#Science and Ethics in Film | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

takosan · 9 months ago

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Bondrewd has been living rent free in my head since I watched Dawn of the Deep Soul.

I know I am super late to this fandom but he is suuuuch an interesting character. I think the best way to understand Bon’s relationship with Prushka and even Nanachi is that love, manipulation, pain, and sacrifice are all intertwined for him. Bon is definitely a monster of the abyss in his own right and nothing about his actions is ethical or right. I couldn’t sympathize with him but I am so intrigued by how he is written.

As a scientist, his experiments remind me of J. Marion Sims, who experimented on enslaved Black women without anesthesia and was widely considered the “father” of modern gynecology. Also reminded of Nazi advancements in rocket technology during WW2 that eventually allowed America to send humans to the moon. Sometimes the triumphant ends of science are memorialized and the unethical means to get there are forgotten. I’m not saying this justifies Bon’s actions but that MIA is pointing out this reality of scientific advancements. The other white whistles and black whistles and possibly more people are aware of his experiments in Ido Front so it’s not like he’s doing this secretly.

I think Bon’s character makes a lot more sense too when you see him as more than a scientist. I see him almost as a kind of priest, with science used as a way to understand and get closer to the (mysteries of the) abyss (the higher being). There’s a spiritual slant to his character: his scientific base is located in Ido Front which is an old ritual site, his white whistle is clasped hands (praying, beseeching), he coined the term “blessing” (when he could have used any other scientific term for that process/effect). When he sees the children off on their last dive at the end of the film, all the umbra hands are repeating the clasped hands gesture. They are all standing witness to the children departing on a journey from which return is not possible. Bon himself raises his arms, with palms up, in a gesture of benediction. This gesture, unless I am wrong, can both be for giving a benediction and receiving a benediction but I see it here as Bon praying for and over the children as an intermediary for/of the abyss.

The furry Bon infact explicitly gave Nanachi his own blessing for their onward journey with his dying words (“May your journey overflow with curses and blessings”). The word “benediction” itself means “speak well” and that is exactly what furry Bon does with his last words. There’s a lot of spiritual touches to his character. (See also the closing song of the film at the bottom of the post which I am convinced is about Bon.) Also human sacrifices are a facet of some spiritual practices and that is exactly what Bon has been doing… He also sacrificed HIMSELF to make his white whistle. Even his body is not above his overall goals. There’s an odd selflessness to that action when every other white whistle was presumably made based on sacrificing someone else.

I am also struck that he didn’t practice his usual slice, cut, chop on Nanachi AFTER they got the blessing. Or if there was some of that (because it is Bon and surely he ran tests on Nanachi), it was nothing that would leave Nanachi mutilated or scarred or physically altered, or well, dead. Because that’s how most children end up in his care. I think he sees Nanachi with some degree of reverence (as the “blessed” with a special vision for the “curse”, which Bon himself has been looking in on) and perhaps their body cannot be desecrated? That he asks Nanachi to return to work with him again, again, and again is interesting even if it is illusion of choice because Bon doesn’t ask much of anything of the other children before doing as he wants.

(An aside - The fact that he was probably tracking Nanachi and Mitty the whole time was absolutely frightening and shows how much control he has. Most likely he had no immediate need for Nanachi’s return, and in fact he probably learned more about the curse due to Nanachi walking around. The experiment went on, just without Nanachi’s knowledge. And I could see him being proud of Nanachi for experimenting on Mitty and delvers as they tried to bring about Mitty’s passing. The classic Bon gesture, head pats for Nanachi and Prushka, perfectly encapsulates how his love for them occurs alongside his fundamental disregard for their bodily autonomy and consent. It is absolutely a gesture of power because it says “I can touch you as I want” (not in a sexual way to be clear) and Nanachi is visibly afraid of him.)

Bon and Prushka

Bon and Prushka’s relationship is absolutely fascinating given how Bon sees love and sacrifice. Prushka’s love for him is partially manufactured out of the circumstances of her life (she has close contact with pretty much a limited group of people who would be at Ido Fromt) and also manipulated by Bon. The repeated line “I am your papa” reinforces their relationship, gives Prushka a sense of stability, AND manipulates her love and I don’t know how one line can be so loving and chilling at once. Notice how Bon never says “you are my daughter.” Everything is defined around Bon - I am your father, I won’t be going anywhere, etc.

It’s a self serving love but he does care for her. In the flashback scene of younger Prushka, we see Bon encouraging her desire to explore (even bringing her Meinya), giving her considerable freedom to move around Ido Front, and we see Guera who seems to care for her quite a bit. Also notice the rope/chains which ward off the steps which Riko ends up climbing. In the flashback scene of Prushka’s childhood, there was no cordon and she ends up climbing them and nearly losing her humanity a second time. So that cordon must have appeared after she climbed - it made me imagine Bon and Umbra Hands, who are clearly not equipped to be good parents, realizing that they fucked up by not imparting this child with something that was basic knowledge to them (DO NOT CLIMB). So the cordon appears - to prevent Prushka from doing that again in a gesture of extra precaution. Now you could argue that Bon encourages Prushka to grow as a human being only because it suits his ends - the abyss will only grant the blessing when the sacrifice is a human one and it needs to ‘read’ Prushka as a human being. Remember she has already had two ascension accidents that lead her to lose her sense of self. There’s a real question mark about whether the abyss will see her as human enough to count for Bon’s end goal.

But that’s the interesting thing about Bon - his manipulation is real but so his love. When Bon explains how Nanachi acquired the blessing, this is the translation in the film: the abyss does not just grant “curses”. There’s an effect I was unable to see because the strains were too great. As a matter of convenience, I call this the “blessing.” It is due to your deep spiritual connection to Mitty …your love and adoration, as it were - that your body received only the “blessing of the abyss.” I am going just by the movie translation (so manga readers chime in if this is different), but this clearly shows that the blessing requires 1) deep connection between both parties, and 2) the one who is to be blessed must love the one who is sacrificed. The fact that Bon got the blessing is the very proof of his love for Prushka. When Bon says to Prushka, before turning her into a cartridge, “as long as I have your love, I am immortal,” you see again that combination of love and manipulation. It’s a moving statement except it happens in a moment when the parent is doing something unforgivable to their child. Bon is not talking about the blessing (the movie translation has him using the present tense “I am” rather than the future tense “I shall be”) and I don’t think the blessing made nanachi immortal anyway. He assures Prushka again and again even when there is no scientific/rational need for it. During the surgery, he tells her “we shall be together forevermore.” Was there a NEED to say this? The reason this whole story is devastating is exactly because he loves her. We want monsters to think and act like monsters but what if they have human feelings? The same monster that gently holds Prushka’s hand during the surgery, the most human gesture one can make towards another in pain, is also the one that asked for that hand to be removed. This is what makes him so scary.

And that’s the continuing tragedy of the Made in Abyss story world. Bon sacrifices the one he loves (whom he raised as a sacrifice) all for the briefest of time - no sooner is he blessed than Riko and Reg tear his body apart. Was the sacrifice of his child worth it? Would he consider it worth it if he knew it was going to be for that brief period? Furry Bon says “preparations for the next two thousand years are complete” - but is that still true after the loss of the blessed body? Or has all that work being lost? Considering the overall dark bent of this story, it would not surprise me if it was all for nothing. When furry Bon and Nanachi exchange last words, it almost felt like Bon gives over charge to the children and concedes his own ambitions to theirs. He is so gentle, encouraging, and kind in that last exchange that it is hard to believe the devastation the children have surely wrought upon him and it is in Prushka’s consciousness that we get a hint of it (“Papa’s pain… his feelings… are flowing into me”). To carry on the priest/spiritual analogy, Bon has sought the blessing of the abyss for so long (and blessing in religious terms means you are closer in some way to a divine power and/or been validated by it) and that blessing was granted AND taken away in a moment’s span. The abyss is a temperamental god, if it is one. Is it worse that he was blessed in this vile way? And is it worse still that he lost the blessed body? I think Nanachi comes closest to understanding Bon’s loss, and is both horrified and empathizes. Remember Nanachi’s line trailing off: “I’ve long dreamed off the day we kill each other in battle, and yet…” They have lost their desire for retribution. The person who can best understand what Nanachi felt after Mitty was cursed is now the very person who caused it all to happen in the first place. When Bon places his hand on Nanachi’s shoulder and they look eye to eye, I think there’s a shared sense of understanding. The cracked mask at the end of the film and the brilliant, human, green eye staring out are definitely saying something about how the seemingly impenetrable mask has been cracked open.

A few minutes later at the end of the film, the closing song picks this up: Each time that I lose something precious/ I know that there may never be an end to / The price that we pay for our dreams / It can never be repaid / To carry on is to carry a burden.

