#like you know a representation of the loss of innocence or something

[castlebyersafterdark]

i just rediscovered this gem of a post from years ago about lover's lake and byler... in light of recent discussions on here, you might be interested! its in screen shot form as it's been deleted by the original user. in two parts, long but you like long and this was one of the original lover's lake/byler sexuality posts back when we were all in the trenches! would love your thoughts!

part 1

https://www.tumblr.com/pinksmonkey/762360269808762880/the-truth-about-hosegate-and-lovers-lake?source=share

part 2

https://www.tumblr.com/pinksmonkey/762360644233232384/the-truth-about-hosegate-and-lovers-lake-part-2?source=share

PART ONE 🦞 PART TWO 🦞 PART THREE

Whewwww!! That was a long one. Very insightful deep dives back into the roots of Stranger Things theory. I've been so entrenched into celeb gossip and speculation and horny headcanons and fic writing that it's fun and useful to take a revisit to some show analysis. This was certainly a thorough venture.

Thoughts:

I don't know enough about It's Always Sunny for the references but if you do, enjoy!

It's always refreshing to see everything listed out - all the sexual references in the show. Sometimes I feel like, am I fixating too much on this subject? Is something wrong with me? But, no. It's a response to the lack of willingness to talk about this stuff in the greater fandom. It's just concentrated here as a reactionary decision. And it's interesting. This is only one aspect of the show - but it's important? As a part of life. And television. And the medium. Coming of age. 80s nostalgia. Supernatural mysteries, of which several are metaphors and allegories for growing up and identity and trauma and sexuality. Analytical discussion validates this.

A call back to the juxtaposed horror of Barb getting killed while Nancy loses her virginity would be a perfect full circle moment for Will and Mike having an intimate scene together. Their lovemaking or whatever the scene would entail would not be paired with something terrible, because we've reached a climatic point in the coming of age arc of the whole show. Nancy's was a loss of innocence, a step too quick perhaps into swiftly leaving childhood. Sleeping with Steve while her childhood best friend was dying. All the while, Will was in the Upside Down, thought to be dead, yet for a greater purpose, even younger than Nancy/Barb, and ultimately another representation of the loss of childhood. A lot of imagery with Will, too. Things forcibly taken. He and Mike - that's a choice. A positive. Down with love and culmination of breaking out of repression. Not having to leave childhood, but but forge forward on the natural progression because it's happening with your childhood best friend.

I'm not sure what would be going on simultaneously in the scene, but I like the acknowledgement of the cinematic inclusion of nature shots to represent intimacy and sex and orgasm, etc, when these elements aren't blatantly shown in some sort of sex scene. Could be onto something there. I've seen great theories and ideas involving Lover's Lake and gates and keys lately where this could play in (see Greenfiend's recent ideas! Shoutout!)

Liked the line in the first part "It's not possible to sexual something that's already sexual" which - absolutely. Agree or disagree, I personally agree. Like it or not - that's puberty.

I don't think I've ever addressed it, but I'm a big supporter of the one way sign theory. Some fans I think have grown weary of over-analysis and getting too caught up in the tiniest of mundane set details (every single instance of certain colors don't all hold meaning, counting ceiling tiles to prove time travel, the arbitrary and slightly slightly anachronistic inclusion of a very small background book or cassette a year too early, etc.) but the one way sign?? Hugely meaningful. Just wanted to acknowledge that.

"It is this tension between disgust and curiosity that allows shame to find its way into the coming of age of every human who has ever lived." 👏👏👏

I'm including this gift of a scene screenshot here because it's always worth looking at again. This sums it all up!! Come on!!

AND - I always forget this one. Hmmmm.

Love the symbolism mentioned I never fully correlated myself which is neat - the painting as a symbol of maturity as well. Color pencil drawings on notebook paper -> oil paintings on canvas. Their relationship as an evolution. "This fight felt more adult. Like one you can't come back from." Childhood, growing up. They can't really come back to the way things were post-painting gifting, van speech. Everything has changed about their dynamic now. "There is a huge sensuality in creating artwork for someone."

I feel like Mike taking the painting like that is the first step into the shifting of the tides. His hesitant acceptance of sexuality through symbolism. Coinciding with hosegate, of course.

Everything on this slide really. I never noticed the drill in the Jonathan / Argyle conversation. This show loves and adores a suggestive visual metaphor!!! So we can acknowledge all of those and not the hose? The HOSE is the most OBVIOUS one.

Actually, everything on this slide as well. Validates WHY someone who is also not a 15 year old finds this story so universally resonating. Cosigned.

"Lover's Lake exists in the show for a reason." - YES. I feel like Chekhov's scenic body of water has been underutilized. Sure, it was a gate in season 4, a hideout for Eddie, but otherwise has cropped up again and again. We've yet to utilize the Lover's namesake. I lean more towards Will and Mike having their consummate moment here more than anything else. Poignant. Thematic. Cinematic. All of the above. There's plenty of storyline opportunity for Will and Mike having to run, to hide, to seek refuge together somewhere. They're attached at the hip, they'll find and escape together somewhere. Cabin at Lover's Lake is where I'm placing my bets for any intimate scene together. "Moonlight on the water at the end of the world." Beautiful, truly.

Will and Mike have always been inevitable:

Closing thoughts and cosigned agreements that stand on their own:

❤️❤️❤️❤️

[cut-content-contest]

Yosuke Hanamura's romance route

persona 4 has got this friendship/romance mechanic called "social links" which is basically just 10 events that you can choose to gradually level up for each sociable character in the game where you raise your relationships with said characters, which gives you various in-game boosts. most of the women in the game are able to be romanced. however, there is cut dialogue which implies that at some point, one of the male characters was meant to be a romance option as well! yosuke hanamura, the main character's best friend, has cut dialogue for his social link rank 10 event which is voiced (VOICED!! IN ENGLISH AND JAPANESE!! WHILE PEOPLE HAVE DENIED THIS SINCE THE ENGLISH VOICE LINES HAVE HIM SAYING "I LIKE YOU," IN THE JAPANESE VOICE LINES, HE IS EXPLICITLY CONFESSING TO YOU I'M PRETTY SURE!!) that implies that there was at some point going to be an option to romance him. it's assumed that this was cut somewhere later in development due to the lines being voice acted, though i believe that the reason this was cut has not been confirmed yet (though, seeing as how persona 4 was made in the 2000s....... you can probably just guess why lol)

there were unreleased voice lines that showed what was supposed to be a gay route for Persona 4 (there ARE Japanese lines for this as well, and the way in which the "I like you" part is said is the Japanese version of confessing to someone you have a crush on) and a lot of fans do agree that the protagonist is best paired with Yosuke for character development purposes, but it was probably scrapped because of homophobia 😭

Exactly what it says. Was likely scrapped because Atlus are COWARDS who didn't wanna give us the gay romance we deserved. It would have been so cute though I'm forever pissed it was scrapped...

We know it was programmed it. Yosuke is the only male character with dialogue flags, meaning you can fail his social link. The only other characters with these flags are the female love interests. Yosuke also has recorded, in both English and Japanese, final confession lines, something unique to max rank romance social links. This means it was likely scrapped very late in development. As the game also covers (badly) gender and sexuality, we can hypothesize that Yosuke's character arc was supposed to be overcoming internalized homophobia. Instead he just kinda stays "jokingly" homophobic and never grows past it.

The player would have been able to enter a romantic relationship with the character Yosuke Hanamura— text and voice lines for this option still exist within the game, and can be activated via modding. They even have proper translations, and the English versions of the lines are voiced as well, implying that the cut was made rather far into development. While this is a sad loss in its own right, it also has devastating implications in regards to the original state of other pieces of LGBT+ representation which may have also been scrapped and/or heavily modified to appear. For example, Kanji’s attraction to men and Naoto’s gender situation were both downplayed and/or walked back in the final version of the game, but it’s highly likely that Yukiko’s arc was originally intended to include more bisexual overtones, and arguments can be made for Rise’s arc being meant to center on the struggle to come to some sort of terms with her own sexuality and presentation in an industry that keeps such a tight hold on those aspects of its workers lives.

throughout the entirety of persona 4 (+golden), yosuke is portrayed to be the best friend of the protag, but also extremely homophobic towards another male character who was hinted at being gay (before atlus fucked that narrative up too). his social link hints at him having a crush on the protag, and he was intended to have a romantic route just like the female characters, but that was cut (not sure why). the whole game is about embracing the truth, including your hidden sides that you are ashamed to show to others, and having yosuke come to terms with his repressed homosexuality (& realizing that he has internalized homophobia) would have fit perfectly within that theme, but atlus said fuck that shit and cut that entire romance out. the cut dialogue can easily be found on youtube. the thing with this being cut out is that without the romance and coming to terms with his homosexuality, the only thing left of yosuke is being very homophobic. no one condems yosuke for what he says to the other male character, and it is never addressed beyond mere gags or jokes. it's horrible to sit through and honestly it was such a missed opportunity. it's such an issue that people have made a mod implementing a romantic route for yosuke just because of this. every day i mourn thinking of what could have been

This game explores many queer themes, but lacks any explicit queer relationships. The fact that file scrapers and modders discovered an unused voice line for one of the male characters that implies a romance option for him was cut from the final game makes queer fans feel let down, regardless of how groundbreaking the other queer plot points were at the time of release. It's speculated that it was cut because devs or localizers thought that it would be too much queer content in one game, and that it would affect sales and create too much controversy. I, however, believe that anyone who manages to get through the mandatory gay sauna dungeon would have had no stones to throw about an optional mlm romance.

The first party member in Persona 4, Yosuke Hanamura, was originally going to be a viable romantic partner once the player got far enough into his Social Link. This was removed rather late in development, as voiced lines for a scene where he and the protagonist begin dating were recorded in both Japanese and English. To this day, Persona 2: Innocent Sin remains the only Persona game where the protagonist can enter a gay relationship with another boy.

