#lord what a great analysis op

[wormboytrav]

pov: you're on tumblr in the death note universe

💟kira-kira4652 Follow May 24, 2007

friendly reminder that if you support L you're not welcome on this blog <3 i hope you know you're gonna get what's coming for you eventually

👨‍💻touchmyevilghost-deactivated387421 Follow May 30, 2007

kira supporters continue to make no sense lmao, you do know he kills people that think like this right

🏩xxgod-of-furyxx Follow June 3, 2007

Lord Kira will judge you. Real name is Joel Derm, link to face here.

👨‍💻touchmyevilghost-deactivated387421 Follow June 4, 2007

the hypocrisy of doxxing someone to kira while keeping their own face off their blog will never not be funny to me

#tw kira

15,248 notes

🌁los-angeles-reaper Follow Apr 14, 2007

gonna be liveblogging the new wara ningyo murder doc on netflix guys, keep an eye out! i'm so excited, they got the aesthetic spot on!!! ^-^

🚍muffinstory Follow Apr 14, 2007

gross. anyway you can donate to the family of the victims here, here, and here

🌁los-angeles-reaper Follow Apr 15, 2007

okay wow, god forbid i have comfort media. if you're going to stalk the tag to spam that shit you might as well block it. i'm literally neurodivergent and a minor too imagine being a grown adult arguing with a child on the internet.

#true crime discourse #wara ningyo murders #straw doll documentary

148 notes

🎁milkpuzzle Follow July 8, 2007

why generation 1 had the best bionicles, an analysis

Read More

🎫chocolate-marsh-m Follow July 8, 2007

kys

🎁milkpuzzle Follow July 8, 2007

you can leave if you're not having fun, mello

🎫chocolate-marsh-m Follow July 8, 2007

fuck you i hope you get run over by a bus

3 notes

🎰tsukigod Follow May 2, 2007

Desk Setup Inspo

#clean aesthetic #stationary #follow for organizing tips

9,257 notes

👔wirewerewolf Follow Apr 5, 2007

oh my god i'm just trying to go to my sister's college entrance ceremony in peace and these two dudes in the front row will not shut the fuck up i hate it here

👔wirewerewolf Follow Apr 5, 2007

update: one of them is barefoot (?????)

295 notes

🎩official-l Follow Sep 26, 2007

Due to an overwhelming amount of spam, asks have been temporarily disabled. Updates to follow.

🎹 gaming-matto Follow Sep 27, 2007

visual representation of your ask box once i'm done with it

🎩official-l Follow Sep 28, 2007

What does this mean

125,638 notes

🔋littlevanishworld Follow July 8, 2007

okay but does anyone else think L and kira are the same guy

🔋littlevanishworld Follow July 9, 2007

no hear me out on this, they appeared at the same time, which is pretty convenient. and despite L supposedly being a great detective i can find no evidence of cases he's solved in the past and he obviously hasn't solved this one yet. so he's either kira or he's stupid

🎫chocolate-marsh-m Follow July 9, 2007

bad take op

#you guys just dont understand him like i do #he's smarter than youll ever be

351 notes

🧇thebazoinka-deactivated28479912 Follow Oct 24, 2008

✨KIRA SAFETY SPELL: like to charge reblog to cast✨

🎍taro-matsui-here Follow Dec 2, 2008

Claimed! 🙌

11,689 notes

[crystallinestars]

Yeah English isn't my mother tongue so thank you for the compliment 🥰 Honestly I saw the way you write (it's scrumptious) and the Argenti header and thought "damn I need to be on my best behaviour!" haha

Also never apologize for going off on a rant, I truly love your input!

Oh I do agree that it must be a mix of multiple things and that virtue signalling is definitely part of it! And the point you make about people creating a safe bubble for themselves and others really does make a lot of sense! I'd even be so bold as to say that this initial sentiment has unfortunately spiralled into having kneejerk reactions against any kind of perceived threat (for their identity, etc.). While I understand the need to be careful about who you let into your circle, it's a shame that instead of meaningful conversations (I'd imagine something like "I enjoy X thing in this story", "oh that's great, I have a different hc / interpretation but I'd love to hear your reasoning!") we're having a lot of passive aggressiveness or even full on pissing contests within the communities.

And if I had to sum up why I dislike, let's say between 60% to 90% of 'fandom culture' depending on whether or not it's a good day, I'd say that it's because of how often I have to see the utter glee and contempt this subsection of the fandom radiates whenever they feel like they've won their one-sided arguments / they can lord a win over someone's head for the dumbest things. It just boggles my mind. What happened to basic courtesy? I feel like people have grown so accustomed to living their 'bad bitch' fantasies on the internet without having to shoulder any responsibility for it (because of anonymity) that they've started to become waaay too comfortable coming into your space and being rude at best.

This is a bit of a digression, but for the sources, an example that comes to mind is a post I saw a while ago about the maple leaves associated with Dan Heng and (no shade to the person, it was an interesting read). However, they presented their argument in such a way that you just KNEW it wasn't just about Dan Hend, but about Blade too. They gave a list of symbolism for maple leaves, and the last point (the one highlighted by the structure) was "they also symbolise lovers!". It's in cases like this one I'd love for the OP to provide a source for their analysis, because the uni student in me just cannot accept claims on specific fields without credible evidence. Like is your analysis based on a discussion you had with a native? A paragrapgh you found on a blog named "sakurasdreamygarden.com"? A book you've read? Please, I'm not here to troll, I want to educate myself 😭 In this case it was also worth noting that someone in the comment added that 'maple leaves' is the literal meaning of Dan Feng's name (丹枫), in which case (this is just me adding my two cents) you could also argue that the maple leaves, specifically on Dan Heng's splash art, could symbolise the shadow of a past he cannot completely get rid of.

I was feeling like sticking my head in a lion's mouth when I wrote the 4th point 😂 And since I still do, I will just say that Mihoyo's pandering extends to hetero relationships too. Remember how I said these games remind me of Kpop? What I meant by that is that what they do is basically "All for the glitter and the aesthetic with zero commitment to the bit". So far in Genshin and HSR, they seem to focus especially on giving players shiny little toys to play with (attractive playable characters). And I say that their pandering extends to hetero relationships because as of now the only playable character with a semi-canon relationship is Welt, who's a Honkai Impact character (at least that's what I've heard, I don't know anything about Honkai Impact). I'm thinking especially about Yukong when I say this, because when she became playable in 1.1 I think, they wasted no time to clarify in 1.2 that actually Qingni is her ADOPTED daughter, which is basically like telling players "don't worry, Yukong hasn't been tainted by any man and is just as much of a shiny little toy freshly out of the box as the others!" Like, what am I supposed to believe with that? That for HSR the censorship this part of the fandom loves to bring up was magically extended to the heteros?

Also, I know nothing about Hi3 but since I love semantics, identify as a relationship fiend and still feel like getting shot by the fandom today, I'd also like to ask people to please explain to me how a kiss (yes, even on the lips) is objectively an undeniable act of romance. I'd argue that it's a sign of intimacy because it involves letting someone else get super close to you in a vulnerable moment, but that does not make it inherently romantic. Truthfully I'm just being facetious here but my sentiment is genuine: I would be eternally grateful if we stopped taking certain things for granted "because it's obvious" or whatever, and if we truly started to take the argument that many things in relationships are social constructs seriously. (PS: I mean "intimacy" here as "the state of having a close personal relationship with somebody", based on the first definition given by the online version of the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary)

Oh yes, Childe. I had heard of him before I started playing Genshin and when I arrived in Liyue I was like: "really? Is this the little guy you've decided to call daddy??" Childe's case hurts me less than Aventurine's solely because I decided recently that I would get Arlecchino and then uninstall the game for a while but I also really feel you! For HSR I'm here mostly for the lore and the Aeons and it really doesn't help that while I don't particularly mind shipping, it's something I indulge in sporadically, when a pairing scratches my brain just right. So I'm sitting here on the outskirts of the fandom watching people get mad at fictional corpos (the IPC, especially Topaz) but then jumping through so many hoops and getting up in arms to protect Mihoyo, or acting like the social justice police 😐

Oh and the fanarts you're talking about. I've been lucky enough not to see anything like that but like. Out of all the characters they could rough up they chose Aventurine?? Now it's reminding me of that one slave owner fanfic and I just have to wonder what it is about characters like him that always attracts the most unhinged fans.

They complain about Paimon hogging the spotlight in Genshin but then are taken by surprise whenever they fail to pick up hints, it's lowkey disheartening to see.

Honestly for Kaveh I feel like people had massacred Alhaitham's character even before Kaveh was introduced, to make it fit into any sexual fantasy trope. I just remembered this but whenever I hear about haikaveh or any shoe-horned ship for that matter, I start hearing this post:

https://www.tumblr.com/what-even-is-thiss/739539118572371969/sometimes-someone-just-isnt-into-you?source=share

The answers trying to make the character played by OP admit they've got hidden feelings is really how people with shipping lenses glued to their heads behave 😭

I'm also glad to see people focusing on characters individually and picking up interesting things about them! And I'm going to be honest: I mean this as disrespectfully as I can but if someone is surprised by reveals like that in a story like that, I'm just assuming they've never read anything else in their lives. Like, if your first reaction to anything in a story is to neatly categorize it as a trope (especially a romance trope) I genuinely need for this person to start educating themselves and engage with other media because there's just no way 💀 I can understand making assumptions / theories and then be proven wrong but this just on another level.

I hope I was coherent enough with all of this, and that you have a great day, evening or night too!

🪻

I’m so happy you like my writing 😭💚 I believe you can write amazing things as well. You’re really good at expressing your thoughts. The Argenti header is there because I like him and think there’s not enough of him in fandom haha.

The gleeful attitude some people have when their bullying succeeds is honestly repulsive. I only saw a bit of it, but it’s nasty how they act as if they accomplished a good deed. I daresay they even purposely go after people with differing opinions just to bully them into submission and feel good about it. As you pointed out, basic courtesy went out the window a long time ago due to anonymity of the internet.

