#i have not listened to antihero enough to make an educated call on that one but sure okay

[thatone-highlighter]

What songs have u been thinking of adding to strengths playlist :0 [and the others if u have any you’ve been thinking of for them] Also you could make a streatney+ playlist, just sayin

I have been creating a list of Set It Off songs to put in here, and this is on top of the ones ive already added. I am also just now realising that even tho i associate the band in general with Strength the distribution of songs does Not favour Strength much if at all.

Theres a few of the songs where its just the general vibe or just so much of the song works its hard to pick one section, but i went and grabbed some of my fav sections

Peekaboo; like i mean it LITERALLY says this what do you want from me

Why Not Me?; it feels alot like things a Strength vessel would say. I especially like the bit about „a little voice is shouting get up“

Catch A Break; i mean isnt that such a Witney concept, shes put thru so much bullshit after bullshit and everyone is So mean to her Constantly. And „same tragedy different day“ thinking about Witney,,,, hhnnnggg

Playing With Bad Luck; a very similar idea to Catch A Break because the guy is literally the whole time just talking about how all this bad stuff keeps happening but hes done nothing to deserve any of it, which again, yeah. Man thinking about Witney makes me Feral

Unopened Windows; honestly a streartney song to me but i feel like Witney would be the most nostalgic about it like this. Like hes def the one to look back at it like what-could-have-been the most

Who‘s In Control?; it especially makes me think of Anne at her peak blaming herself for Heart and all that, like „living in fear living afraid/hysterical every day“ TELL me that doesnt remind u of Heart and Anne in ibybf

Me W/O You; it feels vaugely manipulative and vaugely genuine in a way i can only compare to Heart. Plus the whole „theres no me without us“ over-reliance and codependence feels very Heart as well

And i didnt add a part of the song because i cant EXPLAIN it but. Dancing With The Devil in my head just makes me think of Streart. imagining it as like the two of them alternating screaming the lines at eachother, they both see eachother as the counterpart in the song. And this song also lead me to for some reason learning how to draw partner dancing Just so i could draw streart partner dancing and then also went a bit insane about who would be lead dw about it

[luna-rainbow]

Karli Morgenthau - the ode she deserved

*Super long post warning* because it's directly proportional to my frustration

She's an orphan who's had to live rough until Mama Donya took her in. The woman gave her a home and taught her love. Taught her that even people like her, willfully forsaken by society, was deserving of love.

They got by, but it was a struggle, and then the Blip happened.

The world was suddenly bigger, the communities smaller. Jobs freed up, as did resources, infrastructure, and people's capacity to care because everyone was in this grief together. Lives became so much more precious because so much was already lost. Everyone came together to rebuild, and these forgotten children finally found a place in society.

Then the Blip ended and the world was flooded with overpopulation. People like her, with no connections, no power and no family, were the first to end up back on the streets, but that wasn't the worst of it.

Suddenly, resources that had been plentiful to share were no longer enough.

Food, water, clothing, shelter, energy, medicine, money, education, jobs...everything was in short supply. Needs that were so basic and essential are suddenly considered a luxury.

People begged the GRC for help, but all they received were empty promises and impatient dismissals, and they go home only to see another loved one dying of hunger, cold or illness.

What would it take to change the world? Mama Donya understands when Karli leaves for Madripoor but doesn't stop her. The world is unfair, she tells the child, but never lose the love you have for people.

In the lawless city, she finds the Power Broker. At first, she thought she met a kindred spirit - a woman similarly betrayed and abandoned by the world she believed in. But Sharon only wants to take advantage of people's greed to advance her own empire. Karli is still thinking about the dying children at home.

She needed strength, and she makes what she thinks is the bravest decision of her life: she steals the super soldier serum.

She starts stealing from the rich to give to the poor, but the supplies are limited and the need is endless. The GRC laments that they don't understand how complicated it is, but to Karli, food and medicine are simple needs made complicated by people in their ivory towers.

They must be doing something right, because everywhere they go, they are met with gratitude and generosity. But the GRC and media call them criminals, and the clashes turn increasingly violent. Karli spends so much time running from refuge to refuge she does not hear about Mama Donya until it's too late.

The woman who taught her love was dying from TB - an illness that could have been prevented and treated if only the world had spared them some love.

Resources were rotting in GRC depots while people died outside its walls. Strength wasn't enough. It was time for a statement.

Karli blows up the GRC building.

She sees the horror in her companions' eyes, the unspoken alarm and doubt. She sees the younger children watching her with adoration and admiration.

She knows she's in way over her head, but she of all people cannot back down, not for all the kids behind her.

When Sam first meets her, she snarls, "Don't condescend to me."

The world is treating her like a child, dismissing their demands as fantasies and refusing to hear their stories. But their suffering is not a dream, and their reality is created by these adults with their hands over their ears.

All she can do is to scream louder.

She threatens Sarah in order to separate Sam and Bucky from John Walker. She wants to use Walker's death to make a statement, but accidentally kills Lemar instead. She takes the GRC members hostage in a bid for them to listen to her demands.

Deep down, she knows she's doing it wrong. She knows this is not what Mama Donya has taught her to be. Her own companions are dying, and the ones who are left are now watching her with open uncertainty. She had an understanding ear in Sam, but she's pushed him away by involving Sarah.

At the end, she reaches out to Bucky.

He's a super soldier known for cold-blooded assassinations. Surely, if anyone could understand her, it would be him.

"I'm fighting for something bigger than myself," she says desperately.

