#so many implications .. so much characterization .. what does it all mean

[soullessjack]

there are a lot of underrated parts in ouroboros in terms of jacks overall characterization but one that really sticks out to me is how noah tries to pin jack as either the chicken that sacrifices what she loves for the greater good or the snake that kills out of obligation to his nature and jacks response to it is “fuck you im both of them actually”

[codenamethebird]

God I have so much to say about Melinoe's characterization, and the fasinating implications about her future arc/the overarching plot of hades 2. I want to make a larger think piece with pictures but for the moment I'm just going to focus on this one specific thread.

In the wake of the Prometheus reveal, she has a slew of convos about his motivations for siding with Chronos, and the gods basically all go: this is his vengeance for us punishing him a tad cruelly. And Nemesis is like, yeah the gods 100% deserve it. But Meli's responds that he must have more motivation than just vengeance, it can't just be that. But when Prometheus explicitly goes, 'I'm doing this because the gods are horrible to humanity and I love humans,' she basically goes, no he must be lying. That motivation is both too pure, but also humans kind of suck why would you care about them?

Mel's humanity hot takes deserve it's own essay (Ms I think Humans should have never gotten fire and are better when they are dead), and I just want to focus on the former for now. She can not comprehend that Prometheus is fighting the gods for noble reasons. It just does not make sense to her. Mel's world is so black and white. She doesn't understand the nuance of the situation, and the thought that the gods might be actually in the wrong doesn't even get close to crossing her mind.

It's a fascinating (and horrifying) result of her upbringing. Of the constant state of war and the very convenient big bad that is Chronos, the evil monster who stole her family. If she accepts that his side isn't completely evil, that they might even be right in some (even many) respects, she would have to grapple with her whole life. Everything she believes would be thrown into question, the literal thing she was training her whole life for.

She can't have Prometheus fighting for a noble cause, because he fights for Chronos whose the Bad Guy tm. But he also can't be fighting for something as simple as vengeance, because that would also mean she would need to really think about what he's angry about. If the punishment was truly so unnecessary cruel.

When talking to Odysseus about Prometheus, when Ody's saying how much he respected him for stealing the fire despite knowing the consequences, Mel says that it was the price to be paid for breaking Olympus's decree. To her, Olympus's rules are sacred and ultimately good. Unquestionably. Prometheus broke the rules with intent, so to her, why would he be so angry at the consequences? Especially if he knew because of his power they were going to happen.

So he must have another reason, some secret machiavellian plan that drives him. Except as I already said, it brings her right back to him doing it for humanity, which she also can't accept. Because that would be admiting that the gods did something wrong to humans. She twists herself into knots to justify her worldview, and it's fascinating! She's so messy I adore her.

Please Supergiant please the final surface boss has to be a human pleeeaaasse (preferably a living one). Or at least have one (or more) show up in some other capacity. Mel needs to come face to face with the other side and have it utterly destroy her worldview.

And/or have (Pan)Dora betray her for Prometheus, that would also be very fun haha.

[a-bottle-of-tyelenol]

I love reading Eurylochus analysis but I don’t see people mentioning the beginning of Puppeteer all that often.

Eurylochus starts that song by immediately trying to tell Odysseus about what he did. Immediately. I know we like to characterize Eurylochus as cowardly (mostly because that’s how Jorge describes him and how he’s described in the Odyssey), but I think it says a lot that Eurylochus didn’t try to hide or pretend as if this hadn’t been his fault. He didn’t wait for Odysseus to confront him about it or try to avoid taking responsibility. It’s rather brave imo that he tried to say something and only didn’t because his captain ordered him not to.

I think a lot about the timeline of EPIC and how entering the lair of Scylla likely wasn’t that long after Puppeteer. Odysseus says they’ve been away from home for “about twelve years or so” and then there’s the obvious discrepancy of Odysseus telling Circe the same thing— explained away by it being a simple mistake on Jorge’s end. If we go by the likelihood that it hadn’t yet been twelve years when they met Circe and that Ody was lying, there’s a rough two-ish year period before Eurylochus actually tells the truth.

To some, this might be indicative of his cowardice, a show that he wouldn’t actually tell the truth and would prefer to hide away his greatest mistake for as long as he can manage.

I disagree. I think this could indicate a couple other things, though; namely that this is proof Eurylochus changed his perspective and decided to listen to Odysseus. Mutiny could only happen because Eurylochus realized his mistake in not believing Odysseus not just once, with the windbag, but twice when Odysseus went to save their men on Circe’s island. Three strikes, you’re out and Eurylochus is not that kind of man— side note: it isn’t hypocritical to change your viewpoint and then criticize someone for adopting your old one btw, it’s just how people function.

Different Beast does imply this a bit, but I think the fact that Eurylochus waited so long to tell Odysseus about the windbag is much more blatant. After all, Odysseus told him to wait, and he did. To me, it seems like Eurylochus read between the lines of Ody’s order (go make sure the island is secure, there’s only so much left we can endure) and took it to mean “wait to tell me when things have settled and we aren’t on the brink of dying”.

Which leads to the second implication, why did Eurylochus choose this moment? Obviously, he didn’t know the nature of Scylla or the danger that they were in, but what about this moment in particular left Eurylochus feeling secure enough to tell Odysseus? Well, the obvious answer is the ruthlessness Odysseus showed in Different Beast showing that they’ve reached that point of power and being able to defend themselves even from monsters that have slain so many sailors.

But another option could be the idea that Scylla was their “last stop” before going home. It’s a bit unclear if this remains true in EPIC, but in the Odyssey, Scylla and Charybdis are right next to each other and the trick is that you have to pick your poison— do you want to die to the whirlpool monster or the six-headed one? What is clear in EPIC is that Ithaca is just past Charybdis, meaning that Scylla, in theory, could’ve been their final stop before reaching Ithaca had Mutiny not happened. There is a very real possibility that they might not have gone to the first island they found if Odysseus hadn’t been knocked unconscious. They still might have just because they were hungry, but it can be difficult to tell which is fate and which is the result of man’s actions.

Either way, I think that a lot of people tend to gloss over the fact that it’s very apparent Eurylochus was going to tell Odysseus what happened as soon as he could and only didn’t because Odysseus told him to wait. It’s a very interesting aspect of his character to me and I think it reveals a lot in terms of his character motivations and how it contrasts to Odysseus’ perception of him throughout the show.

[desiree-uk]

A vegetarian foody naming alternative mod by Spork!

Spork mod notes:

Ever since Showtime, The Sims 3 has allowed any Sim, regardless of their own traits, to learn and prepare the vegetarian versions of most of the meat dishes in the game. This is, of course, very useful for the friends and loved ones of vegetarian Sims, who have ever since been able to cook for their buddies and fully include them in parties and family meals! However, it also calls to the forefront how much of an afterthought the vegetarian meals must have been when they were added to the game -- every Sim now has recipe menu full of very similar pairs of meals, featuring oxymoronic options like "vegetarian fish". (You might assume, as is probably the intention, that that means "a vegetarian imitation of fish", but that characterizes these recipes as specialized substitutions -- the implication that you're having it because you're not having real fish -- which makes it somewhat odd that every meat-eating sim knows so many of them.) Now, I'm pretty sure there are ways to hide the extra meals (with NRaas, maybe?), but I didn't want that, because I do appreciate giving my Sims the option to cook vegetarian dishes where applicable, and to have more variety in their lives in general. I thought it would be a significant improvement if only the names of the vegetarian dishes were changed to make them more interesting and relevant. So! I learned how to make a string table mod so I could do that!