Haha the Dan Heng maple leaf bit is proving my point! While people do try to be informative about symbolism and whatnot in character design, it’s also a means of validating their headcanons/ship. If Dan Feng’s name means maple leaves, then it makes perfect sense why maple leaves are a big part of Dan Heng’s design. Not everything about characters is linked to a ship, and I would love for more neutral discussions regarding the symbolism and culture behind their designs 😔

About Welt. I actually played Honkai Impact 3rd and read some of their comics (I was on the hunt for Su and Sumeru lore in preparation for Sumeru’s release). HI3 has a lot of canonical NL and GL pairings. Welt’s love is Frederica Nikola Tesla. There are more moments between them in the comic than the game, but it’s very obvious they’re in love with each other.

But of course, when he was introduced as a playable character in HSR, that part of him was buried. You can see Tesla in his splashart, but that’s about it. Same with Yukong. I was surprised they made her a mother since that’s a very bold move for a gacha game, so I knew there had to be a catch. And sure enough, she’s just an adoptive mother.

Gacha games are notorious for marking their characters single. If playable characters have a confirmed relationship, a lot of players would get very angry and jealous, and the company would lose profit. For example, I heard that back in 1.1 or so, Mihoyo wanted to release a lore book about Zhongli and Guizhong. I haven’t read it, so I can’t say if there was any romantic implication between them in the book, but Zhongli fans threw a fit, so Mihoyo scrapped it. Similarly, before Inazuma released, a leaker falsely said that Thoma was Ayaka’s fiancé, and again, the community got angry and cursed Thoma to hell. Ironically, it seems like players are far more accepting of same-sex relationship between characters than of opposite-sex ones 😅

I think kissing is strongly associated with romance because we have been conditioned to perceive it as such. Movies and other media make kissing a big deal between characters, there’s a lot of emphasis put on it as a turning point in their relationship. It also doesn’t help that practically every aspect of physical intimacy gets relegated to romantic relationships (hand-holding, cuddling, etc).

In our modern era, a lot of people feel isolated. Physical intimacy between an individual and their friends and family is rarer, so they think that if they get a significant other, they’ll receive the physical intimacy (and not only physical) that they crave. It’s a social construct for sure, but it’s very wide-spread and hard to break out of. At any rate, this is all just my conjecture.

Aventurine is a tragic case. I’m glad the amount of abusive fanarts of him has died down, though Childe doesn’t have that luxury 😔 I suppose the fuckboy type makes people think the character is up on a high horse, so they want to knock him down a peg. Some also perceive the trope to be inherently masochistic for whatever reason. I doubt we’ll ever know.

Lmao that post you linked! So true! That’s exactly how they behave! Gaslighting everyone, even the author, to convince them there’s romantic feelings between the characters when there are none. Characters used to be interpreted as friends, enemies, family, etc, but nowadays every character relationship gets seen as romantic. I miss the days when characters could be just friends or found family.

And I agree, Alhaitham was already butchered since the Sumeru Archon quest. People see a hot, muscular guy and focus only on how sexy he looks, and how hot it would be if he was dominant or aggressive, despite it not being his character at all. I get that people are free to imagine whatever they want for the sake of fun, but with how widespread some of those interpretations become, the character gets quickly reduced to tropes, and people forget what they’re actually like in canon.

To this day, there are still people surprised that Alhaitham is actually very nice and kind, even to children. He took in a broke man he didn’t particularly get along with and hasn’t seen in years, so if that isn’t a big fat hint that he’s a nice person, then I don’t know what is. As we have both agreed, a lot of people don’t pick up on the nuance of character writing 😔

Thank you for stopping by 🪻anon! I also hope you have a great day, and take care 💚

[bookoformon]

2 Nephi Chapter 20. "The Leveler."

The destruction of Assyria "what is level" is a type of the destruction of the wicked at the Second Coming—Few people will be left after the Lord comes again—The remnant of Jacob will return in that day—Compare Isaiah 10. About 559–545 B.C.

The first section of every chapter is the Midrash, the analysis scenario to be undertaken in the verses that follow. In this one the Prophet thinks the followers of the religion of the Jews will inherit the government after Christianity fails to provide stability, order, equality, and happiness to the world.

The word "remnant of Jacob" refers to the dreamer that separates from the lout he inhabits to overcome great obstacles and thus become a great man, AKA the Israel stage of the Jacob-Israel metamorphosis.

Chapter 9 of Isaiah says the Messianic way of life will include the transmission of the line of David through a government that is apparently completely unlike any this earth has ever seen. As for the rest:

1 Wo unto them that decree unrighteous decrees, and that write grievousness which they have prescribed;

2 To turn away the needy from judgment, and to take away the right from the poor of my people, that widows may be their prey, and that they may rob the fatherless!

3 And what will ye do in the day of visitation, and in the desolation which shall come from far? to whom will ye flee for help? and where will ye leave your glory?

4 Without me they shall bow down under the prisoners, and they shall fall under the slain. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.

5 O Assyrian, the rod of mine anger, and the staff in their hand is their indignation.

Rod= parenting according to the Torah.

Staff= Humans, after all, don’t run everything. You know who does? You know who runs nature, too? G‑d.

Assyrians are levelers; they are responsible for ensuring appropriate standards of conduct are set and enforced, punished when contradicted:

6 I will send him against a hypocritical nation, and against the people of my wrath will I give him a charge to take the spoil, and to take the prey, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets.

7 Howbeit he meaneth not so, neither doth his heart think so; but in his heart it is to destroy and cut off nations not a few.

8 For he saith: Are not my princes altogether kings?

9 Is not Calno as Carchemish? Is not Hamath as Arpad? Is not Samaria as cDamascus?

Calno = the center of beauty

Carchemish=

Car=soldiers

Chem=who thirst

Ish= to be men of God

Hamath= fortification

Arpad= City of Redemption

=

"The center of the world is the City of Redemption built by soldiers who thirst to be men of God, AKA Kedoshim. They are the levelers, the princes and kings sent to topple hypocritical nations."

10 As my hand hath founded the kingdoms of the idols, and whose graven images did expel them of Jerusalem and of Samaria;

11 Shall I not, as I have done unto Samaria and her idols, so do to Jerusalem and to her idols?

=All debates about abortion, birth control, who can marry and fuck whom and how, what kinds of clothes people can wear, the result of clashes between party politicians are no longer necessary or even legal as their outcomes have long since been defined by the law. The Law and laws target things that distract us and keep us from doing what is wise, aka "idols":

12 Wherefore it shall come to pass that when the Lord hath performed his whole work upon Mount Zion and upon Jerusalem, I will punish the fruit of the stout heart of the king of Assyria, and the glory of his high looks.

13 For he saith: By the strength of my hand and by my wisdom I have done these things; for I am prudent; and I have moved the borders of the people, and have robbed their treasures, and I have put down the inhabitants like a valiant man;

14 And my hand hath found as a nest the riches of the people; and as one gathereth eggs that are left have I gathered all the earth; and there was none that moved the wing, or opened the mouth, or peeped.

15 Shall the ax boast itself against him that heweth therewith? Shall the saw magnify itself against him that shaketh it? As if the rod should shake itself against them that lift it up, or as if the staff should lift up itself as if it were no wood!

16 Therefore shall the Lord, the Lord of Hosts, send among his fat ones, leanness; and under his glory he shall kindle a burning like the burning of a fire.

17 And the light of Israel shall be for a fire, and his Holy One for a flame, and shall burn and shall devour his thorns and his briers in one day;

18 And shall consume the glory of his forest, and of his fruitful field, both soul and body; and they shall be as when a standard-bearer fainteth.

19 And the rest of the trees of his forest shall be few, that a child may write them.

20 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the remnant of Israel, and such as are escaped of the house of Jacob, shall no more again stay upon him that smote them, but shall stay upon the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, in truth.

21 The remnant shall return, yea, even the remnant of Jacob, unto the mighty God.

22 For though thy people Israel be as the sand of the sea, yet a remnant of them shall return; the consumption decreed shall overflow with righteousness.

23 For the Lord God of Hosts shall make a consumption, even determined in all the land.

24 Therefore, thus saith the Lord God of Hosts: O my people that dwellest in Zion, abe not afraid of the Assyrian; he shall smite thee with a rod, and shall lift up his staff against thee, after the manner of Egypt.

25 For yet a very little while, and the indignation shall cease, and mine anger in their destruction.

26 And the Lord of Hosts shall astir up a scourge for him according to the slaughter of Midian at the rock of Oreb; and as his rod was upon the sea so shall he lift it up after the manner of Egypt.

Midian= strife, place of judgement

Oreb= breaching of a safe place. The Rock of Oreb is his head. We try to bring water out of rocks. Strife is a sign of a hard head at work.

27 And it shall come to pass in that day that his aburden shall be taken away from off thy shoulder, and his yoke from off thy neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing.

28 aHe is come to Aiath, he is passed to Migron; at Michmash he hath laid up his carriages.

Aiath=Falcon, can find springs in the wilderness

Migron=another term for moron, a type of berry that glows at sunrise, sometimes at sunset. Morons are associated with the Red Sea and the change in maturity that is symbolized by the blushing red of the berry.

Moroni, the Spirit of God that visits the Prophet is the same kind of change agent as the crossing of the Red Sea.

Michmash= God has departed:

29 They are gone over the passage; they have taken up their lodging at Geba; Ramath is afraid; Gibeah of Saul is fled.

Geba=to be high exalted

Ramath=the high place

Gibeah= a hill

Saul= to ask for

"To reach the high place, to be exalted, go up the hill and ask, lift up your voice":

30 Lift up the voice, O daughter of Gallim; cause it to be heard unto Laish, O poor Anathoth.

Gallim= heaps, to roll

Laish=lion

Anathoth= answers, afflictions

31 Madmenah is removed; the inhabitants of Gebim gather themselves to flee.

Madmenah=dung hill

Gebim= ditches

"The shit is hurled into ditches and the poor and oppressed cross over to the high place, the City on the Hill":

32 As yet shall he remain at Nob "height, high place" that day; he shall shake his hand against the mount of the daughter of Zion, the hill of Jerusalem.

