#thank you for the question nonny!!!

[bonnieisaway]

Thoughts/interpretations of past seven? (⁎⁍̴̛ᴗ⁍̴̛⁎)

MY FAVORITE SUBJECT WAHOO! !!!!!!!!!

Okay I've said it like a lot in the past but I do not believe past Seven is different from the current Seven. I will DIE on this hill, they are the exact same person. There is no two different versions of Seven.

'past Seven' is often seen through the eyes of very unreliable narrators. It is very difficult to discern what is and isn't true about Seven, because in the past he was so outwardly emotionless that everybody else would project their own ideas onto him, so any assessments of his personality from Captain Jack and Redtooth are not actually factual. Green Phoenix is the most impartial in his retellings of past Seven, so we can only trust when other characters tell us about the EVENTS that happened, not about how they thought Seven felt.

With the preface, Seven is just as sympathetic and caring in the past as he was now. This is factual. We can learn this from three key things:

He refuses to fight outside of missions, and does not draw his blade unless his life is threatened.

He did not kill Ouyang Zang when he killed his master.

He did not kill the man from season 3, who recounts the story of when Seven was chased by all the killers in Xuanwu, and Seven noticed how scared he was and chose to walk past him.

From these we can gather he does not like killing, and he more often than not is spares people he does not need to kill, even if it is in the future, possibly detrimental to him. Both of the second points come back to bite him later in season three - and that is something he would have known could happen. Ouyang Zang is actively grieving when Seven notices him, but he is not a threat to his life, so he does not kill him.

And there's a pattern set of other assassins willing to kill any witnesses or people who do not, in the current moment, cause them any harm. The assassins that killed Thirteen's mother planned to kill them both - not only for the sake of trying to hurt her father, but they were willing to kill an innocent child. Manjusaka also murders three people in a restaurant for shit-talking Redtooth. Most assassins do not care to spare innocent bystanders or people that are bad mouthing them.

So we can reasonably assume that Seven is not like this, and does not like killing people senselessly. He only ever does it to survive. And that might not entirely sound like he's still an empathetic person - which I think it does but I'll be damned if I won't drive my point home - but we KNOW he is because he scarifies everything for the Girl in White.

Somebody who is ruthless, unfeeling, and a cold hearted murderer - as Seven is often painted as by other character - would have never crumbled for the Girl in White, because they never would have had a reason to. There would never be any empathy within them for her to set free. Seven walked into a trap and committed treason to save her life, for no discernable reason. It is the first time he has ever outwardly protected somebody. Seven, in his past state, has to be an empathetic and caring person in his heart, because only an empathetic and caring person would have put everything on the line to save her. The 'ruthless, unfeeling Shadow Killer' he is painted as has no reason to do this, and would never do this, because he understands the harms way he puts himself in doing this.

These previous instances, of him sparing people and only drawing his blade to protect his life or for a mission, are our first hints that he was not the person people believed him to be.

But then you ask, if he was an empathetic person, who never wanted this, then why did he become a Shadow Killer at all? And the simple answer is: He had to be.

Seven is fifteen years old when he joins the Shadow Killers. He has zero affiliations to any clan, family, or school, and the only other person we've ever seen from this part of his life, is an unnamed, unarmed woman who unexpectedly dies. Leaving Seven alone and fighting to survive for most of his life.

We know from Thirteen's backstory that children are not seen very empathetically in Xuanwu, at the very least, her mother's assassins were not afraid to kill her, too. And we've learned in several instances that the wildlife in Xuanwu is dangerous, there is an entire species of serpent people who shapeshift into humans to try and fucking eat you. It's also incredibly hard to make a living in Xuanwu, as we know from Meowcai, and the most lucrative, easy option is becoming an assassin. Seven is a child who is, presumably, living on his own. I think it is more than reasonable to assume that Seven ended up somehow on the path to be an assassin in order to survive, and he never left because there was nowhere else for him to go. So he grew up to learn to ignore his empathy and compassion because it would only get him killed, because it was nothing but a glaring weakness. So he always keeps a straight face, never lets anybody get close, does his job, and always masks his emotions. This bottles up inside of him up until the incident with the Girl in White, and then he cannot ignore it any longer and risks his life to save her, despite only ever being a killer, and never protecting anybody before.

