#and i say that's called missing the nuance and the character-building :)

[thetrashbagswasteland]

Today only from a card carrying member of the Castis Vakarian Appreciation Squad, a refresher on canon since there's a not-zero number of people in 2024 who seem blissfully unaware of how much we know about this man in canon (including andromeda yes the game is canon go cry about it).

He's a cop. Yes Castis works for C-Sec, implied within the same unit/building as Garrus and to the contrary of his son, is implied to be both good at his job and well-regarded for it. (This will be important for later points try to remember it.)

He has alien friends. Castis is canonically one of Alec Ryder's best friends. They're good enough friends that he passes on rumours/heresay about the Reapers to him and reminisces about spending time with him on the Citadel. Any turian old enough to have been an adult during the FCW and who has human friends as of canon prolly isn't a miserable old xenophobe. Whilst no, working at C-Sec doesn't exclude him from having shitty thoughts about Krogan and Quarians, it's a fairly good sign he's not anti-alien on the whole if he'll befriend a human.

He's got a personality. How dare minor characters have those! But more seriously, acting as if Castis is portrayed as nothing but a rule-worshipping automaton is doing him a disservice. If nothing else, his willingness to befriend and hang out with Alec, who's very much of the opinion that rules are guidelines to be circumvented when at all possible, shows that he's capable of nuance and maybe even a dash of line-pushing of his own accord. Maybe he's comfortable within the system and trusts law and order as set out legally above all else but c'mon guys, you don't hang out with a guy who goes on to break AI law and get dishonourably discharged (and then remain friends with him after that when it's made damned clear few others do) without being able to see shades of grey.

He trusts his son. This one I suspect may be more contentious BUT let's be honest here, Garrus isn't an easy person to be around. We hear about the pair of them clashing on the job and within their personal lives about the spectres but here's the thing: Garrus winds up on a secretive mission with a human and xenophobic terrorist group, after running off to a lawless hellscape to play batman. He remains distant until done working with Cererbus and then returns home with a crazy tale about a dead human spectre, genocidal robots from the year dot and half his face missing. Castis not only believes him but does so willingly enough that he does everything he can to help him get the news to the right people, just in case he's right. Equally, whilst we don't have an exact date for when the call with Alec occurs, it's post-start of ME1 at the very least and within that he's already willing to take what Garrus is saying Shepard says at face value. Within that call, it's made patently obvious that no matter what, he still trusts Garrus on some level and is proud of him on top of that trust.

He cares deeply for the people around him. Perhaps this one's linked with 3 but whatever, my post, my rules; in the comics, the picture we're painted by (unreliable narrator) Garrus is that of a driven, cold man who doesn't care enough about his own family. This is why he doesn't come home when Mama Vakarian gets hurt, we're told, and we're expected to take that as face value even when she herself says that by the time he can get away from work and be back there, she'll be mostly healed. Kinda contrasted by the fact that he seemingly retires/takes time off from C-Sec to be with his wife when she's dying. Now, the details are kinda fuzzy on the whys and hows but during ME3, he and Solana escape Palaven together. Maybe the war's going poorly enough that they're able to finagle staying together through the draft, maybe they come across one another purely by luck, we don't know. Either way, rather than attempt to get back to the Citadel and to where he presumably still had a job and/or was needed, he sticks with his daughter. Can't do anything more to help his son but he's gonna stick with at least one of his kids to make sure she survives. As well as all this, the "do things properly or don't do them at all" lesson Garrus struggles with from him is (gasp) not bad advice for their situation. He's trying to teach his son important life skills and whilst there's no denying he's going about it wrong, a key point is in fact that Garrus learns to master the gun he's struggling to fire and it in fact becomes one of his specialities! He becomes an exceptionally good marksman! The lesson fucking worked! He still, regardless of the reasons for it, seems to support and be content with Garrus not fulfilling his mandatory 15 but instead joining C-Sec and (worse still) doesn't have too much of an issue with him consorting with Spectres. Perhaps he's not best pleased but he definitely comes to accept that that's how things are irrespective of his own feelings about them as either a concept or as people (his belief that Garrus being a spectre would be a terrible no good very bad idea is, in fact, backed up by canon as being entirely correct too).

Conclusion/TL:DR. Take a lesson from Castis Vakarian himself here, either write about this man properly or don't write him at all, I'm begging y'all. There's an awful lot more to this character if you think about him and put together the information canon gives us on him, so do so.

[artist-issues]

Screentime For the Prince

You know how in the original Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, each character's true nature is revealed by what they choose to treasure?

You know, Grumpy treasures safety because his true nature is vulnerable, the Queen treasures beauty because her true nature is ugly, and Snow White is the only one who's treasure is as true as her nature: pure love?

And how the Prince only gets around 5 minutes of screentime, and in those 5 minutes, proves that he A) treasures Snow White's true nature of pure love and B) keeps his promises?

Well, I was thinking. In the new Live Action, they're basically writing in a different male character in place of the Prince and not focusing on any kind of love story. So it's not actually "Snow White." But what would a good, faithful, beautiful adaptation of Snow White look like? (You know, one that actually does adaptations correctly--like Cinderella 2015?)

What should they be doing with the Prince?

I have a general idea below.

I mean, they can't introduce him in the same way they did in the classic animation. Obviously modern people aren't used to so much nuance in their big-screen fairy tales anymore; 5 minutes of screentime isn't enough, we prefer Mr. Darcy & Lizzie Bennet-levels of couple-building interactions, at least. And that's okay.

But it means we have to fill in a lot of the blanks about where this Prince comes from and why he values Snow White's "pure love nature" so strongly.

So I figure, in my head, it might look something like:

The Prince (let's call him Walther, German for "Walt," since basically everybody who worked on the original movie agrees that it was Walt's big brain child, and the popularized "Ferdinand" is not only fan-made but makes me think of a kindhearted bull) is the heir to a neighboring kingdom's throne.

Prince Walther isn't King yet, not because his parents are still King and Queen (they're dead,) but because tradition states he can only take the throne once he's come of age. Prince Walther's like 17, turning 18. So instead, his kingdom is essentially run by this council of busybodies, with one Regent holding the throne until he's old enough to take it. Something like that.

(the picture is of Dean Stockwell who's the son of the original voice actor for the Prince, I think someone who looks like him ought to be cast.) Prince Walther experienced pure love from his parents, who treated him like a normal boy and didn't place much emphasis on courtly manners or politics when raising him. But then they died tragically, leaving their honest and innocent son to be raised by a bunch of old people who put way TOO much emphasis on those things.

Because everyone in Prince Walther's court has had to handle being next-door neighbors to the Wicked Queen's country. They're all super political, and afraid of appearing weak, and therefore, very insincere. That's what I'm saying.

Everyone he interacts with on a daily basis never comes out and says what they really want. Nobody is genuine. He lives a life of hearing words like, "good morning Your Majesty, I hope you slept well. The Grand Duke could certainly stand to sleep better; the poor fellow looked run down at breakfast." but learning that what they actually mean is, "The Duke is getting old and ineffective and when your birthday passes you should decree that he give his land and resources away to me."

And he misses the genuine love the court used to feel from his parents' kind, simple way of ruling. No political games, no complex feuds. Plus, he misses the personal love they shared as a family, genuine, uncomplicated. He missed the days when people just say what they really want, unafraid, so that their rulers can take care of their needs.

Then there's the problem of why Prince Walther's in the Wicked Queen's realm in the original movie--that's not his territory, if he has his own kingdom.

So I think it would be neat and interesting if the Queen wants Walther's land. Maybe she invited his parents, way back when, to a kind of audience to negotiate an alliance. Then she got jealous of his mother's beauty, maybe even tried to seduce Prince Walther's father, and assassinated them both when he rebuffed her. Oo, maybe even the Huntsman (her FAITHFUL Huntsman) helped her do it all those years ago.

But she didn't realize they had a young son, so she couldn't just raise her hand and say, "Hey Neighboring Kingdom, it's too bad your monarchs both mysteriously died--don't worry, I'll be your new leader" because Prince Walther's council suspected foul play (they always do, they're suspicious people) and were preemptively like "NO NO WE HAVE A PRINCE, WE HAVE A PRINCE! We're fine, we don't need help, everything's fine."

So she sort of had to stew on that. Maybe she even tried a couple more halfhearted attempts to get their throne, and they just never worked out--then eventually her attention was occupied by how much older her stepdaughter was getting, and how much prettier.

Anyway, Prince Walther asks for an audience with the Wicked Queen; he's about to become King, and he knows that the council fears their neighbor, and he sort of wants to go over and size the next-door ruler up for himself. So he rides over with a little delegation of the members of the Court he can actually tolerate the best, and is visiting.

It's not fun. They're only there for a day, but the Wicked Queen is definitely scary. For one thing, she's unnaturally beautiful and everyone he brought with him is either stupefied in her presence or terrified. He himself is very confused by her; he's an open-hearted guy, with a touch of naïveté even though he was raised with good intuition and doesn't trust the Queen. All audiences with her are full of all the formal, double-and-triple meaning conversations that he hates back home; except worse, because she makes everything seem more sinister.

So after a particularly weird conversation with the Queen where he can't decide if she was flirting with him or threatening his kingdom, he goes for a ride around the courtyard to clear his head. And what should he hear, like a breath of the freshest air since his parents died?

A pure, beautiful voice. A young girl singing--and not just singing about anything, but singing about what she really wants. Genuinely. Her heart's fondest desire--and it's not power, or land, or even freedom. Just love. She's singing loudly, like she doesn't care who might hear such a vulnerable longing.

And he climbs over the wall and sees this scullery maid. She's absolutely beautiful, even though she's dressed all in rags, and he loves the picture of her: sharing her heart with doves, who feel completely safe with her, and not having to worry about what anyone thinks of her.

He sort of eavesdrops on her for a little bit, and in this part of the movie, maybe we learn how impulsive he is. He just jumps over and tries to join in. Maybe it's even a little funny. And we can stretch out the feelings behind the part where Snow White runs from him--that feeling of her being unsure of a stranger, not because she worries about what he thinks, but because it's so surprising that anyone is taking notice of her so abruptly at all. And she doesn't know him.

Maybe he asks to extend his stay at the Queen's palace and keep negotiating or whatever, but he really just wants to get to know the scullery maid better.

Then the romance is sort of still fast, but built in a way that the audience can sink their teeth into. The Prince and Snow White have a few more mutually-agreed-upon meetings, not necessarily hiding them, but just in breaks between courtly audiences with the wicked Queen. They're both enamored with each other: she's never been treated so kindly by anyone and his whole faith in pure, innocent love and uncomplicated, genuine people is being restored just by talking to her. They bond chiefly over missing their parents.

Eventually he learns that she is the Queen's daughter--maybe from the Huntsman, maybe from Snow herself in an innocent way. He's stunned that she's treated so poorly, but the second he learns it, he confesses that he loves her and he wants to take her away from there. Plus, this solves the whole "will my kingdom go to war with the Wicked Queen or be allies even though we can't trust her" diplomacy thing--Snow White is her heir, so it would be a beautiful twist of Providence that the girl he has fallen in love with can also be the alliance of peace for the kingdoms through marriage.

Snow White accepts his proposal, but she's afraid for a moment that her stepmother won't allow it. The Prince urges her not to be afraid: he'll take her to his castle and they'll be happy no matter what: he promises it, he gives her his word, he encourages her not to worry because he won't let anything stop him. It's lovely. She finally has someone she can gift her superpower of pure love to, and someone who can treasure her like she deserves.

Problem is, the Queen overhears this last conversation, right after learning that Snow White is the new "Fairest of All" from her mirror, just like in the original film.

So while the Prince is convincing his council that he's proposed to Snow White, the Queen's largely-unknown secret stepdaughter, and is going to reveal the fact to the Queen tomorrow, the Huntsman and the Queen herself are plotting the assassination attempt that eventually leads to Snow running for her life and living with the Dwarfs before she ever gets the chance to see her betrothed again.

Then the movie unfolds largely the same way it did, but with more dialogue and nuance strengthening the original's main themes: Snow White is pure love in nature, and that's everything the Prince has been missing, and he fulfills his promise which she has total faith in. And along the way, the Dwarfs learn to care more about protecting an innocent girl than they care about protecting themselves, and treasuring a person over jewels. Grumpy in particular. And the Queen dies because she's a jealous witch who's self-love has twisted her into something ugly.

Basically, what I'm saying is, there's a way to make the Prince compelling for audiences who are now used to more fleshed-out interactions in movie couples. Just give him a background that is longing for pure, uncomplicated, innocent love. Then when he runs into Snow White, who's never been treasured and valued since her parents died, they give each other everything they've been longing for--and then they have faith in one another when circumstances, both funny and sinister, force them apart.