In this game you can choose to romance several people. There is cut voiced dialogue for a romance route for Yosuke, the main character's best friend, but in the final game he is not a romanceable character. Some are of the opinion that taking out the romance option for Yosuke removes the complexity from his character.

article: https://gamerant.com/persona-4-golden-mod-yosuke-romance/

Devil Joker boss fight

In Persona 2, an important story/game mechanic is that rumors are becoming reality in the setting. You would have been able to spread a rumor that Joker, the leader of the Masked Circle cult, was an angelic or demonic figure, and that would have determined the corresponding boss fight when you reached a key point in the game. The ability to spread that rumor was never implemented (probably due to time constraints? or maybe because Devil Joker ripping himself in half was determined to be Too Much), and so the citizens of the city default to Joker being "as beautiful as an angel", leading to the Angel Joker boss fight instead.

recreation of the boss fight: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0uz24UqZfYk Angel Joker for comparison: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3UPtkrsvI20&t=1227s

[sassenashsworld]

Songs that now mean something profound to me because of Fallout 4 and Fallout 76

We three (My echo, my shadow and me): As the trio Hancock, Nick and Nora is almost inseparable in almost all fanfictions (including mine) that I read, this song simply represents them

It’s all over but the crying: my life has been a loss for as long as I remember. What little I’ve always had, very little, has always been taken away from me without any consideration. And I’ve been talking since my very early childhood. Poor and definitely too much (my mother didn’t know that she was pregnant of me and I was unacknowledged when I was six or seven years old that she would have had an abortion otherwise), I had very little life and this very little seems an insult to the heavenly plans, since they are always taken from me. The most stupid and insignificant of the selfish joys that I seem to want to have is always taken away from me or otherwise, perverted to the point of making me regret. Today, after a long struggle to build a life for myself, I literally live on a reprieve... When it's play on the radio, I so feel Nora

The world on fire: a general feeling for the Nora/Nick synergy, I would not know how to describe more than feeling

Take me home : It’s so deep, it’s the bond that binds me to this wonderful community of Fallout 76. In the special 5th anniversary show that Kenneth Vigue did, when the song is performed by the violinist (sorry I have a white one this morning), it tears me away. This moment of "I belong to something" that the fallout 76 community gives me is defined by this song and just writing it puts tears in my eyes

Anything goes: The Heartbeat of the Commonwealth has literally been my Heartbeat this past year. I wouldn’t even be able to make it into the Fallout 76 community if I’d don't only hung on to this Fanfiction. When Nora and Nick sing this song as a duo, innocently, on the road to Goodneighbor at the very beginning of the story, it is so much a thumbs up to everything that is worse and destroyed in this world. It’s only a written scene and yet, she lives in my heart like a kind of: Fuck you destiny, I’m still here and I will continue to make myself heard

The wanderer : My life before my children was very similar to my life in Fallout 76. I went where I wanted, I took the job I was given. Always further north, sometimes coming further south. Day by day, now I’m here, tomorrow who knows, sleeping anywhere, talking with anyone. From 19 to 25, I was a wanderer and I loved this life.

Maybe : Here we get a little out of the track. This song has been with me in Fallout for... ever? I don’t currently remember if it became the representation of Fallout in the first of the series or the second (shame on me) but Maybe is all the energy, all the courage, all the hope that the whole universe of Fallout has always given me. And even today, at the twilight of my existence, it seems to me, I just need to hear Maybe to remind me that every time I felt trapped in my life, Tim Cain created a place where I felt good, free to be me. Maybe... maybe someone thinks of me... maybe... that I don’t exist in vain...

[crows-talking-place]

I made a Chip Mixtape

It follows Chip's development over the JRWI riptide plot starting with his backstory, going up until ep #70 (no spoilers past there!)

(CWs for heavy Chip Trauma™, as it covers everything including Hole in the Sea, all the Price stuff etc. Stay safe friends!)

This mix is gonna be on a C90 (90 min) tape! The split between side A and side B is after song 11 :)

Plot/song explainations under the cut! You should read them :D (but only if u want to)

(listen along for best effect >:] )

Side A

Here's a Health to the Company - I've always loved this song as a representation of the Black Rose crew. Despite the fact it's about a positive experience, it's so steeped in nostalgic grief, which describes Chip's longing for his childhood pretty aptly.

Ship in a Bottle - I used this to represent the moment of the Hole in the Sea because I think it is a good representation of, not what actually happened, but what happened in 10 year old Chip's memory. The emphasis in the lyrics on isolation and responsibility is particularly notable, because I feel that being unable to help his crew, he'd feel responsible for that. The lyrics about lack of control also make this song, in my opinion, work.

Edge of the World - This song is supposed to represent the progression Chip's mind as he drifts on the sea and washes up. The reason I chose it was because of how well the song depicts the slow loss of a person's innocence: the slow decline and way the music slowly builds up and strips itself back really adds to the overall effect.

The Guide to Success - The SECOND I heard this song I thought of Reuben Price and Chip. The fact it's a lighthearted song really adds to it, it does such a good jobs at depicting the way Price wraps his fucked-up ideals and plans in smiles and deception, the way he slowly changes from "genuine" advice to manipulation. It just feels like a perfect fit.

Everyone - This song is about the memory of Chip's past he gives up in Noctis, and what he was forced to do. I think this song speaks for itself, so I won't try to overexplain.

Sleep Awake - This one is the aftermath of the previous memory. He can't do these things anymore, he feels he is losing himself. He's realising that something needs to change, though he doesn't know what yet. If he hadn't worked out before Price was manipulating before, he knows now.

Burning Pile - This is where Chip finally realises exactly what he needs to do. He needs to leave. This isn't a good place for him. He needs to make a way out, else he'll never find one.

Fire - Other than being a literal representation of Price's place being destroyed, it is showing the moment in which Chip's mess of feelings finally bubble to the service, his "exile" moment. He's out of control, but in a way that scares him far more than any before, because in this moment, he is seeing Price in himself. He feels he has to do this, because otherwise he'll stay trapped, but he regrets it even as it's happening.

Mostly - This song shows the aftermath of his escape, the moment the adrenaline leaves his system and he's finally alone with his thoughts. He realises, although he's finally free, he has no idea what to do now. It's been so long since he's been truly alone, and this is the moment where everything finally hits him, and he's free to let every emotion wash over him.

Prologue - This spans the time between his escape and Riptide episode 1: It shows his slow recovery, the development of his many coping mechanisms (particularly his lying) and his slow path towards moving on, at least from Price.

Run The World!!! - Chip's found himself a crew. He's making his mark on the world on his own terms, and he's found some other misfits to do it with. He's still hurt, but he's healing, slowly but surely.

Side B

I'm not a good person - This shows Chip's mindset towards himself throughout the whole Loffinlot arc. He is CONSTANTLY throught this arc making selfish decisions, decisions that he KNOWS are selfish. His instincts are not used to factoring in other people, because he's been alone for a LONG time now, and he knows he probably shouldn't be doing these things but he does them anyway. Chip really doesn't think highly of himself at ALL, he hasn't for a while, if he ever did, and now he's suddenly besties with somebody declaring themselves a beacon of all things holy and good (aka everything Chip thinks he's not). His self-worth at this point is kinda fucked, at this point it's like he doesn't think he's worth enough to make choices that aren't self-destructive.

Liar - This one is representative of the casino arc. Chip's constant lying, he knows it's wrong, but he can't help himself, because it's so easy, so much easier than telling the truth. It's not until he finds himself thinking he's going to die that he tells Gillion what he's done, but in that moment I think Chip is confessing about more than lying about bugs, although I don't think he realises.

My Ugly - This is representing the battle in the ice arena or more specifically, Chip's mental state through all of it. His refusal to stop fighting until he is literally unable to stand because he thinks Gillion needs this is uhhh fucked up, and even then the only reason the fight stips is Jay intervenes. Chip thinks of so little of himself, and it all comes to a head here. In this case, "my ugly" is his trauma, and how it's affected him. He knows he's a bit fucked up. he wishes he wasn't.

We'll Never Have Sex - This is the desire island arc, but more specifically, it's about the kiss. Whether or not it was romantic or platonic, I think it probably meant a lot to Chip, keeping in mind directly before it he was having a breakdown about the fact that nobody would ever love him. The fact that this was a gesture with no malicious intent, no lies, no manipulation. It was probably the first show of any kind of genuine affection Chip had recieved since he was 10 years old. Platonic or otherwise, I think this was an important moment for him. This song (I hope) portrays that.

Rule #28 - Sand - This is meant to be about the feelings Chip has finding Lizzie again. They've both changed, but he is so glad to find confirmation he's not the only one. He still misses the Black Rose, and he desparately mourns them, but he is finally willing to accept the past, as there's now the possibility, in his mind, of it being his future. It's a flawed mindset, as he is still trying to live in what once was, but it's a step forward.

Blunders - This song is mostly a filler, covering the arcs between Joaldo and Allport, with a particular focus on the vibe of the adventures in Edison Kingdom. This segment is predominantly just Chip finally accepting that his crew are actually staying with him, that this isn't a fleeting moment of stability.

DEBT COLLECTORS - This is the moment everything starts to fall apart, when Price's assassin tries to kill Earl. Chip was halfway though healing and Price sends all that crashing to the ground. Chip sees it as karma.

Your Sister Was Right - That self-worth Chip had been slowly rebuilding was suddenly destroyed. He feels he needs to isolate himself again, for the good of those around him. he refuses their help because he doesn't want them to get hurt because of him. He doesn't think he's worth it.

