#Features and Analysis

[biglisbonnews]

Smart Energy Finances: IMServ’s strategic smart metering acquisition to tap MHHS UK-based IMServ Europe has acquired Power Data Associates to enhance their proposition in energy data collection, AMI and smart metering. https://www.smart-energy.com/regional-news/north-america/smart-energy-finances-imserv-strategic-smart-metering-acquisition-to-tap-mhhs/

[princessofghosts-posts]

I've been thinking about Nico's sword lately and honestly? That weapon alone is extremely OP,even more than whatever other weapon we had in the books (that don't include magical artifacts,because those are part af a different category).

Riptide is made of celestial bronze,so it can harm demigods and monsters,and has a special feature of always returning with Percy no matter what because it's enchanted.

IVLIVS could always be with Jason because it was a golden coin that turned into a javelin,but it got destroyed pretty fast in the narrative so we don't know if it had some other frature. It was also made of imperial gold so again,could slay monsters and immortals.

Katoptris's original use wasn't for battle,since Helen used it as a mirror,but with Piper it mainly focus on its special feature: visions. It was quite useful for them but Piper hated it so we never got to know much about the dagger.

Backbiter is a modified version of Kronos's scythe (sick enough with just this,since Luke can open portals and travelable rips through space and time),but it's made of tempered steel and celestial bronze so it can kill mortals,demigods and monsters and sever their souls.

All of those swords have different feature that distinguish them from normal ones,but they are still made of typical materials for demigods: imperial gold and celestial bronze,while stygian iron is only used for one sword in the books. Luke's sword,in this list,is the only one that is similar to Nico's in term of powerfulness,but it's still quite different.

Stygian iron is a magical metal capable of absorbing or destroying the essence of: monsters,Gods,Titans,demigods and Giants. And,unlike imperial gold and celestial bronze,it can harm mortals,monsters and immortals alike,and prevent the souls of monsters from returning to Tartarus,and traps those of the people it touches.

Technically stygian iron is the strongest,of all the metals,in the books. And the only sword made of this material is Nico's. Only the children of the Underworld can touch the material,but the sword itself can only be touched by Nico,otherwise everyone else souls get trapped and things can get ugly.

Like,not even Percy or Luke had this much power in their weapons: Riptide is a "normal" sword,for how much "normal" its user is,and Backbiter had so much power because it got modified to be similar to Kronos's weapon,but originally it was just made of different metals. But Nico? Nico got a weapon of mass destruction and extermination of humanity in his hand every day. And we never talk about how much damage it can cause,and how much OP it is compared to the other swords.

It doesn't even have a name like the others,but people already know to not fuck with a black sword laying around,becuse they know it's Nico's. Because he is the only one to have,use and held that sword. That's just how iconic it is and how unique it is to everyone. And just like Riptide and IVLIVS (before it got destroyed),his sword is always with him since he can summon it from the shadows and the darkness.

That weapon is OP,literally the strongest of the whole main timeline (we are talking about more than almost 20 books) and we never gave it much more than a look.

This is just another moment of Rick "I don't want someone to overshadow Percy but I already added this....I'll just made sure to not use that too much so people will not give it much attention" regarding Nico.

I'll probably do a list for how many times it happens.

[emilinqa]

star trek tos is deeply entrenched in its identity as a 60s tv show for better or for worse (both) but i think retroactively the city on the edge of forever ends up showcasing this more now since its set in a time we can now as 21st century viewers connect with being closer to the time it was produced, rather than the nebulous 23rd. it's interesting because for me i think the single episode informs the way i connect an imagined future to the actual real 1960s the show was written in, particularly in the language and the way relationships between characters are depicted in the way they speak to one another. in that single episode it suddenly feels that the coded language everyone uses, the subtext, the hints and euphemisms is a necessity of the world rather than a feature of the show. and suddenly (for me, at least) that totally shapes the rest of the way i view the rest of the original series. though the way they speak to one another doesn't really tangibly change all that much, when they're placed in the setting of the 1930s the way that kirk and spock speak to each other and about one another entirely shifts.

edith asks kirk in regards to his relationship with spock "I still have a few questions I'd like to ask about you two. Oh, and don't give me that 'questions about little old us' look, you know as well as I do how out of place you two look here." which. well. hello. and later when she asks "Why does Spock call you captain? Were you in the war together?" and kirk says "we... served together" its like yes the obfuscation of their identities and who they are to one another is a necessity of the plot and time travel reasons but i also can't pretend that particular response doesn't color kirks line 2 episodes later in amok time "you've been called the best first officer in the fleet, that's an... enormous asset to me" in a different light. the necessity of secrets and closed doors and frantically having to conceal themselves and their tiny little apartment with a pair of twin beds and ediths "you, by his side as if you've always been there and always will" and "'Captain'? See, even when he doesn't say it, he does" well i can't act like it doesn't change the way i see their enforced professional distance in other episodes, even when they're back safe in their own century. its why The conversation cut from the original harlon ellison script hits seriously i think. it's like a deeply personal confession of desire for a life that could never be: "On my world the nights are very long. The sound of the silver bird against the sky is very sweet. My people know there is always time enough for everything. You would be comfortable there" and a wistful acceptance ("All the time in the world...") in another time in another life in another place it could be but just not this one. spock's endless resignation. well it just changes everything for me. star trek is about the 1960s!!!!!!

[gaygaygayyblockmen]

Okay, here we go lol

Reasons to support the theory that the Mimic is pretending to be Hotguy/Scar - a (not definitive) analysis of the latest DDVAU chapter!!

note : this list is not everything covered, of course, there’s a lot more I could look into but have chosen not to- that being said, anyone is free to chime in in the comments or re-blogs with other stuff to support the theory + other interesting details noticed, ect.

and, of course, this is nothing but a theory I have chosen to analyse for the fun of it. I am in no way claiming this is canon to the storyline, and tbh I’m not quite sure I believe it true myself.

okayyy, without further ado:

analysing the latest chapter

Scar’s Body language

here we can see that Scar is sat, leaning into Cub with his arms crossed. while this seems like a perfectly normal thing to do (and could definitely be just Scar’s normal body language) we can see similarities between this and the Mimic’s pose at the end of Mother Spore, Part lll :

throughout this whole scene, and the only canon ‘screen time’ we currently have of the Mimic, they can be shown in this same position, standing, leaning slightly back with arms crossed- similar to Scar’s position in chapter 15.

