#but yeah

[eliwatchesf1alot]

no race weekend:

realised we have a race weekend next week

then the week after that

and the week after that also

but then it will be over

all the exictement

whoever you rooted for will either win or lose

championships will be won

tears will be shed

losses will be greived

some drivers will leave

some will stay

some we'll meet again in different colours

and some we'll see another day

the practice runs

the team orders

the clashes and crashes

the expectations and the surprises

the broken hopes and the fulfilled wishes

the rain

the sun

we did it all

for it to come to this

for the fireworks

for the team hugs

for the smiles

through these miles

for the tears

through these years

for the trophy

for the story

for the glory

[chelledoggo]

[beatleswings]

Carmen is such a mood.

[vintagerobin]

From The Batman Who Laughs. Bruce and Alfred's conversation at the very end of this story is entirely about this topic (as well as about how BWL's motivation differs from both of them).

I think the reason I dislike the Joker being given backstory is not that I don't want to feel sympathy for the Joker (I mean, that's a small part of it) but rather that I think it undermines the point of the Joker. I don't mean as a character with motivations, I mean narratively. Others have probably said this before, and better than I'm about to, but this is my blog and I'm going to ramble.

The whole point of the Joker that some writers seem to miss (especially films! films are ADDICTED to backstory for some reason) is that there IS no real reason. He's a primary antagonist because his entire schtick is that nothing matters, and that's funny as hell. He can treat people's lives as a joke because they don't mean anything.

Bruce, or Batman, as the protagonist is the exact opposite of this. The motivation to save others from what happened to him as a child is rooted in this concrete, fundamental-to-Batman truth: everything matters. This is why Bruce's parents dying in a random act of violence in a before-then obscure alley has had such staying power: it wasn't a massive event that changed the lives of dozens or hundreds. It was a small thing, a statistic in the grand scheme of violent crime, with no real motive other than desperation or greed. And it changed someone's life completely. For Batman, the hundreds of small acts that fill a patrol all matter because each person does.

Joker's obsession with Batman hinges on him believing the exact opposite, and trying to convince him that he's wrong, and that THE joke is that nothing matters at all-- walking away from a victim and torturing a victim have the same moral weight because there is no moral weight. The point isn't to be the most evil or the most cruel, the point is to prove that it's all pointless.

In a way, this means Joker's greatest ally is the apathy of Gotham. Every person who turns away or keeps walking with their head down and claims "not my problem" supports his claim that nothing matters, because Gotham is proving by inaction that it's pointless unless it impacts them personally. Nobody else matters unless I do, and then it's too late. Do I think Joker's crimes are Gotham's fault, narratively and within their fictional world? Not exactly. But I do think Joker isn't actually an embodiment of chaos but is a representative of what Batman is actually fighting against: a Gotham that doesn't care.

Batman's existence is a defiance of this. His work, masked and unrewarded, is a symbol of the fact that no wealth, no material comfort, no border of security, no past trauma, no law, no excuse justifies not caring. Every life matters, even if it isn't your own, even if it's a stranger. He can't kill Joker in-world because of his moral stance on killing. He can't kill Joker narratively because Gotham won't kill Joker. Batman's driving core is a relentless anti-apathy, and Gotham's current collective social spirit is that they are helpless and not responsible for it.

Joker thinks it's funny that anyone would care, and Batman thinks someone not caring is the opposite of funny. Caring can often hurt, but it isn't pointless. Every single life saved or lost creates a ripple effect that matters and hurts or helps others. Each victim Joker encounters is met with the same presupposition: "I can hurt you and it doesn't mean anything because you're nobody. It doesn't hurt Gotham because Gotham isn't anyone."

Every person Batman saves is saved by the same presupposition: "If I can save you, it's like saving all of Gotham. Everyone matters...because each single life matters."

The more people that build their lives on caring regardless of how they think it impacts them personally, the less sway the Joker has. Every person who shuns apathy is another person who will fight back against the Joker's Chief Joke: It doesn't matter.

And they fight back best by, like Batman, looking at each individual they come in contact with and deciding, "Yes, this one matters."

[abyssal-ilk]

how are you liking Veilguard so far?

i'm liking it!! the environments are gorgeous, the combat is fun, i'm liking all of the companions we have been given, and it's just good to be playing another dragon age game after so long. it's definitely not a perfect game by any means but i'm taking my wins where i can. i'm having fun playing it even if i don't exactly love at a lot of the writing choices, and maybe i'll write out proper critiques when ive finished the game?? but for now im chilling.