What This Mod Does This mod replaces the names of most of the vegetarian alternative dishes in the game to make them describe what each meal actually might be (based on research I did into common vegetarian substitutes for and variants of the original recipes), rather than what it's an imitation of. This makes them more distinct from the meat versions, which also gives an implicit reason why a meat-eating Sim might want to learn and prepare most of these dishes whether or not there are any vegetarians around. It also changes the name of one canon meat dish, Spaghetti, to Spaghetti and Meatballs, in order to make it more clearly a meat dish and distinguish it better from the vegetarian version. The changes I made are as follows:

Vegetarian Fish and Chips -> Batter-Fried Tofu Fillets and Chips

Veggi Rolls -> Mushroom and Avocado Rolls

Spaghetti -> Spaghetti and Meatballs

Spaghetti with Veggie Sauce -> Spaghetti with Tomato Sauce

Cheese Tofu Steak -> Cheesy Mushroom Melt

Vegetarian Grilled Salmon -> Grilled Eggplant Fillets

Tri-Tip Tofu Steak -> Grilled Portobello Mushrooms in Steak Sauce (I wanted "anchovy-free Worcestershire sauce" but it was too long already -- so imagine whatever type of steak sauce you prefer)

Vegetarian Dim Sum -> Vegetable Dumplings and Tofu Puffs

Stuffed Tursoykey -> Seitan Holiday Roast

Vegetarian Lobster Thermador [sic] -> Heart of Palm in Thermidor Sauce

Vegetarian Chili -> Four-Bean Chili

Tofu Dog -> Veggie Dogs (This admittedly goes against my general goal of making the recipes more descriptive, but this was by far the most common name for any example I could find of the type of food in question, whereas I couldn't find "tofu dog" in any context. Besides, it makes sense for such a processed food to be a little more vague about the ingredients.)

I left "Veggie Burger" and "Firecracker Tofu" alone, as veggie burgers are already common and well-known, and "firecracker tofu" is already evocative and descriptive.

My mod also corrects a couple of proofreading errors in the original vegetarian recipes. I fixed the spelling of "Thermidor" in "Heart of Palm in Thermidor Sauce", and made "Veggie Dogs" plural to match "Hot Dogs".

You'll see these changes in every context I could find where the game displayed the original names, including the names of the dishes themselves, the titles of the recipe books, and miscellaneous strings such as the dialogue you get when a vegetarian Sim refuses a challenge to a hot dog eating contest.

What This Mod Does Not Do This is not an ingredients mod -- the vast majority of the vegetarian substitute recipes use tofu as their primary or only ingredient, and I found that it was a tall order to make the recipes descriptive, distinct, and realistic if I limited myself to the same ingredient for everything. With that in mind, I allowed myself to choose names that don't necessarily match the in-game recipe. The result, though, is that a Sim will need to use tofu in order to make a cheesy mushroom sandwich or a grilled eggplant dish, even though that might not make too much sense. This isn't a problem for me, as I usually just pay for each meal at the fridge, so ingredients don't come into play much, but I can see how it might be annoying or confusing if your play style features ingredients more heavily, so it's something to note! (Something I've thought about, and could still do if anyone is interested, is make a little add-on package to rename "tofu" to something like "vegetable protein" to make it more broadly applicable, although I don't know whether most people would consider this better or worse.)

This mod also does not change the meshes or textures of any of the dishes, so they will also still look like the equivalent meat dish. I tried to describe each dish in a way consistent with its appearance, but there are limitations to this. There's no reason for your fancy heart of palm recipe to be in a fake lobster shell unless it is pretending to be lobster -- so some of these will still visually read as obvious imitations of the equivalent meat dish. I can only hope that I've presented them as interesting, meaningful imitations that will still appeal to your Sims in their own right!

Issues, Interactions and Other Mods This mod renames recipes from the base game, Showtime, and Supernatural, but it shouldn't be necessary to have either or both of the expansions -- the recipes from packs you're missing just won't show up in the game, so you won't see the renames.

Some of the recipe names in this mod are a little longer than the official ones in the game, which can cause some minor overlapping when a dish is spoiled, as seen below. In my testing, this never caused text to be fully covered or to become illegible, but I can't guarantee that to still be the case if you're using UI mods that change fonts or other formatting.

This mod replaces the English-language strings for the names of the dishes I changed and their recipe skill books, the dialogue for a vegetarian Sim refusing a hot dog eating contest, the level-up text for a vegetarian sim reaching level four in cooking, and the description of the wish for a pregnant sim to eat spaghetti and ice cream, and may conflict with any other mods that replace these strings. I'm not aware of any, but an example would be if you have a mod to correct the spelling of "Vegetarian Lobster Thermador" (which you won't need anymore, since "thermidor" is spelled correctly in my mod.)

(When I was making this mod, I also noticed strings in the game files that appeared to be for vegetarian versions of the World Adventures meat recipes. I updated them just in case they might appear in the game somewhere, but throughout my testing I was unable to find anywhere where these strings appeared in the game. I left the replacements in the mod anyway, in case they might be associated with content some other mod might unlock in the future or some similar edge case.)

Thank you for your interest and I hope you enjoy the mod!

Download from Mod The Sims!

[pipnchips202]

while i eat up practically every valgrace fic i see, down bad jason grace for leo valdez is always one of my absolute favorites; so, here are 5 valgrace fics where jason is the pining one :)) (for the most part)

1. hopeless case by restinreeses

rating: teen and up

warnings: none

“Nico,” Jason wheezes as he slams the door to the Hades cabin open. “Nico, I think I’m in love with my best friend.”

“No, really?” Nico drawls, barely looking up from his book.

Or: in which nico is jason’s wingman this time around.

AHHHHH!!!!!! this is REALLY good; i love the characterization and the many implications of jason having helped nico get with will prior to the events of the fic. also, platonic jasico will ALWAYS get me.

2. EP: things leo does; by jason grace by jacksonpercy (robertmontauk)

rating: not rated

warnings: none

God, he loves Leo’s laugh. It’s more like a giggle than anything - all high-pitched and bubbly; his mouth stretches into the widest smile Jason’s ever seen, and his tongue sticks out of his tongue just a little bit, and holy fuck Jason’s in love with Leo.

Shit.

[leo does things sometimes, and jason notices.]

i was very much obsessed with this fic at some point (still kind of am, actually). it’s basically a 5 + 1 of jason just pining for leo and i LOVE it. small warning though, there is a mention of kinks in the second chapter, if that’s weird for you. it’s really just an offhand comment and doesn’t get brought up again, so do with that what you will. they are teenagers after all, and as a teenager myself, i can confirm i’ve thought of similar stuff several times! but, anyway, this fic is really good.

3. staring at me (with your lips and tongue) by ethannku

rating: teen and up

warnings: none

“You really believe all that?” Leo asks, and if Jason were more aware of the world, he might’ve registered the hopeful breathiness in his voice. But as it is, he’s far too focused on the hand on his chest. He nods anyway, once he realizes Leo’s asked him a question.

Leo huffs and leans closer while simultaneously pulling Jason closer.

For a moment, they just look at each other, their noses inches apart. Leo’s breath comes in soft puffs on his face. There’s a hint of a smile on Leo’s face, but the corners waver as if he’s having second thoughts. Jason registers Leo’s eyelashes flickering, and his blood sings when he realizes he’s looking at Jason’s mouth.

Or; Jason is down bad, and Leo might be too.

this one’s really good, too. lot of kissing. a few suggestive references/jokes but no suggestive actions, just kissing. also has many piper moments mixed in :)

4. Crooked Glasses by thebigqueer

rating: teen and up

warnings: graphic depictions of violence

leo & jason confess their feelings for each other in an arcane-themed alternate universe.

~~

Leo has always been flirty. When he casually smirks at Jason and tells him how handsome he looks; when he bites his lip suggestively and tells Jason that no, he doesn’t mind if he changes his shirt in front of him; when Jason asks what’s for dinner and Leo responds, “Not sure, but I know you’re the desert,” Jason doesn’t make much of it. Sure, an occasional blush and an attempt at jokingly flirting back, but Jason knows he doesn’t mean it. Besides, he isn’t special. If Jason had to count the amount of people Leo had made out with just in the past year, it might take both his hands.