Seven was always an empathetic person, and he grew up in an environment where he never could be. When he washed up on Chicken Island, he was nothing but his bare bone personality. His core personality never changed, just his environment, and his care free environment allowed him to be a more goofy, loving person than he ever could've been in the past. When people say Seven is 'reverting' to his past self in season four- he's not. He is the same person, in the same environment, who cannot afford, or have the time to be fun loving and goofy. That is why he is a doomed Shadow Killer. Not because he wants to be, or because it's in his nature to kill, but because he will always end up in this situation again, and he will have to resort to killing to protect himself once again. And that 'fun loving' part of his personality will never get to show, because he'll never feel safe enough to let it. Past Seven and Seven are the same person, just in different environments. Thanks for coming to my TEDTalk

[linkedin-offficial]

quick question about the slugcat yellow lizard fella what happens when they accidentally hurt their yellow lizards friends? Or in game you can't hurt your companions like maybe slugpups since I haven't played the game yet

good question!! honestly i would have originally written in that the fact that you cant hurt them is a thing, but that feels a bit boring. instead, the higher karma you have, the more they dont care about being attacked! basically, the more effort you put in, the less consequences will matter. a sort of reward for your hard work!

what this basically means is : high karma = being able to attack and kill yellow lizards as you please.

its sort of like disposable minions in a way ! of course, anyone who likes these beasts so much as to play saffron wouldnt dare to think of doing this .. would they?

[shannonsketches]

🥂 Ganondorf

Guess What!! I mixed memes

fancy dinner party + ship prompts

TFW you do not remember his voice being that deep last time you gossiped at a party

[shallowseeker]

A thing that always confuses me is how Jack was able to kill alternative Michael with only the power soul he got from Lily Sunders. Jack only got full power again after killing Michael and taking his grace.

Do you think it could be just Chuck making it easy in order to turn Jack into a soulless being and bring the whole moriah stuff to happen? Because someone with soul magic couldn't be able to kill a literal archangel so easily.

Oooooh, well-argued question. The latter is probably correct, but let's come up with something more fun for the in-story explanation...

One could argue that wielding a soul is sort of like wielding a weapon, dependant on the skill of the user.

We see characters like Henry Winchester tap into his soul to time-jump, but not to aid his battle prowess. He seems to use very little of his soul, as he says it'll take him two weeks to recover.

And of course, like you said, Lily Sunder taps into her soul to throw her weight around for battle. (Which seems to zap a lot more of it.)

Then, Jack. Jack appears to weave the soul-magic around his fingertips, like molding his soul comes almost second-nature.

I liken this a bit to Godstiel, too. If soul-power was easy to tap into, then I think Crowley would be throwing his weight around a Helluva LOT more, especially after he becomes King of Hell.

Instead, he genuinely appears to need Cas--i.e., a specialist--to serve as an attack dog (using the souls).

I think angels (Balthazar, Gadreel, etc.) seem more capable/adept at wielding souls (even if sometimes they explode their vessels by accident).

Which in turn serves as a good argument for Jack to either (a) have an innate angelic ability to wield his own soul or (b) be skilled at wielding it simply by nature of having to curtail and control the volatility of his angel grace throughout the course of his life.

///

EDIT the 2nd: It'd be cool to play with Sam and Dean not just being meant to be vessels...but perhaps fuel, too. Like perhaps the most adept angels can tap further into their vessels without the risk of exploding...

Ergo, some "perfect" vessels serve as potent souls to be drained. Ergo, that's why some archangel vessels get left as "drooling messes" afterward.

[spaceorphan18]

Yes or no:

You'd prefer to go to dinner with Chris Colfer and Luke Newton (as friendly threesome) than Darren Criss and Nicola Coughlan (another friendly threesome).

I have been fascinated by this question all day, Nonny. I'm sure you didn't realize the kind of question you were giving me, and it makes sense why anyone coming to my blog would pose the question this way. It seems like an obvious yes, right? No - it's way, way, way more complicated than that. Which is, in turn, why I'm so fascinated with the proposition.

I'm not under the assumption that anyone but myself cares about the answer or how I answer it, or even the fact that I've been kind of deep in thought about it and still can't really give you a definitive answer. But I've honestly been having fun making almost a philosophical quandary out of it.

I think if you look at these four actors individually, the obvious answer based on my blog, would be that if I was asked to go to dinner with one of them - I'd choose Chris.

It makes sense on a few different levels -- I've known of Chris for a very long time now. I've actually met him on multiple occasions. And, while I think one should never over self-identify with a celebrity, I do think Chris and I would have the most in common, and probably (possibly) think the most alike.

