#it's nice on the surface but I'm not sure that's really how they're being portrayed here with how he was mentally influencing the Hulk

[daydreamerdrew]

The Defenders (1972) #78

[january-tala]

I finished watching Lockwood & Co.!! Alrighty, time for some random thoughts:

I take back my initial impression of Cameron Chapman. The teaser and the trailer didn't do him justice. He seemed stiff and unemotive there. But even in the first episode, he clearly has the range to portray Lockwood. See, I think the producers could have gone the easy way out and made Lockwood a Typical Brooding YA Hero, but they didn't. And it's so nice to see Lockwood's subtle shifts from infamy-obsessed, to caring employer, to slapdash planner, to I'm-kinda-besotted-with-Lucy, to suicidal, to 100-gigawatt smile. Like, they did that. They really did that.

I really really liked Lucy's extended backstory. Yes, they took out her five (or was it six?) sisters, but we got Norrie instead, and I quite liked the bond she and Lucy formed. I'm glad that she didn't outright die with the others, giving Lucy the opportunity to share her thoughts out loud when she's recording messages for Norrie.

I wasn't sure how I was gonna feel about George Karim, given that George Cubbins is such an iconic character. But I greatly warmed up to Ali's deadpan delivery of his lines. Also, that bit of backstory, "My parents had 4 children: engineer, engineer, engineer.... weirdo." That's what got me. I love him, lol.

Sooo, this might seem weird coming from a Locklyle shipper, but Locklyle was a bit too strong for me. One of the things I really liked about the series was that I was second-guessing myself whether there would even be any romance at all, and it wasn't until the end of Hollow Boy that I felt that possibility. I get that they're speeding things along, but I really appreciated Lucy's obtuseness when it came to romance in the books.

Ironically, I actually liked the way George K. and Flo warmed up to each other early. It was a sweet touch, especially considering how they both can be such grouches

Speaking of Flo, ngl I wasn't too taken in with her character in the books. She was simultaneously entertaining and irritating for me, but she never really went beyond the surface. So I really liked Hayley's more sympathetic portrayal of her. I don't know... she just felt more... human, I guess?

Inspector Barnes seems more strict and serious here in the show. I remember him being quite gruff in the books, in a kinda comical way. But I understand why they needed someone to really apply some pressure.

Are they trying to shoehorn a Lucy/Kipps romance???!!!! Please, no!!!

So... Skully... I wish they'd retained his sassier, snarkier personality from the books, but I can understand why they wanted to make him more serious and spooky.

It might just be me binge-watching the entire series, but nearing the end of episode 6, I felt like the pacing started to go off the rails. That said, The Whispering Skull is my least reread book of the series, so maybe I just have to refresh my memory. Like, I really loved the plot twist about George not wearing his glasses when looking into the mirror, and they changed that here.

Also it might just be that Lucy's crisp, strong voice really carried through the quieter moments in the books. We don't get to hear all her snarky thoughts, so maybe that's why I was feeling off about some scenes.

Left-handed Kate Godwin!!

Oh boy, I can't believe Golden Blade brought a gun to a rapier fight.

Okay I think that's the extent of my thoughts for now. Time to dive into the tags!!!!

[stolencrownsofplenty]

Anonymous | Accepting

5, 13, 25, 37, 44, 56 >:3c

5. What do you hope to see at your funeral/wake/burial/cremation? What do you think you’ll actually see?

((I would hope to see at my burial, my family would recycle my dead body to used as fertilizer for a tree; either its just a baby or a thousand year old one, it would not matter to me either way. I feel in some part while my family would be saddened I'd pasted away either due to an accident or just life taking its course, but I would want them to honor me in a way my life would still be apart of theirs' in some way. I don't know if that do that sorta program anymore, but it's a nice thought to think about at least.

What would I see on the other side though? I wouldn't know. I haven't lived it yet, so you never know honestly.))

13. If you could live in a movie or movie franchise, which would it be? Why?

((Monster's Inc or Zootopia. Both would lean into on the slight fantasy but still feel familiar to me if I ever got stuck in those universes somehow. If I even got the chance to have my form as my lambsona? That'd make it even better since I wouldn't be too different from those guys anyhow.))

25. Who is someone you admire?

((My friends! Would absolutely throw a rock if I got to visit them over the world some day. ^o^))

37. When was the last time someone texted you and what about?

((From my last text message? It was from my horse trainer talking to me and my mother about having horse riding lessons later this Monday night. We try to have them weekly when we can manage it, since riding horses is my physical therapy, and they are always something I look forward to during my long weeks.))

44. Think about some strong opinions (about anything) that you have. Could be about RP, life, school, work, people. Where did that come from; what happened to make you feel or think that way?