2. Scar’s words in this same scene

I find this very interesting. As far as we know, Scar (as his Hotguy persona atleast) doesn’t have much reason to desire mind controlling abilities. He’s a very powerful figure, and as Cub says, he can literally ‘control the masses’. I can only think of a few possible reasons he might say this/desire the ability.

The Mimic, however, seems to be one of the main (if not THE main) instigators of the spore. It would make sense for The Mimic to have such a keen understanding of it, and from what we know of their personality, a comment like such might even make sense.

1. To control Cuteguy. Cuteguy is a rebel, one of an organisation seperate to the government that is actively campaigning against them. Hotguy and him have not often seen eye to eye. It’s not far fetched to think that Hotguy could, in theory, find mind control useful in discovering Cuteguy’s identity (which he has shown interest in discovering multiple times).

2. For gaining information about mother spore from the attack- as well as gaining information from suspects, victims, and others for other similar cases (assuming he often deals with those)

3. To use, in some way, in his real life, as Scar the civilian (???)

4. This could also be interpreted as a passing joke/a lighthearted comment on Scar’s end ofc

3. Scar’s reaction to Cub asking him about Grian, and his newly discovered mutant traits

In this scene, Scar seems shocked about something. He doesn’t catch on to what Cub means at first.

Let’s say, for a moment, we pretend Scar IS the Mimic.

The mimic has seen Hotguy interact with Grian during the Mother Spore attack. As far as we know, this could very well be the first time the Mimic has seen Hotguy/Scar and Grian interact at all. Perhaps they weren’t aware that Scar and Grian were friends in their civilian lives.

And then, Cub comes in and says “what are you gonna do about your friend?”. Cub refers to Grian as merely Scar’s ‘friend’ and does not give the name of who he is talking about. Scar seems shocked ‘what friend could Hotguy possibly have who is relevant in this conversation?’ maybe.

Then, after Scar’s confused ‘what’ Cub clarifies. “Grian… The avian?” Scar seems to realise who Cub means, but we don’t really see any recognition in his gaze in the next frame. Scar STILL seems shocked. Of course, it seems very obvious to attribute this to, possibly, Scar is still processing the situation and/or doesn’t want to open up about it. But I don’t think THIS amount of shock and confusion from Scar’s end makes all too much sense.

He’s very close to Cub, and we’ve seen him open up to Cub in past chapters. Except, in this chapter he seems cold, eyes filled with no recognition. He rushes out of the room soon after when Zedaph announces Grian is awake (to go talk to Grian).

4. Hotguy/Scar’s reaction to Grian mentioning his mutant traits

When Grian mentions his newly discovered mutant traits, and how Hotguy has every ability to arrest him for hiding them, Hotguy’s reaction is surprisingly severe.

He says “I don’t care if you’re a mutant. You’re not the first, nor the last person who has to lie to the government about it. So don’t feel so special.”

His wording seems almost as if he’s speaking from a first-hand experience. And, assuming the Mimic is a mutant of sorts (he has a mimic ability, right? Shapeshifting or something is what I’m guessing) it kind of makes sense if the Mimic has had to hide their abilities from the government. That they might have had a similar experience to Grian and that’s why Hotguy’s reaction is so strong in this scene.

5. Idk but the writing on the note on the cookies is purple lol

I mean like,,,, guys,,,, purple is the Mimics colour,,,,, why would Scar/Hotguy write in purple,,,,, it doesn’t make sense if you ask me

I MEAN IT IS,,, OBVIOUSLY JUST KIND OF THE DEFAULT PEN COLOUR I KNOWW maybe I’m looking too much into this lmaoo

6. maybe the mimic was being super mean to Grian to get Grian against Hotguy for some reason

and also!! the phone number on it!! What if it’s ACTUALLY the number for something to do with the Mimic, and they’re trying to lure Grian into calling the number so they can, idk??? What IS the mimic’s intentions?? Get Grian on their side?? Control Grian??

idk. Just like. In extra bonus art we see the Mimic flirting with Cuteguy/Grian(?) + maybe also secret motives for getting Grian against Hotguy? Idk.

also this is all assuming the Mimic has some sort of shapeshifting/mimicking ability to use to mimic Hotguy or something!! I honestly don’t know much about them so if there’s any extra info doody or maruu gave i probably don’t know much lol

OF COURSE GUYS this is all silly ramblings/speculation, I’m just writing this for fun loll, it’s a possibility ig but I’m definitely not trying to write off hotguy/scar’s actions because I do definitely believe him to be capable of manipulation and it DOES honestly add a lot of depth to his character which I love.

anyways,,,, hope you guys found entertainment or something in my rambles,,, I’ve probably missed other stuff that could possibly support this theory so you can always reblog to add anything!! I’ve seen the theory floating around a few places so I wanted to give my thoughts, nothing special lol.

[thatrandombystander]

"Chaos' Hades 2 design is better because it's hot and having the genderqueer character be less eldritch is better representation"

Well maybe some of us genderqueers like interesting and thematic designs and identify more with eldritch monstrosities over conventional attractiveness? What about the unsettling weirdo representation for freaks like me 😔

Although holding the detached head and spine of your previous form does absolutely slap

[artist-issues]

fave ariel and eric scenes from the og film and return from the sea????

Well!

#1 Introductions

I don’t know if this counts but I’m counting it. The first scene Eric is introduced in mirrors the first scene Ariel is introduced in. Goes like this:

The camera pans and zooms in around the sails and mast of the ship to show Prince Eric, gazing out at the sea excitedly / The camera shows the shot of the tattered sails and mast of a sunken ship and Ariel pops into view, gazing at another shipwreck, also excitedly. They’re both looking out at a world they can’t be fully part of.

Eric asks his friend (Grimsby) “isn’t this great?” about the thing he loves, which is the sea / Ariel asks her friend (Flounder) “isn’t it fantastic?” about the thing she loves, which is the sunken ship. They’re both seeing the thing they love positively.

