#this is what you get for creating a human experiment

[wildernessworship]

I feel like a lot of viewers didn't necessarily absorb just how fucked up Mari, Akilah, Melissa, and Gen's murder plot in the s3 finale actually was. The episode didn't do the best job of communicating what was actually happening, so I do get why people were confused about who was in on what plan. But once you understand the girls weren't involved in Natalie's transponder efforts and had no idea there was still a chance of rescue, the full degree of horridness becomes clear.

Their plan definitely wasn't a distraction to get everyone rescued. It was essentially a revenge plot to take out their most unstable teammates for ruining their chances of rescue, and just as importantly, for being a heinous bitch to them (Shauna with Mari and Melissa) and convincing them they were special (Lottie with Akilah). It was personal and premeditated, and at least as bad or arguably worse than anything Shauna and Lottie had done up to that point.

They poisoned the animals, their only ethical food source and the one thing that might have gotten them through winter without resorting to cannibalism. They baited Lottie and Shauna into calling for another hunt to serve as a distraction while they carried out their murders, nevermind what might happen to whoever drew the queen. Even if they had successfully pulled it off and only the targets died, it would have done little to improve their overall circumstances.

The reality of their plan was this: they kill and eat two problem teammates, but it only sustains them for so long because the group is still stranded in the middle of nowhere during the brutal winter without food. Removing Shauna and Lottie from the equation solves a few of their immediate problems, creates a temporary illusion of security, but it doesn't prevent further violence. In fact, it's easier, because now they have experience actively killing their friends. As they go hungry, they justify more hunts.

What Lottie says is true, "It's in all of us now." Everyone in the group is responsible for the violence and depravity they've devolved into. They've all permitted, escalated, participated in, and benefited from these horrific acts. They've also been deeply traumatized by them. They are all simultaneously victim and perpetrator. Everyone, including Mari herself, is responsible for Mari's death. They're responsible for Ben and Javi and Jackie's deaths. But that reality is so overwhelming and existentially horrifying, they can't acknowledge it and have to find convenient scapegoats to pin all the bad things on.

It's easy to understand how they got there, and Shauna's sadism and Lottie's religious zealotry do make them super easy targets for blame. But we, the audience, aren't traumatized teenagers trapped in desperate circumstances, so we don't need to resort to scapegoating. We should be able to recognize the obvious and severe mental health crises driving Shauna and Lottie's behavior. We should be able to understand a huge part of their deterioration is because they were used by the collective, isolated into damaging roles, and then written off as crazy and dangerous once it stopped being convenient to use them.

I just think every single one of these kids, no matter what horrific shit they get up to, is worthy of our empathy and understanding. Fiction is exactly the place where we can exercise this kind of radical acceptance of the darkest parts of humanity. I'd prefer to save the finger pointing for picking out my favorite unhinged cannibal, instead of looking for villains and heroes where they don't exist.

[everythingisamazing]

Here’s a "fun" analysis of why Jayce’s first speech in the astral plane doesn’t work — and why so many Jayces before him have failed to convince their partner: Viktor doesn’t care about being saved for his own sake. And as painful as it is to admit: he doesn’t care about being loved for his imperfections.

Why do I believe this? Because the show repeatedly emphasizes what Viktor does care about — across both seasons. And it all begins with one of the very first lines we ever hear from him, as a child in the flashback:

"Can I help?"

Later, when Viktor speaks to Heimerdinger about his impending death, what is his main concern? Not that he’s dying — but that he hasn’t done enough. That he’s only achieved figments.

When he and Jayce experiment with the Hexcore and the plants, it's Jayce who focuses on finding a cure for Viktor. Viktor, once again, talks about saving others.

I don’t even think his decision to experiment on himself with the Hexcore was ever truly about saving his own life — but rather about buying more time. Time to achieve what he hoped Hextech could accomplish for the world.

And while Viktor’s “death” technically happens in Season 1, it’s really his arc in Season 2 that made me read it this way: Because despite everything that changes — from who he is at the beginning of the series to the moment he creates the commune — one thing doesn’t change: His utter disregard for his own well-being in the pursuit of helping others.

From the very first moment we see him use his powers, the show makes it clear: it comes at a cost. His attempt to heal ending with his legs shaking and him falling to his knees.

Singed, when he visits the commune, even talks to Viktor about his "decline," as he calls it — how his power is diminishing with every use. (Viktor answering this by asking whether he believes in fate is... interesting, but that’ll be an analysis for another time.) And what does Viktor do? He pretty much ignores him and keeps trying — which is no different from what S1 Viktor would have done. So, to summarize: I feel like Viktor sees his own survival as a means to an end — as if he is merely a vessel for saving others, not a person worth saving himself. His body, not as something imperfect yet beautiful (as Jayce calls it), but as an inconvenience — something that gets in the way of achieving meaningful change.

Now, I can’t tell you why Viktor sees himself that way — the show doesn’t explain it, because, as mentioned above, he already holds this mindset when we first meet him as a child. To play armchair psychologist, I’d assume it has something to do with his loneliness, and how helping others through his mind feels like the one meaningful way he can connect with them.

