#shui meta

[shuinami]

Jess and Hobie: their defining strengths + their weaknesses

I had a thought about Hobie while I was writing, have been thinking about Jess for a while and then this post about Miguel came out and it made me kind of want to yap. I'll only talk about Hobie and Jessica here because I'm biased + Peter & Gwen have been talked about a lot + I linked a post about Miguel + Miles & Pav have simpler, more obvious flaws that basically come down to youthful naivety.

I also find it really interesting that their flaws are basically opposites, Hobie's comes from "inconsistency" whilst Jessica's comes from stubbornness. And again, both these flaws come from their greatest strengths.

TL;dr

Jess' defining strength is her resolve when it comes to fighting for what's right and tussling with destiny but it causes her to have a one-track mind, even if it comes to dedicating herself to something wrong (from being misguided).

Hobie's defining strength is his optimism (e.g. anarcho-communism) but the extreme difficulty of pursuing those ideals and the struggle against systems can bring that optimism to a breaking point, causing him to be inconsistent or, more directly, to give up.

I think people forget that Jessica's pregnancy is by design and not just a 'feature' of Jessica Drew as a character. She was deliberately chosen to be represented in this stage of her life and I think it is so important to her character, even if it's not in the traditional way that pregnancy is typically portrayed as in media.

I think her pregnancy shows the kind of person she is: most obviously, it's cold, hard evidence that she's a bamf who takes care of spidey business even while pregnant.

More importantly to me, though, there's an implication that, as her universe's one and only spidey, she has been the one to save the day and been the change she wishes to seek, effectively enough that she feels comfortable bringing a baby into the world.

Unlike someone like Peter, she does not make the choice between bringing her child to work with her or leaving them behind. She just has to do what she needs to do to make sure her kid is safe, there's no failing for her. During her pregnancy, it's always going to be a matter of life and death. Jess is well aware and, instead of shying away from action, she's just committed to not making those kinds of mistakes. To get over her losses. She's going to take charge of her own world's destiny as she has always done and she's going to make sure it's good.

Her strong allegiance to Miguel's ideas is her most glaring flaw to us as an audience because A. we're seeing things through Miles' eyes, she's standing in the way of him saving his father and B. we know that Miguel can't be right about canon events - we know they wouldn't make the movies as bleak as that.

Of course, taking a step back from our perspective, it's also a flaw because she is being antagonistic to a teenager as a grown adult. It might make her seem cold and harsh.

However, Jess was the one to vouch for Gwen, to take her in, even though Miguel didn't want her to and they could have left things up to the web of destiny. Jess trusts her own capabilities but she doesn't trust the world to be kind. She doesn't assume Gwen can handle things just because she can, either. On top of being sympathetic, I think her dedication to being the change she wishes to see is why she accepts Gwen as a student; she trusts that a young girl can make the world a better place too, it's not a thing where she wants to micromanage everything. She just wants to know the multiverse is in safe hands. That's her "great responsibility".

The only reason she is following the anti-Miles agenda is because Miles, as far as she and anybody else in-movie knows, is jeopardising the existence of every universe (insidiously via the holes). Maybe, in another position, say, a bright-eyed teen who mainly worried about high school and puppy love, she would be more willing to risk things, to see how it goes.

She's not in that position though. Her world that she felt confident she had the power to keep safe has been made uncertain. One day, it could just go poof, along with her baby, and she wouldn't be able to stop it in the moment. If she makes the right decision now, if she doesn't make a mistake, she can prevent it. It's understandable that she's going to do whatever it takes to prevent anomalies.

What was the canon event chosen to represent her?

Her version of the moment from "The Final Chapter".

It comes from a story that largely focuses on Peter's personal life before spiralling into action to make up for a mistake that has made Aunt May fatally ill. In the panel, Spider-Man is trapped under machinery with the cure - the thing that will absolve the mistake - just out of reach. As the lair is flooded, drowning is imminent.

Against all odds, though, Spider-Man pushes past what should have killed him and rises to the occasion, with the thoughts of saving Aunt May and refusing to have a repeat of Uncle Ben.

"I won't fail you. No matter what - I won't fail."

Jess has had to handle her own fate as well as her world's. Now that the multiverse is involved, it's not going to stop at her own universe. She has to stop this. She won't fail. As per the dialogue between her and Gwen in ATSV, she's made a mistake before (by getting too close to someone) but she tells Gwen "I got over it". Sounds so savage in the moment but she still gives Gwen a chance to make her own situation right before letting her get kicked off the team. Helping Gwen in spite of the anomaly would be a mistake if she couldn't handle this.

And when the Spot gets away and Miles enters the picture? The gloves come off. It's tempting fate at that point. Jess' no mistakes mindset pushes her to even prepare to roll up on a teenager.*

Her greatest strength is her resolve - I mean, hell, she doesn't let even pregnancy slow her down when it comes to saving the world - but it causes her to be stubborn and leads her down a misguided path.

