i have deep desire to write for demon slayer (and by write for it im specifically talking about zenitsu currently.) but the story is so deeply impacted by it's setting that its gonna take at least two weeks of research to do it any justice so the plans r Delayed
further musings with the ability to consider the overarching series wherein it like as ever, questioning how well anything was questioned when in the end it seems like it's going "okay let's look at these people we think are epic" where ultimately of course it's like oh they might also be shitty they might not get the best endings, b/c they couldn't Change....while characters like wendy who ostensibly did get [better endings, b/c you can change] status spent the whole time Not choosing to change, ends up with a foot in both camps w/axe & chuck, like okay watch me assuming she's just off to more of the same. but what mattered was that billions always considered her Epic. rian's not a character and didn't do anything and ended up clearly only another [just some asshole] employee who'd just like to keep showing up for the usual and stepping on & bullying other employees for ego, and the fact that it was completely believable she just committed to sticking with that forever until then it was like oh okay she's supposed to have only just now for some reason decided it's time to leave b/c she's just too nice? like, that is not convincing, i'm sure she's off to more of the same forever too anyways, but yet again the non plan here seems to have been determined by billions' deciding this character is like, ambiently epic. chuck sr gets alleged heartwarming moments (on his terms) b/c damn if he isn't epic at least, like axe and chuck sufficiently are. winston as a consummate cringe loser nerd couldn't ever be written anything in particular besides being crushed, which he deserves, and is so fun. ben kim on the other hand might be billions' specialest little guy who they Don't think deserves being crushed (as much) (and/or we can at least sympathize with him over it) but he doesn't get much of an ending to speak of or muse on b/c if anything his triumphs were about being a little more Epic but in the end maybe he just wasn't quite Epic enough, whether for a better or worse ending. b/c these other characters might end up either way but again if you're really worth talking about on the show at all you do simply have to have been Inherently Epic in the first place, which will no matter what guarantee you an epic consideration and material devoted to you, versus the inherent losers who will get no such thing no matter what. (wags was useless and an asshole but we Needed his involvement and focus and ending that was just fine thanks)
v glad for this slight wizards of waverly place resurgence cuz i was alone in 2020 when i rewatched and had so many thoughts and feelings.
here to say i love love love justin (and max) and i wish he was written differently in s4 (and perhaps s3) cuz he could be such an ass, like utterly unlikeable levels (looking at u series finale). and it's upsetting to see because he's prob my fav, it felt horrible to watch him act so cruel towards alex. while he can be selfish (all the russos can be) he's had her back consistently. i just think back to S2E30 when he was upset about them losing their powers but he came around, under the assumption that they WILL lose their powers, because he doesn't want to lose alex and max. now i'm sure they wanted the drama and like the tragedy of the russo kids fulfilling the whole 'wizard competition tears families apart' sorta prophecy but i wish they went about it differently so the audience wouldnt turn against justin and max. and i wish there was growth from him like there was for alex
also see lots of ppl saying who they think deserves being the family wizard while i have A few takes on that, i primarily believe that the whole competition is messed up and they all 'deserve' it. as a justin apologist (lol), seeing ppl say that he absolutely doesn't deserve it because all he did was study and not use magic (use magic 'responsibly') is strange.. esp when he has said that he has to work more (the constant quizzing himself and the songs as shown in S3E03) because it doesnt come naturally to him like it seems to for alex and he ties much of his worth to his ability to do magic well. it feels a bit cold..
This article is from 2022, but it came up in the context of Palestine:
Here are some striking passages, relevant to all colonial aftermaths but certainly also to the forms we see Zionist reaction taking at the moment:
Over the decade I lived in South Africa, I became fascinated by this white minority [i.e. the whole white population post-apartheid as a minority in the country], particularly its members who considered themselves progressive. They reminded me of my liberal peers in America, who had an apparently self-assured enthusiasm about the coming of a so-called majority-minority nation. As with white South Africans who had celebrated the end of apartheid, their enthusiasm often belied, just beneath the surface, a striking degree of fear, bewilderment, disillusionment, and dread.
[...]
