#but that one needs actual research

[peppermintfables]

On Monsters

So both Black Sails and One Piece have monsters as a theme (and so do many other pirate shows. Being a pirate and and being a monster are almost irrevocably linked). And since Im obsessed with both and no one else has magically written the exact essay I want I suppose I have to do it myself. The world is a cruel and unfair place.

Generally a monster is defined by two things. First of all they exist outside the norm/ society and secondly they are evil. Stories that deal with monsters as a theme are usually challenge one of those. What if monsters are evil but they also exist within society. Or in fact are more likely to exist as part of one? What if monsters are solely defined by their separation from society without them having to actually be bad and are often in fact only seen as evil because if condition one is true, condition two is presumed true as well. I think on this website we often go with the second option. I dont think I have to tell anyone here is a trend of looking at monsters and going „they are actually so nice and also my friend and we bake cookies and overthrow the government together“. Something something queerness and otherness. Smarter people have written smarter stuff than me and also i just want to talk about gay pirates.

I think the portrayal of monsters in One Piece and Black Sails is both very similar and has some difference that Im not quite able to pinpoint yet (which is why Im doing this in the first place). I think in both cases its about choice. Not only the choice to be a monster but the choice of what kind of monster you’re going to be.

The tag line of Black Sails’ monster theme is probably “Everyone is a monster to someone”. But that’s not where we start. We start with this:

“Monster” is not a thing you are. Monster is a narrative role other people put you in for their own benefit. It’s a tool used against you.

In comparison in One Piece we have this:

Chopper has been thrown out of reindeer and human society for not fitting in (and thus being a monster) and here we have Sanji calling Luffy a monster like it’s empowering. Luffy can fight *because* he’s a monster. And for the first time Chopper can see being a monster as something worthwhile and like he, a monster, maybe has a place amongst other monsters. And while in this scene Sanji is talking about Luffy specifically being a rubber-man and that being more of a monster in a physical sense (and doesn’t Sanji of all people saying that hit different now) we have plenty of scenes that talk about a different aspect. Specifically Usopp calling the monster trio monsters because they know no fear and are also maniacs who love fighting. Id argue that here too is a monster something positive and powerful to be.

Maybe that is the difference I was looking for. Black Sails starting with the term monster as something other people put on you and One piece starting with strength coming from monsterousness. I feel like that is also indicative of each shows tone and attitude towards piracy. So where do we go from here?

In Black Sails we are getting to “Everyone is a monster to someone” with Abigail realizing that pirates arent as inhuman and cruel as she was led to believe. Monster continues to be a narrative role but turns out civilization is not the only one telling stories. We are going towards “maybe monsters are within society as well.” And then we have Flint being iconic:

There it is! Choice! Power! So long society tries to frame Flint as a monster and they go to Ashe and Ashe is like “We can make you not the monster. You just have to tell your life story and that will make you vulnerable enough that people will see you as a person”. And Flint, who would rather have been seen as a monster than apologize, goes “This sucks but okay”. And then Miranda happens. Monsters *are* within society as well. Everyone is a monster to someone and you have the choice to make: Who are you going to be a monster to and what kind of monster will you be? And Flint takes that narrative role that people have tried to assign to him and makes it his own. He makes it into something that gives him power. Because if he’s going to be a monster either way he’s going to be one on his own terms. Im going to go insane.

Number one being Chopper choosing to be a monster.

Look at my boy go! Again: Embracing the monster you are, but making it your own. He’s doing it for his captain not just bc the Strawhats would do pretty much everything for their captain but bc it’s okay to be a monster amongst other monsters. Because that’s where he first learned that being a monster can be not just not bad but a good thing.

And then there’s Sanji. It’s kind of hard to analyze it because I absolutely do not think that Sanji’s arc concerning his modifications is over yet but let’s take a look at what we’ve got so far.

So in conclusion: It’s about being the monster you choose to be instead of the monster others want to make you and Im crying.

[wildflowercryptid]

i'm about to pass out at my desk, but have this stupid ass doodle i did before i go sleep.

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

hope you feel better soon!

I am riddled with ailments, but I stay silly!

[astrhae]

"Again," Wylan said, and when Jesper opened his mouth to take another breath, Wylan leaned forward and kissed him.

SHADOW AND BONE SEASON 2 + a definitive guide to all wesper kisses

[icewindandboringhorror]

I made a few new wax seal stamps out of clay (like the ones I did for my worldbuilding stuff forever ago), this time just of random symbols that I thought might look good done in the style of painting over the raised part of the wax or etc. :0c Some of them aren't carved deep enough to really show up that well, but overall they worked okay for being clay lol

[uhbasicallyjustmilex]

x

[stuckinapril]

It’s never overstated to me when people are like “work out bc it makes you feel better” bc it literally does. I think what I used to get hung up on is making the perfect schedule / wanting to know what I was doing right away. But it’s also okay to flounder at first and experiment w things and figure out what works for you and your body. The important thing is you’re starting out bc your body really will thank you for it later down the line. You cannot keep pushing it off it will add up

[revolutionsingingintherainnn]

yknow, for all those people who use “3x wdc winner vs 3x race winner” as an insult, i don’t think you realise that that’s not exactly an insult.