Prushka as white whistle

I find Prushka turning into a white whistle interesting given Bon’s character. Did he anticipate/intend for this? Would he have known that Riko was coming without a white whistle? Possibly. I am speculating but I think the difference between the blessing and white whistle might be important here. Both require human sacrifice, validated by the abyss. The white whistle can be made by sacrificing one’s life for oneself (the way Bon makes his own) but I think that is an oddity and both transformations require two people to work as intended. This is all conjecture on my part but I think that they are grounded in different impulses. Mitty takes on the curse so that Nanachi can survive (and the abyss hence gives Nanachi a new form that will enable that objective). But the white whistle stems from one’s desire to explore, and to carry on exploring even at the moment that the body is at its mortal limits. In fact there is an intense desire to live, so that you can explore, and exploring is what gives meaning to your life. That intertwined desire to live and explore create the white whistle (“life reverberating” stone) and also called “your worth”. The worth of the dying person measured by the abyss AND the worth of the person to whom the white whistle entrusts itself as the inheritor of their will. Prushka’s last conscious thought is “after all, we are gonna go on adventures together.”

In both the blessing and white whistle, the abyss gives the sacrificed person what they desire most, at considerable cost to their humanity, but the blessing is based on ascension and the white whistle on descent. The blessing, because it enables special vision of how the curse operates, could theoretically enable the blessed to carefully ascend in places where the curse is weak (such as away from the central shaft) and because the blessed body is better adapted now. I think this is based on the desire of the sacrificed person for their loved one to survive the abyss (and how better to do that then to ascend away from the more dangerous layers or to visualize the curse better). But the white whistle enables one to descend (literally the Ido Front elevator) and explore deeper into the abyss by activating special relics. Two people are ideally needed in the white whistle equation: one sacrifice and one to inherit their will (in the form of the white whistle) enabling both to go on. It is funny, in a morbid way, that Bon’s process is again so self centered. He sacrifices himself for the white whistle, which can then be used by himself (because of the zoaholic) and then raises his own sacrifice for his blessing.

I think Mitty could never have turned into a white whistle in the elevator - for one, the most important thing in her mind is that she can ensure Nanachi is safe. Bon tells her clearly “if you die partway through, your partner will also be hit with the curse.” At the moment, there is no thought about her own longing to explore, to live, etc etc. Even the primal human instinct for self-preservation is overridden because Nanachi takes priority over everything. The abyss asks for a lot, for absolute love infact, for the blessing to be granted. But in Prushka’s case, two desires (to be with her father, and to carry on adventuring) are present. It is hard to say whether Bon planned for this, but it certainly feels like he set up the conditions: telling Prushka to make friends with the ones who are coming, creating an artificial bond with Riko before her arrival so they can resonate with each other (“she is also the daughter of a white whistle”), and most crucially NOT USING the elevator when he decided Prushka was ready. It has been bothering me that he turned her into a cartridge first rather than take her into the elevator when both have the same result and the elevator would have been quicker. Some part of me wants to think that the elevator would have caused Prushka more pain (the Mitty scenes are horrific) while he can control how much pain she is in during the surgery. Also perhaps even he could not bear to watch his child turn into narehate and to live trapped in that form. As a cartridge, her lifespan is very very finite and at one point he tells Nanachi and Riko that he will “release” Prushka - so keeping her alive in a mutilated form never seems to have been his intention. Of course this could be me reading redemptive values into this deeply messed up character.

AND YET Prushka would not have become a white whistle if indeed he had taken her on the elevator. The narehate created in that process seem to lack any coherent thought process and are no longer human. I dont think the narehate in Bon’s garden could become white whistles. As a cartridge, Prushka retains her most essential consciousness, senses, and human desires (this is required for how cartridges operate). She is still a human being even in that form thus the abyss reads her wishes at the very end of her life and she is transformed into a white whistle. In the darkest fashion, Bon satisfied his goals and Prushka’s wishes at the same time, enabled her to take a form that cannot be touched by the horrors of the abyss and put her alongside a companion who resonates her will. Happy ending, Made in Abyss style ��️☠️☠️

The million dollar question to end this: if the situation were reversed for whatever reason, could Bon have taken on the curse and imparted the blessing to his daughter? (The answer is a resounding no for me. I don’t think his love for anything or anyone transcends what he feels for the abyss. Bon could only ever make a transformation into a white whistle which is all about exploring further and deeper. In every scenario possible, Bon would sacrifice her and then carry the burden of her loss himself (see lyrics below).

And finally, here are the lyrics for Forever Lost, which plays at the end of the film. This is absolutely Bon’s song to me (as much as it could speak to other dwellers) because of the references to praying (something Riko, Reg, or Nanachi never do, in fact Riko takes a dump in the altar in the elevator where Bon has been lighting incense):

Each time that I lose something precious

I know that there may never be an end to

The price that we pay for our dreams

It can never be repaid To carry on is to carry a burden

Even if it’s to lose to fear I won’t turn back

In the white light, we're praying for the lost

For our grief, for our pain

To the white light, we're praying for the lost

So we try to find solace, empty hands together

In the white light, we're going down this road

For our hope, for our fate

To the white light, we're going down this road

My journey has to go on with you

In the white light, we're praying for the lost

To the white light, we're praying for the lost

I'll take all of your wishes and your dreams

In your place, in memory

Give me all of your wishes and your dreams

I'll take all that you left and realize it for you

In the white light, we're going down this road

For our hope, for our fate

To the white light, we're going down this road

My journey has to go on with you

We will remember the days

Our past will live on forever,

As we strive towards our future

The sadness never disappears

 It just becomes a part of us, deep inside

#made in abyss #bondrewd #made in abyss dawn of the deep soul #prushka

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noodyl-blasstal · 5 months ago

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Desk Chair? Desk Where?

This is for @febubarry and you shouldn't check your calendar about it. Inspired by this post by @raspberrydrewthese (the frustration was palpable!)

Barry Vs his awful colleague who apparently doesn't like teaching or students (which isn't ideal in a lecturer.) Thankfully Lup and several rolls of catering cling film are there to support him.

Read on Ao3 or below.

Barry hated Edward.

Barry hated Edward so passionately that he had written yet another letter to the undergraduate coordinator about him. Once again they had let Barry know that they were going to do precisely nothing about it, and added that perhaps he should stop writing because someone might just happen to interpret it as bullying.

So Barry hated Edward toothlessley while he awkwardly patted another student on the shoulder and told them that it was going to be fine and it wasn’t their fault they didn’t get it, they weren’t stupid, they just needed to hear it explained in a slightly different way. He didn’t tell them Edward was the problem, not them. He didn’t tell them that good teachers were able to help their students find the answers, not make them feel bad. He didn’t tell them that Edward should be fired and they should hire someone who actually liked teaching to do it, that’s not ‘professional’ apparently. No matter how true it is.

“We need more tissues.”

“Hello to you too.” Lup says as she enters their office. “Edward’s class? Or are your allergies kicking your ass again?”

“Edward. But I might be allergic to him.” Barry leans back in his chair and closes his eyes.

“Great point. Shall we test?” Barry doesn’t need to see Lup to know she is perched on the edge of his desk. He kept the spot clear just for her, no matter how messy the rest of the desk got.

“How many bits of him do we need? I’ll get the scalpel.” He still doesn’t open his eyes.

“They can’t arrest you if it’s for science.”

“Famously worked out fine for many ethically dubious experimenters.” Barry can think of a few ethically dubious experiments he’d love to do on Edward. Empathy implants for a start.

“Are you thinking about making him care about people again?” Lup prods his arm.

Barry worried sometimes that Lup could read his mind, but if she could she’d probably have run for the hills by now. Not that she’d be scared off by the chaos in his brain - she knew how he thought and she kept up (which was part of the problem). It wouldn’t be most of the things he thought about that did it either - Barry appreciated how much Lup embraced his ‘weird’. It was more the ‘being completely in love with her’ part that he felt would give her pause. She’d be nice about it, of course she’d be nice about it, but eventually she’d ask to move offices, and they’d see each other less and drift apart. How could things be the same after she learned that?

Lup made a loud crackling noise with her mouth. “Earth to Bluejeans; Bluejeans, this is earth, come in.”

“This is Bluejeans. Over.” Barry opens his eyes and Lup’s exactly where he thought she would be. He’d appreciate the poetry of that if he wasn’t busy feeling sorry for himself, or, more accurately, for the students.

“Sorry, I fucked up space walkie talkies, didn’t I?”

“I’ll uh, make an exception for you, just this once.”

“You’re too good to me, Barold. Anyway, want to go fuck up his office after work or something? I have it on good authority that Taako has the head of campus security in his pocket.” Lup raises her eyebrows, seducing him with the possibility of duct taping Edward’s chair to the floor.

Barry would very much like to go and fuck up Edward’s office after work. He could even speak to Ren in the kitchens and get some of the catering rolls of clingfilm… If anyone loved the rules though, it was Kravitz. There was no way he’d sign off on breaking and entering. “Kravitz takes his job really seriously.”

“Yeah, he takes student safety really seriously.” Lup gives Barry a long look, the kind which means she’s waiting for him to figure something out.

“... and Edward is a risk to that. I swear it’s like he feeds off their misery.”

“Exactly.”

“Aren’t you supposed to be trying to convince me this is a bad idea?” Barry asks, a half hearted attempt to stop the momentum of the plan before it’s fully hatched.

“I’ve already texted Taako.” Lup shrugs.