33 Behold, the Lord, the Lord of Hosts shall lop the bough with terror; and the high ones of stature shall be hewn down; and the haughty shall be humbled.

34 And he shall cut down the thickets of the forests with iron, and Lebanon "place of whiteness' shall fall by a mighty one.

Iron was used to build the temple. To clear the forests of Lebanon using iron tools means a man of iron will construct the temple. It always comes down to this, doesn't it?

[bookofmirth]

on azriel

So re: the whole Azriel thing and him not being in a good place for a relationship:

This is NOT a new argument. Calling out one person for making that statement is... a bold move, in a fandom where that very topic is discussed quite often, with thoughtful and careful analysis and respect. Like.... yesterday.

Saying that Azriel is not in a place for a relationship right now IS NOT saying that people with mental health problems don’t deserve love or to be in healthy relationships. “Basically, she said that people with mental health don't deserve to be in a relationship.” No! That is a massive misinterpretation of the actual statement being made! Please learn better critical reading/listening skills! (I’m not tagging OP because I’m not giving their behavior a platform.)

No one ever said that Az doesn’t “deserve” to be in a relationship. No one thinks that real people in the real world with mental health problems don’t deserve relationships! It’s misinterpretation upon misinterpretation. 

Anyway.

Everyone deserves love. Everyone deserves support. No one is arguing that. What people are saying, if I may be so bold as to speak for others, is:

Azriel deserves love and support.

That love and support can come from family and friends.

It is not the “job” of a romantic partner to be everything to their partner, nor is it healthy.

Azriel is not in a good place to be in a healthy, mutually supportive relationship because

He does not currently address his trauma and hasn’t for a long, long time.

He represses, and then his emotions explode in inappropriate and harmful ways (see: High Lord meeting in acowar, defying Rhys in acosf, his constant “cruel” competitiveness, trying to prevent Elain from helping with the Dread Trove with “an outright sign of temper”. We know that this is true. Stop trying to romanticize it.)

Everyone around Az looks at him warily. I’m not going to pull out all the examples, someone else can do that, but look at the way Mor watches him. Look at the way Cassian watches him. Look at the extreme measures Rhys had to take in the extra. They know he’s unpredictable and full of rage, even though he seems to hold it together. Most of the time.

He routinely tortures people, and it was emphasized in acosf that Feyre could barely stand to be around it. Feyre, who has seen some pretty dark sh*t.

Azriel has some things he needs to work on - don’t we all - but because of the way he treats other people, we know that he is not the partner you’d look for on eharmony dot com.

And that’s what it comes down to - his behavior. Not his mental state. 

Love is not always enough.

Being in love and being in a relationship are NOT the same thing. Being in a relationship is work. It has to be mutual. Sometimes, people are not in a place to be in a relationship. And that’s okay! SJM gave us all the clues we need to know what sort of mental state Az is in right now, and how that impacts the way that he treats people, and that is nowhere near being a supportive partner who can draw boundaries and recognizes the individual personhood and agency of their partner; in other words, he currently seems unable to contribute the necessary work to create a healthy relationship. 

Azriel will be in a place to have a healthy, mutually supportive relationship. Just... not yet. And the way he treated Elain in that chapter was EXACTLY what we are trying to say. He saw her as a prize, as a thing to conquer, as something he was owed. That’s,... not even love. 

And let’s be honest - if someone made these statements about Tamlin, 1) it would be true, and 2) no one would dispute it. We saw very similar signs regarding Tamlin in acotar and then they came to the foreground in acomaf. Tamlin also had issues restraining his rage. He was controlling, reacting based on an instinct to protect that was about his own peace of mind rather than Feyre’s autonomy. And look what happened. He loved Feyre, and Feyre loved him, but that love wasn’t enough because Tamlin was not in a place where he could do the things I mentioned two paragraphs above. Had they met in a different time and place, maybe it would have worked out. Or maybe they wouldn’t have fallen in love. Who knows. But what we do know is that Tamlin became abusive because he lacked emotional awareness and intelligence. 

Tamlin is basically a cautionary tale for Azriel and I don’t see how people can have read this series and not see that. Not see that sjm wrote Azriel in a very specific way in that extra.

Will Az get to the same lonely, dark place that Tamlin has ended up? I doubt it. He has a much better support system than Tamlin, for one. He also is being set up to have an HEA, for another. There isn’t a war on, no Amarantha holding everyone hostage. Their histories and personalities, the people they are surrounded by are different - the way they deal with their emotions and trauma is not.

So anyway making a call-out post reducing very complex arguments to simplistic “you hurt me cuz i can’t understand what you meant” is a choice, but it’s not a great one.

[you-cant-spell-subtext-without]

so get this. I was gonna roll around in Tombstone related fluff today - but no, no - this post came across my dash so Now We Are Gonna Discuss the Carnal Consumption of Meat as it appears on That Show Supernatural.  YEAH BUDDIES!

(also my sincere apologies to OP of the inspiration post who innocently tagged it with “lunch date!”  because I am about to go Elsewhere, cursedly).

Let’s all go meat man, after the cut!

This analysis centers primarily on 5x14 Bloody Valentine.  The title of course is a semi-homage to a 3D Slasher Film Jensen starred in circa 2009. 

Which I will be renting soon I guess.  ,[<- parasocial panda GET BACK IN YOUR ENCLOSURE]

Also Its Really Fun that the trailer for Said Cinema ends with “nothing says date movie like a 3-D ride to hell” [are you also thinking of Cas pulling Dean out of hell, or are you normal?]  ***unironically the teaser for 5x14 is -

EXT. SIDEWALK - IN FRONT OF ALICE'S APARTMENT BUILDING

RUSSEL 

First date.

They then eat each other.  Literally they eat each others flesh.  They also do it while dirty talking about it.  SPN IS A SHOW 

ALICE Ugh! I've been so alone. So empty...

RUSSEL I know. Me too.

ALICE I want you, Russel---All of you... inside me...

[they both take bites out of each other, Alice chewing on a piece of Russel's flesh]

****Remember this detail, as it is important.

ANYWAY, it’s truly Cursed that not only are we doing an homage to this 3-D Jensen Horror Date Flick but also this episode is specifically centered on Valentine’s Day.  The day honoring romance and love Now Coopted by Hallmark, everyone, that is the day spn writers chose to introduce us to 

Sir Horseman of THE Biblical Apocalypse Famine. 

Canonically, we are aware that the show is drawing from the book of Revelations in its depiction of the Four Horsemen.  Here’s what it says about Famine -

"When He broke the third seal, I heard the third living creature saying, "Come." I looked, and behold, a black horse; and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand.”

-Revelations 6:5

Famine holds scales (used to weigh out grain in times of food scarcity).  Spn’s depiction is represented as hunger, a bottomless pit of need.  It consumes souls (demon and human alike).  

Cas describes Famine a little more poetically:

CASTIEL 

"And then will come Famine riding on a black steed. He will ride into the land of plenty... "

"... and great will be the Horseman's hunger, for he is hunger. "

"His hunger will seep out and poison the air. "

***Consider a prior season in which we are introduced to the Seven Deadly Sins.  Which are the sins associated with hunger?

Gluttony

and Lust.

***this is also important

Back to the episode.  Case cold open, and we find out that Alice was a Nice Girl.  In that she didnt drink, smoke or

have premarital sex.

***So Alice’s hunger for the sin of Lust caused her to succumb to it; and her demise was presented as Gluttony (literally eating her partner’s flesh). HMM

Famine’s presence is affecting the town, and Cas is not immune.

DEAN 

And when did you start eating?

CASTIEL 

Exactly. My hunger-- it's a clue, actually.

***They lay it out a little more in case you missed it ->

SAM 

I thought famine meant starvation, like as in, you know, food.

CASTIEL 

Yes. Absolutely. But not just food. I mean, everyone seems to be starving for something--Sex, attention, drugs, love...

***this is so important.  but of course because its spn and our textual narrators are generally unreliable (even in a Ben Edlund episode, yes I know)

we get a red herring

CASTIEL 

Right. The cherub made them crave love, and then Famine came, and made them rabid for it.

***but that’s not accurate.  they didn’t get married or become obsessed with each other (remember the cursed coin in 4x08 Wishful Thinking and the unconditional love wish? not what happened here). they had premarital sex.  they did the thing Alice considers wrong, and dark, and sinful.  and then they ate each others’ flesh.

DEAN 

Okay, but what about you? I mean, since when do angels secretly hunger for White Castle?

CASTIEL 

It's my vessel-- Jimmy. His, uh, appetite for red meat has been touched by Famine's effect

***mad lad Jimmy Novak’s hunger is for...red meat?  He is starving for red meat?  You are telling me that the Novaks, red blooded conservative religious midwestern Novaks, ate RED MEAT SO SPARINGLY that Jimmy Novak was LITERALLY starving for it?!?!  No way.  Absolutely no way.  This is a man who was such a religious zealot he STUCK HIS HAND IN BOILING WATER and accepted an angel of the lord into his own body but his secret hunger was for fucking ground beef?

give me a damn break.

to me this is an absolute coverup.  Because Cas’s burger consumption is not related one iota to his vessel Jimmy Novak.

it is a representation of Cas falling.  Cas’s cravings for meat represent his growing (and very much prohibited) feelings for...humanity (Dean Winchester), and they are presenting as Gluttony in the form of his downing more and more copious amounts of red meat.  

SERIOUSLY, consider this - at one point the depiction is so desperately carnal that he is eating raw ground beef with his bare hands. It is fucking uncomfortable.  and it is SUPPOSED to be.  Famine stirs up hunger for the prohibited.  For the sinful. That which we are starving for but do not believe we can ever have, so we lust and we lust and we LUST after it, but should we allow ourselves even just a taste of what we have been ravenously craving, we binge it until we ourselves disappear into the oblivion of our own sinful, dark desires.

Since You Want More Examples of why this cant possibly be hunger for Cheeseburgers and Cheeseburgers alone, Consider Famine’s effect on Dean.  Remember his doctor kink?