And how does his relationship with Jayce play into all this? Jayce, as stated by the writers, connects Viktor to his humanity. In this reading, I’d say: Jayce is the one thing Viktor can’t help but be selfish about. Because when Mage Viktor saves Jayce as a child, he likely does more harm than good in many timelines. And yet — he does it anyway.

There’s no time in the show for Viktor to fully work through this issue. At best, he might have started to realize, by the end, how this approach caused more harm than good. But I don’t think he’s anywhere near caring for himself. That’s why Jayce’s "You always wanted to cure what you thought were weaknesses" speech “fails” — while "Because I promised you" works. I hope I’m not getting too psychological here, but I feel like for someone who’s so committed to helping others, honoring a promise is far easier for Viktor to understand than the concept of self-love.

It might even be a bit of a callback to when Sky warns him about trying to save Vander — and Viktor replies, "He is worth the risk." I think that’s a sentiment Viktor understands deeply. And he sees it reflected back at him through Jayce in that final moment. He can empathize with Jayce’s need to do right by him, even if he can’t yet empathize with himself. (That part — well, that’s for all the angst-with-a-happy-ending fics to figure out).

[earthsparked]

Hallo!! Hallo!!

It's me!!! F.T!!

Tomorrow is going to be my birthday:D(June 26)

I randomly want to ask on how bots would feel or how they'd act about their human friends on their birthday!

Like would they give their human companions gifts? Would they willingly sing happy birthday? Etc?

-F.T

Happy birthday, F.T.! 🎉

Hot Rod is a little confused, but he gets the spirit. This is a special day for you because you emerged from an egg delivered by a stork that landed in a cabbage patch or something (he does not need details). Therefore you are being treated to a new competitive sport, which he has created: having the best birthday. This IS a competition and he is going to win it. You’re getting presents (weird ones, possibly stolen). You’re getting food (definitely stolen). You’re getting a very confused bagpiper who has been hired to follow you around and make sure everyone knows it’s your birthday.

Optimus is a lot more low-key. He actually has some grasp on what the day means, and though he’s not much into presents, he definitely wishes you a happy day. Maybe he spends some time with you talking about your life and what you’re proudest of having done. I bet he’d do something like take you for a drive to have a heartfelt talk about where you want the rest of your life to go, while enjoying some beautiful scenery.

Drift would be in the middle: he’d get the specialness of the day, for sure, but he might be hesitant to engage too much out of fear of insulting you somehow or overstepping. He’d definitely invite you to meditate with him, and probably give you some insight into your life through a deep philosophical conversation from his perspective of spectralism. And then he’d solemnly tell you how much better the world is with you in it, and hesitantly give you a present that he got someone else’s help to pick out for you. Something in a color that really represents your best qualities and his hopes that you’ll have a fruitful year.

Whirl is dragging you to the bar. You’re going to do karaoke and shots. Or you’re going to watch him do karaoke and shots. Either way. He threatens everyone into singing happy birthday to you. Ends the night giving you some incredibly expensive present you’ve wanted for ages, and absolutely will not say where he got it from or how he knew.

Bumblebee is more in tune with human culture, so you’re getting the full traditional birthday experience. Fortunately UberEats is a thing. A catered party, balloons, a cake, some small but very funny and cute gifts. He definitely reminded all your family and friends about the party by hacking their phones so nobody forgets. Gets in a little scuffle with Jazz and Blaster over who gets to DJ the party. This leads to some interesting musical selections.

Ratchet acts like he doesn’t care, but he gives you a book on some subject you’ve been fascinated by for ages. Gruffly brushes it off when you thank him. Yeah, yeah, go on, he’s busy. Get out of his medbay. Secretly smiles to himself after you hug his ankle and bounce off to go read your new book.

Jazz throws a rave that turns out to be a trap for the Decepticons. They bust up your party, but you had a killer time first and Jazz has done something insane like hack into your favorite restaurant and given you free food for life.

Prowl also hacks something for your birthday. You get a notice that your student loans, medical debt, credit cards, car payments, parking tickets, mortgage, etc. have all mysteriously been paid off. He will never admit to doing this.

[nipuni]

WE FINISHED THE GAME!!! MASTERPIECE BRILLIANT TOUCHING STUDY IN GRIEF COMFORTING POIGNANT REFRESHING NO NOTES ALL I WAS HOPING FOR AND MORE we both loved it so much what a gem of a game!!

I'm going to put all my thoughts under a cut for spoilers, don't read unless you have finished the game, please play it blind!!

This game is so consistently good all the way through and even with such a huge shift in perspective in the middle it manages to stay on theme and deliver the message it sets off to tell from the start in such a clean way. It could have been jarring but it stays cohesive because of this and suddenly so much about the world building makes sense.

It also makes it so easy for you to understand and respect every character's choices and where they are coming from, all their different ways of coping with tragedy sets them on their roles within the canvas but at their core there is just their love for each other. Everyone is so loving!! there is so much love in this story!! Every character is allowed to be vulnerable and tender and stubborn in such a childish way. You can see them all go through the stages of grief and it feels like a coming of age story, there is a playful innocence to everyone that is never punished and felt so refreshing, and you are immersed in it in Verso's world and you see so much of this through the eyes of a young girl.