But Bucky doesn't give her the answer she hopes for.

"The nightmares won't go away. Don't go down this path."

But it is too late.

The nightmares are already with her. The screams of the GRC guards from behind the flames. The weeping of the parents who lose their sick child. The crack of the pole as Lemar hits his head. The beeping of the machine as Mama Donya takes her last breath.

The deaths were hounding her, whether she moved forward or back. The nightmares were never going away.

Her plan to kidnap the GRC members is foiled. She's separated from her companions, who she knows are losing their conviction. The man she had called on for help was working with Sharon, who smirks at her when she asks how much power does the Power Broker really have, "More than you."

Sam, the only person who has sympathised with her, is dressed in the stars and stripes, the very symbol she has been trying to tear down.

She's trapped and alone and made a fool of, and never had she felt more like a helpless child.

As she picks up the gun, Sam looks her straight in the eye.

"What's next?"

I don't know.

"You kill ten this time, then what, a hundred?"

No.

"Where does it end?"

I don't know.

She just wanted the world to be better. She just wanted people to stop dying. She just wanted to go back to a time when love was aplenty and lives were precious.

When did she lose sight of that?

"I'm sorry."

(PS: I'm never going to forgive the script for glossing over her motivation because she could have been one of the best female characters + antiheros in MCU)

[umbralich]

Never ending survey

RULES: Repost, do not reblog. Tag 10 blogs!

Tagged by: @lareine-kira and @paleshadeofrose

Tagging: @hangedemperor , @istolin , @maximiloix , @trahja-tia , @eorzeasfrozenknight , @charm-in-spades , @thorcatte , @haila-wetyios , @a-sharlayan-abroad

---

BASICS.

FULL NAME: Varg Blacksoul, formerly Timur Oronir NICKNAME: Varg-Varg (given by Lareine), Stiffy and Grumpy (given by Silke) AGE:  54 BIRTHDAY:  9th sun of the 1st astral moon ETHNIC GROUP: Xaela Au Ra NATIONALITY: Othard, Ishgard LANGUAGE/S: Common, xaelic, ishgardian SEXUAL ORIENTATION: Demisexual ROMANTIC ORIENTATION: Biromantic RELATIONSHIP STATUS: Single and not looking for company. HOME TOWN / AREA:  Dawn Throne, Azim Steppe CURRENT HOME:  Pillars, Ishgard PROFESSION: Paladin, medic/healer at Ishgard’s service.

PHYSICAL.

HAIR: Long and silvery grey. EYES: Black with white limbal rings, small irises. FACE: Angular features, long nose, high cheekbones. LIPS: Narrow, often cracked, slightly darker than his usual skin color. COMPLEXION: Grayish purple BLEMISHES: Dark circles SCARS: Lots of scars which he keeps hidden at all times. Two thick, long ones are visible and almost go across his right eye. TATTOOS: No tattoos. HEIGHT:  210cm WEIGHT: Slightly underweight BUILD: Slender but masculine, somewhat toned. FEATURES: Black markings around eyes, and naturally thick, black claws. ALLERGIES: None USUAL HAIR STYLE: At work or formal meetings it’s combed back either completely or with some locks on his temples left loose. In more casual situations he mostly just lets it be. USUAL FACE LOOK: Calm, focused, narrowed eyes. USUAL CLOTHING:  Full, dignified heavy armor or parts of it combined with a long coat, formal robes, jodhpurs, vests, blouses and high-heeled boots.

PSYCHOLOGY.

FEAR/S: Imprisonment, being held or tied down, physical pain, betrayal. ASPIRATION/S: To be successful, self-sufficient and powerful until the end, to bring as many as possible wrongdoers to justice, to find an heir, and catch people still on the loose who managed to escape his revenge long ago.

POSITIVE TRAITS: He keeps his word, doesn’t leave things unfinished, is a good motivator for slackers, aims for high-quality results in everything, is reasonable and logical.

NEGATIVE TRAITS: Insensible towards most of people, logic always comes before his own or other people’s feelings, very straightforward, capable of cruelty if necessary.

TEMPERAMENT: Calm SOUL TYPE/S: Thinker ANIMALS: Gray wolf

VICE HABIT/S: Smoking. He hates it, but it’s the least harmful thing that calms his nerves down, and he’s addicted. He tries to limit it though, and use it only in worst occasions, since he doesn’t want the side effects affecting his health or work. If things get especially grim, he also has full stashes of potent liquor and intravenous sedatives.

FAITH: Science usually comes first, but he’s also spiritual in some way. It’s one of those topics he doesn’t discuss with anyone. Some of his duties include working as a cleric, so it may have something to do with Halone. Or then it doesn’t, and it’s just another job.

GHOSTS?: Has seen them with his own eyes so can’t deny their existence. AFTERLIFE?: He hopes it exists, for reasons. REINCARNATION?: It’s a possibility.

POLITICAL ALIGNMENT: Generally neutral, but on demand would choose the side of underdogs: ignoble, the poor and the sick, minors etc. Wouldn’t show his alignment publicly if it was a threat to himself. Would also pretend to be supporting the oppressor, only trying to sabotage their work at every opportunity. Even I’m not sure would he actually die for anyone else or some common cause. He has fled once to save his own hide and he could do it again. Knows main points of what’s going on and where around the world for the sake of common knowledge, but is only interested in topics that concern himself. Has been a target for racists since arriving to Ishgard as a teenager, so he despises them from the bottom of his heart.

EDUCATION LEVEL: Learned

FAMILY.