*By the end of the film, she seems to be questioning Miguel's method, though. On top of the fact that BTSV is obviously going to end on a good note, I think Jess' fight against destiny is going to have her come around in the end as Miles is doing the same thing.

Onto Hobie:

I luv luv luv Hobie as much as everyone else, he's definitely my favourite but I feel he has his flaws too (which tend to make me love my faves more lol).

In fact, I think he says what they are when we first meet him, though they are veiled as jokes.

I find that the audience tends to position him as a perfect distillation of anarcho-communism at its best. I think the teen spideys see him in a similar light; they see him as effortlessly cool & charismatic, a wise mentor figure ("use your palms" + his play fighting with Pavitr featured him taking on the stance of a boxing trainer as Pavitr tried to punch his palms) but he's not like the adult adults - he's relatable, he's cool, he's anarchist, he's not always on their case like Jess and Miguel.

He neither calls himself a hero nor a role model... but he is the perfect hero and role model, right? He's the best! He's the only one who's looking out for Miles and, when Miles is getting chased down by the entire society, what does he do?

He... quits.

Wouldn't that perfect hero we all believe him to be swoop in with his cape, know exactly what to do and save Miles, the underdog? He can't have possibly known Miles would manage against the society and, if he knew it was possible, then why wouldn't he lend a hand? He didn't drop off the watch in Miles' dimension, he gave one to his bestie, Gwen, likely in the scenario that she wanted to quit or got booted because 'it [didn't] work out'.**

I think Hobie's major flaw is his lack of consistency, as he famously said himself.

He has a strong moral code - he believes in the right things for the right reasons... but communism and anarchy are pretty much impossible to properly/entirely employ in a system that is consumerist, capitalist and authoritarian. He riots, he fights, but it's never over. London isn't free. In my experience, people with strong moral compasses tend to have issues with themselves because they hold others to higher standards than most and hold themselves to even higher and impossible standards (think Diane from Bojack Horseman).

One of the first comic panels I encountered of Hobie was him getting real with Captain Anarchy about losing morale because, despite killing President Ozzy Osborne, the face of fascism in his dystopia, nothing changes. He wasn't able to save the world like a hero in a movie or like a proper role model. He 'failed'. When you give your everything and nothing changes, no matter how optimistic, clever or read-up on theory you are, it can be hard to keep going.

And what is chosen as his defining canon event?

His version of Spider-Man quitting in "Spider-Man No More". Rather than being fed up with the world antagonising him as 616 is, Hobie is done with an antagonistic world.

The Hobie/Spider-Punk that has been built up externally, as far as I understand, would never give up. He'd keep raging forever and ever because that's the cool thing to do, because it's the heroic thing to do - because it's the right thing to do.

But under the mask, he's just a teenager, imperfect as any other.

He's still a Spider-Man too. Before the bite, he was another lanky black boy in racist-af, peak National Front, send-the-blacks-and-the-Asians-back, '70s England. He's a nerd, as evidenced by his ability to build such a high-tech watch, especially as a teenager who wouldn't have had access to anything like it until joining the society, meaning he had to pick it up quick. And I'm to think he didn't have any Flash-esque characters in his life? "Come out of it."

As Spider-Man with the mask on, he yells to the rooftops; as Hobie with the mask off, he mumbles and whispers. Sure he looks cool now but people don't tend to come out of the womb as Spider-Punk. On top of that, he's still so young and surely has plenty of room to grow.

I believe he joined the society in earnest, optimistic that he could help the multiverse but eventually reached his limits with actively facilitating death and trauma, with saving the multiverse not meaning freedom in his own universe, with being shackled to the web of destiny. I'm not convinced he made the watch in one day; I think he had been planning on quitting for some time and was waiting for the right moment (as he also wanted to support Gwen because friendship is important to him). That's why he tries to dissuade Miles from joining but, when he does leave, he doesn't go out in a riot, he doesn't even leave knowing that Miles has people on his side other than him. Hobie just quits.

I think his greatest strength is his optimism (his anarcho-communism & adamance about "love, joy and freedom" as per the un-permitted performance art pieces in his montage) but he's smart and he's been through shit - he isn't naive like Pavitr or Miles - the great heights of that optimism lead to intensely low lows.

**(I don't really see why or how he would have been able to predict everything that happened in the chase. I know that the watch is set to 1610 but if Hobie believed Miles would make it out of 928 and get back to 1610, would that not be things 'working out'? Or did he predict that he would get to the go-home machine but was the only one who considered that he would be sent to the place his spider came from. Why? And why wouldn't he set the watch to 42 if he knew Miles wouldn't be in 1610? I feel like the 1610 on the interface is just there to be there and that Hobie gave Gwen the watch so she could have the freedom to leave 65 if she wanted to, in the event that she quit the society because they captured Miles or because Miguel kicked her out as Jess kept warning.)

