#seems redundant

[arscorpii]

in episode 1, utena defeated saionji with only a wooden sword, without any help from prince dios (i believe this was the case) as would be observed in later episodes. saionji was using the sword of dios against utena in the duel. i find this to be very impressive on utena's part because saionji was a skilled swordsman. it reminded me of how utena managed to pass through the rose gate without the sword of dios in episode 39, with only bare, bloody hands and a heart overflowing with love for anthy. unlike akio who failed to cut through the gate even with the strongest soul sword, the one pulled out of utena.

to commemorate the 28th year since revolutionary girl utena started airing (02/04/1997), here are some parallels between the first and final episodes of rgu (per chronological order of episode 1):

utena and anthy's hands slipping away from each other's grasp both in the opening and episode 39.

the duelling arena being destroyed as prince dios wakes up in the opening versus the duelling arena being destroyed by the swords of humanity's hatred in episode 39.

prince dios on his white horse, looking over a ledge with bare trees in the background from episode 1 versus akio looking up to anthy being stabbed by millions of swords representing humanity's hatred in midair in episode 39.

prince dios and baby utena with bare trees in the background in episode 1 versus anthy walking away at the ending of episode 39.

prince dios putting on the rose crest ring on baby utena's finger in episode 1 versus prince dios trying to kiss the ring in episode 39, as utena lies helpless on the floor in the rose bride dress.

baby utena watching prince dios riding away on his white horse in episode 1 versus anthy walking down the same path at the ending of episode 39.

baby utena wanting to be a prince in episode 1 versus utena apologising to anthy because she couldn't be a prince as she hangs over the ledge in episode 39.

utena and anthy respectively, emerging into the corridor in episodes 1 and 39.

utena, anthy, and the rose garden in episodes 1 and 39.

part 2 of the post

[figureskatingpenguin]

Yuzuru Hanyu: Bow and Arrow (Short Program Ver.) | Medalist OP

bc yuzu actually made an extremely competitive program, here is the program's full layout: 4Lz, 3A, FSSp, 4S+3T, CCSp, StSq, CCoSp

[wuntrum]

straight cishet omegaverse is fascinating to me on a conceptual level. i can Understand gay omegaverse though its sincerely not for me (and also kinda have qualms with it on the concept level) but the straight ones...like wow, a romance novel where the dom guy and the submissive girl neeeeeed to fuck, theyre so brave for that

[threewordusername]

the weight of a year.

d.b.a

[carlyraejepsans]

neighbours upstairs loud as fuck having sex for the past 2 hours, what the hell ever

[kittykatninja321]

I’m sorry but I just don’t think any other “name-bin” abbreviations for the Robins work as well as “Jaybin”. Jaybin sounds like the name of a tiny creature you’d see in the trees while walking through an enchanted forest and Dickbin sounds like. Well

[wackywatchdotcom]

Rewatching episode one, I noticed that when Ragatha and Jax are talking to each other about Jax having a key, Pomni flinches away from, and lifts her arms to protect her face and head, when Jax toys with the key and catches it near her.

I wonder if she is that jumpy around others normally or if it's just when she's in a stressful situation (like suddenly being trapped in the circus) what do you think?

OK. ok. you mention this. and ive never said anything about it but i have genuinely noticed this almost every time ive seen that scene. i think about it a LOT but i havent been able to figure out my thoughts on it. but i think about it genuinely a LOT...