I also love how they made love look messy and difficult but stronger than anything. From the start with Gustave and Sophie loving each other but also divided over this dilema mirroring Aline and Renoir. They could have gone the easy route of an idyllic relationship but they chose to show this conflict and it adds so much more weight and depth to it.

There is also this recurring theme about the value of creating something doomed, it's in the children of Lumière and the Canvas worlds, in art and relationships and attachment, it comes up over and over and it shows you every possible answer and rationalization I love that!! All these impossible questions and no right answers just people doing their best with the time they are given and being so brave.

The story started with such a devastating emotional gut punch, it took them under 10 minutes to make me sob. It sets the tone immediately and it is so quiet about it. The start of Gustave's arc was one of my favorite parts of the game, he doesn't say a word but you can follow his emotional state perfectly, you feel it, it's so real.

Act I is such an epic story in itself, the final act of resistance and all the shapes it can take "For those who come after" "We continue" it's all so human. And how you go from this grief on an existential and societal scale to this very personal family tragedy at the center, and this grieving father trying to save his loved ones from despair and from repeating the same patterns and hurting each other with their pain because he get's it, they are all so similar. He wants to make the hard choices so they don't have to and he is willing to suffer the consequences, It's so touching 😭

The acting is fantastic, the EYES, there is so much happening in the eye movements!! The voice acting and writing of the dialogue is impeccable too, I especially loved how they sometimes talk over each other. The humor is also great and unexpected.

This story felt very comforting, the views on art and family and life feel like a hug after a good cry, like acceptance. The music is INCREDIBLE I can't stop listening to the OST!!! the visuals have this beautiful dreamlike quality and the SCALE of it all feels thrilling. I have to go back and play NG+ because I think I missed a ton of stuff in my rush to know how the story ends and I want the full experience now which is a compliment too.

The worldbuilding is fascinating and new and has so much potential for further installments but at the same time the game is very self contained and complete which is rare nowadays, it felt very intentional and focused. So I'm satisfied but also would grab any other game they make in a heartbeat (Give me Clea's story give me Clea!!).

Anyway I talked a lot, we loved it, it's good!!

We are finally playing Clair Obscur 👩‍🎨 I've already cried my eyes out five times, the acting is excellent, the themes immaculate, great writing, aesthetically gorgeous. It feels tailor made to our taste, there is so much to dig into, there is so much meaning to everything

[mothlillies]

❄️ || ND!Zayne x ND!Reader/MC

---

- Zayne, who understands better than anyone your struggle to fit in with others as he shares the same struggle, even in adulthood.

- Zayne, who ever since childhood, would do anything to protect you from those who would treat you badly because you were "different".

- Zayne, who understands when your social battery is much too low to do anything, he would rather stay in too and spend time with just the two of you anyways.

- Zayne, who never minds if you don't look in his eyes when you talk, he tends not to either.

- Zayne, who becomes a little embarrassed if he develops what he'd consider a "silly" hyperfixation until you reassure him it's okay! (and you inevitably get into it too)

- Zayne, who conversely, never judges any of your interests, treating them all with the utmost sincerety, finding your info dumping calming as he loves listening to your voice and learning new things, it's the best of both worlds for him.

- Zayne, who's systems and routines help you feel more secure, giving you a sense of safety and stability.

- Zayne, who sometimes communicates nonverbally, as do you, the two of you could have an entire conversation that consists of no words.

- Zayne, who does everything he can to comfort you and make you feel safe when the world feels like too much, holding you in his arms and providing a gentle pressure that helps you calm down.

- Zayne, who worries about not being enough for you as the world has him somewhat convinced he's a little less human than most, but you always reassure him he's more than enough, and he believes it when it's you.

- Zayne, who feels uncomfortable unmasking around most people, feels safe doing so around you, and he hopes you feel the same about him.

- Zayne, who's expressions, body language, and tone most have a hard time understanding, you've learned to read like your favorite book, you can tell when he's happy or upset without him even needing to say it.

- Zayne, who's quick to defend you from others, while ignoring comments made about him (which you however, can't ignore).

- Zayne, who above everything makes sure you're taking care of yourself, and takes care of you as much as he can.

- Zayne, who usually flinches away from touch, doesn't mind so long as it's you.

- Zayne, who's got a constant eye on your health, often noticing when you're sick before even you do. Always making sure medical staff listen to your needs and take you seriously.

- Zayne, who finds the taste of something sweet grounding. While he wants to make sure you both have a variety of foods in your diet, he never pushes and always tries to incorporate at least one of your safe foods.

- Zayne, who loves being in the same room as you even if you two never even speak, sitting and working on two entirely different things, just being around you is enough for him.

- Zayne, who when the heat becomes overwhelming for either of you, will use his evol to create something to cool you both down.