But I have a few caveats to this automatic assumption. If you asked me who am I the most comfortable with, individually, I might give you a different answer.

Nicola seems like the kindest soul. I would love to go to dinner with her. We're also close(st) in age and just the fact that she's a woman does put me at ease slightly over the guys.

Darren, meanwhile, makes for an excellent conversationalist. He would also, possibly, be the warmest of the four and do more of the social heavy lifting.

Luke, almost by default, ends up at the bottom of the individual list. Adding to possible social awkwardness is the fact that I know nearly zero things about the guy. I mean, I've known (of) Chris (and Darren) for nearly fifteen years now. And even Nicola I knew of from Derry girls. I didn't even know who Luke was five months ago. Add on top of that the fact that, while these are all incredibly attractive people, Luke might be the one I'm most attracted to? Ooff, talk about my social anxiety being high.

So, if you look at individual comfort level, the pairing of Nicola and Darren makes more sense, and therefore the answer might be 'no' to Nonny's original prompt.

But it does lead me to another interesting question -- why is Nonny's original assumption to a 'yes' a Chris and Luke pairing? While it's very well documented that Kurt is my favorite Glee character, it may not be as obvious, but Colin is not my favorite Bridgerton character. Penelope is. So is the automatic assumption, then, I'd go to dinner with those I'm more physically attracted to over not?

It's so curious.

I mean, Nonny, I won't lie - when I first opened this ask, my initial, gut reaction was -- oh, yup. Yes, that makes sense. And then I started down the rabbit hole of introspection.

If we paired them up differently, there's always an obvious choice for me.

Chris and Nicola (over Darren and Luke), yup, sign me up. That would be hilarious and fun (and maybe my most ideal pairing for dinner). (Though I can see Darren and Luke getting along pretty well? And I just don't think it'd be that awkward.)

Chris and Darren (over Nicola and Luke), yeah familiarity is going to win out on that one. (Also, omg, how intrusive would it feel to spend time with Nicola and Luke?)

My point is that Chris seems to be the key factor here. I do always come back to Chris. I always want to come back to Chris. So, maybe Chris is the one I'd feel the most comfortable with. Which also gets me thinking...

What would a conversation between Chris and Luke be like? I have no idea. Darren and Nicola -- I can see it. I can see the dynamic and see what it would be like, and no doubt, it'd be a lot of fun. But Chris and Luke? What is that conversation? I'm now incredibly curious. And I mean, let's take social anxiety out of it. Maybe it's professional - and a lot of my anxiety is alleviated on a professional level. This particular pairing I have no idea what will happen, and that is fascinating.

And now I'm back to 'yes' on Nonny's original question.

We've come full circle.

Do you see why, now, I couldn't just answer the question? My own psychological make up -- my tendency to overanalyze and ponder every angle has prevented me from giving what should be a very simple answer to a silly prompt. Which probably says more about me than the an actual answer to the question.

[teddybeartoji]

hey, uh, fellow anxiety sufferer with maybe helpful advice? hopefully?? feel free to ignore if this doesn't vibe with you!

so, my anxiety has gotten a LOT better over the years. like, a lot. but when it was more frequent, i would get chest tightness too and i hated it.

so, what i basically learned is that the physiological reason you feel that tightness is because your brain has responded to your anxious state by producing two hormones, namely adrenaline and cortisol.

the fun thing about these hormones? they don't really dissipate if you sit around. other hormones? to my knowledge, yeah. these guys? no. no, they often get worse.

that's probably why it's bad when you're at home, if you're not doing too much physically. sitting when your anxiety is high can backfire if you're being pumped with adrenaline.

the adrenaline is there to get you up and moving to escape danger. it wants you to move.

the cortisol is the the body's stress response. it will turn off your body's ability to relax, and it will continue to do so until you get rid of it.

so, by sitting around and trying to relax to lessen it? usually makes it worse. like. super worse, potentially.

now, breathing exercises and mindfulness are really helpful! for sure! gentle exercise is pretty good when it's low-mid levels of anxiety. walking and aerobic exercise are good for those moments.

i try to walk around 30 minutes a day (if i can fucking time crunch it), and it's been helpful for me, honestly.

the thing about "oh, you should exercise more" people would tell you when i was struggling really kind of ticked me off (because, hey, there's a lot more to it than that!) and kind of made me more reluctant to exercise, honestly.

however, once i figured out what i enjoyed doing and that it was really just for me? yeah, i liked it.

my best advice, perhaps, is for when the chest pain gets really bad. if you ever feel like you're going to have a panic attack and you want to avoid one, the best thing you can do is REALLY INTENSE EXERCISE.