Sleep With a Baseball Bat - And then he gets scratched by a kitty who makes him think all of his worst fears are coming true!! Yay!! Chip's paranoia has returned worse than ever, he can't sleep because he needs to continually remind himself that everyone is still here and they're okay, that his fragile equilibrium has not been shattered.

Rule #21 - Momento Mori - This covers the start of the Noctis arc (before he sleeps) where Chip has truly lost connection with the world around him. He's running off fumes, guilt and paranoia.

Dancing - This bit is the aftermath of Chip's decision with Grimm. He chose to save everyone instead of curing his curse. He's still not doing great, but he's now fighting it on his own terms, which counts for something.

It's Alright - Chip gets to Liquidis, and his curse is lifted. His friends have seen the darkest depths of his mind, his greatest fears, and they're still here. His friends fought his demons for him. He's still here. It's going to be okay.

Born For This - Finally, Chip's on the path to healing. He's ready to stop living in the past. He's ready to fuck shit up, help those in need, and be the best goddamn pirate the world has ever seen.

____________________________

Ok if you actually read this far thank you!! this took like,,,,, 2 hours to write out? So I really appreciate it!! if you enjoyed, pls comment or rb (only if u wanna tho!!)

anyway pretzel supremacy :D now to listen to the new episode lol (i wrote this instead)

[ben-talks-art]

Why I like Miguel

"You're a mistake!"

Before I start I just wanna make it clear... I know next to nothing about Spider-Man 2099's character in the comics.

I had a little exposure to him thanks to the games "Shattered Dimensions" and "Edge of Time", and from his focused episode of the Ultimate Spider-Man cartoon, but that's about it.

This is going to be focused only on Across The Spider-Verse Miguel which is to me, the most interesting take on the character that I've seen so far.

(Possible spoilers for Across the Spider-Verse below)

If you've seen my list of favorite characters, something that I tend to go on when analyzing and talking about them is that I love to see how they explore their relationship with tragedy or misery.

How do they react to loss and pain? How much do they let it become a part of them? How much are they able to move on from it? How much do they let it consume it? How do they overcome it? How does it affect the way they interact with other people? How much can you learn from watching them? And so on...

Miguel I think it's a very interesting case because he's one of those characters that even though he's clearly letting his inner pain consume and rule over him, you can still see that he's doing the best he can to stay in control of himself.

His backstory is basically that in the past he tried to break the rules in order to cheat his way into a happy life, and that ended up backfiring tremendously causing innocent lives to be lost, forcing him to spend the rest of his life living with guilt and fear that this same mistake might happen again and turning him into a man consumed by paranoia that his greatest error might be repeated.

The way I look at Miguel and his relationship with Miles is that of a perfect representation of what it means to be a kid vs. what it means to be an adult.

Kids when they're young they think they're invincible, they think they can do anything, they think no problem is too big as long as they believe in themselves and have the right people by their side. They are molded by the things they want to do. Kids are an existence motivated by dreams and hope.

He made a mistake, he got hurt, and he hurt others, and he never managed to recover from it, rather he let it take over his entire life, and now everywhere he goes and every person he talks to he sees it as a repeat of what he went through just waiting to happen.

Adults, on the other hand, are existences motivated by experience. They are molded by the things they did. They look back at their past mistakes, at the consequences of their actions, at the ways their decisions affect other people, and they keep asking themselves "How do I avoid getting hurt again? How do I avoid hurting others? How do I avoid being hurt by others?"

The tragedy of Miguel is that he's a man from the future who's stuck in the past.

And I find all this very interesting.

To see a man so consumed by his regret... and at the same time still looking like he's trying to do the best he can to be a put-together person.

What's more interesting about Miguel, isn't just that he's carrying a burden, but that he's trying to turn this burden into a productive thing, as if trying to make up for all the bad he did by trying to do as much good as possible, probably as some way to appease his guilt.

You can see that he's trying to be a hero, trying to be the good guy, trying to make sure people know where he's coming from with his actions. He tries to talk with Miles and make him listen to his logic, tries to make him feel like they're on the same side.

The problem is, Miguel's motivations are, again, born from fear, while Miles' are born from hope, so as much as he tries they're not on the same side.

This reminds me of the father from How To Train Your Dragon, another man who did all that he did thinking he was being the hero of the story without noticing how he was letting fear rule his actions.

This is exactly the kind of antagonist I love to see. People that make me go "This could be you, if you're not careful," and teach how they became this way.

Miguel shows how powerful fear can be, how blinding, how present in our lives, and how well-hidden it can become.

I watched the movie "Nimona" a few weeks ago, and while I love that movie, I never looked at the antagonist and felt "That could be me." Because that one felt like someone being afraid just for the sake of the plot. It was basically a cartoon villain.

This case though, shows that fear can be born in anyone.

Miguel is interesting because he shows that even a good and strong man can be a victim of pain and regret when he's left alone and struggling to heal, to the point that it can change who you are and turn you into this feral beast who feels perfectly comfortable unleashing all your rage and remorse into a young boy just trying to live his life.

In a sense, he's kind of a great representation of the worst aspects of being an adult. Being stuck in the past, projecting your experiences into others against their will, constantly anxious about tomorrow, wanting affection but too afraid of seeking it, lack of control over your own physical strength once reason starts to fail, resorting to violence once people don't agree with you...

But at the same time, you still want to root for him.

You can see that he wants to do good, he wants to be good, he does care about people. You want to see him recover and become the good and happy man he clearly wants to be.

Miguel is like Zuko, Catra, and Xanatos in that he feels like a redemption arc you want to see happening because you know all he needs is proper help to be the best version of him that he can be. Not just because he's already a hero in the comics, but because you can see a hero inside of him in the movie as well, just struggling to get out.

He's a great representation of the most harmful aspects of being an adult that you want to see turn into the best aspects of being an adult. The ability to learn, to admit your errors, to grow, and to find happiness and peace with yourself.

Favorite Characters List>>

[girl4music]

Stargazing is one of the most romantic and profound experiences you could ever have with your lover as well as one of the most innocently intimate things you can do with a lover. They can’t show sexual intimacy between the couple so they do something that works to give the desired effect on the audience of a deep romance without being sexually explicit.

Stargazing is such a romantic thing to do. A big mood. I would love to have this moment one day. I just love how Willow tells Tara that looking at the stars made her feel like she was part of the stars instead of insignificant to them. I feel like that all the time. Part of the Universe. Of the Universe. Not a separate entity to it. And certainly not inferior to it.

I actually have a piece of meta on Tumblr that’s paralleled with a stargazing scene in ‘Xena: Warrior Princess’ between Xena and Gabrielle where I talk about the significance of showing intimate scenes like this between WLW couples because it’s true WLW representation and something that they don’t really show on TV today much because there are no censors or restrictions to contend with anymore when it comes to same-sex love and so show-makers prefer to show sexual intimacy such as making out instead.

And I specifically talk about why this kinda thing is actually better for WLW representation because it shows how deep their love for each other is when sexually explicit scenes don’t always show that. I mean take for example Buffy and Riley; although it’s a straight relationship but love is love. The constant sexual intimacy between them doesn’t make up for the apparent loss of love between them that Riley feels. Buffy pulls away from Riley emotionally and so he doesn’t feel it. He doesn’t feel loved by her. The sex does nothing for him in knowing where he is in her heart. And so it does nothing for the audience either. You can see a huge striking difference in comparison when it comes to Willow and Tara even though they cannot be shown to be sexually intimate. It’s not necessary to show it because you can see the deep love between them when watching scenes like this. That’s why it’s very important to show these scenes.

[thefirsthogokage]

Thank you for making this list!

I have some additions:

Melissa O'Neil has also posted a video by an anti-zionist Israeli. So I'd list her as Pro-Palestine.

Jodie Sweetin posted something very simple and beautiful that someone else actually sent her. I don't remember it exactly, but it was also about not liking any loss of life of Jews, israelis (which marked a distinction between the two to me, which is good), and Palestinians. I think it was anti-israeli government too. She is quitely a very active activist and was assaulted by a cop during the BLM protests .

Lesley-Ann Brandt has not liked any loss of innocent life, particularly Children. I'm not sure on what she's said about Israel, but she had been speaking up about Palestinians. She's South African, so that makes sense. But she's also conflated zionism and Judaism, so...

When I was regularly on twitter the only writer I saw say anything in any direction was Pro-Palestine. I wish I knew his last name, but his first name was James. Of what I've seen from the other writers I personally follow they have kept their mouths shut. Probably to keep their relationships with studios and actors, but at least they aren't spouting bullshit so it could be worse. I posted an article recently about a writer of a show that I can't remember at the moment but considered watching at one point, who echoed Julianna Margulies's comments (I talk about it below), But that's the only crap I've seen from zionist writers.

It's amazing how many "Jewish" celebs are so ignorant to to what the illegal state of israel is doing to the innocent Palestinians, especially when there are Palestinian Jews too. It's racist and antisemitic.

Julianna Margulies was saying very Pro-israel things and conflating zionism with Judaism. I recently posted the article.

I don't know if Tara Strong is a zionist, but she's at least a zionist defender and chose some really fucking disgusting things to retweet.

Charisma Carpenter blasted the lies about 40 dead babies and raped women and the like and basically said "I don't want to hear any excuses, just unfollow me". Very zionist or pro-zionist propaganda. Joss Whedon couldn't ruin Cordelia for me, but she did.

Tyler Astin is already up there but that son of a bitch made a post a lot like Charisma Carpenter. Really sad since I loved So Help Me Todd, so I won't be watching that again.

Gina Bellman is a zionist. She believes we need the state of israel (I believe it was 2021 I caught her saying that) and she can fuck right off. But she's also proved herself an airhead and thought a poster she had for 20+ years was pro-Queen Elizabeth instead of anti-Queen Elizabeth, so, that.