[shuinami]

i promise for 1000 years i aint hand washing jack shit

i love how delusional some articles of clothing are, like you read the tag and its like “hand wash only/tumble dry on low” son you are a cotton tshirt. youre going in the warsh and whatever happens in there is in gods hands

[shuinami]

Kay I’m watching Boarders right now and I have two observations (other than that it’s great so far) than I need to share

1. It’s impressive how much the actress who plays Abi favours Gretchen Wieners, like genuinely blows me away lol

2. Is it just me or is Omar literally Lionel from Dear White People, I’m at the party scene and I swear a scene just like this was in DWP. Also the whole secret society thing lol

I love this show though omg

[stridingwriter]

I am screaming into the void but my god am I going to use this place as a way to keep track of my own thoughts for my own fic since it was written more with the intent of a character study more than anything and to put this in the notes means it would be so long. So link, then more under the read more (think of this like a director’s commentary lol.)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/48471565/chapters/122264569

One of the key things I wanted to explore with Miguel is a mish mash of his comic book self and the one we get to see in the movie, obviously too very different versions that come together. And well? How we get to see him in the actual canon of the movie. At that point he’s blinded by so many things. 

We all know that Miguel - the one that’s mean and angry. Guilt. The last one being a key reason why he acts the way he does when we meet him in ATSV but he couldn’t have started out that way. To be that cynical at the world is something that takes something to break someone and we know that it’s the loss of that universe (we get to see a version of an interpretation of what went on in the fic Much Later). But for now, he likes to see the good in people, genuinely wants to get to know them and has his own brand of humour. 

So really, what’s the better way than to have a softer Miguel in contrast to a much more brittle OC? They will later swap places by the end of the narrative if you care lol. 

Their first meeting is anything but kind with Viktor implied to have gone through some sort of loss - it is because of (Spoiler) and well, he’s not taking it too well. He’s snappy angry, everything that Spiderman isn’t. But he is that universe’s Spiderman (let’s call this universe 1757) but also not considered how he calls him retired. Miguel, at this point, argues against it and isn’t completely blinded by grief so he doesn’t get it. Not really. It’s a huge disconnect but it’s still a decent talk. Two different conversations but they’re at least on the same wavelengths. 

Cut to the second meeting, one that starts off in a fight. Viktor doesn’t know Miguel’s name in this context because he never thought to ask but y’know, they’re on opposing sides rather than on the same. It’s chaotic, back and forth in a way that’s hard to keep up and Miguel is more than confused. It’s more about competency, how equally levelled they are despite not knowing WHO the other person is. The thing is, they work well as a team and the dynamic is more or less established. 

Viktor takes off his mask and this is the first instance where Miguel tries to talk him down. After all, Spiderman is supposed to protect people rather than doing what THEY think is right. It doesn’t get through to Viktor who at this point, probably doesn’t give two shits about the right thing as much as he PERSONALLY wants vindication for his own loss. If it means nearly killing a politician than so be it. The grief blinds his sight and he can’t see through it even though Miguel can see how it’s metaphorically making him reckless and sapping the life from him with the knowledge that y’know, Viktor drinks 5+ coffees on a bad day. 

May their next meeting go more normally (to share more brainrot about this fic). 

[kingsandbastardz]

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Original content and meta tags:

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[shuinami]

"I've always thought it would do our denizens some good to act with a little more class and decorum", he says to his cabinet, which consists solely of former angels - people from outside that have specifically installed as rulers of the realm.

Diavolo presumes demons are having deteriorating health outcomes based on the knowledge that fewer are having medical checkups. He doesn't concern himself with why that may be the case, nor does he care about demons having poor health for their own well-being. His primary concern is their 'poor social conduct' and what the Celestial Realm and Human World would think of the Devildom if demons are unhealthy...

I was already writing an AU which would explore the inequalities Diavolo's attitude as the ruling monarch would have in the Devildom, but how explicit his canonical ambivalence (at best) or distaste towards Demons in the most recent nightmare and pop quiz stories made me do a BOMBASTIC side eye 😒

Diavolo doesn't advocate for his own people and, instead, urges demons to assimilate to the ways of the CR and HW 'for the three worlds to maintain harmonious relations'. It makes me wonder, like, is there even an issue between angels and humans? Whilst not on perfect terms on account of people sinning and blah blah, it would seem that angels, generally, like humans and humans, generally, like angels. With that in mind, it makes Diavolo's 'wish' even more pathetic in my eyes tbh but maybe that's just me 🤷🏽‍♀️

Side note, as someone from minority racial groups irl... personally, hearing Diavolo say this stuff kinda felt like the Three Worlds' equivalent of someone saying 'pull up your pants and stop listening to that gangster rap' or smtn like that... which... ERRRR 🤥🤥🤥🤥??? It's not the same because they're literally demons + it's fictional but it still made me feel a bit sick tbh, especially as someone who rode pretty hard for Diavolo in the past.