LIKE. DROP AND GIVE ME OVER 9000!!!!

seriously, just drop and do as many push ups if you can. can't do push ups, make it easier by laying on your knees or performing something that's more comfortable to you.

also, if you can, run. specifically, LIKE YOU'RE BEING CHASED BY A BEAR. just GO FOR IT.

because the adrenaline is specifically designed to make you run away like you're running from a fucking bear. by doing so, you cut down on the adrenaline, and your body feels like it has successfully escaped the imaginary bear that is threatening you. and it calms down.

so you calm down.

do whatever strenuous activity you can really intensely until you can't anymore or just feel done, and after you catch your breath, the feeling should be lessened.

otherwise, a different avenue to try may be intense distraction. like, not lowkey distraction like watching tv. something that requires a lot of attention. try doing a really hard puzzle, quizzing yourself on subjects you like, whatever really actively engages your mind.

a combo of physical and mental engagement might be helpful, too. whatever feels good or works for you. the tightness can be really annoying (or distressing when you're not feeling great), but there are things to be done for it! the tightness can get better, and with attention, it likely will. go for it!

moral of the story: RUN LIKE A FUCKING LUNATIC IF IT MAKES YOU FEEL BETTER!!!

NONNIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!1111111 YOU ARE AN ANGEL SENT FROM HEAVENNNN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! me a proper homebody watching you say that just sitting around won't do me any good O . O lmao NO BUT BUT BUT THIS IS VERY GOOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i've been thinking about doing yoga again,, okay it's not very intense per se but i feel like that would still probably help right.. ?

and goddd i actually really fucking love running!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! not that i'm any good at it but it's so fucking fun lmao i do have some . things that keep me from doing it though that always just sound like i'm trying to look for excuses and i fucking hate that i wish i could just put on running clothes and just go and do it .

YOU DID JUST REMIND ME THAT I HAVE A JUMPING ROPE THOUGH THAT'S ALSO SMTH I USED TO DO A LOT AND I LOVED ITTTTT i think i've been taking steps back lmao i think i've lost the progress i managed to make a few years ago sighhh this is good though this post this ask. it feels like a very needed gentle bonk on the head hgsdhgadhgashg SO THANK YOUUUUU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I AM KISSING YOU SOOO SOOO SWEETLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ILYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[no-stupid-questions-official]

Not a question, just sending love to the mod. Thanks for running this blog <3

<3

[takami-takami]

All time favorite picture of Hawks? Gotta pick one. GO!!!

AAAAAAAHHHHH YOU CAN'T ASK ME THIS I HAVE SO MANY—

Funny answer is this one:

Real answer is this one:

[mollywog]

What’s it like being married?? How long have you been married? Do you ever get sick of your husband and wish you lived alone?

Hey nonny!!

I’ve been married for 11 years!

We met in college - I was friends with his roommate and we ended up opting for a suite with a handful of people. His roommate built up the lore around him, but we didn’t meet until move-in day - he has a very distinct voice and I remember my roommate and I walking away from the interaction thinking - I have no idea what that guy said, but it was awesome!

Anyways. I feel like we’ve been living together so long it’s hard to remember not living together (marriage didn’t change much).

My husband did overnight field work early on and I would look forward to nights were I would eat salsa for dinner and stay up late painting nails and watching shows he couldn’t stand.

The bigger change was going from the two of us to having children.

Ask me anything

[just-a-whumping-racoon-with-wifi]

sooo I have some questions about mason becuase he seems like a really interesting character. Also it was kind of funny how he’s fine with beating up or electrocuting a pet but the second someone lets them go online or gives them slightly lax rules, he’s like oh no this poor sweetheart, this is so sad😞 . Would he punish a pet for panicking a lot or getting freaked out easily? Or what if a pet was transgender? Would he tell them they were just being silly or would he actually listen to them? What if a pet saved his life? Would he be grateful?

Thank you for the interest!! Mason is what I like to call an evil therapist with a HEALTHY dose of condescension.

Would he punish a pet for panicking/freaking out easily?