yes, it’s true that max is a 3x wdc winner, that’s why he’s one of the best. that’s why he’s one of the most respected drivers. he’s got the talent, and he’s got the fast car.

and yes, it’s also true that lando is a 3x race winner, that’s because he just got a fast car. he’s learning. he’s adapting. he’s made mistakes, on and off track, but he’s learning. and the fact that in his first year of getting a fast car, he’s p2 in a wdc is amazing.

max has had a fast car for a long time. he has adapted to that as well. he knows his weaknesses and strengths, and he learns from it and uses it to his advantage. he’s had that time to learn to be in a fast car and win races. i’m not discrediting him. i’m saying that, as every other human on earth, he learned from his mistakes and he’s doing extremely well.

lando got a fast car this year. not even the whole season, in fact. he hasn’t had time to adapt to having a fast car after driving a mid field car for five and a half years. he’s still in that process of adapting. he’s making mistakes, but he will learn from them. he said he needed to work on his qualifying last year, and this year, he’s got 7 poles in total. he’s amongst the few mclaren drivers who have gotten more than 5 poles in one season. that’s an achievement of its own. he knows that he needs to work on his starts. you best believe that next year, he’ll be so much better at it.

he knows that this season he made some mistakes off track as well. but, as compared to the start of the season and now, he’s gotten much more mature, and much better at using his words correctly. the current situation about him saying it was luck was taken completely out of context. but, haters have a small brain, and a low attention span, so they won’t watch the entire interview.

max has had way more experience than lando has. to use that “3x wdc winner vs 3x race winner” for a duo where one has significantly more experience than other, not just in a fast car, but also in f1 overall, seems stupid to me.

max won his first race in 2016. and then, he won his first wdc in 2021. sure, lando has a fast car now, but to put an unrealistic expectation on him to be on par with the greatest f1 drivers almost immediately after he wins his first race is a little too much.

this constant need of people to belittle these drivers, whether its lando or max or literally any other driver, is so surprising to me, because none of yall would even be able to drive an f1 car in clean air for one lap, let alone a full race. especially, not at a speed that they do.

these are my opinions. if you don’t agree, please fuck right off. if you send me hate, i will block you. i don’t give a fuck. if you have something to add or have a counter argument, you’re free to do so respectfully.

[pain-in-the-butler]

A compilation of art for my Dadbastian fanfic Coattails that I commissioned from the incredibly talented @tomoyoo! They went above and beyond with the details... Each picture feels as cozy and warm as a storybook, right? I'm so delighted with how they turned out!! Thank you for making each one so beautiful! 🥹🥹🥹

[cent-scratchnsniff]

it was just going to be a few warmup doodles but then she infected the rest of the page like the ever eternal and spreading spores. hod!!! hod. hod :)

[bayetea]

I'm a strong "percy would get a job in education/outreach to underprivileged kids in the future" truther but I don't necessarily agree with people who say that him taking on marine biology as a college major doesn't make sense at all

"why would he study marine biology he can already work with sea animals to his heart's desire" I don't know maybe because he wants to get paid???????? he wants a normal job???? percy grew up poor and unsafe. why is it weird that he craves stability with a career that enables him to do something that he loves? or maybe he wants to go into the system and help bring about lasting reform that will actually improve care for sea creatures??? yes he can save sea animals on his own time but think about it. is it better to abandon his life in the middle of the night to go help a trapped sea creature Every Single Time it happens or is it better to enter the system and make it so that capitalists stop polluting water or disturbing sea ecosystems for profit. his powers as a son of poseidon are a band-aid not a lasting solution to systemic environmental neglect and decay. he has an established precedent of caring for bringing about systemic change (see: turning down immortality) and for me this is no different (I just personally headcanon him wanting to bring change for disadvantaged kids but whatever)

to me this logic is like telling an exceptional artist that there's no point in going to art school to become a professional when they can already just do art on their own time for fun. like yeah....... if you're content with doing that as just a hobby. but what if you want to become an even better artist and learn new skills. what if you want to do it as a job that pays you and gives you health insurance and social security. then what

for me the main logistical issue of him majoring in marine biology has never been that he would never do that it's that the intersection of new rome college accreditation to the Actual Real world isn't all that clear/logistically sound. like I guess the mist can handle anything but what impact is new rome going to be able to have on the realm of mortals. this would be a nice thing to discuss actually (more in tags)

[lies-unfurl]

"Bucky After The Great SamBucky Breakup" moodboard

[sforzesco]

Slavery and Roman Literary Culture, Sandra R. Joshel

[kittykatninja321]

See the reason why I will always be down with the poc Jason headcanon is because I look at the way his lashing out as a grieving child gets interpreted/demonized as “anger issues”, and the way Bruce at times projected “anger issues” onto him that weren’t actually there and also immediately assumed that Jason was bound to become a dangerous criminal unless he intervened despite the fact that Jason was just trying to survive and said himself that he “didn’t wanna be a crook” and didn’t show violent inclinations until AFTER he became Robin and I go “idk, sounds kinda racialized to me buddy, hitting you with the melanin beam”. Now we know the real reason for this is classism but classism and racism are right next to each other on the periodic table so it doesn’t not fit yknow?

[brainrotcharacters]

My Favorite Line In The Show

that line with that expression with that hand angle? oh you just know they did it