#currently very disappointed in

[see-arcane]

I don't even care about the Nosferatu characters but there is something creepy about Eggers' scenario being all "this guy feels like he's a beta cuck in front of (thieving, ignorant, dirty) foreign masc men who constantly humiliate his masculinity and surprise he gets cucked" when this was nowhere in the film nor its source?? The fuck was that about

It's the Jonathan Harker effect.

I.e., a reflexive response from adaptation and spinoff creators who have actually been made aware of all the facets Jonathan Harker--or in this case, his doppelganger Thomas Hutter--possesses within the canon of the novel Dracula/the original Nosferatu and immediately get a bug up their butt about how much he encompasses of what makes them uncomfortable.

Jonathan Harker is a damsel in distress.

Jonathan Harker is kind and not classically manly beside a backdrop of more standard masculinity.

Jonathan Harker is preyed upon in an intimate way by the dark and powerful male Villain, the latter having supernatural ability and desire to collect an undead harem/partners against their will.

Jonathan Harker was left ill and disabled after his escape and so showed weakness, needing aid from others, relying on women (ugh) like the nuns and Mina before he could heal and move forward.

Jonathan Harker loves, cherishes, and worships his wife more than anything, wanting her to take the lead. Without her actions and sacrifice, the Villain would never have been defeated, which he highlights at the close of the novel, just as the Nosferatu iteration must take the lead in ending the film's Villain.

Jonathan Harker, polite little nobody that he is, is the one to transform himself into a Thing That Terrifies the Masculine Conquering Power Fantasy Villain. He sends his former abuser and predator running like a coward into the streets, himself giving chase to kill him in public. It is his knife that lops off the Villain's head while he hides in the dirt after Mina arranged the hunt--tastefully aligned with Nosferatu via Ellen (Mina) fully realizing the martyr role and sacrificing her life not out of amorous want of the Villain, but out of a desire to protect her husband and the town, taking on a masculine role in her own right by making the fatal sacrificial play.

In short: Jonathan-Thomas is a victim. He is antithetical to every macho babe-collecting ooh hoo hoo look at my cool-powered masculine conqueror metaphor that exists within the Dracula-Orlok figure. Jonathan-Thomas is naturally more endearing, blithe, and sweet than the common male hero and follows that by being forced into a traditionally female role as the preyed-upon and imprisoned damsel.

His mere existence throws the Mina-Ellen figure into even brighter contrasted spotlight, where she manages to wholly subvert the expected Man Villain seeks Pretty Girl to Ravish format. Mina-Ellen turns it on its head, making herself into the weapon by which the Villain is defeated, rather than leaving every point of planning and action and sacrifice to a male rescuer. This she does to aid and/or rescue her husband, the actual damsel, and humanity at large.

In the book, Jonathan the Damsel turns the tables with Mina's impetus and guidance, and ultimately slaughters Dracula, who they terrified into running home to hide and skulk.

In the film, Thomas the Damsel's plight spurs Ellen into action, making plans and taking heroic steps all on her own to destroy Orlok when she baits him with her offered blood, leaving Thomas to grieve and weep for her, tragically spared from his attempt to take on Orlok himself.

And male directors and writers like Eggers, along with so so So many before him, absolutely fucking hate that shit. It spoils the whole premise for them. Because Jonathan-Thomas is ruining their vibe, the limping simping little milksop Victorian era soyboy that he is. How does he get to kill their bestie bodypillow stand-in, Dracula, or let the Girl One take charge in Nosferatu to put down Orlok?? Bullshit!

Kick him out, kick him down, and make sure Girl One ditches his lame unmanly ass to bounce on that vampire dick that we all know she reeeally wants, lol

And throw in even more weird racism/xenophobic BS to show how Manly and Sexually Liberated the stinky foreign Romani thieves are in the year twenty-twenty-four because why not I guess

[remember-to-be-gentle]

THERE'S A YANDERETOBER??!!! AND NO ONE TOLD ME??!!!!!!!!

[jujutsustraycats]

Did anyone else think Rin was the main character before actually watching Blue Lock??

[charmwasjess]

So I finished the Glass Abyss! Some thoughts under the cut, mainly about Jedi sexual relationships 

Overall, fun, engaging book that clearly ADORES Mace Windu and spends time seemingly deliberately answering popular fandom complaints about him with positive depictions. 

The worldbuilding is really fresh, you kind of think you’ve seen everything in Star Wars and then they roll out a glassified (solar flares) world of spider people and mushroom zombies. 