Yet these progressives’ response to the end of apartheid was ambivalent. Contemplating South Africa after apartheid, an Economist correspondent observed that “the lives of many whites exude sadness.” The phenomenon perplexed him. In so many ways, white life remained more or less untouched, or had even improved. Despite apartheid’s horrors—and the regime’s violence against those who worked to dismantle it—the ANC encouraged an attitude of forgiveness. It left statues of Afrikaner heroes standing and helped institute the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which granted amnesty to some perpetrators of apartheid-era political crimes.
But as time wore on, even wealthy white South Africans began to radiate a degree of fear and frustration that did not match any simple economic analysis of their situation. A startling number of formerly anti-apartheid white people began to voice bitter criticisms of post-apartheid society. An Afrikaner poet who did prison time under apartheid for aiding the Black-liberation cause wrote an essay denouncing the new Black-led country as “a sewer of betrayed expectations and thievery, fear and unbridled greed.”
What accounted for this disillusionment? Many white South Africans told me that Black forgiveness felt like a slap on the face. By not acting toward you as you acted toward us, we’re showing you up, white South Africans seemed to hear. You’ll owe us a debt of gratitude forever.
The article goes on to discuss:
"Mau Mau anxiety," or the fear among whites of violent repercussions, and how this shows up in reported vs confirmed crime stats - possibly to the point of false memories of home invasion
A sense of irrelevance and alienation among this white population, leading to another anxiety: "do we still belong here?"
The sublimation of this anxiety into self-identification as a marginalized minority group, featuring such incredible statements as "I wanted to fight for Afrikaners, but I came to think of myself as a ‘liberal internationalist,’ not a white racist...I found such inspiration from the struggles of the Catalonians and the Basques. Even Tibet" and "[Martin Luther] King [Jr.] also fought for a people without much political representation … That’s why I consider him one of my most important forebears and heroes,” from a self-declared liberal environmentalist who also thinks Afrikaaners should take back government control because they are "naturally good" at governance
Some discussion of the dynamics underlying these reactions, particularly the fact that "admitting past sins seem[ed] to become harder even as they receded into history," and US parallels
And finally, in closing:
The Afrikaner journalist Rian Malan, who opposed apartheid, has written that, by most measures, its aftermath went better than almost any white person could have imagined. But, as with most white progressives, his experience of post-1994 South Africa has been complicated. [...]
He just couldn’t forgive Black people for forgiving him. Paradoxically, being left undisturbed served as an ever-present reminder of his guilt, of how wrongly he had treated his maid and other Black people under apartheid. “The Bible was right about a thing or two,” he wrote. “It is infinitely worse to receive than to give, especially if … the gift is mercy.”
Pixar did not have to go as hard as they did with the Kronos Unveiled scene in The Incredibles (2004), yet they did anyway and gave us one of the best scenes in modern cinema. Literally cannot stop thinking about how good this scene is, from the animation to the build up to the soundtrack.
I don’t think I truly understood how dark this scene - and this film - was a child: Syndrome is systematically and strategically luring in superheroes and killing them off in order to test and improve his Omnidroid design… these people were not only supers but they also had family and loved ones too, just like Bob, and one day they would have just disappeared because chances are they weren’t telling people where they were going because it was "top secret" and against the law. They thought they were doing something good, like helping the people in the island, while also getting to relive their glory days, perhaps even paving the way for superheroes to make a proper comeback… only for Syndrome to kill them in cold blood.
Most of these people can actually be seen at Bob and Helen’s wedding in the beginning of the film - they weren’t just random supers, they were their friends, people they worked alongside and cared about. It’s even worse when you realise that Bob probably blames himself because, after all, Buddy/Syndrome was his biggest fan and he dismissed him by not letting him help.
The relief on Bob’s face when he realises Syndrome doesn’t know where Helen is - meaning he also doesn’t know where their children are because he didn’t realise they were married at this point - is so realistic and gut wrenching to see. The relief contrasting with the anguish of knowing how much danger they and their entire family could have been in the entire time without even knowing...it's so well-done, you can literally feel it.