- Zayne, who loves you no matter what, every single day. <3

---

A/N: As promised my Zayne post :DD neurodivergent specifically autistic Zayne is so so canon to me, but I figured I should tag it au style just because it's not *technically* canon afaik. As with my last post, I tried to keep it somewhat vague so more people could find comfort in this, but these HCs are based on mine and the people I knows lived experience with neurodivergence so it might not resonate with everyone and I understand that ^^ let me know if you'd wanna see more LI x ND!MC and who specifically!! Sylus and Zayne are my mains so I'm not as confident writing for anyone else, but I'm willing to give it a shot!! Thank you for reading :D

[rooksamoris]

this is an analysis of jamil's solo song snippet!! im going by the fan translation of the wonderful @winterspellsfrozenkit who has provided fan translations of the other snippets as well!! without further ado, here is a copy of their translation followed by the analysis.

蛇と瞬き-JAMIL: 

Jewels and magic cannot Fulfill the wishes in me Knowing no end To days filled with misery. Gasping as I just try to breathe Desires creeping out, trying to leave The more that I desire,  The more narrow this place is The light will never fade in me My anger will never cease to be If only I could expose it all Ah ah ah!  A shadow is dancing Listen to the insatiable voice Freedom’s in my hand,  Like I’m cursing and To the end I’ll FLY-yah-yah Ah ah… Not enough to get by-ah-ah The Snake and Blink

let's do a line by line analysis of the song and then i'll share my thoughts!!

"jewels and magic cannot/fulfill the wishes in me" immediately what comes to mind is marx's theory of commodity fetishism which he writes about in capital volume one.

"A commodity appears, at first sight, a very trivial thing, and easily understood. Its analysis shows that it is, in reality, a very queer thing, abounding in metaphysical subtleties and theological niceties. So far as it is a value in use, there is nothing mysterious about it, whether we consider it from the point of view that by its properties it is capable of satisfying human wants, or from the point that those properties are the product of human labour" Karl Marx, Das Kapital

basically, commodity fetishism is what happens when we value commodities outside of the labor that goes into creating them. it is most blatant with things like designer items because we are so separated from the labor and yet put some idealist value onto the product for the label. commodity fetishism begins in the supply chain when the capitalist, who owns the means of production, separates the commodity from the laborers who make it. it happens when you purchase clothes and don't acknowledge the labor and raw material extraction that went through making those clothes.

in this case, jamil is acknowledging that commodities are not what he wants, even though in his book seven dream we see that he merely replaces his hierarchical position with that of the al-asim family, whom he is loyal to through the caste system. deep down, jamil knows that it is not what will fulfill him which is why in the wish event all he asks for is one trip where he can go some place where no one knows him and the curse of his caste lineage cannot oppress him. what jamil wants is freedom, not wealth and power.

jamil himself deals with commodity fetishism, in which his labor/labor power is the commodity. his time, effort and his very life are commodities, and because of this, he is heavily alienated from his work and others. jamil's position in society allows for him to be dehumanized and that is an alienating experience. he is nothing more than what he can bring kalim.

"Presupposing private property, my work is an alienation of life, for I work in order to live, in order to obtain for myself the means of life. My work is not my life. Secondly, the specific nature of my individuality, therefore, would be affirmed in my labour, since the latter would be an affirmation of my individual life. Labour therefore would be true, active property. Presupposing private property, my individuality is alienated to such a degree that this activity is instead hateful to me, a torment, and rather the semblance of an activity. Hence, too, it is only a forced activity and one imposed on me only through an external fortuitous need, not through an inner, essential one. My labour can appear in my object only as what it is. It cannot appear as something which by its nature it is not. Hence it appears only as the expression of my loss of self and of my powerlessness that is objective, sensuously perceptible, obvious and therefore put beyond all doubt" Karl Marx, Comment on James Mill

the last line heavily applies to jamil since his work, serving the al-asim family, is a loss of himself. he lowers himself, his intelligence, his abilities, and his strength for the sake of kalim. he is powerless in this situation, as he has stated previously, since upsetting kalim's father could drag his entire family into the streets or worse. his work is not something he does because he sees value in it for the betterment of society or for personal enlightenment, but because he is forced to.

a lot of this can be attributed to the english translation being so bad and censoring so much?? here's some examples that come to mind!!

chalking things up to just "im loyal to kalim" really lowers the stakes and it blurs how bad things truly are for jamil.

"Knowing no end/To days filled with misery" i find this issue comes a lot with the fandom, but we forget that jamil born into an unfair caste system and has no real way out of it. his suffering is endless and if he marries and has children, he will just be dragging them down with him.

unlike a wage laborer, jamil is stuck working for the al-asim family because of his lower caste. we don't know if he earns money at all, but i highly doubt it. his situation is like other caste situations in which he and his family have their home tied to the al-asim's. jamil is doing "well" but at the price that his family serves kalim's. sure, he is housed and fed, but at the cost that his life be at risk to save kalim's. since caste is tied to lineage and tradition, there really is no escape for jamil from this.

also, reminder that if jamil literally dies taste-tasting something for kalim, there will be no consequences. imagine being a child and learning that another kid's life is more sacred than yours because of your unlucky birth?

