#so this whole thing is just a disaster

[dirtytransmasc]

I was thinking about how you said that Jake was probably the one who locked Spider’s hair and I haven’t stopped thinking about it. I’m no expert on…I don’t know what the appropriate term is, styles for coily hair? But if you look at Jake’s locks and Spider’s side by side, I feel like Jake’s look better maintained. Spider’s look much chunkier and messier, more scraggly. His hair is also very dull and non-reflective, so it doesn’t look very clean.

Obviously I’m in no way saying that people who have locs don’t wash or take care of their hair! This is an observation on Spider’s hair specifically, as it relates to him most likely being neglected by the Sully parents. I’ve seen a lot of hairdressers who say that heavily matted hair is one of the biggest signs of neglect. Again, matted hair and locs aren’t the same, but that was what came to mind when you said he probably locked Spider’s hair so it would be less maintenance.

If I’ve been insensitive or disrespectful in any way, please let me know as that wasn’t my intention!

I am also no expert on hair, especially protective and black hairstyles, so heed that warning, and feel free to call me out if I make a mistake/say something offensive.

~~~

I think this hits the nail on the head. I think that for jake, 'locking' (ill get back to the use of quotations in a second) spiders hair was 'easiest' because there was 'no up keep' unlike braids or just leaving it down and natural that would have to be somewhat frequently/frequently cleaned and/or restyled over time.

This is blatantly false, locs have their own maintenance needs, and they have a reasonable amount of regular upkeep to keep them looking, feeling, and physically healthy/clean.

But in jakes mind, a white man who was thrown into a world that uses protective hairstyles, like braids, quite frequently (I don't know much about na'vi hair or why it is styled as such, or if that information even exists, so I have to run a bit off of what I see), if he 'locked' (here comes the explanation of the quotations) spiders hair, it would basically be a one and done thing; when in reality, Spider didn't have hair that could lock, his hair was curly, but not in a way that would allow or even demand protective styles. So he basically just matted (even if his hairs are mats, they are meant resemble locs, and it feels insensitive/can come off as horribly disrespectful to call them that, so I'm going to continue using 'locks' within this post) the poor thing's hair, cause that's what happens when you attempt to lock white hair, and most likely did nothing after. Spider was also super young when his hair was locked like that and I have full confidence it's never actually been cleaned properly since.

While I think jake had vaguely good while also naively neglectful intentions, Spider was horribly neglected, and it most likely started with hair.

I think this is also just partially a consequence of James Cameron's habit of culturally appropriating bipoc cultures, in this case, black culture.

But at the same time, I do have to agree that there is an intentional little detail between Jake's and Spider's hair; Jake's looks like they are properly cared for, while spiders look like a trainwreck (dirty, outgrown, ill-managed, all of the possible things). In fact, all of the other kids' hair looks equally well-managed. This has a lot to do with the fact that their hair is seemingly styled in the proper way for their hair type, but also because they are being cared for, their parents are putting time and effort into their hair, at least until they're old enough to do it themselves. It's also clear that hair can be managed quite easily while left down/natural cause Neytiri used to wear her quite long hair down, Kiri has her hair down, and most of the Metkayina people wear at least some of their hair down. to put it simply, Spider's hair didn't have to be 'locked'; it could have been managed just like so many others, and even if, for some reason, it had to be 'locked' (even when there are so many other styles for him to have been given that would have been proper for his hair type) they didn't have to be left in such a state.

Overall, I think Spider's hair shows two things; the neglect he went through at the hands of his adoptive family, and James Cameron's need to appropriate other's cultures.

~~~

Again, I want to clarify, I am not super educated on the topic, I only know the basics, and I may have slipped up. If any black or indigenous people want to comment or add to the discussion, I would greatly appreciate it, but no pressure.