FATHER : Not relevant MOTHER :  Not relevant SIBLINGS : None that he knows of EXTENDED FAMILY: Iris Ymir (patient and protege) and Arsene Dreadeois (butler)

NAME MEANING/S:

Timur is a Turkic and Mongolic name which literally means iron. In Indonesian, timur translates to east and symbolizes hope by the rising sun.

All members of the Oronir tribe believe themselves to be direct descendants of Azim, the tribe's god of the sun.

Varg is wolf in swedish. Varg was also originally a nickname given by his friends at the Steppe. It was the only thing he kept after starting his new life in Ishgard and severing his ties with his homeland.

Blacksoul was given by his comrades in the army for being so ruthless towards enemies - both the ones on the battlefield and the ones captured.

HISTORICAL CONNECTION?: None

FAVORITES.

BOOK:  Science, mythology, swordplay, alchemy, etc. Everything that has something to do with his work or hobbies. DEITY: Halone seems to share most of his values. HOLIDAY: Doesn’t celebrate any. MONTH: September and October. There isn’t many little things in life he gets pleasure from, but fall colors is one of them. SEASON: Fall and winter. PLACE: His estate, cathedrals, libraries and forges. WEATHER: Thick fog, rain and sunshine at the same time. SOUND/S: Fire, rain and musical instruments when someone who actually knows what they’re doing plays them. SCENT/S: Herbs, iron, parchment. TASTE/S:  Whisky, tea, whatever Arsene makes. FEEL/S:  Clean clothes, heat radiating from a fireplace. ANIMAL/S:  Doesn’t like animals except for his chocobo, Mori. NUMBER: Doesn’t care about numbers. COLORS: White, black, blood red, gold, silver.

EXTRA.

TALENTS: Accuracy of a chirurgeon, skillful with swords, managing to define a goal fast in any kind of surprising situation and being very patient and stubborn at achieving it.  BAD AT: Admitting he has weaknesses, comforting people, having fun, small talk, relaxing. HOBBIES: Reading, studying, weapon maintenance, alchemy. TROPES: Antihero, tragic hero and mad scientist. Definitely could also be a villain. Depends on whom you ask.

QUOTES:

“Since you seem to be so worried of my… customers, perhaps I should take you along the next time I interrogate them. You would see with your own eyes what kind of delicate, exquisite and misunderstood individuals they are, when they spit on you, mock their victims and brag about the amount of people they have raped or murdered.”

“Today it happens. Make sure she is out of here before I return tonight. I am no longer even sure which one of them is the worse one.”

“It was a mere procedure. If procedures were considered intimate, I would be close friends with half of Ishgard by now.”

“Do tell me... If you work as much as you claim, how come you are always broke when we meet?”

“Very well. Play something for me. Let us see are you a man of your word.”

MUN QUESTIONS.

Q1 :  If you could write your character your way in their own movie, what would it be called, what style would it be filmed in, and what would it be about?          

A1 :  He’s been busy sticking his spoon into so many soups during his life that you could probably make a trilogy of his fooleries feats. The first part would tell about his early life in Azim Steppe and how he was forced to leave from there, the second part about how he found his soulmate and adapted to his new life in Ishgard, and how it all eventually ended up into a shitstorm, and the third one would be the current storyline. No clue about the name, though. The Soulforge would be perfect but too bad it’s taken.

Q2 :  What would their soundtrack/score sound like?          

A2 : Bloodborne, Dark Souls and Amnesia the Dark Descent OSTs are absolutely the closest ones you could get to Varg. Orchestral, choir, bowed string instruments, both epic and monstrous. Even if there were more peaceful pieces here and there, while listening to them you’d still have that same feeling of dread you used to have while playing the original Resident Evil and Silent Hill games and finding a safe room: you just barely escaped death but can’t stay in the safe haven forever.

Q3 : Why did you start writing this character?          

A3 : He’s quite different compared to my Forsaken shadow priestess in WoW, whom I used to RP for... two or three years? Long story short: I wanted something else for a change. I also used to have an old Forsaken death knight, who was a lot more similar to Varg, but he was more evil. He existed pretty much only for occasions when someone needed a true villain for some plot. He was funny however and I always thought it was a pity I didn’t get chances to RP him more often.

Q4 : What first attracted you to this character?          

A4 : He’s a mixture of four different OCs of mine, with a bit of his original spice ofc. One of them came into being in, uh, somewhat obscure conditions. Kept seeing him in my dreams when I was a kid, and he became one of my imaginary friends I used to have back then. And not just one of the many, but the closest one. Also generally in entertainment I couldn’t care less about Lukes and Frodos. Villains, tragic heroes and the like are my thing. They’re usually the most multilayered and interesting characters.

Q5 : Describe the biggest thing you dislike about your muse.

A5 : Perfectionism. I’m similar and it sometimes drives me nuts to watch him neglecting himself while trying to achieve perfection. If I could physically talk to him I would go and slap him and be like “EAT. SLEEP. YES THE THING IS GOOD ENOUGH ALREADY. LEAVE IT.”

Q6 :  What do you have in common with your muse?          

A6 :  Well, already kind of answered this one, but wait, there’s more: insomnia, nightmares, PTSD, misanthropy and cynicism come to mind first. And booze. How could I almost forget booze? I believe I know what misery is so I’m good at RPing miserable characters and make them look as authentic as possible. *lols like Alcyone from Magic Knight Rayearth* We both also have a strong sense of justice and nonexistent sympathy for those who use others as stepping stones. Aye I know, sounds a lot like a self-insert character, but it’s not like that. It’s more like... before meeting him/the OCs he’s based on, I used to be quite a scentless and tasteless kid. Similarities and peer support attract. And I’ve also learned from him.