**when its revealed that Doctor Corman has succumbed to Famine’s poison by drinking himself to death, Dean - very uncharacteristically by the way - reacts by saying out loud

DEAN Thanks. Crap! I really kind of liked this guy.

***please note that Doctor Corman says the following to Dean in the prior scene they have together -

DR. CORMAN [to Dean]

Agent Marley, you just can't stay away.

****was that a flirtation?

***Also, Dean doesn’t want to go out and chase tail for Valentines Day.   

SAM

I mean, what do you always call it-- Uh, unattached drifter Christmas?

DEAN 

Oh, yeah. Well... be that as it may...I don't know. Guess I'm not feeling it this year.

SAM 

So you're not into bars full of lonely women?

DEAN 

Nah, I guess not. [takes a sip of his beer] Ahh. What?

SAM 

That's when a dog doesn't eat-- That's when you know something's really wrong.

***oh look we are relating things to eating again.  sex/lust to gluttony.  hmmm hmmm hmmm

ANYHOW -  *takes deep breath*

 this is also the Episode Where This Scene Lives

****JACKTING JOICES

oh and speaking of jacting joices, this is also the Dean Notices Cupids Crotch Episode.

frAckles, I am once again asking why you only permit celestial beings to hug you from behi-[gunshots]

but Dean isn’t hungry.  Why? Famine has the explanation, and we get it after Dean immediately runs inside after Cas heads in to complete his portion of their plan barely giving him any time to do so because he misses him that much.

FAMINE 

I disagree. [Famine moves closer to Dean and touches him] Yes. I see. That's one deep, dark nothing you got there, Dean. Can't fill it, can you? Not with food or drink. Not even with sex.

DEAN 

Oh, you're so full of crap.

FAMINE 

Oh, you can smirk and joke and lie to your brother, lie to yourself, but not to me! 

***not Dean making all of those homophobic/homoerotic jokes every time he’s in danger or feeing uncomfortable; not that, that can’t possibly be what Famine is referencing, right?

I can see inside you, Dean. I can see how broken you are, how defeated. 

***not THIS parallel:

AMARA:

You're a mystery. I can see inside your heart. Feel the love you feel, except… It's cloaked in shame

You can't win, and you know it. But you just keep fighting. Just... keep going through the motions. 

***not the motions of performative heterosexuality!!

***Dean’s not hungry because in his heart he truly believes that he can’t actually have what he hungers for.  That Thing Which This Episode Overtly but Also Very Clearly Made Obvious.  It’s an angel riding shotgun [I did Do That and I am Not Sorry], eating a burger in the front seat of the impala.  But, I’ve deviated from the meat of this essay [gunshots] [this time just for the bad joke].

BONUS

there’s Exists another episode in which a man ravenously consumes red meat; eventually succumbing to eating raw beef with his bare hands in the season prior to this one.  

Yes Supernatural the Show That Brought Us Not One But Two Scenes of Persons Carnally Consuming Red Meat With Their Bare Hands.  

This episode is a MOTW - the man in question is a rougaru - a monster that starts out as human but due to some specific genetic disorder (hmmm hmmm hmm crack in THE chassis hmmm hmmm) soon begins to be extremely hungry - “for everything, but eventually long pig.” AKA human flesh. 

Wanna know the kicker?  

Episode’s called Metamorphosis.

(GIF by jackttwist)

I’ll see myself out.

[DOUBLE BONUS for extra credit:

if you really wanna wild out, go watch the scene of Jack the rougaru looking at himself in the mirror in 4x04 - and then meander on over to 7x01 and check out God!stiel looking in the mirror as the leviathans writhe inside him over there. It’s worth the walk.]

***oh and @lilac-void​ im tagging you in this one because in exchange for your KIND creator content nomination I guess I will respond by cursing you with an Honorary tag in this, a Meat Meta.  you’re welcome slash I'm sorry XO [but seriously thank you again for your kindness and appreciation; it really motivated me to sit down and get moving on making more content <3]

[kiss-my-freckle]

8x16 Rewatch: Nicholas Obenrader

IRS storyline. Red’s friendly thief talks about someone going to Boston University. Another one going to college. Agnes will tie into their college storylines somehow. I love Red’s comment about Ressler. “Black shoes, cheap suit, flat stomach, regulation cut - don’t get me wrong, he’s bent, just not as bent as we’d like him to be.”

“Why must you always be early?” This ties in Ressler’s comment to Liz in Brothers. “Not on my watch.” Whatever happens, he’ll be early. Ressler informs the team. He knows a great deal about the Yakuza because of Mako Tanida. 

Espinosa was building his golden parachute like The Director did. He takes a 10% cut from the 40% cut the crew is supposed to get. Red’s friend informs Neville. He’s boxing Espinosa just like he did Rudigger. Neville’s people have no reason to doubt Liz. He already knew she was an agent.

“She’s really good. But I think we’ll all be a lot better when this is done.” A nice hit to the note the woman from Paris left for Red. “You’re good. I’m better.” The worst has yet to come.  “Liz’s mom abandoned her. She would never do the same to Agnes.” Aram has no clue why Katarina gave Liz up for adoption. She had no choice. Liz will realize this soon enough when her own child ends up in danger because Neville wants to kill her. Katarina didn’t make a mistake, Liz did. 

The whole brother of Charles at the lake house reminds me of Liz’s comment about Ressler’s lake house when she spoke to Laurel Hitchin in 4x19. 

Liz is so disrespectful. Anyway... Cooper sent Aram to Paris because he’s still unofficially working with Liz. Ressler last week, Aram this week. Cooper basically knew Aram would be meeting with Liz. I will blame the entire task force along with Liz for whatever happens to her and/or Agnes and/or Jennifer because they failed to arrest her and chose to work against Red instead. He’s their CI. Liz is not. Red put her on the blacklist for a reason. Panabaker put her on the wanted list for a reason. 

“If I were you, I’d like the finish line.” Red’s comment is a nice kick back to his comment to Liz in Devlin’s episode, S5. “Our sprint to the finish. The bag is just out of reach now.”

I love Aram’s care for Agnes in this episode, but I laugh at Liz’s comment.  “Where we live is quiet and peaceful.” A nice kickback to the scene cut in 7x13 for their War and Peace theme. Ressler's "But maybe this will help us." US being Keenler. A hearing aid that blocks out sound. Cut to Agnes' name on her passport meaning Peace. “Your daddy just always taught me to be ready for a rainy day.” This runs through The Freelancer in 8x5. “There's a number pre-programmed. You ask for Charlotte. You tell them you got caught in the rain and need to dry off.” It won’t be quiet and peaceful for long. Charlotte’s web is about to get tangled. 

“I’ve done some awful things.” Liz kicking back to S3... again. “I have done... so many terrible things. I have hurt so many people."

“Whoever said crime doesn’t pay wasn’t very good at it.” When crime nearly costs Liz her daughter... she’ll understand what that truly means. It’s a dialogue that kicks back to The Ethicist in S6. “He did a cost-benefit analysis on these people, figured that the cost outweighed the benefits, and killed them because of it." Liz believes the benefit outweighs the cost. It doesn’t. 

Finally, some Ressler action in a lake house. 

Sikorsky’s official name is Ivan Stepanov. Red’s friend in the East. Officially, he’s SVR. Unofficially, he’s a high-ranking member of Zaslon. running black-ops around the globe. “Mobilize assets.”

Red doesn't expect Obenrader to reveal anything meaningful about Neville's organization. Obenrader knows the blowback it’ll have on his loved ones if he does. This is what Liz will have to worry about later. The blowback on her loved ones. More specifically, Jennifer and Agnes. 

Whoever their inside man is, it’ll be a low-level agent like The Director’s friend in Zal Bin Hasaan’s episode. I’m expecting someone outside the task force, but close enough to tap the phone. They know Liz is using burners, so they had to tap Ressler’s. Yeah, another kickback to S3. 

The task force can’t arrest Stepanov, so they’re letting Liz extract him. Because they chose to work with Liz and Ressler contacted her about Stepanov while having a tap on his phone, Neville’s own people got their hands on him first. Precisely the point. They just put Liz in the direct line of fire because Katarina was N-13 and she’s very much alive. I thought it’d be Paula who got into his line, but it was Neville’s people. Guarantee Stepanov can prove Katarina was N-13, and knows the identity of imposter Katarina. This knowing will be Liz’s downfall. He’s going to protect Red at all costs (tortured or not) because he and Red have been working on this project together for the past 30 years.

“Oh, my stars” is a common quote from Red. He used it in Lord Baltimore with Yaabari. "Let me guess, I stole something from you. A painting, jewelry.... your heart."  Red’s new asset is gorgeous as hell. Priya Laghari. 

“I want to be your angel.” - Red

Red pulls a fake shooting on Ressler and Park so as not to look like a CI in bed with the FBI. “Of course, a mystery is only as good as the story around it.” Red saying exactly what I’ve been saying about his real identity. It has to fit the story around it. 

Alina Park is pretending to read Just Fly Away by Andrew McCarthy. “A powerful story about family secrets, first love, the limits of forgiveness, and finding your way in the world.”

“Like taking candy from a kid.” A hit to Rizal’s episode. This is where Agnes falls in, along with the dialogues about spoiling her rotten. 

“You think you’re giving her a rope to hang herself. I fear you may be giving her a rope to hang all of us.” A nice hit back to 8x14. “I’m responsible for Mary Bremmer’s murder, Dembe’s torture, and I got nothing to show for it, except for another reminder that no matter how tight the noose, Reddington will always cheat the hangman." To be clear, Liz fully accepting responsibility for the murder of Mary Bremmer, so what comes to Jennifer will be on her. That whole washer necklace choking Mary through Liz’s Cyranoid. She didn’t specify that it brought her good luck, only that it brought her luck... because Tom Keen is bad luck. 

A noose for Jennifer Reddington. Then Liz will have something to show for it. 

Red is worried about Priya. He hired her to assassinate Neville. 

He should be worried. This focal shot is a kickback to Roy Cain's episode in S7. His "knock on wood" will push back to Liz and her fate.

Purposeful stuff. 