Not necessarily, it depends on why the pet is scared. If there is something genuinely stressful going on (getting a new owner, tension in the home, medical, even something like a thunderstorm) he would not punish them. In his mind, that is not willful disobedience. They are scared, they are stressed, and pets are simple creatures that struggle to regulate themselves. That is part of the owners job. If the panic stems from like a panic disorder, Mason is incredibly sympathetic of that. He would train the pet with calming exercises they can use and suggest medication if needed.

If he gets the vibe the panic is an act of manipulation, that will be punished.

What if a pet saved his life? Would he be grateful?

Very! But it wouldn’t change anything. You know those news stories of dogs dragging children out of fires or cats alerting parents that the child was having a medical emergency? He’d see it like that. He’d absolutely thank the pet and do an interview on the news but in the end the pet is still just a pet.

And this one was a fascinating question Nonny!!! I did put it under the cut because of some transphobia, however I mostly just talk about gender in my worldbuilding. Perhaps gatekeeping or delusion is a better term but the end result is transphobia so I’m gonna warn as such.

What if a pet was transgender? Would he tell them they’re just being silly or actually listen to them?

It should be emphasized again that Mason does not believe pets are human. He does not think they are people. You cannot change his mind, he is stuck in this delusion.

… you know what. I don’t think Mason believes pets know what gender is. In a way he sees them as toys or dolls, and he is the one making decisions about what they wear. If he thinks Rudy would look cute in a dress he’d just buy Rudy a dress. Rudy does not get a choice in what he’s wearing, not in any meaningful way.

If a pet (for some reason lmao) came to him and said they’re trans, he might laugh and say “from what?” He’d also ask where they even heard that and likely dismiss it as “that’s something for humans. You don’t need to worry about it.”

I mean, also in this world I’ve created literally what WOULD gender mean to a pet? There are no specific gender roles or expectations- they’re all just pets. And sterile. There’s no social influence of how they’re supposed to be acted based on their assigned gender at birth. Oh for sure they have expectations but they’re all based on their “class” for a lack of a better term.

Fuck me my ocs should have way more weirdness with their gender identity after being freed. That would be so bonkers to go from a world where it doesn’t exist to where it dictates everything.

(Also in the end this still ends up having a lot of my own feeling and opinions about gender in it. Your characters are the biggest fucking snitches every time. Honestly I have tussled with gender specific stuff for a while but it’s mostly based in religious trauma. I’m trying to sort it out but it’s a complicated ever changing messy thing. Idk. Slowly chipping away at it. I’m saying this to be transparent and as a plea to not be abrasive. I don’t expect it but I am fucking delicate sometimes and need to explicitly explain why I do or think the things I do. Is this too raw for a post on tumblr.com about my silly little ocs? Yes absolutely. Should i delete this part? yes. Will I?)

[uniiiquehecrt]

Why is it a cosmic problem that the Asgardian bloodline will end with Thor? Asgard is no more - what we have is a nonmagical place on Earth where Asgardians live. When Asgard doesn't exist, who cares that there will be no heirs. The current ruler is someone to whom King Thor just gave the rulership. That's how every ruler will be made now - anyone the current ruler gives it to. Or maybe they start holding elections. Make it democratic.

They don't need heirs now. And Thor will die alone in a ditch. It doesn't matter anymore. Taika has made it so that everything in Thor's world is insignificant now. But this is a happy ending.

I... genuinely can't entirely tell if you're being sarcastic, nonny, or if this is a genuine question that perhaps I may be misreading... (and if I have, do feel free to send a follow up and correct me)

but there's quite a many problem with the royal bloodline ending with Thor from an in-universe standpoint, just as well as the trajectory of Asgard's fate from Ragnarok and Endgame onward is an insult to the worldbuilding of Earth-199999's Asgard and the Nine Realms.

There's a couple of different ways you could slice my statement and I would still argue that what I've said can be seen as true. But I'll go through the wide range of elements in your ask to best illustrate the broader strokes of my point.

but TL;DR:

Ultimately you answered your own question, and that's the best way to boil down the travesty of it all:

Q: Why is it a cosmic problem that the Asgardian bloodline will end with Thor? A: Taika has made it so that everything in Thor's world is insignificant now.