Diavolo is kind of a shit ruler if actually you think of it from the demon populations perspective, just imagine

This fucking guy (who is essentially a millennial in demon years) comes around and starts spreading pro angel, pro human propaganda and forcing grown ass adults to go to school?

I'd be the first to try and organize a hostile takeover and get my ass ran by Lucifer and Barbatos

Also the devildom is like, so fucking dystopian and fucked up, like RAD is literally used to control the residents of hell in the most direct way possible, forcing them to wake up and attend "classes" and get punished if they take part in typical demon behavior? All in the name of their shitty rulers SON? Like wtf he's not even the king why can he do this

I'd be so mad if I was older than Diavolo and got the news that I was being forced to go to some cheap human school replica

I'd try to kill him honestly

"RAD student body" what a fucking joke those are tax payers, Diavolo

[tonalizador]

Preciso correr, preciso parar de correr

PRECISO CORRER do assaltante, dos haters, dos ultraprocessados, do açúcar, do aspartame, do sódio, do caramelo IV, dos operadores de telemarketing, dos agrotóxicos, das sustâncias cancerígenas, da pessoa que tenta me vender assinatura de revistas no aeroporto.

PRECISO PARAR DE CORRER porque meu pai está envelhecendo rápido e todos os dias perco uma chance de tomar com ele uma garapa na feira e falar dos poucos pássaros que ainda vivem na selva de logomarcas em torno de nós.

PRECISO CORRER porque a meta da empresa e o crachá no meu peito e CEO na palestra e o salário na conta e o funcionário mais novo e com mais energia do que eu.

PRECISO PARAR DE CORRER do medo de ficar pobre, de ser uma profissional medíocre, de ser motivo de piada, de não ser lembrada nem nesta data querida.

PRECISO CORRER dos negacionistas, da reascensão do fascismo, dos ataques terroristas, dos ataques nas escolas, da misoginia, da xenofobia, da violência urbana, da truculência policial, dos monarquistas, da nova censura, dos ultraimbecis da extrema estupidez.

PRECISO PARAR DE CORRER mas o meu médico não deixa, o meu chefe não deixa, o meu personal não deixa, o meu gerente do banco não deixa, a desvalorização da moeda não deixa, a urgência climática não deixa.

PRECISO CORRER do cabeleireiro que quer pintar meus fios brancos, da depiladora que quer me deixar com vulva de Barbie, da vitrine que quer que eu use a última moda, da vendedora que quer que eu parcele em dez vezes, do dermatologista que não quer saber de pintas, só de Botox, da amiga que diz que isso só se resolve com lipo.

PRECISO PARAR DE CORRER porque o eclipse lunar, o orgasmo múltiplo, as estradas menos viajadas, a aurora boreal, a vontade de aprender piano.

PRECISO PARAR DE CORRER porque há muito não choro e até para poder chorar é preciso tempo.

PRECISO CORRER porque meus bíceps, meus tríceps, meu açúcar no sangue, minha perda de estrógeno, meus ossos com pouco cálcio, minha perda de memória, minha incapacidade de achar a próxima palavra.

PRECISO PARAR DE CORRER porque o poder do agora, a professora de ioga, o psicanalista, a psiquiatra, a massagista, a aula de meditação, o Feng Shui, o Reiki, o acupunturista, a cromoterapia.

PRECISO CORRER para pagar tudo isso.

Giovana Madalosso (Folha de São Paulo)

[melonymint753]

oh yeah I finished Iron Widow around 2 months ago - I guess it's okay? It was great fun to see names I already know but I definitely wouldn't have been as into it otherwise. My brain is also too steeped in longer books (really this just means Agatha Christie) so the probably-YA-genre-induced pace felt almost breakneck, like wait how is this chapter already over wha--

<awkward segue time>

Seeing this was hilarious because my main complaint (besides not having any main Shui H- *smashed by bunny mecha pestle*) is that the book cannot tonally decide whether it's a modern/future setting where the characters are Chinese, but do speak English, or still a traditional ancient Chinese setting in a futuristic environment, that's translated into English on a meta level. There's words like "alpha male" which is very modern English, but then there's literal Chinese from various time periods so which is it?

(plus the Chinese isn't translated at places so non-speakers have to look stuff up themselves. So it's trying to appeal to Chinese speakers with those "easter eggs" but also has modern western words to appeal to non-Chinese people which results in the vibes clashing. Also I get that "skies" as an exclamation is from 天呐 but there's "heavens" which is more natural in English, so what do you want to be, book??)

anyway I feel that knowing Chinese both cursed me and also meant I actually could like it.

Read it for book 2 Di Renjie, please be good/10

forgot to add: I'm glad that Gao Qiu ended up being a dipshit and was killed off, but this just ups my standards that the original Gao Qiu was a *conniving* kind of dipshit in a quick and dirty sense, and not the spider web sense, and his death was too painless, but we can't have everything.