It's like the Notebook (just in story structure)--you build up romance in the first act through a few poignant scenes, but then the rest of the movie is about waiting for that romance to be fulfilled.

Anyway. I guess I could've said all this more succinctly, but I was kind of making it up as I went. 🤷‍♀️

[thatscarletflycatcher]

can you tell me what your thesis is about if you're willing to share??

Hi!!! Yes, of course! I need to go over and over the description of this thing in order to turn in a precise and compelling project for the board (attempt #3 at finishing this cursed degree, here we go! *sobs*).

My area of interest has always been Medieval Philosophy, Metaphysics, Ethics, Virtue Ethics and Aristotelian Ethics-Politics. My very first attempt was writing something on Metaphysics (transcendentals) then Ethics Metaphysics (the role of intellectual intuition in moral reasoning in Aristotelian Ethics, Book VI of the Nicomachean Ethics)... Neither worked mainly because a problem when talking metaphysics is... well, there's few words to use and little to say and I have always been a very succinct academic writer (yeah, I know, but it is true).

When I reached acceptance about that XD I moved on to trying something about Aristotelian Ethics-politics. Alasdair MacIntyre is a key author in that area, and he's a favorite of mine because in agreement or disagreement he's thought provoking, he has a sense of humor, and he's a hater of the fun kind. I know it isn't proper to call or pick academic authors because they are fun, but hey, he is. He is a curmudgeonly old man (present tense: he's 95), who kind of manages to disagree with everyone because he hates being put in boxes, but he's also always been very willing and open to listen to other voices and change his opinions on things.

For example, the refinement and reformulation of many ideas between his After Virtue (1981) and his Dependent Rational Animals (1999) came (declaredly) through a reading of certain feminist theory, which brought to the foreground to him how little academic Ethics had focused until that point on disability and caretaking.

He's also always been a versatile author in the sense of breaching the barriers between disciplines for the purposes of philosophical inquiry -After Virtue has a great deal to say about Sociology, and Dependent Rational Animals talks a lot about dolphins XD.

I decided I wanted to write something about this guy, but I got stuck because if you are writing on an author specifically, alone, how do you manage to write something that isn't like, textbook regurgitation? Theoretically I know it is possible, but it was very paralyzing to me all the same.

Enter Elizabeth Gaskell with a steel chair.

I love Gaskell dearly for many different reasons. I love the way in which she writes nuanced, believable, textured characters. I love the treatment of grief in her work, I love the compassion she has for her characters, I love how she makes interesting, central, and natural relationships between parents and children. I love that she's versatile too, and that she saw writing as a vocation, and how she manages to talk about so many different things in a novel without making it come across as didactic or preachy. But one very special thing that has called my attention is her specific interest in communities, and community building through friendship.

Very often her "proposals" of "solutions" to social problems, specifically in her industrial novels, have been dismissed as the utopian sugary pap of learning to share and be nice of someone completely out of touch with reality, but I think those readings are fundamentally missing the framework that makes her ideas make sense and be solid.

As an aside, I feel like that ungenerous reading is kinda rich when Hard Times and its "imagination to power!" concept or Shirley and its marriage solution keep getting praise to this day. You know. It comes across as a bit double standard-y, if you ask me.

But back to topic, guess who did consider friendship, understood as the ties that unite virtuous people in the pursuit of the good for themselves and their fellow men, the very foundation of society, and mankind as essentially social, and therefore for ethics and politics to be a continuum? That's right, my boy Aristotle!

And to that, between other things, when talking about the Aristotelian tradition of Ethics Politics, MacIntyre adds teleological narrative as the element that frames and anchors virtue ethics in this scheme. What is more, he dedicates A CHUNK of chapter 16 of After Virtue to Jane Austen, and why he thinks she's "the last key representative" of this tradition (which has sprung a non negligible amount of scholarship on Austen and virtue ethics).

And I'm persuaded that Gaskell is a significant successor to Austen in this way too, and that the certain sympathy people often perceive between them comes from this aspect (because, in all honestly, it's clearly not about tone or style).

So that's the aim/core of my thesis: to present/analyze/contextualize Gaskell's work within the framework of the Aristotelian Ethics-Politics tradition as understood by MacIntyre.

Of course because I am, in Nelly Dean's description of Edgar Linton, a venturesome fool, this is clearly very ambitious, and I am making it worse for myself by doing things like harvesting circa 350 titles for a thesis that won't require more than 50 and that cannot be more than 80 pages long. The clown shoes can be heard from the other side of the world no this has nothing to do with the fact that I don't think I'll ever get a masters or a PhD where I might be able to develop this concept beyond a very summary overview of N&S and maybe Cranford and My Lady Ludlow if I'm lucky.

And that's how I should have sent something to my advisor three weeks ago (I haven't yet) and how I'm half agony half hope about the whole thing, because I'm scared and anxious and full on rowing through Nutella executive function wise. Maybe I should get a rubber duck.

[indigoraysoflight]

Hopes for TBOC’s marketing campaign

Let me start by saying that this is a marketing rant. I’m going to unfold glaring issues I’ve noticed with the marketing strategies being implemented so far. If it’s not your cup of tea, now is the time to scroll past this post. 

If you’re feeling more exhausted than usual in the fandom, you're having to defend Carol/Caryl online a LOT lately, or you’re finding yourself exercising the block/mute button a lot or finding the lack of Carol-focused promo quite disheartening – this may clarify a few things. I’m shedding some light on some marketing nuances that I‘ve noticed over the past few months that are snowballing into the landscape we see today. I'll try and do it in order so you can see the how some of these strategies connect with each other.  

Promotion without both leads

After the initial two weeks of promo during October, we didn't see a ton of Carol-focused promo. If you go back and look at promo content, news, articles, casting calls, teasers, etc., that followed, you’ll notice one person is largely missing from all of them. Melissa McBride’s name or Carol's pictures/ footage aren’t always found in articles/ news related to the show dubbed “The Book of Carol,” which is often just referred to as Daryl Dixon S2.  

Articles often say, "McBride is joining Daryl Dixon S2." Sometimes, she isn't even mentioned, which may not seem really big or just an error, but these little things compound into bigger issues, like fostering disrespect towards the female lead. We all know that it's their show together, so why not call it that? Why not feature her name in every instance? Why not speak about them equally?

94% of consumers are likely to be loyal to a brand that offers complete transparency.¹ Why let speculation and disrespect continue when they can be neutralized by taking a stand?

Toxicity-inducing posts/narratives

What I mentioned above inevitably starts rumours or opens pathways for people to disrespect Carol or, worse, makes fans feel like they need to be “grateful for the crumbs that they’re getting,” which not only lowers expectations but perpetuates this tactic that leans into the bare minimum and festers toxicity.

Most importantly, it encourages narratives and speculation that she's a "small part of Daryl's story" or that she may not be around for the long haul. It opens the forum to speculate about Carol's fate and I don't have to explain why it's frustrating to read narratives like that.

It's especially problematic because the show is supposed to eventually make way for "their story". This makes TBOC's core audience feel like they’re waiting for crumbs or encourages infighting in the fandom. It's causing strain on people's mental health, and so many are hanging on by a thread. This toxicity makes fans feel unsafe and uncomfortable in the space that is supposed to provide a safe haven. A space where they can share their love for their favourite characters/ship and build anticipation for their show. Which brings me to...

Positioning strategy

When TBOC promo strategy commenced, the fandom rejoiced because “to find home is to find each other” was established as the tagline and a positioning strategy which leaned into who Carol and Daryl are to each other. When I say "positioning strategy", I mean leaning into what makes the show unique. Now, sometimes, it can be incorporated more unethically when it pokes holes into the competitor's product/service/show, but In TBOC's case, they leaned into the biggest selling point of their show, which is Daryl and Carol's relationship, aka what Carylers have been asking for since S2 of the flagship show. Carylers are a great core audience to have because engagement online picks up quickly, with or without their help. 

There are two ways of looking at it – the first way is building on the hype until the promo circuit picks up, and the second way is not putting in a lot of effort because the fans are doing a lot of the legwork. Which one do you think is being implemented right now? They built hype for the first two weeks after Carol's cameo, but unfortunately, that wave crashed before they let fans do the amplifying for them. Which brings me to…

Placating instead of amplifying 

Carol’s pictures/ footage so far has been taken on set or promo stills from the flagship show used in tweets by the official accounts. We can all agree that seeing Melissa and Norman on set is lovely. But a lot of Carol solidarity posts drop because of some inflammatory comment/post/article that pissed Carol/Caryl fans off. Take this, for example: 

There are multiple instances of this. Many set pictures/ promo related content drops around the time there is discomfort amongst Caryl/Carol fans. When you're placating fans because they're pissed, you're trying to neutralize a negative feeling, so the anticipation doesn't build as sustainably and leaves people wanting more. Happiness helps people connect and share content quickly. Positive content spreads faster on social media than any other type of content.² Pictures used to placate fans don’t have the same effect if they amplified the hype for the sake of it. When you amplify a character or ship to build on the hype, it capitalizes on people's positive feelings like excitement and happiness and builds anticipation quicker. Like this:

Carol deserves more than being promoted only when the toxicity gets so bad that fans start to take mental health breaks or think of leaving altogether. Now we all know that the promo circuit hasn’t officially kicked off yet, so I am hoping that these things change when it begins. This is what I want to see:

Equal promotion – I’d love to see Daryl and Carol featured equally when they promote the Caryl show. Give us all the posters featuring both of them and map out their journey towards each other in the posters and their promo. Daryl and Carol should be featured on equal ground, with no doubt left about both of them being the leads of their show. 

Or, as my friend @kryptoniancape said in our podcast, “The posters need to be so in your face that you have no choice but to accept it, or you can’t deny it anymore.” Daryl and Carol have waited long enough for their story to continue. They deserve a compelling story, but most importantly, they deserve a robust marketing campaign that creates buzz for that story and respects both leads equally. 

Build hype. Build angst – Build hype for Carol’s return. Build the angst with Daryl’s return. Their ship has a robust fan engagement on socials which is a goldmine for any show. The marketing campaign practically writes itself here. 

The Carol-focused promo hopefully leans into her marketability as a timid housewife and a survivour to one of the most formidable women on the show. Carol travelling across continents against all odds for Daryl is a huge defining trait of her character. Daryl’s character is known for his love and loyalty to Carol and his family. His longing for her and his unwavering need to protect her are defining traits of his character.

S1 established that he wants to go home, but he feels “stuck” (why? I don’t know). The angst needs to be focused on Daryl’s need to get back home to Carol, the kids, and the rest of his family. Trying to lean into Daryl’s “indecisiveness” because of people he’s known for a short period of time, IMHO undermines his character development. Especially because S2 is focusing on Carol’s side of the story. They both need to be on the same page even though they’re far apart. I don’t know how they will achieve that, but I speak for many when I say most Carylers are waiting for the story to just be about them. 

Leaning into ship baiting to manufacture tension is neither cute nor compelling. Quite frankly, I'm tired of it, especially because Carol and Daryl can build tension with a single look. It's not like this show needs more angst (especially, manufactured angst) than it's going to get with these two trying to find each other.

Building Carol’s and Daryl’s authority (individually and together) – This means tweet threads with memorable moments, articles that validate their characters individually and their ship and its potential, video compilations of their moments together, hyping fanart/fan edits that feature Caryl. The whole enchilada. There are creators sharing their work in this space every day. Take your pick and support them.

I think we can all agree that both Carol and Daryl deserve equal promo; their ship deserves validation, and Carol deserves respect. If you don't resonate with what I said here, no hard feelings, I respect your perspective. If you do resonate with what I said here, I hope it helps somehow. Thanks for taking the time to read this. So long story short.

Nobody wants to see toxic shit like this:

We want to see more of this: 

My last wish for you, dear Caryler, is that you find a safe space where you can talk about the things you love. Take mental health breaks if necessary. Remember that any show related content that you see online is placed there strategically (from a marketing perspective) to leverage the audience or boost viewership. If it doesn't make you happy or bring you hope, or feel good for your mental health – refocus your attention to what does make you happy. Starve the content that doesn't deserve your attention, feed the content that brings you joy.

My askbox is open if you need to chat. ❤️

___

Sources:

1. Unethical Marketing Destroys Customer Experience And Brand Reputation, Forbes.com, Accessed 8 March, 2024

2. The Ultimate Guide to Emotional Marketing, Hubspot.com, Accessed 8 March, 2024

[arttrampbelle]

Shang tsung isn't evil but a product of corruption and the environment that surrounds him. He's not evil in the sense of black n white thinking of morality. Especially from a western,psuedo Christian American perspective that so many people wanna shoehorn him into. (No shade here but im calling it like i see it nrs)

How is he evil when everyone in mortal kombat kills?