Eric’s companion (Grimsby) responds sarcastically “oh yes, delightful” and clearly isn’t enjoying himself, throwing up over the side of the ship / Ariel’s companion (Flounder) responds sarcastically “yeah, it’s great…can we go now?” and clearly isn’t enjoying himself. They both don’t have anybody, even the people closest to them, who can share their love.

Which goes right into my second:

#2 Ariel Sees Eric

It’s important how Ariel sees Eric in the scene where she’s at the boat and it’s his birthday. I know it’s cute, the way she looks at him, smitten, and romantic, the way she saves his life. But that’s not the part I mean.

I mean they specifically, in the script, wrote it so that Eric mentions, “the right girl is out there somewhere, I just haven’t found her yet.” and THEN the shot focuses on Ariel’s face. It’s not just because the narrators are saying, “she’s the right girl, he doesn’t realize it yet!” it’s because they’re very simply reminding you that Ariel is hearing all this. She heard the conversation between Grimsby and Eric about a Dream Girl.

The point here is that she learns exactly how much Eric is like her, and exactly how much he’s different, too, and it all adds up to be the perfect introduction to humans, for Ariel.

Because she’s been wrestling with a community who doesn’t believe in the way she sees her Dream for her whole life. She believes the Surface must have good in it, and has faith in the evidence she’s seen. They believe that’s ridiculous, there’s no good from the Surface, they believe her faith is vain.

Eric also has a Dream. He’s got faith in it. Ariel gets to see that. And she gets to see that, just like her, his community doesn’t believe in it. They don’t believe in his Dream Girl. BUT. Where Ariel has to sneak around and hide evidence that she’s still believing in her Dream, where she has to shut up about it when her father yells at her, Eric is not under the same restraints. He laughs it off when Grimsby doesn’t believe in his Dream. Can you picture Ariel laughing off her father’s fury about the Surface? No.

So she gets to see that 1) He’s just like her but 2) he’s more free than her. He can be the idealized hero in her mind—the guy who isn’t giving up on his Dream, and is a champion of faith, and is in some way succeeding where she has to sneak and sob.

It’s wonderful for her to learn that a human can be like this, so like her, but so much more hopeful, plus, he’s a handsome, heroic human. Also she gets to watch him risk his life for a dog (her dad said humans were barbaric and spineless) and humbly shrug off a way-too-extravagant statue of himself (even though he’s a prince.)

It’s just perfect.

Eric is introduced to her as a guy who makes his own decisions, isn’t bossed around by his advisors or escorts, but doesn’t resent or grow bitter toward them, either. He remains easygoing, secure in who he is and what he believes, without having to trample all over the people closest to him who disagree. He’s got great heart and character.

Whereas in the Live Action they stripped him of that subtle, realistic, down-to-earth value and gave it to Ariel by having her be the only one to defy people who disagree with her. By having Eric have an overbearing mother he kowtows to, that makes him her mirror in every way, except with no strength of his own and less of an enticing example of the freedoms of a different world for her to fall in love with. They make him blander, weaker, and less important, but they do it subtly and with chest hair, scruff, drippy “I love you even with your tail” hugging (which was fine but hardly necessary or any kind of improvement because he proved that he loved her tail-and-all in the original just fine by sacrificing himself to save her) and a British accent so that everybody wouldn’t notice.

Anyway.

#3 Eric Saves Ariel

They cut this in the remake, and in my understanding, in the Broadway, too, for no apparent reason and to the great detriment of the original movie which did it right the first time, but my third-favorite scene is Eric fighting Ursula to save Ariel.

Eric immediately expresses concern when Ursula drags Ariel, just revealed to be a mermaid, over the side of the ship. Tail and all. And immediately goes to save her single-handedly, even though, again, the people around him have no interest in helping or following him or fighting for his Dream.

Which is so interesting. He’s their Prince. They’re the closest people to him, invited to his wedding, on this boat. But nobody’s following him or trying to harpoon the sea monster that just dragged his Dream Girl over the side of the boat. But does that stop him? No! And the writers specifically wrote in a moment where Grimsby calls out to him from the deck of the ship and Eric insists he’s going, alone, because he won’t lose Ariel again. He jumps in the water with a sea monster. No fins, no gills, one harpoon, because he loves her and has chosen her and he’s not spineless. And then she even tells him to get out of there, but he refuses to leave her. And even when it basically means certain death (intentionally wrecking the ship HE IS ON by driving it into a demented Kraken-woman) he keeps fighting.

And he does it, by the way, by driving a shipwreck, which is the thematic thing bridging the gap between his world and Ariel’s. He’s standing on a shipwreck when he saves her. Shipwrecks are where she finds human things, and where she learned humans might be worth loving, and a shipwreck is how the human who loves her back saves her.

It’s beautiful. It’s perfect. It’s the right choice, the storytellers initially had a version where Eric wasn’t the one saving the day but Ariel was, and they scrapped that and did this instead because it was better.

And in the Live Action of course they ruined that and made Eric the damsel in distress and made Ariel the floppy fish fighter who steers the shipwreck and saves his life. Which is so lame. Because it also undermines how Triton would’ve learned that Eric was worth loving and Ariel was right to sacrifice for him. Triton needed to see Eric saving Ariel at the cost of his own wellbeing. I’ve said it before, but if Ariel saves Eric, all it proves to Triton is that she can clean up her own mess. Whereas in the original movie, Eric saving Ariel proves Ariel was right about him being loveable despite being a human.

So it’s a good thing the REAL The Little Mermaid made that right choice, because this is an excellent scene.

#4 When Eric Carries Melody

I guess people might like the parts where Eric is comforting Ariel while Melody is lost in the second movie, or when he tells her she’s beautiful in her new dress, but honestly he was very sidelined in this movie. I just like the part where, after the climax, it’s her dad who is carrying her to safety.

