#erroneously heroic

[purgemarchlockdown]

Kotoko's ideology

(Also Known As: Kotoko has fascist ideals and I read way too many wikipedia pages for this.) (CWs: Discussion centered around Prejudice, ableism, sexism, and other topics that are associated with right winged/fascist concepts)

(Note: I went on this rabbit hole because of This post from Gunsli that covers things I don't cover here. Go read it! Plus this post exists because of a lot of conversations from friends out of fandom, and in fandom, like 74n5n and the affermentioned Gunsli who also helped in proofreading!)

So Kotoko is one of my personal favorites of the cast. There's a lot of things I find interesting and intriguing about her and her characterization and her place in the story.

One of those things is her worldview. I'm obsessed with it to say the least. It's one of my favorite things about her characterization. I find it to be a complex and emphatic look at a specific worldview:

Fascism.

Vigilante Justice

Okay so, fascism as an ideology is something we tend to associate with conservative right-wingers and powerful political parties. In our stories, there's a bit of a mythical edge to the image of fascist dystopia. Something strong and uniform.

Like, a lot of cartoons and shows and comics have the alternate nazi dimension where fascism reigns supreme over the populace, for example. We got many films and shows of the heroes standing up against faceless images of Evil Nazis or Nazi-likes, with leaders who are powerful scientists or soldiers hiding somewhere scheming something.

We can tell if someone is a fascist, we say to ourselves. The aesthetic qualities of fascism are something we can all recognize. Right?

Kotoko Yuzuhira is a (notably afab, put a pin in this) college dropout vigilante.

This is immediately incompatible with how we tend to view it. She's not a faceless drone or general. She's someone working with limited resources trying to hunt down evil because The Law can't do it.

A Underdog Revolutionary, that's how she thinks of herself.

Kotoko: Yes. I hate evil. Hurting innocent people with violence, taking away from others, killing people… I hate all this evil behaviour! The law being unable to judge some sins, there's too many of these cases in this world. Having clearly bullied and torturing the weak, but exploiting loopholes in laws, there's so many sinners who still live in such a carefree manner! Even though I want to change this world, I alone only have this much power.

Kershaw argues that the difference between fascism and other forms of right-wing authoritarianism in the Interwar period is that the latter generally aimed "to conserve the existing social order", whereas fascism was "revolutionary", seeking to change society and obtain "total commitment" from the population.[47]

Robert O. Paxton finds that even though fascism "maintained the existing regime of property and social hierarchy", it cannot be considered "simply a more muscular form of conservatism" because "fascism in power did carry out some changes profound enough to be called 'revolutionary.'"[228] These transformations "often set fascists into conflict with conservatives rooted in families, churches, social rank, and property."

And that's what she...is. I'm not going to say Kotoko is part of a secret evil organization or anything like that. She is an underdog, at least at the start of Milgram. She's a single individual up against society and social order. A Heroic individual standing up against erroneous social structures.

Really, Kotoko presents as very classically heroic, she's directly acting to save people, confident, doing real research, actually finding those who deserve punishment and bringing it upon them.

She's determined, she's strong willed, even when she's suffering she doesn't stop.

T2Q6: Don’t you feel scared of killing people?  A: If it’s for the world. How I feel about it is completely irrelevant.

It's sad and tragic, but she knows that if no one does it then nothing will actually change.

Kotoko: If you brag about hating evil, act against it! Carry on the belief that your actions can change this world! If you only brag about it from afar, the world will just continue to rot no matter how many of you are there!

She holds no attachment, no qualms, no second guesses. She does what is good at the cost of her own self, she's a heroic ideal in that sense. A hero so willing to do what is right even at the cost of their own self.

T2Q14: Don’t you feel a sense of isolation in your current situation?  A: It feels like nothings changed. If the world gets even a little better just by me undertaking this isolation, then that is the role the strong play.

Someone who actually has the strength and intelligence to do the things that no one else can do.

T2Q7: Why did you choose law school?  A: Because I have my suspicions. That’s the majority of my reason to why I chose to study it. Cause it’s unsightly to spout complaints without having proper knowledge T1Q4: When did you start learning martial arts?  A: In elementary school, perhaps. Without enough power, you can't enforce justice and do the right thing, can you?

Who actually acts instead of just waiting around for the world to fix itself.

Kotoko: You keep asking for it, but as soon as it happens near you by your own choice, you all start complaining and evading your responsibility... You're always like this... Always such idiots!

Able to actually handle the problems thrown at her, instead of running away like a coward.

T2Q20: What would you have done if you weren’t forgiven?  A: I’d despise it all. To compromise justice just because you’re unable to withstand the pain that comes with it is unbelievable

Fascism supports the creation of a New Man who is a strong-willed, dynamic archetype, a figure of direct action and bellicose violence. An anti-individualist, he is characterized by a sense of confidence and masculinity, quiet dignity and self-worth, determination, and authoritativeness. With a detachment from romantic love, family background and schooling, his worldview is romanticized, passionate, serious and realist, preoccupied with the honoring of fallen heroes, a strong belief in personal responsibility, national rebirth and renewal.

And there's something genuinely admirable about that intent of hers. It's sincere. She's disgusted at the state of the world, at how horrible it's become. Even implying that this isn't the Normal version of the world, but a distorted, corrupted one.

Becoming light-headed again, it all becomes crazy The normalcy sought for, Fading away, Everytime death comes The soul moves forward

1. The mythical past—used to invoke a nostalgia for a fictional time when the nation was great as it was not yet sullied by the “Other.”

Kotoko's ideology is built on an idea of the world's Unnatural Impurity. The idea that there is something corrupting and poisoning it. That Whatever is causing harm to the world is an External Thing. One that can be beaten if she puts enough pressure on it. At least for a while.

T2Q5: How do you deal with evil that can’t be bested by strength?  A: Force it so that it can. No matter how long it takes, no matter what means I’ll need to use.

So I ask the question, what Does she consider evil?

Sinners

Okay, so she already answered this question, in her T1 interrogations she describes evil as:

T1Q20: What do you think is evil? A: Oppressing innocent weaklings.

Which is a pretty cut and dry answer that she elaborates on in her VDs:

Kotoko: Yes. I hate evil. Hurting innocent people with violence, taking away from others, killing people… I hate all this evil behaviour! The law being unable to judge some sins, there's too many of these cases in this world. Having clearly bullied and torturing the weak, but exploiting loopholes in laws, there's so many sinners who still live in such a carefree manner!

Case Closed! We don't have to think more about this! Everyone go home! The post is done!

... Okay so it's not as simple as that. It's pretty clear that Kotoko's opinions on evil and how it should be treated is a bit...

Kotoko: Treat you like a child? Hah, you’ve got to be kidding. Back when I was your age, I was already the person I am today. I don’t have any plans to let you get away with something just “because you’re a child.” ……remember that.

Extreme, to say the least. She's very "Violence First." Because:

T2Q16: Do you think there are the ‘weak’ among the other prisoners?  A: I’m sure there’s a lot. Those with weak wills will easily turn to evil. The only thing we can do is firmly instil the risk of turning to it.

Which- There's another contradiction! She just defined evil as the ones who oppress weaklings, yet right here she shows her disdain for the weak for so easily turning to evil.

And again, in the same trial, she refers to the prisoners as:

T2Q11: Is there really no chance to start anew for wrongdoers?   A: No way. Once a beast gets a taste for human flesh, it will always come back for seconds.

And continues to discuss the matters of the strong, and how there oppressing the weak.

T2Q10: What is your ideal image of a hero?  A: An ally of the weak. Someone who helps the weak and crushes the strong.

These are two very conflicting ideas. It's almost like:

Fascist societies rhetorically cast their enemies as "at the same time too strong and too weak". On the one hand, fascists play up the power of certain disfavored elites to encourage in their followers a sense of grievance and humiliation. On the other hand, fascist leaders point to the decadence of those elites as proof of their ultimate feebleness in the face of an overwhelming popular will.

And not only that- Kotoko casts herself as an underdog, and the assumption of that role is presuming one as "weaker than" or "having less opportunity/power/skill" than the one above, the elites above her who are stronger and more powerful than her. The Beasts who roam the land. Who will always win, because, in her own words.

T2Q18: What would you do if evil disappeared from the world? A: I see where you’re getting at. But I believe it will never truly disappear.

"Pacifism is trafficking with the enemy" because "life is permanent warfare" – there must always be an enemy to fight. Both fascist Germany under Hitler and Italy under Mussolini worked first to organize and clean up their respective countries and then build the war machines that they later intended to and did use, despite Germany being under restrictions of the Versailles treaty to not build a military force. This principle leads to a fundamental contradiction within fascism: the incompatibility of ultimate triumph with perpetual war.