But lately it’s been different. There’s a softness in Leo’s eyes when he catches sight of Jason, a more soulful smirk when he offers that they sleep in the same bed, a hopefulness when he asks Jason if he wants to come with him on his next haul.

i’m gonna be honest: although i plan to someday, i’ve never seen arcane. and this is an arcane au. however, even though i know absolutely nothing about arcane, i did understand this, i think. i’m putting it here because a) it’s well written, b) it does in fact feature pining jason grace, and c) i have very limited options when it comes to valgrace fics anyway, so i don’t have much of a choice. yes, there is action and a mild fight with sherman yang and connor stoll, but it’s not that graphic in my opinion, but that’s just me; what’s more graphic is actually the gratuitous descriptions of leo’s gorgeousness from jason’s pov (understandably so). anyway, this is a good fic; if you’re not familiar with arcane, you can probably still read it, because i enjoyed it quite a lot!

5. hold me, thrill me, kiss me by restinreeses

rating: teen and up

warnings: none

“You love me,” Leo declares, his smirk widening with every passing second. “You, the great Jason Grace, love me.”

He fumbles for his words, but they melt in his mouth as Leo's hands snaked up the small of his back – those delicate fingers tracing patterns into his skin that burnt worse than his SPQR tattoo.

“I wouldn’t call myself great,” he mutters at last. Leo leans in, raising one thick eyebrow.

“I dunno,” he says, “I’d say you’re pretty great.” His lips brush over Jason's, once, twice. “You know. For loving me.”

...

In which Jason falls and Leo catches him.

okay, so i was debating whether or not to put this one because jason is still dating piper during this fic. she doesn’t make an appearance, she’s only mentioned, but jason and leo kissing is referred to by the both of them as an affair, which might make some uncomfortable. however, this has absolutely gorgeous writing. is jason still in love with piper during this fic, though? no. a bit complicated. however, it is, once again, pining jason as promised. they kiss a lot in this one, too.

enjoy!

— piper <33

[ragnarlothcat]

I know I’m a chronic overthinker but I’ve been in the same fandom for three years or so now and I was reflecting that writing seemed so much easier when I first started out. Just looking at my output since 2021 shows a clear trend: I’ve been writing much less and it’s been taking me way longer.

I figured that I’d gotten a little burned out and that three years is a long time to focus solely on the same two guys making out and that there’s a limit to the number of situations I can put them in before I start to get bored. But I don’t think that’s quite my problem because even now, a million years later, I have ideas for dozens of fics and AUs that would be interesting to explore or funny to write.

No, it’s that I’ve let the larger fandom overwhelm me and it’s left me constantly second-guessing my writing. And I don’t mean that I’ve gotten nasty comments or asks, because I haven’t! All the other fans have been consistently wonderful and fun people with really valuable insights. And it’s not that I’ve been obsessing over stats or comments or worrying about going against popular headcanons. I mean, I’m just as excited as anyone else to see an AO3 email in my inbox but I’m also perfectly happy posting niche fics for an audience of me and my three weirdest friends.

It’s more that after so long engaging with other fans and other fics and the general meta, I’ve ended up writing too self-consciously. I’ve read so many interpretations of canon events, analyses of characterization and comparisons between fiction and real-world politics over the years, and I’ve enjoyed them because I genuinely care about these stories and these characters! I like seeing what everyone else thinks and then considering their points of view, no matter how bewildering they might seem at first.

But now it feels like I’m writing almost defensively, like I have to justify every choice I’m making based on this enormous and contradictory body of information. Three years ago I’d have written a scene in a few thousand words and moved on to the next plot point with my momentum intact. Now I’m constantly wringing my hands over things like physical details (I guess he’s not exactly a redhead) or broader social implications (is this trope misogynistic?) or finicky logistics (these locations are too far apart for this scene to make sense) or controversial character nuance (does writing this guy as a kind, doting husband make me an abuse apologist???) and the result is that I’m paralyzed with indecision and a ridiculous need to support everything I write with a lot of context that isn’t especially fun to write or, I suspect, especially fun to read.

I’m aware that this problem is entirely in my own head and that no one has asked me for any of this. And it’s not that all those questions aren’t interesting and important things to contemplate. But I miss the days of sitting down at my laptop and going “wouldn’t it be funny if these dorks played a video game together?” and then writing exactly that.

I don’t know. Were my fics better three years ago? I kind of doubt it. I’ve looked back at some of them and if nothing else I now have a better grasp of what tense I’m supposed to be using. But I definitely had more fun writing those older stories, which maybe feels more important.

[girl4music]

Most of the time the main conflict between Xena and Gabrielle was “do I save a village of innocent people that I don’t personally know and die for them?” OR “do I save the person that makes love worth dying for?��� and there’s always such complication surrounding all that.

It’s never an easy choice to make and it shouldn’t be.

That’s what’s compelling about Xena and Gabrielle’s relationship dynamic beyond the fact they’re in love.

“The mission VS the love” is how I’d put it because that’s often the conflict in most heroic love stories.

It just hits much harder and impacts deeper in Xena because both the people in the love story are their own respective warriors and heroes for themselves as well as for each other. Neither are the “damsels” but both need to be rescued by the other sometimes. It’s done so well and they did so many things with this specific conflict and that’s something I really love about the depth of what is revealed in the episode ‘Between The Lines’.

The characters being soulmates. It’s not just a romantic thing; it informs everything about them going forward because now they have to be on levelled/equal footing because - evidently - they can’t be without each other.

It’s something they really struggle with accepting because of the implications of protecting each other. So it’s a conflict and a contention between them because it’s “the greater good” VS “the love of my life”.

In any cheesy poorly written romantic/love story that would be just an easy choice. There’d be no thought to it. No complication. No struggle. No challenge. But not with Xena. No, they make that choice incredibly HARD because they flat out REFUSE to undermine either the characters individually and their arcs or their love story.

What does it mean to be soulmates or one soul in two bodies? A hell of a lot more than what you think it does.

It’s a profound dynamic because it’s taken SERIOUSLY in that there’s ups and downs to it all the fucking time.

It’s an EPIC COMPELLING GREEK WLW JOURNEY.

‘Between The Lines’ takes their relationship dynamic from “I’m in love with her and I have to do everything I can to protect her” to “It’s my destiny to be with her romantically and my responsibility to keep her safe”.

The stakes are so much higher for them as individual characters and for their love story after the India arc…

And when the stakes are higher, the choices are harder and the consequences are greater. That’s what Xena is.

So instead of just throwing a romantic arc into the main narratives of the show, the plot of each episode itself naturally, automatically and logically wraps around it because the individual characterization influences it.

They don’t separate them. They don’t have to. It works.

It more than works. It makes the show so much better! More compelling, more valuable and more entertaining.

And they do all this EPIC storytelling between 2 women in love because they’re both also warriors and heroes and they don’t let up on how difficult that fact really is.

If this was just something they did between two female best friends that have absolutely no romantic/sexual involvement between them whatsoever - none of that storytelling would hit or would work as well as it does.

So they don’t make it easy for them, but at the same time, they don’t make it impossible to achieve either.