[mierstaer]

I’m rewatching atla for the seventh time since June (blame the hyperfixation ok) and I’ve noticed something in the fifteenth episode of season 1 when Zuko arrives at Aunt Wu’s village

in season 1, every villagers, every citizens he encounters are always (rightfully) scared of him and his firebenders

every single one

except Aunt Wu

and since she read Aang’s future one episode prior to that, I always wonder if maybe Aunt Wu saw Zuko in Aang’s future, given how she was capable of seeing exactly how his destiny would look like (and we know how Aang and Zuko’s destiny are interlinked)

you can see that Aunt Wu is not even worried about Zuko’s presence in her village, she’s not even shocked. she just pensively looks at him, without saying anything.

and I think that it would so damn cool if she knew that their destiny are interlinked and that could explain why she wasn’t worried about his presence in her village.

Aang & Zuko never beating the platonic soulmates allegations I’m afraid.

[casscainmainly]

you’re soooooo right for the cass and jason stuff. i am obsessed with how their views make them behave in their own separate selfish ways. cass needing to believe people can change and be redeemed because she herself needs to believe she can be redeemed…… im thinking specifically in batgirl where she tries to save a murderer from death row. saying “maybe he changed” to the victims mother….. and then everything with jason really, the way he can’t see beyond how he was a victim to see how he has hurt and victimized others. how he has made himself into someone who really can’t see beyond his own tragedy in many ways… how he sees bludhaven literally blow up but refuses to let bruce leave to find Dick

YOU'RE so right because it's easy for people to side with Cass or Jason only, but it's more interesting to see it as neither being 100% in the right. That issue in Batgirl is literally so good - as this post points out, the crime the guy was in prison for was most likely a hate crime. The motive doesn't matter to Cass, since her belief is that no one should die, but it's deliberately disquieting that she doesn't stop to consider the victim until the victim is actually in front of her. Her point of view is focused around redemption and absolutes, to the detriment of justice and specific circumstances.

Jason, on the other hand, is so focused on justice that he has trouble making room for redemption. His is a situational ethics (in contrast to Cass' moral absolutism), which can be good in certain instances (like, debatably, killing the Joker), but can lead to really muddied actions and reasoning. Jason, like Cass, is fundamentally compassionate, but his actions are calculated in a way Cass' is not, leading him to sometimes lose sight of saving lives as the original goal.

Bruce, Jason, and Cass form a really interesting triangle of people whose views on murder are irrevocably tied to the perspective they witnessed the defining murder of their lives in. It's why none of them (yes, even Cass and Bruce) can ever truly understand each other, but also why they have a lot in common. Idk it's just very interesting to think about!

[lyxchen]

Something about Sang-woo that's really fucking me up is that his face and his whole look is really soft. Like you'd think it's sharper because of his character and personality but it really isn't. Like whenever I draw him I catch myself drawing him with a lot of sharp features and then I'm like "No, make it rounder, make it softer". Even his hair is very soft and has round shapes, Even his glasses, while being square in shape Have Round Edges!!! I don't know if that was intentional and if yes what exactly it's supposed to show. Maybe it's literally just because Park Hae-soo was the best actor for the role and that's just what his face looks like. But either way I love the contrast. How a character that appears (!!!) so sharp and not that caring has such soft features. Which tbh that fits again because deep down I think Sang-woo is a soft caring person, he's just not showing it because he probably feels like it will make him appear weak or some dumb shit like that. Beloved <3

Also compare it to In-ho who has very sharp and angular facial features. Even his hair is a lot less soft when he's the frontman, he only makes is softer when he pretends to be Young-il!!! That's what a villain usually looks like. So in conclusion, Sang-woo can't be a villain in Squid Game cause his face is too soft for that <3 /hj

[gnomeniche]

does anyone remember the uglies series. i read them as a kid and was recently reminded of them and my opinion is that the concept and the first book were good but the sequels and ultimate execution were wack. it should have had the heated drama between tally and shay be the emotional fulcrum of the story and also it should have been yuri.

anyway here’s tally and shay based on their descriptions from the first book! it gives a lot of info abt their features and i thought it would be a fun character design exercise. i wanted em to look like just. normal average teen girls you could happen to see in real life

[biglisbonnews]

Smart Energy Finance: Funding for autonomous EV charging and GridBeyond’s acquisition of Veritone Energy Leading Smart Energy Finances: a successful Series A funding round for Rocsys, which has been developing an autonomous EV charging solution https://www.smart-energy.com/finance-investment/smart-energy-finance-funding-for-autonomous-ev-charging-and-gridbeyonds-acquisition-of-veritone-energy/

[fist-of-vengeance]

last night for my birthday i forced my friends to listen to an hour and a half long powerpoint explaining the entire lost timeline in chronological order. i know lost is a pretty zany show but nothing makes you realize this more than trying to verbally explain time travel and the sideways universe to three people who've never seen it

[babybells123]

(ASOS, Sansa II)

(ASOS, Jon XII)

[frogkicks]

WELL,,, i learned from my last post fans of post-redemption deathstar fluff exist!!! im back, here's more:

you guys ever think about how Dominator is one of the few characters with ears,,,

OPINION: From my limited exposure, it seems Deathstar often portrays Dominator as super confidently flirtatious, and Wander as a bumbling, blushy guy.

I personally don't like it? Here's my thoughts:

Dominator used seduction insincerely to mess with Hater. That's kinda it. I think without her villainous power tripping as a barrier, expressing or receiving genuine love confuses her. Sylvia calling her a friend gave her pause, and she mentally lagged after Wander saved her life and hugged her.

It's so obvious Wander has the charm advantage. The guy is immune to embarrassment, and has all of the experience articulating love, because he wasn't a sadistic galaxy destroyer. It's second nature for him, casual.

I like Dominator having a confident, charismatic approach for everything, but my silly headcanon is that Wander's doting throws her off sometimes. She's never been receptive to affection until virtually 5 minutes ago. I think it's logical for her to be like a fish out of water, at least for a while.