A kiss of death... like the woman from Paris kissing Red before injecting him. It also makes me think of The Apothecary, the Scotch. Just throw it in the bottle while he's gone and be done with it. While she may not kill Neville, I do think she’ll be the reason Red’s friend Ivan will survive. She’s a thief. "Items” include people. That's what Neville wants Priya to steal. She's gonna steal Ivan Stepanov. "Item" is how Red referred to Raymond’s bones in S5 and how they referred to Karakurt when he came in country in S2... items. Rakitin wasn’t worth the save. 

The Stranger by Albert Gamus. The book Dembe was reading that Red starts to read. The novel is famous for its first lines: “Mother died today. Or maybe it was yesterday, I don’t know.”

"Katarina Rostova was N-13. And Katarina Rostova is dead." Ivan Stepanov speaks truth. Red is N-13 because he's Katarina. SHE has been dead for 30 years. Of all people, the person who created the archive can prove who stole it in 1990. Expect Neville to be pissed because he's been chasing the wrong woman for 30 years. Ivan can reveal it all without revealing Red's real identity.

Neville’s comment about her innocence. “But Katarina Rostova was framed. Which means I dedicated my life to the hatred of an innocent woman.” This pushes back to Red’s comment in 8x2. “Is that the story she told you? She's a victim? An innocent wrongly accused?" What Ivan will be revealing to Neville. The real Katarina Rostova was no innocent. He knows Red is Katarina and he knows he’s dead either way because he created the archive that took Neville’s family. "Do you know who I am? Because I know who you are. You're the one who created the archive that destroyed my family." He’s gonna put Liz on the chopping block. "And I asked you to fly here so I could look you in the eye and tell you: I agree... for now." Because he has no idea she’s Katarina’s daughter, which means he has no idea she’s Red’s daughter.  

Full drive through the rest of the season. The first person Neville would kill... is Liz. 

[asknightqueendany]

God, I just can not stand people who continue to support and defend S8 Sansa/Arya’s behavior. I just came across a gif edit (made by a Sansa Stan of course) that was a clip of Jon in the Godswood saying “if you only trust the people you grow up with, you won’t make any allies” - you know defending Daenerys who has done nothing at this point to be treated like this, and op followed that gif with a bunch of clips of Sansa and Arya making friends and ‘trusting’ people. (1/?)

then the last panel was edited with Arya saying “what the fuck are you talking about Jon?” They went on to shame Jon for essentially trying to encourage them to trust Daenerys (you know, the person who just sacrificed a fuckton by coming to help in the battle against the dead while Cersei stayed up in KL), saying “they don’t need Jon to make inept disrespectful statements about trusting people they didn’t grow up with blah blah blah” (2/?)

and that this edit was somehow proof that Sansa and Arya DiDn’T hAvE tRuSt IsSuEs. They said “they trust people fine, they’ve done it the whole series, even when it was sometimes a mistake to do so” and that Sansa’s greatest flaw was actually trusting people too much and that’s why this is such a GrEaT sCeNe CaUsE cHaRaCtEr GrOwTh. (3/?)

And of course this entire tirade is sprinkled with tidbits of Dany bashing like how Dany is clearly an evil tyrant, how she threatened Sansa to Jon’s face so how dare he lecture Sansa and Arya on not trusting her and that, I quote, “both Sansa and Arya have already taken the measure of Daenerys and the weight they’ve come away with is: “Danger, abort, save the family from inevitable destruction.” (4/?)

They also take a few jabs at Jon by saying “he’s literally only alive because Sansa contacted one of her abusers to save them all”. Good lord. I can’t understand it. I literally can not understand how anyone can watch S8 up to that scene in the Godswood (and you know the few minutes afterward when Sansa immediately turns around and breaks her sacred vow, betraying both Jon and Daenerys) and not think “wow, these people suck, they really don’t give a shit about anyone but themselves”. (5/?)

Especially after Arya’s incredibly selfish and insensitive sentiment of “yeah, yeah, we appreciate her people dying for us and all that, but now if they could get the fuck out of the North, that’d be great” comments. (6/6)

They obviously only made the gifset/meta in order to combat the very understandable assertions by Season 8 critics that Sansa and Arya are hating on Dany in that scene (and throughout the entire season really), for no reason at all. Because it’s a valid point. 

Why the fuck were Sansa and Arya still cautious of Dany when she had just saved all their asses? Why the fuck did they care so much that Dany wanted to wage a war half a country away against a woman they both had on their hit lists? They shouldn’t have cared. What? Northmen will die in the war against Cersei? Good. They should. She’s their enemy too and if not for the war with Dany, Cersei would go after the Starks next, once the dead were defeated (well, that couldn’t happen without Dany anyway, but you get my point).

The Starks expected Dany to come in and defeat all their enemies for them and then fuck off and leave them to it. That’s not the way diplomacy works assholes. 

But... I digress.

The Stans.

Any and all analysis of Season 8 is pointless. There is no point dissecting anything about that season because it is a jumbled mess that contradicts everything that came before it. 

To even assert that Sansa and Arya “have trust issues”... or don’t have trust issues, is pointless. Because they both trust and then not trust people in Season 8 based on... idk, what they had for breakfast that morning? What side of the bed they woke up on? There’s no rhyme or reason to anything. 

I have tried answering this ask a few times in the last hour. Typing out points about the season, Arya and Sansa’s actions, etc. 

But again, there is no rhyme or reason to any of it. So it’s pointless to analyze. 

As the show was presented to the audience in Season 8, Arya and Sansa mistrusted Dany for no reason. Neither of them are psychic and didn’t know she would blow up King’s Landing. Bran never told anyone Dany would do this, if he knew about it ahead of time. Dany was their savior. She saved them. And they repaid her with deceit and general bitchiness. 

That’s just all there is to it. 

The Stansas can try to defend it all they want. But it was stupidly written. And most everyone knows that. 

The Starks are the villains of Season 8. Especially Sansa, but to a lesser extent Arya and Bran. Dany was the tool they used to get what they wanted. 

And that’s that on that.  

[vierafication]

Last night around 4 am, I reblogged a certain post about "villainous rp" and added my own two cents to what had been discussed within it- mostly just venting about behavior I'd seen in the past. I didn't think much of it until I saw the next day it had been reblogged, and reblogged again, and again, by some folks who seemed pretty unhappy about what I'd said. I was told I needed to get a life, that I clearly can't separate IC and OOC, that maybe I shouldn't be writing at all. That hurt. I was irritated, then, feeling like I'd had words shoved in my mouth, like I was being purposefully misinterpreted. I typed up a clarification post explaining my previous points and pressed send, but it was seemingly ignored.

I talked with @damankjol about it later. He's the best, if you didn't know. And he rp's villains! I don't think he's a sociopath! He's very empathic and honest and understanding and cool, and he helped me realize that people weren't just angry at me, they were genuinely hurt by what I'd written. I went back and reread what I posted, as well as the responses, with a more critical eye. And... yeah. What I typed up wasn't clean, organized, or coordinated. I was venting and the tone that came off was irritated and rude. While not my intention, what I wrote sounded pretty fucking disrespectful and downright mean. And, frankly, my intentions don't matter, anyway, since I wasn't able to convey them properly. I just put some angry bullshit up on tumblr way too late at night, and I didn't expect anybody to even look at it, let alone reblog it- but I should have. Tumblr is a public platform and I should have approached my post the same way I'd approach any other one during the normal hours of the day. Thinking critically is always key, but audience is too- a vent post is a vent post, but I should have thought before I vented about a topic other people were sensitive to, and properly indicate specifics instead of vague generalizations. So, yes, I really wanted to apologize to anyone who that post hurt. I’m genuinely sorry. I should not have generalized like that. It wasn't even my intention in the first place. I was disrespectful and now that I think about it, incredibly hypocritical to boot. So yeah. I really am sorry. I respect @damankjol and @miqojak a lot as writers, and it would never be my intention to tear them down. Or anybody else, for that matter- rp only works when you rp with others, after all.

Once again, I'm sorry, and I hope you won't hate me for eternity or anything. Storytime and critical analysis under the cut.

One of my first, and worst, experiences in the ffxiv rp community was a good couple years ago. I was describing my character to a “friend,” and that character happened to be Lionnet Blodoint, my Ishgardian chirurgeon. Lionnet was not a good person by a long shot, to begin with, and from his time serving during the Dragonsong War, he’d developed quite a bit of PTSD relating to any and all things draconic. He hated dragons. He didn’t even like Au Ra. “Wow,” said the so-called friend at the time. “Your character is a nazi.”

“What? No!” I exclaimed. I tried to explain that he was NOT a nazi, he was just a traditionalist Ishgardian who hated dragons because they had been, at one point in time, absolutely hell-bent on destroying his home and everything he knew. I thought it was a pretty reasonable character trait to hate, or at least fear, dragons after serving in the Dragonsong War. The core of how I’d planned to develop him would be overcoming or at least coming to terms with his trauma, and no longer seeing it in every dragon or Au Ra he met. “No,” they said. “Your character is terribly written. They’re awful and nobody would ever want to rp with them. They’re boring because they’re so full of negative traits. They’re racist and thus, a nazi. And you are just as bad, because you’re defending them! You’re a nazi too!”

So yeah, they are NOT my friend anymore. But that whole convo really stuck with me, and I was afraid to bring out Lio afterwards- it took me another year before I actually began to use him in rp. And he turned out wonderful! His story became one of my favorite rp character stories of all time, and he had great relationship development and a happy ending. He’s still around, canonically, but I have a different main toon now.

So it shocks me that what that person told me about Lio is more or less the same as what I wrote in that post. I’m honestly dumbfounded at how I could just casually type that up and post it, when it draws so many parallels to the way I was bullied back then. So yeah. Huge hypocrisy right there. I swore to never act like that. And to an extent, I suppose I have. But that post I made was pretty fucking close- just directed at a vaguely generalized audience instead of a singular person and character. Maybe that’s actually worse. And I am sorry. I guess because it wasn’t directed at anyone but the void (even the op’s url doesn’t exist anymore), I just didn’t think about it. Which sounds like a lame-ass excuse, but... it’s true. I just wasn’t thinking. I was just venting. It’s really fucking with me that I could’ve hurt somebody so much completely unintentionally, to be honest.