Also shao kahn quan chi and shinnok has arguably done worse

And even more so he's worked more with them,and under them(shao Kahn namely) and had no choice but to follow orders. Namely some things sure were aligned in benefit. But truly can you really argue that it was all his doing? No to say so is ignorant and undermining the other villains and antagonists of the series and their own contributions to the story narrative in opposition of protags and other characters.

The most evil is those who hide behind self righteousness and say they are for peace when they are being manipulated by promises of a better realm or timeline(cough fire god liu kang. COUGH)

Like nah guys mk12/mk1 don't make sense even for the narrative they are trying to pull. Shang is wonderful but yall missed the point even tho the storymode sucks and everything about it makes me nauseous, shang tsung shines thru because of what he represents. The story,It falls through the crack simply because of the fact

In mortal kombats chaotic and cruel world. You kill or be killed. You do what it takes to survive. Or be food for the gods. As you are nothing but entertainment for them.

Everyone kills in mortal kombat. So shang tsung killing means fucking nothing and is a moot point. He does it,everyone does it,how is he truly any different than anyone at that point. Thru mortal kombat,a supposedly Divine system,he's doing exactly what he's supposed to be doing. And what his character is designed to do. Period. So killing,moot point and argument.

Im not talking about. MK12/MK1 specifically. Tho that grinds my gears for many other reasons. Im talking shang tsung,overall as a whole as a character thru the 30+yrs the games and mk has been around. These are common arguments for that shang is "tHe EVil OnE" when there's no such thing in mks world. Truly. It's posturing and posing flowery words at that point. Period.

Stealing souls? He has to,to survive. He is cursed by the very gods and mentors that once swore to protect him. But did nothing.

Climbing for power? He does so because he wishes not to rule over. But so he doesn't have to worry about going to bed hungry,to suffer. He wants stability,comfort,and most of all security. A thing that long ago was robbed of him.

See you can't say shit about my man without having many reasons why he's not.

Could he be evil,nasty,and dowright fucking cruel? Oh you bet your ass he could. But does he enjoy it? Not really. He takes no pleasure unless it's out of necessity or you're considered an enemy.

He is no different than a hungry hunter. Trying to find his next meal or the next place of dwelling. Until he finds his true place of being and achieves a stable life.

Like ffs people it's right fucking there fine print and that still,STILL GOES OVER YOUR HEADS!

Like y'all who don't understand nuanced villains WANT him to be stereotypical,y'all want him to be easy to pinpoint. Because that means you dont get to critique your beloved "Heroic" characters. And use your brains,and critically think that maybe,just fucking maybe. Your nice dudes were wrong for once.

In mortal kombats world (if you can call it that because the world building sucks)

It's kill or be killed. Morality be damned. Shang tsung found that out long ago. Hiding behind morals in a world that could care less than about you. Gods that only see you as food,throw away entertainment,etc.

He may have respect for someone who despite all that crap,has some moral backbone. But isn't blind to the truth,it's survival. Dont be a pushover boot licking lapdog. As long as you don't hide behind your self righteousness and "goody goody" attitude. He'll respect that you have a noble heart. In fact,that may make him actually enjoy your company. But dont be a condescending jackass about your morals. And he'll be fine.

Shang tsung is just playing the game that the world is built upon. The rules,the gods,the empires,have made. And plays them well into his advantage.

And y'all pissed he plays it better than you. 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

That my dears is a truly well done villain,antagonist,and just a beautifully complex character.

That's how you do or are supposed to do shang tsung. Period.

*slams hand down on table and leaves*

🔥💯🔥

[jack-kellys]

i said i'd do this today so here you all go. disclaimer this is not every single question, just the ones i cared about (so the fun ones)

notes from the most recent uk fansie night q&a:

i was not there but i was sent a video lmao

FOR DAVEY: how much free range have you been able to build on with your character?

answer: ryan said they all basically started with a blank canvas, but davey has rly grown since december. specifically davey's gotten “weirder”, and he hopes that “he will get even more strange.”

LONDON CAST RECORDING?

nothing is confirmed but the whole cast really wants one lmao

dance class from ireland came :) asked abt dance tips and industry ins

fav dance moves/moments in the show 

box jump for ross <3

sam demonstrated the leg pats as his fav

matthew loves the role call triangle lmao

michael demonstrated a front kick they do holding a rolled paper

have you ever hit anyone w something thrown into the audience?

archie tells on jack bromage (who isn't there to defend himself) and how he kicked a paper ball into a kid’s FACE LMFAO

jacob called out matthew for his slingshot hits into the audience 

biggest malfunction during a show?

ryan and michael acted out waiting for bronte and a les to enter during WWH reprise’s scene- “and that is what you call a beginning! ………….chill out, man!” “…you got a problem?” HELLO??

box jump update

if you could put your character into another musical what would it be

davey for mean girls 2023

splasher for matilda

OSCAR FOR B+C???

jack for wicked lmao “him and fiyero might fight”

specs as one of the annoying kids in charlie and the chocolate factory 

kath for sylvia!

ritz for young frankenstein (bc putting on the ritz heh)

CRUTCHIE FOR MOULIN ROUGHEJH PLS matthew ily

mush for annie

ike for something rotten

elmer for WSS

al for a rocky musical (fights.)

romeo for grease!! “kinicky vibe”

how do ur jumps get so high

ross: "i’ve been jumping for.. a long time"

what are the hidden personal gems that audience members might miss during the show?

albert pickpockets one of the theatergoers in medda’s theater. holy shit. and sometimes the actor leaves jacob and actual object to steal in his pocket PLSLOKFSF

crutchie sees snyder from his perch by the soundboard and reacts in fear

how long is fight call and do you call every stunt

this is interesting to me so. depends on the day bc of swings so they do the big fight and child actor stunts every day.

EVERYONES FAV GAGA SONG

ryans is bad romance

poker face ross

applause for sam

matthew is not a gaga person oops

“thank you for that question <3”

how do you approach making roles individual?

“determined early that its a diff version of jack and kath” (bronté)

purposefully ignore things that have come before!!!!

bronte and michael talked a LOT abt their jath 

“can only do the best version of your version” <3 (michael)

doing what you think is the right way, “offering your voice into the discussion” of a character’s legacy/existence. MICHAEL ONCE AGAIN FCUVKING GETS IT THIS IS !! WHAT I WAS FUCKING SAYING. fyi. we understand each other

fav character and why!

ryans is kath heheh

ross’s IS FINCH!! he loves damon and thinks he’s made finch special <3

owen (oscar) rly likes racer!

michael rly likes davey, “unsung hero”

sam likes kath <3

bronte likes the brooklyn newsiessssss, especially stray and mentioned the art piece of stray with a stray :) @chimeofthecomet YOURS BRO SHE MENTIONED YOURS !!!

lucy likes specs

matthew thinks pulitzer is cool to find nuance in

kai’s fav is lillie’s spot!

archie thinks finch is best bc he’s mysterious

damn bradley likes finch too! “always trying to come up with a solution” OKAYYYYY GO DAMON!! gets an a+ in characterization

jacob on his pulitzer villain moment stuff again

spencer likes davey’s contrast!! “one of the strongest characters in the group”

fastest quick change you’ve done

the oscar immediately laments his changes lmfaoooo

michael was morgrim??? in lion witch wardrobe??? a wolf??

preshow rituals

RYAN WATCHES STREISANDS IM THE GREATEST STAR LMAOOO??

interesting he was given her as a reference for a fast talking new yorker so heavy city accented davey jacobs truthers rise up we won (its just me) we won! 

the new kids dressing room does the wolf of wall street chest hitting thing lol

michael listens to two diff revolution speeches i think?

bronte’s is seeing ryan :)

THE GIRLSIES PLAY HIDE AND SEEK BACKSTAGE DURING THEIR BREAKS PLS

matthew talks abt what alex hatton used to do, look at a pic of his gf and grandparent pls aw

archie used to jump on a chair at the five before he. hit his head. bro

jacob does a diff riddle for each mic check!!

that’s all the best ones i could catch!!

[randomfoggytiger]

X-Files IWTB: First Time React (Part II)

Okay everyone, back for Part II! Hopefully I’ll make quicker progress because all the BIG problems were parsed over in the Part I, right? …They were parsed over in Part I, right? 

To catch up: IWTB is broken 10 minutes into the movie-- the FBI’s helicopter flying TO Mulder’s house destroyed that hiding place; and if he were to back out of the case at Scully’s say-so, he’d likely have been captured within days or weeks and been forced to broker a deal to help, anyway-- and further broken not even 20 minutes in-- destroying new characters in seconds, out-of-place dialogue, and skewering both Mulder and Scully by placing their in-character reactions in wrong scenes and scenarios. 

Reaction below the cut~

Not even two seconds into my watch we have Mulder avoiding the “Your sister’s dead, isn’t she?”-- which is fine-- only for Whitney to be featured prominently, sympathetically watching him gaze at the missing agent’s picture. I'm. Annoyed. 

The writers are setting up Agent Drummond? to be a Samantha replacement, that Mulder is so driven on this case because he wants to save a lost girl, etc., etc. But… that was put behind him in Closure; and it tears away the nuances and layers of Mulder’s character leaving only a simple “I help people ‘cuz my sis disappeared once” to motivate him. Mulder has gone above and beyond the call of duty to help people from monsters and men countless times; and the only cases that made him lose his objectivity were when the victims' stories exactly mirrored Samantha's circumstances, i.e. a little girl was abducted (Conduit, Oubliette, Paper Hearts, etc.) Furthermore, Mulder only ever lost himself "in the darkness" ONCE on a case, and that wasn't even about a little girl: Grotesque. Losing himself in the darkness is not Mulder's norm or even, really, in his wheelhouse (which was the entire point of the Bill Patterson storyline.) To make this a problem NOW in order to create a nonsensical wedge between he and Scully is... not laughable, but snortable.

The obvious cracks in the writing shine through again. Mulder only rode in the car without Scully so Father Joe could be there to open old wounds, the male agent could be there to poke them, and Whitney could be there to observe his silent, bleeding heart and fall more in crush with him. In order for this scene to happen, we have to think that: A. Scully would rather ride with random FBI people than with her partner (despite her natural suspicion of them-- though that’s missing in the movie and breaks her character, discussed in previous part) and B. Mulder, despite stipulating that she join him on the case, was just fine and dandy riding beside and playing nice with a pedophile rather than sticking by Scully’s side even though they’re going to the same place, not splitting up to look for clues. 

Whitney hasn’t been given focal characterization yet, which is fine for now since she’s displayed character trait specific responses (her reactions to Mulder, to male agent, to Scully in the FBI building and at Father Joe’s and here.) It’s obvious she’s being set up as a person more-than-interested in Mulder; but that would require an explanation as to WHY. If that’s not given… then what’s the point of her crush in the narrative? It, like Father Joe’s pedophilia, would serve no purpose other than a footnote or perhaps an implication (i.e. her expressions remain intact but are not given their own camera focus as if it’s plot relevant, etc.) 

It’s… not good. 

The music’s still really good; and the shots are gorgeous. And that’s it. Oh, wait, the acting is good, too. 

The FBI taking Father Joe to a false house is a good idea… except there’s no warning tape wrapped around one house but IS decorated all over its neighbor’s house. How is that important? Father Joe would have been facing the neighbor house covered in yellow warning tape when the vehicle drove past it and up the drive. The characters-- trained FBI agents-- don't notice or comment on this.

Screenshots in order:

You see, kids? This is why locations and camera angles and shots are so important-- they cut you off at the knees if the movie isn’t shot in a logical way. 

WAIT. CHARACTER BREAKING MOMENT. 

Whitney brought Mulder on the case because of the paranormal aspect, Whitney sent a helicopter out to fetch him, Whitney has been crushing on him this entire time (silently), Whitney is being set up as a powerful woman who can tell people what to do and when-- Mulder’s exact type ala Phoebe Green, Detective White, Diana Fowley, etc.-- and… now she’s denying the paranormal angle???? AGAIN WITH THE MILLISECOND CHANGES: awed that Father Joe sensed their fake out house was a trick, then denied his intuitions with a bogus excuse the next second….

Wait. Chris (and the writers.) Did you set her up to be a powerful, skeptical woman who’s into Mulder (ala Scully) ON PURPOSE. CHRIS (and the writers.) We need to talk.

This movie’s going to kill me: I’m only 23:07 into the watch time. 

Wait. WHERE’S SCULLY?? IS SHE JUST SITTING BACK THERE IN THE OTHER TRUCK?? WHERE’S SCULLY??

ALSO, WHY ARE WHITNEY AND MULDER BACK-AND-FORTHING “IS HE OR ISN’T HE”S ABOUT FATHER JOE WHILE FATHER JOE IS IN HEARING DISTANCE.

I’m now 23:34 into the movie and it’s going to kill me. Very pretty, lethal poison. 