(i went on a huge tangent abt her thats like. only sporadically related to this specific moment SORRY. it was hard to address this moment without discussing a LOT about her i feel)

for the sake of clarity in the event someone reading this is unfamiliar, what this ask is referring to is this:

with the way that she so quickly dissociates and HARD (not that most people Never experience dissociation or smth, but its the intensity of it and how quick into this situation she starts dissociating is like. it makes it seem like its smth her body and mind are Used To Doing) she REALLY gives off the feeling that she had pre-existing mental health problems (i struggle to place anything TOO specific with the limited information we have but i feel like theres definitely a few things she has going on) before she even got to the circus, and like she COULD just be a naturally jumpy person, but with the dissociation thing and general distrust towards others, it feels like her jumpiness is also related to these issues

while her being naturally nervous is sort of implied and clear (though i think the extent of it is exaggerated by the circumstances of the pilot in particular) there ARE a few other examples that stand out to me

i THINK this can largely be passed off as her just being on edge from the horror adventure, but i this is IS notable that she reacts genuinely pretty strongly to what is a relatively minor 'jumpscare.' it happens later too w kinger pressing the tape recorder

in general she seems VERY easily startled by people, and frankly it reads a lot like it stems more from people being near her than just things happening abruptly. she notably doesnt jump hard when the angel arrives- she DOES get scared, but she isnt necessarily startled. she DOES react very strongly to ghostly, but i think its notable that she seems to find his visual appearance frightening and debatably not necessarily startling, but thats not really 100%. the times she reacts the strongest have to do with people, which imo ties HARD into her not trusting people

episode 2 breaks down her distrust of people well, and i dont think its a self consciousness thing. it seems more that she just doesnt tend to find people trustworthy- if something bad was happening to her, she would sooner assume theyd let it happen rather than help her. it could be argued that its partially a guilt or projection thing with ragatha, but im not actually so sure. pomni seems to be ashamed of leaving her behind, but particularly through ep 2 she doesnt seemed Plagued With Guilt by the way she acts towards ragatha, which implies that the dream didnt have to do with her projecting that shame in a way shed assume ragatha would turn back on her, too

it instead seems to be that she doesnt trust ragatha just... in general. the 'im not a child' thing, while a legitimate problem for pomni to have with ragatha (i love ragatha, and from my place in the audience i know her concern is genuine, and that she truly wants to encourage pomni, and is trying, but from the perspective of people around ragatha, its not an unreasonable assumption that shes JUST being infantilizing and belittling), does illuminate how pomni is seeing ragathas attempts at cheering her up- that it comes from a place of seeing pomni as immature or generally unstable. that pomni is incapable of managing herself and needs to be coaxed. it implies pomni doesnt see ragathas attempts at help as genuine. combined with her dream, that ragatha would allow the worst to happen to her even when she was asking for help, makes it very clear that, even with the 'nicest' person in the circus, pomni just... doesnt really trust her

(it is worth noting that pomni DOES seem to genuinely want to help ragatha in the pilot. she DID try to find caine. but she bolts at the first opportunity. she does care about people, but when stressed, she operates on keeping herself safe first and foremost, that she needs to do anything to get out of a bad situation even if that means leaving someone behind- and with her dream, it does seem that she generally assumes other people operate similarly, or otherwise in their own best interest)

this does, of course, improve by the end of eps 2 and 3. the funeral, and ragatha offering to include her, and how the others talk about abstracted players (combined with her conversation with gummigoo, someone who she has to assure has genuine friendships with those around him despite the lack of a true reality for them to be based upon), are able to convey that oh, these people do actually care about the people around them. theyre being genuine. they arent just looking out for themselves and thats it- they care when bad things happen to each other. and theres no true reason for me to be an exception. which is ALSO why i dont think its a self consciousness thing, she seems able to reason that shes not an exception to the intents of others, so much that when she cant assure herself that others' intents hold her safety as any sort of priority as well, any trust goes out the window. she WANTS to help if she can, but esp in the pilot, as far as shes concerned, its everyone for themself when shit gets bad, including herself

ep 3, she seems more trusting of ragatha- she has neutral and positive interactions w her, rather than assuming a lack of sincerity in it. but its not just ragatha, actually, because even before her talk with him, you can see it in how she interacts with kinger as well

she initially tries to help him run, which isnt too out there- with how she genuinely DID initially try to help ragatha, it doesnt require her to go out of her way to grab him and RUN. she can run AND take him with her. she can help without putting herself in extra danger. but then she DOES go back, which is one of my favorite and imo underrated pomni moments. because THIS is what i think actually highlights an improvement in how she sees the others before her apologizing to ragatha or taking kingers hand. because she puts herself BACK into (percieved, since its not actual sure WHAT the angels intentions were her) danger in order to get kinger away too