[sagesipsblog]

The more I work with this deck, the more it feels like a real-talk oracle card, really a thing of its own. Not a toxic positive overly optimistic oracle deck that sees the world through rose colored glasses, certainly, but not the depth and complexity that the 78 RWS or the 130+ card Alleyman's Tarot. A bigger deck with smaller layouts seems to be the sweet spot for my intuition.

See, we learned something right there.

Finding - and frequently using - your intuitive comfort zone is not only OK but it is a good idea to better readings for yourself in the end. BUT at the same time learning, growing, and expanding that comfort zone is equally important. How else are you going to know what your optimum intuition conditions ARE?

That little bit of meta-analysis aside, let's look at today's card, the Snake.

All of the animal related ideas from the Bear last week still apply, just swap out the bear characteristics for snake characteristics.

Which I may not be super objective about.

I was born in the year of the wood snake - the green snake. After I learned about Taoism, feng shui, I ching and the like, I've always resonated with my chinese astrology symbol just as much if not more than my western Pisces sun sign. Although I don't know anything about sidereal vs tropical astrology, all I know is that I'm Pisces in both, which in itself is supposed to mean something in itself, I think. I'll leave that to the astrology adepts of you to figure out. But back to Snake.

The Christopher Butler guidebook to this Healing Light Lenormand deck reads the Snake as someone deceptive with malicious intent (Hey!)

Like owls, snakes are feared in some cultures, revered in others. Makes sense, because in the real world the old nope rope may be either harmless or lethal and you have to know something about them to be able to tell which is which. That's not the snake being deceptive. It's up to you to know "Red touches black, no worries for Jack. Red touches yellow, dangerous fellow." and so on.

Knowledge arms you against deception, both literally and figuratively. But that's another story.

Chinese astrology, the restaurant place mat edition, reflects the real world duality.  Snake year people can be stubborn, opinionated, intimidating with a heaping helping of hubris to go with it. But at the same time they are viewed as intelligent, wise, creative and intuitive.

Or, as the Sirius Black character says in one of the Harry Potter books "We've all got both light and dark inside us. What matters is the part we choose to act on. That's who we really are."

Part of enlarging our comfort zone, part of learning new things is associating them with things we know well. Just like with the oracle dice from the last "Learn  With Me" series I associate this with a few RWS Tarot cards, the Devil and the Three of Swords. Both acknowledge the malevolent side of human nature, cautions us to be on guard as well as asking us to be honest with ourselves about our deepest motives. Are we being deceptive, or are we being deceived.

As for the playing card inset, the queen of clubs, in my system of reading playing cards (I intend to write about that in an upcoming book) the Queen of Clubs is analogous to the Queen of Wands with a message of nurturing and self-care. Watching your back and taking care for your safety is, indeed, self-care.is

Thank you for reading! If you like what you've read, please like, follow, and share the blog  (same goes for the socials). None of this is monetized, so please support these free collective readings with private readings, memberships and virtual coffees on sage words tarot page on ko-fi.

See you at the next sip!

Above, author's photo including Healing Light Lenormand by Christopher Butler Title  © 2021 Lo Scarabeo srl, via Cigna 110, 10155 Torino, Italy. All rights reserved, used by permission.

[shuinami]

It’s so wild to me that so many people have a categorical inability to accept that some of their favourite characters might have different interests to them and it’s okay, geez Louise 😭😭

Morally, I’m against death threats. That being said, I really, really, REALLY hope that something horrifically bad happens to this person

[seashellblue]

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle (Part 9)

Old ideas, throwing 'em to y'all to give 'em new life if you want to. Click here if you want an explanation that actually makes sense.

I never got really far with this story, to the point where it even still has a placeholder name, two actually. The post-apocalyptic, storm-filled ruins of this tales go by "Storm Clouds", or "One-Man Thunderstorm" if you wanna have a little more fun with it.

Story concepts goes as follows:

“Storm Clouds”

Bunch of floating islands with post-apocalyptic ruins everyone, no explanation provided.

Recurring element of the universe having really weird and dangerous weather patterns.

Core conflict of the story is “freedom vs. control”. For example, the primary antagonist’s motivation will be to calm the storms, but that conflicts with the story’s messages of “you can never make a perfectly safe world” and “sometimes you have to let go of control, and let the world be”

Concept, the weird storms are caused by the primary antagonist / antagonist factions trying to completely control the weather with a failing, pre-apocalypse machine. Resolution is willingly turning the machine off, and letting the storms flow freely.

The storms are probably also magic and sentient, so there’s that too.

Port over “dragons are just sentient clouds/thunderstorms” idea from “Until The Stars Bleed”?

I’m remaking some old characters called Aeros, Shui and Dunia, but it’s a heavy rework so almost everything’s different except for the core spirit of the characters.