[myokk]

clumsy🫶

[kagoutiss]

oot zelda doodle i liked :’-)))

[spearxwind]

Idk if this counts as spoilers but if Adri is essentially like a computer virus where did he get a physical body from?? Did he steal it from someone or was it provided for him to he put into??? So much to think about........

GREAT QUESTION! He stole it :)

He stole the body and the body's name for himself, and then fabricated an appearance and personality and mannerisms.

His body is one of the previously many nanomachine systems set in place in the Old World to safeguard and maintain both people and machinery. They were known as Guardian Arrays, but now they are referred to as Angels. Only two are currently known to still be fully operational, Adri being one of them.

The Fall (Otherwise known as the literal end of the world) was an apocalypse event where a system bug caused every advanced enough AI to go rogue and turn on mankind. It started small, but spread far and wide exponentially and it irreparably changed whatever it infected. The Arrays, being as important as they were, had more safeguards in place against this stuff but it still didn't stop them from becoming infected. Especially ADRIEL. The corruption inside it became severe enough that it first became a virus, and then grew into a full fledged self compiled AI that was notorious enough to be given its own name "Usurper", though you know it as "The Hydra".

The only way to avoid being completely wiped out during this event was to mass purge absolutely EVERYTHING (so humanity lost basically 99% of their tech and their knowledge). Did this work? kiiiind of.

Because of it's self compiled nature, ADRIEL was never able to be properly purged, so instead it was (after a monumental, worldwide effort) put to sleep beneath the earth, never to be disturbed again.

Until....

[trentcrimminallybeautiful]

i have this really stupid idea in my head that im frankly a little obsessed with and the idea is this: trent crimm doing a drunk history episode on ted lasso's first tenure at richmond. is that how drunk history works? i don't think so. do i care? absolutely not. it's a special episode who cares because this image is not only hysterical to me but treasured. i treasure this image. i hold it close in my heart and also laugh and laugh and laugh.

[uptownhags]

i am packing to go on an out of town final interview! for a tiny city entirely run by women! where everything i could ever need is on one street or the other! and my dog would have a yard! i am gonna be CALM!

[qoldenskies]

i think a lot of people pretty openly acknowledge that leo is someone that self-aggrandizes and acts reckless in order to compensate for his insecurities, which is true and it's very clearly spelled out especially in the movie, but i don't really see people acknowledge the fact that donnie is the EXACT same way (outside of people who specifically like to write a lot of angst for him. leo is forever designated sadboy of the fandom). which is sad, because i think it's the most twin-like thing about them!!

it's a trait they share pretty openly. same flavor of daddy issues, although leo is always wanting to look down, to be the BEST at something, to be admired and respected and trusted, to be above other people, while donnie is always wanting to look up, the whole approval from a parental aged adult thing is the largest example but i also think about his desperation for CAMARADERIE in the purple jacket, and also like, lol the entirety of mind meld. he wants to be understood and acknowledged and praised and he practically begs for it with everything he does.

both of them desperately want to impress! but i kind of interpret it as leo trying to make a point to himself more than to other people, because he is so caught up in his own self-judgement. it's why he can act rude or try to step over the others (raph especially, although early on there is some mutual toxicity in that relationship) in order to prove that point.

but donnie has a lot more self-security because he knows what he does! he knows he's good at it, i don't think there's any denying that. but under real praise he gets starry-eyed or he softens. he makes a big point out of presenting new things because that's what he's looking for. and i think that makes him so averse to the potential of failure. it's why he'll shrug it off or outright deny it when its brought up to him. he sucks so bad at taking responsibility lmao.

i think mind meld in particular is a very telling episode, especially the beginning of it. he gets rash and upset when he feels like he's doing too much on his own. he feels ignored and disrespected for his efforts, and makes bad decisions as a result. and between that and donnie's gifts it's very very obvious he is projecting the fact that he equates his usefulness, his role, to his self-worth as a person. a lot of that crowing confidence is not real. he is MAJORLY overcompensating just like leo is. (and i would also like to point out the kind of things he makes shelldon RESPOND to in smart lair before he's reprogrammed, like leo's ribbing)

idk, i just feel like donnie wants to be seen and leo wants to be able to see himself, although there is some overlap there and the two problems can bleed into each other.