Kotoko: How amusing! Are you really a warden?  Es: Shut up...  Kotoko: You let their sins off just because they're close to you? You're making the punishment less severe just because they get along with you? What's next? Going to give them leniency for their looks? For their personality? For how long have you known them?  Es: I told you... to shut up...  Kotoko: Why would I? I'm trying to tell you the truth. In MILGRAM, a warden with mindset of yours is just usele-  Es: Shut the hell up! [slaps]  Kotoko: [catching breath] "Violence"... you call it? Being angry at hurting your precious prisoners... [laughs] Ha... It's not even violence at all.  Es: ?..  Kotoko: Weak... You're too weak. With that fragile body of yours, you can't stop anyone. You can't protect anyone. You can't even do your justice. All imperfect.  Es: Imperfect?..  Kotoko: In order to stop someone, you have to squeeze their throat. Without mercy.

There's this sort of...self victimization to it? If that makes sense.

6. Victimhood—casting “Us” as victims of “Them”, who are taking resources from “Us” and demanding special rights.

A sense of frustration and anger at herself and the world for being so weak and pathetic.

A form of political behavior marked by obsessive preoccupation with community decline, humiliation or victimhood

And that these feelings of weakness and shame are real reasons to attack who she views as enemies. No matter if they are strong.

the belief that one’s group is a victim, a sentiment that justifies any action, without legal or moral limits, against its enemies, both internal and external;

Or weak.

Because Kotoko holds a lot of genuine anger at who she considers "weak." As shown above and in Many other instances. She literally calls them "Useless weaklings" in her T2 voiceline. She has this Deep Anger and Bitterness at those who she considers not doing enough to help. To those who are failing to actually do anything of actual substance.

Kotoko: How ridiculous... It's always like this... All of you weaklings always act like this... All of you enjoy seeing someone getting hurt... (...)  Kotoko: You keep asking for it, but as soon as it happens near you by your own choice, you all start complaining and evading your responsibility... You're always like this... Always such idiots!  Es: I acknowledge it. You're the strong one, and we're weak. You're right. But that's how we are.  Kotoko: You have no power, and yet you make no effort to gain it! You're talking about justice, but it just doesn't make sense! You're invested in people's disasters, yet you take a position of "I have nothing to do with it"! You can't even face your true selves!

"Contempt for the weak", which is uncomfortably married to a chauvinistic popular elitism, in which every member of society is superior to outsiders by virtue of belonging to the in-group. Eco sees in these attitudes the root of a deep tension in the fundamentally hierarchical structure of fascist polities, as they encourage leaders to despise their underlings, up to the ultimate leader, who holds the whole country in contempt for having allowed him to overtake it by force.

So, if the words strong and weak just refer to the enemy, and those descriptors of the enemy can change depending on which one is more suitable for the situation. Thus making the idea of the evil that are "oppressing innocent weaklings" be more a subjective concept.

Then...what else can we search for when it comes to determining how Kotoko views who is "evil."

Cause, it's not just because they don't agree with her. It wouldn't have mattered if they agreed with her or not really. Yuno says it outright:

Yuno: Really? If you ask me, Kotoko is someone I would never want to make my friend, though. She’s the type who picks a conclusion from the very beginning and won’t actually talk with you.

Kotoko has stated that she has been tracking Mikoto Kayano since the start. Even though at the time she was semi-amicable with everyone. With Mikoto even being rather insistent that he did nothing wrong at all.

Kotoko: Like me being suspicious of Kayano Mikoto’s actions, carefully tracking his actions, it's all under your permission.

And she's said this again in the interrogation! Saying that she had "her suspicions."

T2Q17: Why did you choose law school?  A: Because I have my suspicions. That’s the majority of my reason to why I chose to study it. Cause it’s unsightly to spout complaints without having proper knowledge

Suspicious about what? About who? She says it's the evil, the sinners, but who is this? Who is this evil? Criminals? That's just the terminology she uses. If it really was just criminals shouldn't she be against MILGRAM? Es? They did kidnap her and she has no Knowledge of their true intentions, and yet she doesn't trust her fellow prisoners but the Guard who locked them up.

"Obsession with a plot" and the hyping-up of an enemy threat. This often combines an appeal to xenophobia with a fear of disloyalty and sabotage from marginalized groups living within the society (such as the German elite's "fear" of the 1930s Jewish populace's businesses and well-doings; see also antisemitism). Eco also cites Pat Robertson's book The New World Order as a prominent example of a plot obsession.

And so, I ask again. Who does Kotoko believe to be evil?

"Your Existence is a Crime"

Chauvinism (/ˈʃoʊvɪnɪzəm/ SHOH-vih-nih-zəm) is the unreasonable belief in the superiority or dominance of one's own group or people, who are seen as strong and virtuous, while others are considered weak, unworthy, or inferior.

Kotoko Canonically Holds Ableist Beliefs.

This isn't up for debate.

22/12/15 (Kotoko’s Birthday)

Kotoko: Hm. The border between the two is getting a lot vaguer. Your entire existence is a crime. And I will see you’re punished for it. That is what Milgram, and Es, and I have chosen.

“UNDER” Doltish “001 Parasite”

Kotoko: “Fufufu, fufufufufu.You’re thinking some outrageous things.To be frank, it’s abnormal. But I don’t dislike it. If only all sinners were like you.”

Kotoko Also Canonically Holds Sexist Beliefs.

This also isn't up for debate.

Futa: Isn’t that obvious? What a stupid question. There’s no way a girl could win in a fight against a man. This is real life, not a manga. There’s too big a difference in body size. And that’s what determines the weight of your attacks.  Kotoko: ……Futa’s not entirely wrong there In a lot of martial arts, they specifically split up divisions based on body weight for that reason. I’m bantam, and he’d probably be either cruiser or heavy.

“UNDER” Obscene “002 Slut”

Now, as much as the phrases "Obscene Slut" and "Your entire existence is a crime" is Loaded. Let's pretend, for a second, that this doesn't necessarily mean that Kotoko, to some extent, believes that mentally ill people are evil/wrong and that women are weaker than men.

For a moment, let us pretend that Kotoko didn't just tell us and go into the finer details of how she views strong and weak.

Cause, there is a bit of consistent framing Kotoko uses when she's talking about "the enemy." Those who contribute something meaningful to society (in her eyes) are ones who "contribute" something meaningful to society mainly through the usage of direct action, physical strength, and physical/mental durability.

T1Q4: When did you start learning martial arts?  A: In elementary school, perhaps. Without enough power, you can't enforce justice and do the right thing, can you?

Kotoko: Es, look. Someone who committed a crime can only realise its severity through losing something. I've seen many criminals, but none of them would give way without pain.

Kotoko: Weak... You're too weak. With that fragile body of yours, you can't stop anyone. You can't protect anyone. You can't even do your justice. All imperfect.

Kotoko: You have no power, and yet you make no effort to gain it! You're talking about justice, but it just doesn't make sense! You're invested in people's disasters, yet you take a position of "I have nothing to do with it"! You can't even face your true selves!   Es: Whatever you say.  Kotoko: If you brag about hating evil, act against it! Carry on the belief that your actions can change this world! If you only brag about it from afar, the world will just continue to rot no matter how many of you are there! If you don't have strength on your own, let me take care of it, Es! I can do it in MILGRAM!

T1Q: What is your ideal image of a hero?  A: An ally of the weak. Someone who helps the weak and crushes the strong.

T2Q14: Don’t you feel a sense of isolation in your current situation?  A: It feels like nothings changed. If the world gets even a little better just by me undertaking this isolation, then that is the role the strong play.

Those who cannot do that and are "unable to contribute" or somehow disrupt the stable world, thus causing it's normalcy to "fade away" are parasites.

“UNDER” Doltish “001 Parasite”

Obscene

“UNDER” Obscene “002 Slut”

An existence that is disruptive to the world at large.

Kotoko: Your entire existence is a crime. And I will see you’re punished for it.

Who are Weak due to a issue in there mental state and need to be warned against the consequences of "turning to evil."

T2Q16: Do you think there are the ‘weak’ among the other prisoners?  A: I’m sure there’s a lot. Those with weak wills will easily turn to evil. The only thing we can do is firmly instil the risk of turning to it.

Or be treated as irrational beasts that need to be firmly put down because nothing else will get through to them.

T2Q11: Is there really no chance to start anew for wrongdoers?  A: No way. Once a beast gets a taste for human flesh, it will always come back for seconds.

Fascism emphasizes direct action, including supporting the legitimacy of political violence, as a core part of its politics.[264] Fascism views violent action as a necessity in politics that fascism identifies as being an "endless struggle";[265] this emphasis on the use of political violence means that most fascist parties have also created their own private militias (e.g. the Nazi Party's Brown shirts and Fascist Italy's Blackshirts). The basis of fascism's support of violent action in politics is connected to social Darwinism.[265] Fascist movements have commonly held social Darwinist views of nations, races and societies.[266] They say that nations and races must purge themselves of socially and biologically weak or degenerate people, while simultaneously promoting the creation of strong people, in order to survive in a world defined by perpetual national and racial conflict.[267]

Social Darwinism is the study and implementation of various pseudoscientific theories and societal practices that purport to apply biological concepts of natural selection and survival of the fittest to sociology, economics and politics.[1][2] Social Darwinists believe that the strong should see their wealth and power increase, while the weak should see their wealth and power decrease.

