#LOOK AT THIS TRANSFORMATION IN ONE SINGULAR EPISODE

[technicolourtelevision]

JEREMY STRONG as KENDALL ROY || Succession 4x04

[stylographic-blue-rhapsody]

I was deep in my drunk feelings when I made a joke post threatening to write about episode 5 symbolism and mizu, but then enough people said "where is the essay" so I am here to ramble as requested 

in ep 5, the tale told in the puppet show spliced with the flashback sequence of mizu’s marriage identifies mizu as not only the ronin, but also the bride and, with tragedy, the onryō. I would argue that mizu is also depicted (in a less linear fashion) as the phoenix itself, and will circle back to this thought later

mizu is first presented as the ronin, the warrior with a singular purpose. as the ronin’s lord is assassinated by the rival clan, mizu’s mother is killed in the house fire. the ronin swears his revenge, and dedicates his life to this cause. through his childhood and into his young adult life when he departs from swordfather, mizu is exclusively the ronin. he is not the onryō yet, demonstrated in his honorable unwillingness to harm the men who stab him and throw him out of the shop even after he insists that he wasn't looking for a fight in the first place

the ronin is only able to rest and put away his mission when he meets the bride, the lover. however, mizu’s bride is not literally another person she meets. the bride is not mama, or mikio, but the lover mizu discovers in herself, the one allowed to bloom in place of mizu-as-ronin. mizu’s growth into the bride from the ronin occurs over time, but solidifies in the moment when kai is gifted to her by mikio, paralleling the taming of her own distrust and expectations of being hurt. (side note, giving a nod to effective use of color: the bride puppet, dressed in reds and oranges, has matching coloring to the gifting scene, as it takes place in autumn)

mizu’s transformation into the onryō happens in two parts, beginning with the slaying of the bride and completing with the slaying of the ronin. the betrayal by mikio and mama kills the softness in mizu, kills the lover she has allowed herself to become. mizu-as-onryō retaliates by killing the ronin: the part of himself that hesitates before striking, that part that cares for honor. in not intervening in mama’s death and then murdering mikio in turn, mizu kills the ronin in himself, slaughtering it in retribution for the dead bride

mizu is both the bride and the ronin, peaceful lover and noble warrior, until he is not—he is the onryō, only the onryō. episode 5 opens with the narrator saying, “no one man can defeat an army, but one creature can.” only as the onryō, and not as the ronin or the bride, does mizu have the force of will and capacity for violence it takes to singlehandedly overcome boss hamata’s thousand claw army and protect the brothel

mizu’s identity and place in the world is a constant dialogue. he is too white to have a respectable place in japanese society, but is also seen by abijah (our stand-in for white british society) as filthy and corrupted. he is not perceived as enough of a man to walk through life wholly as one (madame kaji’s comments about his apparent lack of sexual desires, his bones breaking “like a woman’s” under fowler’s hands, his disregard for honor and recognition as a samurai). she is also not enough of a woman to exist peacefully as one with mikio (she is a swordsman, an accomplished rider, bad at domesticity; “what woman doesn’t want a husband?” mama chastises)

the moment when mikio rejects her completely following their spar is a particularly poignant narrative beat about tolerance of “the other” in gender presentation: mikio can accept her as a woman only until she bests him at manhood, at the sword, at violence. she is Other in that she is physically strong, a poor cook, able to wield a sword. these traits are all tolerable to mikio, also an outcast, so long as she is not so Other as to be a man. but her swordsmanship bests his, and bests his in the way the sun outshines a candle. it is too Other, and therefore she is not a woman. she is a monster to him, the onryō, even before she kills the bride and the ronin in herself

(( as an aside, this series does a very good job at discussing the oft-challenging relationship between race and gender (e.g. that it is difficult for mizu to live as a biracial man, but would be deadly for her to live as a biracial woman), and demonstrating how queerness of identity complicates that relationship even further—but that’s a topic for a different post ))

as the narrative has been building on this idea that mizu is both the ronin and the bride, the man and the woman, japanese and white, episode 5 concludes with the heartbreaking reveal that, although mizu is all of these things simultaneously, he has had these identities beaten out of him by tragedy and cruelty and his own self-loathing hand

but mizu does not stagnate as the monster. we return to the metaphor of steel: too pure and it becomes brittle, breaking under pressure. mizu is a sword, a weapon that he has forged for the sole purpose of revenge and blood, but he has excised too much of himself to successfully deliver on his goals—he is not the ronin or the bride, he is the onryō; she is not a woman or a man, she is the onryō; the onryō is nothing but pain and vengeance—and so it breaks

“perhaps a demon cannot make steel,” mizu says. “I am a bad artist” 

swordfather replies, “an artist gives all they have to the art, the whole. your strengths and deficiencies, your loves and shames. perhaps the people you collected… if you do not invite the whole, the demon takes two chairs, and your art will suffer”

to be reforged, mizu must not only acknowledge the impurities she has beaten out of her blade, out of herself, but lovingly, radically accept them and reincorporate them into the blade, into herself. he adds impure steel—the people he has collected, with their own dualities—to the sheared meteorite sword: the broken blade that fit so perfectly in taigen’s hand (the archetypal ronin, but a man seeking happiness over glory), the knife akemi tried to murder mizu with (the archetypal bride, but with ambition for greatness), the bell given to ringo and returned to mizu in broken trust (the man unable to hold a sword, but upholding samurai principles of honor and wisdom), the tongs that honed mizu’s smithcraft under swordfather’s guidance (the artisan, a blind man who sees more than most). to make of herself a blade strong enough to see her promises through, she must hold her monstrosity and honor and compassion and artistry in equal import

she is the onryō, and the ronin, and the bride, and all the people she has collected.

with this we finally come to mizu as the phoenix. mizu undergoes many cycles of death and rebirth, both in the main storyline and the flashbacks into her life leading up to the present. often, mizu is juxtaposed against literal flames—the burning of his childhood home, swordfather’s forge, the fire as he battles the giant in the infiltrated castle, the heart sutra forge of her own making, the climactic second confrontation with fowler. not every death/rebirth mizu undergoes is thematic to flame, of course. the fight with the four fangs, spliced with the rebirth ceremony of the town, for example, or the deaths of her ronin-self and bride-self, giving rise to the onryō

he is the phoenix, unable to truly die: every fatal combat he pulls back from the brink, reborn over and over in the wake of failure and setback. in episode 1, mizu prays for the gods to “let [him] die.” not to help him to face death unafraid, not to die with honor or victory, but to die at all. mizu has experienced death a thousand times over, but not once has it stuck

(( as a parting aside: the ronin’s rage at the phoenix clan for killing his lord parallels mizu’s self hatred of his mixed heritage (which he believes to be the thing that killed his mother), and so the ronin’s quest for revenge against the phoenix clan is mirrored in mizu’s quest to kill the white part of himself as best he can, by killing the white men who could be his father ))

mizu, the ronin. mizu, the bride. mizu, the onryō. mizu, the phoenix.