[irlnorthshaw]

CARS OF SUPA STRIKAS: a shameless thread 🏎️

did i spend too much time on this? sure... BUT IDK maybe you guys wanna write fanfics and need details. im here to help!! 😁😁😁

id also like to add a disclaimer that these cars are very stylised so obviously its not a direct representation of the real model. so, im basing all of this on what it resembles the most!! (also all of these prices are in usd)

THIS ONE’S A LONG ONE BC I ADD RAMBLING SO… BUCKLE UP!!! (pun very much intended)

SUPA STRIKAS::

shakes

and i thought i already did not like this guy... he already bagged all the baddies and now he has my dream car?? JUST BIG AND GREEDY!!

anyways i think this is his car, assuming bc he's sitting in the driver's seat!! always saw him as someone who hitched rides bc he cant be bothered w a license. bc if so SAME

yes... my dream car is a Ford Mustang. SIGHHHH!!! this one is probably an older model, think 60s or 70s.

the price on this one ranges from $20-70k– unless its a high-performance model like a Shelby GT500 which could reach $150k

el matador

oh boy this one's gonna be long... (not as long as skarra's tho... you'll see later)

a lot of this is also based on his section in the official wiki page of the series (not the fandom wiki dw!!) but nonetheless here's a rundown based on this image, left to right:

here is where im correcting the article. i dont think his car is a Rolls-Royce Ghost but a Phantom instead (more flashy and grandiose). which can range from $500,000 to… one million LOL imagine if i had that kind of money?? id be buying myself a hojicha everyday 😋

another correction, the wiki page says its a Lamborghini but i think that looks like a Porsche 911. which is around $100-$200k for variants like Turbo S or GT3 R

and so apparently, according to the page, bruno is not one but two cars!! bruno and his twin are both Lamborghini Gallardos, a Coupe and a Spyder – both of them? $200k. EACH.

left to right again:

i thought the Mustang hurt me... but this brought tears to my middle class eyes. that red babe is an Aston Martin One-77. brief xander car lesson!! this is a very rare hypercar, only 77 of these bad boys were produced. oh and it costs almost $2 million 🤑

the blue one is a Cadillac Coupe de Ville. which honestly shocked me?? considering El Matador’s character, but it does have a sense of historical glamor to it! price: $20-$50k

AND FINALLY!! a green McLaren 570S. ofc another sports car. not too big on mclarens myself but... depending on year and condition, at most its $400k

feeling extremely broke writing this out SO LETS MOVE ON

klaus

IDC WHAT ANYONE SAYS!!! KLAUS' BUBBLE CAR IS SO CUTE AND ICONIC!!!

at first i thought this might be a BMW Isetta (bc of the classic shape). but by the looks of it, it seems very modern. so from that conclusion, i think this is a Microlino!!

these ones dont roll out in the states but you can def spot these around west europe!! these cuties can cost you around $15-$25k ish

fun fact: you can drive this on an AM license alone (basically for mopeds and such) since it's a low-powered vehicle. so no need a traditional car license, which explains klaus' preference to riding bicycles in "magnetic north"

so, fear not if you dont have a license yet in ur 20s because klaus most likely doesnt either!! (comforting myself here)

cool joe

FIRST OF ALL. I LOVE LOVE HIS CAR EUGH ITS SO NICE???

cool joe drives an american classic!! this is a Plymouth Barracuda, one of the earliest pony cars (like a Ford Mustang) so yes... it does match his old man aura

it compliments his interest in vintage stuff like yeah the guy still listens to vinyl and owns a brick phone. this car might as well be the cherry on top

but i gotta say. the white and purple is a nice combo?? like i... want to be him all of a sudden

price depends. as always. classic models are around $20-$50k but rare HEMI variants can go up to $500k

big bo

YES YES I KNOW ITS NOT A CAR but i had to include it!!!

also when i was researching i went yikes i dont know what tf that is cuz listen... bikes are NOT my area of expertise

like i know my Yamaha Mio's but this?? i have no clue

i wanna say its some kind of Royal Enfield but if any of you know bikes better please feel free to correct me– i only chose it bc it fits his old-school, grounded american vibe

"but xander, harleys are more american!!" yeah ik but its way too flashy for him

coach

icl this one stumped me because i cant see the whole build of it. for all i know its just a mysterious black sedan LMAO like?? it could be anything

WHATEVER IT IS THO. ITS A DAD CAR!! and not just any dad car. we're talking, golf on the weekends type dad.

others/misc

i remember mentioning this picture in another post because of the horrendous parking... but now that we know some of the guys’ cars, we can just assume the rest!!

Blue Subaru WRX STI. actually more on the affordable end compared to the rest, this one is around $40-$50k (if bought new). and i can tell u rn it’s definitely north’s car– how do I know? IT’S A RALLY CAR!! MR "ADRENALINE JUNKIE" FOR SURE RALLIES ON THE WEEKENDS

Purple Porsche 911… guys. this is actually el matdor's car (refer back to his section). but like his Gallardo is already parked beside it?? now im thinking someone definitely borrowed his car COUGHSHAKESCOUGH.

that makes a lot of sense.. no way shakes would own a Porsche bruv... also look at that parking?? yeah that may not be shakes’ car but he definitely drove it to Strikaland

Black Mercedes-Benz G-Wagon. if u could hear me whistle through the screen… DAMN!! A G-WAGON?? idk who owns this car, i can only assume it’s dancing rasta's, it has his energy written all over it

not sure what the silver one is… if u guys know. pls do tell!!

blok and tiger

from what i have searched (yes i watched thru a lot of eps for this post) we dont know what cars blok and tiger own/drive. but if you ask me?

i think blok would drive a Land Rover because he’s built like one!! those cars are absolute tanks just like him

and also just because im a geek for Supras… i will give that to tiger TEEHEE!!!

INVINCIBLE UNITED::

this one is just skarra i fear bc i cant seem to track the others' cars. but maybe in another part if i get a better look at it!!

skarra (divided into three sections)

and i thought i already wanted him bad... this motherfucker!!! also whoever was in charge of assigning their cars, i want to give u a raise personally from my own paycheck

by the hood stripes… this is a Dodge Charger. see– im very new to Dodge bc I was researching the Challenger yesterday but this is for sure a Scat Pack Charger

usually starts at around $50k for the base model itself. BUUUT including the HEMI Orange Appearance, it bumps up the price to $55k

"oh... i actually expected skarra to be more obnoxious with his cars, this one is–" let me stop you right there.

lets not forget his infamous... diss track

lets assume these are all his cars (bc imagine he rented it... #LOSER). also its rlly hard to tell but these are my best guess. left to right:

im actually not sure abt the blue one. maybe a Nissan GTR?? if so, thats about $100-$200k

Orange Dodge Viper. this for SURE looks like it. its $50-$150k. this is probably the most obnoxious in the lot… loud and aggressive, just ego on wheels if anything. very fitting for my wife 👅👅👅

Green Lamborghini Aventador. or... at least it looks very similar. the base model LP 700-4 starts at around $400k but other special variants can go up to $600k

also i cant be arsed to squint my eyes and see the ones in the back sorry not sorry

this entire garage runs on testosterone and midlife crisis!!! and to think his ride before was this...

based on the shape... it looks veeery similar to an 80s style Volkswagen Golf (likely Mk1)

honestly it makes sense for him in rs, its a pretty solid choice at the time but yk things change

and speaking of things changing. id also like to write a different post analysing skarra's cars over the seasons and what it says about his character arc so... KEEP AN EYE ON THAT!!