L*nda C*rter said and reposted somethings that were iffy but I don't remember in what capacity. She does seem pro-state of israel though. Sorry.

Jeri Ryan reposed a "you can and should only talk about israeli victims today" post on the day of the attack and then a post re: israeli and Palestinian victims the day after, and then radio silence.

Joshua Malina I think is anti-israel government, but not anti-israel. I haven't been looking at his posts and quite frankly don't want to. But I know in the past, zionists have gone after him. Don't know if he's changed his tune in any capacity lately. I personally said fuck him when he said was happy Sherri Shepard(spelling?) got COVID because he thought she was a scab and wouldn't take the correcting that by SAG-AFTRA and WGA rules she was not. Take that as you will.

Insane how zionists in Hollywood want more Jewish representation when they don't even know they aren't Jewish. Standing up and fighting for Palestinians is what's actually Jewish. And none of them are willing to take correction and close their comments.

Sorry for that last addition I'm just so pissed at the ignorance and the inhumanity.

I found an absolutely massive 70-page list of all the people in Hollywood who've supported Israel (they signed the “Israel Must Defend Itself” pro-genocide IDF letter, showed support only for Israel, spread IDF propaganda, used “Palestinians are terrorists” language, etc) — but it included tons of people I've never heard of and, like, talent agents and lawyers and non-celebrities... so I went through it and got all the recognizable names + made them into a list (below the cut), because it's important to name exactly who's supporting Israel's genocide of Palestinians.

Additionally, I searched for all the celebrities who've supported Palestine (not liking one post while sharing nothing, not saying something vague about both sides, but actually using language like "genocide" and "apartheid" while talking about what Israel is doing to Palestine), and that's below the cut too — because these people are risking their careers speaking about this, and they actually have a spine and morals.

PRO-ISRAEL:

(I tried to include big names + people I know are popular on Tumblr)

Paula Abdul

Jason Alexander

Judd Apatow

Skylar Astin

Ben Barnes

Lance Bass

Victoria Beckham

Mayim Bialik

Hailey Bieber

Justin Bieber

Jack Black

Selma Blair

Rachel Bloom

Tom Brady

Gemma Chan

Choi Siwon (Super Junior)

Ciara

Lana Condor

Jamie Lee Curtis

Ariana DeBose

Zooey Deschanel

Zoey Deutch

Nina Dobrev

Michael Douglas

Fran Drescher

Chris Evans

Oded Fehr

Stephen Fry

Karol G

Josh Gad

Gal Gadot

Neil Gaiman

Danielle Galligan

Aiden R Gallagher

Andy Garcia

Sarah Michelle Gellar

Jack Dylan Grazer

Harvey Guillén

Grant Gustin

Mark Hamill

Jennifer Love Hewitt

Vanessa Hudgins

Sarah Hyland

Lebron James

Lily James

Kris Jenner

Kylie Jenner

Scarlett Johansson

Dwayne Johnson

Mindy Kaling

Kim Kardashian

Joey King

Ashton Kutcher

Mila Kunis

Taylor Lautner

Zachary Levi

Sam Levinson

Eva Longoria

George Lopez

Demi Lovato

Madonna

Howie Mandel

Katie Marovitch (Dropout)

Debra Messing

Alfred Molina

Mandy Moore

Ryan Murphy

Eric Nam

BJ Novak

Con O'Neil

Rita Ora

Chord Overstreet

Gwyneth Paltrow

Danielle Panabaker

Sarah Paulson

Josh Peck

Chris Pine

Jonah Platt

Billy Porter

Natalie Portman

Florence Pugh

Josh Radnor

Addison Rae

Eli Roth

JK Rowling

Adam Sandler

Ben Savage

Noah Schnapp (Mr. "You either stand with Israel or you stand with terrorism" himself)

Leiv Schreiber

Amy Schumer

David Schwimmer

Jerry Seinfield

Sarah Silverman

Ian Somerhalder

Song Seung-hyun

Regina Spektor

Tara Strong

Harry Styles

Bella Thorne

Phoebe Tonkin

Ashley Tisdale

Usher

Taika Waititi

Paul Wesley

Reese Witherspoon

Elijah Wood

PEOPLE WHO SPOKE OUT IN SUPPORT OF PALESTINE:

This includes people who've spoken out this week, as well as people who've spoken out in the past.

Bella Hadid — "This is not about spewing hate on one or the other. This is about Israeli colonization, ethnic cleansing, military occupation, and apartheid over the Palestinian people that has been going on for YEARS!" + she got blacklisted and lost brand deals for saying this and much more

Gigi Hadid — currently being targeted by Israel's official state social media pages for her support of Palestinian civilians

Dua Lipa — support going back years, frequently mentioning Free Palestine + "The ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people must come to an end. NO MORE!! This is a human rights issue!! WAKE UP PEOPLE!!"

Mia Khalifa — "If you can look at the situation in Palestine and not be on the side of the Palestinians, then you are on the wrong side of apartheid and history will show that in time" + more about Israel's attacks on Gaza + she lost her podcast deal for showing support

Kehlani — shared stories about Israel's attacks on Gaza + attended a pro-Palestine protest + said: "To my peers and people that are in the spaces I’m in, what the f*ck is wrong with y’all? You’re being silent for the sake of money and business… there’s an insane amount of unchecked privilege.” and much more

Jenna Ortega — was targeted by a far-right Israeli site for her repeated support of Palestine, the site attempted to blacklist her, and she continued supporting anyway

Guz Khan — said "What the enforcers of apartheid and their enablers have failed to realise is that the plight of the Palestinians is an issue that resonates with the PEOPLE. You can hide behind weapons of war and have the most powerful resources known to man, the PEOPLE will demand justice" + it's strongly rumored he was fired from Our Fl*g Means Death specifically because of his open support of Palestine

Lauren Jauregui (Fifth Harmony) — said "My heart is with the innocent lives lost to the perpetuation of the vile legacy of imperialism, colonization, apartheid and ignorance. [...] Those who were once the victims of persecution becoming the oppressor and being so cognitively dissonant about the hypocrisy. [...] I deeply condemn the violation of human rights and the violence of the genocidal ethnic cleansing we are witnessing in real time of the Palestinian people." + "Propaganda is a bitch and is the most well oiled tool of the empire." (read her whole post, it's great)

Riz Ahmed — said "If we are on the side of humanity we must urgently speak up to try and avert the loss of innocent life. This means calling for an end to the indiscriminate bombing of Gaza's civilians and vital infrastructure, the denial of food, water, and electricity, and the forced displacement of people from their homes. Thesee are morally indefensible war crimes."

Chance the Rapper — said "Fucking disgusting. This is an American funded genocide. #gazaunderattack #palestinianlivesmatter"

Zayn Malik — said "I stand with the Palestinian people and support their resistance to colonization and protection of their human rights."

Michael B. Jordan — shared the quote: "One cannot advocate for racial equality, LGBT & women's rights, condemn corrupt & abusive regimes and other injustices yet choose to ignore the Palestinian oppression." + more about Israel's attacks on Gaza

Will Poulter — support going back years, including attempting to protest against the UK government for supporting Israel and not condemning the violence in Sheikh Jarrah in 2021, and said: "Will the UK government condemn these appalling attacks, which have resulted in the death of civilians, including children?"

Hozier — when sharing a petition about standing with Palestinians: "The Irish experience is all too aware of the centuries long shadow that can be cast by legacies of settler colonialism, illegal displacement and violence."

Zara Larsson — support going back years + "We must call out a state upholding apartheid and KILLING civilians, funded by American dollars." + much more about Israel's attacks on Gaza

(Tumblr wouldn't let me have a list this big, so I'm breaking it up here in the middle with this:)

Celebrities who signed the open letter calling for a ceasefire: Tilda Swinton, Charles Dance, Steve Coogan, Miriam Margolyes, Liam Cunningham, Khalid Abdalla, and over 2,000 more people.

Their joint statement said: "Gaza is already a society of refugees and the children of refugees. Now, in their hundreds of thousands, bombarded from air, sea and land, Palestinians whose grandparents were forced out of their homes at the barrel of a gun are again being told to flee – or face collective punishment on an unimaginable scale.  Dispossessed of rights, described by Israel’s minister of defence as “human animals”, they have become people to whom almost anything can be done. Our governments are not only tolerating war crimes but aiding and abetting them."

Susan Sarandon — said “Being against the occupation of Palestine does not make one anti-Semitic.” + shared multiple posts about Israel's war crimes this week, including Israel's use of white phosphorous in Gaza

Halsey — shared the quote: "Solidarity with Palestinians means little if it only exists when they appear as victims but disappears when they resist. Those who aren't under occupation or refugees from ethnic cleansing have no right to dictate how those who are resist those responsible for their suffering." + more about Israel's attacks on Gaza

John Cusack — attended a pro-Palestine protest + said "We must free Palestine from a brutal occupation - people concerned for their loved ones, in a hell zone, stuck without food, water and power. Deep anguish over people being told to leave and bombed as they left. I heard people share personal accounts of family members who have been jailed, humiliated, harassed, persecuted, targeted and killed for generations."

Nicola Coughlan — shared the quote: "We may be witnessing the total obliteration of Gaza. Political leaders refusing to speak out should feel eternal shame over the horror they are allowing to unfold. Those of us who believe in peace cannot stay silent. We must say to the Palestinian people: you are not alone."