"The only thing we can do is firmly instil the risk of turning to it."

Kotoko's ideological view is, at the very best, biased against those of marginalized groups or of "degenerate" thoughts and actions, and at the very worst, actively targets them because she personally believes that they Do Not Contribute to Society.

But we aren't done there yet.

Werewolves

Let's take that pin out now.

Kotoko has gone on record that she views Femininity as:

T1Q10: What do you think about the word 'feminimity'?  A: It's one of the means you can take. It's something you can freely choose depending on the scene, so it's not something to cling onto.

Now, as I have shown. She's kinda sexist. Which throws into question how she perceives herself.

Since, I have just asserted the idea that Kotoko does, at the very least, hold some concerning ideas about Women, and I think most people would notice that this is a bit contradictory when she herself isn't really the feminine ideal as decreed by the patriarchy either.

Now, just to be clear here, no, I do not think women should be baby machines. I am a cat who cannot perceive it properly.

However, if we are going by the strict gender binary and the stereotypes associated with it. Kotoko is pretty masculine. She puts focus on physical strength, she's mentally strong in the face of ills, she doesn't show much emotion, so on.

However, as Utena and also The World has proven to us. Just because you present or act in "non-traditional manners" doesn't mean You've Deconstructed the Gender Binary and the Patriarchal View of the World we Learn from the Society around us.

You can be the butchest girl the prison can handle and still hold traditional gender roles.

And the way Kotoko interacts with the world indicates that she still Holds these ideas, even if she has deconstructed them a bit, and since we are talking about her ideology...

Fascist Italy promoted what it considered normal sexual behaviour in youth while denouncing what it considered deviant sexual behaviour.[271] It condemned pornography, most forms of birth control and contraceptive devices (with the exception of the condom), homosexuality and prostitution as deviant sexual behaviour,

Sexual anxiety—as the “Other” embraces non-traditional approaches to sexuality,

But, going further into the way she views masculinity specifically...

"Machismo", which sublimates the difficult work of permanent war and heroism into the sexual sphere. Fascists thus hold "both disdain for women and intolerance and condemnation of nonstandard sexual habits, from chastity to homosexuality".

Machismo, Exaggerated pride in masculinity, perceived as power, often coupled with a minimal sense of responsibility and disregard of consequences. In machismo there is supreme valuation of characteristics culturally associated with the masculine and a denigration of characteristics associated with the feminine.

Futa: Isn’t that obvious? What a stupid question. There’s no way a girl could win in a fight against a man. This is real life, not a manga. There’s too big a difference in body size. And that’s what determines the weight of your attacks.  Kotoko: ……Futa’s not entirely wrong there

"Without enough power, you can't enforce justice" is what she said, isn't it?

Road to Hell

Okay, there was 700 more things I wanted to talk about but because I haven't even gotten into:

Through all of that, there would be one great leader who would battle the representatives of the old system with grassroots support.[1][2] In the fascist utopia, one mass of people will supposedly appear who have only one goal: to create their new future.[1][2] Such a fascist movement would ideally have infinite faith in its mythical hero who would stand for everything the movement believes in.[1][2] According to this utopian ideology, under the guidance of their leader the country would then rise like a phoenix from the ashes of corruption and decadence.[1][2]

Or her ideals of heroism or her view of violence in detail or-

But I think I can leave that to the people reading this. This post is getting really long and I'm trying to still keep it structured. I know all my links are Wikipedia and one Britannica. I had the energy to transcribe my dad's books on this I would.

However, we also do need to ask, where does this leave us?

Y'know, since Kotoko is the Audience Parallel and Milgram is a Social Commentary Webseries.

Well, Kotoko is a character in fiction, and fiction is the safest place to explore this. Kotoko Yuzuriha is a familiar character in the sense that a lot of people are like her actually.

Gunsli has brought up the idea that Kotoko was radicalized by news, and I personally think All the characters in Milgram have underlying right wing ideas and violent views on the world. It's not something...unique to them even. We call them conservative and traditional because to a lot of people it's "just the way the world works." Kotoko’s not special or unique for believing in these things.

She’s asserted multiple times that she’s had a “normal life” and whether or not you doubt the validity of that statement. There is nothing inherent about Kotoko that makes her more susceptible to this. 

And I think those are themes that are worth exploring.

[mywingsareonwheels]

Fundamentally the endlessly compelling thing about Morse is that he is selfless, determined, brilliant, courageous (even though he's very scared most of the time), nonviolent, loyal, devoted, awkwardly heroic, anti-bigotry, and compassionate. Also desperately vulnerable, possibly bi, and patently neurodivergent. There's a real sweetness to him - and I do mean Thaw's Morse as well as Evans's.

And he's *also* an absolute little shit who can be judgemental as fuck, occasionally misogynist, deeply arrogant, unbelievably awkward and stubborn, and so untrusting (for heartbreakingly understandable reasons) that he mostly pushes people away and will jump to the erroneous conclusion that he's being rejected by someone who cares about him even faster than he can fill in a crossword or quote some Housman.

He's complicated and real and exasperating and admirable.

I love him and relate to him and have so much sympathy for him and also spend a lot of time going OMG MORSE FFSSSSSSSS.

[balanceoflightanddark]

Bigger, Scarier, More Teeth

Paleontology is, by its very nature, a very speculative science. For most of its history, we've only had fragmentary remains of ancient animals that sometimes have no easy modern day counterpart to compare with. Of course, the field is also good at self correcting these errors, which means our image of dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures is constantly evolving. While admittedly we may never know with 100% accuracy what these animals were like, we can certainly narrow down and tweak our perception to come up with the closest possible image.

Then...there's instances where dinosaurs were deliberately modified. Not a case of misidentification mind you. Cases where the animal was physically altered in order to seem more impressive or threatening.

Case in point: the Giganotosaurus from Jurassic World Dominion. One of the most recent examples, the Giga was depicted with a row of spines running along its crocodilian esque back. Naturally, we have no evidence of these in actual specimens and was probably added to make the final big carnivore of the series look more threatening.

Admittedly I'm not gonna harp on too hard about this since there is a difference between a fictional portrayal and something that's supposed to be accurate and the Jurassic Park series isn't really known for its accuracy. This is honestly just a bench mark for what we're working with and a notable and recent example.

What's a bit more headscratching when said altering happens in more scientific portrayals of dinosaurs.

Take shrinkwrapping for example. For decades, shrinkwrapping was the standard fair in portraying dinosaurs. What it involved was basically showing visible bone structures underneath the skin of the animal.

The results were...

...basically skeletons with skin stretched over them.

The idea, as pointed out by Mark P. Witton in the link above, is not just to portray them as fast, agile, bird like animals, but also matching a popular but inaccurate depiction:

Secondly, images of prehistoric animals as heroically-built, powerful beings are preferred by many merchandisers and palaeoart fans, these interpretations most closely matching the erroneous but popular portrayal of prehistory as a savage struggle for survival, where only the most powerful animals survived.

Thing was, these depictions completely ignored the muscle and tissue underneath the skin which gives the animals more bulk in favor of portraying them as more intimidating. Which in retrospect didn't work since if a dinosaur looked shrink-wrapped in real life, it probably was starving, ill, or basically on the verge of death.

In contrast, there are some artists that go the complete opposite direction. As is the case with David Peters and his...unique look at pterosaurs.

David Peters, a once respected independent researcher and artist, once claimed that he was able to identify hidden features and anatomical structures in pterosaur remains that no-one else had been able to identify. These include elongated fleshy crests, spines, and extravagant feathers.

The results speak for themselves. It's almost astonishing that anybody would think that any animal could even fly with that amount of extra weight and protrusions.

Now while we can poke fun at paleoart all day, the thing is that altered dinosaurs or other prehistoric animals aren't just restricted to art alone. There have been cases where specimens themselves have been altered to look more impressive.

Such is the case with Irritator challengeri, a spinosaurid first discovered in Brazil, South America in 1996. While the original specimen is noted for having one of the most complete skulls of any spinosaurid anywhere, its name is referring to a much more...interesting background.

Irritator wasn't actually discovered by scientists. It was purchased from a fossil dealer which made its way to Germany’s Stuttgart State Museum of the Natural Sciences. In this case, material from the back of the skull had been removed, and placed on the tip of the snout, making the skull appear longer. Presumably this was to make the specimen more marketable. Paleontologist David Martill and his team had to painstakingly remove the altered bit of the snout and restore them to their original location. It was such a pain, they eventually named the species Irritator due to the difficulty of removing and reattaching the material without damaging the specimen.

But even the case of Irritator is nowhere near the levels of altering than the case of Archaeoraptor. AKA: the dinosaur that was completely made up.