[s-aint-elmo]

digging out the eah content i created in a frenzy during last year’s summer of obsession part 1: my personal sapphic multishipping guide (created to explain to my friends which of these dolls i think should hold hands)

(more in-depth discussion of the ships below the cut)

the polycule that will take over ever after

kitty/lizzie; kitty/maddie; maddie/lizzie

self-explanatory. frequently purchased together do not separate. bonus shoutout to maddie canonically giving kitty a little kissie on the cheek and getting off scot-free in the books though. a wonderlandiful world was a banquet to me

cedar protection squad

once again a wonderlandiful world and once upon a time i owe you my life. kitty ESP being so adamant abt not giving a shit then turning around and fucking up those boys who were mean to cedar...... i love friendship

kitty/cerise

also self-explanatory. she was a catgirl she was a wolfgirl can i make it anymore obvious. also doribuki’s phenomenal fake dating fanfic....... transformative foundational transcendental

cerise/raven

YOU MUST UNDERSTAND. i entered eah a rapple shipper and exited the book series ready to burn at the stake for cerise/raven. book two was SO MUCH. it had everything. raven befriending cerise despite her attempts to isolate herself. texting in class. winking at each other. raven meeting the parents and hearing embarrassing baby cerise stories. cerise putting it all on the line to save raven. i’m ambivalent about shadow high but cerise gets literally one (1) mention and it’s in raven’s internal monologue wherein she equates cerise’s hood w feelings of warmth and safety. like how was that in any way necessary. i rest my case 

raven & maddie

self-explanatory as well. dabesties. the ride or dies. it means so much to me that raven always has a friend in maddie no matter how many clowns and jokers (derogatory) treat her like the antichrist. maddie the character ever

raven/apple

WHAT IT SAYS ON THE TIN. the gelphie dynamic is a classic and i am EXTREMELY vulnerable to it. they are THE ship and i will pay my respects to the end of time. i am a big fan of how they trade their roles throughout the franchise and how rich the drama and history are between them. it’s pure fucking poetry.

raven/darling

TBH. a serve. the only thing juicier than evil queen/damsel in distress is evil queen/princess charming. big big fan of darling giving raven the five star princess treatment after a lifetime of being feared and shunned and vilified. equally big fan of raven’s momentous act of rebellion giving darling the courage to be true to herself. ALSO. the absolute archetype-subversion slay of the Pure-Hearted Hero(TM) confronting the Mistress of Evil(TM) and dropping their sword. looking through the smoke and mirrors and the will of Fate itself to see the girl who has wanted nothing but to be kind beneath. swearing their heart and soul and sword to the one true good they have found. picture it. i can almost see the 100-word drabble

raven/apple/darling

now THIS is just THE fairytale couple. the evil queen, the damsel in distress and the princess charming ALL holding hands and riding off into the sunset together. dappling on its own doesn’t do it for me but raven in the mix just makes everything gel perfectly. she’s the tomato in the ratatouille the cornstarch in the spring roll water, etc etc

darling/holly

this is one of those ships where i read a really convincing fic and the more i thought of it the more it just made sense. like they'd read swashbucklers and tales of courtly love together. holly would 100% write a darling placeholder in her self-insert romance fanfic pre-relationship as a way to express her feelings. darling would 100% find out and gently pull her out of the pit of sheer mortification she drilled into the ground to escape. also the height difference is a thing of beauty

safe from the polycule

duchess/poppy

they have one singular episode to their name and it was enough. it was Everything. the dynamic you can extrapolate from that one single interaction is so incredibly appealing to me. duchess’s bitchiness belied by her palpable air of vulnerability coming up against poppy’s spine of steel tempered by her skill in gaining perspective. poppy can challenge duchess into being a better person and duchess can be poppy’s character flaw like idk she just has shit taste in women that was the price she had to pay to be moisturized and unbothered by destiny. i just think they have the potential to be the unexpected, inexplicable power couple of eah

briar/faybelle

do i even need to say anything they had a whole movie to make their case. they’re rapple if rapple got their shit together before armageddon, with the bonus of a potential curse-breaking true love’s kiss for the fanfic authors to thrash between their teeth. truly unlimited. also unlike rapple where raven is 100% against being a villain and therefore it’s apple who has to do the mental gymnastics to open herself to the possibility of a relationship w raven, faybelle is just chomping at the bit to make her momma proud and presents a compelling perspective for the whole “falling in love w your fated nemesis” thing

blondie/cupid

they are icons, they are legends, and they ARE the moment. these two are so chaotic individually, what with blondie’s criminal skillset and habit of menacing innocent woodland creatures and cupid’s matchmaking powers combined w her shitty aim, that putting them together can only mean good things. there’s this whole element of their shared passion as public figures who at their best seek the truth and guide others through matters of the heart respectively that’s always interesting as a point of irony/obstacle when they start catching feelings and have to decide what to do with them. their joint youtuber/podcaster slay can level nations

[688199]

Astruc’s bullshittery: Debunking his tweets

Astruc’s tweets and claims about Felix is something I would never understand. He contradicts himself, for what? To make people hate Felix?

Case 1:

Sure he isn’t referring directly to this “version”. But when the PV was made, the concept of polar opposites was established, even shown through the early storyboards with Chat Noir presenting Ladybug with candles. It may not be a curse here yet, but it shows that Chat Noir was always meant to genuinely love Ladybug.

So it proves that the concept of Felix pretending to love Ladybug is a very “one-off” idea. Heck, even in the PV, you can see Felix being quite eager to transform. Does he look cursed to you?

Lastly, the existence of the 2012 bible is evidence that it’s possible to make Felix/ Chat Noir have an ulterior motive behind being flirtatious yet at the same time not moving away from his love for Ladybug.

Case 2:

In what way is this mysterious and evil? Again, even though Felix has the “Adrien” name in the bible, it’s obvious that Astruc is separating Felix (suit wearing, dark personality boy) with Adrien (the canon one).

It is true that Felix may be a bit evil, with that one singular image of him dropping an apple on Marinette’s head. But it’s a super early concept that isn’t present in the bibles (further supported by the fact they are shown to be able to use powers without transformation, and Felix being a pure misfortune manipulator.), meaning the idea didn’t reach that far into pre production.

That version of Felix is also shown more in Quantic Kids concepts, and even then, he was shown being slightly affectionate towards Marinette (cue that image of him smiling at her).

Instead of mysterious and evil, Felix had been long moulded more into someone who is driven, confident and dark (sarcastic). There’s way more art and descriptions depicting him that way.

Astruc even contradicts himself here when he says he cannot imagine Marinette liking Felix because it’s so clearly stated here why she does.

Not only that, Felix is written to have a soft side which he doesn’t show others. He even has fondness towards Marinette. But he doesn’t allow himself to fall in love. This means he actually sees himself falling for her if he gets distracted.

Overall, Felix might have underwent a very rough patch with him being mysterious and evil like what Astruc says (though in the fandom this version is often referred to as Nathan), but the development of his character shows that there was a lot of focus on improving Felix.

The time where Felix officially “became” Adrien is a few months after the earliest bible we have, where you can see the most changes being applied to the “Adrien” name. He doesn’t have a picture attached to the description (showing how they were still coming up with his design), he’s Papillon’s son, and has the goal of wanting to fit in rather than healing his leg. This is “Adrien” and no longer “Felix”.

Based on what Astruc said, he came up with “Adrien” because blah blah blah, but the Felix we’re seeing in the earliest bible is the same Felix he was dealing with before he came up with “Adrien”. Which, in my opinion, had quite a bit of depth to him that could be written well.

So is Astruc just straight up lying/ exaggerating Felix’s development and character in order to justify his decision to replace him with Adrien?

Adrien is significantly easier to write about as he’s more one dimensional, whereas Felix has a lot more inner conflict happening.