“When?” Barry swears he hasn’t seen her phone.

Lup doesn’t answer. “So how bad was it this time?”

“He read a slide at them and told them if they didn’t understand then maybe they should “reevaluate their place in the programme.”” Barry adds spiteful air quotes to make sure Lup understands the weight of his derision.

Lup grimaces. “Do you think he actually understands the material he’s teaching?”

“After the last departmental meeting I’m not convinced.”

“I’m still gutted I missed it, I don’t often get to see you go full scary Bear.”

“I wasn’t scary.” Barry says quickly, he’s been trying really hard not to be defensive about it, but it wasn’t his fault. You can’t just say something wildly incorrect and expect people not to ask questions.

“Taako said you asked him if his comment was addressed at length in the full publication.”

Barry had, in fact, done that.

“He was giving off that exact “panicking at a conference” vibe.”

“Yes, but you didn’t have to murder him in the middle of a staff meeting….” Lup snorts. “... but I’m so glad you did. He had it coming.”

Barry ignored the pride blooming in his chest. He should be over it now, but it still brought him joy when Lup approved of him.

Lup glances at her phone. “Taako says it’s all good, so we’d better get some planning done. What’s your schedule looking like today? Just your session at 1?”

Barry nods. “Minus any more student visits.”

“So…” Lup hops down and grabs a whiteboard pen. “... What’re we thinking?”

–

Ren had given him three rolls of cling film, Lup was wearing duct tape like bracelets (Magnus in the estates team had been generous), and Taako had slipped a tin of sardines into Barry’s pocket with a firm nod when he had stopped by after lunch. The weight of it against his leg is reassuring as he walks down the corridor.

Lup presses herself against the wall and peers round the corner, giving Barry the ‘all clear’ hand gesture. Barry tries to slink too, despite the fact there’s no one else here and they clearly look far more suspicious trying to be stealthy. It’s more fun this way though, and Barry should get to enjoy this.

Thankfully there was no need to worry about Edward still being around - it was common for them to be pulling late nights in their office, but Edward was out the door by half three every day (despite never setting foot in the building before 10). Barry might be inclined to believe he had some kind of working from home agreement if there were any kind of evidence of him working at all.

“It’s locked.” Barry whispers as he tests the door.

“Let me try.” Lup slides in front of him, a moment later there’s a soft click. “There we go.”

“My mistake.” Barry laughs softly. “How careless of him.”

They move quickly into the office and Lup leans against the door. Edward had his own office despite the fact you could fit at least two more desks in here and the university had a strict policy on cramming as many staff as possible into the smallest spaces manageable. Not that Barry wanted to be stuck with Edward… maybe everyone else had refused to move into here? Although it was probably more likely to do with his sister being in charge of the department. Edward tended to do suspiciously well for funding and opportunities. She could at least have given him a cupboard office like theirs and put multiple people in here though.

“Maybe we should actually just put some more desks in here…” Lup muses. “The best revenge of all, optimal use of space.”

Barry snorts. “I wouldn’t wish that on anyone.”

“Not even Jenkins?”

Barry does take a moment to consider it. “No, not even Jenkins.” He doesn’t think even Taako would inflict that on Jenkins.

“What did you decide about the wood glue?” Lup asks, wiggling the tube.

Barry sighs. “It’s not that I don’t want to.” He really would love to glue everything shut, but he’d thought of at least 20 ways it could go wrong just on the walk over.

“But you don’t want to ruin university property.” Lup finishes. “That’s fair, Magnus has enough to contend with.”

“Even though it was him that gave me both this and his blessing to fuck it all up as much as I wanted.”

“That was just so he could tell you that when you use wood glue the join is stronger…”

“Than the wood itself.” They finish together.

“I was wondering though…” Barry circles Edward’s desk, eyeing the ceiling fan.

“It does look pretty sturdy.” Lup stepped up beside him. “Spot me while I check?” She was on the desk eyeing up the fan before he could reply.

She gave an experimental tug, then another, then she was swinging from it.

“Lup!” Barry didn’t know if he was exasperated or delighted.

She does a pull up and winks down at him. “Seems fine to me!”

Barry exhales deep and relieved not to be pulling her from the wreckage of the ceiling. Lup had been wonderful for his rumination, pulling him out of his regular anxious spirals and teaching him that a little spontaneity went a long way for enjoying life, but in moments like these he couldn’t help but consider the what ifs.

“Please don’t get injured, Lup.” He says, eyeing the fan suspiciously despite her elegant dismount.

“You’d look after me.” She hops down from the desk.

He would.

“Right, we’re going to duct tape the chair to the fan?” She asks, shoving the chair closer.

“That’s what I was thinking.”

“And it was a good thought. Taako’s going to lose his shit.” Lup smiles. “I love your big beautiful mind.”

Barry can’t handle compliments like that, so he powers on with the plan instead of trying to absorb it. “Cling film is for the desk.”

“Shall we do the pens too?”

“Definitely. And his stapler.” Barry tries his best not to let resentment seep into his voice.

Lup pauses. “Or, hear me out, we could swap out the stapler?” She knew about the old wound and had never made Barry feel silly for still being sore about it.

He wants to say yes. “...No, it’s too obvious… he’d uh, well, he’d know it was me if he saw I had Sildar back.”

“Barold, you named the stapler, it was yours first, he stole it from you.” Lup’s hands went to her hips, ready to defend him against injustice, even if that meant fighting him about it.

“I, uh… it’s fine.” It wasn’t fine. But Barry can’t risk it being traced to him. Barry doesn’t get caught doing things like this.

“Yeah, completely fine.” Lup waits.

Barry looks down. “He never even staples that much stuff!”

“I know, babe. I know.” Lup produces a shitty stapler from her pocket. “But you do, so really you need the appropriate tools for that.”

He shouldn't let her.

“It’s for business purposes.” She cracks open Edward’s drawer, the one Barry knows he keeps Sildar in.

“We’re saving education.” Lup lifts Sildar carefully out of Edward’s drawer, slides him into her pocket, and throws one from the work cupboard into the drawer in its stead. “Also he’s yours from home, so what’s he going to do about it? “Help, someone has stolen my stolen property!” No, so fuck him.”

Barry should probably argue.

He doesn’t.

Wrapping up Edward’s calculator in layers of cling film is satisfying, doing the pens individually then duct taping them together into one giant pen feels like justice. Wrapping the desk? Wrapping the desk is just pure joy. He and Lup take turns to run around it in circles, switching out when they’re laughing too hard or too dizzy to keep going. The ceiling fan is the hardest part, but between them it works, Barry holding the chair upside down and Lup attaching each leg to the blades with duct tape.

By the time they stand back, it’s perfect. Lup flicks the fan on the lowest speed and the chair rotates slowly over the desk it should be next to.

“Wait!”

She runs over to the bust Edward keeps on the window sill and fiddles with something in her pocket. “There.” Lup stands back and reveals a fuzzy handlebar moustache.

Barry grips the sardine tin in his pocket. “One more thing.”

–

The door smashes open, rebounding off the springy toggle Magnus put in for them to avoid doing damage to the skirting board when they were carrying armloads of books, and right back into Edward’s face.

“Gah.” He pushes the door away again, but less aggressively this time.

“Hello Edward, can we help you?” Lup asks sweetly.

“I know it was you.” He says without preamble. “And I think we can all agree you’ve helped quite enough.”

“What was us?” Barry asks placidly, not even looking up from his marking. Someone has to do it and it’s not going to be Edward.

“You know what.” He hisses.

“Is this something to do with the programme?” Lup grabs her notebook and pauses with a page cracked and her pen raised. “Should I take notes?”

“You think you’ve done something with your little diversion, but you haven’t.” Edward walks up to Barry’s desk and plonks himself down in Lup’s spot, leaning back enough that he knocks some of Barry’s papers. “Oops.”

Barry resists the urge to rearrange them immediately, he knows that’s what Edward wants and he refuses to entertain any of his weird games.

“Do you actually need something Edward? Some of us have work to do.” Barry says placidly, still not looking up.

“Lydia’s going to be all over you.” Edward eyes up Barry’s pen pot, looking for all the world like a cat with a grudge.

“That sounds like a threat, Edward. You wouldn’t be using your personal connections to try and intimidate other staff, would you?” Lup smiles as she draws loose lines.

Edward rolls his eyes. “Oh who exactly are you going to tell? Anyway, unlike some people, I don’t have time to waste, I know you fucked with my office.”

“If there’s an issue with your office you could contact the estates team, or maybe security?” Barry finally looks up.

“I already have. I’m sure Kravitz will be with you soon and Lydia will definitely have some questions too. I made sure to give them a suspects list and there was two names on it.” Edward smiles, tight and smug.

“I think that’s doing yourself a disservice.” Barry says mildly, Edward brings out the worst in him but he sees no reason to fight that right now.

Edward’s building himself up into further indignation when Lup stands. “Anyway, if that’s all Edward?”