Like with Irritator, the Archaeoraptor specimen was an altered fossil (also known as a chimera) sold on the fossil market. Though instead of a single specimen, it was several individuals put together to create a complete product that would sell for a much higher price. Smuggled out of China and sold in the US for $80,000 USD during 1999, it ended up in the hands of amateur dinosaur enthusiast Stephen Czerkas who wanted it to be the centerpiece of his museum in Blanding, Utah. Working with noted paleontologist Phil Currie and Chris Sloane of the National Geographic magazine, they determined that the specimen was the long sought-after missing link between dinosaurs and birds. A groundbreaking discovery like this would've revolutionized the field. So much so the magazine did a story on it and christened it Archaeoraptor even before a more formal study could be conducted.

The result: a complete disaster and embarrassment to both paleontology and National Geographic when it was revealed to be a hoax. Creationists had a field day, practically tearing the reveal apart and used it as evidence against paleontologists and their work. The zeal for the missing link resulted in an absolute blunder for science.

Ironically though, it's now believed that the two species used in the specimen belong to Yanornis (an early bird) and the famous Microraptor, both of which are stronger contenders for the title of "missing-link".

Here's a link to an excellent video by Dino Diego that goes into detail if you're interested: The Bizarre Archaeoraptor Hoax - YouTube

Needless to say, the field of paleontology is full of fabrications and falsehoods. And more often than not it's difficult to truly pick out what's real and what isn't. Which is a problem since it draws into question the validity of both research done by paleontologists, the work of paleoartists, and the very specimens themselves. Naturally it should come to no surprise that researchers need to be diligent in how dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals are portrayed and studied. Especially when sensation overcomes the truth many work so hard to find.

[the-garbanzo-annex-jr]

While some military figures killed in duty are posthumously promoted in rank, Agence France Presse slapped terror commanders killed last night alongside Hamas deputy chief Salah Al-Arouri (also spelled Al-Aruri) with a demotion.

A screenshot from AFP’s Facebook page echoing the claim about Al-Arouri’s slain “bodyguards”

Thus, this morning’s article, “Israel ready ‘for any scenario’ after strike kills Hamas deputy in Lebanon,” had originally reported (6:38 AM GMT):

A high-level security official in Lebanon told AFP that Saleh al-Aruri was killed along with his bodyguards in a strike by Israel, which has vowed to destroy Hamas after the movement’s shock October 7 attacks. [Emphasis added.]

Similarly, a separate story this morning, “Hamas says Israel strike in Lebanon kills its deputy chief,” likewise cited the death of Al-Arouri’s “bodyguards”:

A high-level security official told AFP that Saleh al-Aruri was killed along with his bodyguards in the strike by Israel, which vowed to destroy Hamas after the movement’s unprecedented October 7 attacks on Israel. [Emphasis added.]

Hamas commander Samir Findi (Screenshot from Roya News)

In fact, those killed alongside Al-Aruri included two top military commanders, and were not merely “bodyguards.” As Times of Israel reported:

Hamas confirmed that seven people in total were killed in the explosion, a precision strike on a third-floor apartment said to serve as an office for the terror group. The others besides Arouri were identified as military commanders Samir Findi and Azzam Al-Aqraa, along with Hamas figures Mahmoud Shaheen, Muhammad Bashasha, Muhammad al-Rayes and Ahmed Hammoud. According to reports, Findi oversaw Hamas military activities in Lebanon — including the firing of rockets at Israel — and was considered the terror group’s point man with the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen. Al-Aqraa reportedly orchestrated terror activities in the West Bank from overseas.

Similarly, The New York Times reported:

Ismail Haniyeh, Hamas’s top political leader, said the strike had killed Mr. al-Arouri, two Hamas military commanders and four other members. [Emphasis added.]

The Associated Press likewise reported today:

Hamas confirmed that Arouri was killed along with six other members of the group, including two military commanders. [Emphasis added.]

AFP also failed to accurately report the full “credentials” of al-Arouri himself, identifying him only as Hamas’ deputy leader. But the terror leader’s robust Curriculum Vitae also includes founding Hamas’ military wing, a fact reported elsewhere including AP, Reuters, the New York Times. The Gray Lady detailed:

Mr. al-Arouri played a key role in Hamas’s relationships with its regional allies and in increasing Hamas’s military capabilities, according to regional and Western officials. A longtime Hamas operative, he was one of the founders of the group’s armed wing and was linked to a number of attacks on Israeli civilians, including the kidnapping and killing of three teenagers in the West Bank in 2014, which he called a “heroic operation.”

AFP’s abridged resume said only: “Aruri, who lived in exile, is accused by Israel of masterminding numerous attacks.”

Following communication with CAMERA’s Israel’s office, AFP’s updated article later this morning (“Israel ready ‘for any scenario’ after strike kills Hamas deputy in Lebanon,” 11:22 am GMT), more fully described Al-Arouri as “the political number two of its enemy Hamas and one of the founders of the Islamist group’s military wing.”

In addition, the erroneous reference to slain “bodyguards” no longer appears, with the updated language more accurately stating, “Aruri and six other militants were killed in the attack.” The later version, however, still does not note the two commanders’ high-level positions.

[randomfoggytiger]

"Mulder Will Be Back"

(Fictober, Day 24)

Giving a side character some limelight today~.

****

Fox Mulder was a scourge. 

For some inexplicable reason, he’d been allowed to run without restraints, make a mockery of the hardworking men and women of the FBI, and involve the Bureau in embarrassing scandal after scandal for five long years. Reprimands fell through the cracks, career ending punishments disintegrated into raps on his knuckles-- the closest chastisement he’d ever been given was that his waste of space and taxpayer dollars office was taken from him, twice. (He’d had very unmanageable declarations before review boards both times, daring to rail against the decision of his superiors while snidely making a mockery of the whole proceeding.) 

Transcripts of his long speeches into black and white terms showed what a lot of other people missed in civil conversation: it wasn’t ego that drove him, or even strictly pride-- it was hubris.

For all his heroic professions of finding “the Truth”, Mulder didn’t care to look for, grasp, or investigate anything that didn’t fit his dangerously erroneous personal beliefs. It wasn’t just aliens-- that might be tolerable, though wincingly embarrassing-- it was the people who believed in them: sick people who needed a shrink and medication, not a couple days of being catered to, batted around, then left with nothing more concrete than a “well, we tried.” It was all in the files, this lack of care or interest. It was appalling.

Agent Fox Mulder had to know these infuriating facts given his collegiate and BSU training, not to mention the years he’d spent in the VCU. Agent Scully knew, even had a reputation for trying to talk down her partner’s wilder assumptions; but she always went along with his angles, his theories, as much as she professed to being a scientist in need of evidence or proof. 

If Jeffrey Spender had any doubts as to the motives of his fellow agents, the disappearance of his mother-- their explicit involvement despite his warnings, despite his mother’s obvious mental incapacity, despite his later vindicated anger-- and, most gallingly, their lack of care afterwards-- Fox Mulder sardonic and sarcastic, Dana Scully denying and defensive-- showed that their reputation and his early assessments had proven him, as always, correct.

Now, he had a mother missing-- a fact which Agent Mulder should have understood, if the few bits of memorabilia recovered from his hallowed-out office were to be the judge. And he had a father-- a fact which still struck Jeffrey as a cruel twist of fate, forcing him to wrestle with the abandonment he and his mother endured at the hands of this shadowy benefactor. 

The X-Files were supposed to investigate unsolved cases with the intent to provide answers, perhaps even closure. That was a blatant lie: Jeffrey Spender had read enough-- files on files with nothing but a few days’ vacation in Loo Loo Land and a short report notating little accomplished-- to thoroughly understand that if he seriously considered this post, these witnesses, this job, he’d have to go as mad as Spooky Mulder. 

And he was not willing to lose himself, too. He had a mother to find.

*****

Thank you for reading~

Enjoy!

Tagging @today-in-fic and @xffictober2023 and @fictober-event

[cowboymenace]

MJF's year as Champion

MJF has been champion for one year after beating an extremely protected Jon Moxley. He spent the first half being a heel, avoiding conflict and manipulating opponents. Some has been good if not great, his feud with Danielson is one of the best and his match with Ricky Starks is an underrated gem that I don't see many talk about mostly because of both men's trajectory. There has been some bad, the four pillars feud exposed 1/2 of the men as not ready for the main event spot, I won't say who but if you go back to watch the promo battles you can see who I mean.

Enter Adam Cole. Cole was out for an extended period of time and whenever talent is out for that amount they typically return as a face, especially if they're entertaining. After doing his time in the Jericho Pit, he would go after the World Title. MJF and Him would have a match where it came to a draw, and MJF would deny overtime to decide a winner. However, a randomized tag team tournament forced them to work together. This is typically something the WWE would do, a scenario where two guys feuding must work together "CAN THEY GET ALONG" where they do gel but end up turning on each other. Cole and MJF would become friends, with constant teasing that they one would double cross the other. The twist: neither man has.

