#the expanse season 4

[zaffiri-saffici]

Can we just….talk about this scene for a second please because I am having a right freak out. Before Chrisjen enters the UN SG office where this scene takes place, Arjun told her he will stay on Earth rather than join her on Luna and walks away. The whole convo with Arjun is so cold (I don’t know if it was just the actor’s choice but there was no love there after the damage was done from her campaign. He also decided to be involved so buddy, you kind of have to accept the consequence of that choice for your wife) and Chrisjen is rightly hurt by it. She feels their marriage is strained. Actually, she knows it is. And who knows how long she’ll be on Luna separated from him. I think she questions at this point when the next time will be that she sees him. Simultaneously, she just lost to Gao and though defeated, sends her off with a message of advice (the “I believe it’s you but I hope it’s me” thing needs a whole separate post, it’s so good). So we find Chrisjen, post-Arjun convo, post advice send-off, at a low point in her life personally and professionally in the same office, and all of a sudden the tone of this scene shifts. And I really have to thank the costume department for putting her in this elaborate, silk gold nighty and furry robe (and barefoot???) for this whole sequence because in spite of all this and the vulnerability we see on screen, the woman is a fucking rock. She is a rock that weathers any and all storms, and she is layered — and she is a lion, and a lion that endures even the harshest of droughts. And there’s hope because then here comes Bobbie Draper. Bobbie who at this point is so lost (bby girl I’m so sorry about your dreams of water on Mars please accept this hug from all of us). Her whole identity, everything she believed in for Mars, is shattered. Like someone took a piece of her and ripped it away and she has no idea what to do, or how to cope. She’s learned how corrupt Mars is and it has put her on a path of destruction, tested her moral code, and taken her to some pretty dark places. And at her lowest, instinctually, when there might be some inkling of hope, she reaches out to Chrisjen to share it with. And of course it’s Chrisjen, when she’s also at an emotional low in her life. And of course it’s Bobbie; it can only ever be Bobbie coming to her rescue. That’s just what they do for each other. They save each other. And excuse me, I know I’m gay as shit but….LOOK at the way Chrisjen walks towards the screen as she listens to Bobbie’s video message. This is a recorded message, we know it’s not live, so Chrisjen knows Bobbie can’t see what she’s doing BUT - the woman stalks towards Bobbie like the fucking lioness she is on a prowl. Why do that? What is the purpose of this walk if not to demonstrate her intrigue and interest in Bobbie in a deepe way than we’ve already seen on screen? Chrisjen never walks without a purpose. The woman is intentionality in human form. And here her steps are calculated, slow, evaluating — her arms are open at her side gripping the edges of her robe… fuck, they’re longing as she listens to her message. And of all things and in all the ways Bobbie can lay up the information she’s gathered, Bobbie tells her she needs her. Bobbie tells her as much as she tries to convince herself, that they need each other. And Bobbie’s voice is timid and unsure, but as much as there is loss on her face - a loss of Mars and home - you see her pondering something like maybe home is with you too. Maybe home is Chrisjen and the hope she has for them to succeed together, and what they can maybe build though they’re worlds apart. And Chrisjen responds to an empty room, “Bobbie, your timing sucks.” Like Bobbie, I need you too, I think I need you more than you know in a way I am having difficulty coming to terms with. And I just can’t stop thinking about this whole thing and Bobbie’s small but mighty words, and Chrisjen’s purposeful, barefoot strides, and “I think we need each other.” And I’m sorry, but this is queer as shit and I’m here for it.

[livesinyesterday]

"We have enough problems already without you agitating the Inners." "Well, they like humiliating us."

-- Klaes Ashford (The Expanse s.4)

[philosopherking1887]

Yes, favorite line! Then Amos says, completely seriously, "It's good advice."

(And then they proceed to put their dicks in it)

I love how foul-mouthed Avasarala is.

[plague-of-insomnia]

Expansion In Black Butler, Public School Arc Anime: Stained Glass

One of the things that absolutely delights me with the new anime is how they’ve used expansion to bring the world to life. I hope to do more posts on this when I am able to get better screenshots, so for now please accept these poor quality ones I took with my phone.

What is “expansion” in this sense?

Essentially, when you adapt something for the screen, you often have to add stuff to fill space, both in the physical sense of what’s on the screen, but also in terms of time. A scene might work fine on one manga page, but if you kept the view fixed like that for an entire scene in an anime or live action, the audience would quickly lose interest.