“Storm Clouds”, this guy’s probably the closest to his original design, except less “clear sky” and more “thunderclouds” when it comes to his aesthetic. Swap generic fantasy hero for post-apocalyptic punk, and you get the idea, everyone loves a cool leather jacket. Possibly a defector from the main antagonistic faction, possibly has a personal relationship with the primary antagonist, probably dabbles in some amnesia at some point. Also, swap the lightning magic for cloud magic. Misty ~

“Harbour Waves”, we’re changing her from a conventionally beautiful young adult to a middle aged-going on -old lady! Because we deserve to have more old people in media! She’s “Storm Clouds” mentor figure, but she’s not just that because the mentorship goes both ways! Definitely loves to travel.

“Magnetic Pulse”, reworked “Dunia”, we’re also changing this character’s age! No more young adults, only unnervingly hypercompetent preteens! Her powers are now more “Magneto” than “Earthbending” but she definitely still gives off Toph vibes. Maybe an arc that addresses the unhappy reasons why “Magnetic Pulse” had to become so hypercompetent, and her learning how to be a child again.

New side character, “Cold Fire”, this guy steals the lightning powers “Aeros” originally had. Old man who’s really grumpy about everything, on a meta level he kinda feels like a high fantasy character who got ported over to a post-apocalypse and is real disappointed by it. Or he could not be, kinda up in the air.

“Sunny Skies” revamped version of “Atahi”, and the primary antagonist of an old story. Themed around control, wants to use the pre-apocalypse machine to end the “storms” completely, does unethical things in order to achieve that goal.

I like the idea of this villain’s primary motivation being fear and obsession. She wants everything to be “orderly” and “safe”, and the idea that she’ll never create a world truly free of risk and danger terrifies her to the point where she refuses to believe it.

Primary antagonist personality trait, I could easily see “Sunny Skies” constantly dancing on the edge of exhaustion, staying awake for days at a time trying to micromanage (and have perfect control of) every aspect of her villainous faction

Possible symbolic parallel, this is still up in the air, “Sunny Skies” could literally or figuratively be “Storm Clouds’” mother, and constantly tries to bring him back after he leaves/escapes. This eventually leads to some symbolism where releasing control over the storms is paralleled to “Sunny Skies” releasing control of “Storm Clouds’ as a parent

“Sunny Skies” as a foil to “Harbour Waves” where they’re both mother figures, but “Harbour Waves” is at peace with “Storm Clouds” becoming who he wants to be, while “Sunny Skies” wants to control him for his own safety?

Plotline, specific scene. “Storm Clouds” and “Harbour Waves” have been spending the initial part of the story in one location that’s assumed to be “Harbour Waves’” residence. “Storm Clouds” decides it’s time for him to go, only for it to turn out that “Harbour Waves” doesn’t live where they are either, they’re also a traveler, and they’re coming along with him!

I have these wisps of an idea that the thing that finally turns off the storm-creating machine involves “Storm Clouds” sacrificing himself, but I don’t know where that would go or if he would even have to fully go through with it, and wouldn’t get rescued at the last second.

[escritosdelcamino]

Algo atractivo de la Nueva Era es que utilizan palabras que son, bajo términos cristianos, buenos. Entre ellas, el amor que denota ‘armonía’, ‘positividad’, ‘buenas vibras’, ‘alta vibración’ y que lo asocia con, intentando ser ‘científica’, la física cuántica. El amor es un ejercicio de la conciencia, y la felicidad es entendida como una meta alcanzable a través de ciertos conocimientos y prácticas del dominio de la mente, y no como una consecuencia de una vida virtuosa y cristiana necesariamente. Una reflexión cristiana sobre la ‘Nueva Era’.” publicado por el Consejo Pontificio de la Cultura y Consejo Pontificio para el Diálogo Interreligioso, nos dice lo siguiente:

“(…) 1. Armonía y comprensión: buenas vibraciones Fenómenos (…) como el Jardín de Findhorn y Feng Shui representan una diversidad de estilos que ilustran la importancia de estar en sintonía con la naturaleza y el cosmos. En la Nueva Era no existe distinción entre el bien y el mal. Las acciones humanas son fruto de la iluminación o de la ignorancia. De aquí que no podamos condenar a nadie, y que nadie tenga necesidad de perdón.

Creer en la existencia del mal sólo puede crear negatividad y temor. La respuesta a la negatividad es el amor. Pero no del tipo que tiene que traducirse en acciones; es más una cuestión de actitudes de la mente. El amor es energía, una vibración de alta frecuencia; el secreto de la felicidad y de la salud consiste en sintonizar con la gran cadena del ser, de encontrar el propio puesto en ella.

Los maestros y las terapias de la Nueva Era afirman ofrecer la clave para encontrar las correspondencias entre todos los elementos del universo, de modo que uno pueda modular la tonalidad de su vida y estar en armonía absoluta con los demás y con cuanto lo rodea, si bien el trasfondo teórico varía de uno a otro.”