This would create the biggest buzz in the company. MJF would be seen as one of those guys who would never turn face, but he proved us wrong. It felt like a challenge for Max, trying to prove that he can be as compelling and fun as a face as he was a heel. In the world of wrestling, heels seem to have more creativity, and it may seem hard, but I'd argue it's easier to get people to dislike you. It's hard to get people to like you. MJF achieved that and made moves like a double clothesline and a front drop kick more over than any other move in the company.

Both men would open and close AEW's and modern wrestling's Biggest Event Ever. So how do you follow that? Well by erroneously making MJF the center of the universe, and unfortunately over stuffing the title picture. MJF and Cole won the ROH Tag Belts, which have been turned into trinkets something they'd hang on their Christmas tree. Neither man have worked an ROH Honorclub episode, Cole has the excuse of being super injured at least. You'd think that this would be a good time for a heel team to beat an handicapped team for some quick heat right? Wrong, there's been two instances where MJF has fended off heel teams, once by himself. Alone, MJF began to feud with the hottest heel stable in the company Bullet Club Gold. Jay White would challenge and taunt MJF for months, however he wouldn't get the champ's sole attention. Wardlow would return much to my chagrin to do sloppy powerbombs (the man is a walking tabula rasa) and challenge MJF. Samoa Joe wants a rematch since MJF and Cole heroically cheated to beat him. Also there's a masked man in MJF's devil costume beating up people who are near MJF either as friend and foe.

Oh yes one more thing, MJF has to deal with Roderick Strong and the kingdom. Seems like there's a lot on his plate, seems like he would be distracted and therefore would be more likely to lose? Nope. MJF got """hurt""" during his tag match against the Gunns to build tension for the main event title match but won anyways. He would sell his leg as hurt but then do moves that would worsen his condition because there was a Seth Rollins particles leak in his locker room I guess.

Jay White is a former two time IWGP World Champion. He's beaten every top guy in New Japan. In his first year there he proved himself as a top gaijin heel. Plebians who have no tastes would say he was boring, his matches too long, and he needed interference to win. They're wrong and their money stacks shorter than mini me. Jay White would prove the haters wrong by making a seamless transition into a western heel and as I said before became a part of the hottest heel act. He then went on to lose to a hurt, distracted MJF.

A man of that caliber was just a stepping stone for a rematch against another high caliber talent but I fear that match may be another stepping stone because there's a Wardlow waiting in the wings and a devil to be unmasked. MJF's story feels unfocused and frustrating. I know he's the most over guy in the company, but he's held the belt for well over a year and just doesn't seem to lose even when it wouldn't hurt him to. I imagine Cole destroying his foot and ankle threw a wrench into the plan, but the response to that should not be to sacrifice high quality talent to the wrestling gods to keep things afloat.

I have enjoyed MJF's run with the belt and am pleased he resigned. However don't turn him into an untouchable champion, the fun should be the possibility of him losing. If he wins too much then there's less and less stakes.

[peacesmith]

CEMETERY GIRL (BOY).

SYNOPSIS — Juuri died, and Kano is visibly upset. Erron on the other hand can’t stand seeing Kano so moody. So he gives him an idea, bring Juuri back to life.

GENRE — uhhh, idk, kind of angst, kind of gore, 🤷‍♂️

CHARACTERS — MK11 Kano, Juuri Nomura (OC), Erron Black, Kabal (mentioned)

PAIRING — Juuno (Juuri x Kano)

CONTENT WARNING — slight (and i mean very slight) gore, just a mention of a gunshot wound really but nothing actually gory, Kano kisses a dead body 🧍‍♂️, just dead people I guess

NOTES — hi ICP fans, I was listening to Cemetery Girl earlier and I’ve been wanting to do something like this with them so here you go.

Juuri was dead.

There was no doubt, he was one-hundred percent dead. Shot in the head actually, a gruesome way to go out. At least he died heroically. To some people.

The Black Dragon held a short, albeit sweet, funeral for him. They had to keep moving anyways.

Everybody took it seriously, Juuri was an important asset. Although nobody took it as hard as the leader himself took it.

Visibly, he was more grouchy. Snappy even. Almost never seen not without a beer. The members had to be cautious around Kano unless they wanted to be like Frank (Poor Frank, caught him at the wrong place at the wrong time. Now he lost an eye).

The only people who were guaranteed safety was Erron and Kabal. Which, weren’t too far away from losing an eye either. Yet they still tried to comfort their leader.

Sitting on one of the couches, he takes another swing of his beer before slamming it  on the table. It was actually his and Juuri’s favorite couch. Given that they were always seen sitting there together.

The gunslinger couldn’t stand seeing him brooding all day. So, he cautiously approached Kano.

“Boss.”

Kano grunts, not bothering to look at him. This causes Erron to squint his eyes.

“Are you still upset over Juuri?” He couldn’t blame him. Although they came from different backgrounds, him and the swordsman had a brotherly relationship.

Kano then grunts again, taking another sip of his beer. Erron sighs.

“Well… have you done anything to grieve? Properly?”

This time he doesn’t make a sound, which gives the other male all the answers he needs. It was a bad idea, no, horrible even, but he couldn’t stand seeing him like this anymore.

He sits next to him, a dangerous move at that. Tapping his thigh before speaking.

“Have you tried bringing him back from the dead?”

Now this sparks an interest. Kano turns to him, he tried not to show it, but he was interested.

Erron continues, “I mean, it sounds impossible, but honestly anything is possible at this point.”

Kano only stares at him, but the gears in his brain was turning at his point.

“Maybe you could talk to one of those magic dudes you know. Ah, but that sounds like a stupid idea right?”

He turns towards him, only to see him gone. Erron lets out a huff. Hopefully that gets him to stop being so grouchy all the time.

Kano on the other hand was already making his way to where his beloved was buried. Shovel in hand as he drags it across the dirt.

Admittedly at first he thought it was stupid, he really did! But the thought of seeing his beloved, even one more time, made him almost giddy.

“Oh hell.” He mutters. It’s almost as if his hands had a mind of its own. Next thing he knew, he was digging up Juuri’s coffin. Not caring if he got dirt on his pants. He stopped caring a while ago actually.

The shovel hits the top of his coffin. He takes in a breath before jumping down. Opening the lid of the box, the smell of death hitting him like never before. But he ignored it as he stared down at the body below him.

There he was, Juuri, in all of his dead glory.

Still beautiful as ever, just slightly dirty and a hole in his head. Other than that, he was still as lovely as ever. This causes Kano to smile.

“Come on luv, let’s get you out of here.”

Kano leans down to pick him up, grunting a bit. Dead weight, forgot all about that. Juuri was slightly heavier than before, but that didn’t matter. It felt good to have him in his arms.

He felt at peace again, because his love was right there. He couldn’t help but give him a kiss.

Juuri’s head falls back in response to his kiss. The Aussie chuckles. “You leanin’ away from my kisses luv? You haven’t changed a bit.”

Kano then gives him another kiss. This time he doesn’t move. Yet his dead eyes seemed to stare through Kano rather than at him.

He hums and adjusts to where he’s carrying him like a bride. No struggling, no groaning or mumbling, it made him smile. Sure, he enjoyed the back and forth between him and Juuri. But sometimes he appreciated when he wouldn’t say a thing a just complied. Too bad it won’t last forever once he brings him back from the dead.

No if’s, he will bring him back from the dead. He can’t just have his babe being a brainless corpse forever! He’d probably be missing a few memories sure, but they can just create new ones anyways! And then they could get married, if Juuri really wanted to. To Kano they were already married, just without the ring.

He couldn’t wait. He’d be happy once again. Welp, time to bring him home.

[bakerstreetbabble]

My dear Watson...

Even though Sherlock Holmes is the character who has become one of the most popular in all of literature, it is impossible to consider Holmes without his trusty companion/sidekick, Dr. Watson. In the earliest days of cinematic adaptations, this apparently was not the case. In the earliest film adaptations of Sherlock Holmes, Watson was given a very minor, or even nonexistent role. But ever since the famous Basil Rathbone/Nigel Bruce partnership of the 1930s and '40s, the story of Holmes has always included Watson. Sure, Bruce gets some flak theses days about portraying Watson as too bumbling, a comic foil for Rathbone's heroic posturing. Certainly some of Bruce's slapstick comedy is a little difficult to watch for long.

I agree with John Trumbull, who wrote this excellent article on the website entitled Atomic Junk Shop: we owe a debt of gratitude to actors David Burke and Edward Hardwicke, who played Watson to Jeremy Brett's iconic portrayal of Sherlock Holmes. They were really the first actors to successfully break out of the "bumbling sidekick" stereotype that had been made so famous by Nigel Bruce.

Not all actors who have played Watson since Burke and Hardwicke have been quite as adept at defying the old Watson stereotype as these two, but some have: Jude Law, Martin Freeman, and Lucy Liu all spring to mind.  