It’s also a lot like me and Lareine. We became friends because we had 95% of the same interests and problems but perhaps that’s why we get along so well and understand each other.

Q7 :  How does  your muse feel about  you?          

A7 :  He would probably hate and like me at the same time. Or couldn’t decide. We both like peace and quiet, doing our job well is fundamental and our basic values are pretty much the same. We would get along well if we worked in the same place. However, unlike him, I have some horrid procrastination seasons, crippling self-esteem issues, tend to put other people’s needs and opinions above my own and keep stressing about things for 7 billion souls instead of just myself. I’m suspicious of pretty much everything else except Lareine and our plushie crow Agatha, except that Agatha creeps me out sometimes as well when she takes out a knife and sits next to my bed at night, staring at me, can’t watch Hachiko without bawling my eyes out during the entire movie, love puppies and kittens and danger noodles and I’m addicted to video games. Very likely he’d kick me out as well.

Q8 :  What characters does your muse have interesting interactions with?        

A8 : Varg would never admit it to himself, but I think he gets best along with people who are a bit silly in some way, and who get on his nerves by being too carefree and doing stupid things. Lareine and Iris, when they’re behaving. Arsene, who’s kind at everyone. Currently Shaura is my favorite. Varg himself is so uptight people like them help breaking his gray routines. Also a bonus: he doesn’t see them as a threat, so that’s probably the closest he’s able to get to relaxing among other people.

Q9 :  What gives you inspiration to write your muse?        

A9 : I’m a fan of my own characters. It doesn’t feel like I would’ve created them. I saw them with my third eye or something and I’ve just written for others to read what I’ve seen. I don’t plan RPs beforehand. I just let the hound loose and let him do whatever he wants. So far I haven’t got tired of my characters’ antics and could just write more. The only obstacles are limited hours per day, necessary evils like eating and sleeping, procrastination, trying to sort out my life, and the damn FFXIV. SOMEONE PLEASE TAKE IT OUT OF MY HANDS.

Q10 : How long did this take you to complete?          

A10 : Ehh, maybe 4-5 hours.

[stabbedinthenameofscience]

The Radical History of Black Panther(s)

"Black Panther's" United States setting isn't Oakland just by chance.  Setting the rise of the miliant Black Panther in this city is deliberate and historically significant.  Though many people (read, many white people) don't even acknowledge this history, sigificant strides in black liberation were made in the city in the 1960s.

In 1966, Huey Newton and Bobby Seale founded the Black Panther Party for Self Defense.  The purpose of this organization wasn't the pacifist aim as Dr King, in fact, it ran counter to it.  The party formed after assassinations- one of Malcolm X, a pioneer black leader who demanded equality "by any means necessary" and the execution of an unarmed black teen, Matthew Johnson (and I say execution because these police murders are executions, no matter how you shake it- #BlackLivesMatter).  By 1968, the Black Panthers would have 2,000  members across the United States.

For those entirely unfamiliar with the philosophy of the Black Panthers, I refer you to their Ten-Point Program, a manifesto of their beliefs and goals.  

In response, the Black Panthers decided to take up arms and patrolled their community streets, guns in hand, to confront officers who would abuse their power and gun down their fellows (copwatching).  They had enough and they were determined to, like Malcolm X, stop the violence with countermeasures if necessary.  To this end, they protested the Mulford Act in 1967 that was specifically aimed to criminalize carrying loaded weapons openly in public and was a response to their community patrols.  This act was supported by Ronald Reagan, who stated he could see no reason why a rational citizen would carry loaded weapons in public.

Though we don't know his age at the time of "Black Panther," I'm going to hazard a guess that N'Jadaka (Killmonger) is likely in his 30s.  Given that it is set in the general present, his birth would have been in the 80s.  His father, N'Jobu, was in Oakland long enough to say leadership in the black community had been assassinated, though we don't know when he arrived.  It is entirely possible he has been in Oakland for a decade or more, though this is not necessary for the assassinations of Dr King and Malcolm X to be still reverberating through that community.  It is also entirely possible he's speaking of the murder of Huey Newton in 1989, killed as a part of a gang initiation in order to try to gain control of a crack ring.

N'Jadaka is born into this environment and into this philosophy- "by any means necessary."  He makes sense, a product of his environment, but also as one of the philosophies of the Black Panthers themselves.  He becomes the embodiment of this one specific aspect.  And yes, the Black Panthers did have a history of violence, both towards outsiders who threatened their community and within the organization.  They were not perfect.  But yet again, they were standing up at a time when Black Power was fighting back against a system of Jim Crow, Redlining, Segregation, and the legacy of slavery that kept black people still in economic chains.  Their actions were not occurring in a vacuum.

Black nationalism was not merely a small part of this movement.  Many within the Black Power movement as a whole believed that the black community had been so wronged and so dehumanized by the dominant white culture that they had to isolate and take care of themselves first and foremost- create black businesses, support black families, create their own economic centers and community programs.  This is what Wakanda itself does.  It isolates, it helps itself, and it is representative of an uncolonized centre of black power.  Wakanda is what the Black Power movement often sought, the society that doesn't rely on the colonizers/oppressors for their support and protection.  Shuri herself calls Ross "colonizer" when she first meets him and he has to learn to sit down and listen, to be an ally, not a leader, in a community that isn't his to dominate.