Maybe that’s why Astruc said: “Try writing Felix for 72 episodes”. He’s admitting to being a bad writer :/

[bestworstcase]

& as heart-wrenching as it is, i think ruby being able to say the words “i don’t want to be me anymore” is also like. it’s been true for a long time, and it’s awful, but before she can fix it she had to let herself see it, and to see it she had to say it. (and i have some nascent thoughts bubbling about neo being the one who ‘saves’ her from the cat—not in the sense that neo intends to rescue her, but thematically it does matter that the character who rips the cat off of ruby’s chest is the character that the cat then eats; there’s a narrative foundation here for ruby to return the favor by saving neo from the cat. or helping neo save herself from the cat, more likely.)

(<- the villain eaten by the story and the hero eaten by the story.)

and—while the allegory is not subtle at all—that it’s coming right after an episode that overtly rejected the notion of ascension being equivalent to death and portrayed wby as heroic in their immediate unconditional support for the paper pleasers’ desire to ascend… the relative locations of these two narrative beats isn’t accidental. the tree does not kill, it resurrects. the suicide allegory hinges on the deliberate narrative uncertainty about what ruby thinks ascension is: why does she drink the tea? what is she asking for? jaune imagines death, neo annihilation, but the paper pleasers say “we are delicate. our world is very fragile. we wish to become more resilient so that we can build something that will survive.” (<- ruby promised to serve atlas and keep people safe. her predicament is the same as theirs.)

is the distinction meaningful? <- a question i somewhat expect the next episode to interrogate. i mean the answer is yes, obviously, wanting to die is very different from wanting to change, but the thematic arc up to this point has been constructed by conflation of the two through the characters’ shifting perceptions; is the tree change or is it death, is it good or bad, does it kill or revitalize. irrespective of what ruby herself thinks, she chose to ascend and the tree answered her, so the threads will obviously get teased apart as we follow what that means for her. (and for little. true ascension vs whatever the ever after can offer ruby is something i’m really interested to see.)

practically speaking, ruby can’t lose her memories—or, not forever/not completely. (i do think a scenario where like, the tree takes her memories and then reveals them to her, a very literal change in perspective, is a significant possibility. what if you could leave ruby rose behind? what if you could see her through a stranger’s eyes? what might you think of her then? the thing about shedding an old coat is you can always put it on again. and if the coat is falling apart, of course, you do need to take it off before you can stitch it back together. how literal a metaphor are we looking at here.)

likewise i doubt very much that she’s going to drastically transform. (wardrobe change, reforged weapon, brushing off her bumps and bruises, yes; radically altered physical nature, no.) largely because her physical form is fine as she is—at no point has ruby been troubled by the limitations of her body—and the transformation she needs is spiritual in nature. if it ain’t broke… and what’s broken is her spirit, her emotional well-being.

which leaves, like, okay. you don’t want to be yourself anymore. what do you want to be instead? nothing isn’t an option. the tree cannot provide nothing. (that’s what the jabberwalker is for.) there needs to be something. you can’t think of anything? not one singular thing you want to keep? not even the tiniest spark of light in all this darkness? alright. turn around and look again. tilt the mirror, look again. what do you want? what do you really want, deep down where you’ve never let anyone else see? look at that. now look again. look for what’s true in this unreal place. if you can’t see what’s in front of you, look again. what do you want to be?

[venusvity]

.ﾟ۪ ♡ ۫  ...     PRE-RELEASE SINGLE - DRAMA!

DRAMA is one of two pre-release singles for VENUS' fourth full studio album. DRAMA will be promoted for TWO WEEKS until the next single is released.

.ﾟ۪ ♡ ۫  ...     MUSIC VIDEO AESTHETICS.

The DRAMA music video received 45 MILLION VIEWS in 24 hours and would remain number one on the Youtube trending page for 6 days. The video follows the girls through a technicolored cyberspace as they fight against a virus only known as "DRAMA" which is depicted as a dark and rapid-moving shadow.

.ﾟ۪ ♡ ۫  ...     DRAMA LINE DISTRIBUTION.

.ﾟ۪ ♡ ۫  … BAEBI = 28.20 SECONDS

.ﾟ۪ ♡ ۫  … BLISS = 19.26 SECONDS

.ﾟ۪ ♡ ۫  …  CHLOE = 49.15 SECONDS

.ﾟ۪ ♡ ۫  … SENA = 17.29 SECONDS

.ﾟ۪ ♡ ۫  … JIAH = 38.12 SECONDS

.ﾟ۪ ♡ ۫  ...     PROMOTIONAL HIGHLIGHTS.

The girls were promoting DRAMA consistently for two weeks. For a solid two weeks, the girls were at music shows or other schedules promoting their upcoming album, which they revealed the name of at the end of their promotional period for DRAMA.

The album is called "VENUS VICTRIX" and will have 11 tracks. The creative direction for the album will be handled by long-time VENUS creative director Adrian Reyes. This differs from their last comeback, Burn The Witch, which was fully controlled by Venus themselves. While on Knowing Brothers, Chloe admits the girls experienced a lot of stress from handling all aspects of the album. "It was too much. We would be up until 5 AM almost every night trying to get everything to work, and we agreed that for this album, we want more rest!" which earned laughs from the hosts and from fans alike.

During an episode of "Visting Venus," they had Adrian come on to explain the lore of the album to them in a classroom-like setting with the girls at desks and him at a chalkboard, pointing with a stick and aggressively writing with a red piece of chalk.

"It's basically, like, Venus' Victory. The girls are trapped in a harsh cyber world but manage to break out and transform the landscape into something habitable," Adrian would explain, drawing a loosely thrown-together professor-esque outfit and round specs. Klara, drawing a school uniform and thick-rimmed classes, would raise her hand. "And how will we break out from this world?" "Easy," Adrian starts, pulling down a projector screen that has three big words on it in comic sans font, "Dance, music, and friendship."

The video was a massive hit with fans and had them on the edge of their seats waiting for the album's release.

Though they gave it their all at every performance, it was clear the girls were tired and being overworked. In most vlogs, you'd often see members sleeping on one another during their breaks at music shows or expressing how sore they were from all the performing they were doing. The Venus members, with the exception of Klara, would assure fans they were fine and liked working especially. Klara, however, would go on to post a singular mirror selfie of herself at 3 AM on her Instagram story with the caption, "just got back. can't wait for my powernap before i have to go back lol" but the story was quickly deleted and followed by a video of the maknae laughing and apologizing.

"That was meant for my close friend. My bad, my bad! Stop worrying. I'm just complaining! I swear to God if y'all mass email Flowerbank I'll have a tantrum. Don't worry about me!"

While this moment went viral on stan Twitter, constellations couldn't help but to worry for the girls. However, their worries were seemingly quelled once they got another stage of DRAMA to entertain them.

.ﾟ۪ ♡ ۫  ...     LOOK BOOK.

.ﾟ۪ ♡ ۫  … LEFT 2 RIGHT: BLISS, BAEBI, CHLOE, SENA, AND JIAH

The girls wore wigs during their promotions, concealing their actual hair colors. While sometimes the wigs looked natural, especially Sena and Jiah's, there were times when the wigs looked straight from Party City. Due to their status in the industry, people called this style choice "camp" and praised them for it.

YOU CAN GET YOUR DRAMA PHOTOCARDS HERE!

[monkey-network]

Pizza Tower: The Series Episodes

26 Episodes; Season 2 Coming 20XX

A New Universe: Taking place after the events of the game, a singularity has caused everything from the destroyed Pizza Tower to manifest into reality. It's up to Peppino once more to now try to find normalcy in his new world.

Nice Noise: The Noise realizes being friendlier has its perks, so he changes his ways much to Peppino's disbelief.

Pizza Pickiness: Peppino must deal with a customer that's constantly unsatisfied and that is affecting business.

Gun Safety: The Vigilante, with help from The Noise and Gustavo, educates the dos and don'ts of using firearms.

Lunch Rush Slumber Party: Peppino studies all night on how to handle a lunch rush better and becomes extremely tired on the worst possible day.

Brick and Mortal: Peppino is forced to look after Brick the rat while the Noise plans to steal from the pizzeria.

Hot Art Block: Pepperman gets inspired by Peppino for his new line of art works, who doesn't approve when he feels it ruins his image.

Noisette the Bachelorette: Noisette starts dating Gustavo after The Noise flakes on a date. The Noise plots revenge when the two hit it off better than expected.

Peppino's One Good Day: It's a day in the life of Peppino Spaghetti and it goes better than he thought. There's a catch to this, right?

Faker's Fazool: Fake Peppino invades the restaurant but only wants a real job. Peppino tries to give him a good one in fear of what could happen.

The Noise in Loopyland: The Noise finds himself stuck in a bizarre dimension and there can be such a thing as too zany.

Talk Through the Night: Before closing, Peppino has one more customer that constantly tries to chat with him. It gets annoying, but Peppino slowly grows to like his company.

The Piefather (1/2 Hour Special): Pizzahead returns with a new gang looking to run Peppino out for good. Peppino takes matters into his own hands to even the fight, but the power gets to his head.

Super Magical Bubblepop Paisanos with Extra Sauce: Noisette finds a collection of magical keychains that transform her and the others into glittery superheroes.

The Best Bite; The Topping Song: Peppino goes to a new restaurant and has the greatest meal in his whole life, which puts his career into question; Gustavo sings about every topping you can put on a pizza.

Menu-pilation: Peppino relunctantly adds more items on the menu and realizes this was the challenge he needed in life.

Brick the Rat in "Cheese Chasers": Brick hunts down an elusive piece of cheese.

We're Taking War to Gnome: An accident from Peppino has caused the Gnome Forest to plot a siege on his restaurant, which leads to everyone to join forces to protect the restaurant.

Ska-pportunity: The Noise gets into ska music and it's infectious for everybody except Peppino.

Giallo Pepato: Peppino must face the traumas of his past when forced to complete Pepperman's puzzle room.

Down in the Gutter: Peppino and John Gutter make a deal to protect the Pizzeria from The Noise, but the price starts to add up.

Five Noisy Nights at Lenny's: The Noise is locked in a fun center that's haunted. It's all good at first until he realizes he's stuck there night AND day.

We Wrecked A Zoo: Peppino decides to go to the zoo on his day off; Noisette wants to capture the perfect moment with Noise; Brick starts a rebellion.

Spaghetti Western: Peppino begrudgingly reenacts one of the Vigilante's favorite movies with the others for a birthday party.

Peppino Quits (Part 1): After the pizzeria gets destroyed, Peppino decides to throw in the towel as a chef. His new job finds him inner peace, but everything's become too quiet with him now gone.

Peppino Dies (Part 2): A moment of stress has put Peppino in a coma and everyone tries to reconcile with the idea of losing their friend. Emphasis on "tries" because they mostly suck.

[justforbooks]

Matthew Perry was a Friend to all, known the world over as Chandler Bing, always seconds away from a great wisecrack and a show-stopping grin. But he was also an addict. That was the “big, terrible thing” Perry referenced in the title of his memoir last year, giving it equal weighting with the TV series that made him an indelible celebrity, long after he had largely retreated from screens.

I read Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing last year and found it a jarring, often uncomfortable experience. It was one part juicy celebrity memoir, enlivened by the flashes of humour and winning self-deprecation that Perry (by his own admission) shared with his defining character; and one part harrowing account of a man intent on his own destruction.

Perry characterised himself as a ready-made, just-add-water addict: an alcoholic with his first drink at the age of 14, and hooked on painkillers with his first pill, prescribed after a jetski accident. High, he drove a red Mustang convertible across the desert, feeling “complete and utter euphoria”: “I remember thinking, ‘If this doesn’t kill me, I’m doing this again.’” It didn’t then.

Nearly a year to the day after Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing was published, Perry was found dead at his Los Angeles home in an apparent drowning. He was 54. Tributes from his friends and fans have rightly focused on Perry’s character and talent, with actors Morgan Fairchild (who played Perry’s on-screen mother) mourning “the loss of such a brilliant young actor” and Mira Sorvino of his “singular wit”. Even the Canadian prime minister, Justin Trudeau, (who knew Perry as a boy, and whom Perry claimed in his memoir to have beaten up) paid tribute to the “schoolyard games we used to play … Thanks for all the laughs, Matthew”.

Indeed, though Perry’s career never took off beyond Friends, he was arguably the standout performer in a talented cast of six. Any good-looking guy can be the smart-aleck, cracking jokes in the corner, but Perry imbued Chandler with energy and emotional depth.

Though defined by his deadpan delivery – Perry is right, when he wrote “that Chandler Bing transformed the way that America spoke” – he also had exceptional comic timing, and was a great physical performer. No one else has so effectively communicated combined dating anxiety and needing to pee. The fact that Perry managed to more or less keep it together over 10 seasons and 236 episodes, often while juggling ferocious substance abuse, is only further testament to his talent.

The success of Friends – not to mention the support from his castmates, his real-life friends – was what helped him to survive, Perry wrote. “There was no way I could have been a journeyman actor. I wouldn’t have stayed sober for that; it was not worth not doing heroin for that … When you’re earning $1m a week, you can’t afford to have the 17th drink.”

Perry also had a tricky part to play within the ensemble, in taking a platonic friendship between two cynics into a heartfelt romance. Chandler and Monica was Friend’s central love story, with none of the cushioning contrivances and strategic “breaks” of the series’ other pairings. In TV, as well as life, it’s harder to make yourself vulnerable and offer love steadily than it is to give in to doubt and run hot-and-cool: Perry showed that the smart guy, even the mean guy, could also be the nice guy you’d do well to marry.

In a series that has otherwise aged fairly poorly, Chandler and Monica are still an aspirational model for an equal partnership. As a teenager, I found it sweet when Chandler told Monica: “They can say that you’re high maintenance, but it’s OK, because I like … maintaining you.” As a far-from-easygoing, thirtysomething single woman, it is perhaps the most desirable declaration of love I’ve ever seen.

It is no wonder Perry was so beloved for his character. “For the longest time,” he wrote, he experienced it as a burden, though he had lately reached some kind of peace with Friends as his legacy. “If you’re going to be typecast, that’s the way to do it.” But at the widespread shock at his death, as the world woke up to the news on Sunday morning, you can picture Perry raising one quizzical eyebrow. As he wrote himself: “I didn’t stand a fucking chance.”

Perry might not have risked 17 drinks on set – but he would certainly try for 16. Especially during the later seasons of Friends, he was routinely drunk, high or hungover on set, prompting concern from Jennifer Aniston. (“‘We can smell it,’ she said, in a kind of weird but loving way.”) Even a “sober companion” to shadow him at work proved insufficient safeguard: when a read-through was cut short by Perry’s incoherence, the entire cast staged an intervention. When The One With Monica and Chandler’s Wedding aired, in May 2001, Perry was living in rehab.

For all Perry’s amusing celebrity anecdotes and determined good cheer, Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing reads primarily as an addiction memoir without an ending. Indeed, it read as though it had almost been written in real time: Perry’s colon had exploded in July 2019, only three years before its publication, and in January 2022 he underwent his 14th surgery relating to his drug addiction. “I finally have rock-hard abs, but they aren’t from sit-ups,” he wrote, perkily.

Perry described, often, the reward he drew from supporting other addicts: “The best thing about me, bar none, is that … I can help a desperate man get sober.” Nonetheless, I was struck while reading it that the more recent timeline of Perry’s using and abusing was somewhat opaque. It felt somewhat strategic: an attempt to obscure his current reality and lend heft to the suggestion that the worst of his troubles were behind him. But even Perry himself – no doubt encouraged to come to a positive conclusion – could not find a more upbeat note with which to end on than the fact that he was alive at all.

For all its gestures to sobriety, “looking forward” and moving into the future, the final chapter reads like Perry speaking from beyond the grave, reflecting on the faces of his loved ones as if he has already passed on.

The world might be shocked at his untimely death, but Perry knew that his addiction was going to kill him; he told us in print a year ago, in a book that reached six figures in sales. Indeed, he wrote, his most surprising takeaway was that it hadn’t already.

“There are two kinds of drug addicts,” Perry wrote of his preference for opiates over cocaine. “The ones who want to go up, and the ones who want to go down … I wanted to melt into my couch and feel wonderful.” You can only hope that, now, he is as close to happiness as he felt that morning in the red Mustang.

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

[itsclydebitches]

You know I don’t have a problem with the relics in theory but maybe they should have been naturally displaced items from the…(I forgot the name) “Wonderland”. I think one of the worst things in the course of the story was the introduction of the god brothers. Not looking forward to the team saying a whole speech between the four of them being holier than thou with the deities. Also the Maidens shouldn’t exist. Not without some true purpose cause semblances are already plenty strong and better

I feel that, anon, and I personally hate how none of this fits together now. RWBY keeps adding more worldbuilding that just complicates an already underdeveloped world:

Characters have aura that protects them/heals them from physical harm. At first it seems like everyone's got that - and they technically do - but it needs to be unlocked to work and after showing that once around episode 3, it's never relevant again.

Aura is distinct from Semblances, special powers that let you do cool things by controlling some natural force.

This is distinct from Dust which is substance that also lets you do cool things by controlling some natural force.

Not everyone has a semblance and not everyone has access to Dust. What determines - from an individual and class perspective - who gets what? Not important.

Oh, also one semblance is randomly inherited, but no one cares to unpack that.

Oh, also, also one semblance is randomly The Worst Thing Ever, but no one cares to unpack that either.

Semblances can also evolve! This will happen at random points and will only be tied to the narrative structure in the loosest sense.

Now, semblances can evolve again... maybe. If you're Ruby, anyway.

All of this is how Remnant naturally functions. It's a magical world.

Sike! Actually there's real magic and it's distinct from Semblance magic because... uh. Idek anymore.

Four women are able to wield real magic because a singular magic user gave humanity that ability generations ago.

He got that ability by being a part of Humanity 1.0. Why did the Gods drastically change the skills humanity had access to the second time around? Unclear.

Oh yeah, there are Gods too with their own shapeshifting/creation magic, completely unlike the magic they gave to people.

They did, however, give four random, real-real magic objects to help ("help") one guy with the worst group project in existence.

So at least we've got this settled then, yeah? For however messy everything else is, the Gods are the top dogs who dispense real-magic/semblance-magic to everyone else.

Sikex2! They're actually from another world that functions completely differently from the one they created. They're the product of a third type of magic, which is even more convoluted than what Remnant's got because it functions under Wonderland logic -- AKA, no logic at all.

This includes the real top dog (for now): a Blacksmith/tree lady we meet for a grand total of 10-ish minutes, making miniature people and letting go off into the multiverse to wreak havoc.

That's too much worldbuilding with too little development! Once upon a time a nonsense world birthed two super powered beings who decided they wanted to be Gods. They go off and create a group of people with magic distinct from their own. Then they wiped them out, creating a second group with another distinct magic structure (that supposedly isn't really magic), but remnants of the first group remain. So the world is now populated by everything from "I'm an NPC with nothing going for me" to "I have a super power" to "I have super powers, but not the cool individualized kind" to "I have the real magic super powers" to "I'm a device from a literal alternate reality" and all of it is mushed together without rhyme or reason so that fights are impossible to get invested in now due to the lack of consistency. Are you fighting another normal super powered person? A weaker version of that without a Semblance? A god-like being wielding real magic? A transforming cat possessing the most powerful character on screen? The answers don't matter because Ruby is going to win regardless by swinging her Normal Fighter Weapon around.

Meanwhile, I miss when wielding Crescent Rose was actually SUPER impressive against the grimm, rather than a "How are you even winning nowadays?" puzzlement against the new backdrop of elite forces and magic and godhood.

[the-traveling-poet]

Hi Lynn!! I hope you’re doing great and please take your time if you’re gonna write this :)

I’m not the best at elaborating but i’ll try hehe. I was thinking if you could write something super duper angsty regarding husband levi and reader during the final moment of the rumbling before they part because reader isn’t immune and ends up transforming into a titan. I wonder what levi would feel considering he was so close to living the peaceful life with reader the way he’d always dreamed of just for it to be taken away. Like yes he continued serving his duty for humanity but the thought of what could’ve been was on his mind. Also, maybe reader telling levi to remove something of hers that he wears all the time the way eren told mikasa to throw away the scarf he gave her. Omg I can’t imagine how sad the goodbyes would be bc levi knew the consequences of being attached to someone for so long in the corps but he never actually thought he couldn’t be able to save reader this time 😭

I know this was quite specific but after watching the last episode I’ve got so many angsty ideas 💔

════════════════════════════════════════

oof bestie imma level with ya, this one was hard to write cause it HITS-

MY POOR BABY NEEDS LOVE NOT MORE LOSS T-T

but of course, a little angst reminds us we’re human and i think we all need that from time to time. hope i did this okay!

taglist: @21aurora @deepzombieyouth @braunsbabe

════════════════════════════════════════

Despite losing it all, Levi still had you. But in the heat of the moment, seeing victory so near at hand, he never thought for a moment he’d trade the world’s freedom for the only freedom he had left.

He should have seen the signs sooner, wounded or not. Maybe it was the idea that this would finally be over, that had clouded his mind with hope. He’d been so confident he could save the last thing he had, while fighting one last time on the front lines for his freedom.

Both of your freedoms.

With your hand held tightly in his, he felt that no matter how hard he squeezed he couldn’t hold on. The smile on your face made him frown, lips quivering with words unspoken that begged to be shouted out towards the heavens. Tears unspilt burned his damaged eye as they flowed freely down his opposite cheek and soaked the thin bandaging held tight there.

“Finish this,” you’d whispered, your eyes nearly as glossy as his once you’d slipped your hand out of his firm grasp. He followed after the step you took back, stumbling over his lame leg.

“The only freedom I want is the one I’ll have with you,” he rasped out, searching your face frantically as more tears spilled.

Your comrades rushed about on either side, racing back towards Faldo’s titan for fear of the explosion that was soon to follow. Of course he had to follow, but how could he when he knew what you’d become?

“Darling, you have to go. This isn’t your end,” you whispered, bringing a hand up to his cheek and averting his gaze to your own. Removing the ring on your finger, you slipped it onto his right hand’s ring finger, and curled his hand back around the band.

“Take it not as a rejection, but as a momento to the love we shared while we could.”

With a shuddered smile, you placed one last gentle peck to his parted lips, closing your eyes to savor the last thing you’d ever feel as a human.