[thalfbloodloser]

You bring insanity to a boringly sane fandom. I would like to hear your latest thought on ivorycest... Whatever nugget you may be nursing. If that is alright

✦ aw, thank you! you're so sweet 🐌🧡 it's very much alright - no one in here ever sends me fun stuff anymore. your ask was a breath of fresh air, anon! truth be told, i haven't been thinking about ivorycest all that much, but get ready for a HUGE text-block jumpscare because you just gave me the perfect excuse to write about them ➜

✦ sometimes it pains me to see so many folks avoiding ivorycest like the plague, because, like ranfren itself, it's so unapologetically insane that you can't really hate it. even if you try. if you have a dash of sense of humor, you'll see it's hilariously canon compliant!

i've seen lots of people argue that "anything romantic/sexual between randal and luther would be inherently out of character", which i'll admit is a reasonable concern, but it's just not true. the issue is characterization: people keep projecting human-based tropes and behavior on cryptids, and that's where the knee-jerk "eugh" reaction comes from. because yeah, randal and luther aren't going to declare their Forbidden Love for each other and then passionately kiss under the moonlit sky, nor are they going to feel guilty about their attraction and part ways with a tearful "we can't! this is wrong!". it would be completely unnatural behavior for them. all that? made for humans. and pretty basic humans, at that. for ivorycest to work, both in and out of canon, you gotta fully embrace the weirdness, see beyond humanity and forget all old expectations you might've gotten from any other couple of siblings!

from my point of view, it doesn't even feel like it fits with the rest of the "-cest"s. and not because of the possibility that randal and luther aren't even biologically related (i seriously doubt they're even from the same species) - we all know that adoptive siblings aren't any less siblings just because they don't share DNA. plus, pseudo-incest is still a thing - but because they're so, so far from human nature and from other brother/brother ships that it's almost laughable, and sometimes genuinely puzzling, to apply ANY human labels to them at all. for example, would you call luther a cannibal because he eats people? no. because it'd be like calling a human cannibal for eating cows, and that makes no sense. words mean things.

to us, at least.

coincidentally, that's half of my point.

the ivorys adress each other as "brother", sure, but you cannot look me in the eyes and tell me that they fully understand what that means or that they care about it enough to follow the moral/ethical guidelines attached to such terms. you simply cannot. most times it feels less like they see each other as family and more like they're just...roleplaying.

but if you decide to call someone "daddy", just when does that make them your father?

randal, who could (but perhaps shouldn't) be considered the most resourceful of the two, uses "brother" as both title and honorific - like one uses "sir" or "ma'am" - but doesn't seem to be overtly attached to the familial aspect of it. again, he's not a human, and, as far as we know, our siblinghood doesn't come naturally to him - much like pain, guilt, conscience and a whole load of bodily functions that he also seems to lack. luther, on the other same hand, understands the caretaking implications of being the "older brother", but that's pretty much where his brotherly-ness begins and ends. if anything, he's incorrectly using the sibling label while playing parent; just without any trauma and/or responsibility attached to it. there's also the fact that he's the most powerful entity in the household and randal - no matter how many pianos he "possesses" or how many times he shoves himself in the space between the wall and the fridge - cannot possibly overpower him, also adds to this parent/kid dynamic; hence granting luther the (almost-meaningless) title of "master" and the authority over their dysfunctional home. that still doesn't mean randal perceives him as anything but a housemate, or playdate, for he doesn't really seem to keep up the role of mischievous little brother unless he's bored (often, not always).

so they use the word, but it lacks permanent meaning. in that sense, classic incest tropes - no matter if brocon or dadson flavored - don't really work. there's power imbalance, sure, but the familial bonds needed to reinforce that imbalance simply do not exist. randal is babied because he likes to be. he likes being taken care of and likes having rules to break. it's a character he plays. luther "takes care" of him because he himself likes doing it. he likes being a parent and likes having a reason to lecture & discipline. it's a character he plays. they don't actually need this dynamic to thrive, and it wasn't imposed on them by parents/caretakers or any set of misfortunes that we know of. they just deliberately chose to partake on it.

consequently, i don't think they feel what humans perceive as familial love (healthy or unhealthy) for each other. they're simply two powerful entities - whom we can assume have been at least friends for a long time - playing make-believe. creatures who have little to no regard for humanity as a species, and are only interested in their own antics. of course they do eventually commend certain humans for their achievements, and seem to find all sorts of comfort in our art/creations/traditions, but outside of that? they see humans as fragile beings as intelectually insignificant to them as most animals are to us. randal forcibly keeps one as a pet. not far from "master" luther, who keeps two.

again, the ivorys are clearly intelligent, specially regarding their own survival. they're not behind being purposefully dense when it comes to anything human that is even slightly inconvenient to them (huh? eating the delivery man's arm when we order pizza is bad? haha, i would never have guessed!). they have the means and understanding necessary to behave (and perhaps look) 100% human, they just...choose not to. they can bend reality itself to their whims, turn themselves and others into inconceivable creatures, all while feigning absolute normalcy at the chaotic world around them (werewoofs, carpet cats with human faces, alive walls and furniture...), and you think they'd draw the line at willingly distorting something as frivolous as family hierarchy?

tch. please.

with that said, by the rules of their own game, if they were to partake in any...non-platonic activities, it would only be considered incestuous because they decided it would be - by creating the dynamic and environment in the first place. and they would simply not fucking care if it is upsetting, distasteful or imoral by human standards. and that's the ship's whole flavor - that's why i love it so much! precisely because there's no such thing as the "oh, no! i accidentally fell in love with my sibling! woe is me!" (which i also love) with the ivorys. there's also not a "normal" way to ship them, even if you're adamant about them not being related or not seeing each other as family, because they're two fucking weirdos.

their whole relationship is so tastefully bonkers that i genuinely wouldn't be fazed if they spawned another creature to be their "littlest" sibling. honestly, who could stop them? and who's to say that, in their cryptic way, they're not a married couple? or buddies into weird roleplay? ultimately, it is undeniable that they - in at least one sense of the word - love each other enough to enable each other; and to indulge on each other's silly/straight-up-criminal fantasies.

to me, there's no (human) romance, nor seduction, involved. randal knows he'll get nothing by jumping on his brother's lap and performing the most disgustingly horny hentai rip-off scenario ever. much like he'll get nothing in exchange for sweet words, flowers and chocolate. it's part of the game. he knows he'll receive only a "<3" (♥︎) - which him and luther seem to be able to pronounce out loud - or a hummed, blank-faced lecture about needing either a nap or to drink more water. if luther is having a bad day, he might even receive some sort of punishment. and those are the reactions randal wants, the normalcy (if you can call it that) he counts on. if he wanted a different response, something genuinely human, he'd have forcibly gauged it off sebastian, nyon or even nyen. likewise, luther knows better than to come too close or to grab randal by the waist, lest he get bitten or not-so-playfully snipped with scissors.

but there's intimacy. so much intimacy. on waking up to the other's figure looming over them, on physically crawling under each other's skin, on wrapping hands and claws around each other's organs and muscles and bones, on faux eyes staring into faux eyes, on a eerie smile pressed against unmoving lips, on the suspension of disbelief, on the lingering smell of copper, on the flashing lights and sappy endearments and and-

and, i suppose, on the sex too. i don't think i can picture them having human sex - really, who am i to guess what these creatures are packing in their pants? for all we know, they might as well be ken-doll smooth down there - but if they were to ever consummate their relationship sexually, i feel like it would probably be as uncomfortable, off-putting, disturbing and offensive to the eyes as everything else they do. genuinely revolting from any possible point of view - unless you're a true monsterfucker. a ritual so gross that, for us, it resembles nothing but a cacophony of unthinkable horrors molding together wetly, but that, to them, feels nothing but heavenly from beginning to end. as close to divinity as such wretched demons/creatures are ever going to get.

anyways. enough, my apologies-

the conclusion is that...me shipping these two isn't even about wishing they'd get together, because, in their fucked up way, they already are. it isn't about spiting other fans either. it's about having fun coming up with increasingly nonsensical scenarios hoping to come close to their freak ✦

[skaruresonic]

This is all I'm going to say on the matter before I wander too deep into my feelings.

If you like the film, more power to you. Never said you couldn't enjoy it.

At the same time, I don't think it's unreasonable to question the changes Paramount made, because there are many of them, most of which strike me as hollow or needless.

From what I can tell, they ship-of-Theseus-ed the entire game. Which makes me wonder why they couldn't have made an original plot instead, if they were going to replace nearly every element with something that was in-name-only.

Obviously the US military is not gonna fund a film that paints them as corrupt the way SA2 does; I'm not so naive as to think otherwise. However, the film supplies more plot holes and problematic implications of its own, even more so than if they'd mostly left the original story alone.

My general thoughts are rooted in disappointment that not even the smallest elements of the original game are considered worth preservation, since that seems to be the implication underpinning products like this.

It's well-known that SA2 is lauded for its vibes but not much else. So my issue is less "they changed it, so now it sucks" and more "Didn't they think the original's themes were worth anything?"