[skyward-floored]

@vaegtersang mentioned Zora yesterday, so I doodled a bunch :) still trying to figure out what I want swamp Link’s Zora to look like. The fellow in the bottom right corner of the first picture is the best example of my musings lol

They still need a little work I think, but I like the general vibe I ended up with! Think they need to look a little more swampy, but I’ve got a good base look at least. I mostly took inspiration from the albw Zora, as well as some concept sketches of the botw ones.

[achillesleftheel]

How are you coping with ArcaneAct II Cas??

Me: pew

[sophia-helix]

in a funny coincidence,

[nogenderonlychair]

Is anyone going to talk about how this is probably the first time in years Logan hasn’t worn his suit underneath his clothes

[ryuzumisama]

Chilchuck Timbs 👞

[ochiody]

what if penelope was in love in paradise

[allebooklover]

That actually reminds me - basketball gang from Ghost in the Shell.

Knows the existence of yeerks and animorphs:

- they talked about yeerks, aliens and animorphs for most of the scene. They know that aliens are real and that yeerks are slug shaped aliens that infest people who tried to take over earth, and seem to know the basics of what went down.

- from what they mentioned during the convo, we know that they know that animorphs are kids who can shapeshift with the help of alien tech (and other aliens) that stopped the evil body snatching alien slugs from taking over earth. They also know one of the animorphs is Tom’s kid brother Jake.

Not a Zombie reader (or highly involved in the war):

- the named characters do not seem to have been infested. G.T asks him outright what being infested was like (implying he’s not been infested before), Dante shares a story about his gf’s mom being infested but not himself, Kit wasn’t at Ground Zero due to college. The others also stay quiet regarding whether or not they’ve been infested.

- As their main purpose in that scene seems to be ‘civilians catching up with an ex-pow after war ends) it’s probably safe to assume that they’ve not been infested at least during their time in high school - or if they had been infested, they chose not to bring it up to the others.

- Tom never met them in the time he was infested, and I’m pretty sure if they got infested they also would’ve left the team to go to the Sharing like Tom was made to do. Doesn’t mean much considering that Tom’s younger then all of them which means they could’ve been infested after they graduated or gone involuntary near the end of the war, but either way Tom is likely to assume they weren’t a Zombie unless he comes across their names on his List of ex-Hosts or they volunteer the information themselves.

Others:

- Tom’s not willing to share a lot of things with Jake and his parents that he’s willing to share with the reader (because he’s protective of their mental wellbeing? Especially Jake - Tom’s not willing to share how their attempts to prevent casualties didn’t exactly work out well). Can’t be Eva or Bonnie because they’re both Zombies and he’s less defensive around them, Bonnie especially, compared to the reader. Too much responsibility for the Mind Over Matter group to rely on them completely, and they’re all also Zombies which wouldn’t fit the bill. That leaves the peer/friend group of basketball players as the most likely people to be talking to, because opening up to peers can be a lot less stressful than opening up to people whom you’ve got emotional incentive to appear perfectly fine to.

- They were his hangout group before he got infested and the yeerk made him quit to join the Sharing/punishment for acting out, so they knew him before everything went down, and from the scene we see that both sides are trying to reconnect. Sharing what he’s been up to after the war could be a way to do that.

- They don’t seem hostile to Jake. They also don’t idolize Jake either - from Kit’s reminder I’m assuming that they view him as Tom’s little brother who just so happened to also be a key part of the war (and also failed tryouts). Considering the huge amount of people that have it out for Jake due to what he did during the war or want him for his morphing powers/first contact experience with aliens, that’s gotta be a big up in Tom’s eyes.

- They’re not hostile to ex-Hosts, believe in their story, and are trying to find out more (G.T. Asking what the experience as a prisoner getting yeerked was like). For Tom who’s a keystone in Mind Over Matter, that’s also got to be a point up, but because the basketball group also don’t understand why, it would explain the defensiveness as well.

- He’s not directly responsible for getting them back on their feet and ensuring they stay there, and vice versa. They don’t treat him like glass - they’re working on accepting him as is. Makes opening up about the truly nasty stuff a lot easier.

Could be all of the group, but Kit in particular is who I headcanon Tom to be writing to because 1) he’s rarely in Santa Barbara so he wouldn’t know anything that’s happening in Santa Barbara and writing letters about what they’re both up to is a way to keep contact, 2) is the only civilian that Tom isn’t related to whom he’s up to date on after the war (Tom doesn’t mention what the others are up to but knows Kit left for college and rarely came back to Santa Barbara - Kit’s the only civilian he’s got knowledge of what they’re doing after/during the war), 3) one who Tom seems the closest to (Kit is the first person mentioned in the scene by calling Tom over, helped smooth over awkwardness between Tom and the others, recalls Jake as Tom’s little brother) 3) will step in when needed verbally (like when he updates Tom on what the others were talking about while Tom was lost in realisation), but otherwise leaves it up to Tom to handle himself. Second would be Ari because he’s the one who talks most in that scene and is the one to get Tom a drink, but Kit first and foremost because of the aforementioned reasons.