A whirlwind of emotions left the Captain frozen in place, hardly aware of the soft hands that shoved him into the arms of another as a sickening yellow hue resonated from the civilians and soldiers huddled together on the cliff side. The ground shook as the transformations began; human turning to beast from a singular breath of the poisoned air and the scream that followed.

As Levi was forced onto Faldo’s back, the last thing he saw before the light consumed everything around him was your loving gaze, a ring-less hand raised out to him in goodbye before you were consumed by the plague.

He couldn’t look any longer. Couldn’t see the monster you’d become. So many of those beasts he had slain in his bloody past…How could he have let this fate be your own?

A numbness crept into his mind, leaving only the thought of, why? Why you? After everyone else was gone, why you?

The freedom he fought for now, the carnage he sook to put an end to; suddenly, it was no longer for him. How could he seek the peace of freedom if his heart wasn’t in it? He’d left it there with you, on that cliff. Nothing could ever hold any significance to him after this. After you.

Letting the ever flowing tears continue to soak into his bandages, he clenched his shaking fist tightly around the band of gold in his hand, bringing it close to his heart in silent salute to the place you’d stood only moments earlier.

A silent confession of his love for you left him in a breathless whisper as they flew away from the battlefield; the last he’d ever utter.

For after you, he knew his life held no further meaning. How could there be, when you were his meaning? His drive? His soul and his heart in all its shattered beauty?

Adding your ring to the finger that held his own, he made a promise to himself.

He would see you again. He would see you soon; through this life or another he had no doubt. With this in mind, as they approached the towering figure before them, he had one last thing to fight for.

Just as before, you were his reason; to see you again. He had only one task left, to aid his comrades one last time, before he could uphold his promise to you.

Together, forever and always. No matter what.

[asrieltheflower]

Murder drones rant with spoilers:

Wtf is up Cyn?

Like, it's not fully clear to me. They depict her to be your classic "heartless robot who mimics being normal to disguise evil plans"

But like, is she real? I've seen people suggest that absolute solver (a name the monster gave itself I might add) is the base ai of all worker drones, and the wd_program is what filters that ai into being these workers. This makes sense since the VHS tape says that one of the errors that cause zombie drones is that their wd_program or core is not connected when the drone reboots. But if that's the case then how is it that the several workers who have had plenty of casualties and don't know how to dispose of the bodies, never saw a single zombie? More so, we never saw J actually turn into one, despite dying. Instead we saw a specific organ that clearly was made by Cyn pop out and start rebuilding itself using nearby technology with the intent of fixing J. Later we see a fully rebuilt J, so clearly the personality was still intact, so why would Solver be active?

I think absolute solver isn't an AI, I think it's all Cyn. "Solver" presents itself as some sort of cosmic horror, an existence beyond comprehension that controls the drones at the core. But also it's too stupid to realize that V needs glasses to see... It's so scary with its huge form appearing from all sides without a real face... And it gets hacked by Uzi? It feels pain when N stabs it? It gets frustrated that it can't hold a knife and needs help? This is weirdly humane behaviour... Hold on a second, what if it's just a trick?

Cyn gave us the name absolute solver because she's got a god complex or something? She WANTS to be all powerful, and if you were locked in a basement for being useless, in a situation where you are powerless to do anything about it, that would make sense.

I remember hearing that in the matrix, the robots look the way they do because they hated humans and transformed themselves to look otherworldly, which I'm pretty sure is itself a reference to the biblical stories of a certain angel mutilating it's form to spite the creations of god... A certain... anti-christ? In this world of super-natural and mythical creatures crossed with SciFi I think Cyn is our Lucifer. Someone hateful to her "gods" (the humans that created her and gave her purpose). So she seeks to overthrow them. That explains why Tessa was spared, Cyn might actually care about Tessa, which explains why Cyn is also using the Drones, instead of just wiping their ai. She's a self appointed god here to help achieve the singularity (some sort of technical advancement, probably something that makes Cyn's weird god powers function without the heavy cost of needing constant oil).

It would also explain doll and Uzi. They are tapping into the same power Cyn has. But they aren't going crazy with a desire to control the world or achieve the singularity. They are still worried about their own lives, and fitting in or getting revenge or whatnot. They are still themselves. What is worth talking about is that we don't see how doll survives Vee when her parents die, and we definitely saw Uzi get stabbed through the chest when her dad left. And yet, we only see them engage in the absolute solver after the fact of both of these events. Clearly they are both zombie drones, I think the Wd_programs only purpose is to keep them satisfied with working. That's why everyone was just happy waiting behind the doors with no aspiration to leave, or even have a defense force, they have a program to keep them in line.

Who knows, maybe it's a coincidence and I'm seeing something that isn't really here, maybe the weird bracelet things are what allow solver to be used without the robots being taken over?

Regardless, I'm a bit curious of Thad, since he's one of the only people who was up for fighting back against the murder drones back in episode 1, even if it was brief he was definitely an odd one out there, being the only person who believed the WDF could help fight back. Maybe he has some plot relevance beyond ship baiting, cause god knows this show loves playing with its tropes. And the guy walked out of a fight with Solver... Like they just watched him leave? Could be just one big joke but it'd be cool

[wolverton]

My bones are your bones, and your bones are my bones, and isn't that enough? (Ada Limón, from The Carrying: Poems; “A new national anthem”)

THE APOCRYPHA

by wolverton

T | Will Graham/Hannibal Lecter | Oneshot | 633

SUMMARY

Their graceful, introspective, tumble.

(NOTABLE) TAGS

Episode: s03e13 The Wrath of the Lamb, Missing Scene, Ambiguous/Open Ending, Introspection

READ ON AO3 !

OR ↓ UNDER THE CUT ↓

In the moment, the allure of the water had been impossible to resist—not to say that resisting had even crossed his mind. To tip over, it seemed only too natural; to bring Hannibal down with him (as Hannibal had brought him), even more so.

With the cocktail of familiar and unfamiliar emotions both still swirling through his veins, hands still shaking from the dose of adrenaline his system had been assailed with, one thought outshone the barrage of others, one alone stood stark and clear against the dark backdrop of his mind: this is where it ended; where they ended.

Mere hours ago, his future (their future) seemed like a faraway thing; up in the air, ambiguous at best. Much too abstract to begin dissecting as yet. Now, he could see, he could really see; all that had happened through the course of the past years that his life had become so inexplicably tied and twisted with that of Hannibal Lecter—it was all leading to this moment; years of hurt and violence and pain and hurt and violence culminating in this brutal pack hunting of a lesser predator.

And it could not have ended in another way.

It could not have ended more beautifully.

Will had allowed himself a singular moment if indulgence. Maritime wind caressed his face, swept the blood-soaked curls out of his eyes, granted him in its benignity the chance to look upon the man upon whom he had laid his trembling hands.

Hannibal, a living, breathing tableau crafted by the hands, teeth and the bullet of the Red Dragon. It was poetic righteousness, and beyond; such beauty as that which had emerged from him—raw and unfiltered, bloody and hard-won— left Will wanting for words. Left Will, also, with the most dogged certainty of his next move; their next move, for there would no longer be one without the other.

Falling feels weightless. Nobody had ever told him so, and he had never really thought about it. The observation had come unbidden, with a sort of childish excitement at the newfound realization.

Time suspended. There was nothing but Will and Hannibal, Hannibal and Will, Will and Hannibal and Will and the lack of ground beneath their feet, the wind lashing their conjoined form as it cut through the air.

And gravity.

It was so kind as to guide them just the right way.

Blood rushed through his ears—or was it the sound of their descent? Or was it their heart, pounding through his head by the way of their veins? Whatever it may have been, it muted the sound of their collision. It softened the blow of a thousand tiny needles biting into his skin, their skin, their skin that was his.