I keep thinking about what the response would be if other games received similar treatment. If we got, for instance, an SatSR film adaptation which removed the implication that Shahra and the Erazor Djinn were an item.

Sure, you could argue their background isn't strictly necessary to our understanding of their dynamic, but it can't also entirely be denied that some thematic relevance would be lost or made slightly poorer for its absence. That context was placed within the game for a reason. If it's going to be absent in an adaptation, it needs to be replaced with something of equal importance.

If Sonic finished Erazor off by stabbing him in the ass with a quill? ...Yeah.

Although I was never the films' target audience to begin with - I took umbrage with 1 and 2 because of their general lack of faithfulness to the games as well - it is frustrating to see a game that I do hold so dearly be shortchanged yet again.

If the changes were as trivial as Maria's hair color, fair enough. But I mean, the plot and the characterization and the setting and the themes? If you systematically dismantle every piece of the ship, at which point does it cease to be the same ship?

I'll admit the fandom's memeification of SA2 over the years has worn my patience too thin to let me be as charitable as I could be towards the film... which was already in pretty scarce supply as it was.

But from where I'm standing, it really fucking sucks because it seems like they didn't even try. Like this is just another instance in a long list of the game getting stripped down to its vibes.

These are just my thoughts. It's not my intention to make anyone walk on eggshells.

[probablyaparadox]

Oh gosh here we go again- the peak of my hyper fixation on something where I finally post a theory... SO CROCODILE- (Y'all love this guy on tumblr-)I'm going to be very truthful, this started out as a head cannon which I found evidence for in this theory to bring my idea's to completion, and really ties up my thought process together.

What are the key takeaways? 1. Crocodile specifically Avoids having a ring on ring finger, and this could be because he has a spouse 2. Him having lost them in some way, and Iva knowing about them. But why Iva? And why do I say them? Y'all already know- I'm saying Crocodile is gay, and has a husband, well somewhere out there. This makes logistic sense because well, why Iva becomes answered, but we also have a subtle hint in crocodiles overall design. Firstly

Crocodiles Outfit is surprisingly evocative of the victorian dress. Mostly thanks to the vest and cravat look. Additionally, the victorian era began in 1837, very close to when Cigars became popular. I bring this up partially because I think it's cool, and partially because it allows for some implications to come across, as one piece's world spans socially over several decades in terms of atmosphere and acceptance. Mostly that the victorian era was a time where being LGBTQ+ was still considered taboo. So while most of new kama is living in the times of 1970's to modern day, he is very much living in the victorian era. One revolves around being loud and proud, and the other very much around subtleties. What subtleties does he have? Well. For starters, It's a very- Choice colour with the purple vest there. (this is mostly a joke, although purple is associated with signalling, it's usually a different manner as far as I'm aware.) What I actually want to talk about is the earring. Most characters in one piece Wear double earrings if they are wearing them (I.E. Law, bart, Nami, Blackbeard etc.) For those of you unaware, Earring signalling goes like this. Right is gay, left is straight. I could only find three characters wearing a single earring. 1. Zoro on his left. 2. Benn Beckman on his right (Good for him!/hj) and 3. Crocodile on his right. So with this ramble aside. I think his interactions with Iva and the gays TM make much more sense. He's down with the gays because well. He is. They literally give him an entirely new outfit, just like they do for the rest of the LGBTQ+ people they bring in. And why IVA SPECIFICALLY would know that he is married, as per Iva knowing and being all gay peoples parent (/hj). In all seriousness I think it would make sense in this context that he asked Iva to help with his wedding or something of the like, since he (and presumably his husband) likely didn't have many connections to people who could do wedding stuff non-judgementally I.E. a cake or getting someone to do the vows. It's very wholesome, but it's something that I could see as Crocodile wanting to be kept secret, as he's been characterized as someone very secretive. This part is pure speculation/almost definitely false; but. I could definitely see some sort of "held hostage" situation. As Crocodile said "If you want to protect something, do it right." This could be someone who is protecting something, but also someone who lost it. I mean, they've forced the other warlords into similar corners, with the protection of Amazon Lily, or the release of Arlong (and likewise the safe return of all the escaped slaves from the Sun pirates who just wanted to go home.) It makes the "wanting to have a power that can match the WG or any nation in force" goal of his have a much more interesting reason than "KING OF THE PIRATES." We got enough folks aiming for that already, and I feel like if you beat an early antagonist that badly and just keep using him, you gotta have some kind of pay off that doesn't involve him getting beat again.

[mhsdatgo]

do you like Aemond ?

Henlo anon <3

Depends which Aemond we're talking about 😭😭😭 Book!Aemond had me clutching my pearls like how can someone be so infuriatingly bad at the job he was nearly at his bro's throat for is so over me like I wanted to curbstomp him so bad. No you don't get it I was tweaking every time that bitch boy's name popped up.

Show!Aemond?? Much better. He's interesting and intriguing, there is so much to his character that despite being left unexplored can be filled in if you're creative enough. His dynamic with every character is worth analysing, he steals the spot in almost every scene he's in (if this was the showrunners' goal then I'd say they succeeded) he's one of the characters I'm the least disappointed in.

I DO feel like he's about to fall into the unnecessary shock value hole like many characters before him and it feels like a slap to the face to be honest 😭 I've got quite mixed feelings about shock value as a whole like there are some instances where I praise it but you'll never see me doing so with shock value in HOTD specifically. It is all linked to sexual traumas somehow and either don't make sense or look more like rage (and problematic fans) bait than shock value.

For example since we're talking about Aemond, we could talk about how he seems to have developed this morbid Oedipus complex (a child's unconscious attraction towards the mother) towards Alicent. Literally the only thing that's missing is the hostility towards the father who is cold in his grave by this point and he's not even worth bringing up. It (supposedly) manifests through Aemond's feeling of entitlement to Alicent's forgiveness, which he doesn't get and thus takes to calling her BY NAME and a fool. Apparently guilt is something Aemond feels only when he's sure Alicent is willing to forgive him, love him and cherish him no matter what he's done. This is a version of Aemond that is so out of touch with reality that he cannot for the life of him comprehend when he's gone too far. (or better, HE DOES, he's absolutely sure the answer to his "I messed up" will always be "I forgive you and I'll move on". When that doesn't happen and Alicent is indeed chilly because he indeed went too far, his guilt turns to bitterness.)

Do we even know what brought him to develop such a mentality?? Is it because, in his eyes, Alicent has always been the one to defend him from whoever? Because we as viewers know for a fact that is NOT TRUE. Like I'm sorry I'm saying this as an Alicent lover but I heard her say the following phrase with my own ears:

"You may cuff him about as you wish at home, but in the world, we must defend our own."

There are A LOT of implications here. The main one being that image is the most important thing to her and should something like Aegon becoming the ringleader of a pack that is SET on treating Aemond like shit come out, it would soil the family's image. Doesn't mean this cannot continue as long as it isn't known. One could argue that it's not like Alicent could know how much of a toll the bullying was taking on Aemond but the way the whole instance of him going to his mother was treated tells me it wasn't the first time, and that therefore, she pretty much knew.

Moreover, that's her child covered in dirt and ash crying about how he was humiliated before the whole Dragonpit, there are no subtleties, there is no way to be mistaken. But that's beyond the point.

What kind of sick fuck came up with this jealousy? Entitlement? How to call it? That Aemond feels towards Alicent and what good/efficient does it do to either of their characters. That's the question, and the answer is NONE THAT'S RIGHT. Doesn't make sense, and was added in because they just wanted more sick fuckery in the show. (because Dyana's rape and future arc isn't enough)

Moving on to the other greatest problem I have with Aemond's characterization: THE INFAMOUS BROTHEL SCENE. COMING UP ON YOUR SCREENS IN A FEW HOURS. ASKERS: NONE.

OOOOUFFFHHHHHHH I've got so many problems with this scene. First of all, what kind of coping mechanism is that? I'm fully convinced this scene is made for nothing else other than fanservice because the implications are nasty. He likes older women, that's fine, valid, relatable and all, but WHY make it the consequence of yet another sexual trauma?