It’s also worth noting that originally the next target wasn’t Mr Incredible but Frozone - that was who Mirage was trailing, hence why his location is “known”. Imagine if she/Syndrome hadn’t realised that Mr Incredible was with him and they’d lured Frozone in instead as planned; he would have gone to the island to fight the Omnidroid 8 in a volcano setting. We saw how being in the burning building dehydrated Frozone and made it impossible to use his ice powers - presumably it would have been the same in the middle of a lava filled volcano, and he’d have been slaughtered just like the other superheroes before him.
This scene shows an entire generation of superheroes - Bob, Helen and Lucius’ generation - wiped out all because Syndrome felt slighted by his hero as a child, because he internalised that slight and let it drive him to revenge. And, if we take into account the deleted alternate opening scene, it’s mentioned that superheroes "aren't supposed to breed” - meaning there’s a likelihood that Violet, Dash and Jack-Jack are among the very few supers of the next generation. I know that it's deleted and so not really canon, but it's definitely a concept to consider, I think.
Then there's the fact Syndrome named the project "Kronos" - Kronos was a God who overthrew his own father in order to take over his rule, and then he ate his own children to prevent them doing the same thing to him. It feels like it reflects Syndrome once looking up to Mr Incredible and even saying "I could be your ward!", meaning Mr Incredible adopting or fostering him - the project name is a metaphor for Syndrome destroying the Supers, especially Mr Incredible, who he viewed as a father figure. The Omnidroids he built killed two birds with one stone: not only was he able to acquire the data to upgrade the robot to its final design, but it also eliminated the real super heroes and so left him as the last remaining "superhero", even though his powers are man-made, not something he was born with.
Not only did he want to become the only remaining superhero by killing the real ones in revenge, he also planned to sell his inventions at some point so everyone can be super - because "when everyone is super, nobody is". It's like a final blow to the memory of the superheroes he had killed.
I've talked too much about this scene but God... I love it so much more as an adult because it's just so chilling to think about. I'm sure other people can put it much more articulately than I just tried to, but I just really wanted to appreciate this scene.
Despite Danny's best efforts, no matter how much time past, Amity Park refused to see Phantom as a hero.
Sure, there were pockets of support, particularly among teens, but most of the town blames Phantom for the property damage, saying if he didn't fight the ghosts then it wouldn't be so bad, to that time he got mind controlled by Freakshow and "attacked" the mayor. It wears him down. It wears Tucker and Sam down. Jazz can only try to support them all.
Then one day, a member of the Justice League visits. Someone minor, and kinda a jerk... maybe a Wonder Twin? Zan? Whatever. They don't investigate; they don't look deeper. They listen to the town folks and declare the ghost hunters, Red Huntress and the Fentons, to be the official heroes of the town.
Worse? Danny Phantom is officially considered a villain to the Justice League. Tuck hacks into the Watchtower and confirms that they have a file (a heavily inaccurate file) about how to defeat Phantom.
Danny doesn't think he can do this anymore.
A few weeks later, a young villain escapes into Amity and demands (begs) that Danny help them escape from the hero after them. No idea who, I can't find a lot of info on teen villains in DC, so let's fudge some ages and make it Kyd Wyckyd from the Teen Titans cartoon. Danny agrees, because to hell with the Justice Losers, and they defeat the hero, becoming friends in the process. Kyd confesses that they became a villain after being ostracized bc of how they look, and they've been trying to avoid villain organizations because HIVE was abusive, but it's really hard to be a villain alone bc of all the heroes.
Sam gets an idea. Tucker agrees with the idea. Jazz is just happy they'll end up making friends.
The next day, the Teen Villain Alliance is formed, ready to assist with any teenage illegal shenanigans their allies might get into.
Some notes:
It's created to be a healthier option for teen "villains" to connect with others and support each other.
It's more important that this is for Teens rather than Villains. They're tired of adult villains taking advantage of them. The TVA would rather ally with a teen vigilante than with an adult villain.
Again, no idea who the teen villains are, but Klarion is definitely here. He leaves the Light for the chaos of the TVA. Maybe Ember is there too?
Timeline wise, this is around when Tim is still Robin, but Damien has arrived at Wayne Manor.