He glances between them, clearly debating whether it’s worth trying to cause them any more misery right now. “Mmhm, I can’t stay in here much longer, it’s so drab I can feel it sucking my soul away…” He slips off the desk and begins to leave, but clearly decides he hasn’t done enough evil villain monologuing yet “... Ta ta for now, I’m sure I’ll be seeing you in a HR meeting soon.”

“Uh huh, we’re looking forward to it. Bye now.” Lup shuts the door firmly behind him.

“Think we should be worried?” She asks Barry.

“No. He’s too proud not to try and retaliate. It’ll be such a shame when the evidence comes out, I really did think we could trust our colleagues and their professionalism.”

“It’ll be so disappointing.” Lup agrees. “A real shock to us.”

Barry nods solemnly. “Do you think Magnus got a video when he went in to do cleanup?”

“He’s already posted it in the group chat.” Lup says, turning her phone round for Barry.

“Such a shame when vandals disrespect school property like that.”

“Such a terrible, awful shame.”

#Noodyl Writes #I think Barry should be allowed to do some mild property destruction as a treat #and lay a little trap as a treat #and get Edward fired as a treat #Stapler theives get what's coming to them

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myladynoire · 5 months ago

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The Nightmare of Manufactured Beings

Comparing Miraculous Ladybug’s Sentimonsters and Companion (2025)

I just watched Companion (2025) and as a long-time fan of all things Senti/Peacock who’s also written multiple fics dealing with the matter, I needed to write down my thoughts. This review/analysis naturally contains spoilers for Companion as well as for the last few seasons of Miraculous.

The idea of artificially created lifeforms is a very old concept in science fiction and fantasy, from Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (I have a whole fic dedicated to exploring the parallels between Victor Frankenstein and the Peacock Miraculous) to Harlan Ellison's I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream, and Philip K. Dick’s Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? But in recent years, at least two distinct pieces of media (Miraculous and the 2025 film Companion) have explored this theme through a disturbingly similar lens. Both feature beings created to serve human desires, only to grapple with their own identity, autonomy, and oppression. While Miraculous presents this idea through the magical constructs known as Sentimonsters, Companion takes a more grounded sci-fi horror approach with an AI-driven protagonist. Despite their different genres and target audiences, both works reveal extremely disturbing truths about control, manipulation, and what it truly means to be human (or not!)

For those who don’t know, in Miraculous, Sentimonsters are magical beings brought to life through the Peacock Miraculous. While originally used to create temporary creatures, the show eventually reveals that full-fledged people can be Sentimonsters as well. The most striking example is Adrien Agreste, heavily implied (and later confirmed) to be a Sentimonster created by his parents. This means that Adrien’s entire existence is conditional on an external object, the amok, a magical feather, remaining intact. The same is true for other Sentimonsters like Félix, whose awareness of his nature sets him apart from Adrien. Félix understands that his autonomy is, to a certain extent, limited, and that at any moment, someone could seize his amok and force him into submission or even erase him entirely if he isn’t careful.

Now compare this to Companion, where the protagonist, Iris, is a highly advanced AI companion engineered to be the “perfect” girlfriend (they also use the word “sexbot/fuckbot” in the movie). Like Adrien, she initially believes she is fully human, unaware that her existence has been engineered for the pleasure of another: her reddit incel boyfriend, Josh. This is very obviously the target demographic of Empathix, the corporation who makes these AI companions, and it is only a stretch further than the inflatable sex dolls that currently exist.

But as the film progresses, Iris begins to piece together the horrifying truth: she has no real agency. Her thoughts, feelings, and even her ability to resist are dictated by external programming. She was never meant to have a will of her own, only to fulfill the desires of the man who “owns” her. She also finds out while playing around with her own settings that Josh has set her intelligence level at a frankly insulting percentage.

Both Miraculous and Companion paint a picture of what it means to be a being created for someone else’s control. The most horrifying realization is the fragility of their existence. Iris, Adrien and Félix (and other Sentis) exist only because their creators allow it. A simple command, a single external force, could end them in an instant. They are hostages to the whims of those who hold their metaphorical (or literal) leash.

The “Perfect” Creation: The illusion of choice

In Companion, Josh chooses Iris as his ideal partner, shaping her to his desires. She was never supposed to question him, never supposed to resist, just love him unconditionally. Similarly, in Miraculous, the implication that Émilie Agreste (and by extent, Gabriel) created Adrien as the “perfect son” raises disturbing ethical questions. Did they construct Adrien simply to have a son who would never defy them? A son they could mold into whatever they wanted? If Adrien is a Sentimonster, then every act of obedience he performs is tainted by the horrifying possibility that it isn’t truly his own choice. I could write an entire separate post about Émilie Agreste and her role in this situation. In my opinion, she is far from an innocent bystander. As I’ve mentioned before (and explored in many of my fics) Émilie played a role in this, albeit a more subtle one compared to Gabriel. The way Gabriel speaks to his son, much like the way Josh speaks to Iris, is not the language of a loving parent or partner, but that of someone addressing their device. In other words; an owner speaking to their possession.

Félix, who understands his nature better than Adrien, is there to show us what happens when an artificial being rebels. He refuses to be controlled, snatches his amok from his father’s still warm corpse, and actively manipulates others (Gabriel/Monarch, and Ladybug) to secure his autonomy. In Companion, Iris undergoes a similar transformation. Once she realizes what she is, she refuses to accept her predetermined role. The twist of the film comes when she begins to fight back against Josh’s control, proving that even beings that were created for submission will, given the chance, seek freedom.

Both narratives raise the same questions: If a person is created to be subservient, do they ever truly have free will? And if they do break free, are they still bound by their origins, or can they create their own destiny?

I think maybe the most chilling commonality between Miraculous and Companion is the ease with which their protagonists can be erased.

In Miraculous, if a Sentimonster’s amok is destroyed, they cease to exist. A single moment of destruction can erase a life as though it never happened. Similarly, in Companion, Iris’s entire existence is tethered to her programming. If Josh (or anyone else) decides to “shut her down,” she could be wiped out. Maybe not in an instant, but there are multiple fail-safes and available solutions to destroy her.

Going off on a slight tangent, I think this parallels real-world fears about artificial intelligence and disposable labor. If AI beings ever gain sentience, would they be treated as living entities, or as products to be discarded when they are no longer convenient? The same question applies to Sentimonsters. Even though they think, feel, and love, they are ultimately considered “lesser” by their creators. Gabriel, in particular, seems to consider Sentimonsters other than his son as tools, easily replaced and ultimately expendable. They are nothing more than playthings for the incredibly wealthy and immoral; the infamous 1%. This is starkly illustrated in the Gabriel Agreste episode, which makes an unmistakable nod to the Rothschild Surrealist Ball, a real-world gathering synonymous with excess, exclusivity, and the decadence of the elite.

Iris, the Senticousins and Kagami are constantly at the mercy of forces beyond their control. Their existence is conditional, fragile, and, worst of all, subject to the whims of people who see them as objects rather than individuals.

“But I am real”: Iris, Adrien, Félix, and the existential dismissal of artificial beings.

Another important aspect I wanted to touch on and that immediately made me want to write a full comparative analysis while I was watching the movie was the existential crisis that automatically comes with finding out the truth about yourself. I have dealt with this subject matter in fics like Amor Fati and perhaps most prominently in The Postmodern Prometheus (where the Sentibeing character must quite literally defend their own personhood in front of an entire audience of sceptics).

In Companion, Iris, after realizing her true nature, also desperately tries to argue for her own personhood. She brings up memories, emotions, and experiences that she believes make her real, challenging the idea that her artificial origin invalidates them. Josh, the man who supposedly loved her, dismisses her entirely. No matter how many valid arguments she presents, he refuses to see her as anything more than an object, something created for him, not someone with her own will.

This moment evokes a real-world phenomenon we see not just in discussions about AI ethics but also within fandom discourse, particularly regarding the Sentimonster reveal(s). When it became clear that Adrien (and, by extension, Félix) was a Sentimonster, the fandom’s response was fractured. Some fans, much like Josh, outright rejected the idea that a Sentimonster could be considered a real person. Others, like Iris herself, argued that it didn’t matter how Adrien was created; his experiences, emotions, and struggles were real, and to dismiss them was both cruel and reductive.

But let’s break this parallel down further.

In Companion, the moment Iris discovers she is artificial is gut-wrenching. She cycles through grief, denial, and finally defiance, desperately trying to hold onto her sense of self. She argues that if she feels love, if she remembers her life, if she experiences joy and pain, then those things must be real. “I remember when we met,” she insists. “I remember how I felt.”

Josh’s response is cold, dismissive, and utterly devoid of empathy. He insists that none of it was real. She was built for him, and that fact alone invalidates everything she feels. It doesn’t matter how deeply she believes in her own personhood; he has already decided she is less than human.

I alsothink this sort of mirrors the way Colt Fathom, Félix’s father, treated Félix when he was alive. He viewed him as nothing more than a hollow imitation of a real son. Rather than showing love or treating Félix as his own, Colt saw him as something disposable, a creation without true value, even went so far as to call Félix a monster, outright denying his right to be seen as a real person. There's something to be said about this, and the etymology of the word Sentimonster (a fusion of sentience/sentiment and monster); people acknowledging their emotions while simultaneously condemning them as unnatural. Both Iris and Félix fight against this very idea: the refusal to see them as anything more than artificial, no matter how human they prove themselves to be. By the end of Season 5, the word itself is viewed as taboo; and it is preferable to use the alternative; Sentibeings.