(theres probably a case to be made that ragatha didnt seem to be in immediate danger- she was in pain, that much was clear, but kaufmo had ran away by then. but even still, pomni couldnt have known kaufmo would shift gears and start chasing her instead of ragatha that first time. and i dont know if she actually knew death wasnt possible here yet. which isnt very flattering for pomni but also people do not act in flattering ways under extreme stress, esp given a predisposition to not trusting others, which ill elaborate more on in a second here- not that pomnis abandonment was ok OR that it was like evil of her or smth. shes just a person. there is no way she was prepared to know how to act correctly in this situation, and she didnt)

theres also this

which is SUBTLE but highlights a genuine increase in trust even before their heart to heart. now that she knows the cast (save for jax, who she seems to react to the harshest, which is worth noting imo) are not acting solely in their own best interest, that they WILL consider the wellbeing of those around them including her, that their concern for one another is genuine (which is concerning that she even assumes that to begin with, which ill circle back to momentarily), she very clearly has way more faith in them and the idea that she should stick around the others for safety

and of course, ive said it before, but her taking kingers hand has little to do with her enjoying holding hands. its her knowing that, if kingers wrong, this is going to end very, very badly. if holding their breath isnt the solution theyre BOTH going to get possessed, and who knows how theyd get out of that situation. but she decides in that moment that her trust in the others isnt ONLY about looking out for them and believing that theyre sincere in their concern for her. but that she is willing to let the others put her at a potential massive risk. getting possessed was a blatantly immediately traumatic experience- and she lets kinger put her at risk of it happening again. THATS why she holds his hand, at least symbolically. she doesnt like contact. but she can brave something that she doesnt like, she can let him lead her into and through something potentially horrific, because shes deciding to trust him and the others, that theyre not just people she can interact with without fear of ill intentions, but that theyre people who she is going to coexist with. the best thing she can do for herself and the others is trust them and work with them actively

anyway that got off-track, the point being that her having to have these ideas instilled in her at all through shared experiences and trauma implies that, while these issues with distrust may have been exacerbated by the stress of everything, they didnt come from nowhere. these are problems she likely already had to some degree. its great that theres been improvement but that improvement directly implies thesse were improvements that needed to be made to begin with. and the fact that the person she gets repeatedly most startled by is jax. who, even with episode 2, she explicitly doesnt trust. in the pilot, at least, her distrust is more vague (i think the dream sequence in ep 2 IS what highlights it best) so her flinching from jax can be passed off as related to a general lack of adjustment to the new environment and situation shes in. but it happens again with jax in episode 3 (and, notably, she pauses afterwards but it takes a moment for her to relax even knowing its just jax), after shes adjusted somewhat, and after shes gained some trust with everyone except for jax (given his absence from the scene at the end of ep 2). it also happens when barons voice plays abruptly next to her

point being that imo, she IS naturally jumpy. she says herself that she doesnt handle jumpscares well, which somewhat implies this even outside of the circumstances of the circus. but with how she reacts to things, it feels like her general jumpiness is far, far worse when it comes to people she doesnt trust (be it because jax is Like That, or because shes not familiar with baron). the way i see it, then, her distrust extends to perceiving physical threats easily around people she hasnt ensured are safe to be around. she IS able to gain this trust in people, but she seems to automatically place the intents of others as being Potentially Unsafe from the jump, especially under stress. she can jump back from it fairly quickly for what its worth, but to be honest, it seems more like she operates on some general, everpresent level of hypervigilance thats just sometimes worse based on the situation

and frankly i dont think we know enough about her as of ep 4 to fully determine if there IS a reason for this. because someone can have a reason to be this jumpy around others, or they can just... be nervous and dislike people moving suddenly near them. combined with the dissociation thing, though, im inclined to think the circus did not cause this, just made it more extreme with more unpleasant stakes. there is hardly any time between her entering the circus and this happening. she hadnt even seen kaufmo yet in that very first example, but she was already on alert for a physical threat, and i just. i think about it all the time...