Also, Father Joe still wants to work with the Church? FAT. CHANCE.

YAY, GERALD SCHNAUZ MENTIONED. 

Also, finally getting some backstory on Whitney (even if she’s not 'fessing up to having more than a professional interest in Mulder, ala Diana Fowley’s close-to-the-chest-but-overt-with-her-intentions style.) 

“Yeah, well, I’m only half the team.” YEAH, AND WHERE IS THE OTHER HALF OF THE TEAM, MULDER? WRITERS??

I don’t have complaints about Mulder not batting back Whitney’s “But it’s your insights I need” because flattery gets him everywhere, always, and he’s not leaning into it, BUT, again, where’s Scully. This would be a great time to establish that Scully isn’t the type to sulk in the truck by showing off her chops as a professional while she and he banter back and forth about this information. Mulder could be telling it to her, filling her in on the relevant details she missed during the interrogation and truck ride. Meanwhile, we can establish Whitney as an individual by showing how she deals with Father Joe rather than letting her male agent nanny the old pedo around. 

WHITNEY’S YELLING AT FATHER JOE FOR NO REASON WHILE HE’S IN THE MIDST OF A VISION-- THAT'S SO STUPID. 

He’s already giving her the information; and her heightened aggression will probably stress him out and lose whatever he’s telling her. I know they were meaning to establish her as a ruthless skeptic who thinks Father-- you know what, I’m calling him Joe from now on-- who thinks that Joe’s faking it and is pressing, pressing, pressing for him to crack because he’s “vulnerable” right now… but this is just stupid, and likely against a ton of FBI regulations. 

I'm torn about Mulder not telling her to stop because he's put immense pressure on psychics or other suffering victims in the past if they had time-sensitive information (ala Space)... so, I think? it could be in-character. ...EXCEPT he's soft on Joey, Whitney is not, and that dynamic would make him advocate for the pedo more (wow, what a sentence.)

Wait, now male agent disbelieves??? WHAT. BUT YOU ESTABLISHED BACK IN THE FBI… uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhgggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhh. 

WAIT, SO SCULLY WASN’T OUT IN THE CAR??? SHE JUST DITCHED ANYWAY???? SHE’S BACK IN THE HOSPITAL??

Wait, wait, so: 

Last night, she and Mulder are flown into the FBI.

She decides to ditch the case because she doesn’t believe in Joe.

That’s stupid because it puts Mulder’s safety on the line and breaks her half of the deal-- that she come with him. 

As she’s leaving, Mulder convinces her not to go. She sighs and heads for the trucks. 

It’s daylight and there’s two FBI trucks. Mulder is with the two agents and Joe in one truck, and we’re not shown who’s in the other (likely Scully and some escorts.)

Scully doesn’t follow Mulder onto the crime scene. 

BUT SHE’S NOT IN THE TRUCK ANYWAY BECAUSE SHE’S BACK AT THE HOSPITAL EVEN THOUGH THE ENTIRE ESTABLISHING SCENE PRIOR WAS ADDRESSING THE FACT SHE WAS LEAVING THE CASE.

BUT SHE STILL LEFT THE CASE. Yes, she has a patient to worry over; yes, that is important to her; but NO, she did not discuss this with Mulder when he stipulated he needed her WITH him on the case.  

Mulder asked her to stay, she implicitly agreed, took his documents, seemed to be going with him… but nope, went home, went to sleep, went to work without discussing things further. What. 

I feel like there were rewrites and it was just… never addressed on screen.

So, Scully agreed to help the case, took Mulder’s papers, walked to one of the trucks and… teleported back to her clinic? Went home? Never went to begin with? …Why did she need the file if she’s just going to take it home?? She’s not FBI anymore, the FBI wouldn’t let her do that. She can’t take the papers home as a civilian especially because-- okay, here’s another list:

Scully is a civilian who was not asked on the case. She’s only there because Mulder stipulated he wanted her to work on it with him. 

She ditched THAT part of the bargain, but regardless--

Scully went home (WHY) and took FBI documents with her because…?

The FBI would never let that happen: they didn’t seek her out, she’s a civilian, they have other medical experts to consult with about their cases. 

I do like Scully’s interactions with Christian, probably because it smacks of her old self (disguising the world-weary attitude of an adult for a child’s sake…) and was more in-character with her regular pre-S9 character, which is… weird for me. I’ll take it, I guess. 

I’m only 25:33 minutes in.  

ANOTHER TERRIBLE FATHER??? WHY???????????

“We are here to heal the sick, not prolong the dying” ummmmmmmmmmmm what. This is a Catholic hospital, is it not? Isn’t that strictly against Catholic dogma? …What is this mafia low beat and why is everyone in this hospital bent on the kid dying and being taken off their hands?

I know, I know: Chris is a Catholic of sorts with his own criticisms and stories to tell, etc…. And here it comes, BUT two overheads trying to pry this dying child off of Scully’s hands because he’s “incurable” doesn’t make sense here. It wouldn’t be to their benefit, would probably cause quite a scandal, and, overall, would probably result in a report and a lawsuit. Perhaps this is a big issue in private hospitals; and humans are humans and full of corruption, etc. etc. BUT I assume the boy’s parents are paying the bills on time sooooo… it would be against the hospital's? clinic's? best interest to want to kick Christian from the facility. Again, it’s stupid and makes no sense. 

26:27. 

Scully crying in her office was the best scene of this movie, hands down. It’s perfect for this moment, perfect for her character…

BUT. It comes after she walked out on a case of a missing-possibly-dead FBI agent, so it makes her look like a woman who only hands out sympathy or empathy to those people SHE deems worthy of it. Yes, a child dying is tragic; yes, he reminds her of William; yes, she lived through this with Emily… all of that is tragic and heartrending (and her Emily arc could have been mentioned in the movie to give her dynamic with Christian more weight), BUT it ends up hurting her character in the long run. Why? Because she sacrifices Mulder’s chance for freedom AND separates from him because she wants to save this child while ALSO accusing him of doing the exact same thing. 

So, while it’s one of the best scenes in context, it’s also one of the worst overall. 

People are swimming now. Ohhhhh, noooooo, run off the road, dead. 

30:35.

Here’s the thinking scene between Mulder and Scully. 

The delivery from DD and GA is top-notch-- did not imagine Mulder’s “thank you” to be as upbeat and humorous, expected it to be more drawn out and monotone. I like it better this way. And Gillian is doing a fantastic job with the scripts she’s given: thus far, she’s selling this version of Scully (MINUS THE ENORMOUS MISCHARACTERIZATIONS)... but her performance (and DD’s) is constantly undersold by the script. It’s sad, man… well, it’s not sad because I’m not invested in canon post S8; but it’s something. 

“Rare brain disease” great acting on both their parts, excellent and in-character, nice. 

Also: child, boy, sick child, brain disease-- I see what you did there, Chris Carter and writers, and it would have been very cool except. To be fair, I don’t mind the Christian side-plot: it gives Scully a chance to be in her element, and the boy actor is nice. Again, BUT, it also has hokily evil villains and destroys other likable aspects of Scully’s personality, soooooooooooooo yeah. 

“Why haven’t you told me about this before?” / “I thought there was something I could do.” 

BINGO, I’LL GIVE IWTB THIS ONE THING, THIS MOVIE WAS WORTH THE WATCH FOR THAT LINE. Here’s why: because that’s always been Scully’s M.O.: she hides her problems under the surface hoping to solve them herself, not wanting to be a bother (ex. Irresistible, Memento Mori, Elegy, Gethsemane, A Christmas Carol, etc. etc.) At least I have it said in black-and-white to reference. 

ALSO, this is why Mulder’s brain disease makes no sense: Mulder is a secret keeper but only about his past, not his present or future. Example: he never mentions former partners but will yell to the sky about current crises or injustices against himself and others. If Mulder had a bad scan, he’d draw Scully into it IMMEDIATELY because he believes their unconventional ways would be able to cure anything-- ala Demons and Biogenesis; and would make a mission out of it to try to take down what’s left of the Syndicate. If he’s given a death sentence, it would then become a struggle or fight between his desire to keep crusading and her insistence that it's only killing him faster (again, ala Demons.)  

Mulder’s quip about God not losing any sleep is so Mulder, that’s great. 

Scully’s “Why bring a kid into the world just to make him suffer?” is another symptom of her leanings away from strict Catholicism; BUT, more importantly, it’s not God making him suffer in this case, it’s her private medical system who won’t even TRY because of the bottom line? I guess? Though that’d make them more money?? Seems rather weird that Scully wants to cure this boy and she’s not really that Catholic whereas the Catholic facility just wants him dead for no explicable reason other than he’s going to die, YOLO. 

Also… we’re just going to skip right over Emily and the fact you two already had this conversation before, aren’t we? Yep. 

“I don’t know, Mulder, I’ve got such a connection to this boy.” 

ANOTHER great piece of dialogue, because this plugs into Scully’s biases in past cases and Mulder’s twitchiness when he senses said biases. BUT IN THIS CASE IT’S GOOD: it highlights how far they’ve come, that Scully discloses this detail and their further conversation to Mulder without batting an eye and he has the learned patience and understanding in order to gently peel back her layers and get to the root of the issue.

“I think our son left us both with an emptiness that can’t be filled” and that’s GOOD, that’s a GOOD piece of writing, GOOD FOR YOU. 

HOWEVER, like everything else in this movie it gets lost in the ridiculous drama coming up; but further, it’s undercut because of the stupid choices that they made in the past that led them to this moment. So… sympathy low. 

Acting’s excellent as always, though. 

And look at that crazy comforter-- that’s a Scully thing if I’ve ever seen one. 

Despite the staggering flaws of the script, I like how the writers wrote Mulder and Scully's domestic dynamic, specifically that Mulder let Scully completely decorate the house (everything's in her style) and even snuggled up with her under a blue, swirly comforter (that she very obviously picked out) without a fuss. And maybe this is an unpopular opinion, but I believe that came straight from Chris Carter's brain; and I also believe it's something he likes about Scully, that she puts Mulder (i.e. her thoughts in the Pilot script while batting back and forth with Mulder) or Mulder's stuff in his place (his office pre-and post Ghost in the Machine, her hints about his shoelaces in Bad Blood, and the house now.) There's a give and take, of course; but Mulder's chaos is delegated to specific areas of the basement (and their house); and the compromise between the two people in their partnership and relationship comes together perfectly here... in moments. 

I’m stopping after Scully’s pouty “Scratchy beard” and Mulder’s playful response and Scully’s GIGGLE since it’s nice and I don’t have to think about the plot--

“Oh! There’s something weird on the toxicology--”

LALALALALALLLALALALAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Also…

Sigh……………………….. one last rant:

ALSO, you’re telling me that the dastardly Catholic overlords at the private clinic WANT TO TOSS A DYING CHILD OUT BUT THEY’LL JUST LET SCULLY DO A WILL NILLY RANDOM TOX SCREEN THAT HASN’T BEEN AUTHORIZED BY THE FBI TO DO IN THE FIRST PLACE OR IF SO ONLY OFF-SCREEN??????????????

Whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy???

I’m out, I’m done, will finish the next parts sometime later. 

…Ugggggggggggggggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

Thanks for reading~

Enjoy!

[swamp-spirit]

I’ve been resisting getting into Internet Fights about my Oshi no Ko opinions, but they have been building in my heart and I need to get them off my chest. It’s a long ramble, but the upshot is:

1. People are way to harsh on Akane 2. Aqua sucks, but also his feelings about Ai are way more nuanced than he gets credit for 3. Ruby also sucks, and pretending she doesn’t is a disservice to her as a character 4. Holy shit this got long

Ahoy for manga spoilers

With the first episode out, I want to start by saying this: I am putting Gorou’s comments about dating Ai to the side for this meta. Obviously it is wrong for a grown-ass man to hesitate when asked if he’d date a teen celeb. I see his comments towards Serena as just trying to offer comfort, but his comments towards Ai are an absolute NOPE. If somebody isn’t able to engage with Aqua at all after that, or engage with the show, I think that’s perfectly understandable, but I also think, to discuss any other aspect of Aqua and his relationship with Ai, I am filing that under ‘yup, that’s some creepy anime bullshit‘.

Now onto the meta.

So Akane’s pissed people off again. And what she said is pretty fucked up. Like “I know your dead Mom better than you because I studied her“???

The thing is, she isn’t wrong. Like she shouldn’t have said it. Akane is good at reading people, but bad at communicating normally. But like.... she isn’t wrong.

Ruby has a very specific image of her mother. I’ve seen a lot of people comparing her to Aqua and how much more pure her love is. She called Ai “Mama“ and Aqua only ever used her name! He never got beyond seeing her as a sexy object.

This doesn’t ring true for me at all.