(and i do think a big point of leo's arc in the movie is for him to genuinely stop being selfish. his insecurity gets in the way and he's thinking about himself when he acts, and that's what hurts people. all of them have the potential to be self-centered, but leo's behavior was putting people in danger, and he had to look past all of that because he has ALWAYS been a strong and capable person and a good leader, but he was afraid of it because he was setting the goalpost for himself too high, and it was RAPH'S thing. it all felt too daunting. he's never going to feel ready if he only thinks about himself. at a point it's just not about him. as dubious as his sacrifice at the end was, that was the point. get him some therapy for that blunder though)

and i think it has a lot of potential to make them clash in a really interesting way. donnie's like,,, got his THING!! leo is not CONFIDENT in his thing!! and he can't ever be better than donnie at his particular thing, so he LEAPS onto any chance to get one over on him, which clashes very badly with donnie's issues of easily feeling dejected or unappreciated. he's going to take that personally, and then leo is going to take donnie's bad interpretation of that behavior personally, because like... why doesn't donnie trust him? :((

anyways they are majorly twinning they are both dramatic unconfident bitches with self-worth issues and they both get louder and meaner when they feel hurt about something. its why i keep accidentally writing angst of the other when i try to write angst of one. ahaha lol oops

sorry ive had this blog for only a few hours i just needed to get my thoughts down mostly for myself. for writing purposes

[miscellaneousrenaissant]

It's been almost a week since Episode 3, and I want to highlight two things:

Thing #1: In Episode 3, Shadow!Evan looted his shoes off his dead body

In Episode 2, Evan went into the hot springs in just his black boxer briefs

That means Evan fucking Kelmp went into the magic healing hot springs while wearing just his underwear and wingtip shoes and nothing else, and I need you to imagine - to visualize - the palest, whitest man possible in just black shorts and black shoes chilling in a hot tub

Thing #2: In Episode 3, K and Shadow!Evan toweled off the blood and arm goo that got on Sam

In Episode 2, the only towels they had were the ones T2 brought them

Meaning L.O., whoever they are, is going to find their fluffy, embroidered, freshly laundered, gorgeously lavender-scented towels - that got taken by a teacup pig - now covered in blood

[silveredsticks]

when the sun shines we'll shine together

[myokk]

Her kisses were all-consuming and he felt his heart surrendering to her with every gentle nip, losing himself in the feeling of her. Her soft body pressing tightly against him, her breathy moans, the soft hair at the nape of her neck, her taste.

When Eloise finally pulled away from him, breathing heavily as their foreheads pressed together and their eyes locked, Sebastian was dazed and content and...happy. Merlin, he was so happy. Her cheeks were bright pink, and her lips were swollen and red and smiling up at him. His breath caught in his throat - he didn't think he had ever seen anything so beautiful as Eloise in that moment. Sebastian knew that he was grinning like a fool but he didn't care.

Happiness was bubbling up in his body and he was leaning down to kiss her again because it would never be enough and -

She started coughing.

Eloise abruptly pulled away from him, covering her mouth with her sleeve as she doubled over. A terrible, horrible, familiar wracking cough that Sebastian never thought he would hear again.

When she pulled her sleeve away from her mouth, there were little flecks of blood.

They both looked at each other in horror.

"Eloise..." he started, his voice cracking. The balloon of happiness that had filled him burst and he felt himself crashing back to the grim reality that had been his life for too long. Arms hanging limply at his sides. When his voice came out again, it was a whisper. He could barely choke the words out.

"...what did you do?"

their first kiss😇😇😇

[ex-textura]

I didn't get the sex dialogue with Astarion on this run until the party, so now I'm getting the party dialogue in the underdark 😂 Astarion my boy you're so confused.