[artist-issues]

Sounds like Moana 2 felt like the rushed tv movie it was supposed to be.

THIS IS THE MOANA 2 CRITIQUE POST

I'm tired of excusing things with the word "rushed." If you have less time to produce, you should simplify what you're trying to say. That way, all your small amount of time can be spent on carefully building the best way to say it. Moana 2 felt very unfocused. It felt like it was trying to say:

"You Can’t Survive in Isolation" (but like why not? why do they need their neighboring islands? Don’t make up a reason—tell me the reason the movie showed you.)

"There's Always Another Way” (what? As opposed to what? One way? What One Way was Moana demonstrably sticking to before the not-really-villainess sang her song? Wasn’t finding that One Way ((“learning where to go by remembering who you are/where you’ve been”)) the whole point of the first movie? Now we’re throwing that out the window?)

"Together But a Little Different" ("Different" as in 'In-New-Circumstances' not "Different" as in 'We’re-Different-So-It’s-Hard-to-Relate-to-One-Another,’ which would've been the better, more cohesive sense of ‘Different’.)

“Something-Something Stories Are Important” (literally they just substitute the phrase “we’ll die” with “our story will end.” No mention of why that’s bad, or what makes a story a story, no reason why stories are important, or what for, just throwing the word “story” around vaguely.)

And none of those "themes" I listed just now had a lot of work put into them. That’s it, in a nutshell. But I can flesh-out my argument for those, and present what I think they could’ve easily done differently, if they’d just picked one and worked hard to make it simply good. SPOILERS BELOW.

“You Can’t Survive in Isolation”

We're told in a quick vision that Moana's people will die if they stay in isolation—but there's no showing us that.

In fact, what we've been shown is that they're thriving, they're fine by themselves. They were in the first movie. They are at the beginning of the second.

So we're not convinced that they need what the whole adventure is supposedly about. Compare that to the first movie! Totally doesn't measure up to the storytelling quality!

In the first movie, the whole first act sets up the idea of darkness reaching through the ocean from Tefiti's missing heart, killing everything. That’s especially bad for Moana’s people. We know that because we’re shown how Moana's people are so deeply connected to the ecosystem of their island, and how every part of it is needed for their way of life to continue—then were also shown that Moana has a deep, personal longing to leave the island. There’s a real connection to home and an urgent need to leave it, and that creates really good emotional tension.

So by the time we're shown (not told in one scene, or through snatches of overdone dialogue, but shown) how the darkness will destroy everything if she doesn't go, we really believe it. We have lots of reasons to empathize with and believe in Moana’s reason for going on this mission. We also feel for her having to make the big decision; we’ve been shown that she’s trying to live up to her responsibilities, and leaving the island would seem like a dismissal of those responsibilities, but we can also see how doing nothing and staying actually would be a dismissal. We feel that tension because they showed us several believable reasons to feel it.

But when Moana is singing “Beyond,” which is supposedly about her conflicting feelings about leaving, and the need to go? I’m just bored. Not emotionally invested. I just saw her going back-and-forth, leaving and coming back, leaving and coming back, one song ago, in “We’re Back.” And everything was fine during that song. Leaving-And-Coming-Back is the dream she’s been living as a voyager. So why is she suddenly convinced it’s a hard decision to…leave-and-plan-to-come-back?

“Because the last voyager died doing this mission she’s about to go on! She might die too!” Okay but all you did was tell me that. You didn’t show me Moana nearly-dying (like she did the first time she tried to cross the reef, or the first time she tried to tackle Te Ka on her own) and then realizing, “gee, oh no, I could die this time,” and then having to make a renewed decision to go anyway. You didn’t put work in, so I don’t believe it.

But the emotion Moana is feeling about leaving is also undercut, like I said, because there doesn’t seem to be a need for her to leave. All they did was tell me that Motunui is in trouble if it stays isolated. But no proof. They were fine isolated from other islands in Moana 1. They have been fine up until now in Moana 2. One random vision of an empty pavilion for three seconds isn’t going to make me forget that and believe that continued isolation will do anything negative to them.

And another thing, what does “uniting with other islands” even mean?” Why would it be such a good thing?

Nobody mentions trade. Nobody mentions learning from one another, or demonstrates learning from one another. Honestly, having Kele teach Moana or Moni or the Kakamora, an actual other-islander, about farming would’ve been a great demonstration of “why we need to meet new people and get out more.”

Having Kele LEARN TO SWIM would have been a SLOW ONE DOWN THE MIDDLE.

But nooo. They just half-bake suggest the idea that the old man doesn’t like leaving his comfort zone, but then never let one of the others have a real conversation with him about why he needs to learn new things from new people. NEVER. It’s just “bouncy vague song, almost-jump-in-the-water-under-coercion BUT NEVER ACTUALLY DO IT, banter and one liners” for the rest of the movie! (And don’t tell me Kele “learning to speak Kakamora” was an example of him “getting out of his comfort zone.” No. Kele never demonstrated a lack of desire to meet and learn new things from strangers. He demonstrated a hatred of fun and the ocean. All the others could also understand the Kakamora literally whenever they needed to, so that wasn’t a special-character-arc for Kele.)