Ai was emotionally stunted and starved for love. Like a lot of teens in that position, she went looking for it in bad places. She became the idol of people who saw her as an object. She had children in hopes they’d give her a family.

This is actually a really common thing for teen moms, and the stories don’t usually turn out like Ai’s. Toddlers are dependent on their parents, but they don’t have empathy. They’re temperamental and selfish, they’ll kick and bite and yell that they hate you and you’re a bad mom. And that’s normal and natural! That’s part of being a kid! Aqua wanted Ai to have normal kids, but I think it’s somewhat lucky she got two kids who adored her so entirely.

To Ruby, Ai was perfect. Serena didn’t have present parents. She was a lonely dying kid, and Ai was everything she didn’t have. Ai was loved. She traveled, she could move her body like she wanted, she was beautiful and bright.

Even though Ruby wasn’t a ‘real’ child, I think Ai was entirely her mother. Serena attached to Gorou because he was there when her parents weren’t. Ai was Serena’s first chance to have a parent, and Ai seems to be this perfect being to her. Only now, as she reaches the age Ai was and experiences the intense emotions of coming into adulthood, she’s starting to wonder if maybe Ai was unhappy too. She never once considers that Ai would want the world to know about her kids. To her, Ai was the perfect idol, and anything that threatens that is disrespectful to Ai.

But that wasn’t what Ai wanted. We know now she felt stifled by her image and wanted to share her true self. I was particularly hit by the short story where one of Ai’s Idol co-starts deletes a vulnerable message from Ai, wishing for friendship. She can’t stand seeing Ai as a vulnerable, full person and wants to protect Ai’s image as the perfect idol.

I don’t mean to say Ruby’s love of Ai is any less, but she very much feels like a child who isn’t fully ready to see her mother as a person. I think there’s some happiness for her in being an idol, but I think it’s tragic. I see people wishing it could just be a sweet manga about a daughter chasing her dream to feel connected to her mother, but... I think some of those people miss the point of what being an idol means in this story. Ai became an idol to learn to love and be loved, and found herself isolated and fake. Ruby chases a sick girl’s dream and the connection idoldom gives her to the two adults that first showed her love, but we’re seeing that she’s putting that over the relationships she has now. She’s chasing the same dream of perfect love and sabotaging her relationship with everyone in her life to get it.

Now for Aqua’s feelings.

I think it matters a lot to learn about Gorou’s family situation. His life story is one of feeling he failed to protect women. And it’s made him real weird.

His mom died having him and like... lots of kids feel guilty for that, but he spent his whole childhood being blamed for it. Serena is the only genuine connection we saw him making and, by the way her carried that badge, I don’t think it’s just that his other connections weren’t on screen. He saw somebody else who wasn’t loved and did his best to be there for her. And watched her die again.

The crush on Ai is HELLA CREEPY, but, at the end of the day, he didn’t hit on her or put his feelings first. He focused on her health, and, when he was reincarnated, his thought was “good, now I can protect her“. He didn’t see her as a mother, but, unlike Ruby, he saw her as vulnerable. He wanted to protect his ‘fake‘ mother in a way he hadn’t been able to protect his real one, in the way he hadn’t been able to protect Serena, and he failed in the most brutal way. We see in his panic attack that he still feels like the responsible adult that should have been able to protect her, that Ai was a young woman under his care, AND that part of him feels like the scared five year old who was so small and tiny when a grown-ass man stabbed his mother in front of him.

It’s also defined the rift between the twins. Ruby sees herself as a victim, trapped on the other side of the glass as somebody took away her beloved mother, and who is still being shut out. Aqua sees himself as complicit, somebody who’d promised to protect Ai, that watched her get stabbed and bleed out. Ruby wants to protect her mother’s secrets and the perfect image Ai gave everything to, Aqua wants the world to know the human woman behind the image.

And it’s made Aqua weird around women. He doesn’t want Ruby or Akane or Kana to be another woman he fails to protect. He shuts them out, lies, and denies them agency to protect himself from losing them again. I think it’s also telling that, even though revenge was his reason for living as a child, when he thought he didn’t need to get revenge anymore, he wasn’t lost and without purpose, he was happy. (And declared he would now dedicate his life to protecting Akane, a chance to succeed where he’s always failed) He isn’t clinging to his revenge, he’s caught in the overwhelming feeling of helplessness and failure.

Akane is good at reading people. Kana and Ruby are both very much teens. Aqua’s actions are inexplicable and infuriating. Akane knows what’s up. She doesn’t know how to deal with it, but she knows what’s up. Aqua isn’t a baffling enigma, he’s a fucked up dude on a downward spiral.

She’s not trying to stop him from killing his dad because Murdering a Serial Killer is Bad. She’s straight up offered to help kill him. But she and the director are the only people who have picked up exactly how much Aqua hates himself, and that he very well might plan to die to do this. Aqua doesn’t think he deserves to be happy! He doesn’t value his own life! Shit is dire!

Aqua saved her, and is probably one of the few people she can truly talk to. Akane is a socially awkward weirdo who’s too smart for her age, and Aqua appreciates it and plays on her level. She’s emotionally clumsy and accidentally cruel, but I think she’s right that Ruby isn’t seeing her mother as a full person yet (which is normal for a teen! especially a deeply traumatized teen) and she’s right that, if left unchecked, Aqua will destroy himself because he feels like he deserves it.

Like, I totally get thinking Kana and Aqua are more romantically compatible, but right now, Aqua desperately needs somebody who can call him on his bullshit. I’m so sick of people hating on Akane for not being blindly supportive on what is pretty clearly a complicated suicide attempt.

[loverofallthingssmart]

PLEASE UNLEASH your hadestown demons!!!!!

unleash my hadestown demons is right this is a BEAST thank you very much ive satisfied the brain worms by dumping all my thoughts under the cut

first off. the beauty of live theatre allows for so much nuance and beauty to demonstrated so i cant even begin to cover all the things that could make me insane its so wonderful i love live theatre everyone should watch at least one live theatre production i believe it will solve at least one problem they have

the tragedy of it all!! its a sad song but we sing it anyway, in hopes that we hope that orpheus doesn't turn. but he will. bc he loves eurydice so much so he went down to the underworld to save her.

guys. the repeated, cyclical nature of everything. its an old tale from way back when and its a sad song but they sing it anyway. the point of hadestown is the HOPE of it all wait theres an article (https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/theatre/anais-mitchell-hadestown-west-end-broadway-b1134613.html) regarding mitchell's thoughts on orpheus that make me insane im gonna paste a quote here:

"If Hadestown has a moral, she says, then it’s “you have to try, you have to have hope, not because success is a given – it’s not. Orpheus fails. We heroicise” – here she breaks off to apologise that jet lag has led to her making up words – “we heroicise Orpheus not because he succeeds but because he tries, and that endeavour alone is worthwhile. How to live, and not merely survive, is to believe things could change.” ARE U KIDDING ME OURGHH

which brings me to the topics of like. climate change and capitalism that the play discusses its so good. the fact that there's no spring or fall, only summers and winter because of persephone's absences, how "is it true" is just a song abt labor protests red carnations are a symbol of love and passion yes, but in germany theyre a symbol of the working class protest. its SO important hades has just created an industrial revolution, has built a wall, has workers work forever, "why we build the wall" is soooo incredible "hey little songbird" "chant" all the songs that take place IN hadestown itself are sooo gritty so despondent in a way its insane.

theres another article that discusses sm of it AND discusses like portrayals of persephone that i REALLY like. im gonna paste it here PLEASE read it it has so much good stuff from a classics person regarding it and OURGH too good

orpheus's "to the world we dream about" but then also "the one we live in now" like oh.okay. im NORMAL….

if u noted every single lalala in hadestown it would be 6 min long. the leitmotif oh i am so normal actually.

okay im not rlly a music person i call myself music adjacent bc my two closest friends r music ppl LMAOJDHJS but like. the first time u hear eurydice say "i do" i.e what you say to seal a marriage is after she tells orpheus she signed the papers. she does not say "i do" in the entireity of wedding song, where they talk abt their nuptials. she says "i do" in informing orpheus she cant come up with him. that she chose this life (or death i guess) of her own doing. isnt that vile….

in wedding song she goes "is he always like this" and hermes responds but then in "a gathering storm" she asks the same question to no response.. idk what's there but something is there.

hermes being the narrator thats involved in the play is SOOOO delicious for my brain, the way he switches between a character involved in orpheus and eurydice getting together, invested in their relationship to a all-knowing narrator who knows the end bc he sees this every time.

there's this sense that only orpheus and eurydice do not know they r in a repeated play. which heightens their love at first sight, the "i feel like i know u but ive just met you" OHHHHH my god.

the original nytw script having orpheus say "ur early. i missed u." directly paralleling hades and persephone but in a different context because OHHHHMYGOD and not even that but the fact that mitchell took it out bc she believed it engaged the brain when the moment should only directly engage the heart. so she had the lovers say each other's name. one last time. im soooo normal

also this is bc one time i was thinking abt hadestown and mitski's remember my name played so . just that song in the context of hadestown is SOOOO bc like. like. how eurydice couldn't rmbr herself when she became a worker but orpheus went down to save her and she remembered.

when he turns back and says.

"it's you" "it's me"

^ are you fucking kidding me. the sort of disbelief the happiness the love the incoming grief im inconsolable.

when orpheus turns back, eurydice says his name w so much joy SO MUCH JOY she is not upset at him. "what was there to complain of, except that she'd been loved?" <- quote from metamorphoses

like yes we wish orpheus doesnt turn around but at the end of the day, orpheus is still the trusting guy he was in the beginning. EURYDICE on the other hand KNOWS how cruel the world is and chooses to trust orpheus anyway. but. "it's a tragedy" and doubt creeps in. part of the tragedy lies in the fact that eurydice, "all ive ever known is to hold my own" eurydice runs after him w open arms, chooses to trust him, chooses to follow the trial, and he still turns around. BECAUSE he loves her ohhhmygod im so normal

obligatory mention to the fact that orpheus could never finish the song he was working on because it was a duet. like okay lol. im fine im normal hahahahaha are u fucking kidding me.

hades and orpheus are mirrors, there r two relationships in the musical obviously and it is clear theyre mirrors of each other even w/o the original script line but like.

hades gives orpheus the test that he himself goes through every spring. hades is the villain of the story yes but he is not evil. he gives orpheus the same trial, sees that if orpheus can judge him for losing faith in his wife through the course of their relationship, let's put his romantic nature to the test. let's see if he can feel the absence of his love and keep going. and he cant. bc orpheus has never had to learn how to fend for himself. so when u take away his support system, when u take anyone's support system, how is he, how r we supposed to succeed?

just. the song "how long" encapsulates hades and persephone's relationship SO WELL. "the girl means nothing to me." "i know. but she means EVERYTHING to him" the fact that this is the first time we persephone REFUSE a drink bc shes had enough oh were SOMBER somber the way the whole song just parallels itself and every verse GOD.

the love was there. the hope was there. its a sad song. its a love song.

every single time before they leave. every time they're on stage, eurydice is in front of orpheus. he trusts that she is before him and she never doubts that he is there. it is when their positions change, him in front and her behind that he bends. it is then that doubt comes in.

those r just the like the thoughst of the music and themes itself we can talk abt the ppl and the live play now:

so first. can we talk abt this we need to talk abt for reeve carney's last show the original orpheus his last show he didnt turn back. he and eurydice lived they passed the trial. sorry that makes me so insane bc like. imagine u play orpheus. doomed to a lifetime of looking back at ur lover and your final show, u finally get to stay. oh im very normal i just love the nuances of live theatre!!! what a send off!!!!

THEN we can talk abt how eva and solea play PERFECT eurydices, full of grit and used to the cruel nature of the world. and how lola tung i feel is a DECENT singer but shes not a eurydice shes so light and soft but idk. who am i to say.

also the soundtrack is just SO incredible so is the set design there's not a single ounce of stage space that is wasted like there are so many nuances like i cant even talk abt all that there is my FAVORITE musical for SOOO many reasons ough.

yeah i think that's it. this took me MULTIPLE hours and i feel drained abt talking abt all this. WOW i love hadestown not normal amounts. i can't die before i see this live its one of my goals i just need to see it live on broadway.

[gogglebeast]

How has the lore of your characters and world changed over time? Are there any changes that were particularly large, or did you tend to build onto it gradually?

Also, which character of yours do you have the most fun drawing?

KVROII!! THIS IS A REALLY GOOD ASK THANK YOU! It's definitely changed and matured over time- I'd say that most of the changes have been gradual and built upon? Rather than have big things I needed to change once I found something that worked better, I tended to be the sort who would just have big blanks where puzzle pieces were missing, that one day something would click, fill that blank, and suddenly make way more sense. (For example, I knew there was ~some lab~ that Julian worked at and that Jawz had run ins with for years before I found out the name- it didn't have a placeholder until that point, but I was really happy when I learned it was called Spectrum!) So less 'oh suddenly I had a better idea and have to change Everything' and more 'oh, I just got some details and the very simple understanding I had of X has now become way more nuanced, that makes SENSE'?