Not only this, but Thor is the lastoline of the royal family. Before which, there only existed himself, and his father, Odin. He is the last of a subspecies of alien on par with other massively powerful aliens like Titans and I would wager, potentially even more mortal Celestials like Ego. He's a being who can generate storms just because he's miffed. Once Thor is dead and gone, there will NEVER be an Asgardian who is more than just your usual 'super-strength, super-speed, super-endurance' humanoid looking alien. There will NEVER be an Asgardian with the ability to summons storms and have lightning flow through his veins.

Hela had dominion over life and death, Thor is effectively a living, breathing, walking, talking tempest, Odin can be inferred to have some kind of 'order' seeking affinity. Who knows about MCU Bor and Buri. They are INCREDIBLY ancient, and powerful beings. If MCU Asgardians are to MCU humans what D&D elves are to D&D humans, then Thor is to Asgardians what an eladrin elf is to normal elves.

And we are watching – have already watched, even, — that incredibly powerful, incredible RARE sub-species of asgardian effectively be driven to extinction.

Just think about that for a second.

(the rest has been put under a cut because this answer got long, and for that I apologize ... mostly.)

Asgard is no more - what we have is a nonmagical place on Earth where Asgardians live.

Yes. This. This is quite actually the crux of the problem of this choice. The most beautiful and compelling aspect of the MCU in Phase 1 in particular is the prospect of an alternative universe out there where, to quote Jane Foster, "magic is just science that hasn't been explained yet". A world where superheroes truly can exist and aren't cartoonishly corny as superhoes used to be depicted... I'll say pre!Raimi Spider-Man era. (Though.. the Goblin's costume is still pretty goofy.)

What made Thor stand out as an individual hero within the Avengers (both the team, and the 2012 feature), and what made him so compelling to quite a many fans new, old, or casual, was that Thor is magical. He comes from a place where magic and science are the same thing. His whole world is ethereal and timeless, it's vast and expansive, and because it's inspired by real world norse mythology — of which is itself a rich and fascinating study in and of itself — there are a thousand different directions he could be taken.

I may be speaking partly for myself, but he also further ropes in a fantasy-centric audience such as myself who largely enjoy high-fantasy, medieval inspirations, tales of chivalry, hope, love, adventure, magic, timeless knights and princes — Dark World in particular has him acting quite a bit like your typical idea of a chivalrious, regal, stately prince or honorable knight who is virtuous and kind, and who protects those who can't protect themselves.

And that's just a single aspect of what made him so unique. What made him so unbelievably lovely. Thor is lovely, and Thor is magical. His family, friends, world, and people are magical.

But as of RAGNAROK, the realm he hails from was destroyed before our eyes before we got to truly know anything about it.

As of ENDGAME and LOVE AND THUNDER, the people and culture of asgard that remain has been so watered down that they dared to make New Asgard a tourist attraction in some rinky-dink nowhere backwater coastal town no different than Puente Antiguo, New Mexico where Thor first crash-landed in the first film.

Asgard used to be on par with, if not even more intriguing and full of mystery, than Wakanda, the earthen monarchy. Now it's a tourist trap that ... for some reason has "infinity gauntlet" ice cream in the heart of the town of a people devastated by Thanos twice.

The current ruler is someone to whom King Thor just gave the rulership. That's how every ruler will be made now [...] They don't need heirs now.

Potentially unpopular opinion (?) but I have so many issues with the decision to give Lady Valkyrie Thor's birthright that it could take an entire 10 paragraph essay for me to fully delve into all of the issues.

In short:

To say Valkyrie had a character beyond "traumatized alcoholic with a chip on her shoulder" is ... generous at best. That's not a diss, that is entirely factual. I could not tell you what her Want vs. Need is, or her character goal, or her motivations, or why she bothered to suddenly help Thor (re: lack of motivations) because she never took any action with any real agency in RAGNAROK that wasn't spurred on by Loki. ....Off screen.

I also don't think that the woman who had spent over 1,500 years MINIMUM running away from her home and her people, festering bitterness, spite and hatred towards the royal line, and who never actually respected Thor in the first place because of who his father is should have been honored the title of King. She did not deserve that. Both in general, and as a character who frankly just did not get enough screentime to really be SHOWN caring for her people, atoning for her absence and otherwise supporting, caring for, and working alongside Thor. Had she actually been shown doing any of the above in a substantial amount of screentime, perhaps then I might have felt differently, as if she earned the position more than Thor who has spent 2 solo movies (not counting RAGNAROK) earning his place as a future leader. This is likewise not entirely counting his O.S. actions of maintaining peace under his authority between Avengers and Dark World, and his personal search for the Infinity Stones post!Age of Ultron.