Even though, my point is, they could’ve easily had a character arc for Kele. And that would’ve had something to do with “learn new things from new people, or die stagnant and stuck in your ways,” look, see, a mini-object-lesson in one character’s journey about the theme of the movie. But noooo

They could’ve done the same type of “learn-something-new-or-die” with Moni. Have him be convinced that doing things the “traditional Motunui Wayfinding Way” on this, his first adventure, is the ONLY way to do things. But he’s not good at it, no matter how much head-knowledge he has. And then the Kakamora (or literally any non-Motunui-character) could’ve shown him a newly-developed style for him to learn and grow.

They could’ve done the same type of “learn-something-new-or-die” with Loto. But nope. She just has a really poorly-done, poorly-written, poorly-performed snippet of a song where she mentions how… “perfection is a myth, the journey is just failing, learning, then death, no destination, ever.” But that ridiculous, absolutely absurd worldview is not portrayed as something she’s wrong about or needs to grow out of. It’s portrayed as a good, quirky, revolutionary thing.

But that’s not the same thing as portraying the value I’m describing. Loto just sings about it and invents-and-reinvents canoes. She does not learn how to make canoes from outsiders. She doesn’t learn anything from anybody. She is portrayed as a solitary genius with her own ideas who’s never once shown to be wrong about anything in the whole movie, and everything she tries works. She never messes up or makes a mistake, for all her singing about it. So she never actually “falls on her face, then gets up and learns.” Even though learning from others would be the literal only way for her character to portray the idea of this vague theme they throw out there, “You Can’t Survive in Isolation.”

The point is: there is no reason, in-movie, SHOWN, for the audience to believe that Moana should “re-unite the islands.” There’s no believable demonstration of why that would be a good thing, and no believable demonstration of why not doing it would be a bad thing.

So then why do we care if she risks her life and Maui’s life to re-unite the islands? For a bunch of nameless nobody background characters to show up for a five-second afterparty on Motunui at the end? Ridiculous.

Moving on.

“There’s Always Another Way”

So BUMP ALL THAT, I GUESS.

Matangi, everybody’s Cherished Hope for a New Villain, sings a song and it’s about “get lost, there is no one way, there’s always a different way.”

Fine. Cool. Whatever. The whole point of the first movie was that there’s this symbolic, ancient, WAY of sailing and living your life bravely. And Moana doesn’t know what that One WAY is because her tribe had forgotten it, so she has to learn it. It’s cool, because you navigate by looking at where you’ve been, to see where you’re going. It’s the whole “remember who you are in order to face life’s challenges, not hide from them.” That’s “the Way.” But whatever. Dump that down the toilet, new movie. You know why? Because everybody’s obsessed with “There’s No One Truth,” and “There Is No Right and Wrong,” and “Let’s Experience Things Just to Experience Them, the Journey is the Destination Because We’re not Going Anywhere!” Blah blah blah ridiculous inane sewage slop.

BUT whatever, fine, IF you mean it in a “There’s Lot’s of Ways to Solve Most Problems, Try Try Again,” sense, that’s okay. That’s true for most problems (not all, but most, certainly there are more than one ways to sail.) Sure. that message, if that’s what they mean, is fine. That’s the sense in which Moana takes it, at least, when she dives down to touch the Core Island and break the curse instead of it rising.

But you know what? Yeah. They don’t flesh it out. They don’t take time to show that that’s what’s happening. Moana doesn’t try to teach her new crew how to sail, and they suck at it, but if she lets them do it their own way or whatever, then they work—and she learns there’s “more than one way.” That doesn’t happen.

The Kakamora that joins their team doesn’t solve all his problems with blow darts, or violence, or whatever—and then Moana, or the kindhearted Moni, or the peaceful Kele, tells him, “no, there’s another way, you don’t always have to do things your violent way.” That doesn’t happen.

Loto has one moment where she applies the way she was already living according-to, from the moment we meet her, not a NEW way, to the canoe so that the gang can out-sail magical waterspouts. And it works for like twenty seconds, is played like a great triumph, before they all get smashed into the ocean anyway.

Kele, again, would’ve been a great example of “learn to do things in a different way, or problem-solve by try-trying again.” Because he’s old and they set him up as hating life for no reason and not wanting to do new things. But they didn’t do anything with him.

And guess what else—at the end—when Moana has her own demigod powers, and her own magical-arm-tattoo ripped off from Tears of the Kingdom—guess what her magic power is?

To stick her oar in the water, and light up one current or “path” for the boat to take to a new destination.

A Path. ONE SINGULAR SOLITARY WAY.

Not “a new way.” Not “all possible ways.” Not “multiple ways.” Not even two ways. One. Even though the big lesson she sacrificed her life for, even though the one and only song Matangi got to sing, was about how “there’s always another way.”

WHILE they’re singing a reprise of, “We Know THE Way.”

It’s like being in a conversation with someone who starts a sentence and then forgets what they were saying halfway through, and winds up saying worse than nothing.

“Together, But a Little Different”

Like I said, if you told me that the Main Point of the movie (not one of many vague ideas, but the Main Point) was “Together, But a Little Different,” I immediately would’ve said:

“Oh, so it’s about having to adjust to long-distance relationships. Maybe even death.” Or, maybe, because I saw the trailers, I’d go, “Oh, so it’s about keeping what makes us unique, but uniting when we need to, in spite of our differences. ‘Together, But a Little Different.’”

No. It’s not about any of that. It’s just a phrase the Grandma’s Ghost says whenever she hugs Moana to remind her that she’s still “with her.” She’s still with her; she just glows and can shapeshift into a manta ray now! That has tons of application for real life. 🙄

It’s supposed to be her words of comfort to pass on to Moana, who can then pass it on to the people in her island, so they know that she won’t “ever really leave them.” But like. Then why should I care that she’s leaving them? Why should that be sad? If there’s no sacrifice in being apart, in leaving for the adventure, then the adventure keeps feeling low-stakes and boring and kind of pointless.

If you tilt your head and squint, it’s also maybe-applying to Moana’s pointless ugly annoying Little Sister character, Simea. Simea is in the movie so that someone can be immature for three seconds about how Moana’s always gone from home. And I do mean exactly three seconds, that’s all the emotional drama we get, and it’s not built up to either. She says, “Never come back? -sniff sniffle- I don’t want you to gooo!” And then runs away and then Moana takes a break from singing the next day to briefly explain to Simea about how she can pass messages through the ocean. Then she’s fine.