"When one individual inflicts bodily injury upon another such that death results, we call the deed manslaughter; when the assailant knew in advance that the injury would be fatal, we call his deed murder. But when society places hundreds of proletarians in such a position that they inevitably meet a too early and an unnatural death, one which is quite as much a death by violence as that by the sword or bullet; when it deprives thousands of the necessaries of life, places them under conditions in which they cannot live – forces them, through the strong arm of the law, to remain in such conditions until that death ensues which is the inevitable consequence – knows that these thousands of victims must perish, and yet permits these conditions to remain, its deed is murder just as surely as the deed of the single individual; disguised, malicious murder, murder against which none can defend himself, which does not seem what it is, because no man sees the murderer, because the death of the victim seems a natural one, since the offence is more one of omission than of commission. But murder it remains." Conditions of the Working Class in England, Friedrich Engels

i share this quote with you guys because i want to remind you all, if jamil dies in service of kalim, it is murder since people knew it was possible that he would die. i remind you of this argument because further lyrics have a more revolutionary spirit to them. what jamil did was wrong, but violence only creates more violence, and violence against one's oppressor and oppressive state is a reaction, not unwarranted. poverty and caste are violent. it is my belief that if someone dies in poverty because of the state's refusal to provide these people with healthcare, housing, or food, it is murder with the blood being on the hands of the state.

in this case, the violence done to jamil is due to caste. there is a constant threat of his family being thrown to the streets if he dares to rebel. jamil has been doing an adult's work since before he could properly even reach over the stove. what jamil did was cruel, knowing that kalim trusted him, he betrayed him, but that betrayal did not come from a place of pure malice. as a child, he knew kalim was deemed more important than him and was stripped of his autonomy because of it.

"Gasping as I just try to breathe/Desires creeping out, trying to leave/The more that I desire,/The more narrow this place is" here, jamil is restarting his desires and depicting his life experience as suffocating. he desires just as anyone else does, but he has no means of reaching these desires.

marx writes a lot on the way "want" is a motivation which keeps the workers alienated and working for the possibility of earning enough to enjoy the things that bring true fulfillment in life.

"Self-renunciation, the renunciation of life and of all human needs, is its principal thesis. The less you eat, drink and buy books; the less you go to the theatre, the dance hall, the public house; the less you think, love, theorise, sing, paint, fence, etc., the more you save – the greater becomes your treasure which neither moths nor rust will devour – your capital. The less you are, the less you express your own life, the more you have, i.e., the greater is your alienated life, the greater is the store of your estranged being. Everything ||XVI| which the political economist takes from you in life and in humanity, he replaces for you in money and in wealth; and all the things which you cannot do, your money can do. It can eat and, drink, go to the dance hall and the theatre; it can travel, it can appropriate art, learning, the treasures of the past, political power – all this it can appropriate for you – it can buy all this: it is true endowment. Yet being all this, it wants to do nothing but create itself, buy itself; for everything else is after all its servant, and when I have the master I have the servant and do not need his servant. All passions and all activity must therefore be submerged in avarice. The worker may only have enough for him to want to live, and may only want to live in order to have that." Economic and Philosophical Manuscripts of 1844, Karl Marx

ultimately, these wants further push us into positions of submission to capitalism and labor. it is like the concept of working to live. you do labor, have your surplus value extracted, and maybe eventually you'll get the chance to take your family on a nice vacation. since jamil is not a wage laborer, and instead a member of a servant caste, this manifests a bit differently in his case, but marx's point of self-renunciation still applies. jamil is a creative person, like we know he is good at dancing and cooking, but the latter is in service of kalim and the former he tries to lower to not outshine kalim. he has the ladder to reach for the stars but he isn't allowed to.

he is alienated from himself in this way. i don't think anyone just performs their creative arts for the sake of praise, but praise is nice. artists post their art, writers post their writings, dancers and actors and singers perform, because art is something to be shared. art is also something which is infamously bought and gate-kept by the wealthy.

how much has jamil really been able to explore his creative passions? every waking hour is spent making sure kalim is alive and satisfied. kalim can dance and make music because he has the time and resources to, jamil has much less of that since his existence is tied to the well-being of kalim. his "passions are submerged in avarice" because it is through wealth and visibility that kalim get the time for his art, which is exactly what jamil does not have. it makes the point of his book seven dream so much more interesting, because even though he truly does not wish for wealth, but instead freedom, subconsciously, he acknowledges the power and blessing that is great wealth.

what jamil is saying here is that the more that he wants, the more that he yearns and longs for things, such as freedom, the more suffocated he becomes. capitalism creates the disparities for this want to exist, waves possibilities around, and then pulls the goal post further and further from us. jamil sees the freedom of others every day, he sees the privilege of kalim all the time, and the finish line just gets farther and farther away from him. "this place" becomes more and more narrow the bigger he dreams, so he may as well make himself and his ambitions as small as possible to fit into his caste.

"The light will never fade in me/My anger will never cease to be/If only I could expose it all" here jamil acknowledges that despite his attempts to not want, to make himself smaller for the sake of kalim, his desires will truly never cease, nor will his anger.