Valkyrie is powerful, yes, but she is ultimately still NOT an Asgardian Royal. And to your point about "this is how every ruler will be made now" — Heimdal aside, NO OTHER ASGARDIANS have special powers. It is EXCLUSIVE to Odin's bloodline. (Frigga is a practicing witch and these are two incredibly different things, since Loki was taught his magic, not born with it.) This is a GLARING worldbuilding issue further highlighted down below, but the tl;dr of it is: the only reason why Earth has been largely untouched and the Nine Realms kept safe in isolation despite the constant going-ons of the other galaxies in the universe is BECAUSE of the royal line. Odin isn't kidding around when he says he (and his bloodline) are protectors of the Nine Realms. Valkyrie is most certainly able to try, but at the end of the day she's NEVER going to be able to get through very many galactic battles without ultimately calling on Thor for assistance at the end of the day. And when her time is up? Or when Thor is finally dead and gone? There goes your ace in the hole.

But more than that, thinking about it semi-realistically from a worldbuilding perspective:

It's quite literally a cosmic problem in that there is now a galactic power imbalance. MCU!Thor comes from a version of Marvel's world where the there aren't literal gods, but there are aliens. Tons of aliens. All with varying powers and proportions and what-have-you-not. More specifically: power humanoid aliens from a realm called Asgard, that in Earth-199999 inspired the entirety of the Norse mythos of the viking age.

These aliens, governed by the ruling monarch of the realm eternal, also govern over 8 additional realms— which for all we know could range from a territory that is a singular planet (vanaheim, asgard), to potentially an entire solar system (earth and its solar system). BOTH options nine times over marks an absolutely incredible empire for a singular species of alien to claim complete control and territory over.

But they were not only able to obtain this territory but continue to safeguard it under Asgardian protection because the royal family is gifted incredible power (Thor, for instance, can change the atmosphere out of sheer mindless emotion not to mention conscious thought), and have secured and/or subdued multiple infinity stones throughout the millenia (the aether/reality stone, the tesseract/mind stone, thor has also personally endured a power stone directly to the temple, for instance), and have maintained peace for a MINIMUM of a thousand years beneath Odin's reign as All-Father, Protector of the Nine Realms.

So, if the royal family governs its own pocket dimension planet, AND maintains peace and prosperity by personally safeguarding the territories itself and of eight additional realms, all with a variety of other alien species, ecosystems, solar systems, galactic quadrants, etc. ...Who are also KNOWN to be fierce and proud warriors who have likewise safeguarded ancient and powerful alien relics the likes of the tesseract/mind stone for hundreds if not thousands of years — and you take this long-lived warrior race out of their own equation...?

We're talking potential outbreaks of a new age of war the likes of those talked about in Thor (2011), in-fighting amongst the Nine Realms, invasions from outside realms of conquesting species, so on and so forth. Without Asgard and specifically a Royal Asgardian at the seat of power to maintain the balance of what has been built, (and i specify a ROYAL asgardian, aka Thor's line, because his bloodline is the only asgardian bloodline with the raw power to maintain and preserve everything long-term), well, you've effectively started a cosmic power vacuum — even if the MCU likely will never bother to explore the consequences of it.

Slight sidebar (albeit still mostly related), but:

Quite frankly one of the funniest aspects of Thor's relationships with Nick Fury and the humans that are equally as worked up about aliens existing, pointing their fingers at Thor as an example of their right to be wary (and eventually Loki and the Chutari, though those are more earned) is that they are effectively minimum-wage fast-food employees bad-mouthing he who is essentially the up-and-coming Chairman of the metaphorical "Yggdrasil's Nine Realms Fast Food Chain" without realizing who he actually is.

(Which, viewing through that lens makes the Avengers Nick Fury scene and the Tony Stark Age of Ultron scene even more hilarious despite the eventual coming of Thanos, because Thor, bless him, doesn't take ...much... offense to it until the bad-blood becomes over-bloated and geared towards the violent. RE: "My people want nothing but peace with your planet." / "Your work with the tesseract is what drew Loki to it, and his allies. It is a signal to all the realms that the earth is ready for a higher form of war.")