i think the main takeaway from all of this is that i think she isnt necessarily jumpy like that all the time, but i think trust is not a given with pomni, and her jumpiness massively depends on how much she trusts people near her and the situation shes in to not be a physical threat to her. its definitely worse in the circus, but i think it was probably still something present in a different context in the real world, too

[our-ensemble]

I'm grateful for all the media analysis there has been regarding Enstars and it's treatment of social issues, especially after AKATSUKI's event, but truthfully, acting as if Enstars is the only piece of media to ever have "problematic" aspects cheapens some of this analysis.

For many fans, Enstars passed the line - but the important thing to remember is that media which has not passed the line is not media that is "unproblematic", but media that has not reached a point where moments that are "tactless" or "poor in taste" follow specific and hostile ideologies.

Again, the way that people have been rethinking their engagement with Enstars is commendable since its not something that everybody is willing to consider; however, if this sort of thinking isn't applied to other spaces, then we risk running into the same problems over and over across time.

Enstars' problems aren't unique to it - and are likely being inherited from other media, so its definitely a system to be mindful of - which is why I hope that the lessons that we're picking up from Enstars are also applied elsewhere.

By applying this level of analysis and conscientiousness towards original works and fan spaces, hopefully we create respectful places of discussion where the ideologies that hurt people in real-life aren't also being used to hurt them in fiction and fandom.

[abelzumi]

Magic: the Crypticing

So I may have been turned on to Cryptic Crosswords by an old friend of mine. And I may or may not have gotten a bit obsessed with making them. It takes a certain angle of brainerating, but for those who are curious (or already initiated), here's a general rundown of how these things work.

I also love puzzle engagement which is why I've foisted this upon everyone I can at my LGS to little to no avail. Hopefully the internet fares better. Reminder that (X, Y) means two words, the first of which is X letters long and the second of which is Y letters long.

This puzzle requires both constructing and deconstructing MTG lingo, jargon, and card history, as well as a general knowledge of Cryptic clues, acronyms, abbreviations, etc. Enjoy!