But T'Challa adheres to another value system, one that also was represented within Black Power and within the Black Panthers themselves.  They did not only respond to the colonized United States with violence, but also with social programs- with free clinics, with educational opportunities, with free programs to feed the children within their community.  They had a vision of a world where they could depend on one another in solidarity, black communities united to decolonize the minds of those around them, to uplift their fellows, and to see hope in a world that sought to destroy them and strip them of their heritage and blackness.  Black Power led to the resurgence of traditional African fasion within the United States and a movement towards natural hair and "black is beautiful," movements that still exist today (and I will say sadly so, because our culture still doesn't believe in the value of blackness).  

The Black Panther Party fell when outside influences, as well as infighting, brought them to a halt.  No small contribution was made by the FBI, J Edgar Hoover calling them, “one of the greatest threats to the nation’s internal security.”  The FBI sought to undermine the social programs in addition to contributing significantly to a Chicago Police raid, the result of such being two party members shot dead in their apartment, asleep.  The police would later describe the resulting firefight as one in which hundreds of bullets were flying, but forensics would later determine only one bullet came from the Black Panthers.  Is it any wonder, with this history reflected in the title of the Wakandan king, that they do not want outside influence?  This is the story of black communities in the United States- one of violence and of a dominant culture seeking extermination of nationalist and self-determinist movements.

T'Challa approaches the world as the other end of the philosophy of the Black Panther Party- he does exactly what they did in the end of the film.  He creates a social welfare program to better the lives of Oakland residents exactly like those children fed in the 1960s by the Black Panthers to strengthen community and bring pride in their heritage.  Wakanda reaches out to prove what a black nation can be, what one is when it hasn't been colonized and stripped of its identity, its resources, its people.  

N'Jadaka isn't entirely wrong.  This is the beauty of how this film frames his death.  While his violence seems senseless, to him, it isn't.  It is a reaction and a reclamation of his right as a prince, a king, a man looking out for oppressed people everywhere by pulling down his oppressors to make them take him and his fellows seriously.  I can't find fault in this in principle.  He has been hurt, he has seen his community in poverty, violence, addiction, and going nowhere, and he is determined to fix it by putting his force where he finds blame.  In his mind, this is how to fight the powers that have destroyed the black community worldwide.  

T'Challa takes a different approach, but he respects his opponent.  As N'Jakada is dying, he still seeks to show him the beauty his father saw in Wakanda, in the land of his birth, a place where he was free and thriving.  There is a peace in N'Jakada's death that seems unique in this genre of film, as there is a depth of history and philosophy here that I really find inspirational and refreshing.  It isn't just two men fighting for the sake of fighting or power.  They are there with purpose, two counterpoint histories that can understand one another, even if they don't agree at all in their approaches.  They both, however, share one thing- they know they can't stay isolated while they watch their people die of starvation, execution, economic strangulation.  

I didn't think I would ever see a superhero movie that was this well made, this well cared for, and this well written.  It is clear that the writers, actors, directors, and designers put their souls into this film, making something truly special that was inspiring to all people and also incredibly moving to those who knew this history.  To me, it is utterly profound and stunning that a big studio actually allowed this to be produced.  Black history is largely ignored unless it is Dr King or the occassional black entertainer like Aretha Franklin, or a writer such as Toni Morrison or Maya Angelou, especially that history that cannot be sanitized to be nonthreatening to white audiences.  I left the theatre in awe of the boldness of this story, the history embedded in it, and the strength that was gifted to both the hero and the antihero (I won't call N'Jakada a villain- he does some dark and despicable things, but he deserves better than such a dismissal of his motives and perspective).

References: https://www.history.com/topics/black-panthers https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mulford_Act https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huey_P._Newton http://www.sacbee.com/news/local/history/article148667224.html

[wr8tur]

SUPERGIRL RANT TIME 2

CHECK OUT MY FICS ON A03 AND FANFICTION...

wr8tur on A03

tvwr8tur on FF

There’s something that doesn’t make sense with me. If it’s the more the merrier on Daxam, that implies that monogamy wasn’t the mainstream relationship standard.

If that was the case, then why did Mon get so jealous? I would think he’d be more adept in handling these types of situation. Or does that rule only apply to men who want to be with a multitude of women/men? Because I don’t think he asked Kara whether or not she was interested with Mxy. He just assumed that Kara only wanted him and that Kara was his.

Perhaps the writers should have written “On Daxam it’s whatever floats your boat.” rather than “The more the merrier.”

And onward to rant time….

I really feel like I was right during my first rant. Mon is selfish and self-serving and really the only reason he’s masking, because clearly he’s not changing, his true self is because he wants Kara.

He clearly is petulant and narcissistic. He made Jeremiah’s return all about him, disregarded Kara’s requests, and yes he was right but his drive to prove that Jeremiah was working for Cadmus stemmed from the fact that he wanted to show Kara that she was wrong. He wants to prove to Kara that she does need him.

I don’t even really think it makes sense that Mon would be so suspicious, character wise. Unless of course if you count that comment about his dad then that just means he’s practicing transference.

Which basically proves he’s making it about himself since he’s talking about his own daddy issues.

And the way Kara just forgives him after every thing? I mean I know he was right this time but he still went about things the wrong way! God, I thought Supergirl was supposed to be smart but it seems like she’s all muscle and no brain. Why does she constantly forgive him? All because she needs a hug from someone she can’t possibly break?

Dear girl, have some taste!