Lucy Dacus (boygenius) — repeated support in the past + openly calling Obama a war criminal + sharing humanitarian fundraisers for Palestinians + said Free Palestine must be the part of all global liberation movements

Aabria Iyengar — shared "You SHOULD be watching the Genocide that's happening, BUT while spreading awareness is good but it's NOT the full picture. Work. Get on the phone with your local reps and pressure them. If you give money to any political parties? Pull it and tell them why." + more about Israel's attacks on Gaza, Israel committing war crimes, etc

Izzy Roland — shared "We cannot and will not say today's actions by Palestinian militants are unprovoked. Every day under Israel's system of apartheid is a provocation. The strangling siege of Gaza is a provocation. Settlers terrorizing entire Palestinian villages, soldiers raiding and demolishing Palestinian homes, murdering Palestinians in the streets, Israeli ministers calling for genocide and expulsion." + more about Israel's attacks on Gaza

Normani — sharing firsthand accounts from Palestinian families in Gaza during Israel's current attack

Emma Watson — shared a quote about showing solidarity with Palestinians from activist Sarah Ahmed, who was harassed by C*nary M*ssion. Watson was then targeted in the media by Israel, and in response, celebrities including Mark Ruffalo, Susan Sarandon, Viggo Mortensen, Peter Capaldi, Steve Coogan, Gael García Bernal, Liam Cunningham, Matt McGorry, Ramy Youssef, and Miriam Margolyes released a joint statement in support of Watson and Palestinians, saying: “We recognize the underlying power imbalance between Israel, the occupying power, and the Palestinians, the people under a system of military occupation and apartheid."

Ziwe Fumudoh — shared resources about calling US Congresspeople about pressuring them to de-escalate, with "SAY NO TO GENOCIDE CALL CONGRESS NOW"

Dylan O'Brien — shared a video of a young Palestinian girl talking about how Israel bombed her whole street, along with "10 years old. Heart wrenching. #FreePalestine"

DJ Snake — shared "Stop the genocide of Palestinians, stop the massacre, end the apartheid" + more about Israel's attack on Gaza

Liam Cunningham — shared videos of himself at the protest in support of Palestine in Dublin + more about Israel's attack on Gaza

Kim Namjoon (BTS) — attended multiple art exhibitions by Palestinians in diaspora who made art about Free Palestine, and shared pictures of these exhibitions publicly + he owns a piece of art about Free Palestine and, in the past, has posted this art to IG ~coincidentally~ on days when Israel bombed civilians — NOTE: I would not normally include something like this, but I'm choosing to do so specifically because he's doing all this BEFORE serving his mandatory enlistment in the South Korean military, which is aggressively pro-Israel and known for violent bullying, being full of far-right incels, and abuse from superior officers (and harassment towards enlisted celebrities, who are isolated and cut off from all protection). Him risking his support being made known to the general public (especially since BTS fans are known for noticing stuff like this and blowing it up on social media) has much higher risks than the average Western celebrity.

And lastly, I wanted to share this one as well — I'm not sure how real this is, but given Israel's foreign propaganda machine, it wouldn't even surprise me a little:

the tiktoker @/thewizardliz (who has 4.8 million followers and is a beauty influencer originally from Chechnya) — made several pro-Palestine posts, but then deleted them all and said: "Guys I didn't want to delete my posts. But I was just called and told that I'm playing with my life by speaking on these things and that I should delete, I shouldn't involve myself in politics, but I stand with what I said."

Please add more if you know of any, but NOT if it's something along the lines of them just liking a post or trying to say both sides are bad. Please also include what they said/shared — now is the time when speaking out is most important.

Feel free to add any pro-Israel people as well.

[starburstfloat]

Let's talk about TXT's MAMA Performance: Lyrics and Stage Analysis

That was amazing! Better than their mma. Idk if the camera work is largely to blame for mma but also narrative wise this one felt like it followed much more of a concrete storyline, and just WOW that entrance with all the crosses and cathedral background...!

Is is a stretch to say it reminded me of yeonjun's "in this endless darkness, like oh my god so holy"?

I found it clever how they utilized religious motifs like the crosses and the coffin in the background to emphasize how their love progressively shifts from something sacred and sanctified to painful and buried. Accepting their loss is much like accepting a death. It makes sense then that they started their performance with opening sequence, which has lyrics that align to this loss:

And also that they then did good boy gone bad, a song that reflects them taking that pain and vulnerability from before, and nurturing it for the worse:

Notice how they start their performance in a cathedral setting, wearing black and white. It feels rather symbolic since black and white are the characteristic opposites used to portray good versus evil, light versus dark, innocence versus impurity - very much in line with the song.

Then when Yeonjun gets dragged away, the cathedral background starts to tilt a bit and it looks like he's being taken outside.

The VCR effect of him falling seems to indicate he's falling into his own grave or maybe even hell. Would make sense with the GBGB lyrics.

When they return, notice how they are now outside the cathedral:

The lighting is red and ominous, a great color to convey their anger. There are crosses around, indicating they may be in a graveyard. Again, all of this lines up so well with the lyrics, of burying their past selves, coming back "like a zombie, dead and alive".

But then the dance break UMMM IT WAS INCREDIBLE?!!!_!$(##(

I can't be the only one who finds it super emblematic how Yeonjun is blindfolded while Soobin is biting on the lace - unable to speak. Basically, Yeonjun's lost his sight and Soobin has lost his voice.

Like this, they'd be unable to find one another. But the thing is, they do. They dance around one another like they're seeking each other out in an almost cat and mouse game of hide and seek, reaching, grabbing then tearing away. But what really caught my attention was Yeonjun cusping Soobin's chin and slowly bringing him closer before Soobin cast him aside.

I wish my screenshots could do it more justice but with the lighting and camera work changing so quickly, it's hard to capture. The dance practice will surely be clearer.

Listen, if you follow me you'll know I'm super gay and I see gay subtext in like everything I consume lmao but I don't think it's much of a stretch to say this moment felt intentionally queer? Religious motifs have been a medium for homosexual representation for ages, mainly because of religion's staunch anti lgbt attitude. And just...the way Yeonjun is blindfolded and Soobin unable to speak...it just screams to me as being representative of a love that cannot be seen or dare to speak its name. And yet they still found each other, among the crosses.

(There is room to assume Soobin wasn't able to tie the blindfold in time and simply put it in his mouth instead, but either way it's an interesting detail and I'm curious to see what the dance practice reveals)

In any case, I found their paired dance shared a similar sentiment to their 0x1=lovesong dance, so if anything they are probably paying homage to their past title tracks

Overall:

TALENTED BRILLIANT INCREDIBLE AMAZING SHOWSTOPPING

I want to give a big kiss to the performance directors and staff that makes this all possible!!! And of course TXT for bringing it all together so beautifully. They can be proud of this one.

[prettyboykatsuki]

one thing that bothers me about the new wave of Yuuta stans though is when they forget about Rika or write x reader content that frames Rika as a jealous entity or Yuuta choosing reader over her or something like that. I think that fundamentally misinterprets both Yuuta’s character and his relationship with Rika and how important it is

this is a pet peeve for me DJKSKJ because it disregards so much of what i feel is the point of their story. i mentioned it in my original commentary post - but i think that solely labelling their connection as romance really dampens what yuuta and rika really are - a tragedy.

jjk, as a series, often blurs the line of love in its characters. romantic love or platonic love - all love can often manifest in the same way. love is just love, any other nuances are personal. this core belief is absolutely integral to how you understand the story and how it operates.

you have to remember that the rika we know from the movie is merely a manifestation and that effectively rika is a child. that yuuta placed a curse because he was having trouble accepting her death. cursed with the words, don't die. yes, yuuta does love rika whole-heartedly, but the whole point is that the grief that yuuta carried from her death continued his whole life. the movie follows a central theme - how necessary it is to cope with loss as a sorcerer. there is nothing unintentional about how yuuta is fighting getou.

the movie/vol0 is yuuta learning to cope. he was willing to sacrifice himself and go with rika, but he didn't do that just for her, but for his friends. his loved ones, who symbolize new purpose. yuuta, by nature does everything for the people he loves.

to me, their kiss is symbolic in the same way the ring is. it was acceptance, and a mechanism for yuuta to carry his love and fight with it. to accomplish his goal of helping others. he did love rika romantically when they were kids, but there's more to it than that.

i think, the way things are now and with the copy of rika yuuta keeps - writing rika as this evil jealous entity and not what for what she is, a love that gave yuutas life meaning and purpose is a disservice. it troubles me deeply to see. if you asked me a year ago if i thought this would be the repsonse to her, i would say absolutely not.

yuuta will always love rika deeply. but yuuta also loves his friends deeply. he loves maki, inumaki, and panda deeply. he loves gojo deeply.

“I’ll give you my future, heart, and body… I love you Rika… This is pure love.” and "I want to be with people. I want to be needed and want to be confident that it’s ok to keep living."

rika is a representation of love and of innocence.. love is the most twisted curse of all because it can cause you great grief and lend you with tremendous strength.

but, there is purity in that love that goes well beyond romance. bone-deep care for another person and how we are constantly effected by those around us.

when you write yuuta chosing reader or whoever over rika, you are putting odd implications on rika and yuutas relationship. overwriting the importance they have to each other that's way beyond romance and how love reaches over romance. if all you can think of when you see them is rikas jealousy or forcing yuuta to make a choice, i find that troubling.

it bothers me so much. like so much. it's one of the only things / interpretations of animanga that genuinely angers me a little. the only other thing is when people interpret power and denjis relationship as romantic.

[scarlettatg]

The Handmaid’s Tale

Episode 505 Fairytale

It’s interesting that the title of this episode is precisely Fairytale.

Fairytale:

a children's story about magical and imaginary beings and lands.

something resembling a fairy tale in being magical, idealized, or extremely happy.

a fabricated story, especially one intended to deceive.

June and Luke embark on a journey over No Man’s Land to get to the border and get information about Hannah. They have to walk across the woods/forest/the wilderness to get to their contact because the contact can’t cross over.