"if only i could expose it all" is a rebellious cry and it makes me wonder if the caste system is deemed unacceptable by others. is this, like in our world, an archaic form of oppression that people deem barbaric? or is he talking about exposing his resentment and finally taking back his autonomy by violent means?

"The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles. Freeman and slave, patrician and plebeian, lord and serf, guild-master and journeyman, in a word, oppressor and oppressed, stood in constant opposition to one another, carried on an uninterrupted, now hidden, now open fight, a fight that each time ended, either in a revolutionary reconstitution of society at large, or in the common ruin of the contending classes." The Manifesto of the Communist Party, Marx and Engels

marx is not saying that revolution is inevitable, but that it is always a possibility, and if revolution does not happen, the oppressed class will just be further oppressed. jamil is the oppressed and the al-asim family are the oppressors. as we see, he is fearful of what could happen of kalim's father got wind of him rebelling. jamil's overblot was the manifestation of all the violence done to him, releasing in a violent revolutionary act. what he did was cruel, but i would argue it is even more cruel to let a child believe that his life is lesser than that of his peer.

now im gonna get into frantz fanon and the wretched of the earth, i couldn't help myself </3

"And it is clear that in the colonial countries the peasants alone are revolutionary, for they have nothing to lose and everything to gain. The starving peasant, outside the class system, is the first among the exploited to discover that only violence pays...The exploited man sees that his liberation implies the use of all means, and that of force first and foremost... non-violence. In its simplest form this non-violence signifies to the intellectual and economic elite of the colonized country that the bourgeoisie has the same interests as they and that it is therefore urgent and indispensable to come to terms for the public good." The Wretched of the Earth, Fanon

these lines read to me like a cry for freedom. it is the young revolutionary raising his gun in the face of his oppressor, it is the peasants arming burning down the manor, the villagers destroying the basileos's estate and taking the economy and politics in their own hands. his anger will never be satisfied until he gets what he is owed, his very own life. all those years spent taking care of kalim have just been years of the constant reminder of his status.

under a caste system, your lineage is what decides your fate, and for jamil that means he will serve the al-asim's till he dies. he cannot escape this. many caste systems, such as the one in yemen, make it so that you cannot even marry out of your caste, and no matter how much wealth you accumulate, you will still be considered a member of the servant caste. while it is fun to imagine jamil marrying out of his caste and moving away somewhere, the reality is that it is most likely not plausible. his parents probably married because they were both in the same servant caste, and if he ever ended up married, it would probably be to someone in his same caste.

i've repeated it a million times, but there is no escape. he is suffocating and violence is the only way out, it seems.

"A shadow is dancing/Listen to the insatiable voice/Freedom’s in my hand, /Like I’m cursing and/To the end I’ll FLY-yah-yah/Ah ah… Not enough to get by-ah-ah" for the sake of time, i'm going to analyze this all together since i feel like i've been writing this since the release of those snippets.

now, the shadow can be many things. im most convinced it is referring to the manifestation of his resentment, the overblot phantom. @estcaligo has this post discussing blot as a physical manifestation and the cultural depictions of negative emotions as something physical. and i reblogged it with this post adding onto the islamic/sufi depiction of nafs and how it relates to overblot.

here's what i said on the topic and i will relate it back to these last few lines of the fan translation:

"the word nafs is derived from nafas which means breathing. nafs, colloquially means self/person. for example, in my dialect of arabic, we say "nafsi" to mean "myself" since the "ee" sound makes a phrase possessive. theologically, nafs is most often referring to the soul. i think the idea of nafs coming from the word nafas/breathing is important in this case. you breath in and out. you take in and then you release. in islam, nafs is cannot be bad or good or beautiful and so on, but it is more like your health, something you nurture. you feed your nafs bad things, it will have a bad reaction and release bad into the world. when it comes to the blot and overblot in twst, we can imagine the blot accumulation is their nafs being corrupted and their overblot is the release of their tainted nafs. the whole idea of the phantoms being created from the blot, and the characters having to fight them off (like jamil arguing with his phantom that he is not imprisoned like a genie). this concept exists within the quran, the idea of battling that which corrupts your nafs through jihad. and no, not jihad like the crusades, but general struggle. jihad just means struggle... ultimately, this struggle is what helps clear the nafs of corruption, and when we battle the mages who have overblotted, we are faced with the negative emotions which led them there, and they struggle against them to survive."

the blot is fed by external experiences that deepen the negative feelings of the mages, which corrupts their magic. for example, leona has a scene of blot accumulation when jack says something that reminds him of his elder brother, who he resents.

right after this, the ink spills.

like leona and the others, jamil's blot has been fed by all sorts of negative experiences which nurtured the seeds of his resentment until it grew too much to be held within the confines of his soul, and so it burst and released into the form of the phantom. this is exactly the way nafs is depicted in islam. to counteract it, you try to feed your nafs good things.