So, what did I say- or, to be more clear, what was I attempting to say? What was my intention, and what wasn’t? I’m going to go over that now, more for my benefit than anyone else’s. Please note that I am not trying to make excuses or shove any blame elsewhere. I am just trying to clarify what I meant and address the issues that made my post so negative, for my own sake.

To begin, I’m gonna link this post by @lilac-memorials. It goes into detail about the trouble with “villain” discourse, and addresses a number of issues from a much more unbiased standpoint, far more eloquently than I could. Also, it seems to reference (the worse) parts of my posts at some points, or maybe I’m just paranoid. Regardless, it’s a much better post than the trainwreck that was the original one, and I agree with every bit of it. It also addresses the difference between a “villain” and an “antagonist,” which is something I attempted to go into but failed miserably.

Anyhoo. My post began with this paragraph:

Seriously. I do not trust anyone who refers to themselves as a “villain” rper. A character can take an antagonistic role in another character’s story arc, that’s fine, that works. It goes back to the “everyone is the hero of their own story” sorta thing. But playing a villain, only as a villain… what’s the point in that? It’s just someone roleplaying as an evil asshole that expects to be treated as stronger than other characters, expects to be feared. It reads like some twisted power fantasy. It doesn’t sound fun and it sure isn’t fun for the people rping with you. Like dude, calm down.

To begin with, yes, I am indeed a little distrustful of people who label their characters first and foremost as villains, before anything else. I am more suspicious of engaging in rp with them than I am with other types of characters, because I have seen some pretty crappy villains out and about and I just don’t wanna deal with that. Next, I go on to try to draw the line between a villain and an antagonist, and how I am much less suspicious of “antagonistic” characters than straight-up “villain” characters. “But playing a villain, only as a villain... what’s the point in that?” I ask. Very rudely. Insinuating that their is no point whatsoever in playing a villain. Which I didn’t intend to. But honestly, I don’t know how else that would’ve translated- I don’t know what I was thinking. I go on to describe this “villain” as somebody who is an evil asshole with a power fantasy, and how it ruins fun for anybody. Which can be read very easily as saying “all villains are like this.” No, they are not! I was describing the bad type of villain rper. The rper who “plays a villain, only as a villain,” and not as a character. Do you get what I mean now? The controlling, toxic, power-hungry rper that plays a villain as an outlet to be further controlling, toxic, and power-hungry, moreso than they ever could in reality. We all know that type of person exists. We’ve met them, somewhere. Sometimes they aren’t playing the villain at all, anyway. They’re playing the hero, or somebody else entirely. But here, I am just venting about that type of person. They are what my post is about. The key line should’ve been “playing a villain, only as a villain,” but it was shoved into a passive-aggressive question addressing self-worth instead of a proper sentence describing the difference between a well-written villain and a badly-written villain. And thus the post begins as if it had been rudely addressed to all villain rpers everywhere, labeling them as the evil asshole with a power fantasy, instead.

Next is: Anyway hot take but maybe the reason people kept trying to “redeem” and “change” OP’s character is because their character is boring af!

Yeahhhh, that one’s just mean. And, given the first paragraph, easily able to seen as an attack saying that if you are a villain rper, your character is boring af. They’re not! The op’s post is a little much, to be honest, and I guess I thought I was feeling spicy at 4 am. Now I think I must’ve just been being mean. Aurelia explains what’s wrong with the initial post here, though, instead of trying and failing to poke fun at it in that special pseudo-mean tumblr way like I did.

Lastly, Like, honestly! Play a character as a foil to another, play to fucked up ideas about morality, play an antagonist arc to a protagonist character, play a character who makes bad decisions. But don’t play a “villain.” Don’t play a character whose core personality traits are simply being cruel/evil. Don’t play a character whose sole focus is to kill npcs, be scary, and lord over other players’ characters. Don’t play a character who never develops or changes, and doesn’t facilitate change in other characters. Just don’t be an asshole edgelord. Don’t be flat and one dimensional. Don’t use rp to live out your fucked up power fantasy. Get therapy instead.

Honestly, I think this is the most clear part of my entire post, and also the worst, at the end there. I just am listing off behaviors that this figurative “bad villain rper” exhibits, and what offsets them. Play a villain that’s complex, had depth, nuance! I’m saying don’t play the “villain,” and then listing off what this specific hypothetical villain is. The opposite of deep and nuanced. The “bad villain rper” type the whole post is a vent about.

Then comes the dreaded “ Don’t use rp to live out your fucked up power fantasy. Get therapy instead. “ The villainous power fantasy. No, I do not think everyone who rp’s villains is like this. Yes, I believe there are people like this, who are INCREDIBLY few and far between, and if they solely use rp as an outlet to harass others both ICly and OOCly, that is bad! And maybe they should get help! And even, then, that was only half-serious! But therapy is a serious subject and I should have known better, and done better. Did all of that come off as intended? Hell no! Instead, it was the final nail in the coffin.

So! That’s what I was trying to say. Badly-written villains are a pain. If I had written up a post like I am now, with this long-ass thing, actually trying to be eloquent and clear. Not 4 am word vomit. This 4 am word vomit instead has gotten me to be read and interpreted as:

-being completely unable to separate character and player to the point where i think every villain’s player is a Real Life Bad Person and/or needs mental help

-saying all villains are boring because they’re not heroes, and thus are incapable of being complex and nuanced

-saying people who play dark/antagonistic characters are, in general, living out their fucked up power fantasy through them

-thinking that villainous characters are incredibly boring and just plain terrible

No! None of that is what I think! Absolutely none! I’m not going to go in and refute each of those claims, because, like I said, I’m not trying to make excuses here. But I WILL end this thing with what I do think of villainous characters and their players:

They’re fucking great, okay? A good story is made a gazillion times better by having a good villain in it, be the story a book, a movie, or an rp scenario. Well-written villain rpers are a TREASURE, and need to be appreciated! It is often harder to find rp with antagonistic toons, to begin with, and their players may find themselves getting shit on more often than others, which should absolutely not be the case. Characters that are complex and deep and nuanced are great no matter what their alignment is.

There ARE some pretty shitty villain rpers out there, too. And, in my own personal experience, they tend to be much more obnoxious than shitty hero rpers. A badly written hero will ruin a villain’s rp. A badly written villain may well try to ruin everybody around them’s rp.

Badly written villains suck. They’re the worst. And they make things worse for those that dedicate a lot of time and effort to crafting complex and cleverly written, compelling villains! Badly written villains are something I can and will complain about, just as well-written villains are something that I can and will praise. But I’ll try not to complain or vent on this platform anymore, to start.

And I do NOT blend IC and OOC. That’s the rper’s taboo! I will critique others who do it, though, which ironically is what I was sort of trying to do- complain about those specific villain players who do that. But anyway. If you’ve read this far, good for you! This has been way too long.

And. Please. If I do say or do something that hurts you in the future, regardless of what type of post it is, talk to me! Tell me what’s up! Thank you!

[lyricsaboutcats]

Datamining Andromeda: Humans

We’re getting closer to the end of this series! We’re going to dig around Mass Effect Andromeda’s files for information about the human characters. Some of them have summaries and biographies hidden inside the game files for the developers to use.

Previous posts:

Datamining Andromeda: Asari Datamining Andromeda: Salarians Datamining Andromeda: Turians Datamining Andromeda: Krogan

When it comes to the humans, many minor NPCs have summaries while major characters such as Liam, Addison, and Gil do not.

Warning: There are spoilers ahead!

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Major Human Characters:

Cora Harper Cora Harper is a human soldier who trained with mysterious asari commandos. Talented and smart, Harper is a consummate professional who finds herself always looking for a trusted mentor to give her guidance and a path in life. She was a close friend of the Player's father--as close as anyone got--and can give insight into him even after his passing. Harper is a woman of few words: in a pinch, she prefers to let a bit of deadpan humour or a well-placed shot do the talking.

Suvi Anwar Suvi Anwar is the Tempest's resident science officer. A brilliant physicist, she was recommended for the Pathfinder Initiative, and jumped at the chance to explore the wonders of a new galaxy. Initially attached to the NEXUS as part of the team responsible for the data collection and analysis of the conditions in the Heleus Cluster, Suvi campaigned to become part of the Pathfinder's scouting team, in order to expand her investigation of the cluster. Excitable, may occasionally talk to herself. Brain goes fast, mouth runs to keep up.

Harry Carlyle Harry is initially the team doctor on the Pathfinder team, but then swaps job with Lexi. Harry remains on the Hyperion and helps watch over the sibling. Harry is in his late 40s, easy-going, and game for anything.

Ryder Sr. Father of the player character. Tough, no nonsense ex-soldier-turned-Pathfinder.  He's a commanding presence.

Ellen Ryder Ellen Ryder is the wife of Alec Ryder, the original human Pathfinder who dies in M1 (and mother of player characters, Scott and Say).  Ellen met Alec when he was doing his N7 training on Earth.   Ellen was a scientist involved in the early stages of human biotic research, delving into the use of implants as a way of harnessing biotic abilities. At the time, this was very primitive and often dangerous work.  Alec and Ellen married, but he was then deployed to the First Contact War, leaving Ellen as something of a soldier's wife, moving around wherever Alec was posted. Next up was the Citadel, where Alec was ambassador and Ellen raised their two children, Scott and Sara for a number of years on the station. On the Citadel, Ellen found new horizons opening up in her field, with the galactic knowledge of biotics far in advance of the work she'd been doing on Earth. But there was a dark side too. Ellen experienced the onset of a serious degenerative disease. Its root cause could be traced back to her early work on biotics on Earth, at a time when the danger of exposure to eezo was little understood.  Because her illness was so rare, there was no known cure. The family moved back to Earth to care for her and Alec devoted himself to developing SAM as a way of curing her.  Alec enlisted Ellen in the project, and together they leveraged her knowledge of implants, melding it with Alec's understanding of A.I. The project consumed Alec, and he became a distant and aloof figure to both his wife and children. Whereas Ellen tried to put on a brave face and remain a committed mother - she eventually ended up the de facto "single parent" in place of their mostly absent father. Despite her disease, she remained a loving and committed mother, caring deeply about her two children. Eventually, her condition worsened to the point where it was too late, death was inevitable. She was willing to accept this, but Alec was not.  He loved her too much.  Despite their sometimes rocky relationship they still felt passionate about each other, even to the very end.