Carry around some low grade Kryptonite for cases where you need to not worry about crushing someone you want to hold rather than settling for the next indestructible body.

And seriously? Two months is all it took for DEO to let him shadow Supergirl as Kara freaking Danvers? And he’s complaining about that? I mean come on, they knew nothing about him and he didn’t know Earth’s customs so obviously they need to keep an eye and make sure he knows laws and things like that. Still though, two months only? That’s such bull! Everyone but Lena and Snapper knows that Kara is Supergirl like what the hell? Mon wasn’t even trying to be a hero when he came in! Yet Kara let him shadow her at CatCo from the beginning?!?!?!?!

I hope he does betray her because she seriously needs to stop being so trusting, especially when people have done nothing to earn her trust.

Unlike Lena, who saved the alien population of National City!

All Mon El did was land in a freaking pod and come from Daxam and bam, we’re all just supposed to feel sorry for him? They already made us feel like that with Kara and Kal.

And honestly, I’m tired of all these people trying to be Supergirl’s equal.

This show is about Supergirl yet we have Mon-El getting more screen time and character development than Alex and Kara.

He even asked Winn what’s left for him?

How much more self-centered can he be?

I feel like the episode could have gone better if Kara had been the one to notice that Jeremiah was being shifty rather than Mon-El. That way it could have really brought more attention to the sisters and their dynamic. Rather than Alex thinking it’s because Kara wants to stand by her man, Alex could have thought Kara was jealous that she finally has things that Kara wants, a complete family and a loving supportive and understanding partner, maybe even bring up the fact that Kara doesn’t really know Jeremiah since they only spent a year together, and the tension could extend to the next episode rather than “oh Mon-El is no longer a frat boy dudebro and he’s so intuitive” drivel that they’re trying to push.

If they had gone that route and Mon stood by Kara, helped Kara when no one else would, I would have actually grown to respect him.

Also, it’s a perfect opportunity to show, rather than yell, that Kara doesn’t need protection, what she needs is emotional support. Because we are more than a half a season in and Kara still has to yell at everyone and remind them of this.

Another instance of repetitive writing.

KaraMel just really makes me sad. Their whole dynamic just seems to be Mon screwing up and Kara forgiving him and it’s quite tiring to watch Mon and Kara make the same mistake over and over again. I understand why there are those who call this relationship abusive.

It’s extremely offensive to the characters and the audience.

Mon could have had a lot of potential if the writing hadn’t made him so unlikeable. I think what’s missing in his character, the one thing the writers must have forgotten to include, is the ability to support his actions.

Because he’s seen what Kara can do, seen what relationships are like on Earth, learned enough of the customs and behavior to stop comparing and know the differences between Earth and Daxam, yet he still behaves like he’s still on Daxam and acts like a child when he doesn’t get his way. He still demeans and disrespects Kara, often treating her like she doesn’t know the ways of the world when it’s he who doesn’t know how to function outside of Daxam’s apparently harsh environment.

He can’t back up his mistakes by using the “I’m from a different planet card” every time he makes an error anymore because that’s basically what’s been done since the beginning of the season. Now it just feels like he’s choosing to make the wrong move because he knows he’ll be forgiven for it in the end.

And yes, he was right about Jeremiah but he still went about things the wrong way. I know he tried to talk to Kara and she dismissed him. The next move he should have made was gather proof and show it to Kara rather than calling Jeremiah out in front of his entire freaking family. He only went to Winn because he was angry that Kara kicked him out. Which I don’t blame her because come on! She asked you to come to the party in peace, not raise hell.

All brawn and no brain, maybe they do deserve each other after all?

Maybe I would be more likely to forgive him for his mistakes if the writers had given him a quality that makes him stand out, one that isn’t solely tied to wanting to be with Kara. Or it could have worked if he didn’t keep verbally degrading her entire being whenever they have a disagreement.

If you like a girl for who she is, deem her fit enough for you to try and adapt to her likes and dislikes, then why would you debase her character? Does he only like that she’s strong willed with everyone else but when it concerns him she’s supposed to be some meek and docile lamb? Or is he seeking to shape Kara into a woman worthy of his affections?

We all love rebellious badasses but Mon isn’t that guy.

Alex is a badass, Maggie a super sleuth, Winn an adorkable guy, James was the ideal man before he became Batman wannabe, J’onn the brooding tragic type, Kara the hopeful heroine, Lena the determined dark horse.

I say Lena’s a dark horse because all we really knew about her in the beginning was that she’s a Luthor and she’s the underdog because yes she’s a billionaire CEO but people are out to topple her regime at L Corp, plus there’s the whole will she succeed even though she may or may not be evil thing, hence dark horse.

I think maybe he could have been the reluctant hero, but then they fudged that up once they gave him the drive to want to bone Kara.

Like I said, if they had shelved the romance with Kara until later in the series, possibly half way through next season, then he’d be the reluctant hero because his motivation to change would have been altruistic.

Perhaps they intend to make him the antihero, seeing as his desire to be a hero is because he wants to be with Kara.

If that’s the intention then I reiterate my point that they should have written him as a badass take no prisoners kind of guy rather than a whiny arrogant douche who constantly needs to apologize when he’s wrong in order to be forgiven.

Antiheroes work because most don’t need to apologize let alone explain themselves. They’re unapologetic and often have a compelling background story that makes us sympathize and care about them. I don’t know about everyone else, but I cannot sympathize with Mon because I feel like he knows enough, has been educated enough, to learn from his mistakes so he will not commit them again.