the negative voices in jamil's head, the voices of his parents and the figures of authority who keep stacking heavier things onto the boulder he's rolling up the mountain fighting against his reason. the "insatiable voice" is the urge to just say 'fuck it' and go wild. to attack those who oppress him, to hurt kalim, the symbol of his disenfranchisement, and forget about his responsibilities to his family. it's tragic. "freedom's in my hand" at the cost of so much, but he has been pushed to the point where it seems worth it to just release it all. he wants to drop the boulder and let it crush whoever was climbing the mountain behind him. "cursing" may refer to the cost of his freedom.

like he says, he cannot just drag his family into the streets for his own freedom. imagine the devastation of his family, of his sister if he decided to defect. they would face the consequences of his actions, cursed by his need for freedom, while he was off away doing whatever it is that he wanted. the cost is a curse, and it is too great.

of course, "fly" is commonly used to depict a state of transcendence and escape, so i won't stick too long on it. the next part, "not enough to get by" reminds me a lot of the story of icarus. it seems like that despite his desire for freedom, jamil subconsciously sees it as a doomed ambition. even if he does fly, his wings will melt. something will pull the ladder out from under him as he reaches to grasp the stars, something will grab him by his hair and drag him back down the hellish life he's been living.

i've been wracking my brain for a while about "the snake and blink" part of the song and here's the ideas i've got so far before i conclude:

a) the usual christian symbolism of snakes being the temptation of knowledge, corruption--you guys know the garden of eden story. john milton's paradise lost snake.

this analysis suggests that the snake is some sort of temptation, and the moment jamil blinks, it disappears.

b) other cultures don't view snakes in a negative light. i talk about it more here, but in islamic culture, snake iconography is used in hospitals and some art depicts snakes stinging away evil spirits. the islamic story of adam and eve does not feature a snake and instead the whispers of iblis/satan.

there's the middle eastern folktale of shahmaran, queen of snakes. she is a half snake half woman creature who is never portrayed as good or bad. sometimes she is an oracle and other times she is respected or tricked into being killed. kurds specifically have her symbolize good luck and many depictions of her death regard her sympathetically.

in ancient egypt, wadjet, the cobra goddess is a protective goddess who was the nurse to the infant horus, and protected isis. in many iterations, she symbolizes greenery and fertility. the aztec deity quetzalcoatl is a "feathered snake" whose domain is rain, wind, learning and agriculture. he brings life and had a role in bringing about the world. the naga is a half-human half-cobra who is often depicted as the protector of siddhartha gautama and the buddha. they are powerful and dangerous when angered, and protective.

im gonna make a full post about snake symbolism and jamil some other day, but for now, these interpretations of the snake make things seem less sinister and more hopeful.

these snakes are instead symbolizing life, protection, and the possibility of a future, but these hopes are gone away in a blink "snake and blink" as he says at the end of the snippet.

for just a quick conclusion of my overall thoughts. i think the rest of this song will further play on this idea of freedom and desire. i like it a lot. no, i LOVEEEE it omg the vocal performance??? that high note is constantly replaying in my mind like jeez the rent was due. the themes are loyal to jamil's character and i wonder how the song will end, yk?? will any of these songs have a positive/hopeful conclusion? personally, i think i prefer the ideas of all the threads not being completely tied. as much as i felt sad during the kalim and jamil interactions in book five, i felt like it was best that it ended that way. i agreed with silver's "let them fight it out" sentiment during book seven as well because i dont think anything can truly fix the issues between them.

IM DONE!! hope you guys enjoyed this long ass analysis of that like less than two minutes snippet of jamil viper's solo song!! idk if i have the energy to do the other ones as well, but malleus' and leona's brought some interesting eco-criticism stuff to mind.

[talubld-archive]

[ @coeurlxss to mattèo :3 ]

"Science fact! Did you know that planets actually make noises? In the complete silence of space, some planets emit noises similar to microwaves! 🤭"

" why would they make a DING noise? to tell other planets that they are done... reheating? is this how global warming works? " no, mattéo... just. no.

[keferon]

May I ask what were the best transformers media you ever saw/read?

Well Transformers Prime, Transformers 1986 and IDW comics are having the first place that’s for sure

And then the second place is kind of shared by Fall of Cybertron, Exodus, Prime wars trilogy, Robots in disguise(2001) and Transformers One.

The third place goes to G1, Animated, Earthspark, Armada, War for Cybertron Netflix series, Aligned Robots in disguise, Bumblebee, Rise of the Beasts and Cyberverse because I only liked some little parts of them.

And then I also saw some of the Bay movies, Victory and Headmasters and didn’t like them at all.