Likewise, some of the changes are both my understanding growing, but also characters or events growing, too- Julian was and still is a bastard, but he's had a chance to show other facets of himself, too- facets that were always there, but obscured through the prevailing circumstances around him. (It's harder to see someone's soft side when they didn't really have any strong friendships at the time to show that softer side through, you know?)

ALSO GOSH THAT'S HARD, it definitely varies, but I love drawing Julian, love coloring Lane (his hair is so fun for me), and when I'm in an animal mood, I often default towards Kaerith or Zeon- but I think I have most fun when I have a specific idea for a thing I want to get down and can do that!

[coconutwaterbending]

10 characters | 10 fandoms | 10 tags (we'll see about that last one) I haven't made a text post in so long how's everyone doing. Thank you, rj (@sidprescot), for the tag! This was a nice surprise. :)

Gosh do I have a type and they're all Old Men and Tragic Ladies my beloved. Let's go!! 1. Varric Tethras (Dragon Age 2): he shot right through my heart with that crossbow THE LITERAL SECOND he came on screen and I've been cursing Bioware ever since. He is a nonromanceable short king and I have never wanted anyone more thx. 2. Nakmor Drack (Mass Effect Andromeda): the Tempest Crew is so freaking charming, and while I love my jelly fish cat aliens the Angara, my favorite character is absolutely this old cantakerous grandpa Krogan. Whom, much like Wrex, I wish I could romance. (p.s. there is a TEASE of a flirt option and u can imagine how little that helped my case) 3. Spock (literally every Star Trek iteration): He is my Everything. Nemoy, Quinto, and Peck all bring something unique to the character's portrayal. I love him in every universe and I can never get enough of this EMOTIONALLY COMPROMISED NERD.

4. Alicent Hightower (House of the Dragon): one half of my divorced lesbinems and I feel so much for her and the tragedy/complexity of both her character and the heartwrenching slow decay of her r/s with Rhaenyra. I cannot wait for S2. 5. Aerith Gainsborough (Final Fantasy VII): ooooough, beautiful, tragic, kind, funny, cool flower seller of my life. Remake!Aerith particularly stole my heart along with the show. There is this sad, beguiling mystery about her that draws you in, and she is so cheerful in spite of it all. I can't wait for Rebirth but also I am terrified lol. 6. Yennefer of Vengerberg (The Witcher): "How ravishing she is, he thought. Everything about her is ravishing. And menacing. Those colours of hers; that contrast of black and white. Beauty and menace. Her raven-black, natural curls. Her cheekbones, pronounced, emphasising a wrinkle, which her smile – if she deigned to smile – created beside her mouth, wonderfully narrow and pale beneath her lipstick…" I mean. C'mon. That is MY WIFE etc, copy paste rj's exact blurb. Anya Chalotra is the perfect Yen. She is everything and deserves the world and I will glady let her burn it all down and murder me if she wants to. 7. Zero (Final Fantasy XIV): [Endwalker patch spoilers!] who doesn't love an autistic badass goth half-human half-voidsent who has lived as a monster for so long she forgot her own identity and is learning how to be human again and finding her humanity via the power of friendship and delicious food, like. I needed more of her and I miss her already!!!

8. Kim Wexler (Better Call Saul): omg so hard to pick just one from this show (ilu nacho), but Kim Wexler SUCKER PUNCHES U IN THE THROAT with her awesomeness. She is this extremely competent, understated cool, calculating yet caring and earnest character who compliments Jimmy so well and whose nuances her amazing actress Rhea Seehorn manages to convey so masterfully. She is also tragic af, but hello it's Breaking Bad prequel lol. On that note... 9. Kim Kitsuragi (Disco Elysium): DOUBLE KIM WHAMMY!!! They're so alike it's not even funny. I'd say Kim has the stronger moral center between the two, but I love them for many of the same reasons. He is also extremely competent, understated cool, with a side of being totally game for Harry's antics once he warms up to him (my Harry build was 'himbo' so he did a lot of dumb shit but he was nice). 10. Irving Bailiff (Severance): firstable, if you haven't seen Severance yet, please do yourself the favor and don't let me spoil this for u!! Irving Bailiff is an Experience. He is a stickler for the rules and very much a stick in the mud compared to his colleagues, but his true self leaks into this version of himself slowly at first, then in surprising bursts of rebellion that become clear at the end when it is shown that his Outtie/true self is actively trying to bring Lumon down like a TOTAL FUCKING BADASS in the most delightful reveal. Also he has a whirlwind romance with another old man played by Christopher Walken.

phew!! this was fun. lol @ my answers getting longer. I'm not tagging anyone but consider this an invitation to join in on the fun anyway!

[thepermanentrainpress]

REVIEW: STARS ON ICE AT ROGERS ARENA - MAY 18, 2023

Of the four cast numbers, my favourite was the sentimental “To Build a Home” that preceded intermission. It really solidified Browning’s role as a guide and respected leader in the sport as he individually embraced each skater/pair at song’s end. The pairs and ice dancers had a brief spotlight, and the number felt warm and nuanced. 

It was Madeline Schizas’ first full tour, and I enjoyed her skates to “Don’t Rain on My Parade” and “Everybody Wants to be a Cat.” I really think Stars On Ice has been beneficial for Schizas to work on her expression in a low stress environment. It was nice to see her embrace her playful side (cat ears and all!). She also has some very impressive spins! Patrick Chan was a crowd favourite, having called Vancouver home for the past six years. In his tour return for the first time in four years, he didn’t show much rust to “Wicked Game” and “I Hear a Symphony.” He’s such a staple in Canadian figure skating, and the ‘Pchiddy’ appreciation was evident in the room. 

Keegan Messing performed a redux of this season’s short program to “Grace Kelly” and a skate to Tophouse’s “The Mountain Song.” His quick footwork and spins were in full force, as was his unwavering warm spirit. I will miss Messing on the national team, and hope he continues to do ice shows while spending time with his beautiful family, who figure skating fans have grown to know from afar. 

World Bronze medalists Piper Gilles & Paul Poirier were sensational in their “Evita” and “Annie’s Song/Thank God I’m a Country Boy” routines. I’d watched them many times on television from this season, but nothing compares to the live event. They were fighters this season, notably Gilles after a surgery to remove a cancerous tumour in the winter. Their poise and ability to transform into character is something I always admire, which extends into their “Evita” bows towards the audience. 

Alexa Knierim & Brandon Frazier are coming off their best season yet. Their throw jumps and height on the triple twist are outstanding! They performed their exhibition routine to “Shallow” and short program “Separate Ways (Worlds Apart).” Their steady and sure demeanor was on display, and I was happy to see them skate in-person. One of my favourite skates of the night was Alissa Czisny’s “Chasing Cars.” It was proof that you don’t need jumps to make a program special. She used the song (version by Tommee Profitt and Fleurie) to emote through movement, graceful skating and spins that spanned the ice. The cover song had a really cinematic build that Czisny used to her advantage. 

Jason Brown is having the most fun on tour, uncontested. His Backstreet Boys routine was a joy. In an all-white ensemble, Brown even demonstrated ‘the worm’ on the ice, among some impressive jump splits. Even his bows had energy, with waving and jumping abound. In his Act II skate to “The Impossible Dream,” I was reminded of his gorgeous triple jumps, some of, if not the best, on tour. As a side note, I had a brief interaction with Brown as the skaters arrived at the rink, and he could not have been friendlier! 

Satoko Miyahara was a returning cast member from last year. Her elegance and interpretation of the music was stunning to watch. “Jenny of Oldstones” and “Ne me quitte pas” were her programs of choice, and I can confidently say her elegance is missed on the circuit. There’s a confidence and calmness in how she glides on ice, and I hope she’ll continue to be a mainstay in the cast. 

A breakout season for Belgium’s Loena Hendrickx, we were graced with her presence in her debut Canadian tour. As girls behind me whistled and hollered “get it, girl!” Hendrickx skated to Britney Spears’ “Circus” and Loni’s “Loneliness.” She had attitude and was fierce, and it’s easy to see why she will continue to be a top contender next season. Her arms overhead jumps are flawless! Madison Chock & Evan Bates are technically immaculate, if we didn’t know already from their consistently high scores in competition. Their performance is also top notch, and they’re very innovative skaters in their lines and elements. Their skate to “Nightcall” was a highlight (the chemistry!), and I was excited to see #ChockBates in action for the first time! 

Elvis Stojko’s bringing old school rock back. Skating to Shinedown and Van Halen, Stojko looked casual and collected with hands in his pockets, denim and black fingerless gloves. His mature and slightly edgy presence is always popular, drawing favourable cheers from the crowd. Even though he ended his competitive career over twenty years ago, he still has a power in his skating that is magnetic to watch. He joined Browning for an interactive skate as friendly rivals to “Raise a Little Hell,” where they sported matching shirts in admiration of each other. They joked about who was supposed to give the music to production (“on cassette”), did a quick bout of the chicken dance, and still had a raw synchronicity. Truly a memorable duo with heartfelt words of their memories together on tour.  

Kurt Browning received too many (well deserved) standing ovations to count! His animated personality shone and I loved the extra long looks he’d direct at the crowd in his skates. It felt personal. Skating to “Please Forgive Me” and “Who Are You,” his smooth skating ability is unparalleled. Yes, there are still jumps, and a backflip too! His aura is just so pleasant and it felt like a night celebrating Browning, with multiple montages or clips of his past performances played throughout the night. 

I loved the costumes! Between the gold-detailed military inspired fits for The Killers’ “All These Things That I’ve Done,” to the rainbow pop of colour in the closing routine to “Brand New.” And, who could forget the sleek James Bond outfits - black suits and metallic dresses that screamed ‘diamonds are forever.’ They complimented the music well, and many of the skaters brought their pre-loved, familiar outfits from their signature skates this season.  

You can tell the cast enjoyed each other’s company, sharing camaraderie and grace towards the encouraging audience. Browning is leaving behind an unmatched legacy, but Stars On Ice remains in good hands. 

Written by: Chloe Hoy Photographed by: Timothy Nguyen

[blysse-and-blunder]

I posted 6,790 times in 2022

That's 346 more posts than 2021!

58 posts created (1%)

6,732 posts reblogged (99%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@leitharstjarna

@masteroffoolhardyplans

@knifepadme

@fade-steppin

@dying-suffering-french-stalkers

I tagged 2,104 of my posts in 2022

#the untamed - 287 posts

#art - 204 posts

#cql - 179 posts

#the untamed fanart - 165 posts

#mdzs - 87 posts

#goncharov - 86 posts

#the goncharoverse - 74 posts

#unreality cw - 63 posts

#postry - 53 posts

#ilcb - 47 posts

Longest Tag: 129 characters

#‘you’re right i did need to see that’ ‘if you share the link i can watch from here!’ ‘i missed this but that’s so cool thank you’

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

in lieu of a moon cake

aug 29 - sept 11, 2022

where have the ilcb posts been the last four weeks, i hear you cry? well genuinely, the end of summer took me and i wandered out of time and thought. did watch the moon rise rich and golden last night, though, so--on balance--we're doing just fine.

reading finished my ancillary justice re-read this morning and i got so much more out of it the second time, newly attuned to the little differences between this and all the other space opera i've been enjoying. also finished obernewtyn (isobel carmodie), one of the growing list of YA sci/fantasy i'm catching up on using libby. spent a lot of last week reading or what you will, jo walton, which i think i will have more to say about when i finish it, and listening to ann leckie's the raven tower as an audiobook on various commutes-- perhaps not the best medium for it, but the reader's absolutely eating the accent work which does liven things up. i also acquired a romance novel from @dimir-charmer which is Certainly Something, not quite up to the level of some of the classics @pandolfo-malatesta would review but which has made me say out loud 'stop using that word, i do not think it means what you think it means!' every time this poor author tries to call someone 'contemporaries.'

listening so i know we all remember (for better or worse) passenger's 'let her go' from 2013 or whenever, but i have very specific tender feelings and memories attached to that whole album. a recent re-listen, followed by a tour through his recent, extensive new discography (like five albums since i last checked, holy shit), has shown me that i'm not even remotely capable of being objective, but i do think? that none of the new stuff has grabbed me? like it all sounds consistent, it all sounds, uh, the same, and the nuances and things i can pick out in the tracks from all the little lights (2012) or hell even whisper (2014) are just...not discernible (is this just a question of production)(possibly). to quote one of the new songs, uh, it leaves me cold? whereas 'feather on clyde' is still revealing and teaching me new things to get teary-eyed about (this time it was the line 'well god knows that i've failed, but he knows that i've tried'), and just...plus the string duet at the opening of 'things that stop you dreaming,' the way it builds up so, so sweetly, the lyrics taking you by surprise by leaving no breaks or breaths until the chorus, playing with pace and rhythm--still not tired of it.

watching i spent most of last week cycling between 'sandman', 'doulou continent', and 'oath of love', with a brief detour to the mdzs donghua with @hematiterings as per us-- sandman is good, though i haven't finished it. i got to the death episode and did briefly cry actual human tears about the old violinist and the young honeymooners, only to have the rest of the episode with its chronological humor (reminding me of ep 3 of 'good omens', what with the 'let's put our cast in several different centuries and enjoy what that does to their hair', thank you neilman) give me slight emotional whiplash. the problem with my cdrama habit is that, especially with duolou continent, i've had a hard time believing i've seen as many episodes as i actually have (also viki is...incapable of keeping my place) so i tend to back up to whichever episode number sort of feels right? which means i've seen episodes 11-15 like three times each. at least now i'm getting people's names.

playing finished up summer and fall of year two in stardew, won the grange fair and the ice fishing contest now that it's winter, and just bought a duck! (her name is fern)

making i think the garden is fading, we're still harvesting tomatoes but a lot of the leaves have turned yellow and crinkly, meanwhile the squash (?) vines have all withered except for one, perplexingly round little green squash (?) with a few nibbles out of it courtesy of the neighborhood fauna. when do i pluck it? is it still...getting anything out of being on its vine?

working on *cue panicked laughter* chapter 1! also that presentation / conference paper based on chapter-1-or-possibly-the-old-book-practicum! also that presentation based on chapter-2-or-possibly-chapters-1-and-2-OR-possibly-the-diss-proposal! with all the complaining i've done to various friends and colleagues, its no wonder there's not been any. further writing. distracting myself by insisting on doing things for the incoming students, which has been very fun and diverting since they are cute and much easier to help.