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Mysterious Benefactor

Race: Human A character in the Alec Ryder memory flashbacks. This is the Mysterious Benefactor -- the secret backer of the entire Andromeda Initiative who originally hired Alec. She's a woman, though her face will remain hidden in this game and we'll only hear her voice.

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Humans of Kadara:

Sloane Kelly Sloane Kelly also known as the "Outcast Queen" is a "Robin Hood" figure who leads the Outcast Legion pirate faction by holding the spoils of war in one hand and a loaded gun in the other. A hardened survivor from the Nexus rebellion, she holds a deep personal grudge against the Andromedia Initiative--and, by association, the Pathfinder. South African. Attractive but tough. Like Furiosa from Mad Max.

Reyes Vidal Reyes Vidal presents himself to the player as a smuggler and contact of the Angaran Resistance, but he is secretly the Charlatan, one of the two major pirate lords vying for power in Kadara Port. He is charming and driven, but ultimately selfish and values himself above others. Casual, friendly with a flirty undertone. A very slight Chilean accent. Han Solo handsome--rugged but put together.

Dr. Ryota Nakamoto Ryota Nakamoto once worked for the Outcast Legion, but when Sloane turned what should have been a medical breakthrough into a drug, he quit and started up a free clinic in the slums of Kadara Port. He is Japanese, but doesn't have an accent.

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Humans of the Nexus:

Jien Garson This is Jien Garson, the founder of the Andromeda Initiative. A charismatic visionary billionaire ala Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk, or Steve Jobs. She is seen in the video "info wall" in beginning of game. She will also be a character in the MEA prequel novel.

William Spender The son of an influential investor of the pathfinder initiative, Spender was assigned to the Pathfinder Initiative as an administrator. Though he was not competent, his ability as a politician was such that he managed to preserve his position within the Initiative until the departure of the arks. Woken up during the arrival in the Heleus Cluster, he became the director of colonial affairs’&#128;&#153; assistant more though lack of personel than anything else. His propensity for dodgy politics and behind the scenes dealing (and lying) continued, though a fatal miscalculation led to him becoming a pawn of the Nexus Exiles. He subsequently contributed to the departure of the krogan clan among other issues. He complies with Tann's requests thus is in good odor with him. Addison knows he is less than qualified and suspects he had a part in the krogan leaving, but no one has any idea of his involvement with the exiles.

Cryo Deployment Administrator Vladimir Brecka Dedicated but long-suffering assistant to the Colonial Director. Generally good natured, but knows his place in the order of things, and wants better. Knows that a good job will lead to better things for everyone, so he grins and bears it. Light Romanian Accent.

Doctor Camden Chief botanist and manager of Hydroponics who left for Andromeda after the Divorce From Hell. Camden is brisk and fussy, annoyed that people dismiss him as "a gardener" when his work in Hydroponics keeps everyone still breathing, eating, and drinking--nothing important, right? He nurses that grudge like a favourite teddy bear, but underneath it all he's deeply concerned that a thin green line separates the Nexus from life and death. Akin to the Doctor from ST: Voyager.

Yolanda Carter Operations Manager. A seemingly quiet and posed woman, Yolanda will rain the fires from hell down upon any unsuspecting fool who presumes to think her request for this or that item is superfluous. While some are intimidated by her, having fallen foul of her before, all respect her ability to get shit done. She works with Vetra and the two make a scary team when they are like-minded on acquiring something for the station.

Ada DeYoung A young technician working under Kesh on the Nexus. She is optimistic and tends to take everything with great aplomb. Kesh sends her to fix problems that no one can figure out, as the joke among the engineers is that the bugs then to happen when she's around. She is excellent at tracking down power issues within any given sort of network.

Sung-Soo Hwang Technician. An engineer working under Kesh in the engineering department. He is a hardware specialist who tends to be partnered with Ada more often than not due to their complementary skillsets and the fact that he takes the power outages Ada discovers with humor and has set up a countdown betting pool as to the next outage she tracks down.

Colonial Affairs Ops Lin. A young woman, asian, working the comms in the Colonial Affairs area. She's generally in charge of ensuring Addison is aware of on the spot reports when she's not at her desk, and managing the flow of information from settlements to the appropriate department head.

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Humans on Meridian After the Last Mission:

Iora Pillay (Chief Operations) Iora Pillay (iora, not Lora) takes on the managerial position meant to temporarily organize Hub operations until a permanent leader is decided, then assist that leader in perpetuity. East Indian by way of the Citadel. Focused, careful. Respects the Pathfinder, but on some level considers their job "done." Very pro Nexus-as-new-Citadel. She is "second wave," one of the first of the humans "defrosted" after the Hyperion was placed.

Hunter Kerry (Chief Engineer) Hunter is heading up the planned deconstruction of the Hyperion, managing the balance between reuse and recycling. New Zealander. Plainspoken, tough as balls. Doesn't care about politics. Complains that accommodating aliens messes with construction, but then goes above and beyond to do it. He just wanted you to know. He's another second wave defrostee.

Darla vas Hyperion (Placements Officer) Darla vas Hyperion is in charge of assigning occupations as the Ark is slowly repurposed and the humans in stasis are awakened. Spent most of her life among Quarians, because her parents were diplomats.  Utterly used to ship-life and the specificity of roles that demands. Pale. Used to life in a sterile environment. Middle management, glad to be in HR and not farming. Idolizes the Pathfinder. Another second wave defrostee. Korean Heritage.

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(text source: Game/VOCharacters/ using Frosty Editor)

[curioussubjects]

Non-jittery Thoughts on 15.01

Alright, had some time too calm the hell down, so I could have thoughts beyond a keysmash and a crying emoji. Chances are, too, that I’ll have more to say once I sit down with the episode again. Had to get these initial reactions/musings out of the way first.

This episode did a bang up job setting up the personal plot points for tfw. I’m super excited to see where this is going: Dean’s hell trauma revisited, Sam’s wound and its connection to his own darkness, Cas still struggling with belonging, Dean and Cas’s continuous wrongfootedness coming to a head. It’s going to be a killer of a season emotionally, and I am Here. For. It. 

Full disclosure: the biggest chunk is destiel related. In my defense, Dabb & co. didn’t have to enable me, but here we are.

More thoughts under the cut. 

General Thoughts:

My hype was not squashed! We got a really strong season opener and I’m so happy about it. Sure, we got running ghosts. But overall the episode was incredible; just a solid SPN episode all around. A+ job and kudos to all involved ♥♥♥

The new title card is gorgeous and full of meta potential goodness. See this post for more on that; op hit it on the head I think. For additional analysis, there’s this post from different op that is killer.

Opening sequence with tfw fighting zombie ghosts and running for shelter? Amazing. Showstopping. Breathtaking. 

Dean’s grief over Jack that’s embroiled in his grief for Mary. Just. “He was our kid.” That’s some complicated shit right there. 

Gotta love all the tidbits hinting at what is to come during 15.a, at the very least, if not the larger goal of the season. Reading y’all’s thoughts on the episode has been great so far, and I can’t wait to see what else crops up this week.

                                                              //

On Sam: Currently, Sam’s role in the more interesting aspects of the plot continue to not quite match Dean’s, which has been a problem for a while. I’m seriously hoping that changes some with Eileen’s return, Rowena coming in with some banter maybe next week, and whatever weird curse Sam got with that bullet wound. I’m loving the potential and I’m loving the prospect of having Sam brought back to the center of the plot. I missed some more emotional involvement from him this episode, too, but that should be addressed once things calm down and Sam and Dean can debrief. However, we got peak Sam in a crisis and it’s always a treat to see him do his job. Bless. Him telling the clown to shut up made my night. I love him so much. 

                                                               //

On Belphegor: First off, Alex did such a fantastic job. I giggled a ridiculous amount. Instantly invested in the character as bringer of shenanigans. Was not disappointed. Quick deliciously meta tidbits about Belphegor, some of which may not feature in the show, but are still *chef’s kiss* (x):

Moabite deity responsible for fertility and sexual power (in case the ep wasn’t clear on that lmao)

was worshiped in the form of a phallus (so glad that made it to canon jfc)

is a fallen angel??? hello???

he’s the demonic embodiment of sloth, BUT specifically negligence and apathy (i am screaming isnt negligence the whole ordeal with dean and cas atm...and apathy was the problem with jack’s soulessness) 

rules misogyny and licentious men (yeah ok no wonder he was a fan of younger dean oof)

the juiciest: emerged from hell to investigate marriage among humans (and is conveniently in the peanut gallery of dean and cas’s fight. funny how that happens. hilarious, even.) 

apparently after living as a man to experience sexual pleasure he was appalled and fled back to hell where sex between men and women wasn’t a thing i’m??? what?? (yet in the show he seemed ok with hot dudes ayy)

I’m glad my “horny on main” observation turned out to be so on point jesus. Can’t help but wonder how long he’s gonna stick around. His outside perspective is amusing, at the very least. However, the fact that he barely interacted with Sam, but was a lot interested in Dean as well as Cas (though to a lesser extent) makes me think that he’s doing more than just deus exing them out of zombies and ghosts or offering hell exposition. Seems like he going to expose SOME OTHER STUFF. ABOUT DEAN (AND CAS?). He is the “Lord of Opening” after all. And isn’t using their words and being honest the thing we’re all waiting for wrt to DeanCas?? There’s some opening up that is necessary posthaste. Listen, I know I’ve been saying they need a marriage counselor, but this is not what I had in mind. Pretty on brand, though, I guess lol

I’m also really interested about the coding work the character is doing in continuing to queer Dean’s characterization. Belphegor being himself associated with (male) sexuality, and the show clearly focusing on his attraction to humans of the man variety. I wouldn’t even call it subtextual at this point as Belphegor’s interaction with Dean in the car to was really overt. My hopes that the show might actually be explicit about Dean’s bisexuality is uhhhh getting high again *confetti.* Should also maybe at least note that using a demon to do this is probs not like the best strategy, but at least said demon was 1. not skeevy and 2. mostly sympathetic to the audience. 