This is because, when it comes time to try to infiltrate the TVA, they'll have a convenient child-assassin who has none of the monitors of a teen hero that Phantom immediately picks up on.
Damien, who at this point has been abandoned by his mother, dismissed and scolded by his father, and has had no success at carving his own place in the family, jumps at the chance. He is then surrounded by peers who don't insult him or try to change his behavior (too much; jazz is trying to help him find healthier methods of expressing himself). He... might not want to continue being a spy.
Danny, Sam, Tuck, and Jazz are the founding members.
Danny reinvents himself as the High Prince of the Infinite, Prince Phantom Dark. He got kingship from fighting Pariah Dark, but since he's still alive, he's only a prince. He steals the last name Dark as an intimidation tatic against those in the know; only Danny would have the balls to claim family with Pariah.
Sam works as a powerless villain, but she might no be powerless? Either way, Danny gives her a bunch of repurposed Fenton tech, and she buys the rest with her parents credit card. She does NOT care if that's traced back to the Mansons. She would choose something goth, maybe something spider related or even bat?
I love Pharaoh Tucker, so I think he should get magic powers? Since pharaohs of old were considered the balance between the real and the divine. He's still a tech guy, now he's a tech and magic guy.
Jazz isn't really a villain, more of a team mom who's planning on using everyone's psyche's as her thesis paper. You know what, that's her callsign, she's Psyche. Sometimes she flirts with Nightwing.
Amity Parkers are super good at dealing with superhero and villain battles, getting out of the rubble, helping others get out, etc.
This doesn’t shock anyone. There’s so many cities that consistently deal with superhuman battles that millions of people around the world are used to it and know what to do during a battle. Hell, there’s even government standard safety drills in schools about villain attacks now.
They didn’t stand out for a long long while among crowds of other city goers trying to flee a battle scene.
That was until a green glowing android appeared out of nowhere defeating heroes and villains alike because their abilities were rare enough to be hunted by this mysterious newcomer. So far no known weapon is able to hit the being while intangible.
That is until one unassuming citizen pulls out a strange wrist ray contraption that seems to actually stun the creature for a few seconds.
NOW all eyes are on these citizens that once lived in Amity Park
greek mythology au returns. concept sketches of the girls
(more context on greek mythology tag)
1: sphinx alcina (alina) and her harpy daughters
Alina was once a noblewoman and musician singing Athena’s praises, until the goddess herself offered rich rewards if she would serve her. Upon accepting, Athena turned her into a sphinx and took her to the first of the islands where she would gather treasures from all the warriors she killed.
2: aphrodite mia and athena miranda
Athena lost her daughter Pallas (eva), an aspiring warrior/hero, when she accidentally killed her during training. Afterwards she was deep in grief and fiercely jealous of Zeus’s demigod children getting promoted to gods and living peacefully on Olympus, so she created monsters to lure forth any warrior good enough to take as her own (meanwhile, she runs the same trick on the monsters, telling them that if they serve her and kill the unworthy they will have a place with her among the pantheon).
Aphrodite, infamous for her vanity, paradoxically took a liking (entirely platonic for the purpose of this au) to Elias (ethan) when he was young because of his beauty and gave him blessings throughout his life, intending to make him her servant on Olympus one day. She was Not pleased when Athena blinded/sent him off to her gauntlet of monsters and made sure the soldiers sailing him there would land on Kyril’s (karl) island where he would be relatively safe, especially from the gorgon’s stone gaze.
3: arachne donna (daphne) and angie (aretha)
Daphne was an exceptionally talented weaver, who created a tragically beautiful tapestry to cope with the loss of her family. Her craftsmanship and isolation made her the perfect candidate for Athena, who turned her into a giant spider and took her to the islands where she would serve her with her artistry as well as her newfound lethality.
4: evie and rose as the minor gods of fear and panic
The two deities were stolen away by Athena to keep as her children, as well as her prisoners. They are kept in captivity on Alina’s island (behind the gate she guards) where their powers are being used as a barrier between the archipelago and the mainland (anyone who tries to leave will be paralysed with fear and anyone who first arrives won’t have doubts about setting foot on the islands before it’s too late to turn back).