But also because the sheer hilarity of Kit going ‘a letter from my pal today, wonder what he’s up to - you killed an alien tribble? You time travelled to an alternate past? You missed an entire month of bar meetups because you were solving a murder mystery involving a morpher and self mutilated but turned out fine because you’re also a morpher? Your brother threw up a cat? Bro your life is wild, all I did was study for exams’ sends me lmao.

There’s also Tom writing to himself by treating the entire thing as a post-battle report to himself as the person in charge, reaffirming that the person in charge is himself and that he’s the only one in his head if you’re more into angst.

Ngl I really like that there’s so many options to pick and choose, it’s very fun to speculate on.

one thing that I love about your eleutherophobia fics (among many many things) is that, despite being free of a Yeerk haunting his mind, Tom has now unwittingly replaced that with a reader listening to every thought and memory that he cares to share with us through the first person point of view. He’d be mortified if he ever broke the fourth wall ;)

thanks for your lovely writing and blog! definitely part of what’s keeping me going in these very weird times

Thank you! And yeah, I think a lot about the unique narration style in Animorphs, because I'm trying to imitate it. There's always an awareness that the characters are telling a story — the books open with the narrator going "I can't tell you my last name", and Marco especially will use imperatives like "don't tell anyone I said that." Clearly you is the reader, and each of the kids is meant to be aware that the reader is there.

There are some fascinating hints (handwaving Jake's line in #53) about who each narrator considers their audience. The Chronicles all state outright that each is an account of oneself (X) consciously crafted for one particular audience: Elfangor's talking to Tobias, Aldrea and Dak to Seerow Jr., Visser One to the Council (and Eva), and Toomin to Rachel. Ax says that he's narrating for his fellow andalites, so that they can better understand Earth (#8). Jake implies he's narrating for his great-grandkids: "I'll need to buy a footlocker" (#31). Tobias at one point implies he's talking to his imagined therapist (#23), but I also think you could argue that he's talking to the Ellimist (#13) or his dad (#33).

The others are a little trickier. Cassie seems to have Jake's same educational bent, but I'd argue she's trying to teach about the biology rather than the ethics of the war. Marco is probably talking to a kid his own age who thinks they're reading a sci fi novel. He's defensive ("call me Mr. Ruthless" as he feels empathy for baby seals), he's misdirecting ("now you know how I got a blowhole" instead of clarifying his role in the war), and he's desperate to impress ("I'm slightly not tall"). But he also references the reader "vegging out" and "watching TV." Rachel? I'd argue Rachel is talking to her own adult self. She doesn't care what others think of her, but she cares a lot about living with herself. She's trying to define who she is and who she wants to be, more than anyone else on the team.

[bastart13]

I remember starting these in 2022, but what better time than the present to finish the wedding set

The charms really were beautiful

[yaoirotic]

Prince of Heat Damage

[melmedardasworld]

Late reply. But I agree with all of this. It's not balanced out. Which, fine, no is forcing you if she isn't your fave character, but I also only ever see that when meljayvik is being discussed and appreciated Mel is just some type of support system for Javik/Viktor (which amplifies it when they solely like Vik and hate Jayce— couldn’t be me.) Its not fun or enjoyable to see it in the tag of your fave character or ship.

It’s also never in balance of Viktor to support Meljay and tagging it as Meljay when they’re barely involved or Mel is barely mentioned or catered to is annoying. That does rub me the wrong way, but doesn’t surprise me since this has been happening since the season aired, and I've been fandoms for a while. nos not new behavior.

Mel’s role in fandom (not necessarily the show) feeds to familiar stereotypes. She is there to listen and be this emotional therapist for others while her feelings are all sidelined. I do hope we get to see more of these sides of her as the 2nd and 3rd act progress.

Mel is such an awesome character and so multifaceted. Arcane has done a good job bringing that to life, so it’s sometimes just sad that she’s not supported. So yeah, her being taken is going to be a rollercoaster, and I really wonder how that will play out, especially mentally and emotionally.

A part of me is kinda annoyed that you can't go through the MelJay or Mel x Jayce tag without seeing something about Viktor. I like Viktor but I just want to see stuff with just those two.