If the streets are right the woman that is cradling him as he lies in her lap naked is the brothel madam that is seen in ep. 8 "The Green Council" (Michelle Bonnard)

Which may or may not be woman he was brought to by his brother at the age 13 to be sexually assaulted by. Look, having Aegon bring his 13 year old brother to engage in sex he's clearly not an enthusiastic party in was already a bad choice, it felt like another bad quality given to Aegon the showrunners didn't know what to do with. But their ADAMANCE on making some kind of subplot out of this because you added it, why the fuck would you forget it? Feels so forced and makes me feel the topic should've stayed that way, unexplored.

Now his relationship with Alys is going to feel like a trauma response too! And that's if they don't go with the "Alys bewitched Aemond and brought him to his death" storyline. (Honestly would be better at this point)

When Aemond and Madam first meet on screen (supposedly for the first time since that nightmare of a birthday) Aemond is clearly CLEARLY uneasy. So fucking uneasy. And it's in the script too:

[creds: @darksvster]

It's something neither her or him have forgotten, and clearly a weak point for Aemond (understandably so.) Yet apparently, in season 2, we'll see him in the arms of the same woman AGAIN! CUDDLED UP LIKE A BABY EVEN!!!

I'm projectile vomiting so hard the recoil throws me out the window and rolling on the road below. There are problems here. A LOT of problems. Who decided it would be good? WHO?

So basically yep. Aemond's characterization appeared solid up until this new season, it seems. There's much more to cover up and I'm ready to RANT about everything I will be seeing on screen but things are looking grim. I just hope I won't have to watch Aemond come back to the woman that traumatized him for more than five minutes at best.

Thanks for the ask anon <3

[leveebreak-s]

Thoughts on Big Log

Big Log, to me, is an interesting entry in the Robert Plant cannon. It’s a very classic Robert rambling song. He talks a lot in his work about his nomadic impulses. In Becoming Led Zeppelin he described “Ramble On” as “the story of [his] life.” See also: “I gotta roll, can’t stand still, got a flaming heart, can’t get my fill” ; later, “Farewell my wanderer's home.” If I’m totally honest I don’t love it, musically. It feels very 80s cheesy. Journey-esque. But LYRICALLY??? Extremely compelling. The exact sort of song that, if I were trying to explain to someone who Robert is and why he and Jimmy keep falling apart and coming back together, I would point to as evidence.

Let’s do a Jimbert reading of Big Log because I think it would be fun :)

(disclaimer: this analyis is not me trying to prove the existence of Jimbert. I’ve done that elsewhere, as have others before me, but that’s not what i’m doing now. I’m just reading Big Log through a Jimbert lens because I think that doing so yields interesting results. This is one of many possible interpretations of the song. Suspend your disbelief! Consider the Jimbert with me!)

My love is in league with the freeway

Its passion will rise as the cities fly by

Awesome. Here’s how I understand this: it’s the thesis of the song, and it’s: “distance makes the heart grow fonder.” When he says “my love” I think he is literally referring to HIS experience of being in love, and not “My Love” as in “my beloved,” given that he refers to it as “it.” Its passion will rise as the cities fly by: the farther I go, the bigger and more intense my love gets. It’s in league with the freeway, the freeway and the love serve one another. It is because of my tendency to ramble on that I am able to love so deeply and widely. To me this also implies that Robert believes in the possibility to return to a lover he’s already had. If, as you venture further away, your love grows, then you do not spend the time away from your beloved getting over them; you spend it missing them, thinking of them, growing into a better version of yourself, that you might love them more richly when you see them again. Therefore, it’s implied that to Robert, love is not a linear journey which always follows the same normative script of “meet, date, break up, move on.” It is a fluid thing which defies such a simplistic and uniform characterization.

What does this mean for Jimbert? It means that, yes, what Robert needs to do right now is go his own way, both creatively and romantically, but he has not closed the door on Jimmy forever. His mind is open to the idea that distance might make their hearts grow fonder. It is better to have time away with the possibility that they might return to each other one day than to stick around and let everything fester and get worse than it already is.

And the tail lights dissolve in the coming of night

I don’t look back, I look forward.

And the questions and thousands take flight

I don’t want to talk to the reporters about Zeppelin anymore, enough of the questions about John and about you and about black magic and curses and reunions. The people who only want me to be what I was, the Golden God, when I’m not him anymore - I leave them behind. On the freeway, on the road, they fade away, and I’m free of that burden.

My love is a-miles in awaiting

The eyes that just stare and the glance at the clock

Oh. OOOOOOH.

Okay. Now we’re cooking. 

If you know me you know that I love any excuse to talk about Tea for One. Musically, it’s like a top 20 Zeppelin song for me (if that sounds like faint praise, you underestimate how much I love Led Zeppelin). Lyrically it’s maybe my number one favourite ever. I can, and have, talk for a LOOOONG time about the implications, and LO AND BEHOLD, here they are. 

Because staring at the clock, waiting for the hand to move is what Tea for One is all about, baby!!!!!!!! While Robert’s healing from his life-threatening injury, he’s writing Presence with Jimmy, and he’s fucking fed up, dude. This song is open to interpretation, and I know that not everyone interprets it the way I do (fishie). But listen. Listen. Ultimately what that song is about is being fed up with one’s circumstances. IN MY OPINION, it was about being fed up with the band. It was about stagnation. It’s time to ramble on! I gotta roll, can’t stand still! If we’re doing a Jimbert reading, and we are, then invoking Tea for One here means invoking Zeppelin. In a Jimbert reading, “eyes that just stare and glance at the clock” can be understood as a reference to the tension and frustration that characterized the last few years of Robert’s experience in Led Zeppelin. Which brings us to the next lines:

And the secret that burns, and the pain that grows dark

And it's you once again

SECRET, YOU SAY???

So what’s being said is that the secret of his relationship with Jimmy is a contributing factor to the pain of those years and to Robert’s moving on. 

Now, of course, Robert didn’t break up Led Zeppelin. Led Zeppelin broke up as a result of John Bonham’s death, when they decided, supposedly by consensus, that they could not continue without him.

Yet, we know from what we know of the band’s history that, by this time, Robert basically had control over Led Zeppelin’s future, in the sense that Jimmy would have done just about anything to keep it going. They met with a few drummers, in the time between Bonzo’s death and their official announcement that they would not continue in his absence. Every attempt at a reunion that would occur in the next several decades would be Jimmy’s doing, and every failure to launch would be owed to Robert’s refusal to rehash what they’d already done. Jimmy wanted to go on, Robert didn’t. While officially the decision to disband was made by consensus, it’s fair to say that, if Robert had wanted to continue, they might have made a different choice - this characterization of events is backed up in pretty much any biography or history of the band that you’ll find.

SO. The secret that burns. The pain that grows dark. They loved one another in hiding. Robert grew restless, Jimmy was addicted and unable to contribute artistically to the group, and now Bonzo was dead. The whole thing’s gone sour.

And it’s you once again. 

Okay…

What do we make of this?

If we connect it to the line that precedes it, it’s Robert basically blaming Jimmy for everything that happened. It’s the same energy as - say it with me gang - Tea for One. “To sing a song for you, I recall you used to say, ‘this one’s for we two,’ which in the end is you anyway.” This is your vision, your creation, your ego, your vanity, and so all this is the consequence of your actions. It’s not my dream, dad, it’s your dream! He’s OVER it!

On the other hand, if we connect this line to the broader context of the song, the lyric is more literal. “It’s you once again” means “I’ll be back one day.”

Did Robert have the foresight to know this for a fact? Obviously not, and at this time - 1983 - he’s deliberately distancing himself from Zeppelin and Jimmy. All I’m saying is that this interpretation of the line would suggest that he’s open to the idea that he and Jimmy will return to each other one day. “Maybe some day in time, as we move down the line, what we seek we shall find.” 