They plunged deeper and deeper, his world transforming into a blur of blacks and greys. The water may as well have consisted of solid ink, and it felt like no water at all; none that Will was familiar with: this was no wading into the quiet of his beloved stream. The stream, at any rate, was nothing but a faded memory in the back of his mind, much too gentle and peaceful to sustain the violent onslaught of this void which grasped them, glutted on them, swallowed them whole.

It had no right to, and it had every right to. It was the void and it did as it alone bid. It would spit them out, or it would not. In the moment, the ocean which was the void which was the ocean was the judge and the jury and—potentially, if it so pleased—the executioner; and with a wry twitch of his numb, freezing lips, Will thought that Jack might enjoy this metaphor, macabre as it was; Hannibal at last standing trial.

[denimbex1986]

'In contemporary fandom, canon is king. This is not a jab against an admiration of an ordered continuity and worldbuilding, the necessary aspects of creating a story to be lost in. But what goes beyond it—a yearning for raw, wiki-able data and facts that can be collated and held in amber, where interpretation gives way to a singular thesis—often threatens to override it. Which is why for Doctor Who, a show that has spent 60 years growing and changing and writing over and under itself, its latest shock is less about breaking its own world, but rather setting itself free.

It did so in the final act of “The Giggle,” the last of the three special episodes released over the last few weeks to mark Doctor Who’s 60th anniversary. Starring David Tennant not as a returning incarnation of the Doctor, but a new, fourteenth face, audiences came into the specials expecting one thing as their only guarantee: by the end of the third special, David Tennant’s latest Doctor would die, and transform into Ncuti Gatwa’s 15th.

Which he did... of a sort. Mortally wounded by classic villain the Toymaker, the 14th Doctor’s regeneration began just like every other contemporary imagining of the process has, inspired by Who’s long history—coalescing orange-yellow energies coursing through the Doctor’s body, preparing to explode in beams of radiant, transformative light. But here, they didn’t. Instead, the glow faded, and the Doctor, with the help of a push and a pull from his friends Donna and Mel, somehow split into two co-existent beings: the 14th Doctor and the 15th Doctor, together in one place.

“I’ve Bigenerated,” the 15th Doctor explains to his past self, confused onlookers, and the audience alike. “There’s no such thing. Bigeneration is supposed to be a myth, but... look at me.” It’s unquestionable in this, or any moment that comes after, that Gatwa is anything other than the definite article, although there have been valid concerns of the optics of making this choice with the transition from one of, if not the, most beloved actors to ever take on the role to the first Black, openly queer man to play it.

But the episode clearly establishes that this is the Doctor’s future staring right back at themselves—Time Lord rehab out of order, as 15 puts it later, imploring his past self to go on the journey of healing that has lead to his own currently revitalized lease on life. From the 14th Doctor’s future, his continued existence is not seen in so much as cheating death but once again, getting to see his own future reflected back at him. Ncuti Gatwa is the Doctor. David Tennant is the Doctor. It’s just that for the first time in Doctor Who’s long history of regeneration, we saw a version of the process that was less about physical death and rebirth, and more about divergence in time itself.

Part of understanding that divergence has been made all the more universal to Doctor Who beyond just this specific moment, thanks to returning showrunner Russell T. Davies. Speaking on a supplementary commentary track released to accompany “The Giggle,” Davies offered his own interpretation of what Bigeneration means:

“My theory... I think what with Peter [Davison] having been in, with with Colin [Baker] having been in, I think down the timeline, they all seperated. They all went like that, all the Doctors came back to life, with their original TARDISes, the gift of the Toymaker. They’re all traveling out there, I’m calling it a Doctor-verse. I want to create a future where, you know, Sylvester McCoy survived [the 1996 TV movie] and has an adventure! One of the things about [the first 60th special] “The Star Beast” is to get [David Tennant] back and get Catherine [Tate] back, we have to jump through so many hoops. Which is a great story, but it’s just like... ‘why can’t you just arrive and step out the TARDIS?’”

It wouldn’t be the first time recently that Davies proposed such an idea, either. In Tales of the TARDIS, a special anniversary miniseries cutting down classic Doctor Who episodes with new interstitials from returning Doctors and companions, it’s floated by the various Doctors that there are, in the universe, many intertwined timelines—timelines where, unlike the ones we saw onscreen, incarnations of the Doctor survived their regeneration stories and kept going, offering an explanation as to why Doctors can return looking older than when we saw them “die.” An interpretation then, as Davies put it, that realities can now intersect where all these Doctors, regardless of where they are in their own personal journeys and what we understood to be the end of those journeys, can come back. In one single moment, every Doctor becomes the Doctor forever, versions of themselves echoing out across time and space. It’s huge!

But it also isn’t. Because that’s all it is: an interpretation. None of these details, about what Bigeneration is and isn’t, are sourced from within the primary text itself—Doctor Who, the television show—and perhaps it should stay that way. In fact, part of what makes “The Giggle” so freeing is that all it makes actually explicit about this process is simply what our base understanding of what it is in the first place already was. The Doctor changes faces, and goes on forever. All we’ve added is that those faces can go on forever too, in whatever way we or the show might one day want them to. It might contradict things said in the past; in another 60 year’s time should we be blessed with both a livable planet and the continued health of Doctor Who, a new writer could completely upend “The Giggle” altogether and bring us back to our prior understanding of it all. Or they could do something completely different all over again! We don’t have a logical, scientific, biological breakdown of how the process works, right now Bigeneration is a vibe, a feeling. It is, as the Doctor himself puts it, a myth, and the whole point of myths and their persistence is that the story is retold and reinterpreted by different texts and perspectives across eons.

That’s the magic of Doctor Who, that’s the point of it: it carries on and it grows and it changes, all the time, forever and always. I don’t want to explain to you, reader, what Bigeneration is, because Doctor Who doesn’t want to right now either. For every once in a while, in a very long while when the wind stands fair, Doctor Who simply just ask us to have our own view on something, instead of treating its story as a series of definitive, immutable facts. On its own 60th birthday, it gives us this beautiful gift: to be free to imagine what might be for ourselves.'

[headriggs11]

Unmasking the Viral Phenomenon: The Bizarre World of Skibidi Toilet

In the ever-evolving landscape of online content material creation, there occasionally emerges a singular and unconventional series that captures the imagination of viewers all over the world. "Skibidi Toilet," an animated YouTube sensation that burst onto the scene in February, has definitely proven itself to be such a phenomenon. Despite its peculiar premise, this series has taken social media by storm, showcasing the ability of creativity and storytelling in the digital age.