Now look at how a segment of the Miraculous fandom reacted to the Sentimonster theory and its eventual confirmation. Many fans insisted that if Adrien was a Sentimonster, then his entire identity was meaningless. His choices, his dreams, his autonomy are all reduced to the idea that he was merely an artificial construct, programmed to obey. Some fans rejected the theory outright because they didn’t want to believe that their favorite character could be something “less than human.” Others used it to argue that Adrien had no real agency, that every decision he ever made was just the byproduct of magical programming.

In both cases, we see an emotional refusal to accept the idea that a being created artificially could be just as “real” as a naturally born human. The dismissal of Iris by Josh mirrors the dismissal of Adrien and Félix by parts of the fandom: a refusal to acknowledge their emotions, choices, and self-awareness simply because of the way they were brought into existence.

The search for meaning: “Then what am I?”

Another heartbreaking similarity between Iris and the Sentibeings is their desperate search for meaning once they realize the truth. The revelation shakes the foundation of who they are.

Iris tries to reclaim her identity by insisting that her memories and feelings matter.

Félix, upon discovering he is a Sentimonster, goes to great lengths to secure his amok and the Peacock brooch (the instrument used to create Sentimonsters), ensuring that no one else can control him. He doesn’t care if the world sees him as real, he just wants the power to define himself.

Adrien, unknowingly living under this truth, struggles with control in a different way. If he is a Sentimonster, then his entire life has been orchestrated by his father. Every act of obedience, every moment of self-doubt, takes on a sinister new meaning. But unlike Félix, he hasn’t been given the chance to fight for his autonomy because he doesn’t even know he needs to.

Iris and the Sentibeings all share the same existential crisis: If I was made, not born, do I even have a soul? The tragedy is that the people around them, the ones with the power, refuse to give them an answer that acknowledges their humanity.

The “Creators” and their ultimate power over the narrative

Yet another disturbing parallel is how both Josh (Companion) and the Agreste couple (Miraculous) act as godlike figures in their creations’ lives.

Josh created (or at least “purchased”) Iris as an AI companion, expecting her to love him unconditionally. When she starts thinking for herself, he refuses to acknowledge her autonomy because doing so would mean admitting that his control over her was never moral in the first place. He would rather kill her than accept her independence.

Gabriel and Émilie created Adrien to be the “perfect son”. Obedient, controlled, and incapable of defying orders. If Adrien ever realized the truth, Gabriel would likely react the same way Josh did: with total, unwavering rejection of his son’s self-awareness.

The fandom’s split reaction is interesting. The creators of Miraculous left the Sentimonster revelation ambiguous for a long time, knowing how controversial it would be. Some fans outright rejected it because they couldn’t bear the implications. Others (including myself) reveled in the tragedy, seeing it as an incredible character-driven narrative. But in the end, the power to define “reality” always lies with those who control the narrative, whether it’s Josh, the Agrestes, or the showrunners themselves.

This also echoes a real-world phenomenon: when marginalized or oppressed groups argue for their own personhood and autonomy, they are often met with dismissal by those in power. The refusal to acknowledge self-awareness as legitimate is, after all, a recurring theme in human history.

This debate matters, ultimately. The tension between creation and autonomy is one of the most enduring ethical dilemmas in fiction (there are so many works out there dealing with those themes, and I'll devour every single one of them). Companion and Miraculous both ask the same fundamental question: Does it matter where you came from, or does it only matter who you are?

The answer should be obvious but time and time again, characters like Iris and Félix are forced to fight for the right to their own identity. And, well, disturbingly, the reaction of their oppressors (whether it’s Josh dismissing Iris’s pleas, Gabriel tightening his grip on Adrien, or fans denying that a Sentimonster could be human) mirrors the real-world fear of acknowledging artificial or constructed beings as valid individuals.

#miraculous ladybug #ml #ml spoilers #miraculous ladybug spoilers #companion movie #companion 2025 #sentimonster theory #sentimonster adrien agreste #sentimonster felix fathom #spoilers spoilers spoilers #tread carefully if you plan on watching Companion first #this is kinda all over the place lmao

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ironyscleverer · 8 months ago

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Doctor Who as a Post-Colonial Metaphor

Recently I've been thinking a lot about how beautifully Doctor Who reflects the state of post-colonial British identity, and tumblr seems like the appropriate place to share my ramblings. So let’s see if I can explain in a way that makes sense.

I must start by putting on my obnoxious little film degree hat and reminding everyone that sci-fi is one of those genres that is highly political (as most things are, but scifi even moreso). It turns out it's pretty easy to get a sense of people's fears and anxieties by asking them to envision the future, and that's what sci-fi media does; it uses contemporary cultural standards and ideas to create a vision of what futuristic/advanced science and technology might look like, and how people might respond to it. In doing so, it ends up taking the social and political temperature of the time and place in which it's created.

As such, it's very, very common for scholars to analyze sci-fi media through this lens; even Frankenstein, arguably the first science fiction novel ever written, is often interpreted as reflecting cultural fears regarding swiftly advancing science and technology during the early stages of the industrial revolution. The Day The Earth Stood Still (1951) is another great, very blatant example of how sci-fi and politics can interact. In this movie, a Jesus-like alien ascends to Earth during the Cold War to warn the human race about their imminent nuclear annihilation. It seems corny to us now, but it's actually a great movie and I would highly reccomend it. It's rumored that the US Department of Defense read the script and Did Not Like It because the themes were too anti-war.

In other words, despite often being viewed as too “pop,” too goofy, and too unserious to have any deep meaning, pretty much any scifi story can be analyzed within an inch of its life using a meta social/political lens. It's not the only way to interpret sci-fi, but it's by far the most common. One must simply ask, “what does this vision of science, technology, and/or the future say about us as we are now?”

But anyway. Doctor Who. Disclaimer: I haven't watched the classic series so I'll focus on 2005 onward (still post-colonial so it still holds up, lol). If you've seen Classic and you'd like to chip in, please do.

Genre-wise, Doctor Who is more-or-less a space-western, a subgenre of sci-fi that incorporates Western elements—exploring new frontiers, engaging with unfamiliar civilizations, rogue figures, etc. Star Trek is the peak example of this, but there are many, many others.

Of course, the Western genre is dripping with colonialism due to its historical setting of the American West, and the racist depictions of Indigenous peoples. Space-westerns, consequently, also tend to address colonial topics. Sometimes space westerns are just as racist as normal westerns, but sometimes they use the genre reflexively, to question colonial ideals. A more progressive space-western might be more willing to “humanize” the alien cultures they meet, asking questions like, "how does one ethically engage with foreign societies?" or "When is it appropriate to intervene in a conflict?" etc.

Althought these kinds of questions come up regularly in Doctor Who, especially regarding its anti-war messaging (Time War etc.). These themes become doubly interesting when you use them to inform your interpretation of The Doctor, both as a character and as a symbol.

Consider this: The Doctor is the embodiment of an ancient and immensely powerful being with a bloody history. Their kill-count is quite literally somewhere in the quadrillions. Although they are a self-proclaimed pacifist, they are still constantly a perpetrator of death and destruction throughout the series. The Doctor, despite repeatedly and loudly choosing peace, can never seem to keep their hands clean of chaos and suffering. Doctor Who is about an entity that destroys everything they touch, sometimes on purpose, sometimes not. As an allegory for grappling with the legacy of British imperialism, I'd say it's pretty on the nose.

In this sense, not only is Doctor Who a show about colonialism, it is also a show about identity in the wake of colonialism. It's even in the name: "Doctor Who?" Who is the Doctor? What is their responsibility to the universe? What does it mean to be ancient and powerful and drenched in the blood of millions? How do they move on, become better, without falling into the same traps? What does it mean to be British?

These questions come up over and over throughout the new series, from the destruction of Gallifrey, to the Timelord Victorious, to A Good Man Goes to War, the Flux (arguably), and many, many other smaller plotlines I could mention. Even in the latest series with Ncuti Gatwa, the focus on adoption and family is in a similar vein—where does the Doctor come from? What does it even mean to be “from” a place? How much do your origins truly contribute to who you are and who you become?

How the companions fall within this framework is also interesting; if the Doctor is a stand-in for the nation as an entity, then the Doctor's companion, the everyday British person, is the stand-in for the populace. The companions are ever-changing, ever-evolving, constantly renegotiating their relationship with the Doctor. The companion's ultimate challenge is to find how they fit into the narrative of the Doctor's life, and try their best to come out the other end with a happy ending (ha).

Of course, Doctor Who is owned by the BBC, meaning it is quite literally nationally subsudized TV. As a result, althought the show is actually VERY critical in some places, the Doctor is usually ultimately sympathetic; their good intentions tend to forgive a lot of the problems they've caused. The companion is usually charmed by the Doctors' seemingly endless tragedy of a life. This is a country's state-owned media company working with it's own self-image--it's inherently a work of self-reflection, and perhaps of self-obsession, too.

It would be easy to be cynical about Doctor Who as a product of the BBC, which is state-funded (but notably not owned or directly controlled by the government!). However, I tend to think that just writing it off as propaganda because of this is doing the show a disservice. Yes, there is an inherent privilege and self-centeredness to endlessly forgiving the Doctor, but that's also kind of the whole point; it's a show about coming to terms with one's horrible past. It's a show about learning to formulate a new sense of self. To demand that Doctor Who to be less self-obsessed, to not be about British identity when it is in fact a British show for Brits about Brits, is just a bit unrealistic.

Instead, I choose to believe that Doctor Who can and does use its privilege for good more often than not. The creators tend to be very progressive (as sci-fi so often is) and they can get away with a lot of very progressive messages in the guise of a silly sci-fi show for families. Most recently, I would point to s14e3: Boom, s14e5: Dot and Bubble as examples of thinly veiled rants about the evils of capitalism, war, racism, social media, etc. To ignore or dismiss Doctor Who because it has some form of institutional backing would be doing the actual stories and writers a disservice.

Finally, let me leave you with one last point; One consistancy throughout the new series that I find very charming is the positive effect the companions always have on the Doctor. Companions come and go, which is sad, but they're each special in their own little way, and they each change the Doctor, wearing them down a little at a time. The Doctor is consistently at their worst when they are alone, removed from the people that make them want to be better.

Very often the companion's parting message for the Doctor is "don't be alone.” This can be extrapolated to mean: don't forget we exist. Don't forget to be kind. Even if you can't help your legacy, even if you can't wash the blood off your hands, you can always keep striving to be better. Keep someone around to remind you to be better. And the Doctor, more often than not, does. Because ultimately it is the companions, us the people, that make the Doctor who they are.

It’s this special brand of relentless optimism, this indomitable belief in the goodness of people and the power of that goodness that always brings me back to Doctor Who, one way or another, despite all its flaws.

Edit 11/29: corrected some info about the BBC per the comments!

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redthefortuneteller · 2 years ago

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Snake is not a human with snake genes. He's a snake with human genes.

𓆚 𓆚 𓆚 Edit: I've added at the bottom something else I had forgotten about. If you've read this post before, give it a read. Sorry about that! I've made other seperate posts related so that this one doesn't get so enormous. Here are the links: The Island of Queimada Grande The Snake Charming Flute A Pet Snake Feel free to give them a peek if you found this post interesting. These posts are much more brief than this one, I promise you! :D 𓆚 𓆚 𓆚 If you're at all familiar with the 1896 early science fiction novel "The Island of Doctor Moreau" by H. G. Wells, the tittle surely might've brought it to mind. Indeed, I am basing this theory on this novel. "The Island of Dr. Moreau reflects the ethical, philosophical, and scientific concerns and controversies raised by the themes and ideas of Darwinian evolution, which were so disruptive to social norms in the late 1800s."

In brief, Doctor Moreau was an eminent physiologist (read: mad scientist) in London who ended up fleeing Great Britain due to his experiments in vivisection being publicly exposed. Vivisection is, for all intents and purposes, experimentation on live animals. What he accomplished with his experimenting was human-animal hybrids. But it's not as one would assume at first glance (as did the main protagonist in the novel), that he'd turn humans into animals, as is often portrayed in this sort of fiction or even in real-world folklore (think werewolves or berserkers).

Instead, Doctor Moreau turned animals into humans. And unfortunately, through means of extremely painful surgery, which fits in quite well with a dark story such as Kuroshitsuji.

Almost all of the beast-folk are named after "what they're made of". For example: Leopard-Man, Hyena-Swine, Wolf-Man, Fox-Bear Woman, etc… And he refers to them as his children. Children he holds hostage on an island. You know, like an orphanage? The orphanage, which is mentioned in Chapter 192, could very well be "the island" where the Doctor's children were being held at. After all, an island is just like a building where one can be held in, only the walls are a vast ocean. Snake (or Oscar) refers to it as "… a terrible place." and remembering the painful surgery part, I think that's an understatement.

In a 1996 film adaptation that slightly deviated from the original work, the beast-folk as they're called, need to take a serum in order to keep them from turning back into their original form. All except for one hybrid in particular, which the doctor refers to almost perfect or the closest he's gotten to perfection. I feel inclined to mention that in the film someone confronts the protagonist with something along the lines of "What do you intend to do once you get her out of the island? Sell her to a circus?" referring to that almost perfect hybrid. I believe it to be the case that Snake could be the perfect hybrid. The doctor mentions the fact that in turning animals into humans, he could create the perfect human, devoid of its human flaws, devoid of malice. I firmly believe Snake is devoid of malice.

The whole incident with Phelps was nothing but a mistake, and Snake's paying dearly for that mistake as he got his neck sliced in the same place Phelps had the mamba bite.

Whichever the case, the plan was not very well thought through: he was going to kill Smile without knowing the circus troupe was dead and without so much as asking Smile about it. He was going to kill Sebastian too, were he not a demon. As Smile was telling him that he had infiltrated the circus in order to investigate, Snake kept flip-flopping between getting shocked with the revelation that the troupe were kidnapers and getting aggravated, insisting Smile was lying. Probably due to the snakes' chattering each of their opinions. He's confused, but he's not evil. It's clear from his reactions.

The reason I'm bringing this up is because he was acting purely on impulse. Not much thought. Or at least, the thought he put into it wasn't much. It wasn't malice guiding his actions, but a sort of instinct. Snakes don't think much about attacking when they feel threatened. If they feel inclined to do so, they just do. No questions asked. No thinking about consequences.

In the film mentioned earlier, the doctor's office looks like a small library. The doctor is obviously quite literate. However, his "children" aren't.

There seems to be quite a bit of focus on Snake not knowing how to read. First mentioned on Yana's personal blog and most recently brought up in Chapter 195. It was quite common for people to be illiterate at the time Kuro takes place, but there was a focus on Snake from Yana's part, which I only find interesting because of how his snakes were named. After famous writers.

Could the doctor have named the other snakes but not him, as he was the first snake? The Snake. Or could Snake have named the others because he himself didn't have a name? It's funny that among all his family, the one human is simply named "snake" while the ones that would be naturally referred to as snakes are named quite fancifully. It's also quite comical if you consider chapter 51, when Finnian thought Snake was "Mister Oscar" as he introduced himself with "I'm Snake…", "- Says Oscar."

If you'd like to consider going a little further and going a bit crazy on these what ifs: consider that his snakes are the others who didn't make it or reverted back to normal. The panel in chapter 195 (page 7) where Snake has himself a little dilemma (in space!) with all the snakes chiming in in his head? I know it might sound a little out there, but I think the reason those three Snakes are shown naked could be because they're not Snake, they really might be Keats, Emily, and Wilde. Either the Snake-Man hybrids all look the same, or this is how Snake visualizes them speaking, as he himself is a snake like them. The difference is that he can use human speech, so if they were to use it as well, they too would look like him… right?

In fact, he often makes little distinction. He's said this in chapter 202 when Arty asks if he's a snake charmer, to which he firmly responds, "No. Snake and us are family. - says Dan." and "We are all footmen. - Says Goethe." Before this, he says "We're all here. - says everyone." He refers to them as "us". He makes little separation between himself and the other snakes. He understands and talks to snakes because, naturally, he is a snake. And he's the only snake who can talk to humans—the only one who is also human. He's the spokesperson (spokesnake, lol) of the group. Edit: He makes different voices for different snakes. Each snake has their own voice. What if those were really their voices at some point in time? The first idea one gets from Snake is that the snakes are like parts of his personality that he's expressing through them. However, this isn't true (or entirely true) because they do really do communicate with him, as proven undeniably by Oscar sneaking into the castle basement in the Green Witch arc and bringing back information Snake had no way of knowing (and couldn't really explain very well when Bard asked for details).

In chapter 53, he's sneaked down to the cargo to share the food with "everyone" as he says. I always found it a little odd to share human food with snakes, who only eat whole animals. On the plate, there were some leaves. There are no herbivorous snakes; they're all exclusively carnivorous (insectivorous, too). Of course, the lettuce, or whatever it is, is intact. But still, snakes don't eat breaded chicken or liver pâté either… It's just odd that Snake, who's been seen feeding his snakes mice twice, suddenly thinks they'd be interested in this gourmet, first-class dish. I believe he thinks, since it's delicious to him, surely they might think so too. After all, they're all snakes. Could he get a little confused sometimes?

He's also never showed any fear of the werewolf forest while the other servants were scared as they made their way to the village in the Emerald Witch arc. He doesn't seem phased by the idea of wolf-men. He was freaked out by the torture instruments in the village though, meaning some things are scary, just not the werewolves.

Edit: I forgot to mention an interesting passage from the Kuroshitsuji Original Picture Drama live reading from 2015. As far as I know, the script was written by Yana Toboso. It's all done mainly for comedic purposes. However, there's a part where the characters are drinking and chatting and eventually some get a little tipsy. What Snake says in a drunken crying fit is "I'm a snake! I feel better if I drink a lot of sake!" Interesting, isn't it? ;) Go ahead and watch it yourself here if you feel like it: https://youtu.be/xMmrWsHLaqc?si=ozkAfssE_fLOOoaM&t=506

To end I'd also like to call attention to the cover art from Chapter 196. Him being confused about a lemon cake and a lemon tart being different snacks when they're both sweet and both cakes made it to the cover art. He's having trouble grasping how a lemon flavored dessert can be different from another lemon flavored dessert.

I think that sums it up nicely, although I might have forgotten some things. I do apologize if anyone has already made this correlation between this work by H. G. Wells and Snake's possible origins, I couldn't find anything related.

Of course it can all be explained easily by just saying he sees the snakes as family and as "us" because he has a connection to them. However, it's the "how he came to be" part that is my main motive behind the theory.

I put a lot of love and care into this theory and since Snake's flashbacks might be coming up soon, I thought I'd share it just so that it's out there for all it's worth.

Thank you so much for reading. Have a lovely day. Red

#kuroshitsuji #snake #black butler #theory #island of dr moreau theory #Snake is a snake #kuroshitsuji snake #black butler snake

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justforbooks · 24 days ago

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Maurice Gee

New Zealand author who wrote about his country’s darker side and was best known for his Plumb trilogy of novels

Maurice Gee, who has died aged 93, was one of New Zealand’s most respected writers. For over 50 years, in more than 30 novels and stories, Gee mapped what he saw as the violent and sordid character of New Zealand society in psychologically complex narratives marked by unsatisfactory relationships and the rigid expectations of a conformist era.

His narratives about New Zealand’s darker side tell of frustrated sexual desires, unhappy families and redemptive love. These values coincide in his best loved novel, Plumb (1978), about a Presbyterian turned Unitarian minister (based on Gee’s grandfather, the controversial James Chapple), whose integrity and concern for public wellbeing come at the expense of those nearest to him.

They are played out in later novels: the social injustice underlying Live Bodies (1998), about an anti-fascist Austrian man interred during the second world war on Somes Island in Wellington harbour; fractured family or community relations in The Burning Boy (1994) and Blindsight (2005); criminality and violent impulses motivating the small town characters of Crime Story (1994; filmed as Fracture, 2004).

Gee began by mining the seam of secular puritanism and its ethic of sexual denial, hard work and utilitarianism that shaped early settler society. His first novel, The Big Season (1962), struck a nerve in questioning the social ethos associated with rugby, the nation’s sporting obsession. Written at a time when sport was not considered a suitable subject for fiction, it ploughed a rich furrow.

His second, a crime mystery, In My Father’s Den (1972; filmed in 2004) drew on the legacy of puritanism in the ambiguous attitudes of its protagonist, a social outsider, while Games of Choice (1978), about an unhappy family, introduced what became a familiar motif, a cultural alien, in this case a German family.

Although Gee’s frontal assault on conventional morality, through stories of violence and repression, was controversial, his craftmanship commanded admiration and acceptance.

In the middle years of the 1980s and 90s came what has been regarded as one of New Zealand’s greatest fictional achievements: the Plumb trilogy of novels, spanning three generations: Plumb, Meg (1981) and Sole Survivor (1983).

Like his contemporaries Maurice Shadbolt and CK Stead, Gee continued to expand the reach of realist fiction, through greater historical coverage, social range and psychological exploration, in novels such as Prowlers (1987), about an anti-German riot during the first world war, and Going West (1992), which explores the personalities of two characters – one creative, one scholarly – who may be seen as the two halves of Gee himself. Sympathetic portraits of women appear in the protagonists of Meg, and of Ellie and the Shadow Man (2001), about a woman who eventually discovers herself as an artist.

During these decades, Gee turned to writing for children and young adults, showing a rare ability to move between different readerships without privileging one over the other. He translated his preoccupation with oppressive and totalitarian regimes into fantasy and science fiction in ways comparable to New Zealand’s most acclaimed children’s writer, Margaret Mahy.

His first, Under the Mountain (1979), inspired by Auckland’s many volcanoes, about a world overcome by slug-like aliens and saved by children, was made into both a TV miniseries (1981) and film (2009), while his science fiction O trilogy, consisting of Halfmen of O (1982), The Priests of Ferris (1984), and Motherstone (1985), has been celebrated as an adventurous and accomplished work.

A dystopian trilogy, Salt (2007), Gool (2008) and The Limping Man (2010) was praised for its sharp, unsparing depictions. Gee wrote historic fiction for children including The Fat Man (1994), Hostel Girl (1999) and The Fire-Raiser (1986). His last fiction was Severed Land (2017), the quest of a girl who escapes slavery and an avenging drummer boy. In 2018 he published a memoir in three parts, Memory Pieces.

Gee made New Zealand small towns and suburbia his territory for fictional excavations of dysfunction, violence and cruelty: Wadestown and Karori (suburbs of Wellington), Henderson, Napier and Nelson, all places where he lived. He was born in Whakatāne, North Island: his father, Leonard Gee, was a carpenter and boxer, his mother, Lyndahl (nee Chapple), a socialist and accomplished storyteller.

Maurice grew up in Henderson in West Auckland, was educated at Henderson primary school, Avondale college and the University of Auckland, where he took a master’s degree in English (1954).

After gaining certification from Auckland Teachers’ College (1954), he taught for a decade while publishing short stories (his key collection was A Glorious Morning, Comrade, 1975). Then, having trained at the New Zealand Library School, he worked as a librarian from 1966 onwards, becoming a full-time writer in 1978.

Gee received New Zealand’s highest honours for literature: the Icon award from the Arts Foundation of New Zealand in 2003 and the prime minister’s award for literary achievement in 2004. His adult fiction and writing for children and young adults were recognised in nearly equal measure in numerous prizes, while the award of the UK’s James Tait Black memorial prize for Plumb in 1978 confirmed early on his international reach.

Assessing Gee’s work in The Oxford Companion to New Zealand Literature, Nelson Wattie comments: “There is always an awareness of living at the edge of an abyss: one false move and we shall leave this abundance for nothingness.” This implies that his narratives of turmoil might also include New Zealand’s precarious sense of being a nation at the end of the world, afflicted by geographical distance and remoteness. Certainly they point to a problematic occupation.

Yet, although written on the cusp of an era in which New Zealand/Aotearoa has become increasingly immersed in a Maori/Pasifika world view, they are more than stories about his times: Gee’s vision of New Zealanders goes beyond history, geography and politics to apprehend universal concerns about human vulnerability, social stability, danger and salvation.

He is survived by his wife, Margareta Garden, whom he married in 1970, their daughters Emily and Abigail, and his son, Nigel, from an earlier relationship.

🔔 Maurice Gough Gee, writer, born 22 August 1931; died 12 June 2025

Daily inspiration. Discover more photos at Just for Books…?

#just for books #Maurice Gee #in memoriam

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mindfulstudyquest · 3 months ago

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I’m in the final year of my Veterinary degree at UFPR (Brazil), with a background in Trilingual Executive Secretariat as well. I’m planning an international exchange or postgraduate journey focused on animal behavior, ideally something that blends research, welfare, and practical application (even in the entertainment industry).

I've been exploring programs like the UC Davis M.S. in Animal Behavior and the Animal Behavior College (which offers externships with industry exposure), but I’d love insights from those who’ve been through similar paths or know other programs that value cross-disciplinary profiles, especially those that involve behavior, ethics, and possibly cultural/media spaces.

My goal is to work in environments where animal behavior knowledge intersects with storytelling and creativity, and yes, even potentially collaborate with people I admire from that world, like Aubrey Plaza. I know it sounds unusual, but I'm serious about building a meaningful, ethical, and strategic career that allows room for both scientific work and authentic artistic connection.

Have you done or heard of any US-based exchange, externship, or grad program related to animal behavior that might welcome someone with this kind of hybrid background?

How viable is it to aim for eventual work near creative productions or film sets involving animals?

Any suggestions on how to approach this journey without relying solely on luck, but through planning and initiative?

sorry for the late response – my academic background is different from yours, so i can’t offer direct technical help, but i can share the perspective of someone studying abroad in a field that blends STEM and the arts.

i find your desire to bridge science with art and creativity really interesting — it’s a vision with a lot of potential that definitely deserves space.

i recommend regularly checking the websites of the universities you’re interested in, as well as the website of the embassy of the country you wanna go study in in your country (i'm not sure if i'm explaining myself clearly — for example, if you're from brazil and want to study in the u.s., you should monitor the website of the u.s. embassy in brazil). they often publish calls for applications, scholarships, and exchange opportunities that aren’t always widely shared on social media. staying informed gives you a big advantage in preparing everything ahead of time.

if anyone has more specific information or has been through a similar path, feel free to share it in the comments! we'd love to open a dialogue.

good luck on your journey 🩷🌸

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captaingimpy · 7 months ago

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Interstellar: A Lesson in Sacrifice, Ambition, and the Human Spirit

When Interstellar was released in 2014, it dazzled audiences with its ambitious scope, stunning visuals, and grounded approach to science fiction. But the true brilliance of the film lies not in its technical execution or its speculative portrayal of space exploration—it’s in the existential questions it forces us to ask about who we are as individuals and as a species. At its core, Interstellar…

#Ambition #Christopher Nolan #Existentialism #Film Analysis #Garrett Hardin #Human Potential #Humanity’s Future #Interstellar #Kip Thorne #Lifeboat Ethics #Love and Sacrifice #Movie Themes #science-fiction #space exploration #Survival #time travel

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rugnificentthegrand · 3 months ago

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Reality warps dramatically as the beloved animated series Buzz Lightyear of Star Command continues. The entertainment landscape transforms.

"The show ran for 12 seasons," an animation historian explains. "It revolutionized sci-fi animation."

The cultural impact resonates through generations.

"The space ranger program became real," someone notes. "NASA collaborated with Disney for youth outreach."

Modern animation shows the lasting influence.

"Traditional and CGI animation merged perfectly," an animator shares. "The show pioneered that transition."

The franchise expanded enormously.

"The live-action films were groundbreaking," a critic mentions.

"Space opera returned to prominence," a media analyst explains. "It influenced Star Wars' direction."

"The merchandising changed toy design," a designer adds. "Interactive ranger suits became standard."

"Team Lightyear inspired a generation," an educator notes. "Space science enrollment tripled."

The legacy of Buzz Lightyear's continued adventures runs deep.

"The show tackled serious issues brilliantly," a writer explains. "Mira’s addiction recovery arc won multiple Emmys."

The franchise's influence expanded beyond entertainment.

"XR's character inspired real AI development," a roboticist notes. "His ethical subroutines became industry standard."

Theme park attractions evolved.

"Space Mountain got completely redesigned," an Imagineer shares. "The Star Command Academy experience is always booked."

Voice acting careers flourished.

"Patrick Warburton voiced Buzz for 20 years," someone mentions. "He established a voice acting scholarship program."

Even space exploration changed.

"The Junior Space Ranger program partners with SpaceX now," a NASA representative explains. "Kids train in VR modules based on the show."

Gaming evolved differently.

"The MMO is still running strong," a game developer adds. "Team Lightyear Online has more players than World of Warcraft."

#buzz lightyear of star command #rugnificent the grand #reality shifting

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the-entity-down-the-street · 1 year ago

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"Splice" is a better Frankenstein adaptation than "Poor Things" because:

SPOILERS FOR BOTH FILMS

A) the mad scientists face consequences for their unethical genetic fuckery instead of dying peacefully. Elsa is left traumatized, with her loved ones dead as a result of this experiment. Sure, she's getting a lot of money, but that's not going to undo the mental scars that will no doubt haunt her to the grave.

B) The female monster is actually fucking monstrous. Dren does have some typically attractive traits like symmetrical features, smooth skin, etc, but still. If you're going to make an abomination against science, MAKE THE ABOMINATION. Don't give me some pretty girl in a frilly dress and call that a monster, okay? Cowards.

C) They don't frame the dubious consent/noncon as liberating. Elsa is disgusted with Clive for sleeping with Dren, and when Dren assaults Elsa in her male form, it's a traumatic experience. Bella's assaults (because that's what they are. She has the mind of a literal toddler. I don't care if she is enthusastic about it if she doesn't have the cognitive capacity to understand what's happening.) are framed as sexual liberation and it makes me want to hurl a chair at somebody. Calling sex "furious jumping" because she's not mature enough to fully understand sex. The fact that her fiancé wants to marry her when she's a fucking toddler. Gross. Disgusting. I hate it.

D) Splice is a true gender swap of the Frankenstein narrative, because both the scientist and the creature are female. Clive helps, but let's be real, Elsa is pulling the strings and convincing him to go along with it. Splice doesn't claim to be a feminist retelling like Poor Things does, but it's more narratively driven by women who are allowed moral complexity and agency. There's no bullshit girlboss moment either (the goat brain swap).

E) This one is just a personal gripe, but the whole "bringing back a dead woman with the brain of an infant she was forced to carry" thing? And somehow, this is a feminist retelling? Hate. Get it away from me. Not saying Dren was created ethically (Clive didn't even have fully informed consent because he didn't know it was Elsa's DNA), but goddamn, at least the mother of the child had agency in the child's creation. There is absolutely nothing feminist about using an unwilling woman's body as a vessel for the baby she didn't want. What in the pro-life bullshit is this? Ew. Ew. Ew.

Rant over. Thanks for coming to my Tedtalk.

#rant post #poor things #poor things spoilers #splice 2009 #splice 2009 spoilers #dren splice #bella baxter #tw sex assault #tw rap3 #unethical science #frankenstein #feminist retelling my ass #hate #hate hate hate #splice is better y'all #film critique #criticism #discourse #mad science

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joshcaladia · 5 months ago

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Mickey 17 — A Modern Masterpiece

I just watched Mickey 17 in the most run-down theatre that I think I've ever seen. There must've been 50 or so dead pixels in the bottom left corner. One of the front-left speakers was consistently fuzzy. It was also packed in the theatre, so we didn't get very good seats. Despite this, it was one of the most enjoyable theatre experiences I've had in years, maybe ever. The incredible score, VFX, acting, story, editing, cinematography, and anything else I've forgotten to mention, just blew me out of the water.

Some may be surprised that this was my first time seeing a Bong Joon-ho film, and after seeing Mickey 17, I'm surprised too. Every part of this movie spoke to me in a way I almost never experience in movies and TV. I'll be avoiding spoilers in this review, but a few major plot points will be mentioned.

The Score

The score was instantly immersing, with a seemingly impossible mix of hard and soft, modern and classical, always playing at just the right volume, at just the right time.

The Effects

The visual effects were consistently flawless, with only a few mere moments of CGI-floaties, and my girlfriend noticed one (1) actual error in a distant shot of a crowd simulation. I never felt a separation from the physical and digital world.

The Cast

Then there's the acting. Robert Pattinson once again shows off his brilliant range, with a meek voice for the titular Mickey 17, and a harsher, drier voice for his less-titular counterpart. His presence shrinks as 17, showing his timid nature, and his emotions always feel extremely real. Steven Yuen's understated presence as Timo is similarly perfect. His mannerisms and the way he delivers his lines is as realistic as it gets, without getting banal. Naomi Ackie as Nasha was just about perfect casting. Her diction and physicality perfectly mirrored that of Pattinson's rather non-physical performance (as well as playing up his other, much more physical performance).

The science team always felt exactly like the stereotype of a science team, in only the best ways. Awkwardness, undying loyalty to scientific progress, and of course only the whitest of lab coats.

Mark Ruffalo is in his prime in this film, as is Toni Collette, as they play the most deranged power couple put to screen, with all the subtlety and nuance of the people they're a parody of (ha ha). Ruffalo takes every moment on screen and makes it instantly memorable. Collette speaks and moves in such a way it enhances her character's already uncertain motives.

The Story

To recap: the story of Mickey 17 follows Mickey Barnes in his escape from Earth through a space ship colony on a mission to an ice planet, along with his long-time friend Timo, after they take a loan from the creepiest mob boss alive to start a poorly-thought-out macaron store, and can't pay it back. While Timo can talk his way into a pilot position on the space team, Mickey takes the first job he sees, which is the controversial 'expendable' position. Expendables are scanned, killed, regenerated, killed, and regenerated again, ideally forever. They're banned on Earth due to the ethical and moral concerns, but in space, anything goes (on the drive home, I listened to Anything Goes by Tee Lopes, and it resonated as poignant to the movie). Mickey goes through many regenerations, through a few incidental deaths and a dozen or so deaths related to the science team testing on him. I won't go over the particular tests, but they mostly involve being injected with a formula, directly followed by throwing up blood. It's not until Mickey survives an assumed death, aided by an alien species (known as 'creepers'), and returns to the colony to find he's been cloned again, that things start to go off the rails.

Mickey 17 doesn't waste time telling you who Mickey is and what his job is, but doesn't rush at all to give any other details. It's paced slowly, but not monotonously. This is also one of the only movies I've ever seen with sex scenes that are not only short, but also directly serve the plot, which is how I like my sex scenes.

There are several flashbacks, some nested, and a lot of the context of earlier scenes are given prudence from later scenes. Near the very end of the film, there's a moment, a fairly long scene considering what it is, as a flashback respective to the scene surrounding it, which you might assume would completely fuck the pacing up, but it actually serves to give the surrounding scene a lot more weight. The timeline of the edit is so unique, and I love it.

The Editing

My oh my, the editing. The sound, the music, the timing, the effects, all of it is incredible, but none more so than the fact that Pattinson's dual performance is completely seamless. Not just in visual effects, but in the reactions from other actors. It's perfect. 'Nuff said.

Conclusion

I don't feel like I talked enough about Mark Ruffalo's role in this review, but it's hard to talk about without spoiling too much. I loved every second of this movie, and proudly give it a 10/10. I do feel pretentious saying this, but I wholeheartedly believe it to be a modern masterpiece.

#film #movies #mickey 17 #bong joon-ho #robert pattinson

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