Leading me on (leading me on)

Leading me down the road

Driving me on (driving me on)

Driving me down the road

LOVE is what MAKES him the rambler, nomad, traveler, vagabond he is. Lust for life. The will to experience all that this world has to offer, to meet new people, to keep learning, to experience new ways of being and knowing: that’s love, baby! 

My love is exceedingly vivid

When I’m in love, I know it. When I’m in love, you’ll know it. It’s straightforward. I see what I want, and I go after it, simple as that. If I want you, I’ll make it known. 

Red-eyed and fevered with the hum of the miles

Okay, I know this isn’t ACTUALLY what he meant, but in my mind I like to think that this was a sneaky reference to the scene in “The Song Remains the Same” when Jimmy’s eyes are all red. Hehehe. That’s my love!

Distance and longing, my thoughts do provide

Should I rest for a while at the side?

Like I said, distance makes the heart grow fonder! Should I rest for a while at the side? Am I moving too fast? Maybe I’ll stop and explore a new love, for a minute. Or maybe I’ll just take a breather and get to know myself for a minute (incidentally, this album came out the year Robert and Maureen divorced. Not that being married had ever stopped Robert from exploring new love with other people. But that’s none of my business.)

Okay but wait a minute. Because now we get to the part where Robert addresses somebody else!! And since we ALREADY AGREED that we’re doing a Jimbert reading, we’re going to assume, in the space of this long ass post, that he is addressing James Patrick Page.

Your love is cradled in knowing

MMMMMMMMM. Yes. I don’t know about y’all, but I read this as an invocation of the sorcerer and apprentice aspect of their relationship. I read this as: “the love you gave me was bolstered by all that you had to teach me: the pride you felt in being able to teach me, and the care and protection I felt under your guidance.” It could also be: “you are someone who requires a measure of certainty in order to feel secure in your relationships; this is something I, a wandering free spirit, cannot offer you.” It could also be: “the more deeply we know each other, the more deeply we love one another.” It could also be a combination of these things and more! It’s a beautiful lyric that says so much with so little!

Eyes in the mirror still expecting they'll come

Hmmm. I’m not sure about this one. Maybe, “you look at yourself and tell yourself that Zeppelin can live on, that people will still come to see it, and you’re in denial that it’s not what it used to be?” That’s the best I can do with this one, but I’m not rock solid here so I welcome your alternative interpretations.

Sensing too well when the journey is done

There is no turning back, no

There is no turning back

On the run

It’s over and I think you KNOW that, Jimmy!!!!!! We can’t go back to how it used to be!! 

ANYWAY that’s my thoughts on Big Log. If you read this whole thing I love you and we’re friends now <3 AND if you're a nerd for this sort of thing, PLEASE read Fishie's Jimbert meta on Ao3 because this whole thing is basically just me copying her homework.

[meltingchaos]

I just have to gush about the Lucifer parallels with Belos.

Firstly, the emperor's coven sigil. There are four wings and, going by angelology, an angel with four wings is a cherubim.

There are implications in Ezekiel that imply that Lucifer may have been a cherubim.

Ezekiel 28: "You were the anointed cherub".

It also describes him as "covering cherub", meaning he would have covered the throne of God with his wings. Cherubs were throne bearers, upholding the throne of God. They also were appointed with guarding Eden. Both of these facts are similar to how Belos made it seem like his relationship with the titan was so close, acting as a prophet, beholding the titan and yet covering secrets such as how only he could commune with them, writing it off as the titan working in 'mysterious ways'. Also, his protectiveness over the human realm, albeit misguided and an excuse to fuel his delusions, is similar to how the cherubs were made to guard Eden. I also like to think that the triangle and circle in this sigil have some correlation with God, showing trinity and eternity. As for the sword, it makes me think of many artist renditions of St. Michael the archangel, battling Lucifer at the fall, often shown defeating him with a sword in hand.

Which brings me to my next point. The DRAGON. Oh how the dragon Belos made me so happy.

Through posessing the titan, Belos gained wings and a much more monstrous look, much like a dragon. Lucifer during the fall turned into a dragon as well!

Revelation 12: 3-4: And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great, fiery red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads. His tail drew a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth.

Revelation 12:7–10: Then war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.

Belos, in his mind, believes he's a hero, trying to liberate humanity. He sees himself as some sort of saviour to humanity, delusions of grandeur. That same idea of liberation is what he brings to the boiling isles, much like Lucifer in paradise lost and other stories, saying he wants to free angels and yet still placing himself as the new leader / deity.

Finally, Belos' chosen name. 'Belos' is strikingly similar to 'Belial'. A pagan angel who was also cast out by God, much like Lucifer. Belial, in the Old testament is later personified as the devil in Christianity as well. (In Hebrew, the word Belial is used to characterize the wicked or worthless. So you could say Belos' name literally means worthless and I think that's pretty cool.)

I should also mention that Belos comes from the word Bel, meaning master / lord. As does Belial, also having the word for 'lord'.

That man thinks very highly of himself. Sure does remind me of Lucifer hmmm. Demon of Pride and all.

Gosh I just,,, it's so cool,,,

There are even more instances but this post is already long so I'll leave it at this lol.

Tldr: Belos thinks he's like Jesus but he's so much like the devil and it's hilarious.

[mamawasatesttube]

13, 16, 21, 24

13. worst blorboficiation

jason todd. fanon tim is also annoying as hell but at least he doesn't prompt people to start spewing literal straight up copaganda

16. you can't understand why so many people like this thing (characterization, trope, headcanon, etc)

SHOVEL TALKS. theyre rooted in so much gross misogyny and very often also racism lmfao what is the appeal to you people??? the idea of a father figure being overly invested in your virginity???? 😬😬

21. part of canon you think is overhyped

this is incredibly specific and also incredibly bitchy but. you know that one yjdc panel of tim looking at kon's statue and saying "i didn't know what i was feeling". so many people reposted that all over the fucking place and would not stop talking about it and it was Right as i was getting into the fandom and i just remember so vividly thinking like. wow! this is so extremely bland and says nothing and was clearly just written in to get attention and be tweeted and tiktoked about. geoff johns was accidentally way queerer than this. chuck dixon was accidentally way queerer than this. judd winick's closet scene was WAY queerer than this. this is clickbait. this is literally just bait. this doesn't even confirm ANY sort of romantic feelings. it's like very vaguely implied but "i didn't know what i was feeling" about grief that consumed your life can have so many nonromantic implications as well. like. this is nothing. this is nothing!!! everyone shut up about this panel it literally says NOTHING.

but that also goes back to how i feel like a lot of recent comics have been full of clickbaity panels. like they just want to get this specific shot talked about on twitter or whatever. :|

24. topic that brings up the most rancid discourse

does "mentioning that fandoms can perpetuate racist stereotypes" count? i mean imo thats not even ~discourse~ thats just straight up people refusing to think about their own internalized biases i guess.

oh i know!!! saying "i headcanon kon as a gay man" because you get so many people going "well i think he's generally queer or bi" because you know. he doesn't LOOK like a stereotypical twink, and as we know, all gay men are skinny white twinks ONLY,

(i'm sure there's something even more rancid than this but i'm just drawing a blank right now. so we get what was rancid to me PERSONALLY as opposed to what might be more rancid on the general level?)

"choose violence" ask game!

[traincat]

Hey, so quick question: which version of Spider-Man you consider canon? I mean, the writers SAY a lot about the character and while he’s relatively relatable, he’s ALSO a wish fullfiliment kind of person so you can imagine yourself as him.

For example: he’s POOR, so WHY the heck is he still in New York since that's a EXPENSIVE City to live on? He hadn't suffered NEARLY as many tragedies as some other characters like Hulk or Jessica Jones.

Or, he's a loser, but... that's not true at all?? I like Peter, but I can't deny that he isn't necessarily THAT much of a woobie or an overall asshole on occasion (he ain't this saint people tend to claim, if anything he occasionaly behaves like a kid??). To be honest, he kinda has it... easy? Like, he can't have relationships, he's almost NEVER not in one, yet... they claim otherwise.