[randomly--accessed--memories]

Alastor's list of mostly bullshit reasons as to why doing this to Vox was A Good Idea, Actually

Vox deserved to be punished for his decades of insolence. How dare he turn on Alastor and try to outdo him when he’s the one who “created” Vox.

Hell is better off without the old Vox; he’s incapable of hurting anyone anymore and Hell’s media landscape is far less crude because of his absence.

Living like this is a privilege, actually. Vox should be grateful that Alastor’s granted him such a simple, carefree life, always doing what he loved: entertaining. Didn’t he want a close relationship with Alastor, anyway? Now he has one.

Vox should’ve known better than to keep messing with Alastor. Of course he was going to bite back one day.

This was a preventative measure. Vox could’ve eventually become powerful enough to actually topple Alastor or even attempt something similar to what Al ended up doing to him.

The new Vox is totally what Alastor always wanted: loyal, obedient, and without all those nasty habits that tore the two of them apart in the first place.

It’s funny to watch the Vees suffer. Alastor didn’t know they actually cared about Vox and weren’t just leeching off his success, but since they clearly do, now he knows a weak point that can be used against them!

It’s funny to humiliate Vox, even if he doesn’t realize that’s what’s happening.

Having such a powerful sinner like Vox at his beck and call could be useful at some time in the future.

Alastor doesn’t need a reason, actually: he saw an opportunity and seized it, consequences be damned. That’s just how Hell works and everyone else needs to stop acting as if what he did was worse than any of the other crimes committed in Hell on a daily basis.

[findafight]

Eddie's never met a Jedi. Of course he hasn't. But he's seen a Jedi, way back during the clone wars, when a battalion had helped after seppies had targeted civilian supply lines.

Eddie's pretty sure they were Kel Dor, what with the breathing apparatus. They'd worn tan and woody robes, long and elegant and flowing as they'd weaved between people, helping them stand or tending to wounds.

What had stood out to Eddie, watching this being that was supposedly a fierce warrior of light, was that they...were normal. They laughed and shrugged and cooed at babies, just like anyone else.

That was until the Jedi had raised their hands and lifted a two-tonne shipping crate into the air without so much as touching it. It frightened Eddie, then. Barely twenty and in the middle of a war his planet didn't want a part of. Beings that could lift and toss objects too heavy to move without machinery like they were playthings are not to be unwary of.

Of course. Eddie had spent a lot of the redistribution of rations effort around clones. They'd seemed...fine? While he is no stranger to speaking his mind he had thought well enough ahead that he probably shouldnt ask if they'd wanted to be there. Figured that might get him kicked off the project and he needed the money.

He listened instead. How they called each other things like Spoon and Duck and Trinity and Loopback as though they were names. Maybe they were. Eddie didn't know and didn't want to ask at the time.

But the Clones had been friendly, if formal. They spoke of their general with fondness and respect and a tinge of awe that felt appropriate to seeing what a Jedi was capable of frequently.

Eddie had liked them.

And then Empire Day came, and the Jedi were declared traitors and the galaxy as he knew it fell apart.

It never made much sense, from what Eddie had seen, for the Clones to kill the Jedi. But nobody asked Eddie, so Eddie didn't say. He did get sucked into the Rebellion though, and heard rumours about mind control and sith and a dozen other things.

So no. Eddie had never met a Jedi. But he'd seen one.

Chrissy had spoken about the rumoured Jedi (or-- not-jedi? She said they often refused the title) that stayed in the small Rebel enclave they've been helping. There were two, apparently. She'd met them, even, during a debrief where she'd been discussing how to better use their resources to help her contacts on the Freedom Trail. They'd barrelled in and spoken in such a way that Chrissy would have swore they were of the same mind, had they not been on opposite ends of the room.

"they were polite." Chrissy said, headtail twitching. "For people who interrupted an important meeting." Eddie'd laughed. "One, the Balosar man, he was very insistent that we delay our plans. The other, I think she was human? It's hard to tell, said the force was calling to them and very insistent about it during meditation."

"seriously? And the generals did it?"

"oh no. They argued for another twenty minutes before the not-Jedi threw up their arms and said, in unison Eddie!, 'The shipment will be lost if you go ahead with it. Better late than never, pricks.' and walked out."

So. On an abstract level, Eddie knew that whenever he entered the hangar bay to run maintenance or completely rebuild a ship, there was a chance for him to meet a former? Jedi.

He'd gotten well acquainted with a group of teenagers there, ones who were friends with the younger brother of the heir apparent to the region they were in and liked the make-believe games he ran in his off hours. But he never really thought about the Jedi that supposedly haunted the base until a woman shouted for Dustin, a rodian who was part of his little sheepies and had literal stars in his eyes when Eddie spoke, to come over. Dustin, the betrayer, jumped up and dashed off without even a word of goodbye.

"okay, so the head mechanic needs this-" she gestures to a small smuggling freighter that had seen far better days "hunk of junk out of the way so they can start work on a couple of x-wings. Steve and I figured we could help her out and get you to work on control of larger objects."

Eddie meandered casually over. Just to watch. Just to...see.

Dustin bounced on his feet. "Really? Woah! Where are we putting it?"

She pointed up, to the open vertical entry doors that created the roof of the hanger. "Steve's up there, he'll make sure if your control slips we don't crush the ship or anyone on the floor once you get it high, and he'll get it out and place it where it's supposed to go. I'll be here with you so you don't hurt yourself."

"I'm not gonna hurt myself."

She patted his head "yeah. Cuz I'm right here making sure."

"uhg. Almost wish I never learned you guys used to be Jedi."

"and who would train you then? No one. You and El would be sad little tooka kits all on your lonesome." She raised her voice to yell at the roof, "you ready Stevie?" and it should not have been loud enough to carry, the tone of an after thought, as though she already knew the answer and the question was just for the spectators, but the figure silhouetted waved.

Then, Dustin took a steadying breath, raised his arms, and closed his eyes. Slowly, the ship in front of him groaned and rose up. A crowd had formed, watching a magic thought extinct.

The woman's eyes darted between Dustin and the freighter, one hand loosely outstretched. It occurred to Eddie that neither wore the tunics and robes of Jedi. Dustin ran around in the mismatched pants and shirts of the Rebels' donations, while the woman wore deep greens. There were no dramatic sleeves that swished when they moved, just slightly loose fabric fastened by a belt and holster. He wonders if she ever wore them.

Dustin struggled for a moment, the ship quivering ten feet up, and the woman tensed slightly before he loosened. Eyes open, she deftly moved her arms up with the ship following, an ease in her movements that Dustin lacked. When she dropped her arms as well, the freighter stayed moving upwards, the other not-Jedi, Steve, likely taking over.

"good work for your first go." She said, draping an arm casually over Dustin's shoulders.

"I barely got it off the ground! Don't patronize me, Robin."

Eddie stepped in "considering I wouldn't even be able to move it sideways an inch, I'd say you did pretty well, Dustin."

The kid spun, just as the light comes shining back through as Steve maneuvered the ship out of the hangar. "Eddie! You saw?"

He scoffed "uh. Yes? Why didn't you tell me this is what you did when Im not around"

The woman-Robin, Eddie supposed, tensed. "It's not particularly safe to boast about it. Especially when it's not clear if you're alone."

Ah. Yeah. That did make sense. "Then why practice in a hangar with two dozen people around?"

She shrugged, and looked up. Eddie followed her sightlines and "wait is he gonna-" just as the figure that must be Steve launched himself off the edge of the open roof and towards them. He landed, he's leather jacket flapping behind him, and stood straight, grinning.