After all, where would the Sherlock Holmes stories and novels be without Watson, our trusty narrator? I think most Holmes fans would agree that the tales that have a third person narrator or Holmes himself as a narrator are quite inferior to most of the stories told by Watson. We see most of Holmes's brilliance and ability through Watson's eyes. Sure, every once in awhile Watson shows a bit too much incredulity at Holmes's deductions. But he generally tells the story with grace and flair. He doesn't even seem to mind Holmes's criticisms most of the time. For example, when Holmes says in The Hound of the Baskervilles, "I am afraid, my dear Watson, that most of your conclusions were erroneous," does Watson take any offense? None that he reports in the narrative. Indeed, Holmes often highly praises Watson's gift for stimulating his own deductive powers. As early as A Study in Scarlet, Holmes made the following statement about Watson: "It may be that you are not yourself luminous, but that you are a conductor of light. Some people without possessing genius have a remarkable power of stimulating it.” High praise, indeed.

A lot has been made in recent Sherlock Holmes adaptations of Holmes's cocaine use, and Watson's role in weaning him off the drug. I think the current stereotype of Holmes as drug-addled coke addict is overused much of the time. But certainly, looking at Watson's criticisms of cocaine use, and considering the general public attitude toward cocaine at the time, Watson's point of view seems to have been unusually progressive and forward thinking. Would Holmes's career have had much longevity if the good doctor had not come into his life? One has to wonder...

This article from sherlockcares.com explores the Holmes/Watson friendship quite a bit more than I have in this post. I highly recommend it. I will leave you with this quote from the article...

Bearing in mind that the reflection we see in the mirror is the opposite of what others see, it has been argued that, in fact, our closest friends are not “another self” but those who complement us, whose strongest qualities are those we lack. 

An accurate description of the friendship between Sherlock Holmes and John Watson, I think.

[docgold13]

The whole "went out a hero & better not to bring him back out of fear of hardship" is what I call BS on. Rage of Ultron was not a good note to end Hank on since he regressed to being a resentful, cynical, emotionally distant dick that went out like a chump due to Ultron forcefully fusing with him at the 11th Hour.

It's not helped that rumors were spreading that Marvel was just trying to bury Hank due to being too toxic as the "mentally ill wifebeater" he's been erroneously labeled by idiots so stuff like separating him from Ultron was retcon to Ultron wearing his skin thinking he's Hank, or something like Nadia changing her surname to Van Dyne comes off as "we won't bring him back because he's "problematic"".

That's what I was getting at... for every writer who tried to create a heroic or sympathetic version of Pym there was two to three others who couldn't wait to have him played like a cad and a chump. I figure not having him around for a spell might do the matter some good.

[dsandrvk]

Thursday, March 7 - At Sea

Our weather has certainly changed. Last night before we left the Tristan da Cunha group, we noticed the outdoor cushions were all stored inside and all of the rest of the outdoor furniture was lashed tightly to the ship - often a sign that rough seas are ahead. It was rocking a bit when we went to bed, but when we woke up this morning, the sky was clearing, the seas were relatively calm with only about a 1 meter swell and it was warm! The rain gear, coats and hats of yesterday are off, and and we are mostly in T-shirts and shorts. Amazing what a difference a few degrees of latitude makes. We have also lost almost all the birds and seals that we have been seeing for several days.

Last evening, after we left Tristan, we first cruised by Inaccessible Island, which is the latter but not the former. There aren't many good places for people to land, but some have been there, mostly doing biological studies. The island has a few endemic birds, but the most special one is the Inaccessible Rail, only found on this island. It is small and dark and lost its ability to fly a long, long time ago, as it lives on an island with no predators. It is most closely related to a crake from South America, but came here probably as a flying predecessor. There are thousands on this island, but it is still considered a vulnerable species since the entire population is in this one place and an accidentally introduced cat or rodent (both present on nearby Tristan) could wipe out the entire species. It was too foggy to really see the island very well, although we could make out the breaking surf and a waterfall or two.

From here we cruised a short distance over to Nightingale Island, the largest in a little cluster. These are also all volcanic, but not as perfectly shaped as Tristan, and have been dormant for quite a while. The first foggy picture is of Nightingale and the second is of Stoltenhoff. We spent most of the dinner hour dynamically positioned there, watching for birds and gradually watching the fog lift a bit. It was a lovely end to a wonderful day.

Nightingale Island is also the scene of a fairly recent marine disaster. In 2011, the then two-year old MS Olivia, a 225 meter long bulk carrier with a load of soybeans, missed the minimal avoided clearance of 10 nautical miles, and went aground on the rocks by the shore - in fairly good weather with good visibility, although just before dawn. Immediately the ship began taking on water and leaking oil and 12 of the 22-man crew were rescued fairly quickly by a fishing vessel from Tristan, but the seas worsened. Our main bird guide from the expedition team, Will, happened to be on a small cruise ship at Tristan at the time and told us the rest of the story, complete with photographs.

For some reason, the lifeboat that should have been at the top of its chute on the stern of the boat was missing, and no one had noticed. It turned up two years later in South Australia. Because the cruise ship had Zodiacs, they were called into service to get the remaining men off of the ship. By this time the area was an oil slick, and the Zodiacs, the rescuers and the rescued were all covered in it. They did manage to rescue all the men, but the next day the ship broke in two and sank. It is estimated that over 20,000 Northern Rockhopper Penguins (half of the total number for the species) were coated in oil. A heroic attempt was made to rescue as many as possible, degrease them and wash them in the Tristan swimming pool, but only a small percentage survived. About 1600 tons of heavy fuel oil was released, and other species also suffered losses, although none as great as the penguins.

It was a completely avoidable incident, as the plotting chart on the ship erroneously took it directly over Nightingale Island and although some thing was noted on radar several times, it was always discounted as a rain squall or an iceberg (very unlikely at this latitude). Will did mention that when they loaded the very unhappy captain onto their Zodiac, he had a black eye, so there had been some "discussion" on board the Oliva after the grounding.

We headed out just at dark, giving all the islands the wide berth they deserved, and settled in for four sea days, which will bring us to Jamestown on Saint Helena. We have burned a little extra fuel getting to Tristan faster, but can take our time on the next leg. It's nice to have warmer, sunnier weather, too, although we know it will get much hotter in a few more days.

All the other photographs are from yesterday on Tristan and include a picture of the Albatross Bar and a beautiful garden of hydrangeas. I've also included a picture of the "road" west, and a few other sights.

[eclipsecrowned]

hel/pitch // @luxsclaris

I don't think the worst takes would come from those opposed to the ship this time, other than in the context of server pissed off Helreth shipper deriding it for getting in the way of their ship.

I think the worst takes would be shippers making either a soft uwu baby who needs the other to hold them together lest they be just a broken teacup on the floor. An all take no give dynamic that is idealized as so heroic and romantic, that Hel is the beautiful and eternally shining light that keeps Pitch going, or that Pitch is the paternalistic 'the man knows best' rock that an uncharacteristically emotional Hel can turn to in all things.

Which like. The ship is clearly built on mutual respect and support. It's equality. Both have been through some shit and know they can rely on each other when it counts, without sacrificing their own mental health/character development or erasing their important bonds with others. Example, Hel and Dee, or Pitch and his daughter, though fandom will erroneously attribute either bond's influence on character/narrative development on the other half of the ship instead.

Just. Clear character shilling to the point of total OOC natter in tags. Fans who think the sun rises and sets on one partner becoming a lover martyr. Not understanding what an unhealthy relationship that would be.

[b0ligrafo]

[ID. Two photographs of a book page that reads as fallows:

It should be understood, at long last, that Zionism can only be a bitter experiment, a temporary, opportune degradation of Judaism, or perhaps merely the reversion to a primal, long since outmoded, form of national existence. Maybe it has succeeded in arresting or delaying the "assimilation" of Jewish individuals or groups. But in return it seeks to assimilate an entire people. If it appeals to the war like traditions of Judaism, then one should counter that the conquest of Canaan is less of an achievement than the Bible, the Psalms and the Song of Songs; also, that the present of the Jews is greater, possibly, than their past: being more tragic...

It might even be more "practical" in a "political" sense, if the young Jews who are going back to Palestine today, did so as the grandchildren not of the Macabees, but of the priests and prophets. In the course of my wanderings through the Jewish ghetto in Berlin, I bought some Jewish nationalist newspapers from Eastern Europe. Their reporting of the fighting in Palestine was indistinguishable from the war reports we read in our German newspapers. In the same dreadful Borgis bold type, in comparison to which spilled human blood seems a pretty thin and inconsequential fluid, those Jewish nationalists newspapers report on the Jewish "victories over the Arabs." And in the war correspondents' familiar gobbledygook you could read, in appalling black on white, that these were, thank God, not pogroms, but honest-to-goodness "battles". Here you could finally understand that the view of the Jews as cleverer than other people's is erroneous. Not only are they not cleverer, they are even sometimes more stupid. They aren't ahead of the times, but if anything lagging behind. They are aping the recently failed European ideologies. Now, of all times, they are setting about their original Jewish steel baths. Of course it's only natural they should put up a fight in Palestine. It's too bad they were attacked. But to have their heroism confirmed to them in the newspapers —having been uncommonly heroic over thousands of years without journalistic clichés—that furnishes final proof that there are not seven wise men of Zion directing the destiny of the Jewish people. No, there are several hundred idiots of Zion, who have failed to understand the destiny of their people.