Separate first place for J-Decker. It is not exactly Transformers but it is a show about giant robots and I loved it

[eshithepetty]

"Haha Dream BBQ is so random and incomprehensible" "did they take drugs to make this lol" "you're actually not meant to understand anything in this series it's ok" "Joel G just makes up stuff on the spot based on what would be funny" "it's just random for random's sake" "is this AI" "stop theorising, it's not that deep" SHUT UPPPPPPPPPP

[blackhholes]

Monstrosity in Teen Wolf

Hybridity Is the New Metamorphosis by Harvey L. Hix / Skin Shows: Gothic Horror and the Technology of Monsters by Judith Halberstam / Monstrosity: The Human Monster in Visual Culture by Alexa Wright

Written for @teenwolf-meta‘s Meta May Monday theme: beast

Monstrosity and what, precisely, makes a monster is a topic that is discussed both within the text and the larger narrative of Teen Wolf. The most direct mention of monsters vs monstrosity is in *Monstrous* when Lydia tells Meredith “Not all monsters do monstrous things” referring here to Scott, which Meredith then flips back onto Lydia herself. It’s obvious to see here that the show makes a clear differentiation between what it means to be a monster and what it means to be monstrous. To be a monster means to be something unnatural it’s particularly about the outward facing part of a person, this is mainly seen with the shapeshifters who undergo a physical transformation which marks them as something different than humans, but Meredith referring to Lydia as a monster means that it’s not only the physical attributes which makes someone a monster. Being a monster is less about what you are and more about what you aren’t. Once you’re no longer able to be comfortably placed within the category of human you are a monster. This form of monster isn’t a negative attribute though, it’s a neutral one. It simply describes that the person is not a human. 

Acting monstrous is a negative attribute within the show, humans and monsters alike can act monstrous. Monstrosity is therefore not a description of person but instead a description of character. One of the most potent examples of this is in *Fury* where the viewer sees three different factions of characters. Matt is a human so he is per definition not a monster but he is a monstrous human, he stalks Allison and has spent the season carrying out his revenge plan by taking away Jackson’s autonomy and forcing him to kill people. The werewolves on the other hand are monsters who aren’t monstrous, at least to the viewer, they, particularly Scott, are trying to find a way to catch Matt without having to kill him or Jackson. It’s interesting to consider that the Argents, hunters who have always equated monster to monstrosity, have become even more radical after the death of Victoria, despite Matt’s actions he isn’t their primary target when they enter the police station, Derek is. Because, to them Derek killed Victoria by biting her and turning her into a monster just as he is. Matt is an afterthought, he’s the loose end they will deal with afterwards. The Argents therefore has the opposite understanding of the situation than the viewer does.

Humanity is also an important topic within the show, humanity is something fallible. In *Lies of Omission* the scene at the end with Scott and Stiles in the rain serves as an important look into the characters’ and particularly Stiles’ understanding of what it means to be human. When he says to Scott “Some of us are human” it’s a vocalization of the idea that to be human is to make mistakes and that humanity makes a person incapable of always doing right. As opposed to the in-humanity that comes from being incapable of erring. It is preceded by Stiles saying “Not all of us can be true alphas”, throughout this conversation, and even the entire season, Stiles has started categorizing Scott as something other than human capable of humanity, it’s not the monstrous monster previously mentioned either, it’s a third category of non-human. The true alpha isn’t monstrous but he isn’t human either. To Stiles Scott has become a sort of mythologized character who always does the right thing instead of being a real person who’s standing in front of him. 

[notmoreflippingelves]

Obsessed with the dynamic (not romantic, not platonic, but a secret third thing--both and yet neither) between two characters who knew and cared about each deeply years ago when they were both younger and life was much less complicated.

But then, tragic, transformative circumstances separated them. Assuming that this separation was certainly permanent, because how could it not be?

And yet, somehow finding each other again years later, and sometimes they aren't sure whether the reunion that they once longed for with every fiber of their beings is a blessing, a curse, a joke, or a punishment.

Because they've both changed in the intervening years--largely because of the hellish circumstances that caused their separation. They've both changed completely and irrevocably, even if one of them has changed much more noticeably and dramatically than the other to the point of seeming a complete stranger. It is about leaning to see and appreciate all the things that have changed about the other and all the things that have not changed. It's about learning to reconcile beloved, often rose-tinted memories with the complex, yet-equally-compelling reality of the person those memories are about.

[icewindandboringhorror]

reminders of the passage of time moodeboard

[ismyteadoneyet]

conversation: *takes a turn into gen-ai*

me: I have trained for this for months. I have heard every stupid argument possible and nothing will baffle me

brother: *somehow comes up with an even stupider argument*

me: what in the entire fuck

[gingerbreadmonsters]

its so important to me that you know how much ive already cried over this wip and its literally only been two days

[baltears]

despite how stupid and narmy david cage's writing can feel at times i actually think theres a layer of genuine emotional depth to it that typically gets ignored or missed entirely in favor of talking about its flaws &i think a lot of that comes from the actors involved but some of their ability to give really good performances has to do with being given good opportunities to do that by the script. and also i think some of the narm quality comes from the animation looking uncanny valley because dbh for instance tries very hard for realism in its graphics and animation but just doesnt look quite real enough to not be distracting. its kind of like looking past bad special effects in a movie like these really nuanced and beautiful acting performances are in the game but you have to kind of fill the rest of the visual nuances in yourself because the animation is only capturing maybe half of them. like imo the animation just not being all the way there is such a huge reason why a lot of people found the game like funny and weird and cringey. we can read the actors' faces but like only kind of because their smallest microexpressions are not being translated.

[gorkaya-trava]

staying alive just because humanity still doesn't know much about gender sexuality autism and artificial intelligence and there are new mind-boggling researches coming in the next ten years at least