I didn’t love the romance narratively; it felt kind of tacked on, but I did love how it contributes to a larger picture of how Jedi treat sexual and romantic relationships. This isn’t Rael just meeting his sexual needs in unattached hookups, Mace *loves* the spider lady. He’s also Master of the Jedi Order, the leader of the fucking Council. And significantly, he doesn’t think about this even once as a problem or conflict of interest. There is no “but aughhh I am a Jedi boo hoo forbidden romance” subplot, or the implication that he’s doing something wrong by falling in love and pursuing a romantic, physical relationship during a long mission. And at the end, it’s clear that both characters understand that their greater duty is to their respective peoples, but if their decision to prioritize that over the relationship changes, they’ll find each other again. That Mace is free to make that decision, to have the relationship, and choose to return to the Jedi Order without it, or stay and keep it.  I thought this was an interesting detail in a book that also has the whole: Anakin: the Jedi must ignore their feelings!!! Mace: uh, what? I think you might’ve misunderstood that kiddo …with the implication that Anakin is maybe not the most reliable narrator about the actual rules of the Jedi, and the further implication that the problem with him and Padme is the secrecy and the lying (and legal/conflict of interest that probably make such a marriage between a Jedi and a senator a problem), not the fact of a romantic relationship itself. Which explains more of Obi-Wan’s relaxed attitude toward it - okay, Anakin and Padme are clearly involved, but what’s the harm in that if he’s being a responsible adult about it?  Rael wants to just sleep around. Mace is free to follow his heart and fall in love. Their romantic and sexual options are choices, not mandates. And I love that, by contrast, in Master and Apprentice, same book as Rael’s sexual openness, Qui-Gon is horrified by the idea of Jedi having relaxed attitudes toward sex. It feels more realistic to me that different Jedi have their own individual different convictions, interpretations, and histories around the subject of sex and relationships. Especially contrasting Rael and Qui-Gon, who were taught by the same person and presumably given the same message about it but took it in two extremes. (Although. Okay, it’s kind of funny if Rael-era Dooku (still friends with Sifo-Dyas) gave him a sex positive messages and Qui-Gon-era Dooku (NOT friends with Sifo-Dyas, very sad about it) gave him a sex negative message.)

[vimbry]

"likes don't do anything" they do

"there's no algorithm" there is

"well nobody uses the for you tab" I do

"reblog all art and fics you see" there's no thought put into that. if this does work on people, then it's just pity engagement borne out of guilt rather than genuine interest, which is arguably worse than having none, because it's totally hollow.

[transmechanicus]

Opening google like “Ways to capture the morose vibes of drinking alone to drown emotional difficulties without resorting to alcohol or hard drugs”

[aquanutart]

When she was a little Kiko, Lulu loved to put on ribbons and appear before the world to show her precious Slorg! Sadly her owner was such a recluse that nobody noticed much, and over the years she forgot performing for others...

Until recently she found all the ribbons she saved over the years and wanted to have fun again!

(She didn't know which ribbon to wear, so she is wearing them all!)

(Lulu won a trophy!!! She is absolutely delighted and is using it to store her ribbons!)

[jamboreeartsupplies]

they're getting fitted for a new clownsuit !!!! not done yet but soon hopefully!

[eclipsedcrystalstar]

Something that’s giving me some hope is looking at the ballot measures that passed. Ride Share drivers can form unions in Massachusetts, multiple states made a constitutional right to abortion, Missouri voted to raise minimum wage, Nevada voted to no longer allow slavery as punishment for crimes, New York expanded anti-discrimination laws, Utah increased school funding, and quite a few authorized bonds to things for the public good

[tauforged]

Just 10 hours later I have finished the new war. Dawg what the fuck is going on. Holy shit. What the fuck.

YEAH. YEAH. i am so sorry it took so long but also YEAH THATS BASICALLY IT. welcome to warframe under the new creative lead!!!

[mikimeiko]

The Morning Show | Season 3 (2023), Jay Carson

[welcometoteyvat]

finished the penacony quests (I think anyways lmfao) i dont understand how genshin and hsr are made by the same company what is this terrible plot

[zykamiliah]

me, a bingqiu shipper, watching sns and wangxian being pitted against each other:

someone: but aren't you a sns fan too-

me: yeah and that's why i think sns should lose

[crybaby-bkg]

I’m so sad I was so sure I was gonna get all As this semester but it’s looking like I’ll still end up with one B 😭😭😭😭😭

[yakourinka]

wow macklemore's palestine song (hind's hall) is actually really good. i knew about it but hadn't listened to it because i'm not particularly interested in the mack

yeah you're right man honestly.

[lightineventide]

Only a week remains until the release of Visions of Atlantis' Armada!

What do you expect from the new album?