The Enigmatic Plotline At first look, the concept of "Skibidi Toilet" would possibly sound like something out of a fever dream—an military of toilet-dwelling villains with singing heads peeping out of toilet fixtures, vying for control of the world. The collection unfolds in a surreal world the place these toilet-based antagonists interact in a perpetual battle with a group of adversaries whose heads are transformed into hardware items similar to cameras, speakers, and televisions. What's https://funsportmountainbike.com/wallace-gromit-s-grand-adventures.html is that every one of this motion takes place with none dialogue, relying solely on visual storytelling. The Global Appeal What sets "Skibidi Toilet" aside from the vast sea of online content material is its inexplicable international enchantment. Within months of its debut, the collection managed to amass a devoted fanbase, generating tens of millions of views and sparking discussions throughout social media platforms. The creators' capability to captivate audiences worldwide, despite the absence of spoken language, underscores the universal energy of visible storytelling and quirky, relatable characters. The Silent Spectacle One of essentially the most exceptional features of "Skibidi Toilet" is its reliance on silence. In a world the place content creators typically compete for attention with elaborate dialogues and narratives, this collection boldly defies the norm. The absence of spoken words locations the onus squarely on the animation and visual parts to convey the story, emotions, and character dynamics. It's a testament to the creators' mastery of animation and their ability to craft a story that transcends linguistic boundaries. The Battle for Control The heart of the sequence lies within the recurring theme of energy struggles. In every episode, viewers are treated to intense battles because the toilet-dwelling villains and their hardware-headed foes vie for management. The pendulum of energy swings backwards and forwards, creating a sense of suspense and anticipation that retains viewers glued to their screens. It's a testament to the creative storytelling that the collection manages to maintain a high level of engagement with out uttering a single phrase. "Skibidi Toilet" is a major instance of how creativity is aware of no bounds within the digital age. Its bizarre yet captivating premise, global attraction, and the power of visible storytelling have propelled it to viral stardom. As on-line content material continues to evolve, this collection serves as a reminder that progressive storytelling and unique ideas can capture the hearts and minds of audiences worldwide, transcending language and cultural limitations. Whether you're a fan or a newcomer to the Skibidi Toilet phenomenon, there is no denying its standing as a testament to the limitless possibilities of on-line leisure..

[snek-disappearedagain]

Spoiler warning for chapters 1-4

• Please note that this entire essay is based off of a random thought I had, and was written on the spot.

~

Magical girls, the peak of anime and what most people can associate anime with. I know my first anime (glitter force) was a magical girl anime, and my favorite thing was the ✨transformations✨ they had in every episode. And now because my TWST brain rot has officially taken control of my mind, watching an entire video of these magical transformations sparked a thought..

What if in the TWST anime that I think is being released they had these animations for the overblots (or just in general), and on another note what would they look like?

First, I explain as to why this would actually be really cool (at least I think so) and why it might work. So, they already have the transformations wands (which is where the blot builds up fyi). When they do overblot, the wands obviously turn black and stuff so instead of a regular happy magical transformations it’d start with the ink thing we already see happen. Each transformation would be different and I’m going to explain each one IN DEPTH.

Riddle - In his trailer he drags red paint(?) down his face, so red paint would have a play in it. His outfit has 3 major elements (minus the ink bc everyone has that): Cards, Roses, and Hearts. So I imagine for the transformations a swarm of inky roses and black cards kinda do the transforming. During the actual transformation bit, it’s the red paint doing the work. At the end, he drags the red paint down his face like in the trailer, and the queen of hearts blot monster appears behind him.

Leona - I had to rewatch Leona’s trailer for this, bc I kinda sped through chapter 2 and I hardly paid attention to his trailer. Anywho, he roars and it kinda looks like he’s in pain so let’s include that. His outfit includes Gold (specifically gold teeth), a stitched/ragged pattern on his skirt thing, and FUR. His swarm would be of gold dust and some gold lion teeth kinda biting down (or maybe opening to the transformation? Not sure). During his actual transformation bit, It’ll be the gold dust with maybe some ichor(?). I feel like the ichor would be cool idk. At the end he roars and that’s why his lion monster appears.

Azul - Azul’s trailer is one of my favorites, I think it’s really cool how after the bubble with Jade & Floyd in it he reaches for them, they disappear, and then he transforms. Now I will have ink be important here, only because Azul’s an Octopus and it makes sense. His outfit also includes shells, coral, and a singular gold necklace. The first part/swarm is tentacles coming up then revealing Azul, this is where the transformation starts. Purplish black ink actually does the transformation, until some bubbles take over for the last bit. He then lets out a sob(?) and that’s when the blot monster appears, almost trapping him.

Jamil - Now, Jamil’s trailer IS my favorite because of his before overblot scene. A red snake things circles him, it kinda erupts, he’s seen huddled up and that’s when some bright red eyes open up in the bg. When he overblots, he looks generally afraid. In his outfit, there’s snakes (lots), lots of torn edges, and he gets a beard (not relevant but thought I should mention it. Now I haven’t actually finished chapter 4 bc I can’t beat Jamil for the life of me, but I know about his overblot form enough so let’s so that. Ink snakes open the transformation scene, with some gold scarabs kinda scattered around. Actually transformation is done by blond red snakes like in the trailer. In the end, red eyes open up and his face his kinda blotted (haha get it) out, that’s why the jafar blot monster kinda slithers (?) up behind him.

Now, Imma end it here (for now) bc I haven’t done Chapter 5 or 6. I know about both overblots, but not enough to do an analysis.

If ya made it this far, thanks for reading! I put a lot of thought into this, and I’d love to hear whatcha think!! I’ll most likely be posting this on tumblr as well ^^ Once I get through chapter 5 I’ll make a separate version for that, same with chapter 6!

[aroacemisha]

How did Hollow Mind go in Retired Leaders?

Oh, I really want to get into detail about that one. I love 'Hollow Mind' and I love the concept of it-

I was writing a multipart fic at first, but then I changed stuff after the remaining episodes dropped, and also just didn't feel like making it a fic anymore. I want to try doing a comic, but if that doesn't work either, I'll just make a big detailed infodump with a few drawings added.

But I'll share some stuff.

The previous GG (the singular one who was around during Belos's rule as Emperor before Hunter) gets brought up early on as well, but in this case Hunter knows what happened to him. It happened in front of a crowd, and Belos also didn't kill him, so he has no reason to hide what really happened, and the memory of his death is actually in the gallery they start in.

(He specifically will be touched on in one of the fics I'm writing right now. It's also when I'll tell you his name. Unless people want to try and guess)

When the fakeout version of Belos shows up, which is the curse (+the palismen that merged with it), Hunter doesn't kneel, because Belos never made him do that or even expected it of him, but he still doesn't immediately notice something is off, in part because he somewhat avoids eye contact and also looks at Luz. And because he's never been inside a mindscape before, so he doesn't know with 100% certainty what inner selves look like.

But he knows about the curse and has seen it before, so he later suspects that's what it is and, especially after getting a better look at it, worries Belos might've transformed irl, still not realizing that the kid is the real Inner Belos.

I like the idea of Belos's real mindscape being shaped like a web, at least vaguely. You know, like a web of lies, and also in reference to that spider palisman from his diary. There's a central room/area Luz and Hunter fall into, with hallways/paths going outwards, and every once in a while there's a ring hallway that connects all of them. I hope I explained that coherently.

I'm not completely decided on what exactly they see in the memories, but it's different from canon, of course.

They learn about Grimwalkers, but Inner Belos actually explains what that is to Hunter and makes it clear that he sees him as a separate person from both Caleb and the previous GGs. There weren't as many GGs in this version btw, there was only a handful.

Inner Belos isn't hostile to the kids, especially not to Hunter, who he even shows affection to, but he is a bit more upfront than irl Belos and admits that his plan isn't perfect (or something along those lines)

After Luz and Hunter leave the mindscape, Hunter is upset about being lied to and has mixed feelings about being a Grimwalker, and he's conflicted about Belos's plan for the Day of Unity being more dangerous and harmful than he paints it as, but he does return to the castle, because it's still his home and he's safe there.

Plus Belos isn't the only thing tying him to it, there's also Steven as his second father figure and Kiki as his older sister, even though he hasn't been on the best terms with Kiki lately. And staying means he can also try and get more information.

He later tries to talk to Belos about DOU and maybe talk him out of it, but that's getting more into 'Labyrinth Runners' territory.