¿Entonces caminante, el amor de la Nueva Era es compatible con nuestra fe? Comenta, guarda y comparte este post con alguien que aprecies. Te lo agradecemos. ¡Sigamos!

#católico #catolico #católicos #catolicos #catolicosoy #cristiano #NuevaEra #NewAge #soycristiano #EscritosDelCamino #AguaDeLaVida #BuenaVibra #ElAmorEsEnergía

[shuinami]

heyy, i love your blog. ITS SOOO FRICKINN CUTEE🩷🩷

also i read your analysis on hobie and jess, and i loved it. but can you tell me.. why do people still hate jess? like can you explain it, because my sister won’t stop going off on her😭

Thank you, darling 🤎🤎🤎

I think that a lot of people dislike Jess because they sympathise/empathise with Gwen a lot. It makes sense that there are more people who feel a stronger connection to Gwen given she was in the first movie and is one of the main characters, as well as her being younger. For me, however, though I understand a lot of Gwen’s behaviours come from a place of fear and trauma, I feel more frustrated by her actions given the implications they cause for other characters such as Jess, Miles and her bandmates.

So, I can understand why people dislike Jess, she didn’t act as protective as a mother figure would or treat her like a child, which is what those people expect. It’s fair enough but I disagree that Jess had that responsibility to do so or that she failed Gwen or was being bad to her for drawing a line in the end.

People also thought that Gwen’s ineffective/distracted method of catching the spotless Spot was inevitable due to her age, which as someone quite young myself, I don’t think is true and, thus, I don’t think it’s a good critique of Jess, since not everyone acts the same way and Jess couldn’t have known how Gwen would deal with 1610. Others who relate more to Gwen may not see it that way, though 🤷🏽‍♀️

One critique of Jess that I haven’t heard but recently came to have myself is that, once the Spot gets his spots back in 1610, Jess tries to give Gwen a chance to clean up her own mess so she won’t get kicked out of the society. I think, honestly, she should’ve just stopped trying to protect Gwen’s society status. If she had told Miguel, he would’ve been able to send in spiders more equipped to deal with the Spot before he charged up again in Mumbattan. But ultimately, she prioritised helping Gwen out and it bit the spiderverse in the ass.

So when she doesn’t stand up for Gwen staying in the society at the end of the movie, to me it makes perfect sense; Jess wasn’t in charge anyways and her sticking her neck out for Gwen had indirectly got them in that predicament in the first place so she decided she wouldn’t do it anymore.

I also think that Gwen returning to her real reality is more neutral than a punishment. Being part of the society wasn’t something that she needed or was entitled to, it was an extra privilege that others, like Miles, did not have. Living in your own universe is how it’s supposed to go and Gwen still had life ahead of her, by Jess and the society’s belief, given that she’s young and hasn’t lived out the adult canon events yet. So, to me, Jess didn’t do anything all that bad to Gwen in the end either.

That’s how I see it, at least!

[shuinami]

I'm not even on the latest batch of the story yet, but I've instead been catching up on the daily chats and there were a few moments where Simeon's snakey side kind of jumped at me.

Spoilers for daily chats incoming:

I'm not done with them yet, but I started from the chatrooms that were last updated (I don't think they're chronological anyways so, it probably doesn't matter).

In "The Angels" gc, there's a chat where Simeon brings up the fact that the brothers planned to go camping but they all flaked, leaving Asmo to do it alone and that if he had been invited, that wouldn't have happened. He then suggests the three in the gc plan camping and invite Asmo...

Maybe it doesn't seem that shocking, but, for me, it came across that he was really salty about not being invited, and his idea to invite Asmo was kind of a coverup of him being happy it went wrong because he wasn't included?

But maybe that's a reach. After that, I eventually got to Simeon's 'Solomon the Sorcerer' chats. This one was brazy 😭:

Despite Luke's fondness for Barbatos, despite the fact that Barbatos is one of, if not, the most polite, respectful guys in the flipping game... yeah, nah, not immediately inviting Simeon one time means he'll run to shit-talk you behind your back calling you a "wicked demon" 💀 Even Solomon says it's ironic, i.e. this is typical Simeon behaviour and he doesn't even have or, as OP suggests, refuses to have self-awareness of it.

It's only twice, I think I'd want a third time to consider it a definite pattern, but not being invited to things seems to be sore spot for him 🤔

I still have a lot of chats and main story to get through but I wonder if there's a reason for that. Regardless, I actually find this realness quite charming; in secret, he's overly-sensitive and kind of neurotic when it comes to interpersonal relationships. It's not good or flattering, deep down he knows that because he of the clear difference between the chat with Luke and MC vs the chat with Solomon and just how he generally carries himself when the player is meant to be present. At the same time like... that's so for real 😭? I know so many people just like this (and I'm not even going to disinclude myself) that get in their feelings about things and harbour secret grudges for whatever reason.