20 notes - Posted September 11, 2022

#4

in lieu of a break

10pm, sept 25, 2022

the title is a lie, today and yesterday have both been breaks in their own ways! but the days do start coming and they really don't stop coming, do they. kay @girlfriendsofthegalaxy did a really nice couple of posts not long ago explaining the Theory of her tuesdayposts, to which i have only to add that-- i think for me these are turning into a steam valve, where i let out whatever is happening in my head that has built up over the past little while; they are analytical or creative endeavors in their own way, sometimes, but i mainly write them for myself and my own recall (so that i can go back and check out what i wrote about first watching the untamed, for example, please see iclb 2 or 3 from way back), and to keep track of my days. which is going to mean they aren't Reviews or really Criticism, though i may dabble in both, and any enjoyment or enlightenment anyone else gets out of reading these is incidental. for this one, it's a real head empty no thoughts list of titles, so hold on to your butts let's go.

reading the big mention here is that i just finished susanna clarke's piranesi, which i didn't know how to feel about until like 30% of the way in, and then began to enjoy quite a bit as the whole conceit became clearer, and then found...melancholy but beautiful by the end. honorable mentions over the past mumblemumble weeks to (checks storygraph): squire by tamora pierce (reread), ancillary justice by ann leckie (also a reread); the raven tower (not a reread, also by ann leckie--though i still haven't finished it); and the duchess romance which i did finish mostly out of morbid curiosity.

watching strangely this will be the largest section for once! the escapism has been strong lately-- and there have been many excellent movie and tv show friendship opportunities. in reverse order, i have now seen two episodes of the new netflix bee and puppycat and find it delightful if inscrutable; i have now seen two episodes of the second season of fate: a winx saga also on netflix which i found less delightful, even more inscrutable (since i hadn't seen the first season or the previous show, lmao) but extremely funny to watch alongside more deeply invested jammies; i have now seen the first three episodes of andor and found diego luna as charming as ever; i have now seen the prestige (2006) and it did lodge in my brain in the way only very rare movies do; i have now seen the newest three (?) episodes of star trek: lower decks and did think the most recent one with the recruiting booth and the rutherford memories plotline to be incredible star trek and some of the best lower deck stuff yet; i did make my housemates watch a double-feature of the princess diaries (2001) and the princess diaries 2: royal engagement (2004), which were extremely fun and also wild opportunities for early- oughts media criticism and an in-depth examination of the portrayal of hereditary monarchy (and on the heels of qe 2's death, no less);

See the full post

20 notes - Posted September 25, 2022

#3

In lieu of a commonplace book: summer nights

begun 9pm, monday, july 25, 2022 continued 11pm, monday, august 1

this post is like a week overdue, and has been tricky to write because i've had such high hopes for it. because this post? full of things that sparked joy. so i want to do them justice! finally finished a bunch of books, finally started listening to some new music which has been so good for my mood; it's felt like (last week and this weekend in particular) there's been novelty and enrichment in my enclosure. wrote my way into something i think i can now be happy with, at least; it's long, but it's true, and i can be grateful for the small victories.

reading i want to commemorate the fact that, somehow, i ended up finishing hilary mantel's the mirror and the light on the exact day, july 28, that it ends-- *spoilers* the anniversary of cromwell's death *spoilers*-- which given that i probably started reading it like 18 months ago at this point, feels absolutely fated. also if you're laughing at the fact that i felt the need to spoiler that, just know that i didn't know he died at the end. also, didn't know his involvement in the anne of cleves marriage! also didn't quite know political the kathryn howard marriage was-- but of course it must have been, had to have been. the last, oh, maybe 100 pages of this book, where it all starts to unravel, were the most engaging of the whole thing. i think the goal for the book, the intended tone, was this slowly mounting sense of melancholy, or of fatigue, of things falling apart, but it didn't translate to suspense or tension or uhhh pathos for me, except for maybe a few brief chunks in the last five pages that were then overwritten by how...tacky the last few lines were? i wish i could say that my feelings upon finishing this book were more than just, well thank goodness that's over. i think this one was a victim of its predecessors' success, in the sense that-- it took what i liked or what worked from the first two, and overdid it.

in contrast, and what an interesting world it is that i ended up getting to read these two in conversation, my loan for victoria goddard's the hands of the emperor came in on july 18 and, despite being actually longer than mirror and the light i have already finished it, and in fact started it over again from the beginning immediately. it...stunned me a little to think about the broad similarities between these two, but think about it: two main characters who are, essentially, self-made men who worked in and through governmental policies to change the world on behalf of a monarch ruling with the force of state and church and tradition, whose succession is a Big Issue and whose temperament, for better or worse, makes all the difference. i wouldn't say that's necessarily what hote is actually *about*, but putting it out like that was a fun thought-experiment.

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22 notes - Posted August 2, 2022

#2

in lieu of a commonplace book has fans??

8 pm, july 11, 2022

wow y'all . in the last week i've been tagged in three (three? 3!!) other weekly roundup post from... loyal readers, what the fuck. friends!! first, i love that this series has been entertaining for literally anyone apart from its intended audience (i.e. future me). indescribable feeling. second, feeling flattered but dismayed by the folks who say they have never liked or commented on an ilcb post, but have apparently been reading them this whole time. wild. i had...no idea. you are all hereby empowered to engage, if you'd like (which i'd like!), and i'll do the same on yours! i love this for you guys. please revel in all the things you like and the delights that are you.

now, this post is delayed (again), because as much as i like to have them published on weekends, weekends are also where i tend to get the material i talk about. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ read on for some discussion of stranger things s4 episodes 1-5, and an extremely goofy medieval-renaissance video game. mild spoilers for the lloyd alexander novel the black cauldron.

reading i finished lloyd alexander's the black cauldron after having lingered on the last 3 pages for like....multiple weeks. (i thought there was more to go, but it turned out the last few pages were a preview of the last book.) i know a lot of people in welsh / celtic studies have nostalgia for these books but at the same time may or may not actually like them, because of the way they play with characters or lore from the Four Branches. personally i'm kind of into it? i didn't read them as a kid, so i don't have nostalgia per se-- i'm into the fact that i can recognize things, tone or theme as much as substance, and that i can imagine reading this aloud and enjoying the pronunciations and inspiring whatever children might be listening. also, the change from the first book to this one, and the changes made between this book and the movie, made me really enjoy this book. i liked adaon, and i was okay with the presence of ellidyr (he's very consistent with the spirit of efnysien, if not the reality, which could also be said about most of the book). i was...almost ecstatic about the way it wasn't gurgi, in the end, it just made so much more sense this way. this falls into the same category of reading YA fantasy i missed as a kid, initiated by the dianna wynne jones books and alison croggon's books of pellinor last year, and contrasts interestingly with the tamora pierce reread i've been doing.

listening a weird mashup of the a short hike soundtrack and the reddit manwhore playlist , because work and focus has continued to be. weird and challenging. the video game 'energizing but also focus' music is usually helpful but i nearly dozed off at my desk yesterday. still, i like that i've discovered a new game ost (owlboy) which is a lot of fun. do i know anything about the game? no! i'll have to investigate it.

watching episodes 1-5 of stranger things season 4. i'm not...having as much fun with this season as i remember having with season 3? it's something about how spread out and disconnected the cast are (they split the party ☹️) and partly also, that... as the kids have grown up, the differences in acting skill level have become more obvious. i just...have so much more fun watching joe keery and sadie sink and millie bobbie brown do their things, than i do the rest of them? the fact that david harbour basically doesn't get to speak for these whole first five episodes (plus the fact that his whole story line is just not that interesting?) feels like such a waste. a lot of what they give joyce and robin to say also feel like a waste? murray is fun but like...he's light comic relief now. what happened. the first episode of this season felt like it had a coherent vision with the dnd / hellfire stuff, but it's diffused a lot at this point. though i do giggle like a maniac when they so earnestly name-drop vecna-- having listened to crit role campaign one, i go 'oh hey i know him!' every time. i guess the thing for me is, i've always come to this show for the way it imitates and references horror/80s thrillers/etc, for the loving callbacks, more than these things themselves. i don't want or need it to be like. actually these things. and the more it tries to be, the less fun i have?

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25 notes - Posted July 12, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

My dash did a thing I thought amusing

175 notes - Posted November 1, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[khizuo]

I think there’s a lot more nuance to your f1nn5ter take that’s missing simply because it doesn’t really take into account… how and why people use tumblr?

most people don’t use tumblr to try and advance queer liberation or promote social justice and mutual aid…. they use it for entertainment first and foremost. they want to post/see things that they enjoy, instead of focusing solely on real life issues. hell, tumblr can also be an ‘escape’ of sorts from the shitty reality around them (or that they personally experience)

so they just… don’t want to make their entire feed about those real life struggles, and doom posts about those trying to kill and erase them, and people asking for help to escape their shitty lives. it’s distressing and sad and not what they come to tumblr for. instead they focus on things that are more simple and lighthearted and positive, like a popular gnc streamer.

the point I’m trying to make here is that…. I don’t think you can accurately judge someone’s moral beliefs or actions based on their posting/reblogging habits, because for them this isn’t the moral beliefs website— that’s not what they’re here for. It might be for you, and that’s okay! but that’s not how it is for, id argue, the majority of users. they want a safe space away from that and i don’t think pressuring or shaming bloggers for doing that (/for not posting about [X] issue) is going to help anyone.

hi anon! if anyone out there following me uses tumblr as an escapism site™, then good for you. i'm commenting less on the moral character of individual people as i am on a general culture i've observed on the site as a whole. and the fact is: posts about how "revolutionary" f1nnster are get tens of thousands of notes while trans crowdfund posts struggle to get to a thousand.

the thing is — very few people on tumblr are completely removed from the reality of queer oppression. posts on the topic are frequently reblogged, because such a large part of the userbase is lgbtq. this is why f1nn is so popular on tumblr rn — people are upholding him as a shining example of gender-noncomformity. the problem comes when people (mostly tme queer people) start legitimately calling him more "revolutionary" than trans women because he's "challenging gender norms" or something. this completely ignores context — f1nnster is a popular wealthy white streamer, while transfemme folks often face disproportionate levels of violence and poverty, often as a direct result of coming out.

a lot of tumblr activism is performative. i'm not saying this in a "this makes xyz a bad person" kind of way, what i mean is that posts about social justice and hating capitalism and shit will blow up with the people reblogging them doing nothing to actually build material solidarity, which, yes, involves mutual aid and uplifting marginalized voices. now, i don't know everyone on tumblr, so I'm sure there are people who do mutual aid/organizing work offline and then come on here to exclusively fandompost. but i'm also sure there are people who don't do any mutual aid/organizing work and who then come on here to reblog a few social justice-y posts and then never think about concrete actions to take to actually live up to that which they say they care about. and these are very often the same people who will reblog a post about how "revolutionary" f1nnster is.