Das Tagebuch, September 14, 1929.

End ID]

Joseph Roth, Wailing Wall (1929)

[basicsofislam]

THE COMPANIONS OF THE PROPHET (PBUH) : Amr bin Awf (r.a.)

Hz. Amr became a Muslim during the first years of Islam. He migrated to Madinah like the other Companions. He took part in the Battle of Khandaq. He fought heroically there. He wanted to participate in the Battle of Tabuk but he could not attend because he could not afford to prepare for the expedition. At that time, there was financial difficulty in Madinah. Even the Companions who were rich had difficulties in preparing for this battle.

Hz. Amr went to the Prophet with a few Companions who did not have enough money like him. They said that they did not want to be deprived of the thawab of this jihad and asked him to help them. However, the Prophet did not have anything to give them. These Companions left by crying. Thereupon, verse 92 of the chapter of at-Tawba was sent down. The verse is as follows:

"Nor (is there blame) on those who came to thee to be provided with mount, and when thou saidst "I can find no mounts for you," they turned back, their eyes streaming with tears of grief that they had no resources wherewith to provide the expenses."

Hz. Amr, who narrated a few hadiths from the Prophet, died during the caliphate of Muawiya.

One of the hadiths he narrated is as follows:

“Whoever revives a Sunnah from my Sunnah which died after me, for him is a reward similar to whoever acts upon it without diminishing anything from their rewards. And whoever introduces an erroneous innovation which Allah is not pleased with, nor His Messenger, then he shall receive sins similar to whoever acts upon it, without that diminishing anything from the sins of the people.”

[captainunderkrupp]

it's back!! :D my computer is finally properly fixed and this has been sitting in my drafts awhile... enjoy!!

@tacobellsagaanon  @t-ggs96  @gemgoestothelegostore  @tru-dat @glowing-gravity  @pixel-bird  @cocoablogsaboutlegos @pocketstitched 

[istumpysk]

Operation Stumpy Re-Read

AFFC: Samwell IV (Chapter 35)

Sam donned his blacks to say the words, though the afternoon was warm and muggy, with nary a breath of wind. "He was a good man," he began . . . but as soon as he had said the words he knew that they were wrong. "No. He was a great man. A maester of the Citadel, chained and sworn, and Sworn Brother of the Night's Watch, ever faithful.

For the record I have no qualms about disrespecting the dead.

+.+.+

When he was born they named him for a hero who had died too young, but though he lived a long long time, his own life was no less heroic. No man was wiser, or gentler, or kinder. At the Wall, a dozen lords commander came and went during his years of service, but he was always there to counsel them. He counseled kings as well. He could have been a king himself, but when they offered him the crown he told them they should give it to his younger brother. How many men would do that?"

I know one? Same name too.

He's not exiled! They wouldn't offer him the crown if he was being exiled! You can't possibly believe the younger brother thing is a coincidence.

+.+.+

Sam felt the tears welling in his eyes, and knew he could not go on much longer. "He was the blood of the dragon, but now his fire has gone out. He was Aemon Targaryen. And now his watch is ended.

Can't wait to do this again in the future.

I love how George skipped over Samwell learning he's Aemon Targaryen.

Remember this? Everyone clowns this scene so much, as if the author doesn't do it all the time.

+.+.+

On Braavos, it had seemed possible that Aemon might recover. Xhondo's talk of dragons had almost seemed to restore the old man to himself. That night he ate every bite Sam put before him. "No one ever looked for a girl," he said. "It was a prince that was promised, not a princess. Rhaegar, I thought . . . the smoke was from the fire that devoured Summerhall on the day of his birth, the salt from the tears shed for those who died. He shared my belief when he was young, but later he became persuaded that it was his own son who fulfilled the prophecy, for a comet had been seen above King's Landing on the night Aegon was conceived, and Rhaegar was certain the bleeding star had to be a comet. What fools we were, who thought ourselves so wise! The error crept in from the translation. Dragons are neither male nor female, Barth saw the truth of that, but now one and now the other, as changeable as flame. The language misled us all for a thousand years. Daenerys is the one, born amidst salt and smoke. The dragons prove it." 

Oh, it's Daenerys alright.

The smoke was the fire that devoured Summerhall, the salt was from the tears shed for those who died? What a donkey. I could find a better theory on Reddit.

He's also wrong about Barth, because of course he is.

As Archmaester Gyldayn notes in his fragmentary history, there is no record that Vermax ever laid so much as a single egg, suggesting the dragon was male. The belief that dragons could change sex at need is erroneous, according to Maester Anson's Truth, rooted in a misunderstanding of the esoteric metaphor that Barth preferred when discussing the higher mysteries. - TWoIaF

The stupid is hard coded in Targaryen DNA. Pray for Jon and Aegon.

+.+.+

Just talking of her seemed to make him stronger. "I must go to her. I must. Would that I was even ten years younger."

[...]

Soon after that, his wits began to wander once again. By the time the Cinnamon Wind swept past the Bleeding Tower into Tyrosh harbor, Aemon no longer spoke of trying to find a ship to take him east.

I'm sorry, what was this guy saying about duty over family in book one?

+.+.+

He had already given his sword and scabbard to Xhondo, to repay the big mate for the feathered cloak he'd ruined saving Sam from drowning. The only things of value that still remained to them were the books they had brought from the vaults of Castle Black. Sam parted with them glumly. "They were meant for the Citadel," he said, when Xhondo asked him what was wrong. When the mate translated those words, the captain laughed. "Quhuru Mo says the grey men will be having these books still," Xhondo told him, "only they will be buying them from Quhuru Mo. The maesters give good silver for books they are not having, and sometimes red and yellow gold."

They'll still get the books. The books are safe!

+.+.+

By the time the dealing was done, Sam was down to his boots and blacks and smallclothes, and the broken horn Jon Snow had found on the Fist of First Men. 

Horn!

+.+.+

Tell them, Sam . . . tell them how it is upon the Wall . . . the wights and the white walkers, the creeping cold . . ."

"I will," Sam promised. "I will add my voice to yours, maester. We will both tell them, the two of us together."

"No," the old man said. "It must be you. Tell them. The prophecy . . . my brother's dream . . . Lady Melisandre has misread the signs. Stannis . . . Stannis has some of the dragon blood in him, yes. His brothers did as well. Rhaelle, Egg's little girl, she was how they came by it . . . their father's mother . . . she used to call me Uncle Maester when she was a little girl. I remembered that, so I allowed myself to hope . . . perhaps I wanted to . . . we all deceive ourselves, when we want to believe. Melisandre most of all, I think. The sword is wrong, she has to know that . . . light without heat . . . an empty glamor . . . the sword is wrong, and the false light can only lead us deeper into darkness, Sam. Daenerys is our hope. Tell them that, at the Citadel. Make them listen. They must send her a maester. Daenerys must be counseled, taught, protected.

Are you laughing as hard as I am?

If only Melisandre was as enlightened as Aemon Targaryen.

+.+.+

For all these years I've lingered, waiting, watching, and now that the day has dawned I am too old. I am dying, Sam." Tears ran from his blind white eyes at that admission.

Watching and waiting for what exactly? You belong to the Night's Watch, remember?

+.+.+

"Death should hold no fear for a man as old as me, but it does. Isn't that silly? It is always dark where I am, so why should I fear the darkness? Yet I cannot help but wonder what will follow, when the last warmth leaves my body. Will I feast forever in the Father's golden hall as the septons say? Will I talk with Egg again, find Dareon whole and happy, hear my sisters singing to their children? What if the horselords have the truth of it? Will I ride through the night sky forever on a stallion made of flame? Or must I return again to this vale of sorrow? Who can say, truly? Who has been beyond the wall of death to see? Only the wights, and we know what they are like. We know."

I thought Beric said there was nothing but darkness, but I can't find the quote. I might be confusing the books with the show.

+.+.+

There was little and less that Sam could say to that, but he had given the old man what little comfort he could. And Gilly came in afterward and sang a song for him, a nonsense song thing that she learned from some of Craster's other wives. It made the old man smile and helped him go to sleep.

I'm so far gone, I can't even read about a nonsense song without thinking it's important.

+.+.+

When he woke he'd call for Sam, insisting that he had to tell him something, but oft as not he would have forgotten what he meant to say by the time that Sam arrived. Even when he did recall, his talk was all a jumble. He spoke of dreams and never named the dreamer, of a glass candle that could not be lit and eggs that would not hatch. He said the sphinx was the riddle, not the riddler, whatever that meant. He asked Sam to read for him from a book by Septon Barth, whose writings had been burned during the reign of Baelor the Blessed. Once he woke up weeping. 

I don't have any answers for you, but Samwell will meet Alleras the Sphinx (Sarella Sand) at the end of this book.