June has been in this situation before. It’s where she lost Hannah and where she decided to let her go only to be captured again. It’s where she made the ultimate sacrifice in order to get those other children out (which is what she wants for her own daughter and she hasn’t been able to do) and it’s also where she killed her monster. June has gone through a lot not only physically but mentally and emotionally as well.

Usually in a Fairytale the forest/woods is a magical place but it can be dangerous. It’s also a place of opportunity and transformation. It’s an obstacle that needs to be crossed and conquered so that the character can fulfill a purpose. It also mirrors the character’s subconscious, their fears and insecurities and the character’s journey to overcome them.

We see June and Luke at night walking in this creepy looking forest, a dead body hanging from a tree included. They walk all night until they meet their contact and they follow him to a safer place. Their destination is an abandoned bowling alley which is an unlikely place with music and lights; a place to have fun.

Jaeden is a young guardian. He has the innocence of a young boy - like June says she has never met anyone in Gilead so pure. That was interesting to me because he’s still a guardian and Gilead isn’t an easy place. You’re forced to do things you might not want to do, see horrible things and even though he says Gilead is all he knows and that it isn’t so bad; he feels that things shouldn’t be the way they are.

He tells both June and Luke that the times before are foggy (like a dream or a fairytale). This is painful for both because they realize (I think Luke realizes this more) that Hannah probably won’t remember them. He tells them that the wife school isn’t a prison it’s like they’re princesses - using another typical fairytale character. For June and Luke, Hannah is trapped in a prison but Gilead sees her as a princess, even though the reality is far more sinister. Jaeden is a good soul (a good man in Gilead) trapped in the system but he knows something is wrong. Yet he’s also a representation of Gilead - the evil monster, the thing that has the princess captive.

The June and Luke scene was interesting. No matter where you stand in terms of the love triangle this show loves to push, it’s a beautiful moment for the both of them considering what they both have gone through. There’s history and there’s love (I personally feel that just like with everything between them this love has changed and for June that love she has for Luke comes with a lot of guilt) and they share the same loss. It’s a brief moment of happiness, a pause from that pain and longing for what holds them together which is Hannah. Luke sings “Let’s stay together”, and at first June smiles. She looks back a Jaeden and her expression changes, seemed to me as thoughtful and unsure/doubtful.These are the lyrics Luke sings in that moment:

“Let's, let's stay together. Lovin' you whether, whether, times are good or bad, happy or sad”

This can be interpreted as her thinking about Nick because she sees a guardian and it’s no secret June loves Nick. Or she associates him with Hannah and the fact that she doesn’t think they can be together without Hannah. For me this has been a constant in the way June feels about Luke’s love - that it’s conditioned to her being a mother.

But then they dance together and she seems to connect with Luke in that moment. The moment is a dreamlike scenario, it reminded me of all of her idealized flashbacks from past seasons. Makes me wonder if her life in Canada is a fairytale, is it what she wants or what she thinks she wants or what she should simply accept - especially after the parallel to the performances in Episode 502 ballet/funeral. This isn’t real without Hannah and it’s also not real because it’s not who she is anymore.

The lyrics of the song are exactly how Luke feels. It’s what he wants and what he wishes for in terms of him and June and even though I see a moment of connection between them I don’t feel it’s what June wants and I’ve seen it subtly through out these past episodes and seasons.

Then they embark in the journey to go back again and they have to face the reality of the danger of what they’re doing and once again the person that helped June gets hurt, which is unfortunately a constant for her. It’s a great source of her guilt, but like Lily said to her in 503, people know the risks. Like every other guardian or person that has not been in tune with Gilead he’s a sacrifice to the cause. It’s also hard not to see the relationship between these guardians and Nick.

The episode ends with June once again trying to escape, running through the woods. I can’t even imagine her mindset in this moment but you can see her determination. “We can make it.” The fairytale ends with the reality of being captured and separated in the woods once again. It’s definitely not a happy ending.

Meaning of bowling alley When you are dreaming about a bowling alley or being there but not playing, it means that you will meet new people in whose company you will be completely relaxed. You will realize that you have been acting like someone that you are not your whole life. However, those people will accept you with all your virtues and flaws, so you will enjoy hanging out with them.

Jaeden is a Hebrew name that means thankful and God has heard.

[onewomancitadel]

me: so proud of myself for identifying something interesting

also me: does any of this make fucking sense

I'm working on it ok.

There's a point here too which is that you can't really talk about the so-called acceptability of a character's actions without context, and I don't mean that in a morally relativistic way, I mean in terms of what the narrative condones/rewards and what it's trying to say... objectively Cinder killing Pyrrha is wrong, but its narrative consequences and scope is meaningful and so is the way she did it (and so is the fact that Ruby awakened her silver eyes...)

In the short-term we're treated to Cinder receiving the Dark Curse as a consequence to it (which Salem blames on Ruby, obfuscating the true villain at hand and directing Cinder's anger away from her and putting together this is just another collar) but the long-term consequence to Cinder's villainy is still up in the air. I think that's why it's kind of naïve to think another short-term consequence to Pyrrha (e.g. killing Cinder out of revenge, already discarded as an option in V5) is still on the cards. That's already been dealt with it and its dealing with the more epic scope of who she is and how she impacts the story lol.

Demonstrably here we have the conflict between the in- and out-of-universe analysis but it's no surprise that Cinder goes downhill emotionally after Pyrrha (because she can't be rewarded for it even if she's the Fall Maiden, she's not acting on that responsibility as properly as she should yet) and this is why I really hate the way fandom muddies talking about this stuff because you just have idiots repeating 'Cinder is bad at being a villain' and they all just believe it unironically without thinking about it any further (tbf I think beyond the narrative punishment she's not precisely that bad but whatever).

I don't know, I think what I'm limited by here too is that if you're an ostensible Cinder fan, you don't want to think about narrative punishment, and that makes the discourse complicated too because it's us vs. them, people who want to see Cinder hurt and those who don't, kind of? It's really bizarre. Or if you describe the punishment like the Dark Curse (which to me IS working on the level of a Pyrrha punishment, so to speak, but is also that continual representation of her Cursed Enslavement) you have to tip-toe around the ugly and depressing matter of her backstory. It's possible to hold both her victimhood and villainy in both hands, because her pain is expressed as her villainy, and whether you redeem her or not explains a lot about your narrative ethics. Can you save everyone?

But interestingly I think the conversation is already all past Pyrrha, ironic to what I've outlined here - you'll have to forgive me since this is a frequent point that comes up in conversation, comments, asks, etc. - and hopefully my point about Cinder already having received symbolic punishment makes sense. At the very least even if I'm not 'right', I'm glad to look at the story in a different way and see something more interesting and organic that's there and seems kind of self-evident. If you can read a relationship between Ruby's silver eyes and Cinder's Dark Curse - that is, the same event 'unlocks' both, and Ruby's SE are in truth a balm for Cinder's Dark Curse - and Ruby's SE is a consequence of her love, care, and the loss of her innocence, then equally Cinder's Dark Curse (Grimm Arm) can be read a similar way. That is more interesting to me.

What's even more interesting is that the inciting event that condemns Cinder is, as I've said before, the thing that links her to Jaune - and Ruby, symbolically.

This is a post about romance that became about Cinder, don't look at me. Lol. Soz for the long post, it didn't quite feel right to post on its own because it's all on the same topic, but maybe I should have...

Of course everything I've said here is highly dependent upon the actual endgame, and this is the issue (and joy) of analysing works-in-progress... on the other hand I really enjoy the opportunity to step away from mainstream fandom interpretation to think about something in a more intuitive way.

The tonal and thematic handling of it is really, really interesting to me... so many have talked about Cinder being too far gone as if her story were already concluded, and so I find myself making too many posts about it, lol.

I recall once remarking that people talk about Knightfall as if Cinder maimed and killed Pyrrha right in front of Jaune and made him watch, crying (Ruby watched and cried, but it wasn't quite maiming), and then I realised that there is, quite literally, another ETL ship actually just like that that if I mentioned specifically would be unfair to mention since they're making a TV adaptation of it and it's spoilers.

I don't feel one way or another about it but it did make me lulz forreal. Ofc if Cinder were actually like that in R/WBY canon, I think it would certainly make the pairing out of the question, but tone and context is everything; that's why being precise matters.

[mintacle]

Have you seen the "Invictus" Jason Todd Death Day Animatic by shyuwe? It's amazing and I want someone good at saying thoughts on the internet to talk about it.

Sorry for the late reply anon and no I had not! But I watched it now and yeah it's cool, here's a link to the vid by @shyuwe.

I find it really difficult honestly to talk about art, because good art already says more than words could express about it, you know? Just watch the video and see for yourself! However I will say something about the choice of the poem "Invictus" by Willima Ernest Henley, from Life and Death for Jason, because omg yes! Continued under cut.

Here's the poem first:

Invuctus means as much as unconquerable or undefeated. Frankly a title I can stand by for Jason. Seeing as one of my favorite aspects of Jason's character is his representation of victims and I stand by the fact that we are undefeated by what has happened to us. The word recognizes the gravity of what has happened and pays homage to your experience and finally we get to see ourselves not only as the sufferers of a poor fate, but also the victors, you're still standing. And I will be the last person to ever tell someone how that "standing" has to look like to be undefeated. Overcoming is not something you have to earn, you already overcame. You have nothing to prove to be undefeated.

The "unconquerable soul" is not exemplified in the body that is standing tall more than in the body that is slumping and panting, no matter how you stand or breath, you are still breathing. The other verses of the first stanza are rather straightforward in setting the stage. Our main character is in the black of the night, in the belly of the whale. They are where all is lost and seems hopeless, but that does not mean they are defeated.