ACROSS

1. Promo for Kamigawa set: heretical sorcerer controls direction of plane. (3-4)

5. Change your mana after topping Wickerfolk's surveil. (7)

9. When mechanics first arrive, they appear to raise ethical question left unknown? (15)

10. Lands untapping cinches two points for Elves? (7)

11. Bottom-up sets anger rock singer. (5)

13. Belligerent takes arose? (6, 3)

16. Wildfire land sweep allows +2 from Chandra. (4)

17. Number after declaring Ascend could be zero? (2, 2)

18. Check legality of pitch sequence because fourth Force of Will could partner with Twin. (6, 4)

21. Landcycle Mardu finisher before Final Revels (5)

23. Toothed hunters sound doubly fishy? (7)

26. Only designer quality silver & diamonds top gown and royal handle. (7, 8)

27. Target changes east after red energy sweeper. (7)

28. Grounded still on a flyer? Victor wouldn't have... (4, 3)

DOWN

1. By the way, I'm piloting Rakdos Tokens. (4)

2. Auras make draw power sound mid; brew with one who shuffles. (3, 12)

3. Odd Commander goal after long set-up, say. (7)

4. Glimmerwasp heresy within the bounds of New Phyrexia. (7)

5. Shreds of Sanity doesn't use any P1P1 Wandering Mind effects. (4)

6. Large birds supposedly equip tokens. (5)

7. Where there's time to study erotica, many a lad exploded. (8, 7)

8. How to (historically) empower a deer/pony hybrid? (3, 3, 3)

12. Some of these indicators take a second—left stranded? (4)

13. Big rogue belly-up wearing some hat and risque clothing backwards. (9)

14. Powerless power for brewing black? (4)

15. Cut when head replaces knight. (3) 

19. Valakut makes this Eldraine legend from OTJ take the resolution. (7)

20. Elenda fears dance moves while firing. (7)

23. Salty beginner affirms combo with a second-turn Plains after initial misplay. (5)

24. "Gitaxian Probe, Putrid Leech...no attacks?" (4)

25. Even Hatebears beginner uses 3/2 Mindsparker to sideboard. (4)

[rottmnt-residuum]

Helloo!! I wanna ask about something from Arc 1 Part 18 to 20, what does the chip do? Is it a tracking device?? (The chip that they are putting in Donnie's brain). sorry if this had already been asked

but, to be clear... the tag and the chip are very different

[rearranging-deck-chairs]

can someone who knows how to analyse tv shows explain to me why jessica jones s1 is just as good as i remember it being, s2 is more disappointing with every episode, and s3 is so forgettable i didnt even remember it existed and thought i must not have seen it

[science-bastard]

laser beam red… bunsen burner orange… caution tape yellow… toxic sludge green… cherenkov radiation blue… cresyl violet… phenolphthalein pink… you see where i’m going with this?

[sinisterexaggerator]

I really should write a NSFW Imperial Batch series ... Imperial Hunter? Imperial Tech? Hellooo...

I wonder how much of an interest there is for that?

[explomb]

Exciting shit is happening in r/bluelock

[sol-tryz]

Self-indulgent Will headcanons

Or

(how i imagine him while reading and sketching) (im bored and miss him) (totally not biased–)

Poofy hair that curls at the tips. Not unlike a cloud.

Thick, bright golden hair that reaches his shoulders that is damn near untameable.

Is a claw clip preacher. Wears it when it gets busy in the infirmary. Otherwise, let's his hair loose. Ties it on special occasions.

Has the sun in his eyes. Literally. Central heterochromia. If it wasn't obvious that he was the son of Apollo already–

Dry and torn lips. Carries lip balm everywhere. (Frequently loses them though so has like 5+ of the same lip balm)

Tan skin, much freckles. Everywhere.

Genetics gave him flawless silky smooth skin.

Unintentional glowing. Doesn't always happen but when it does, it's much more obvious at night. An uncanny glow that brightens or dims depending on his mood.

Does have pierced ears but doesn't wear them often because it's a hazard being in the infirmary so often.

Does have his camp necklace, and Nico's ring chain around his neck. Keeps them under his shirt as much as possible though. Safer and less in the way while working.

Tattoo on the left of his chest. But we all knew that.

A star tattoo somewhere i know it. (Haven't thought of where please help)

Immaculate hand care routine. Not a nail unpolished or chipped. Still has tiny scars though.

His hands are not a hard and rough as most others at camp. His are mostly dry and cracked from over-sanitising.

Canon says he's built like a surfer. But i like to think he's built like a dancer. No, he can't dance to save his life.

Lean, toned and tall. Broad shoulders, slim waist. Amazing legs. (Totally not based on experience)

Has scars here and there. Particularly, a burn scar on one of his foot and a gash further up his other leg. They don't hurt anymore. (Sometimes the memories do, but he's getting better)

Navel piercing.

The most stunning man dressed in the most average outfits. Please don't let him dress himself for an important event. (Unless supervised)

Owns crocs let's be real.

...ok, that's all my brain has for now. In terms of appearances at least. (⁠•⁠ ⁠▽⁠ ⁠•⁠;⁠)

I'll come back to rambling about him next time. Okioki, byebyee!

[tubbytarchia]

Sorry I wanna do an experiment. No judgement passed (it's anonymous but y'know), I'm just deathly curious