I know of plenty of people on tumblr who could participate in mutual aid but don't. this popular tumblr idea that crowdfunding posts are evil or whatever needs to die. it screams of liberalism and a "not my problem" attitude that is actively harmful towards goals of liberation. my complaints are about the performative leftism that I observe a lot on here, and how this culture of performative leftism has chosen f1nnster to uplift as its newest hero. and honestly, I'm more worried about trans poc and multi-marginalized folks who are struggling to get their basic needs met than i am of white and/or class-privileged queer people feeling bad about their escapism site™.

[richardsondavis]

I despise LGBT themed stories. It just icks me out. No way around it.

I've read some yaoi, yuri and other LGBT themed short comics from Line Webtoon and Pinterest and it still infuriates me.

There's this smugness emanating from those stories.

And I've been thinking about Jonathan Kent. I tried to entertain the idea that he'd be gay over Damian Wayne. Sounds good right?

I thought about it harder. And I found the idea utterly dumb and it isn't to my favor.

I'd say woke but I despise that term as it doesn't do the justice of defining what needs to be defined.

I found the addition of Jon Kent being bisexual as nothing more than modern day parading that the ones behind that story are good people.

But I am so certain it cannot be as obnoxious as the gay lesbian shit I see on Pinterest. OH.MY. FUCKING.GOD!!!!!!!!

So there's this series of comics. One panel comic which gets appended to this poster of comparing girls from different walks of life.

The comic portrays those women, from different walks of life as in a relationship in an effort to shove it to the man, as I interpret the reason for the artwork.

If ArchWarhammer was ever a comic, that'd be him. FYI, ArchWarhammer is an anti-progressive, pro-gatekeeping smug asshole and the fact that I think of him with the one panel comic is very telling. Both of them are smugness set to the highest degree.

Fucking bleeding hell on a stick! It lacks nuance! There we go! It lacks nuance.

Why'd they gotta go full gay on us? Jon Kent is an example. Taken that I have not yet read it and I intend to, on god's name I will. As soon as I find that issue. Pretty easy.

But lack of nuance. That's it. The Critical Drinker defines "wokeness" in the context of modern entertainment as a lack of nuance and I agree.

Arcane. Vi and Caitlyn. To me, if I was never into the lore of League and was very busy in collecting photos and artworks online of League where I also came to some artworks and stories that portrayed Vi and Caitlyn as lovers, I might've been turned off by it. I thought about that and I came to the conclusion that some of the lesbian romance artworks I've seen of the duo were never ArchWarhammer levels of smugness. It was sweet and was very lovey-dovey. A time before I realized that the one panel comics of women from different walks of life were smug and obnoxious.

I was not surprised when they showed that Vi had feelings for Caitlyn but it was done so subtly that someone who's not receptive would miss it. However, I am receptive and I thank destiny for introducing me to the concept of Vi x Caitlyn before I realized how much of the LGBT themed media was obnoxious.

There was this scene in The Critical Drinker's video about the definition of wokeness where he makes an observation as to how most LGBT romance in the Western media landscape as hopeful romance that sees the best of everyone while the straight romance was fucking toxic as fuck. No nuance at all.

There's this romance webtoon I've read called Under the Oak Tree. Was advertised to me via Instagram way back when and I am so fucking glad I read it. It was one of the best romance stories I have read so far. I always put Last Game as the top romance of all time for me, Last Game was a manga, shoujo that recently is getting adapted to a webtoon by someone else other than Line. Interesting tidbit there and Last Game was the one that made me blast Susan Egan's I won't say I'm in love. Fucking cried during the climax of that manga but Under the Oak Tree has supplanted Last Game as the best romance story I have read and I am glad to have read it. That story has nuance and great character building.

Nuance.

Maybe it's not the LGBT themes that I despise. Perhaps it's how the stories were executed. Perhaps I may be becoming homophobic due to bad storytelling. Imagine that. I still stand by my statement though. Until LGBT stories can become written less obnoxiously then I shall not be availing them nor will I be actively seeking them.

Funny thing is, the best comic I've seen on Tumblr so far was this yaoi comic about Twitter and Tumblr. It was the shit, man. I love that shit. It's the only dynamic where I will refuse to have it be a straight romance. It was just written so damn well. I'll see if I can post it in a reblog.

[thimbil]

Having some thoughts about the references and inspirations used for the Bad Batch’s designs.

So Boba Fett is my absolute favorite character and Temeura Morrison was perfect casting. I went to see the 2008 TCW movie in theaters because I was so excited to see him again, even if he was animated. You can imagine my disappointment. Whoever was on screen was not Temeura Morrison. You could sort of see a resemblance if you squinted and didn’t think too hard about it. They replaced Temeura with Racially Ambiguous G.I. Joe. If I didn’t know better and someone told me the animated clones are space Italians from the moon of New Jersey I would buy it. One Million Brothers Pizzeria and Italian Bistro. Not that there’s something wrong with being space Italian, I just don’t think it’s the right choice for the Fetts. The design got slightly improved by season 7 but it still bugs the hell out of me.

I did eventually get into the show later and (of course) got invested in the clones. Unfortunately, they were largely sidelined by the Jedi storylines. Out of the two new main characters created for TCW, Ahsoka definitely got more development and focus than Rex. When they announced The Bad Batch, I was excited to see a show specifically devoted to the clones… at least that’s what it said on the tin. We have all seen what lurks beneath those stylish helmets.

Jango Fett, you are NOT the father.

So who is?

Based on interviews with Filoni, it sounds like the Bad Batch was a George Lucas idea. And like all his ideas, it’s super derivative. The original trilogy directly lifted elements from sci fi serials, westerns, and samurai movies, more specifically Kurosawa films like The Hidden Fortress. For The Bad Batch character designs, the influence is obviously American action and adventure movies.

Now let’s get specific. Bad Batch, who’s your daddy?

Hunter

Sylvester Stallone as Rambo in First Blood 1982. That bandana has become an integral part of the iconic action hero look. You see a character wearing one and it’s a visual shorthand for either “this character is a tough guy” like Billy played by Sonny Landham in Predator 1987, or “this character thinks he is/wants to be a tough guy” like Brand played by Josh Brolin in The Goonies 1985 or Edward Frog played by Corey Feldman in The Lost Boys 1987.

Hunter’s model is closest to the original clone base. If you look closely you will see the eyebrows are straighter with a much lower angle to the arch. His nose is also not the same shape as a standard clone like Rex, including a narrower bridge. It’s certainly not Temeura Morrison’s nose. Remember what I said about space Italians? It didn’t take much to push the existing clone design to resemble an specific Italian man instead of a specific Māori man. The 23&Me came back, and Hunter inherited more than the bandana from Sylvester.

Crosshair

The long narrow nose, the sharp cheekbones, the scowl. That’s no clone, that’s just animated Clint Eastwood. Not even Young and Hot Clint Eastwood from Rawhide 1959-1965. With that hair, I’m talking Gran Torino 2008. The man of few words schtick and family friendly toothpick in lieu of cigar are pure Eastwood as The Man With No Name from Sergio Leone’s spaghetti westerns A Fist Full of Dollars 1964, For a Few Dollars More 1965, and The Good the Bad and the Ugly 1966.

In a way, this is full circle because the actor Jeremy Bulloch took inspiration from Clint Eastwood for his performance as Boba Fett in ESB.

Wrecker

In an interview Filoni lists the Hulk as an (obvious) inspiration for Wrecker. Ever seen the old Hulk tv show from 1978? Well take a look at the actor who played him, Lou Ferrigno. Would you look at that. Even has his papa’s nose.

You could make the argument that Wrecker was influenced by The Rock, an appropriately buff ‘n bald Polynesian (Samoan, not Maori) man. But look at him next his Fast and Furious costar Vin Diesel and tell me which one resembles Wrecker’s character model more.

Tech

Tech is a little trickier for me to place. If he has a more direct inspiration it must be something I haven’t seen. That said, his hairline is very Bruce Willis as John McClane in Die Hard 1988. His quippiness and large glasses remind me of Shane Black as Hawkins from Predator 1987. In terms of his face, he looks a but like the result of McClane and Hawkins deciding to settle down and start a family. Although, Tech’s biggest contributors are probably just everyone on TV Trope’s list for Smart People Wear Glasses.

And finally,

Echo

Oh Echo. Considering he wasn’t created for the Bad Batch, he probably wasn’t based on a particular character or movie. But if I had to guess, his situation and appearance remind me a lot of Alex Murphy played by Peter Weller in Robocop 1987. However, Robocop explored the Man or Machine Identity Crisis with more nuance, depth, and dignity. Yikes.

The exact tropes and references used in The Bad Batch have been done successfully with characters who aren’t even human. Gizmo from Gremlins 2: The New Batch 1990 had a brief stint with the Rambo bandana. I could have picked any number of characters for Defining Feature Is Glasses but here is the most cursed version of Simon of Alvin and the Chipmunks. Suffer as I have. Marc Antony with his beloved Pussyfoot from Looney Tunes has the same tough guy with a soft center vibe as Wrecker and his Lula (also a kind of cat). Hell, in the same show we have Cad Bane sharing Cowboy Clint Eastwood with Crosshair. I actually think Bane makes a better Eastwood which is wild considering Crosshair has Eastwood’s entire face and Bane is blue.

So we’ve established you don’t need your characters to look exactly like their inspirations to match their vibe. So why go through the trouble and cost of creating completely new character designs instead of recycling and altering assets they already had on hand? Just slap on a bandana, toothpick, goggles, and make Wrecker bigger than the others while he does a Hulk pose and you’re done. Based on the general reaction to Howzer it would have been a low effort slam dunk crowd pleaser.

But they didn’t do that.

So here’s the thing. I like the tropes used in The Bad Batch. I am a fan of action adventure movies from the 80s-90s, the sillier the better. I am part of the Bad Batch’s target audience. Considering what I know about Disney and Lucasfilm, I went in with low expectations. I genuinely don’t hate the idea of seeing references to these actors and media in The Bad Batch. I don’t think basing these characters on tropes was a bad idea. If anything it’s a solid starting point for building the characters.

The trouble is nothing got built on the foundation. The plot is directionless, the pacing is wacky, and the characters have nearly no emotional depth or defining character arcs. They just sort of exist without reacting much while the story happens around them. But I can excuse all of that. You don’t stay a fan of Star Wars as long as I have not being able to cherrypick and fill in the gaps. This show has a deeper issue that shouldn’t be ignored.

Why do the animated clones bear at best only a passing resemblance to their live action actor? In interviews, Filoni wouldn’t shut up but the technological advancements in the animation for season 7. So if they are updating things, why not try to make the clones a closer match to their source material? Why did they have to look like completely different people in The Bad Batch to be “unique”? Looking like Temeura Morrison would have no bearing on their special abilities and TCW proved you can have identical looking characters and still have them be distinct. In fact, that’s a powerful theme and the source of tragedy for the clones’ narrative overall.

Here’s Filoni’s early concept art of Crosshair, Wrecker, Tech, and Hunter. (Interesting but irrelevant: Wrecker seems to have a cog tattoo similar to Jesse’s instead of a scar. Wouldn’t it have been funny if they kept that so when they met in season 7 one if them could say something like “Hey we’re twins!” That’s a little clone humor. Just for you guys 😘)

None of these drawings look like the clones in TCW, much less Temeura Morrison. Let’s be generous. Maybe Filoni struggles with drawing a real person’s likeness, as many people do. But he had to hand this off to other artists down the line whose job specifically involves making a stylized character resemble their actor. Yet the final designs missed the mark almost as much as this initial concept. Starting to seem as if the clones looking more like Temeura Morrison was never even on the table. It wasn’t a lack of creativity, skill or technical limitations on the part of the creative team. I don’t think there is an innocent explanation. They went out of their way to make the final product exactly how we got it.

This goes beyond homage. They could have made the same pop culture references and character tropes without completely stripping Temeura Morrison from the role he originated. It was a very purposeful choice to replace him with more immediately familiar actors from established franchises and films. It wouldn’t shock me if Filoni, Lucas, and anyone else calling the shots didn’t even think hard or care enough about the decision to immediately recognize a problem. And I don’t think they believed anyone else would either. At least no one whose opinion they cared about. Those faces are comfortingly familiar and proven bankable. They are what we’re all used to seeing after all. They’re white.

Lack of imagination, bad intentions, or simple ignorance doesn’t really matter in the end. The result is the same. Call it what it is. They replaced a man of color with a bunch of white guys. That’s by the book garden variety run of the mill whitewashing. There’s no debate worth having about it. For a fanbase that loves to nitpick things like whether or not it’s in character for Han to shoot first or Jeans Guy in the Mandalorian, we sure are quick to find excuses for clones who look nothing like their template. Why is that? If you don’t see the problem, congratulations. Your ass is showing. Pull your jeans up.