Usually, I think it's a case of avoiding confrontation and conflict so that they're not the bad guy. As OP said, that's probably due to Simeon's idea of kindness/goodness being 'not being outright malicious'. These chats lefts me with the impression he has these vivid emotions towards everyone that he hides just to be 'kind'. Although it's a frustrating M.O. and not a great way to go about things, I find his greyness and sensitivity/insecurity a charming layer to his character.

I really want to read TSL... I wonder how Simeon writes everyone and whether it's like an epicccc diary but, alas... fictional fiction 😭

i love how awful simeon is, not that it's attractive in any sense because it's horrendous how he rejects anything that will lead to confronting himself, but because it's interesting and it surprises me how it's not more spoken of. something so human and something that plays into the reason why solomon told diavolo that he doesn't fit into the storybook role of a perfect celestial realm angel back in season 2.

in his first birthday event, no one amongst the cast batted an eye when he tricked the brothers into practicing the virtues that they had as angels, nor did anyone notice how he mirrored them by indulging in their respective sins. no one questioned why he never spoke much about himself since season one. without a clear goal, the concept of kindness is simply the absence of cruelty for simeon. a passerby, a bystander, because that has been his role since the celestial war.

knowing this and that simeon is an author, it's curious how he seems to assign roles to everyone in his life, and adopt their traits to fill the places that he lacks. that way, he can find parts of himself in them, just as a creator does with their original characters.

but he cannot figure out what role solomon or barbatos play in his story, and it's why he is relentlessly frustrated and intimidated by what they have to say.

they haunt him, because they represent the reality.

[mygwenchan]

Your analysis for Pete in the Colors meta post is spot on, as in the post-credits scene of the final episode, he wears for the first time a color, still in his range, but a color nonetheless> blue. Also, as a side note to the paintings analysis: in his description of the follow-up to the Steroid Giant, Rick Berry talks about the rationale of the painting and says that "The violence both without and within takes a toll." Which is quite a fair description of Vegas.

Hi, Anon! You mean my meta about KinnPorsche and the Feng Shui color theory, right? I'm quite happy that my prediction that Vegas' and Pete's colors will turn into soft pastels came true and also my assumption that Pete will start wearing more colorful clothes. I'm planning to write a color meta for the whole post credit scene (if I can find the time after work ;;). They've basically turned black and dark blue into light blue, emerald green into a light green or mint color and red has become a warm yellow. It's very sweet :)

And I just LOVE that they used "Steroid Giant" as Vegas' portrait! I literally gasped when I saw that painting for the first time, because it reminds me so much of Goya's Black Paintings. Very disturbing and very much Vegas. I think it's interesting, that he positioned the painting right behind his desk. Just imagining Vegas sitting there and scheming to take Kinn down while that giant figure is looming over him, sends a shiver down my spine.

[wrathkitty]

A pseudo meta-analysis of John de Lancie's filmography within the context of romantic chemistry (or complete lack thereof, but it's totally not his fault)

Out of a storied forty-plus years career, there are a grand total of FOUR THREE times in which John de Lancie was given the opportunity to have any meaningful sexyfuntime vibes with a castmate on screen. Here, I counted them all for you:

1) Jean-Luc Picard

2) Fluttershy

3) Calliope Jones

4) Kathryn Janeway, but only if you squint really, really hard

Please note that this exhaustive list does not include his stint as Amy March’s love interest in the William Shatner version of Little Women (it's okay, I believe in Feng Shui, too), neither does it include the role of Alistair from the Thornbirds, and anyone who understands the reference “smitten with love” will know why Meggie Cleary did not make the final cut. (FF to 22:47 and best of luck trying not to die from laughter.)

Based on his filmography alone, it is a wonder how this man fathered two children.

Anyway, anyone hoping for more steamy sessions between the sheets with Q and Ensign Reader probably shouldn’t hold your breath. I have very little source material to go on, and frankly am not that imaginative. Added to which, I gifted myself a Cameo from the man himself for my birthday and commented that his wearing black Columbia vests all the time was a total dad move. He thought it was funny and replied back with a rambling story about how being forced to wear a uniform in private school as a kid is why he always wears the same thing now.

It's an awesome story.

I can officially go to my grave knowing that John de Lancie said I made him laugh.

I now have even less source material to work with.

Having said that, you guys were why writing Hello, My Dear was so much fun, and one never knows when inspiration might strike and the direction it will take.

Until next time...

TL; DR: JdL is a phenomenal actor, my brain is way too vanilla, and Meggie Cleary was an idiot. Also, vests.

@plastic-heart @nildespirandum @caffiend-queen @witchy-moon-kitty @tinkerbelldetective @my-fic-corner @reileth @mayhemmachine @just-the-hiddles @witchcraftandwoofers