Moving on to the second stanza. This part of the poem acknowledges a disillusioned worldview. It is hard to perceive the world as still containing beauty and hope after trauma. And yet you can be unafraid. And I do hope for everyone who has suffered to be able to return to a previous, more naive, less burdensome, perspective. But if you can't, then frankly that is alright, it does not have to diminish your spirit. I think Jason incorporates a lot of the concept of lost innocence, of not being able to return to how things were. But while Jason does grieve his own loss, he does not lose hope to that fact.

Finally, the last stanza, as a call to the strength of autonomy. Now Bruce might like to think he works alone, but Batman's strength lies in his allies. Jason however has perfected himself into the deus ex machina of himself. He has learnt that sometimes there is no powerful saviour who will swoop in for you. Jason is a one man army in combat skill, knowledge and in practice as well. We have seen team-ups, but they never seem to stick. Something about Jason screams lone wolf.

Because the truth is, after trauma, the only person you want to feel is strong enough to protect you is yourself. In a realistic sense, trauma does not make you dependent on other people, it can make you want to become the most whole and in control person you can be. This is why some children from abusive and neglectful homes have incredible emotional reflectivity and recognition skills. They will not be victims of the arbitrariness of emotions any longer and have mastered the flow of their own and others emotions just to feel a semblance of control. It's why victims might have incredible scheduling and self-discipline skill. Coming out of an unpredictable and volatile situation they have gained control of their surroundings. It's why vicitms might be high-achievers in academics, because they know what is expected and they can control their input and actually get the reward that was promised. Jason is to me an epitome of effective pragmaticism. He knows the value of reliability and certainty. Rather than going in hotheaded in an attempt to murder a man for trafficking children, he employs a failsafe by also poisoning his energy drink. Because Jason is the one in control. He orchestrates a distraction for Batman and spends three hours creeping up on the Batmobile to plant a bomb. His anger doesn't ignite him like an explosion, it fuels him, like the steady supply of purpose.

Jason is in command now, the captain of his soul. Because let us face it, so far Jason's life has been shaped only by other people. His parents' deaths, Bruce adopting him, Sheila betraying him, the Joker murdering him, Superboy Prime's punch returning him to life. Jason's life has been so far out of his autonomy and control, but he claims command of his soul and of his fate. No one has set him on his vengeance trip against Bruce and against the Joker. No one defines Jason anymore. Bruce does not actually have the power to grant whether or not Jason is a hero, It's Jason's jurisdiction now who he is and if he says he is a hero, the patron saint to victims, the avenging spirit of the innocent, then yes, he is.

This is not only about strength in the face of adversity, this is about the fact that you are the only authority you need, your autonomy is the only justification and permission you need to continue being strong. No one fucking else gets to decide for you anymore.

[nightbringer117]

The Dead Venus, or "why the Darkness statue has big tiddies"

The Darkness is the Destiny universe's ultimate evil. When we finally entered the Pyramid in Shadowkeep, a space made by the Darkness, we found a statue of a large-breasted woman covered in a cloth. This is obviously a pretty weird image. Considering how proud Bungie seems of their visual storytelling and symbolism, and the care they've taken with the design of most of their female characters, I'd like to think there was a reason beyond "big woman sexy" for the statue to look like this.

This may very well be putting more thought into it than the designers themselves, but finally personifying their universe's greatest evil with a humanoid figure had to involve some deeper thought and discussion of the symbolism before they committed to it.

I think there's some really great symbolism here, and I'll explain below.

The statue is obviously not what the Darkness looks like, but instead it's a representation of what the Darkness is, or its beliefs and motivations. In case you haven't been marinating in Destiny lore for years, I'll give a quick summary of what the Darkness believes:

Crash Course in Darkness Theology:

- Conflict is the one truth of existence.

- The weak must die so the strong can prosper.

- If you die, then you've failed the great game of existence and proven the strength of the thing that killed you. (This is why necromancy and Guardian resurrection are great sins to the Hive)

- To nurture or protect something is a sin, because it prevents that being from being tested by violence.

Given those conditions, the Darkness is a god of death. Bungie could have easily made the statue a skeleton in a robe with a scythe and we would have gotten the idea.

However, given the Unveiling lorebook, where the Darkness sends us messages, it's clear that the Darkness often defines itself in opposition to the Traveler. It tries to convince us that charity, peace, and kindness lead to stagnation and decay, while conflict is a force that renews and improves life.

Let's instead look at the Traveler, and what we know of its values (with the caveat that some of these were explained to us by the Darkness in a mocking and dismissive way).

- Life can flourish when it's protected from violence and conflict.

- The whole of society will be stronger and more resilient if everyone is allowed to thrive, not just the strongest and most ruthless individuals.

- Violence is necessary only when it comes to protecting others, and should not be pursued for its own sake.

These nurturing qualities, along with the Traveler being called the Gardener, draw strong associations with a "mother goddess" figure. It's a being that guides and protects those under its charge, and sacrifices itself to keep them safe.

Here's my point: The mother goddess figure in many cultures is represented with a figurine of a pregnant woman, often called "Venus", even though the practice is older and more widespread than the Greco-Roman pantheon, going back to the Upper Paleolithic.

The Darkness statue has big breasts because it's supposed to be a mother goddess. But it's not just a mother goddess. It's covered up. Not with a robe, or a veil, but a shroud.

Symbolically, the mother goddess is dead. Instead of a nurturing parent, the statue represents the loss of a parent. A child forced to grow up too soon when their caretaker dies. A previously innocent and carefree youth being exposed to the true horror of the world through loss and tragedy. That is what the Darkness is.

The Darkness is a being that celebrates grief and pain as catalysts for change, and I think the statue does a surprisingly good job of conveying that, if you look past the weird first impression it gives.

[absolutebl]

This Week in BL

March 2021 Part 4

Being a highly subjective assessment of one tiny corner of the interwebs. 

This is a LONG ONE, it’s been A WEEK everyone. 

Ongoing Series - Thai

Lovely Writer Ep 5 - a little slow this week, but at least Gene finally flirted back, and very cute flirting it was, too. Also we got Aey’s motivation, background, and love interest. Thank goodness for that. 

Brothers Ep 8 - still pants, what can I say? Clearly I am a BL masochist. Very embarrassing for everyone concerned. 

1000 Stars Ep 9 - the conflict over Tian’s father was REALLY well done. The plot of this drama is excellent, the leads are great together, and yes I totally cried. What, you didn’t? 

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

Word of Honor (China) Ep 16-18 - big battle fighty fighty stabby stabby. Ep 17 switches to “this drama isn’t big enough for two chaotic-neutral godlings!” So what do they do? Drink together and bicker... A LOT. Then in Ep 18 we all get the dubious joy of really freaky puppets. (I HATE puppets.) Also how is China letting this be so SO VERY VERY GAY?  Also, I wanna walk through the forest wearing a smanshy purple robe and waving a big fuck-off white fan around simply because I’m a pretentious fuss monger. And frankly, I feel like this is an achievable life goal for me. 

We Best Love 2 (Taiwan) Ep 4 - not gonna lie, this is looking to be one of my top 3 BLs of 2021. It’s SO GOOD. Big bonus to this ep for treating stalker behavior like the mental illness it is and not as some dumb representation of enduring love. 

The Most Peaceful Place is My Place (Vietnam) Ep 1 - finally dropped (find it under NƠI BÌNH YÊN NHẤT LÀ VỀ BÊN EM on O2′s channel). It’s got actors already comfortable with BL and looks pretty good so far. An angry tsundere uke reunited with his ex, a stoic chef, giving us lots of snap, crackle, and pop out the gate. 

Dear Uranus (Taiwan GL) Ep 2 - I want to love it, but it is just moving too fast. There’s not enough character dev and then they’re throwing flashbacks in? It feels like a treatment rather than a show, and a rushed treatment at that. Bummer. 

HIStory 4: Close To You (Taiwan) Ep 2 (AKA Ep 3-4) - let the cheesy popcorn continue! Idiot remains an idiot; ingenue remains an ice queen; nice gay guy remains nice and gay; obsessive stalker brother is getting ever more whackadoddle. Of course these last two have the best chemistry. (It’s caregiver codependency and the salvation trope. We got us a Leo/Fiat situation going on.​) Plus lots of classic BL tropes because OF COURSE there are lots of tropes. 

Occasionally, I am tempted to argue that shows like H4 or Cherry Magic or Ossan’s Love aren’t technically BL because of the office setting and age of the protags - but then they all behave like high school students anyway, so *shrug* 

Stand Alones

Cute little Taiwanese micro BL Friend or Lover dropped, about bisexual realization within a friendship group. Normally these are too short for me, but this one did pretty good with its 15 minutes of charm, plus it’s abad boy + shy softy pairing. 

Breaking News - Thai BL

Fish Upon the Sky released its actual trailer. The upside-down kiss is gone, which makes everyone sad, and it seems far less rivals to lovers than the first iteration, which makes ME sad. But it still looks good and a more classic BL than GMMTV has given us in a while. New trailer focused more on the makeover trope and they’ve upped Mix’s role (the object of everyone’s affection) now that he’s proved himself. (Or they are using him more to carry the trailer since he has a fan base form 1k*). Starts April 9 on GMMTV in 1K*’s time slot, probably with a 10 ep run. 

2gether the movie is apparently coming April 22 to Thai theaters. F4 Thailand must be having issues or GMMTV just wants to milk the BrightWin cash cow. It’s rumored to be a combination of 2gehter + Still 2gether with some extra scenes and ending. Also, one assumes a lot will be cut out, if it’s movie length.

Call It What You Want released its updated trailer. If anything, it looks more scary than before. What are we in for? April 9th. 

Nitiman got a release date, May 7 on One31. 

I Told Sunset About You 2 got an updated release date of May 27 on LineTV. 

Second Chance the series is coming to LineTV on March 29. I don’t know much about this one. Tons of familiar faces (mostly TharnType side dishes) and some nice looking new talent but a dearth of eng subs. I think it may take on Brothers’ time slot. Line did eng subs for Brothers so maybe they will do 2nd Chance too? 

Close Friend the series is coming April 22. This is a combination of 6 couples with 6 story arcs as music videos (maybe)? It’s an epic fan service with familiar faces like OhmFluke (UWMA), MaxNat (LBC also in Y-Destiny), YoonLay (YYY also in Y-Destiny), KimCop (GenY), and JaFirst (TT2).

Y-Destiny starts March 30, and has starting dropping couple’s trailers. I’m still suspicious given the director but it seems like there is plot (or plots) and a theme. Looks to be a series of 7 single ep vignettes (amended, see comments, might be 2 eps each for 14 eps total), different couple each time, some with supernatural elements, all with decent chemistry and acting chops. 

Sun MaxNat’s tutor/student arc

Mon jaded rich kid meets poor innocent  

Tues sports romance enemies to lovers 

Weds the messy realistic actual dating one 

Thurs hot ghost boyfriend (sad) 

Fri YoonLayPerth coping with loss and finding new love (sad). This one will all rest on Lay's acting so we know it’s in safe hands. Our boy is going to KILL it. 

Sat time-slip memory loss reunion romance 

I’m thinking we can’t expect any of these to end happy or be classic BL. They’re gonna be more slice of life-ish. 

Gossip - BL Outside of Thailand 

Scholar Ryu’s Wedding Ceremony AKA Nobleman Ryu’s Wedding (Korean historical BL) got a legit teaser (eng sub here). @curriculumvtae​ reports that it’s releasing April 15th on WeTV (Philippines & Thailand) and Idol Romance (South Korea), while Will of Thai Bl says it’ll be on Viki too. It’s a short run of 8 ep built on a fake relationship trope (arranged marriage variant):

Ryu Ho Seon’s (Kang In Soo from You Wish) arranged marriage turns out to be with his expected bride’s brother, Choi Ki Wan (Lee Se Jin from Mr Heart). Ryu tries to undo the marriage, but his ill mother opposes this saying the scandal would be too much. Meanwhile, Kim Tae Hyeong (Jang Eui Soo from Where Your Eyes Linger), a senior at Ryu’s school, comes to congratulate him and falls in love with Choi. Then one day, the original bride disappears.

Okay it seems a bit twisty turny for ONLY 8 EPS, but oh my goodness how excited are we? Our first intentional historical BL out of Korea!

We already knew Hong Kong was doing a remake of Japan’s Ossan’s Love under the same name (not my favorite Japanese BL but so very popular) but it’s now reported to be coming to Viu in June. Who knows how the CFA will take it. Depends on whether Hong Kong bows before the NO GAY KISSES regs or if they are going to use this as a political nose thumb... things could get cray with this puppy (the original has several kisses and s shower scene). Are we back in Addicted territory only with added comedy and civil unrest?

Speaking of Japan, Absolute BL (AKA Zettai BL ni Naru Sekai vs Zettai BL ni Naritakunai Otoko) dropped sooner than anyone thought, March 27. But being Japanese who knows how/when/if we get subs. Protag finds himself trapped in a world of BL, but being straight he fights against any hot guy that draws near, but the whole world (literally) is conspiring against him. It’s a parody adapted from a yoai.

What with Absolute BL from Japan plus Lovely Writer and Call it What You Want from Thailand, is 2021 the year of BL being ultra self referential? Sure feels like it.

In Case You Missed It

Faded a gay micro film from Taiwan from 2017 deals with parental acceptance and serves up a ton of BL tropes (piggyback, forehead kiss, etc). I’m pretty sure this was a propaganda piece for legalization of gay marriage, and it’s an interesting nugget of BL history as a result. Yes, it ends happy. It’s cute. 

Next Week Looks Like This:

Some shows may be listed a day later than actual air date for accessibility reasons.

Upcoming 2021 BL master post here.

Links to watch are provided when possible, ask in a comment if I missed something.

Man there’s a lot going on right now! Spring has sprung... I suppose. 

P.S. I cannot believe I missed Absolute BL as a blog name. Numbnuts = me. 

[youngbugandtonystank]

But why would steve and Natasha treat wanda as a kid if shes that old? It doesn't make sense :/ steve called her a kid in age of ultron, I hate they changed her age for wandavision now people hate her because of what she did in civil war it's discriminatory towards women to do this idc

But why would steve and Natasha treat wanda as a kid if shes that old?

It’s funny because Natasha and Wanda are only 5 years apart in age. Natasha was 32 and Wanda was 27. I don’t know why Steve thought she was a kid tbh, if the people of the snap don’t count the years they were snapped, then I’m, guessing we can’t count the years Steve spent on ice since, technically, he wasn’t alive. Then, the Avengers’ ages in Civil War go:

Thor: 1,498 

James Rhodes: 48

Bruce Banner: 47

Tony Stark: 46

Clint Barton: 45

Sam Wilson: 38

Natasha Romanoff: 32

In Civil War, Steve is supposed to be 98, but without the ice thing, he should be 29. 

Wanda Maximoff: 27

All of them are adults. Let’s be honest and admit they made a mistake in AOU and CW. I really don’t care that much about the actor’s age as long as the appearance fits the character and in this case, I’m sorry but Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Elizabeth Olsen didn’t look 17 in those movies:

Compare them to the cast of Spider-Man and you’ll see the difference (take into consideration that half of this cast are 20-something year olds too)

They do look like teenagers lmao. So they probably wanted to fix this in Wandavision. There are people who can play teenagers at certain ages and that’s ok. I think it’s more interesting to see the dynamic of the ‘kids and married life’ with Wanda. And it also makes more sense that they would recruit her just like that.

I hate they changed her age for wandavision now people hate her because of what she did in civil war it's discriminatory towards women to do this idc

No, it’s not discriminatory at all. If Elizabeth Olsen had been fired for ‘not looking young’ enough or for ‘looking too old’, then yes, it would but in this case, Elizabeth is very much employed and living the good marvel life lmao

I think some Wanda stans can’t get behind this fact because they can no longer justify some of her actions due to her age. People can say Peter was a teenager and a dumbass in HOCO, and yes, it’s valid because he was 15. But Wanda is a grown ass adult and the fact that she couldn’t even stay with Vision (someone she felt safe with) in a 100 acres secured compound because she felt oppressed and ‘locked’ in her room (which she was not) is very telling. They also can’t blame Tony for everything she does because she’s an adult just like him. 

I don’t know why they want to make her look ‘poor and innocent’ for some reason, instead, they should take the opportunity to see her as a fantastic representation of mental health issues since she’s been dealing with that a lot. Just remember something, if you want to sympathize with her because of her mental state then you should be able to do it with Tony too, because he’s dealt with those same issues as well. Anxiety? Loss? PTSD? Grief? Survivor’s guilt? Addiction? Depression? Coping mechanisms? All of them. 

Read this: Thought Bubble: Iron Man, Mental Illness and the Importance of Representation

He’s one of the characters that represent that and just like the article says, RDJ’s character was able to do it without subtlety, apology or insensitivity, and it would be great if the MCU (fans) would give Wanda that opportunity too, instead of trying to take those aspects away by infantilizing her. I see they’re handling her issues pretty well in WV, and the reason I’m giving Wanda a chance is because I can identify with her loss, I’ve lost so much in my personal life and seeing her grieve is very therapeutic for me. I gotta give it to Elizabeth, she’s a great actress and she’s the doing the role justice. 

--

btw, I always forget to do this, but it would be great if you guys could help these causes. You don’t need to donate, just click the link to help: 

Children. Palestine. Poverty. Arab women. Refugees.

[trixree]

bro creature by half•alive came up on a playlist i found the other day and the SECOND the chorus dropped i was like OH??? CREATION BOTH HAUNTED AND HOLY YOU SAY???? CREATURE ONLY?? so thats a mark you have left on my soul

This makes me VERY happy! Oddly enough, the first time I listened to this song, it gave me DISTINCT Luke Skywalker vibes.

"Look inside of me/and see that I am not afriad/to walk inside the void/like a kid inside a cave" like mmmmmmmmmm yes give me that embracing the unknown and becoming Part of Something Bigger vibe + childlike optimism for a better world!!!! I was literally cutting a fucking cantaloupe and had to put the knife down when the chorus hit because hrrrnffnnfghfaghfjkg I was FEELING FEELINGS. "I know I'm made of clay that's worn/guided by a perfect form/but I will trust the artist molding me" like okay??? Okay??? trusting in the FORCE to put you where you need to be, make you who you are???? FUCKING DELICIOUS SOME GOOD FUCKING FOOD OKAY

Originally, I thought the phrase "creation both haunted and holy" captured Luke Skywalker really well. Like he's The Hope for the future, the representation of the Light Side that we have in the OT (holy) while also simultaneously carrying this immense burden of loss and suffering - the loss of Anakin, the loss of his family, the loss of his innocence, the loss of the Jedi as a whole (haunted).

And THEN when I got the commission for Force-sensitive clone OCs, I started thinking about that phrase "creation both haunted and holy" in the context of human cloning. And then I was like,,, if alignment with the light-side of the Force is "holy", what haunts the clones? And like... Jango. Jango does. The circumstances of their creation including Jango's trauma up through the trauma likely inflicted by the Kaminoans and the obvious traumas of War...

Anyways, I think the song is really powerful for expressing hope despite the things that have harmed us-- finding the holy and recognizing the haunting. And it makes me Feel Things too, bro.

And I went with "creature only" as the title for the side story in that same universe because I wanted to focus on the humanity of healing from trauma, of trying to build something out of the wreckage because you don't know what else to do. Creature only as in creature comforts, as in base instincts for survival, as in we are all flesh and blood and bone moving through the universe in the ways that manage to speak to us.