The anime has done a good job of expanding to fill these spaces in a way that can be charming and clever.

~#~

Something I noticed while rewatching the episode for the twenty millionth time, I realized that the stained glass window that is featured so prominently in the opening scene has been expanded into something with far more symbolism than the original manga page:

The basic design of the room and window is retained, but far more detail has been added, including the fact that the window has two halves, each with a person depicted on them, and they frame Ciel on both sides.

He’s quite literally trapped in shadow between two people, and to me, this is representative of how he is caught between Sebastian and Undertaker/His twin. (Or perhaps one is meant to be RC and one UT, with Seb the shadow in between.)

But there’s more. The top window has a flower motif, but the central flower looks a lot like a star, or perhaps a lily if it were spread out flat?? Additionally, the four flowers of the Weston houses appear in each corner.

Additionally, the window has distinctive doves above and below the saints. While ofc that is a common animal in Christian iconography, the fact that the reapers use pigeons (doves) to communicate, and the fact that UT is a former reaper, could mean this was a very deliberate choice. Perhaps representing how reapers communicate to their superiors (there are images of a man and woman at the top I assume is meant to represent Jesus and Mary)?

The images of the saints feel very familiar to me, but I’m such a lapsed Catholic that I’ve been struggling to identify them.

I thought perhaps that the one on the left could be Frances of Assisi. He’s the patron saint of animals, and is often associated with birds.

The other, I am really unsure about. I thought about things like St. Paul or Augustine, but those don’t fit.

Perhaps St Lazarus? For those of you unfamiliar with Christian mythos, Lazarus died and came back to life, so he’s associated with resurrection. That would certainly fit kuro and Undertaker, wouldn’t it?

A few depictions of stained glass windows featuring St Frances and St Lazarus:

[home-and-having-tea]

I haven't watched a thing of it in years but does anyone else miss how good Umbrella Academy used to be. Does anyone remember actually enjoying the show when Season 2 came out. When they actually built on the plot and fixed things that the audience majorly disliked and built good emotional relationships and cool powers. And then fucked up every cool fun enjoyable emotional thing they did in Season 3 and 4

[thesimsbaddie]

Johnson Family Home

Download

[always-tilting-at-windmills]

[tinkkles]

I am pretty sure I've made this exact post before but I think it's sooooo funny how much people like to complain about the "don't over-deliver, you're creating patterns" gdc talk while also complaining that the reason destiny 2 is """bad""" now is because they are delivering a consistent level of content that steadily improves instead of every season getting exponentially bigger and better than the last like do you hear yourself bestie

[mirandaputsherbestbuttforward]

Why is Naomi still with Holden like she has way more ACTUAL chemistry with Camina?????

[realmofstupid]

The Expanse watchers, what is the general opinion on the Miller and Julie arc? Do you think it was creepy and dehumanizing of Miller to have feelings for her, or do you think the way the plot went about it subverted it? What with a great part of it being the protomolecule's influence, and all.

[rainbowangel110]

*playing through the first quest of the Nine Colored Deer season*

Narration: The Child was scared.

Me trying to hide from krill on 0 light: Oh, really?! You don't say??!?? I couldn't imagine why?!?

[petrichor430]

I’m seeing Destiny 2 content on my Twitter dash a lot recently, and I have no idea why. I escaped from that hell years ago and now it’s grasping hands reach out at me from the earth to pull me back down into the flaming pits of a repetitive live-service game past it’s prime but I won’t go back, not now, not ever.

[hotchocolateandpillowforts]

I'm almost done making dinner so I'm setting up to watch The Expanse while I eat. Hmm, I wonder what this episode is about ...

[philosopherking1887]

Uh oh... is there A Thing between Amos and Clarissa?

My latest "Expanse" crush is Camina Drummer (played by Cara Gee). I love her accent, I love her eye makeup and tattoos, I love her bitchy attitude.

[satanicspeaks]

EEE hit season 4 of the expanse and slow zone crisis has occurred. One of my favourite books of the series. Sad to see such a fast development and not a lot of new characters, but from a TV show perspective it makes sense. They don’t have a whole season to build up this plot and that’s okay.

Slay for drummer being in such a big part of the Behemoth