But the way this theme is thrown around, you think it would mean, “Moana Has to Go Away Sometimes, But if You Remember Her She Never Leaves You.”

But seriously. Again I say to you, who cares? We know Moana is coming back. We know that. Nobody in the audience seriously believes she’s never coming back when she leaves for this adventure. If we did, maybe we’d care that Simea cares. But we don’t.

Even when Moana “dies,” and it’s the perfect time to be like, “seeee, what we feeeared has happened, she’s dead, she can never go home to Simea!” THERE IS NO FOLLOW-THROUGH. There’s not even a cut to Simea back on Motonui, feeling through the ocean or the Force or whatever movie mumbo-jumbo that her sister is gone. And there is not even a deadline, in the movie, for Moana to accomplish this mission, so it’s not like she could be running late and we could get some scenes of Moana’s family mourning. Simea having to do something, take some big step, that show’s she’s willing to go on even if she can’t be with Moana anymore because she believed Moana about how she’s always with her—something like that.

My point is, Simea has no real point, so she doesn’t add to this “Together, But Different.” idea at all. And we already know that it doesn’t mean, “overcome our differences” from what I said in the first Theme.

But what they could have done? They COULD have gone whole-hog and MADE MOANA A BELIEVABLE DEMIGOD. Instead of a vague joke about tattoos that leaves the question open-ended, a pointless and theme-breaking display of shiny superpowers, and no other change to the status quo—

—they could’ve shown that there are consequences to that action—maybe she’s a Demigod of Navigation, or something like that, and the condition is, she can sail around connecting islands, but she can never stay on one too long. So she’ll never be able to live with Simea and her parents again on Motunui, but it’s the price she has to pay to connect the islands. Then she’d have to show Simea how they can still be “Together, Just a Little Different.”

Or someone could’ve gotten hurt or disabled, giving off the idea that even though everything is “different,” they can still be “together.”

Maui could’ve died and passed his fishhook powers, AND MINI MAUI, on to Moni or Moana. “Together, but different.”

Nothing, nothing at all like that happens. It’s just a pretty phrase that could’ve meant something, but any meaning it actually has hamstrings the whole emotional weight of the story instead of fueling it.

“Something-Something Stories Are Important”

The thing here is. I already said it. You can’t just say words and expect them to be impactful, in a story. You’re supposed to show what they mean and why they’re true, and THAT’S what creates an impact.

So when you’re talking about “stories” in a story, you definitely should not have nothing to say.

And I can feel it. I’ve seen none of the promotional material, I don’t watch the interviews, I haven’t checked BuzzFeed or ScreenRant or the Disney Youtube page in a while, but I can feel it.

I can feel them trying to say, “Something Something, ‘Storytelling’ is a big part of Pacific Islander Culture!” I can imagine the headlines. “[Actor or Disney Exec Name Here] Invites You to Celebrate Your Story with Pacific Islander Heritage Month!” They’re so into “culture as a marketing tool” these days.

But they say it so lazily. Just repeating the word “story” over and over in the movie doesn’t pay tribute to how important “stories” are to Pacific Islanders. Or to anybody.

You know what makes stories impactful? They point at truth, when the darkness and misunderstandings and evil of the world threaten to distract you or hide the truth. That’s what makes stories impactful. I’m sure Pacific Islanders use stories in that way—to pass on what they believe to be true, in a way that can be retold and remembered.

So MAKE THAT THE THEME OF YOUR MOVIE. Instead of just having Moana replace “Nalo wants to kill us” with “Nalo wants to end our story” for Empty Effect—instead of having Grandma say something about “your e

Okay okay.

Nalo is a silly, lazy villain. He is clearly a Thanos rip-off in design and introduction in a literal post-credits scene, and his most-present form, in the movie, is just a big ocean thunderstorm. But the laziest thing about him is that he’s the Conflict that everyone is trying to rise up and overcome, and the whole reason he sunk the Island was “He gets power from humans being divided.”

That’s never explained. It’s never shown at all why he gets power from the vague “humans are divided” thing. He has no scenes. He has no interactions with other characters (till the end-credits scene.) A range of his power, like “here’s what it looks like when the humans are divided—oh, now here’s how much less-powerful he is when they’re together!” is never shown. So. No consequences if the heroes fail, no change to the status-quo, villain-wise, when they win.

If Nalo wanted to end their stories, though, that would be another thing.

Stories are meant to be told. They’re for the benefit of others. So what they should’ve done is made the secret key of Nalo’s power hidden. Unknown. Nobody knows how to beat him. And he’s not sinking some unfindable island in another dimension. He’s just devouring the resources of the weather with his ever-more-powerful storms, (kind of like the darkness leaking through the ocean from the first movie) and nobody can stop him.

But that’s because each island, around Oceania, has clues to how to beat him. Clues in their stories. But they can only sail so far from what they know before his storms kill them. So he’s literally making them weaker by using his power to keep them apart, and making himself stronger by defending his weakness. Now they can’t Wayfind to each other, and learn one another’s cultural advancements or stories or beauties, because Nalo is powerful enough to make storms that rip their boats apart. But if they could learn from one another’s stories about the things their ancestors used against him, they could get rid of him.

That’s what they should’ve done. Shown why Nalo was a threat and how the Main Theme was the key to overcoming that threat.

They did not do that.

They made stories just a hot button word to be thrown around with no impact. In a story.

The point of this post is that Moana 2 had a lot of potentially-good points, and it made none of them, so it was totally unsatisfying. If it had just focused on one, the other little benefits they were trying to fit in could’ve been mentioned more naturally.

The way that Beauty & the Beast is all about ONE theme: “True Love is Self-Sacrificial.” But because of the tools it uses to tell that story—a beast that it would take a lot of self-sacrifice to be stuck with forever—you get little side-themes thrown in, supporting and draping decoratively over the ONE theme: “Beauty is Found Within, So Don’t Be Deceived By Appearances,” etc.

Moana 2 should’ve just picked the Story One, and it could’ve had that theme, and it’s cultural-nod cake, and it’s unifying-effect cake, and EATEN IT TOO.

And we could’ve eaten it. And WE could’ve enjoyed it! But no. Money money money lazy lazy lazy.