((I do have some opinions when it comes to how Neurotypical writers who work in the film industry write really poor autism representation and don't do the proper research to portray a person with autism with human respect; and I am especially talking about older media that still has some sort of cultural impact. As much as we've gotten some decent rep in the last few years and they're far and between? I do have a strong hatred for the characters like Ra.in Ma.n, Shel.don Co.oper, and The Go.od Doc.tor. Since fictional media is what the common everyday viewer often consumes on an everyday basis to either learn about the world or what autism might be like in some cases? Those older character representation leaves a bitter taste in my mouth since they leave a super surface level rep of the autism definition, and can often give someone who isn't neurodivergent an unfair idea of what someone with autism might actually be like

Sure, it can be possible to be really into a special interest to turn into a career for themselves, but it leaves a lot to be desired when characters like that are only written to be nothing but THAT one "Smart Guy" trait. Being mentally disabled doesn't make it weird I am super smart. As someone who is more on the average side of smarts? I'm just someone who picks up random facts because of my writing, but I wouldn't be able to help you if it came to terms of math though. Plus! A lot of time for this rep, they don't even show the good sides of the autism with it comes to interacting with the world and even the relationships around them.

It even makes me sad to think, while I do love the people I've built friendships with, that some people would get inconvenienced by me wanting to be effective in either communication or just not understand autism is not what we are entirely. We're a person with our own personality. And autism is just something that came along with our physical body; and we have to interact with the world with a body that wasn't build to survive in a loud world.))

56. How important is getting to know a mun when writing with them? 

((Super important actually! Not only would you want to get to know me better to learn what could be a potential no-no or yes-yes when it comes to boundaries? Getting to know me as much as I am getting to know you helps me feel me more comfortable when it comes to each of us writing our muses together. I like to learn about a person's muse when I have my muse interacting with them, but it makes the process go a bit smoother when I have an idea of what's going on in their head when I have some friend bonding going down with my mutuals. I WANT to see how our characters might become best friends, worst enemies, or even potential lovers, but it helps to bond with the writer first since building trust there lets me know what a person wants and how I can help make the best out of our writing experiences.))

[daemonhxckergrrl]

vampire morality and ethics in popular media

it's spooky season, so the perfect time to have some musings about this topic. i love vampires. i love the many different things they can portray. i love their aesthetics. i love the questions a vampire-filled universe raises.

so, let's get one thing clear first of all - vampires are monsters. they're creatures of the night. literal undead parasites. and that's okay !! they don't need to be anything more than that !!

however, if you're interested in posing questions around morality, about the ethics of existence as one of those creatures, about nature and nurture and souls and all sorts, then yeah exploring that can be fun and add to your work !

thing is, the most common ways i've seen in popular media are either "abstain" (at the cost of sanity or health/power or both), or "vegetarianism" (animal blood, which is less powerful/less tasty). and tbh both of these concepts suck.

the abstaining one could be used as a way to talk about how that's not actually a reliable method (allegory for pro-life "you don't need abortions if you don't fuck" arguments and how awful they are) and the "veggie" one could be used to talk about hierarchies of value and how we moralise the same act depending on who the victim is. i think some media has done this with their vamps only drinking from homeless people or something just as awful (another on i think i've seen is prisoners ?).

BUT aside from a couple that i can't remember the names of, these ideas always seem surface-level and more a convenient way to have a "nice and friendly" monster who's "good, really".

if you want to find a good way to approach ensuring the survival of beings who are self-aware and don't wish to hurt others and carry that guilt, alongside avoiding relegating any class of being to "inherently disposable" despite being able to feel pain, then i think i have a solution.

the ethical issue we're tackling here is very similar to ones surrounding veganism. and, once you get past people doing it purely for the environment (ironic wrt PU/plastic leather alternatives), for their health, or to look trendy...you end up at one fundamental thing: consent.

if the argument is that cows don't consent to be repeatedly impregnated and milked or killed for their skin and flesh, that's the same argument why drinking a random stranger dry or sireing them is unethical: lack of consent.

so, how do we solve that ? easy ! we get consent. you wanna tell me there aren't people who would willingly be turned, or become 24/7 thralls, or even just offer up a blood donation (in a bag or directly from their veins, preference depending) to their local bat monsters ??

there are plenty of people horny for vampires, so that should be used in media. fucking blood brothels or something idk. it's ethically sourced from beings who can and have consented, and it comes with none of the downsides of animal blood (both for the animal and for the vamp). plus, i'm sure a few people would be into staging hunts for clients as well, if just rocking up and grabbing a bag or making out w/ extra fang wasn't their style).