#exuberancy

[exfil]

always so fascinating to me that while none of the 141 ever directly disobey orders they do show insubordination by talking back but all in different ways.

while gaz shows his disagreement with sassiness (are we training right now, captain?) soap responds with rage (he's right here, you can't be serious.) while ghost mostly keeps his displeasure to himself and voices it off comms (bloody fucking hell).

but then these dynamics are so often flipped in fanworks (soap being sassy, ghost prone to anger and gaz devoted) which is so interesting and i think also because many people base their characterization of ghost and soap on the Alone mission which showcases their unique relationship rather than their usual rapport with the military hierachy and because most of the gaz back-talking happens not in the cut scenes but the actual play which is not easily accessible if you have not played cod yourself. anyway many thoughts on this

[kingofattolia]

Honestly I cannot overstate how much seeing Hayden as TCW Anakin changed EVERYTHING. Matt Lanter's Anakin is a frat dude. He wears a backwards baseball hat and says vaguely offensive things without realizing, while being a fundamentally chill and outgoing guy at heart. Hayden's Anakin is... not that. His voice. His expressions. His physical presence. It's off somehow. It's just left of normal. It's completely unremarkable and yet deeply uncanny for reasons you can't quite describe. TCW Anakin was always a flatter, blander portrayal, but I don't think I realized until now what exactly was missing: the serial killer energy. The inarticulable conviction that SOMETHING unhinged is going on behind those eyes.

[justanotherhh]

something i enjoy about blitzø as well is that he's not a typical leading man for an action show, nor is he a typical leading man for a queer show. he's capable and got that "extremely bad at communication" thing down you might see in a lot of narratives about straight guys (especially straight guys who shoot guns) but i think is less explored with queer men, and he's also incredibly camp without any shame attached to queerness itself, he crossdresses, he's a punky goth gay, he flirts relentlessly (and often unhealthily) to get what he wants, he's got that kinky switch energy, and he's exuberant, and emotionally closed off, and incredibly rude, and very sad, and very caring, and very action-hero/anti-hero, and all in a narrative that explores these dynamics from an explicitly queer point of view.

i think it's amazing that he's as well-received as he is, considering how much he exists outside of clear categories for what people think a character "should" be, but i've seen him play well for bro-ey types as well as the most faggoty audience members (that's me), and the translation isn't for the queer audience to make, it's for straight audiences to get onboard with a complex queer character and it clearly works!

there's really something to be said about the queer lens for both of the shows, but i do think blitzø has such a specific fascinating pov for what one might call the "badass action guy who's also great at seduction" type character. he's really hitting some extremes for the spectrum of how one typically allows characters to exist

a queer masculinity in a genre show

[retrocausality]

The Final Act

When We Cease to Understand the World, Benjamín Labatut | x, x

[starqueensthings]

Wrecker’s joy at Omega’s return

**originals and ragu below the cut

ragu: @anxiouspineapple99 @sinfulsalutations @starrylothcat @nobody-expects-the-inquisitorius @secondaryrealm @dystopicjumpsuit @freesia-writes @sev-on-kamino @littlemissmanga @523rdrebel @wings-and-beskar @sunshinesdaydream @clonemedickix @drafthorsemath @jediknightjana @moonlightwarriorqueen @starstofillmydream @mooncommlink @multi-fan-dom-madness @wizardofrozz @trixie2023 @clonethirstingisreal @rabbitstu99 @lune-de-miel-au-paradis @mythical-illustrator

[cecoeur]

He speaks | 🐩🗣️ Barking sources: x x x x x x x

[googlyeyesonmagiccards]

Who's the bestest commander! Yes you are! YES YOU ARE!

[raayllum]

anyway one thing i think TDP does very very well is how it uses visual storytelling so strongly to indicate character mindset(s) and progression

Claudia's hair is the most obvious example - we don't need to be told she did something fucked up in 3x09 to bring her father back, because as soon as we see more white hair we know, from context and worldbuilding clues, that she did. It allows a lot to be communicated but not directly told, and it carries weight accordingly

Then there's more subtle ones - the sun being behind Janai when she steps up behind the horn ruins vs Karim not having one, because she is the true and fair queen and he is not, as well as her being right in how she handles matters legally and him being wrong in how he handles matters (il)legally.

There are also examples of Rayla's S1 binding - she's literally uneven/unsymmetrical and subsequently off-kilter - as a chain she has to be freed from, and how Callum has the golden bars around his wrists in his arc 2 design that also look like he's wearing permanent quasi-chains (because of course he is)

The crown of Katolis is a literally broken circle/chain, Aaravos walking around being literally heartless, how certain spells appear and a perpetual emphasis on circles (people being surrounded, objects, etc.)

There's a lot being communicated and is one of the reasons, I think, the show is so rich because our brains take it in subconsciously if nothing else, and then we can notice it more consciously on rewatches and subsequently appreciate it, and it just adds to how many layers are on screen at any given time

[lordmushroomkat]

Gil really does calm down when Tarvek enters the room like;

He is so thrilled!

Look at him he's so happy. He's so exhausted but Tarvek's presence relaxes him so much.

[tothepointofinsanity]

Forest One study from Greener Grass Awaits.

I really wonder if Exuberance used to live closer to its followers to allow fire as a light source at important places in its domain. Humans are vulnerable to the psychic attacks of the forest dancers, so having fire at certain points not only acts as guidance but as a safe passage for them to come visit it safely. But maybe something happened and people stopped visiting it aside from cultists, who would be immune to the angels anyways because they work directly under it. Or so I think.

[bg3smash-or-pass]

[hell0jon]

Almost Magnussy time for us poor peasants, feeling stoked, feeling ecstatic, feeling elated, feeling jubilant, feeling enthralled, rapturous even

[kimi-co]

pedro i feel u im slightly worried that kimi might be starving as well from: prema, merc 22 car luanch, X

[nobeerreviews]

Summer passes and one remembers one's exuberance.

-- Yoko Ono

(Freiburg, Germany)

[imaginal-ai]

"Joie de Vivre"

[xx-sketchy-xx]

You are a beloved and are amazing, ik many people tell you this but 💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖

❤️✨❤️✨❤️✨❤️✨❤️✨❤️✨❤️✨❤️✨❤️