he usually does. :)

I’m just saying that all characters are not treated exactly the same way… Jean doesn’t even look comfortable with her skin in game!! It’s like the person who wrote Jean just received a skin, realized it wasn’t fitting and tried to send it back, got denied and had to make do.

That being said, we can now talk about the designs themselves :)

(disclaimer: I don’t have Jean (i’m dying inside t-t) so I don’t have her design right under my eyes everyday as I would like to…)

Jean’s default outfit

Jean’s outfit is simply a knight’s uniform. There doesn’t really seem to be a “uniform” per se among the knights (playable ones, at least) as everyone has their own version of the thing, but it’s as close as a uniform as can be. It’s all about being a knight.

She has the golden marks that give off a royal vibe, to signify that she is a leader of the knights. That aspect is also supported by the other colors: she wears a lot of white, which goes with the “white knight” aspect of her character, but also a lot of dark blue, and I think it’s because too much white could make her look a bit naive. A darker color strengthens the feeling of maturity and authority, as it almost looks like a blazer or a formal wear like the thing you’d wear in an office to look professional.

She has the dandelion brooch thing, probably as a symbol of her title of Dandelion Knight.

She has a kind of belt, that is dangling sideway… Which is obviously meant to be a sheath but as she doesn’t need one, it is kinda useless and makes it look a bit like a crooked belt holding her Vision, but still, it is a knightly thing.

Everything is practical, everything is a knight thing. There is nothing personal to see, it’s a uniform.

Except for the black ribbon in her hair, that somehow doesn’t fit that much with the rest. It doesn’t say “knight” like the rest does, nor does it feel particularly practical. I might be spinning my wheels on this, but it seems to also be discretely set apart by its color: I kind of feel like the expected thing to do would be to have the ribbon the same color as the rest of her outfit, so dark blue, but it’s actually a slightly warm black, almost reddish? And it’s rather strange to have it be a different color, that she doesn’t even have somewhere else on her. I don’t know it it’s just me not seeing it right. The ribbon oddly feels like a personal choice. (and it does reflect the softer, warmer side of Jean. You don’t understand Jean if you only see a knight with authority.)

Jean’s summer skin

So first and foremost, it’s important to note that it’s not Jean herself who chose this outfit, but all the people who appreciate her who teamed up to create it for her (Barbara, Lisa, Kaeya, Diluc, Amber, Albedo, Klee, Noelle).

Also, she still has the ribbon. A lot of things were tossed aside, but not the ribbon. It’s not the same one though, but it still makes it look rather important and well-affectioned.

Her outfit is stil mostly blue, but it’s not the same blue and it conveys a completely different vibe. It’s become a more humble, calmer blue, with no trace of the authority that she used to harbor.

There is a small ornament in the shape of a turtle. There hasn’t really been a definitive meaning about it, but the way I see it, it could have a link to the pet tortoise Jean talked about during the archon quest, where Diluc said he used to have one too. So it could be a reference to her/their childhood and days when things used to be simpler. Also, I really think a turtle or a tortoise is a fitting animal for Jean. Her constellation is a lion, but the thing is… she doesn’t want to be a lion? She is a lion because it’s her duty, but I think a tortoise also fits her personality and the fact that she’d rather be a shield than a sword. So really I’m going a bit far with it, but I headcanon it as a really sweet thing that could only be added by people who know Jean for who she is personally and not just as a knight, and know what she genuinely likes.

There is a flower pattern drawn on the outfit, that looks like a windwheel aster, a typical Mondstadt flower. But there is no dandelion. The dandelion would be Jean’s flower, but it’s also the flower that represents her duty as the Dandelion Knight. The dandelions are said to carry people’s wishes, which is exactly what Jean is all about: carrying all mondstadters’ wishes. The windwheel aster, on the other hand, doesn’t have any duty of the sort. It’s just chilling in the wind! It looks like a toy. It totally makes sense for all the people who participated in the making of the outfit to decide to put the dandelion aside, and replace it by a funnier, less duty bound flower. They do want it to be a holiday outfit after all.

Then there are the roses sewn by Lisa. Erm… Roses have never been used as a symbol for Jean, so it is still there as a symbol of Lisa. On Jean. Lisa deliberately decided to sew her roses on the outfit… On Jean’s thigh… I don’t know it’s kind of hard not to see any romance insinuation here but you know, historians will say they were best friends

There is one element that I’m not sure what to think about though… It’s the chain to which her Vision is attached. It used to be a small chain on her default outfit, that didn’t really look like a chain per se, just a metallic thing to hold her Vision… but here it really looks like a chain. All the other things are ribbons and flowers and light and breezy things, and then there’s a chain. I don’t know why. The only thing I could think about is that Diluc also has chains on his outfit and later his skin, so maybe it’s Diluc’s aesthetic that made its way there, like Lisa with her roses but why though? It feels kinda counterproductive to the whole vibe of the thing…

Soooo… As much as I dislike the idea that the only Jean outfit we get could be a bathing suit… I have to admit that the meaning behind it with everyone making an effort to toss aside anything that has a link with responsibility and duty is very heartwarming ( •̯́ ^ •̯̀) It shows what Jean’s colleagues and friends think of her: they respect her as a knight and leader, but they appreciate her as a person, and they wanted to give her something that she would never indulge by herself.

And I really like how her two outfits complete each other, with the skin being a holiday outfit with all duty related elements removed, thus showing how much everything on her usual outfit is actually meant to be about knighthood and responsibility and nothing personal.