Robin laughed. "You'll give someone a heart attack one of these days, Steve."

"eh. No one's died so far."

Dustin smiled too "I'm getting pretty good at my controlled falls too! Oh, Steve, this is Eddie!"

And then Steve turned his gaze on Eddie, and his brain may have melted.

Steve looked like a spacer, windswept from the fall and leather jacket snug around his shoulders, two different holsters visible, his pants deliciously tight. He ran a hand through his hair, his antennapalps bobbing, and stuck it out for a shake.

"so, you're the great Eddie Munson Dustin hasn't shut up about? Good to meet you."

"mmhmm!" He forced his hand out to jerkily shake Steve's. Jeez. It was as though he'd never seen anyone beautiful before. His best friend was a Twilek dancer (and spy) for star's sake. He needed to get it together. Jedi didn't date, Eddie was pretty sure. Something about the force or power or devotion or something. He wasn't sure. He wasn't a Jedi. He wasn't a not-Jedi either.

Steve only smiled and turned back to Dustin. "So. Next time you need to let the Force flow. You're still trying to shove it, which never works. You direct it, like changing the course of a river."

"but not," Robin added seamlessly, and oh, wow, that was weird than you Chrissy "like a dam. Trying to block it won't give you strength. You're more..."

"using a log to ensure the water finds a different path."

"to go where you want it to go, do what you want it to do, without preventing it's natural flow."

"you guys are so annoying." Dustin huffed. "You know that? You can claim it's your Concordance of Fealty all you want but I know your freaky thing is not normal for it." He groaned. "But sometimes I feel when you guys, like, shape it. Change it. What the kark is that about? If I'm not supposed to dam it, how do I change it and use it like you do?"

Both grinned "We're older. Master the basics, we must, before attempting the advanced, young one." The voice Steve used was croaky, an impression.

Dustin pulled a face. "Don't quote Grandmaster Yoda at me!"

Robin and Steve laughed, leaning on each other. Suddenly, Eddie felt as though he was intruding. Though they hadn't told him to leave, they were sharing about...about a relative, Eddie guessed. Someone near to them and their almost-dead culture.

"I can quote him all I want, I drank enough of his atrocious tea to deserve it!"

"he's dead. You're going to sit here and insult your dead great-grandmaster, the last Grandmaster of the Order?"

Steve got Dustin in a headlock "while we mourn their loss, and acknowledge the pain of their untimely and unjust passing, we celebrate their memory. Yoda, the old frog, is one with the Force, and while I can wish for his guidance, I can also make fun of his vile cookies I had to eat at lineage dinners all I want."

"pretty sure they were barely considered edible for near-humans" Robin adds. She caught Eddie's eye, and winked. "Who's up for actually edible tea? Dustin can practice his fine control and pour for us.

Both Dustin and Steve groaned. "The kid is gonna spill all over us for fun, Bobbin."

Concept post Dustin discovers they're jedi

[tomatoluvr69]

Do you think the 22 year old army medic here at the fema/Red Cross disaster relief station is qualified to tell me that no the irregular and newly puffy mole on my back is not cancer and it’s ok to be going through a tough time and the way my father treated me as a child wasn’t my fault and something in me is not rotten and inherently repellent to love and that it’s going to be ok and yeah no that alarming mole isn’t cancer. Or are they mostly like cleaning up cuts and stuff

[jade-gemstone]

Sometimes I forget that bald Kaidou is an actual part of the disastrous life of Saiki K and not just an edit done by someone else.

[batsplat]

@matchvedev I'll find actual presser clips at some point, but here's jorge bringing up race bans at le mans 2013 (race after jerez)

and more mention of it after aragon 2013 (where marc caused dani to crash)

and in the context of assen 2015 (obviously not one of the instances where jorge brought it up, but still narratively kinda fun so I'm including it)

and for old time's sake, jorge did bring it up again after argentina 2018