Sam chewed on the question for a moment, wondering how much he ought to say. The sphinx is the riddle, not the riddler. Could Maester Aemon have meant this Sphinx? It seemed unlikely. - Samwell V, AFFC

+.+.+

"The dragon must have three heads," he wailed, "but I am too old and frail to be one of them. I should be with her, showing her the way, but my body has betrayed me."

How could a maester, chained and sworn, and Sworn Brother of the Night's Watch, be one of the three heads?

Can't believe I had to sit through this clown lecturing Jon about duty.

+.+.+

Even here, a thousand leagues from the Wall, Gilly was reluctant to say Lady Melisandre's name aloud. "She wanted king's blood for her fires. Val knew she did. Lord Snow too. That was why they made me take Dalla's babe away and leave my own behind in his place. Maester Aemon went to sleep and didn't wake up, but if he had stayed, she would have burned him."

Jon may be gone, but the base cabinet is fully aware that baby does not have king's blood. I think we're safe?

Shireeeeenn. :(

+.+.+

He will still burn, Sam thought miserably, only now I have to do it. The Targaryens always gave their fallen to the flames. Quhuru Mo would not allow a funeral pyre aboard the Cinnamon Wind, so Aemon's corpse had been stuffed inside a cask of blackbelly rum to preserve it until the ship reached Oldtown.

Burned in Oldtown? Nahhhh. I don't think so.

It would be more appropriate if you sent him to the ancestral home of the Targaryens.

+.+.+

"We could name the little one Maester, if you like. When he's old enough, not now. We could."

"Maester is not a name. You could call him Aemon, though."

Gilly thought about that. "Dalla brought him forth during battle, as the swords sang all around her. That should be his name. Aemon Battleborn. Aemon Steelsong."

Jon's name is a song!

I wonder how Mance and Dalla would feel about their son being given a royal name.

+.+.+

A name even my lord father might like. A warrior's name. The boy was Mance Rayder's son and Craster's grandson, after all. He had none of Sam's craven blood. "Yes. Call him that."

Huh?? Last time I checked Craster was not the father of Mance or Dalla.

Unless he's referring to Gilly "adopting" the boy?

Dalla's babe began to cry. Gilly pulled open her tunic and gave the boy her breast. She smiled as he nursed, and stroked his soft brown hair. She has come to love this one as much as the one she left behind, Sam realized. - Samwell V, AFFC

I wouldn't like this sort of talk if I was a fan of Mance or the roll-top desk. Kind of feels like that baby is going to be Gilly's full-time responsibility by the end of this series.

+.+.+

Kojja Mo was the captain's daughter, taller than Sam and slender as a spear, with skin as black and smooth as polished jet. She captained the ship's red archers too, and pulled a double-curved goldenheart bow that could send a shaft four hundred yards. When the pirates had attacked them in the Stepstones, Kojja's arrows had slain a dozen of them whilst Sam's own shafts were falling in the water. The only thing Kojja Mo loved better than her bow was bouncing Dalla's boy upon her knee and singing to him in the Summer Tongue. 

You already know I'm always going to highlight Sam shooting arrows.

I'm reminded of Sarella Sand, good with arrows, and the daughter of a Summer Islander. Is the Sphinx the riddle?

+.+.+

Gilly said that the drink was making the ship spin round, so Sam helped her down the ladder to the women's quarters in the bow of the ship.

There was a lantern hanging just inside the cabin, and he managed to bang his head on it going in. "Ow," he said, and Gilly said, "Are you hurt? Let me see." She leaned close . . .

. . . and kissed his mouth.

Sam found himself kissing her back. 

Aw, that's sweet.

Let's stop there.

+.+.+

I said the words, Sam thought again, but one of her nipples found its way between his lips. It was pink and hard and when he sucked on it her milk filled his mouth, mingling with the taste of rum, and he had never tasted anything so fine and sweet and good.

+.+.+

And suddenly his cock was out, jutting upward from his breeches like a fat pink mast. 

I want to die.

+.+.+

It looked so silly standing there that he might have laughed, but Gilly pushed him back onto her pallet, hiked her skirts up around her thighs, and lowered herself onto him with a little whimpery sound. That was even better than her nipples. She's so wet, he thought, gasping. I never knew a woman could get so wet down there. "I am your wife now," she whispered, sliding up and down on him. And Sam groaned and thought, No, no, you can't be, I said the words, I said the words, but the only word he said was, "Yes."

If we start a petition maybe he'll stop writing these scenes.

+.+.+

Even the Crone herself could not lead me safely out of this. The best thing he could do would be to slip away and jump into the sea. If I'm drowned, no one need ever know that I shamed myself and broke my vows, and Gilly can find herself a better man, one who is not some big fat coward.

Good plan, Arys Oakheart.

The Jon/Ygritte is strong, but I treat them like foils.

+.+.+

It was a long hot sticky day, made longer by his pounding head. Sam busied himself with ropes and sails and the other tasks that Xhondo set him, and tried not to let his eyes wander to the cask of rum that held old Maester Aemon's body . . . or to Gilly. 

This counts as an undignified exit.

+.+.+

"You do not understand. Last night we . . ."

". . . honored your dead, and the gods who made you both. Xhondo did the same. I had the child, else I would have been with him. All you Westerosi make a shame of loving. There is no shame in loving. If your septons say there is, your seven gods must be demons. In the isles we know better. Our gods gave us legs to run with, noses to smell with, hands to touch and feel. What mad cruel god would give a man eyes and tell him he must forever keep them shut, and never look at all the beauty in the world? Only a monster god, a demon of the darkness." Kojja put her hand between Sam's legs. "The gods gave you this for a reason too, for . . . what is your Westerosi word?"

"Fucking," Xhondo offered helpfully.

"Yes, for fucking. For the giving of pleasure and the making of children. There is no shame in that."

I like Summer Islanders!

+.+.+

He went to Gilly. "What we did . . . if I could take a wife, I would sooner have you than any princess or highborn maiden, but I can't. I am still a crow. I said the words, Gilly. I went with Jon into the woods and said the words before a heart tree."

"The trees watch over us," Gilly whispered, brushing the tears from his cheeks. "In the forest, they see all . . . but there are no trees here. Only water, Sam. Only water."

Laughed out loud at the thought of Bran watching two people have sex.

The trees may not be watching them have sex, but is Marwyn?

"Tell me all you told our Dornish sphinx. I know much of it and more, but some small parts may have escaped my notice."

[...]

"Where has he gone?" asked Sam, bewildered.

"To the docks. The Mage is not a man who believes in wasting time." Alleras smiled. "I have a confession. Ours was no chance encounter, Sam. The Mage sent me to snatch you up before you spoke to Theobald. He knew that you were coming."

"How?"

Alleras nodded at the glass candle. - Samwell V, AFFC

Pervert.

Final thoughts:

There, I fixed it. It's finally canon compliant.

-> return to menu <-

[docgold13]

365 Marvel Comics Paper Cut-Out SuperHeroes - One Hero, Every Day, All Year…

July 11th - Nebula

The cosmic adventurer known as Nebula has a mysterious and convoluted past.  Originating from the planet Luphom, Nebula had previously been a pirate and mercenary who obtained control of the massive battleship, Sanctuary II, following the apparent death of Thanos.  Nebula enhanced the sense of threat and menace of her name and reputation by claiming to be the granddaughter of Thanos.  

Nebula sought to utilize Sanctuary II in order to conquer and plunder the Skrull Empire yet was foiled by The Avengers.  She later came to earth and endeavored a plot to utilize an experimental atomic compressor to bring about a second big bang that would destroy the universe.  Once more she was thwarted in the scheme by The Avengers.  

Later, when Thanos was resurrected, he was displeased that Nebula had erroneously claimed his name.  He captured her and had her transformed into a zombie-like creature somewhere between life and death.  Thereafter, when Thanos had obtained the Infinity Gauntlet and expanded his consciousness to be one with the universe, Nebula was able to break from his mental control and seized the Gauntlet to use as her own.  It required the combined efforts of Thanos and the Infinity Watch to ultimately defeat Nebula.  

She later escaped imprisonment and was transformed into a cyborg; she has continued on as a reoccurring foe to The Guardians of The Galaxy and other cosmic heroes.  

Nebula’s backstory was later retconned and she was revealed to be the adopted daughter of Thanos who acted as his lieutenant alongside her adopted sister, Gamora.  Nebula and Gamora maintained a very contemptuous relationship with one another yet fought side by side as members of the Graces during the Annihilation War.  

Later, Nebula formed a new iteration of the Guardians of The Galaxy so to hunt down Gamora before she could become the vessel of Thanos’ resurrection.  Although she has at times fought alongside many heroes, her ambitions often prove selfish and she has betrayed her allies on numerous occasions.  

A more heroic version of Nebula has featured in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, debuting in Guardians of The Galaxy Vol. 1 and portrayed by actress Karen Gillan.  Nebula first appeared in the pages of Avengers Vol. 1 #257.