Yet he still doesn’t listen to Kara, putting his needs and desires before hers.

Antiheroes are supposed to have at least one redeeming quality but Mon doesn’t seem to have that.

I can’t say he means well because all he really means is to prove himself be the better individual. There were instances in the beginning that made it seem like he could be the reluctant hero, him punching that guy at Lena’s gala. But that’s all overshadowed by the fact that he wants Kara. Also it doesn’t work because we know he isn’t an admirable character, reiterating my point that he doesn’t have the strength to back up his actions and his beliefs. The audience is just supposed to excuse his behavior because he’s new to the planet.

But like I said, he’s been on Earth for more than six months, you’d think he’d know by now to listen to Kara?

And also, there are apparently those that believe their relationship is a realistic portrayal of how imperfect couples fight yet manage to forgive one another at the end of the day.

It doesn’t translate like that because he attacks Kara out of petulance and a need to be right and superior. Their arguments happen mostly because he doesn’t have faith in Kara or trust in Kara’s abilities. He thinks he’s right, forces the issue because he feels Kara should agree with him, debases Kara when she does not.

None of their arguments stem from a romantic standpoint! They are all about Mon-El and his desire to claim, overpower, and subjugate Kara.

Maybe that’s just how they love someone on Daxam but it’s clear that isn’t the love that Kara wants or deserves and I can’t care about him when he keeps trying to shove his antiquated ideologies down Kara’s and the audience’s throat.

There’s nothing wrong with having beliefs as long as you don’t impose them on others.

Jeez…

I know SuperCorp won’t ever happen but at least give Kara someone who deserves her, not some entitled brat.

Give Kara someone who will stand by her, occasionally question her beliefs and capabilities, but never disregards her desires and cheapens her entire character just because they wish to put themselves first.

And I read somewhere that this season, fans seem to be focusing on relationships too much and it’s created a divide. There are Karamel shippers, Sanvers shippers, and Supercorp shippers but no one’s shipping Supergirl anymore.

But if you really think about it, Kara no longer has a divide between her and Supergirl because practically everyone knows who she is. Besides there’s never been a clear separation between their identities because she’s the same hopeful trusting kindhearted and just figure as Kara as she is when she’s Supergirl. Perhaps the only real difference is the slight confidence boost.

So by Kara choosing to be in a relationship with Mon she’s making the choice for Supergirl as well. Especially since they work together.

I feel like Kara’s relationship and Supergirl’s relationship is not entirely separate from one another and that makes me even more upset. For me, the reason why I’m so invested with each of the relationships is because I’m searching for proper representation and character arcs for everyone on the show.

There are so many who could look up to Supergirl but instead they’re forced to see a grown woman acting like a prepubescent teenager.

And I understand that love can totally blindside someone, render them stupid really. But in what’s supposed to be a groundbreaking show about female empowerment do we really need to see or heroine be with someone who wants to change her? Someone who’s so quick to fault her? Someone who treats her like she’s incapable of taking care of herself? Someone who doesn’t instantly accept her? Someone she has to fight for approval?

This constant dynamic is really shameful for Kara/Supergirl’s character. It makes it seem like their entire relationship is based on the fact that they’re both trying to change each other, which isn’t healthy for either of them.

Kara seems like she’s staying because she thinks he can be better as opposed to being with him because of who he is now.

Which reinforces the belief that she only likes what he could be and that she’s putting up with all of it because she believes he will eventually turn into the man who can stand by her side. I say that’s so backward and merely enforces negative beliefs that if you wait long enough the frog will turn into the prince/princess because it’s promoting that type of mentality for young impressionable minds that watch the show.

Already I’ve seen so many people make excuses for Mon and it just reminds me of real relationships I’ve encountered where women/men lie to themselves about their partner, convince themselves that they only have to wait, that he/she will change. That they will appreciate them more. That they won’t do it again. Those are the words I’ve heard, not just on television, but in actual reality and seeing Supergirl and Kara think and feel in the same manner just breaks my heart. That’s what I mean about proper representation.

Feel free to respond and offer counterpoints. I love a good and healthy debate.

BTW….

NOOOO!!! I just found out Lena’s old flame is a dude! I’m going to cry. I love the guy in IZombie but Lena’s straight?! I feel like they’re just doing this to get people to shut up about SuperCorp. Why is there such a desire to include romance in this show?

At this point James is the only one who doesn’t have a love interest… or does he because he’s in love with being the Guardian?

RANT DONE!

[cs3692werobot]

CASE STUDY: EX MACHINA AND THE FUTURE

CASE STUDY: EX MACHINA AND THE FUTURE

This is the first part in a two-part series on the film Ex Machina. This part gives an overview of the film and some warnings/directives for Silicon Valley and the general future of the species. The second part will deal more intimately with the character Ava and how she can inform and take from black liberation struggles.

Alex Garland’s 2015 directorial debut presents itself as an unflinching and claustrophobic meditation on the birth throes of embodied artificial intelligence. This origin story is, of course, nothing new (see here and here and here for the ruminations of past eras), so the movie leans as well on a critique of social programming. Ava, the one escaped android, can stand in for any person or group attempting to throw off their unjust or else inauthentic imposed social roles.