So yeah, I DO like the little asshole, but Marvel's tendency to retcon and don't show, but tell is... really confusing.

(The only thing that DOES help over that is their admitance it's on purpose, that it's not supposed to be realistic, still... is annoying.)

So I have a direct answer to "which version of Spider-Man do I consider canon" and then I have a lot of more nebulous thoughts about "versions" of characters, reader interpretation, and canon.

My Peter Parker is always going to be 616 Peter, from 1962 through to ugh. Probably about 2014, that's when I personally think the steady downhill slide in characterization that started around Brand New Day entered into irrevocable character damage territory. And I've talked before about how I think, despite what various creators may have said and despite different movie interpretations and the kind of fanon that shows up when you have an extremely large fandom with various levels of interest in actually reading the original-original source material, 616 Peter has traditionally remained a remarkably consistent character. Like yes you have to allow for different writers having slightly different takes, and no superhero who has been written by different creators over decades and decades is ever going to be 100% consistent, but given those factors, and given the character's growth -- like, these are all things that just apply to superhero comics by their very nature, but Peter Parker went five decades where he was a character who just made sense. When I call him fully realized, I really mean it. He feels real and completely fleshed out.

Which is why I kind of feel like the rest of your inquiries veer into more of a discussion on reader interpretation vs actual hard canon fact. And when I say reader interpretation I'm talking about the people who write the comics, too, because again we're working with a medium where fans often become creators, and bring all their own previous interpretations and related baggage with them into the story. Which has pros and cons! I don't mean to make it sound all negative.

I've talked about the relatable trap a lot and that I think there's been a troubling cultural shift from "this character is relatable because he relates to the basic human condition" to "this character is supposed to be relatable so he has to be exactly like me and have all of my exact problems" which feeds back into what you're saying re: "IS Peter a loser? Does he have troubles with girls?" Because it's like, if he's supposed to be a reflection of the Average Comic Book Reader (which I don't think he is) and if the Average Comic Book Reader is a Stereotypical Nerd (insulting implication) then obviously he has to be a loser who has problems with women. But like you said, that's not actually what's reflected in the comics. So what we're up against is this conglomeration of various reader interpretations all kind of tossed together and competing for attention and drowning out the actual comic character. Which is also the problem with calling him wish fulfillment -- whose wishes are we fulfilling? (My wish is to just read good Spider-Man comics currently, so obviously not mine.)

I also think it's a trap to go "well he's poor so obviously he shouldn't live in New York City" when the comics themselves go into this. His aunt and uncle lived in that house for a long time; most likely it's paid off. When he's lived in trendy Manhattan neighborhoods, it's often been in apartments owned by Harry Osborn. Mary Jane pays their bills a lot of the time! We have canon explanations for these things, we don't need to be having arguments about how they're not realistic because at the end of the day, Peter Parker is a fictional character -- writers have the ability to make these things make sense. He's in New York because he is New York; I don't see people jumping at the bit for him to move to Boise, Idaho, or for him to move back to Portland.

I think it's easy to say Peter hasn't had as many tragedies, or has suffered comparatively less than other major comic book figures, but that's opinion. His parents died! His uncle died! His aunt being in ill health in his youth meant an incredible about of responsibility was foisted on him much younger than his peers, leading to a sense of isolation! His girlfriend died! His best friend tried to kill him! Repeatedly! His best friend died! He was cloned! He was convinced that he was a clone and that his whole life was a lie and that he wasn't the real him! His clone, who he viewed as his brother, died! His baby died! On the same night! He thought that his aunt died but actually she'd been replaced by an actress and so he suffered through that grief and loss and tried to move on and then it turned out she wasn't dead! The world assumed his wife was dead for months and his friend group tried to force him to move on! The entirety of One More Day hinges on his inability to move on from the fact that when he instinctively saved his wife from gunfire, he left his aunt in the path of it! Like it's ALL tragedy, it's tragedy all the way down. Spider-Man is a tragedy. But because Peter Parker has earned this false title of being like, a funny little guy who is perpetually in high school and only ever cracks jokes and never engages in Serious Violence or whatever, that gets lost in translation. But for me, that's not a "version" of Peter Parker. That's just misinformation that's unfortunately become popular on a cultural scale and now it's impossible to get away from it. It's not an honest reflection of the source material.

Show, don't tell is the basis of a lot of writing -- whether or not you think that's good advice -- and I think a lot of these issues come down to people looking at small slices of a very large story and thinking that because it doesn't tell them everything in a huge Star Wars credits info dump at the very beginning of the each individual installment of the story that the whole thing doesn't make sense and that they need to "fix" it by declaring that if Peter is poor, he can't live in New York. If he's ever joked about having women troubles, he must be a total loser, so it's not realistic because he's actually always dating someone. Because a bomb didn't go off in his face, he's suffered less than other heroes. But that's not how long running superhero stories work, and sometimes it is necessary to look at the big picture to grasp the smaller details about a character.

[mycochaotix]

My “real”nonbinary friends and fam, please read this and tell me your thoughts!!! —r/nonbinary user commented:

“I feel that Blair White and others like her are calling out bad behavior and demanding personal accountability. We all can live our lives as we see fit, but demanding nullification of sexual orientation in relation to one's gender or having a melt down over misgender pronouns without self realization about how we present ourselves is narcissistic and provides our detectors against the lgbt+ community with reason to vilify us.

Non-binary people are not the problem, to be clear. It's people who believe being non-binary qualifies them for special victimhood status and who go on public forums to decry society's ills for not recognizing their non-binary lifestyle on sight that creates this negativity.

If you know you are emotionally mature enough to get through your day and live your truth without being angry someone isn't into you or that the days your presentation may lean one way or the other on the gender spectrum and gracefully correct and move on, you know you aren't the problem.”

- they were downvoted many times when I saw rhe comment, so I asked chatgpt why and replied to them:

“Asked ChatGPT why your comment is being downvoted, it said: “This comment appears to express a negative view towards individuals, particularly non-binary people, who assert their gender identity and seek recognition. The use of terms like "meltdown" and the implication that asserting ‘one's gender identity is narcissistic’ may be perceived as dismissive or transphobic by some. “ 🤷🏽”

- they responded to my comment with:

“I mean, if you like feel that someone crying over a stranger at a fast food restaurant calling them "Ma'am" while taking their order on Tik Tok is good representation, we're at an impasse. That's not real life and it doesn't represent real non-binary people.

Edit: More importantly, if we ourselves do not call out bad behavior in our own community and ensure that negative representation isn't the only viewable commodity, we're practically committing self harm.”

- i replied with:

“Up until this comment, I havent made a personal belief claim about your comments. Just saw you being downvoted and wanted to understand why :) hence why I asked chatgpt.

Honestly, your comment reflects that you seem to be trying to police or gatekeep what anyone gets offended by. Why does that matter. Most non binary people i know are too concerned about being hate crimed to actually get offended at a mcdonalds worker incorrectly assuming their gender… much less asserting their correct pronouns when being misgendered.

Your use of “real non binary people” is quite problematic tbh. I think you may have an insulated understanding of Queer people thats influencing your perspective in an unhelpful way. Im a real non binary person and I disagree with your perspective and characterization of non binary people. Your edit is something im not comfortable addressing specifically tbh, I process it as problematic and not worth pursuing as you seem set in your beliefs.

Your feelings, and mine, and whatever queer scapegoat you are bringing up from tiktok, all matter and are valid. You dont know the trauma history of the person who is offended at being misgendered. To be misgendered is uncomfortable, especially for trans folkx and especially for those who are aware of the insane, incessant gender norms, mores and expectations on us at all times.

Calling out bad behavior is fine, but looking at situations empathetically, and from as many perspectives as you can, is going to aid you on identifying behavior thats could be a meaningful change to call out , and behavior that you just dont like and want to stop someone from doing because of your discomfort.”

—

Queer, and specifically: Transfam, please tell me if im far off here … or what yall think!

-mcx

———

update: