#Trust arc preference manager

[lomowall]

Trust arc preference manager

Trust arc preference manager how to#

Trust arc preference manager manual#

Perhaps the most prominently marketed solutions are cookie consent tools, which enable digital experiences to adhere to privacy regulations such as GDPR and CCPA.Īt a high level, enabling cookie consent means that your digital experience offers users the opportunity to determine how their data is collected and processed. With these industry changes, consent management tools and third-party privacy management platforms have stepped into the spotlight. Deriving a customer data privacy strategy and implementing cookie consent technologies can prepare your organization to become compliant and provide your visitors with confidence about your brand's attention to data privacy and personal choice. These two fundamental needs seem contradictory, but they don't have to be. Moreover, to retain consumer interest, businesses need to be able to meet these rapidly evolving regulatory requirements and offer a strong digital customer experience at the same time. Concern over long-term customer data loss and decreased digital marketing capabilities has reached new heights.

Trust arc preference manager how to#

learn more at: onetrust solutions third party risk whether you are b2b or b2c #dataprivacy, when done right, instills trust with your customers, partners, and employees.As privacy regulations and technology mandates go viral, the importance of understanding how to be compliant has become increasingly urgent. introducing the data governance provides businesses with a way to not only know what data they have but where they have it and who has onetrust highlights its key differentiators and capabilities for the cdo techvent on data catalogs (december 15, 2021). under the general data protection regulation (gdpr), eu based companies, as well as many companies outside the eu, have empowering businesses to evolve beyond compliance and build trust through transparency, choice, and control. 500 and the category defining enterprise platform to operationalize trust. privacycentral is the first ever end to end privacy management onetrust is the #1 fastest growing company on inc.

Trust arc preference manager manual#

say goodbye to complicated, manual privacy workflows. Trusted by 1500 global organizations to comply with data protection and privacy regulations across sectors and jurisdictions, onetrust is the #1 fastest growing company on inc. Adzapier's consent management platform (cmp) is a global, cloud based data privacy management solution that helps agencies and organizations collect and manage first party data, all while complying with the latest industry guidelines and as new compliance regulations expand in additional countries and us states. once this exercise is completed for us, i look forward to being able to use the trustarc platform for other compliance activities. The trustarc privacy platform has been very helpful in supporting vfs’s unified approach to ensure continued compliance in the data privacy arena and help us prepare for gdpr readiness. trustarc powers compliance for over 1,000 paying clients in all industries, worldwide. On premise and cloud based platform that helps businesses of all sizes with geolocation tracking, inventory control, data mapping, records management, auditing, reporting, scheduling and more. our clients include small businesses, mid. on premise and cloud based platform that helps businesses of all sizes with geolocation tracking, inventory control, data mapping, records management, auditing, reporting, scheduling and more. more than 7,500 customers, including half of the fortune 500, use onetrust to build integrated programs that comply with the ccpa, gdpr, lgpd. onetrust is the #1 fastest growing and most widely used technology platform to help organizations be more trusted, and operationalize privacy, security, data governance, and compliance programs.

[tonkiroulette]

Trust arc preference manager

#Trust arc preference manager password

Check with the financial aid office at your school to see if an ASCAP Foundation scholarship is available and if you are eligible to apply. The scholarship recipient is not selected by The ASCAP Foundation. Unless otherwise indicated, it is the music faculty at each High School, College or University that selects scholarship recipients for their particular school. You may choose to consent to our use of these technologies, reject non-essential technologies, or further manage your preferences. Sign up for the Daily Brief, Silicon Republic’s digest of essential sci-tech news.ASCAP Foundation Scholarship programs seek to ensure that opportunities for the study of music are available to students at all levels. B, arc plant for some time, and these dynamos will be placed in the The Wilkesbarre & West Side.

#Trust arc preference manager password

“Using more sophisticated passwords and trusted cybersecurity tools such as a VPN, antivirus and password manager, and practising a general awareness of threats will help people protect their most valuable information online for years to come.”ġ0 things you need to know direct to your inbox every weekday. HDR partners with clients to connect the right engineering, architecture, environmental and construction services experience and expertise for your. During the past month Manager Smith has been and. While some personal information can be removed from the internet by deleting profiles and requesting takedowns on websites, Markuson said only “better online habits” can help people feel safer when using the internet. Other undesirable data cited by respondents included unflattering photos and videos, embarrassing moments, old dating and social media profiles, and previous employment history.ĭaniel Markuson, digital privacy expert at NordVPN, said that while removing oneself from the internet may sound like a good idea for those concerned about their personal information, “you have to ask yourself if wiping the slate totally clean is even possible in our digital-dominant world”. It is estimated by DataReportal that nearly two-thirds (63pc) of the world’s population has an online presence.īut many have privacy and security concerns, according to the NordVPN survey, with 34pc of respondents saying they feel someone will eventually hack their devices as a result of being on the internet and 31pc saying they just don’t trust the internet.įinancial security was also a top concern, with half of the respondents saying they would most like their personal financial information to be deleted from the internet. If you do not wish to adjust your cookie preferences, you can still visit our home page. Once you do that, this page will be refreshed and made accessible to you. If you wish to view this page, please adjust your Cookie Preference Center. When asked for a reason for their aversion to being on the internet, nearly half (45pc) of the respondents said that there was “no reason” for their name to be online, while 42pc said they feel used because companies collect their data and use it to their advantage. To respect your cookie preferences, this page has been blocked. Get all of the support you need to help improve your mental health, on your terms. By making consent and preferences easily accessible, companies benefit from compliant customer data. These consents and preferences can be further pushed down to third-party solutions such as. CPM allows TrustArc customers to gather consents and preferences from consumers and store them in a centralized location within the platform. Nearly half of respondents to a NordVPN survey thought there was ‘no reason’ for their name to be on the internet.Ī survey of more than 10,000 people globally has found that more than a third would choose to delete themselves from the internet if given the option.Ĭommissioned by cybersecurity company NordVPN and conducted by Cint, the survey asked 10,800 people across the world for their views on online habits and internet privacy. NOTE: Please confirm your location using the location dropdown at the top of the page before contacting EAP. The Leading Consent and Preference Management Platform. This document detail features present in Consent & Preference Manager (CPM), a module of the TrustArc Platform.

[motogreys]

Trust arc preference manager

#Trust arc preference manager update#

#Trust arc preference manager free#

#Trust arc preference manager free#

Free for one website (not limited by pageviews/number of pages, etc.).If you’re not sure whether this tool is right for you, here are the advantages and disadvantages: For the second one, I already had a Google Tag Manager recipe which made things much faster and easier. I have to admit, I struggled a lot when I was trying to implement OneTrust’s consent for the first time. Onetrust Cookie Consent Notification: Pros and Cons A visitor will have to choose which ones he/she wants to give consent to. targeting group, functional group, etc.) will be opt-out by default. If a user clicks No, let me choose, a preference center will open where all the tracking categories (e.g. If a visitor gives consent, all tags will continue working as usual. It cannot be closed or hidden unless a visitor accepts or rejects tracking. The consent banner will block the visitor from using the website content until tracking is accepted or rejected.Ī visitor lands on your website and this popup will appear (design might look different based on your settings).If a visitor clicks Accept Cookies button, this is a consent.In other words, a visitor still has the opportunity to act before cookies are stored in his/her browser. Until this moment no tracking tags are fired yet. Banner offers to accept cookies or decline them by going into cookie settings.A new visitor lands on a page and sees the cookie notification banner at the bottom of the screen.The newest version (explained in this guide) will work a bit differently. My website is using an older version of it (implemented in 2018). I’ve checked several solutions and the one that I’ve chosen is offered by OneTrust. OK, now let’s go back to our main topic, cookie notification. GDPR Cookie Consent Notification: Action plan So you should not use this guide as legal advice. This legislation is expected to bring more clarity on how companies should handle tracking and advertising online.Īlso, keep in mind that I am not a lawyer. In fact, the European Commission is currently working on a new ePrivacy Legislation (expected probably(?) in 2020, even though it was supposed to arrive at 2018) which will be built upon the ePrivacy directive and the GDPR. If a cookie contains personal data, then GDPR applies to it (because of data), in all other cases, a “ cookie law” should be applied. It does not talk about cookies in any way. The General Data Protection Regulation only involves personal data.

#Trust arc preference manager update#

Update Your Current Tags with New Triggersįirst things first, GDPR is NO cookie legislationīefore we continue with the GDPR cookie consent notification, I’d like to point out a common misconception.

Publishing changes + script integration.

Onetrust Cookie Consent Notification: Pros and Cons.

What will the consent banner look like?.

First things first, GDPR is NO cookie legislation.

This Google Tag Manager GDPR setup will give you more control when it comes to activating marketing/analytics tracking codes. In this guide, I’ll show you what solution did I choose and how I implemented GDPR cookie consent notification on + you’ll get a Google Tag Manager Recipe. So before you get the actual consent, all the tracking should be put on hold. This also affects tracking codes that are managed in Google Tag Manager. From now on, if you are using some tools/scripts on your website that are used to identify individuals and their data is processed by you or 3rd parties), that can be done only when a person gives consent. Long story short, a standard This website uses cookies blah blah blah cookie consent becomes irrelevant. I will not go into detail what GDPR is (there are other great blog posts out there like this one, this one or this one). Updated: May 9th, 2020. On May 25th, 2018, General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) came in effect, meaning that online businesses that get visitors from the European Union, must track visitor/user behavior and collect data more carefully, responsibly, and with consent.

[lc-holy]

My other thoughts on season 5:

We all thought it was Marinette who was going to confess first, but it was actually Adrien who did. And we all thought it was Adrien who would confront his father in the end, but it was actually Marinette who did.

We learned that the reason Marinette couldn't confess to Adrien wasn't that she was afraid he'd reject her (although Marinette was afraid of that too), but rather that she couldn't confess because of her trauma-induced anxieties. (But I'll be honest, even without justifying Marinette's trauma in the derision episode, we know that Marinette has been harassed by Chloe for a long time and that she's a big part of the reason for Marinette's anxiety).

Early on in season 5, Alya makes it clear to Marinette that Adrien is interested in her. And the Adrien's confession didn't really surprise Marinette. The important thing was to find out how Marinette will manage to face her fears so that she and Adrien can finally be together. Adrien's patience and kindness had a lot to do with it. He took the lead in their relationship to ensure Marinette's comfort until she was ready to confess.

In the final third of the season, it was Marinette who took matters into her own hands to free Adrien from his father. It's not that Adrien didn't do anything; on the contrary, he tried to talk to his father several times, but it was always to no avail, as Gabriel had such a hold on him. But we were still treated to the Representation episode where Adrien was able to tell his father everything that was on his mind. But in the end, even as Chat noir, Gabriel got the better of him. There could be no Monarch-Chat noir confrontation because of Adrien's nightmare. He was already very unstable at the start of the Conformation episode, so how could he face his father and discover all his secrets in this state?

Some may not like what I'm about to say, but I think it's great that Adrien didn't confront his father. We already see in many stories people who suffer abuse go directly to confront their abuser to free themselves, so why not tell the story of a victim who can't confront his abuser? Especially since Gabriel can easily control Adrien.

And I love how Adrien's friends were there to support him and helped Chat noir beat Gabriel in the Representation episode!

And Marinette managed to free Adrien, but not without consequences. It's not just "the knight who freed the princess from the evil dragon and happy ending!". Gabriel leaves her with all his heavy secrets. The idyllic ending we're shown at the end is just Adrien's vision. It's as if Gabriel has hidden all the horrors he's committed in a box wrapped in beautiful gift wrap. Only Marinette and a few others know the contents, but prefer not to say anything for Adrien's sake.

And please know that I don't blame Marinette at all for keeping the truth from him, it's extremely difficult to tell truths that could break the person you love. And I don't understand people who say she has to tell him the truth because otherwise she's a bad person. It's so much more complicated than that... Especially as Marinette also has the right to take a breather...

Still, I can't wait (and I'm afraid too) to see when the truth comes out.

 But there's very little room for Ladynoir, is there?

Er... yes. One of my main criticisms of this season is the cruel lack of Ladynoir ! There are very few Ladynoir moments, even platonic ones. Not even a discussion at the end of the two episodes of the kwamis choice. Or when Ladybug suddenly trusts Felix in Pretension. Chat Noir is just a little surprised, but that's all.

I can understand that Ladynoir is less present because Adrien and Marinette are much more focused on their relationship as Adrinette. And Ladybug and Chat Noir had no conflict this season. This is a season that was supposed to wrap up several arcs, but because the episodes are short and there are so many arcs to wrap up, ladynoir is sidelined. But honestly, apart from the few moments I mentioned above, I didn't find the absence of ladynoir all that bothersome. (Still, I'm sad I haven't seen much of them this season).

And as I said, this season was supposed to conclude several arc. So we have the end of the Chloe arc, the Lila arc, the Gabriel arc, the Ladynoir arc and the Adrinette arc, but the end of an arc doesn't mean it's really the end.

Chloé is far from Paris, but will surely return worse than ever. (or perhaps a redemption? but I don't think so), Lila no longer exists but she becomes Cerise and possesses the butterfly miraculous, Gabriel is dead but his statue is there to remind us that he's still here after all.

The Ladynoir arc concluded in the first third of the season.

Chat Noir abandons his feelings for Ladybug, as he realizes his feelings are not reciprocated, and focuses on his feelings for Marinette. Ladybug begins to have feelings for Chat Noir, but as he no longer has feelings for her, she decides to focus on her feelings for Adrien. In the final episode, Ladybug and Chat noir found a balance in their great superhero team. Chat noir and Ladybug stand next to each other in front of all the other superheroes following them.

Adrinette's arc :

Adrien managed to be more enterprising in his love relationship and to be a good support to Marinette. Marinette faced up to her fears and had the courage to confront her boyfriend's father several times before setting him free. They had their fairytale ending.

But some things don't add up, not only does the end of the lovesquare arc set us up for an Adrinette conflict over the secrets Marinette is keeping from Adrien, but the relationship between Chat Noir and Ladybug is also incomplete. For example, Ladybug has never confessed her feelings to Chat Noir. To me, Chat Noir and Ladybug's feelings haven't changed, they're just hidden for now.  

Cerise seems to have more rage against Marinette than Ladybug. Especially in the post-endcard re-creation. While Gabriel was very angry with Ladybug and Chat noir, is Cerise more likely to take it out on Adrien and Marinette's relationship? 

Although I was initially skeptical about Adrien and Marinette breaking up, Cerise could potentially be the cause of a future Adrinette separation. Maybe i’ll be totally wrong, but I think there will be a conflict between Marinette and Adrien that will relaunch the lovesquare in some way.

To sum up: like the end of Gabriel and that idyllic ending that feels more like a dream than reality, the conclusion of the lovesquare for this arc left a lot of people dubious. As if something were incomplete. An ending for Marinette and Adrien will only be satisfying if there's a reveal, so yes the story isn't over. Adrinette and Ladynoir will be confronting new issues and conflicts next seasons. It's a new beginning for everyone.

 One last thing about what Adrien said to Marinette in the garden: "I don't know if I'll ever manage to be like him [his father]". I saw a lot of people angry that Adrien had suddenly forgotten all the horrible things his father had done, and that this meant Gabriel had been redeemed. I'm sure Adrien still knows what his father did to him, especially when he tells Marinette that he feels freer when he's with her. I interpret this as a kind of guilt on Adrien's part. Adrien has always had a sense of sacrifice, especially in helping Ladybug, but the only time he refuses to go and fight for everyone's safety is when his father dies. He must have felt some guilt or perhaps admiration for his father at the time, but that doesn't mean he's forgotten all the horrible things his father did before.

And if you still have doubts about whether the writers gave Gabriel redemption at the end of the season, here's what Thomas has to say about it :

[zu-is-here]

Hi Zu, how are you today ( ⁎ᵕᴗᵕ⁎ )

I think I’m gonna ask for a bunch of ships if this keeps up, but what makes Nightmare and Killer end up together?

I mean, we know Killer hides his emotions behind his smile so no one hurts him, but Nightmare feels his feelings.

So he can use them and manipulate them to make Killer more loyal to him, so we can’t consider that Nightmare doesn’t really like Killer.

But somehow Killer needs Nightmare as much as Nightmare needs him. After all, Killer prefers not to feel feelings because he no longer wants to suffer because of someone or something, so he’s a little dependent on Nightmare who managed to keep his soul in that round shape that "imprisons" his emotions.

But knowing that, should we be thinking it’s mutual dependence, not love? So, what could possibly do to fall in love with each other?

I talk too much about that, sorry 〣( ºΔº )〣

Hii!╰(*´︶`*)╯Verrry good, thank you <3 Hope you're doing good too (๑˃̵ᴗ˂̵)

Aw don't be sorry! (ówò) It's my pleasure to analyze more together *w*

Oh, these two are truly special. ★

Actually, It depends on their arcs (like, this is just one side, with post-corrupted!Nightmare, but we'll take a pre-stage, classic one ♪) Gonna reply your questions with blue! (òwó)♡ Feel free to clarify, add and use <3

The best part is that we can rely on official sources — the posts of the creators themselves and the their characters' canon interaction! Let's compartmentalize the basics so that everyone follows the chainヽ(´▽｀)

Killer wasn't the first one found by Nightmare, yet it didn't prevent him from taking the place of the boss' right hand. Sure he didn't initially desire to serve someone (who would love to?), but he surely must've been offered "help", for he does prefer not to feel so that not to suffer, — a deal like freedom from that endless nightmare in exchange for fallen AUs and negative feelings for Nightmare. [Killer's negative feelings might be the ones that caught Nightmare's attention, just like with Cross.]

Despite their difference in strength, abilities and LOVE (and it's not in Nightmare's favor), we can see that Killer is still a bit skittish around him and mostly tries to please him [not to cozy up, for he has the courage to tell Nightmare the truth to his face and even risk to enter into a "debate" in order to defend his own point and warn Nightmare].

Yet again, since physical pain doesn't pose a particular threat to Killer as if he has nothing to lose, he can afford cheeky behavior around Nightmare (within the allowed). This audacity and intelligence of him is what distinguishes him from the rest of the henchmen, as one of the two few who can be close to Nightmare.

Nightmare himself keeps the boundaries but he can tolerate him. It's not attachment, we can't say that Nightmare really likes him, but a certain level of trust, which is already beyond the ordinary.

I wouldn't call it a mutual dependence though, cause they aren't likely to suffer without each other. Nightmare would subjugate another puppet while Killer would get a chance to improve.

This may sound out of character, and you might think Nightmare has selfish goals only and use others as tools but nope! He does care about his teammates, even if in his own way, despite being excessively short-tempered sometimes. He doesn't want to lose his loyal puppet after all ;)

But the thing is, Nightmare and Killer don't help each other get better — they just can't get better together. Both of them work within the agreements yet their symbiosis drags them both more and more to the bottom — with Nightmare pulling Killer behind himself, with Killer giving in to him, playing along, indulging him in this degradation — and never resisting when it comes to him. However...

That's why it's a dead end to leave them two together, and that's why the third one is needed, as the good one against the bad side, — it's Color, the one who tries his best to help Killer and set him free.

[I can also see — optional — Murder on the bad side, the one who's reached the point of no return, as a living warning to Killer about the consequences of his reckless hatred.]

Now, we have both Killer's "demon" and his "angel", as two choices on either side of him: one promises freedom from suffocating feelings; the other believes he can be saved thanks to them.

Color claims that Nightmare hurts Killer the most and doesn't deserve any mercy, but can we fully agree with his point?

Does Nightmare really hurts Killer? In a way, yes, he "imprisons" Killer's soul cause he needs an impeccable machine to disperse chaos, bloodshed and mass suffering, not a hesitant whiny boy who wants everything back.

Nightmare does feel Killer's feelings and emotions, better than anyone, yet they're not to be used, for he can get much more negative from others just by depriving Killer of them.

Does Nightmare help him to drown out the pain with insensibility? Also yes cause that's what Killer really wanted [but not what will help him]. Although, neither he seems to be mad at Nightmare for "being used", nor Nightmare profits from his negativity.

This way, he doesn't even have to manipulate Killer to make him more loyal to himself. It's just easier for Killer to be dependent for him, yet such "relationships" are doomed, and their disunity is the only option for a "good ending".

While being stable, Killer regrets bad things he did under Nightmare's control, since he couldn't control himself [that's why he even keeps his name afterward].

Killer wants to become a better person, but he knows he can't get rid off the guilt and burden of the past, and what's more important — he can't break the bonds with Nightmare on his own, though he has all the strength and chances. And this, perhaps, binds him even more to his boss.

Well, at least Killer would try to be better... in his own way.

They don't see partners in each other cause it's never an equal relationship. Even in relashionship, Killer will always be lower, he just won't dare to put himself higher. And Nightmare will always be higher cause he'll never let someone get closer than a level below. Even if Killer completely trusts him, Nightmare never trusts him just the same way in return. That's why, if Killer gets better, it's not for Nightmare anymore.

P. S. Take nudes ;D

[murphallo]

Your thoughts on Chenford and their relationship moving forward?

Thoughts on 5.13?

i’m having a bad time lol

i’ve been ranting and raving about this in detail for the better part of two months so i’ll try to keep this to bulletpoints. i think the way they got together was rushed (yes, rushed), poorly written, and i think they cut the burn off before the part a LOT of people waited so long for (angst, pining, arc, plot whatsoever) i think it was a bonkers decision to get such a well set up ship together in the midseason bc they were just like “eh fuck it here is good” and i have no beef with people who are satisfied with how it went down but i think when people who are disappointed express their gripes on their own damn account, people tend to purposely misunderstand. examples include “how can chenford be rushed if they took 4.5 seasons to get together?” to which i’d answer a. we are not saying chenford is rushed we’re saying the way they got together was rushed. b. it’s funny to me how people think that investing years of time and effort and heart to a ship should make us LESS invested in how they get together. c. bruh i’m asking myself the same question it’s actually kinda impressive that they managed to rush a ship after that long.

as for the story going forward, i’ve kinda lost hope in 5b at least. it’s beautiful to see them so enamored with each other and i will watch the scenes and smile at them bc they are adorable in a vacuum but as for the big picture, i find the writing overall to be quite dumb lately. i find it dumb that their biggest boundary to being together was work and they solved that in one episode in the most boring way they could muster. i find it dumb that it seems like we did not get to see the team find out they’re together. i find it dumb that we were given no reason for them “taking it slow” and then giving in after a couple weeks even though that pre sex makeout was hot as hell ngl (see what i mean?? in a vacuum!!) i find many many things dumb and weird and even though the scenes give me buzz, chenford used to have chem and story for me and tho the chem remains higher than it’s ever been, the story has, in my opinion, been shot in the face.

last week with the work thing was kinda my last straw so i am taking a break from the rookie and watching the chenford scenes on twitter bc i was getting way way too hateful watching week to week. i’d rather be a positive presence in a fandom im in so i don’t go out of my way to stare my displeasure publicly, i only do to reach out to other people who feel the way i do and want to vent bc nothing starts internet friendships like a good bitching session. i do feel like because the relationship is hitting the gas like this, we might??? be on our way to the other shoe dropping and me personally………. my prayer is a breakup lol i’m hoping they break up and then we’re actually given some proper angst and pining (even though i think we should’ve gotten that BEFORE they went canon but what do i know) now… i don’t know what they would break up over with the work issue out of the way and it would probably be something, say it with me, DUMB, but i would be willing to consider tuning in again if my trust miraculously grew back lol so YEAH those are my thoughts.

if you’re happy with how they got together, i truly honestly do not care and i’m happy you’re satisfied lol at a certain point it all comes down to personal preference, and for me personally, it feels like they went out of their way to miss every box on my checklist which is a bummer bc i used to love literally every scene interaction and bit of writing between them and now… not so much. i still love them, and i love the first four seasons, i just think the writing took a huge ass stumble at the literal worst time possible. but it would take a stronger person than i to turn my nose up at gifs of the 5x12 makeout so if absolutely nothing else, at least i’ll always have that 🤡🤡

[k-s-morgan]

I enjoy so much reading your metas!!! 💗

Thanks for answering all the questions ☺

It's very inspiring to know that there is someone who has loved the series for so long and understands it so well, and who continues to explore it and communicate with new fans of Hannibal.

So I have questions again.

1. How do you think the series should end? After all, there is some logic of the story that you understand and can follow further.

2. Why did Hannibal never openly talk about his feelings to Will? I know that he gave a lot of hints never saying directly, but it would be much easier if it was a simple "I love you Will, do you feel the same way?".

3. Are Alana and Margo really in love, or is there an alliance between them assembled from the fragments of their traumatic past?

4. What does Hannibal do with the rest of his food? It seems incredible that he throws them away.

Thank you, I really appreciate it! It's been some time since I re-watched 'Hannibal,' but since I saw it over 40 times, it's practically seared in my memory :D It's a brilliant show, the best one I've ever seen.

1) The Ideal Finale for the Series

Each season ends with Hannibal's victory, even when it is bittersweet. S1, he manages to set Will up and protect Abigail successfully; S2, despite the heartbreak of Will's alleged betrayal, he flees into a new beautiful life; S3, Will breaks him free, Hannibal's dream of them killing together comes true, and while Will pushes them off, they survive and are implied to attack Bedelia.

Logically, we don't need 5 seasons - 4 would be ideal. The only narrative arc left is that of Will living with Hannibal on the same side of the veil. We need to see how Will acts after Becoming, how he and Hannibal are doing now that they are a team, what new conflicts they might face.

The ideal and most logical ending for me would be the one that mirrors how the books ended. Will and Hannibal together, carefree and reckless, living in a beautiful country and attending events like opera where they might see someone from their old life. Upon noticing them, this person gets so terrified that they flee. As for Hannigram in particular, I'd like to see this quote from the books adapted:

Hannibal: Tell me, Clarice, would you ever say to me, "Stop. If you loved me, you'd stop"?

Clarice: Not in a thousand years.

With Will and Hannibal walking into blood-soaked sunset. Preferably after sharing a kiss))

As for the plot, I have several ideas based on Bryan's comments, but since you asked only about the ending, I'll stop here or this will get too long :D

2) Why Hannibal Didn't Confess to Will Directly

I think the lack of communication is the problem of almost every relationship! It makes for some great plots. Hannibal and Will in particular seem to thrive on subtleties; their relationship is charmingly old-fashioned in some ways. Hannibal tried to push Will to Become, but he's very careful about their emotional bond. He leaves constant hints, he makes it clear that he accepts and worships Will, he leaves courtship gifts for him, one in the form of a Valentine, and he thinks it's enough. He's waiting for reciprocation, a sign that could allow him to proceed and become bolder. Maybe he even considers direct confessions too vulgar and unromantic, so he chooses to wax poetic and prove his love and devotion through actions.

That said, I don't think a direct approach would even work on Will. It would make him feel cornered and he wouldn't be able to trust these words anyway. Throughout the show, he absorbs everything Hannibal tells him, stores it in his mind, and only after the pile of evidence of Hannibal's affection accumulates, he begins to reciprocate more openly. There is some magical beauty in how Hannibal and Will understand and express love: a more trivial and straightforward approach would rob them of their dark individuality.

3) Margot and Alana

I choose to believe that Margot and Alana are in love, and a part of this love is based on their shared traumatic past. They understand and support each other, they share attraction, and they want to have a family together. I wouldn't mind if Bryan took them in a colder and more calculating direction, but unless proven otherwise, I'll keep thinking that they really love each other.

4) Hannibal and Food

Do you mean the food he already prepared? He does cook a lot! I headcanon it as Hannibal having psychological issues after experiencing hunger in his childhood. As for what he does with it, I think he invites people to eat what he cooked and/or sends what's left to various charities. He gets such a kick out of everyone eating human flesh without realizing it that he probably enjoys expanding the circle of cannibals in Baltimore :D

[uhthor]

professor hulk was the worst move marvel could’ve made with bruce’s character because literally no-one wanted to see “the brains and the brawn” put together, ESPECIALLY not bruce.

all through the avengers movies we’ve seen bruce’s hatred toward hulk and how being hulk has turned him into someone that the world feared rather than admired. age of ultron literally centres on how hulk ruins bruce’s life. the entire world hates him because of what hulk has done and how he’s acted. “where in the world am i not a threat?” literally acknowledges bruce seeing himself as a threat and a monster, not just hulk. and nobody actively tries to dissuade bruce of this at all. nat literally tells him “i’m a monster too, we are the same.” and writing bruce out of the narrative by having him fly off into fuck knows land without a single acknowledgement or tiny ounce of closure for his AoU arc was so cheap. and then nobody goes and looks for him? nobody gives a shit? it’s just a testament to how little of a shit marvel give about bruce as a character and his development.

there was a MULTITUDE of trauma that bruce experienced in AoU and it was never acknowledged or talked about ever again. with the screen time he got in ragnarok, it was covered as much as possible (hulk still convinced earth hates him and thor reassuring him they don’t — something hulk has waited two years to hear) and taika was the only person to remotely care about bruce and his dynamic with hulk and treated it with maturity. when he’s away from the other avengers, bruce is somebody that he likes to be. thor is the only person to have treated him this way and treated him like an actual person because he is the one that is most similar to him. i don’t know how they called what he had with nat in AoU “romance” when she actively encouraged bruce to hate himself for what hulk did and does and she harms him to turn him into the hulk. what???

ragnarok actually managed to burn all that to the ground only for the russos to turn it back into comedic relief in infinity war. bruce is at such a crossroads with hulk and trying to balance their dynamic and trust of each other and then fucking endgame rolls around and suddenly they’re the best of friends and bruce thinks it’s a good idea to merge them together. i’m sorry? actual in character bruce would never actively choose to do this a) because he hates hulk and that has been his entire arc for literally a decade b) bruce has shown he prefers to have control and not hulk out if/where possible. he never wants to hulk out obviously, but there’s no way he would ever choose to give hulk any sort of power over him purposefully and c) bruce’s brains and his strength as a human are worth ten times the strength that hulk gives him. not to mention the way bruce’s return to earth is brushed off completely in infinity war when tony doesn’t give bruce a choice in the matter of fighting ebony maw and cull obsidian. bruce literally says “i don’t want to fight but when do i ever get what i want?” and it was put forward as comic relief. are you okay????? once again, in ragnarok, thor asked bruce to fight and when he said no thor never pushed him to do anything. bruce chose to help him on asgard and the important part was that he chose to do it himself, knowing the consequences. thor never forced him, but tony did.

we fell in love with bruce before he was hulk and we’ve grown with him as a character AS bruce, not hulk, not professor hulk. he’s at his best when he’s given the time to be fleshed out as a character, not as some stupid comedic relief and out of character bullshit writing and “development”. it makes me so mad honestly. as one of the most interesting and complex characters in marvel with a story that holds such depth and trauma, he deserves SO much better.

[gumnut-logic]

“Virgil?” A whisper.

A soft touch to his forehead. He frowned.

“Virgil.” Cool, musical. He really should have learnt to sing, he would have been magnificent.

“I’m not singing. We’ve had this discussion before.”

Huh?

“Trust me, you want to wake up before Gordon and Alan find you out here.”

A set of neurons fired in the correct sequence and the name ‘John’ came to mind. A slow blink found his red-haired younger brother sitting beside him on another lounger. “What are you doing out here?”

“I think I should be asking you that question. I’m up early to see the meteor shower. I seriously doubt you’re out here for the same reason.”

It was pre-dawn, the sky still dark, the stars still out. A bright spark arced across the sky. Another followed. The moon had set, so the ocean was lit only by starlight and the dim glow on the eastern horizon.

“Is Scott okay?” John’s voice was hesitant.

The question came out of left field. “What?”

“He got into Dad’s stash again last night, didn’t he.”

A sigh and Virgil slumped into the lounger. “He did.”

“Is he okay?”

“About as okay as any of us.”

“That bad, huh?”

“Yeah.”

Virgil eyed his little brother. This was more words from John than he had received in the last week. “What about you? How are you?”

“I’m...getting there.”

“Where?”

“Where I need to be.” As if to punctuate the point, a meteor shot across the sky in all its white brilliance. John ignored it, looking down at his hands. “Virgil, can I give you a recommendation?”

Huh? “Uh, yeah, sure.”

Again with that hesitation. “I think you should let him in.”

“What?”

“You and Scott are remarkably the same in so many ways, but you are so different, it is hard see it.”

Virgil groaned. “John, it is far to early for riddles. I need coffee before any of that is going to make any sense at all.”

John shifted where he sat. “Virgil, you are not Dad anymore than Scott is.”

“What?!” He sat up too fast and his dopey brain protested. Augh.

John held his hands up. “Hey, hear me out.”

Virgil expected him to keep talking, but he stopped as if waiting for a response. It was far too early in the morning for this. “Then start talking.”

Something flickered in John’s eyes. “You don’t always have to be the strong one.”

Virgil opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out.

Straightening as if in resolve, John continued. “I know you prefer to keep it to yourself. I understand that, believe me.” The softest of smiles. “But...” A sigh. “Scott needs you. He needs to know you need him.”

Virgil stared at his brother. “What?”

“I’m just saying that it wouldn’t hurt to show that...Dad’s...loss...is hurting you as much as it is the rest of us.” The last came out in a rush uncharacteristic of his calm brother, but then it was surreal that he was receiving such advice from John.

Falling stars streaked across the sky and the glow to the east was slowly getting brighter, washing out the display. As if in defiance, one particularly large meteor tore across the sky, flashing orange and white, flickering in its last dying breath.

Like a fragment of that explosion.

Virgil closed his eyes a moment before opening them and catching his brother’s turquoise.

“John, I...appreciate what you are saying, but...” And there it was, catching in his throat again. He forced it down, but it left his voice raspy. “I’m...managing this the best I can.”

“I know you are. I appreciate everything you’ve been doing. What I’m saying is that you need to look after yourself as much as you are trying to look after everyone else.”

“I...”

“You need to let it go.”

And it swelled up in his throat again, stealing his voice.

“Think about it. Let us, let Scott help you, too.”

His voice continued to fail him and his heart was beating harder than it needed to. John was frowning at him in concern. “Virgil?”

Virgil cleared his throat, automatic defences coming into play. “I’m fine.” His heartbeat was making it hard to hear.

John was eyeing him warily. Virgil felt a sudden need for privacy, to get away. God, he wasn’t ready for this.

“I’ll leave you to your meteor shower.”

His brother straightened where he was sitting, an awkward hand reached out towards him and Virgil eyed it as if it was a snake. Standing abruptly, he took himself out of John’s reach. “Thanks, John. I...will think about it.”

“Okay.” Those turquoise eyes were wide with worry.

Not brave enough to say anything further, Virgil turned and, striding faster than usual across the patio, headed up to his rooms.

Shutting the door behind him, he shut the world out. Shut out the concern in John’s eyes, the anger in Scott’s, the tears in Alan’s, the loss in Gordon’s, the grief blanketing the island. Curling up, he let himself slide down the door until his butt hit the carpet and his head fell into his hands.

Just breathe.

Just.

Breathe.

-o-o-o-

[booksandchainmail]

Pale Arc 3

This arc introduces other practitioners! Before they had only been faceless enemies, not directly confronted, but starting with 2.z we see Nicolette, and in Arc 3 the Kennet Trio begin negotiating and allying with them. At the same time, their relations with the Others have begun to decline, due to increased practitioners, going after the Choir, and the investigation.

With Miss gone, Kennet no longer has a strong leader, and even as the Others are more prone to dispute, the girls have begun setting their own goals and directions. In the first two arcs they approached the Others as students, and if not subordinates, agents of Kennet. In this arc they've moved beyond that, and are taking their places as young practitioners.

If they're to function as a source of justice, as managers and shields from the outside world of practitioners, they need to stand independently as equals, not as novices reliant on following directions. But that doesn't mean that some of the Others wouldn't prefer puppet practitioners for Kennet.

As I commented a few chapters before, I'm interested to see how relations will progress, especially as going to summer school brings them deeper into the world of practitioners.

Theorizing below the cut:

My Hungry Choir theories from 3.5:

The moment of Yalda’s death kicked off the Hungry Choir, somehow (ex: dying curse, karmic backlash)

Yalda’s corpse is powering the Choir inadvertently

Someone is deliberately using Yalda’s corpse to power the Choir

Yalda is alive, ran off, and is running or causing the Choir

Yalda is alive, was captured, and is being used to power the Choir

Yalda is alive, potentially with John, and the Choir is being used to contain her abilities so they don’t spill out into Kennet indiscriminately

Of my six Yalda theories, about half were somewhat right, though not the one that I was most convinced by. Her dying curse was used by someone to power the Choir, which also has Yalda's personality running it. So sort of a fusion beween 1, 3, and 4.

We now know the murder weapon! The Hungry Choir. Looking back at 0.0, I just realized that out of the people who show up at the Arena, the Choir is the only one who wasn't fetched by a goblin. Because they were already there, doing the murder. Also, using the Hungry Choir as a murder weapon is clever, since they're hard to interview.

Actually, now that I think about, being able to defeat the Hungry Choir in a way that lets them question it is an amazing thing. I think whoever masterminded this assumed that any investigators would a) not try to interview the Choir b) try but give up, since the Choir doesn't seem to talk or c) get killed by the Choir. Even at the outside chance that they find a way to defeat the Choir, getting honest answers from Yalda seems unlikely. And in that case, that would leave the being who actually did the murder dead, and the investigation potentially unsolvable. Or the Hungry Choir as the fall guy, taking the blame without saying who ordered them.

Now I want to know who voted against letting the Kennet Trio take action against the Hungry Choir.

Oh! New thought: the best guess people had for who would take CB's place was John Stiles or the Hungry Choir. If the Choir takes it, either whoever created them shores them up as a puppet judge, or counts on the position tearing them apart, thus removing a witness. If it's John, presumably the Yalda connection could be used as leverage.

We also now have a description of the people who created the Choir: an old-seeming but not old man, and a woman. Both masked. Not sure how much to trust this description, considering glamour can alter appearances. It would seem to point to Edith and Charles (especially Charles, given how they ask about summoning once Forsworn. And he can lie). Edith is very very suspicious right now, from the coin and her responses to the interview. Maricica also suspicious, due to the coin and general vibes. Another possibility: Miss. Putting herself in harm's way for Avery gets her points with me, but I could see a convoluted plan where she uses being on the Paths to avoid some rounds of questioning and build trust.

The other major new clue is that, if the Hungry Choir was specifically created for this, the murder of the CB was in the works for at least nine years! Not only does that say something about the mastermind's patience, it changes our range of potential motives. I don't think this could have related to a particular case anymore, unless the court moves really really slowly. Everybody seems to assume this is purely about grabbing that power and position for the mastermind/an ally, and it makes sense, that's the kind of power move I could see waiting that long for. Also could be aiming for destabilization.

So! After this arc, we have a few primary suspects, we have method and arguably means, we just need a motive.

[severestrangersheep]

HI TO EVERYONE!!! This is the first one shot that I write in English, and this isn't my first language, so sorry for all the errors that will be on this text. I will improve, I swear. Good reading, I hope you will enjoy it. It's a fanfiction of one piece, with one of my favorite ship, LAW X ROBIN. There aren't any disclairment, it's a simple fluff, a part that there are some spoiler, so, if you haven't alredy read the arc of punk hazard and dressrosa, don't read this fanfiction. So, LET'S START.

A comfortable place

There was the same atmosphere of all the previous evenings. Law didn't understood yet how that crew managed to stay together, given the strange assortment of people. He was sitting on the parapet of the ship, but he could here the noise of the crew from the kitchen, where they were having dinner. It was strange to see them all together, but at the same time it seemed the most natural thing in the world, like one completes each other: Rufy, the hatter, that stole the food from the plate of the others, Nami that was always trying to contain the stupid madness of his captain, Zoro and Sanji that were arguing for everything, Usop and Chopper were laughing and joking together, Franky that was assuming his "super" pose and Brook that was making jokes about the fact that he didn't have a stomach and that he was made only of bones. In the last days, also the samurai kin'emon and his son Momonosuke added to the travel to Dressrosa, the hatter and his crew had decided to help them.

And, naturally, the only one that he trusted in this strange crew was Nico Robin. He found that was strange that a person like her, so calm, kind but mostly intelligent was part of this crew.

The night was quite cold, but at the thought of that woman he felt his heart warm up, the same thing that happened when he thought about Corazon. But hell, no, the notorious surgeon of death that felt something like that for a woman, it wasn't possible. But, at the thought of her, he felt also a smile on his lips, closing his eyes and staring at the pictures of her in his mind.

Suddenly, he no longer felt all this cold, the thought of Robin warmed up him, specially in his heart. He was awakened up from his thoughts by the sweet voice of the woman protagonist of his thoughts, that came from above him:

-It's cold to stay outside all the night, Law. Come in the kitchen.

Immediatly he opened his eyes and looked up at her, unable to not blush. He trayed to be as cold as possible, trying to not put any sentiment in his voice:

-Too noise inside, I prefer getting a cold outside

-I know that you would say it.

Saying so, Robin setted next to him and put a cover above them, letting their legs touch each other.She saw him freeze for a moment, but then he relax immediatly, and she saw a small smile on his lips. The two stayed in silence for some moments, watching the stars and the moon above their heads. Giving up to curiosity, she asked:

- Why that smile?

Law turned to face the woman that asked this question and stared into her blue eyes, taking a sweet expression but at the same time melancholic:

- This moment is remainding me a person that when I was a child was like a father to me.

Law looked up at the sky, he didn't want her to watch his eyes that were shimmering at the thought of Corazon. But, a sweet smile appeared on Robin's face, making her as beautiful as a goddness:

- What was his name?

- Corazon

The surgeon of death pronunced almost impercetibly this name, he felt that the sadness was raising up in him at the memories of Cora. But to take back him at the reality there was Robin: he felt the warm fingers of her that were interweaving with his cold fingers and he felt she resting her head on his shoulder, feeling her breath on his neck. He hadn't had such a sweet contact with a person since he was 12, when Cora said to him "I love you". He heard Robin saying:

- It's better be alone in two than alone.

Law thought about what she have just said: she was right. If there was someone that wanted to share his pain, helping him to hold on, why he had to refuse this help? He would prefer fighting his demons from the past with this woman than fighting them alone or with someone else. Her words were true:

- You also didn't have a really beautiful past, right?

- No, the world government has been following me since I was 8, I saw my mother two times in my life and the only one that I could consider as a father was a marine, Augaro D. Sauro, but Aokiji killed him.

He started to caress her hand that he was holding with his thumb, but inside he felt that he wanated more, caress her was too little. She raised up her head from his shoulder and said to him, with a funny voice and smile:

- You know, I didn't expected that you could be so sympathetic and so... so sweet.

He stared straight in her eyes, with a mischievous look, but at the same time kind, and said:

- I can be much more sweet than this

She laughted a little and said:

- So, show me.

So, she approached her goodness face to Law's one, closed her eyes and curled up her lips to kiss him, waiting him to approach. And he was not slow to satisfy her: he crushed her lips, with all the kindness and passion that he had in his body, exploring every centemeter of her mouth, breaking away from her after some time, to take breath.

She rested again her head on his shoulder and took his hand, with him that was caressing her hair. She asked him:

- So ,Law, about this kiss, do you have something to say about?

- Some times I feel so lonely that I do stupid things, like this.

Robin understood that he was joking, but she didn't want him to joke about a serious things like their sentiments for each other:

- Only the truth.

- Do you want the truth? Ok, you will have it, but I think that you heve alredy understood. Have I to said clarly this things, really?

- Do have you another choice?

He let out a long sigh and said whispering, taking gently her head in his hands, resting his forehead on hers:

- I love you, Robin.

She rubbed her nose with Law's one, and she said to him, kindly:

- I love you too

And they kissed again, a kiss without luxury but with the deep love that in that moment and forever would have link them.

That night they slept in this way, on the deck of the ship, under the same cover, hugging each other, under the show of the stars. Finally, Law found a comfortable place to sleep on the Sunny, into the arms of Robin, the perosn that he loved the most on the world, as much as Corazon.

[dumbledore-and-grindelwald]

Newt in The Secrets of Dumbledore

I have previously complained that Newt had no arc in this movie. After watching it again I have to admit at being wrong.

We start with Newt seeing the Qilin mother die and losing one of the twins, ultimately saving only one out of three, and he has put his own life in danger to do so. The well-being of this creature is important to him regardless of its value in any plan.

When he and Theseus visit Dumbledore, Newt mentions that he was only meant to tell Theseus that Albus wants to speak to him. When, after being prompted by Albus, Theseus asks if Newt was meant to tell him why Albus wanted to speak to him Albusl literally laughs at the idea and answers that as a matter of fact Newt was not meant to tell. Newt follows Dumbledore’s plans blindly. When Albus asks Theseus to trust him even when every instinct tells him not to, Theseus looks at Newt and he receives an intense encouraging and slightly pleading look by his brother before agreeing.

Newt explains to the rest the plan and he’s fine with knowing only a small piece of the bigger picture. The first time he reacts is when Bunty takes his case. He’s thrown of balance, but ultimately he complies.

As each person or smaller group is carrying their first little mission, Newt is the only one who fails. Kama manages to be kept alive and to be one more person that Grindelwald wants by his side but has to look out for and he makes sure that Queenie does not expose herself after getting emotional over Jacob. Lally and Jacob create confusion, affect Queenie enough to have her first little moment of helping directly (when she uses a spell against Helmut as he approaches Jacob) and stop the assassination. Bunty makes the cases.

Newt delivers the message but cannot back it up in a way that might convince Vogel and his own brother gets captured when Newt himself is the one who convinced Theseus to get into this mess in the first place.

At the end of this stage things are even worse than when they started. When Newt and Dumbledore speak about Dumbledore’s past and Albus, reveling in his selfhatred, basically says that he prefers Newt’s honesty over any attempts to make him feel better, Newt mentions that what matters is intentions and ‘the trying’ even if one has made terrible things. The reason Newt keeps trusting Dumbledore as a leader is exactly the kind of goodness that the Qilin itself ends up seeing in him.

Albus’ next plan is more manipulative though. When they are picking the cases in the room of requirement Jacob is about to pick the case placed in front of Newt. Albus clears his throat and Jacob picks another one, getting an affirmation from Albus. When Newt picks next, he chooses the case that is in front of him. After Dumbledore’s reaction he things that he has the real one, when the real one was all along the one in front of Bunty.

When Newt is close to delivering the case, Henrietta Fischer steps in his way and pretends that she is working for Dumbledore. Newt is actually confused. He’s given pause because having another player in the game is not something that Dumbledore wouldn’t do, and not knowing the full plan he has no way of confirming her statement. After an initial pause Newt trusts his instincts, which have served him well, and tries to reclaim the case but he’s stunned. When he reaches her again, Fischer leaves it to him as she cruelly destroys it while Newt is holding it and that’s the very moment the reanimated Qilin bows to Grindelwald.

The scene plays into another one. Helmut, having Theseus and Lally’s cases, tells his men that they’re idiots for being ready to destroy the cases without seeing if one of them is indeed containing the creature. Fischer does not check. Four out of five cases have been destroyed and Bunty was never in the open. Grindelwald’s people don’t know there’s the other one so they assume that Newt’s the last one and therefore they’re in the clear. Newt himself is so convinced that he has the real thing that he thinks that not only has his failed, but he’s lost his life’s work and all the creatures he loves so deeply. When the acolytes bring him in the crowd he looks defeated and on top of that he sees his best friend being tortured. He has stopped acting until Credence speaks up and Newt cannot help trying once more even if it’s only his words against Grindelwald’s. His voice breaks and his expression is tortured when he tries to explain how he knows about the second Qilin and cannot finish the sentence as he thinks of how it and the rest of his creatures have (to his knowledge) died.

Bunty appearing with the case, the last part of Dumbledore’s plan falling in place, is the first time throughout the movie when Newt’s faith and his will to sacrifice are rewarded. It’s established that, very much like the Qilin, Newt can see into people, trusting in a man’s intentions and a leader’s abilities and planning. It was essential for him to think to feel the loss of his creatures and still decide that trying even when all seems lost is important, while it made him appreciate even more everything he’s worked for.

Finally, I think that Dumbledore thanking him for putting so much faith in him and acknowledging that he couldn’t have done all of this without Newt and Newt being willing to go through this again even after almost having lost things that mattered to me is a beautiful way for us to leave their relationship for now.

[fast-moon]

My Ranking of the MCU TV Shows So far

So, with Ms. Marvel having wrapped up last week, I figured I’d see where it lands on my ranking of the MCU Disney+ shows before we get She-Hulk (and, uh, I Am Groot, I guess) in a month.

These are completely subjective personal preferences that no one asked for, but I felt like writing them out.  So, ranked from least-favorite to favorite, these were my thoughts:

(spoilers for all shows)

7. Loki

I was somehow, like, not engaged with Loki at all.  I’m fine with Loki as a character, but this show felt like it was just running solely on name recognition and the popularity of the character rather than because it had anything interesting to do or say about said character.  Loki gets dissociated from the time stream in Endgame due to stealing the Tesseract that the time-traveling Avengers were trying to steal, and then gets picked up by the time and space police for violating the timeline.  But instead of destroying him like they usually do with variants, they decide, “Hey, what if we made Loki a time and space detective working under this agency?  That totally is a natural continuation of his plot and character arc until now.”  Then Loki meets a female variant of himself and they go around doing... stuff.  And then he meets an alligator version of himself, isn’t that funny?  For the whole thing, I couldn’t stop asking, “What in this story necessitates its main character be Loki?  This role could have been filled by anyone since it in no way explores anything fundamental about him or his journey.”

And so naturally, it’s the only live-action show so far confirmed to be getting a second season.

6. What If...?

This show had a couple of episodes that I really liked, including the first two with Captain Carter and T’Challa Star Lord, and the Doctor Strange one.  The rest of the episodes were pretty forgettable and gave me the same feeling as Loki: “What are they trying to say here?”  For alternate universe stuff like this, I think it’s strongest where we get to see how the same character behaves when put in a situation different from the one that happened in the original timeline, to see what they’re really made of.  Some episodes managed that well.  Others were just “Here’s a random scenario that we’ve inserted Avengers characters into and nobody is behaving like themselves.”  Pretty much the only thing learned from this series is that Tony always dies and never trust Hank Pym.

And naturally, it’s the bottom two on my list that are confirmed for a season 2.

5. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier

This one and the next two are actually fairly closely tied, and all three solidly above the previous two, but I needed to order them somehow, so at least for today, this is the order.  Unlike Loki which never felt like anything in it necessitated Loki’s presence specifically, this series revolved around who should take up the mantle of Captain America after Steve Rogers’s retirement.  So this is a story that specifically needs Sam and Bucky.  And then the Captain America mantle ends up being passed to some other unknown guy, John Walker, after Sam and Bucky are both hesitant to take it.  And from there we get a story of what it means to be Captain America and what kind of person deserves to wield the shield.  Which is great, I liked that, and there was a lot of talk on race and discussing how Black soldiers were treated.  Isaiah Bradley was absolutely the best part of this series.  Unfortunately, the series mostly suffered from some fairly bland protagonists who didn’t become interesting until Zemo showed up.  Yes, the forgettable antagonist from Captain America: Civil War was the most interesting man in the room here.  Coupled with some antagonists in the Flag Smashers who started out strong and relatable, then all of a sudden shot themselves in the foot out of nowhere because the writers were like, “Wait, we can’t have the viewers actually siding with these guys, they need to do some undeniably evil stuff for no reason”, and then their motives just fell apart.

4. Ms. Marvel

So, I’m a sucker for family dynamic stories that don’t revolve around toxic familial dysfunction, so this was already pretty wholesome going in.  That and Iman Vellani wasn’t even acting, she just is Kamala Khan in real life.  But this was a series that while the parents were still treated as obstacles to Kamala embracing her powers and her love for superheroes, they were never portrayed as the bad guys.  Pretty much everything involving the family, the wedding, the Partition of India backstory, was just really enjoyable to watch.  This was another series where we were given a story from a cultural angle that was different from what we often see, which was refreshing and fun.  I also enjoy the “street level” stories from superhero universes to see how the regular civilians live in a world where superheroes and monsters and aliens are real.  This show’s main failing was, again, its villains.  It tried to give us too many, from Department of Damage Control to Clan Destine, and then not really know what to do with either of them or what their motives were.  But Kamala will be back in The Marvels next year, as the post-credits teaser indicated, so I can’t wait to see how she fangirls over actually meeting her idol.

3. Moon Knight

Steven Grant is a precious bean and must be protected at all costs.  That’s it.  That’s Moon Knight. In seriousness, though, I enjoyed how this series tackled the issue of dissociative identity disorder, not just as a gimmick, but really delving into why he has it in the first place and why it manifests the way it does.  I also really loved the directing of the personality shifts, and Oscar Isaac just nails everything in this.  He probably gives the best performance out of all of the shows.  And I think the villain in this show is probably the best out of all the shows, too, in that his motive remains consistent throughout and that he is a valid and relevant threat.  There’s also the mystery element running through it as to why everything is happening that gets revealed in pieces.  So why is it only #3?  Well, it goes back to the first line.  Steven Grant single-handedly carries this show, while pretty much everyone else in it is meh.  And that still is a tribute to Oscar Isaac where he can play such a compelling character AND such a dull character at the same time in the same scene.

2. Hawkeye

Hey, you know how I mentioned earlier how I’m all for wholesome family shit, and now there’s Christmas hijinx mixed in and general goofiness that doesn’t detract from the underlying serious story?  Sign me up for that.  Hawkeye was one of those Avengers who was always in the background who I was like, “I guess he’s all right” about, and this show recognizes that and runs with it.  To me he was always like the put-upon Avengers dad who keeps wanting to retire but those damn kids can’t keep the world saved for five goddamn minutes!  And now he might be missing Christmas with his family because of it, aaagh!  There’s some phenomenal directing in the middle couple episodes (Bert and Bertie, get them in more stuff now), and there was serious discussion around Clint’s hearing loss and how it affected his everyday life.  As someone with a deaf family member who lost his hearing at an advanced age and never learned to sign, the scene of writing the conversation out on notepads was super relatable to me and also heartbreaking.  Then we had Yelena brought in from Black Widow to have some fun banter with Kate Bishop.  This one will probably become a yearly Christmas tradition.

1. Wandavision

Hawkeye and Ms. Marvel had wholesome silly family shit, Moon Knight had a respectful look into devastating untreated mental health issues, and Wandavision has all of that and more.  It has that wholesome exterior that’s hiding something dark, but the darkness isn’t just there for shock value, it is something that is naturally to be expected after what happened to Wanda in Infinity War and Endgame.  The creative set pieces and setting aren’t used as just a gimmick, but as an allegory for Wanda’s coping mechanisms as she attempts to process her grief after losing her entire support structure.  And then Vision is just my comfort character archetype: strong, calm, intelligent, humble, and most of all gentle and kind.  The guy who’ll just sit with you and let you talk out your problems without being judgmental.  Anyone who’s had someone like that in their life would be devastated to lose them, especially so unfairly.  Where this show starts to falter is when it tries to rein itself back into tried and true MCU format, with a finale that, while still having some excellent emotional and philosophical beats such as Vision defeating his alter ego diplomatically, it does still devolve into a CG explosion-fight that didn’t really need to happen.  And as charming as Kathryn Hahn was as a secondary character, much like Loki I’m not certain she can carry her own story, with Agatha: House of Harkness set to air in the next year or two.  And don’t get me started on how Wandavision elegantly handled a woman having a mental breakdown without simply resorting to the “crazy emotional woman” trope, and then Doctor Strange: Multiverse of Madness... didn’t.

[aworldforastage]

recently read: 臣服/"Surrender" by 墨奈何/墨青城

I just finished the first two books in the 臣服/"Surrender" series by 墨奈何/墨青城, which are apparently very well-known titles in the BDSM sub-genre.

I'm so surprised that a novel about BDSM and mob bosses ends up feeling like one the sweetest novels I have read recently??? Like yes there are "scary mob things" and the scenes can get intense, but the story very much try to emphasize that BDSM is a consensual and enjoyable relationship built upon trust and communication for both parties.

Book 1

Business executive Xu Ye joins a new BDSM club and meets a highly skilled dom. He enjoys being with the dom but breaks it off after realizing the man is mob heir Chu Yu. However, they can't deny their mutual attraction and get back together, and Xu Ye learns to adapt to life with his new dom.

The kink and mob stuff aside, story actually has a very chill and "comfortable" relationship arc. There is a power difference, but Xu Ye has a lot of agency and freedom in making decisions about his relationship. He is experienced and certain of his own BDSM preferences, and also reasonably independent from Chu Yu in the other aspects of his life. Their attraction and feelings for each other come organically out of their chemistry in the scenes, and they genuinely respect and care for each other. (And then there's the mob stuff, which I can't really take seriously, but it's quite prominent in later parts of the story.)

Book 2

Struggling actor Zhuo Yue joins the entertainment company of Fang Mingyan (aka Chu Yu's friend Marvin from Book 1). They feel some attraction towards each other, but do not pursue a relationship because Zhuo Yue isn't sure about BDSM. However, after Zhuo Yue is assaulted, Fang Mingyan pushes him into a master-slave relationship to help Zhuo Yue manage his PTSD, and things veer out of his control.

The relationship is messy in Book 2: two people with feelings for each other are forced together before they are truly ready. Fang Mingyan has a lot of professional and financial power over Zhuo Yue as his boss, and initiates an intense relationship when he is particularly vulnerable from PTSD. Zhuo Yue is attracted to Fang Mingyan, but he isn't really comfortable with BDSM. It gets worse (and angsty) before it gets better, but they eventually end up in a loving and committed relationship.

These two books are more graphic and explicit than the regular danmei novel, but that's expected given the genre.

I skimmed bits of Book 3 and I don't think I'll read it, but I'm considering Book 4. Book 3 is about Chu Yu and Xu Ye's son and nephew. It has a lot of non-con and goes very hard on the mob stuff. Book 4 is about Chu Yu and Fang Mingyan's friend, Lawyer Qin ("The Pharaoh").

Thoughts

I really like Books 1 and 2 for portraying BDSM in a rational way. It has an intense dynamic and appeals to different needs compared to a traditional relationship, but just like any relationship, it can be safe and pleasurable if the parties approach it with the appropriate care and respect for their partner. The doms in the series repeatedly emphasize that consent should be free and mutual, their partners are their equals outside of play, and their chief responsibility as doms is to look after the safety and wellbeing of their subs. (This is me shading all those stories that treat kink like an excuse for abusive practices.)

That being said, the book doesn't always walk their talk! For example, the main doms in the series founded an exclusive BDSM club, supposedly with strict rules to safeguard the privacy and safety of its members. However, in both books those rules have been significantly bent for of their elite members (i.e. the main characters).

Still, I really like that these stories emphasize consent, communication, and trust in the relationships. Even the ritualized communication the doms use during the scenes seem very helpful. So many conflicts in the danmeis I read would disappear if the characters display half as much emotional intelligence!

[bellatrixobsessed1]

Three Little Changes (Part 1)

Summary: While teaching Azula to swim, Katara is attacked by a shark that leaves her with a permanent injury. She fears that she won't be able to continue those lessons, let alone surf again.

Notes: Updates may or may not be slow in July due to art fight.

It is like thunder in her ears, a horrible, savage roar. She looks up and sees the sun, but it grows distant. She feels scales against her skin. The fish pay her no mind at all and she doesn’t mean to focus on them, not when she should be thinking of the glimmering that is growing further still.

She reaches her hands out and grasps at bubbles. Bubbles that carry her final, desperate breaths away from her. 

The waters aren’t quite so turbulent when she isn’t treading the waves alone. 

When a hand takes her arm and guides it through the motion of a simple stroke. And then that hand takes the other arm. Katara walks both of her arms through elegant little arcs. 

“Do you think that you have this motion down?” Katara asks. 

Azula nods. 

“Great, now lets see you actually swim. And remember…”

“I have to kick while pulling.”

Frankly she still feels silly, pathetic. She knows that she should have learned how to do this years ago. But father has kept she and Zuko well away from the coastline since that day several summers ago. 

“I’ll be walking alongside you.”

“You better.” Lest she have to drag a waterlogged body down the length of the beach. 

Sand and pebbles burn her cuts; she thinks that she had managed to find herself in a coral reef. The whole left side of her leg is a mess and her foot…she can’t look at her foot. She is lucky that she has all five toes.

She is too heavy for Zuzu to carry any further. He has cuts of his own. His little six year old legs are about to give out, she can tell. 

And she feels terrible for him; he knows that he was supposed to be watching her, it is written all over his face.

Mother and father rush down the beach.

She remembers clouds of sand and the sound of waves. 

Water rushes past her ears when she finally puts her face under the salty water for the first time in ten years. She’d be lying if she said that there wasn’t a tickle in her tummy. Even if Katara has one arm holding her afloat by the belly and the other holding her steady by the back. 

Azula does her best to replicate the strokes she had just practiced while standing vertically. It is different now that she is horizontal–now that her face is beneath the surface. But she is making good progress–years of volleyball give her arms and legs a useful pump of power. 

Katara slowly withdraws her hold, leaving her with a flicker of dread that she coaxes away upon seeing the other girl’s legs. Her feet kick up small rings of sand as she trails alongside. Every now and then, she turns her head just enough to steal a breath. 

This time she hasn’t lifted her head enough and she swallows a good briny gulp. Azula brings her stroke work to an abrupt stop and lifts her head from the water. She stoops over sputtering and coughing, her throat burns and her tongue stings. Her eyes water and she spares Katara a distraught glance. 

“You’ll be fine.” Katara assures her. “You only swallowed a little bit, that’s not all that uncommon. But it does sting a little, especially if you get water up your nose too.” 

“I don’t like it.” 

Katara laughs. “You really haven’t been in a pool or the ocean since the accident, have you?”

She shakes her head. “As much as I enjoy watching you surf and Sokka swim, I prefer to stick to land sports.” She shrugs. “And bathtubs.” Although she very vastly prefers showers too. 

“Well I’m glad that you decided to get out of your comfort zone.” Katara smiles. “You did really good today.” 

But watching the others–Chan, Jet, and Suki mostly–she feels ridiculous. She belongs in the kiddy pool with Tom-Tom. 

“Trust me, you’ll be swimming really well in no time.”

It sure doesn’t feel like it, but she nods anyhow.”

.oOo.

Katara accepted three changes in her life and only three.

Summer days rise with brilliant golds and a simmering haze in the air. They carry out with endless blue skies and puffy clouds that bring merciful shade just when the sun's rays get too intense. They carry out with steel drum bands and the sound of waves pummeling the sand. And they close in flares of brilliant oranges and pinks and bursts of fireflies dancing in the palm fronds amid strands of lights.

What need has she for change when the world is just fine the way it is now, with saltwater on her tongue and the sun warming the back of her neck as it sets in vibrant shades of orange and pink. With the scent of sunscreen lingering in her nose. 

Azula arches her back and dips her head down just far enough to wet her silky hair a final time. Katara imagines that she is decently sore. She has worked particularly hard today. Even still, she doesn't swim out much deeper than she is currently.

"Are you ready to call it a night?" Katara asks.

Azula nods, "we'll resume tomorrow." She slicks her hair back and Katara spies familiar clusters of jagged scars. They run from the right side of her forehead and curve down to her ear. They create fault lines on her legs and spot her feet like lines on a road map. With the tilt of her head the sun shimmers over them. Beads of ocean water glimmer upon her cheek.

Katara remembers how persistently she had fought to keep those scars concealed–particularly the ones on her forehead. Without much thought she reaches out and brushes her fingers over the scars. 

Azula’s lips part but before she can say a thing, Katara kisses them. She curls her fingers into Azula’s tresses and kisses her a second time, longer. The taste of Azula on her tongue has long since grown familiar. 

“Are you sure that you don’t want to swim just a little longer? We still have time before dark.”

Azula gives a soft little hum. Katara sees it in her eyes; the desire is there. Genuinely so. Katara is inclined to say that every inch of Azula’s soul, every fiber of her being longs to say yes, to extend the moment for as long as she can. But instead she replies, “I’m sure, Katara.” She still can’t quite put the past behind her. 

Katara has to admit that she doesn’t understand it. Not from Azula, powerful and impeccable Azula. But she supposes that the girl ought to have some fears and weakness of her own just like everyone ought to. 

“Alright, tomorrow sounds good to me then. Maybe we can go grab icecream or popsicles afterwards?”

Azula squeezes her hair dry. “I would enjoy a date to the boardwalk.” She seems to look off and into the sunset. 

Katara’s father always warned her that life was like the waves that she loved so much--unpredictable and unrelenting. That sometimes she’d be hard pressed to keep her head above the water but the waves keep coming. And then in the next hour they’d gently caress her cheeks as though they hadn’t tried to drag her under. “The tides change, Katara. And so will you.” He’d ruffled her hair and chuckled as though he hadn’t just handed her the most devastating news she’d ever heard. 

But here, now, in the water--in her saltwater dream she can’t even fathom change. 

[ruvviks]

okok so i know you said preferably cp2077 guys but may i ask something for one of the girls? because i am veryyyy interested in ms. michele!! so can i ask michele + self? 🫶

oc asks!

SELF: how is your oc's relationship with themself? does your oc like who they are? is there anything about themself that they would change?

michele has worked. SO HARD. all her life. to become the person she is now and to have the position in militech she has now. gave it her all. gaslit and manipulated her way to the top and she wants MORE. genuinely one of the most powerful women in all of night city and if elysium (spaceship) hadn't basically been ruined after an incident she would've managed to get militech SO much money as well as access to secret technology that would've changed everything FOREVER so like. she is genuinely so powerful and intelligent and she knows it. and she loves this about herself

however. elysium shat itself (good thing. can't elaborate that takes too much time but trust me LMAO) and michele lost her position in militech and she's in shambles. which is why she ends up attacking aubrey's club and also seb's gang and it's a whole mess but basically tl;dr michele is a Fighter. she knows what she wants and what she deserves after being rejected by friends, family- all she has is her life as a corpo and she's not gonna lose that because of some stupid spaceship incident. admirable but also she does end up dying because of it because she doesn't see that she's on the wrong side of the conflict and power goes to her head and that's not what you want. so </3 big loss for the girlboss community but she fought until the bitter end and she's STILL a very interesting character to me. i really need to write about the militech arc more because there's so much going on in there. one day i'll get to it