For all of the drama of MCU Phases 1-3, realistically speaking, Midgard is low enough on the hierarchy of Asgard's protected territories that not only would it not be targeted first by Asgard's enemies (or other conquesting alien species), but even if it WAS to be targeted, or if Asgard was in its own fit of warfare ... Earth wouldn't even know it in the first place because THAT is how good at their jobs the Asgardians are. Earth, despite being SURROUNDED by alien activity and having even been in possession of multiple infinity stones at a time throughout history, not ONCE realized that (other) aliens existed out there... during the entirety of the 1,000-some years of peace that Odin so often talked about.

[thereigning-lorelai]

Is there a tiny detail (whether in outfits, songs, dialogue, set decor, acting choices, etc.) from jatp that makes you giddy every time you see it?

lots, tbh, but as always with these questions i am BLANKING while reading it. 😅

okay. *long breaths* a couple i've talked about in the past: luke grabbing a new guitar pick while performing now or never is definitely always on my list. it's so tiny but adds a level of authenticity to luke as a character and his performance. very, very soft whenever i watch the show. also julie's "someone once told me you book gigs by doing" and luke's incredibly soft and small smile in return. 😍

additionally, the way luke's hand travels down julie's arm when they're finally able to touch. the way he lingers there and his thumb's stroking her wrist when his hand's finally made its way down...

the way they are not. letting. go. as soon as they are able to touch each other. ugh.

and another one because why not: the way luke's hiding from the crowd in front of the orpheum because to him, the connection he wants with everybody is about the music, on stage. it's not about him. it's about his words and his melodies reaching the people and making them feel something, making a difference. (and no, this is not contradicting the way he's angry at bobby for stealing his songs because wanting the credit, on a professional level, is still important to him. he just wants it to stay professional.)

[yorshie]

that Mikey one shot HURT Jesus great job tho! Love your stuff

*sigh* poor Mike. thank god his brothers heard the commotion, huh? no telling what could have happened if Raph hadn't grabbed him.

[cxpperhead]

Do you ever wonder what it would be like being a more dangerous sort of snake? Like an Eastern Diamondback, that's the most venomous snake in America.

"Not particularly. The Eastern Diamondback may indeed be America's largest and most dangerous breed of snake but I assure you, my venom is quite different from that of the great rattlesnakes and actual copperheads." Copperhead shrugged. He wasn't cross about it - in fact, it was an interesting question to say the least and he had to admit, he had wondered once or twice what it would have been had he taken after a different sort of snake instead. Rattlesnakes were notorious of course, and there were other kinds that were just as dangerous too such as coral snakes, even if they didn't sound quite as snappy as his current moniker. "My only issue with being a rattlesnake, had I been born as one, would be that lovely little rattle they're oh so well-known for. If you've ever come across one, you know just how loud they can be. I couldn't imagine how much more difficult having one would make my job, more potent venom or not." Not that he'd never had a problem with his venom. It was potent enough, delivering paralysis within moments upon injecting it into another's bloodstream, rendering them incapacitated but conscious enough to hear, see and feel everything he was about to do to them...

"Besides, it's quite beneficial not having my prey hear me coming."

[nine-steps-forward]

Hello 9SF,

What is your opinion on the great problem? Do you feel there is even any point to solving it?

9SF: Ah, this question...

9SF If we are talking purely literally, then yes there is a point, and that point is to solve it for the sole reason that it is not solved. That fact that the solution (in a vacuum excluding any attachment to the problem given to us by our creators) remains a mystery is reason enough to want to solve it.

9SF: My personal opinion is...

9SF: well-

9SF *Sigh*

9SF: Is it bad to say I view it as a secondary goal? I don't particularly feel the attachment that many others (including those in my own local group) have to it. I do not view it as my main purpose, that is not to say that I do not care nor that I do not try over and over to solve it, I do. I just-

9SF: I do want to find the solution.

9SF: But that search doesn't consume me.

[tj-crochets]

Sorry if this is a bit out of left field since we’re moved on to the deciding the pattern part of the birthday quest, but I was curious if you had any patterns in mind for a messenger bag in the event that it won? I’ve always wanted a nice one, but I never thought of making one myself until I saw it in your poll

Hey! It's not out of left field at all, I love talking about patterns! I don't have a pattern for one yet, but I will be either sharing a link to one or just drafting one myself in the short-to-medium term, because I want to make my nieces some messenger bags for rock collecting. It'll depend on if I find a pattern I like or if I find my old denim messenger bag I drew all over that I think is still in my closet somewhere? I loved that thing, it's my personal default of what I think a messenger bag looks like