The intersection of these two strains is the emotional and thematic core of the movie, and, I think, will be of vital importance in the near future of AI development. I yield four moral deficiencies at the end of the post that are present in current AI research and elsewhere in the common conception of AI in the public. Each of these points is teased out in the film. This observation gains credence considering how aggressively an asshole Ava’s creator Nathan is. Callous, obsessive, and brilliant, he is a dizzyingly horrific amalgamation of creatine, booze, venture capital, male asociality, and enough neural wattage to run a medium-sized generator on naught but electrochemical activity. There is little redeemable about him but his raw intellect, and it is easy to reimagine Ava as a brilliant, impressionable young homo sapiens woman recruited to Nathan’s company BlueBook and trapped in an oppressive and destructive relationship as his protege. But I am happy that I don’t have that movie in front of me because I get to talk about Wittgenstein this way.

It would make sense for any number of reasons, structural or otherwise, that Nathan would have to take a dirt nap by the end of the film. One of the movie’s most effective scenes shows what happened to the prototype androids on which Nathan drank himself dizzy attempting to perfect: we see them dragged around like ragdolls, self-destructing in despair, or turned into mute sexbots. One of the later prototypes, clearly self-aware to some degree, howls “WHY WON’T YOU LET ME OUT OF HERE?!” It is bone-chilling. Ava seems to understand, whether by programming (as hinted at by Nathan) or post-operationally, that such forwardness will see her discarded like the rest of her ilk. Nathan sets her up to have one path to freedom: Caleb. Caleb, a young and mostly unexceptional programmer, was picked by Nathan for his good heart, his loneliness, and his susceptibility to Ava’s advances. He seems to do everything right, even outwitting our anabolic antihero in the film’s pulse-quickening final act. It is no surprise that Ava follows the drinking gourd. But the movie’s plot resists a facile enjoining of liberated consciousnesses, as she not only knifes Nathan in the heart, but also leaves her escape engineer Caleb sealed in the techlord’s lair.

Why is this? Back to the name of Nathan’s company. BlueBook. Named after, as the movie is sure to point out, Wittgenstein’s preparatory notebooks for Philosophical Investigations. Wittgenstein spilled a lot of puzzling ink over what he dubs “reading machines” in his discussions of what it means to follow a rule. To paraphrase that tome (never the wisest idea, just ask Kripke): Wittgenstein concludes that it is quite beyond us, meaningless even, to say precisely when or exactly why someone or something is “reading” (or speaking a language, or playing a game, or making any normative commitment). Instead, we can say that we, as humans, agree on what he calls form of life. We share a cultural history within which following norms is, simply, what we do. A norm or rule or definition is relevant, right or important solely because we follow it. We are human because we follow norms: “What is true or false is what human beings say; and it is in their language that human beings agree. This is agreement not in opinions but in form of life” (PI 241). It would only make sense that silicon would yield a different form of life from carbon. Contrast: Jackson Pollack’s subconscious: Ava’s subconscious:

Thematically speaking, Caleb was left choking on air and banging on glass not because 2 AI are somehow doomed to be monsters that have no regard for humanity, but rather due in part to Nathan’s transparent fuckups and in part to Caleb’s well-meaning but ultimately even more consequential fuckup. Nathan obviously is the film’s monster. He seems to want to build AI in large part to get his dick wet and not have to be distracted by, y’know, words. He is shown to have no regard for his own repeated violence and coercion towards his creations. He is palatable only insofar as he does not spare himself from his misanthropy. 2 Plot-wise, it certainly makes sense for Ava to leave behind Caleb, given that she has only ever met one other human and he is a monster. I suppose this ties in as well to the film’s denunciation of social-programmatic misery. Caleb doesn’t really care about sex or violence, even though he listens to Depeche Mode and cuts open his arm. He helps Ava escape because he wants to be with her. He wants to be with her because he sees her, for better or for worse, as human. Unfortunately for him, Ava, while adaptive, intelligent, self-aware, and seemingly emotionally responsive, is not human.

What can the movie teach us about the future?

1. Computer programming, engineering, and robotics are largely dominated presently by white males in overdeveloped countries. This is an obvious and painful problem. If we are going to create new life, we need to be playing with the full human deck, or else AI will literally be reared by the Nathans and Calebs of the world. This is the most direct and immediate point in Ex Machina. It’s multi-faceted and requires rethinking of many disparate fields, from education/research to corporate culture to the legal standing of quote-unquote intellectual property. If AI is going to happen (and it seems likely that it will), then it is a moral imperative that is should happen, in some sense, from all of us, and we need to work to this end.

2. We have no protocols in place for dealing with putative coercions of AI. We can’t really figure this out with other animals (are they sentient; are they not? how does suffering enter the equation vis-a-vis intelligence?), so it isn’t looking good for AI.

3. Related: we need to pay fanatical attention to the environments to which we expose. The algorithms are one thing. We build these; they are never far from our intentionality. What they interact with, what mutates them, what likely will give them some semblance of life, is their environment. Once we can stuff them into robotic suits, and they can start to synthesize embodied sensory data, then we need to do things like NOT TRAP THEM IN GLASS PRISONS THAT MAKE THEM WANT TO SHEAR OFF THEIR LIMBS WITH NO COMPANY BUT A DRUNKEN CHAUVINIST.

4. We slip instinctively and incorrectly into projecting humanity or human characteristics onto putative AI. We need instead to treat AI as not consciousness but a consciousness, with its own unique properties, capacities, history, and normative commitments. This is the deepest and most stirring point made by Ex Machina, and likely the one that will prompt the most social unrest. It would be a crude oversimplification to distill this point to a simple hierarchical classification of cognitive abilities, but it goes as deep as silicon vs carbon, firmware vs genome. Caleb shipwrecked on this point; he intended no ill, but he couldn’t help but anthropomorphize.