This is all assuming, ofc, that Belphegor is not catfishing tfw (there’s precedence, after all -- and kudos to anon and op for the timely observations). 

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On Dean & Cas: I think it’s really damn telling that so much space was given to their relationship as like the most important thing going on with their characters? Obviously they have individual issues to deal with (their own struggles with Chuck, revisiting Dean’s stint in hell....which btw also eventually involves Cas too so *hands*), but my sweet baby jesus the validation feels good. Onwards. 

We actually have a weird amount to unpack here because, as others have said, the tension between them is coming from more than just Mary and Jack -- though Mary and Jack are absolutely the main stressors atm as well as emblematic of problems they’ve had for a long long time.  

I’m gonna start with Dean because boy do I love that dumbass; I want to shake him. So we have Dean: he’s grieving Mary, he’s angry, he’s scared, he’s lashing out. It’s a Thursday. We know he’s angry with Cas because he blames him for Mary’s death, even if indirectly. You know what that reminds me of? Dean hating Jack for causing Cas’s death, even though it wasn’t directly Jack’s fault. More importantly, though, both the loss of Mary and the loss of Cas were caused by the same catalyst: Cas going off on his own to solve a problem instead of asking Dean (and Sam, but really, mostly Dean) for help. Like, it’s the one thing Dean has very clearly expressed that Cas needs to stop doing (hi 12x19). It’s the same mistake Cas has been making for years. There was a false sense of security there during seasons 13 and most of 14, but alas. Again, here we have Dean losing someone because Cas couldn’t just come ask him for help. Like. It makes sense, and it’s understandable, despite Dean’s coping mechanisms being shit. In short, Dean’s actual problem with Cas is less that Mary is dead and more that Cas refuses to learn his lesson wrt them being stronger as a unit rather than doing their own thing and putting themselves and others in unnecessary danger. 

Meanwhile, we have a continuation of Cas just being really sad and heartbroken because not only is Jack dead, but he’s once again unsure about his standing with Dean. He wants to protect his family, he wants to protect Dean, he wants to come back with a win; once more, he goes off on his own to do it and it blows up in his face somehow. As much as I loved Cas getting mad at the end of last season, I get why he’s somewhat subdued again. He has his guilt and grief and doubt to deal with. He doesn’t want to be mad at Dean probably about as much as he doesn’t want Dean to be mad at him. So far I’m not yet seeing the return of the spark we got when Cas was defending Jack last season, but I’m sure Dean walking out rattled him beyond the hurt. I wanna see what else happens to make him leave “in a huff” (a bit of spec on this further down). That said, what I’m most excited about is seeing how Cas gets reintegrated into the family -- pretty sure that’s universal lol.

The juiciest part now, though: I was all about the interplay of distance and care that we saw between them; let’s pause here for a quick sec to appreciate how that same interplay has been such a central part of Dean and Cas’s relationship since always like ugh. So much of the larger plot points in the show have also been situations that kept them from being truly partners as well as being constant interruptions on their ability to USE THEIR FRIGGIN’ WORDS AAAACK. We give Sam a lot of flack, but everything has awful timing in this show. We’ve had moments of honesty and vulnerability, but they’re always always cut short before we actually get somewhere; before they arrive at a place where they can talk about their issues. If the “are you ok” scene isn’t a perfect microcosm of that idk what is  /sigh

So, yeah, the “Are you ok” scene oooh boy. I wasn’t as excited as some of you at this scene being an example that Dean still cared, as that was never a doubt I had in my mind (it was definitely a yes omg just talk jesus moments nevertheless). Dean couldn’t possibly just turn that shit off, no matter how much he thinks he’s done with Cas. Like, please.  What we do have is Dean indulging on his own need to know that Cas is, at least, immediately fine. Triage, if you will. Him walking off before Cas can either elaborate, or, most likely, tell him about Sam, is peak Dean passive-aggressiveness. The meltdown I had in the tags of a gifset of the scene is still relevant:

 #cas's little sigh of idk relief???#like he's so sad and physically fine but he's SO SAD and heartbroken#and here's dean finally not just being cold to him and ASKING ABOUT HIS WELLBEING#look at cas's face in tht second gif my heart#you can see him gd relax too i cant#and dean has his fucking check in during a break in the chaos face#im so mad#jdhakjsdfhklsd#and then dean just.........walks away and doesnt actually debrief or help or none of the things he would do#and cas is just...there all vulnerable and upset right before he clams up at the demon's quip#but it doesnt even last look at his damn face as he leaves IM SO#somebody hug him#skldjfhklsajdfa#he needs a dean hug#but noooo dean is being a jackass#this is awful#im not ok#i hate it when they fight#im over it that's enough drama dabb i take back everything i said about loving pain

I’ll definitely have more thoughts on this once we have whatever emotional payload next week.

All in all, I’m not actually concerned about the future of their relationship. They’ve been through much, they’ll be fine. I am, though, tickled that we’ll see these key problems in their relationship reach a point where they have to be dealt with. Also: I can’t wait for the catharsis that Cas leaving is bound to elicit. Both for us, the viewers, and the characters. Besides, Dean needs to go to a corner and have a think about his behavior and if pushing Cas away is really what he wants. And then maybe finally we can get that sweet sweet resolution of an affirmation about Cas’s place in Dean’s life. And in turn an affirmation that Cas does trust their family unit enough to depend on them. 

I think we got a good set up in this episode leading into whatever drama we get in the coming weeks. The tension was up to 11. Love it. Hate it. Personally, I think the empty deal might be what does sets off Cas walking out. Somehow, the deal is not a secret anymore. We have here another instance of Cas making a super important decision that affects The Family on his own and then keeping it a secret (to protect Sam and Dean, a pattern). Dean can be angry and think Cas is dead to him all he wants, he will blow tf up when he learns about this deal. Sam isn’t gonna be thrilled either, though he’s more likely to make puppy eyes of sadness and Disappointment than yell at Cas. Seriously, though, I can just see Dean saying some bullshit because he’s just so done and here goes Cas potentially dying again, which in turn will probably piss Cas off. Etc etc. Cue the violins. 

                                                               //

tl;dr: if episode 1 is any indication, we’re in for a wild fucking ride, kiddos. hold onto your butts!!! 

[canardroublard]

TMFU, Gaby’s fashion, and some feminist film analysis

Back when I slapped together a reblog post about the men’s fashion in The Man From UNCLE in between physio appointments, which somehow got like way more notes than I ever really expected or even wanted, I didn’t address the fashion of the lead female character, Gaby. It was outside the scope of the OP, and I didn’t feel like I had anything new or interesting to say about Gaby’s fashion, or lack thereof.

(My beta says those earrings are the ugliest thing ever. I disagree. It’s a wonder we’re still friends)

Anyways, we see only one brief scene of Gaby in her own street clothes, and a slightly longer sequence of her in her work clothes. The rest of the film, she is wearing clothes chosen for her by Illya. Saying “we just don’t have enough info” is a perfectly reasonable approach to this. So this was the other reason I had no intention of making this post.

But then people started getting interested. Someone reblogged commenting about Gaby’s fashion, and I discovered that I have very strong opinions about something I’d previously claimed was unknowable, and it made me wonder what was going on in my brain.

Then I talked to some other TMFU friends who all seemed interested in what I assumed was common knowledge/nothing unique. So, they may have been feigning interest out of politeness, but it activated the art history side of my brain, and here we are now!

The boring stuff but please read this

I am not attempting to tell anyone how to interpret this film. I am not even trying to change people’s minds or persuade them to my thinking. All I am doing is sharing my thought process. I wasn’t even going to do this for Gaby until people asked. To this end, please don’t attempt to argue with me about this. I don’t want to argue. I won’t respond to it. If you disagree, then please, just move along.

And I’m going to remind people that I love TMFU. I love this movie so much it hurts. Why am I putting this reminder here? Because I am about to apply some critical analysis to it, and in places this will be cynical, and it will not always look kindly on the film. If you just want to exist in a happy “I love TMFU!” bubble and not hear anything less than 100% positive about the film (which is a totally valid choice, I don’t fault anyone for that), then don’t read. But don’t yell at me for being mean or criticizing the film, because I warned you.

Tldr; or, if I were still being graded for this stuff here’s my thesis statement

When analysing Gaby’s fashion, there exist considerations which don’t apply to the male characters. Namely, she is a woman and the male gaze is a thing. So I am very, very wary about taking at  face value any expressions of traditional femininity in the choices made  for her outfits, hair, makeup, etc. Therefore, when considering her character, I find it much more useful and informative to give more weight to the aspects of her appearance which do not connote traditional femininity, rather than those that do.

For readers who have studied enough  media analysis to follow my thought based on that alone, there’s the thesis statement, y’all can go home (or at least skip to the end where I come to a conclusion). If you’re lost, then read on.

(mobile readers, the cut here might not work, and if so I apologize for what is going to be a very long post. Tumblr’s “keep reading” functionality is inconsistent at best, but I tried)

Context is for kings essential for analysing media in a meaningful way

(Or, some brief background. Stick with me here, we’ll get to the good stuff soon)

So, art doesn’t exist in a vacuum. Attempting to analyze any artwork (in this case a film) while disregarding the culture it was created in and the intentions of the creator is...not going to get you very far. Asking “what is art” is a question that quite frankly exhausts me at this point (looking at you, Duchamp) but the closest I’ve ever come to an answer is that the only thing that separates art from everything else is intent. And intention only exists within cultural context. So yes, intent and context don’t just matter peripherally, they are one of the biggest considerations one needs to make when analyzing works of art. The creator in this case being Guy Ritchie et al, the culture being British/American Popular Cinema in The Year of Somebody’s Lord Two-Thousand-And-Fifteen. 

Everyone views and creates (if applicable) art through their own distorted, murky, imperfect lens of personal experience. And one of the most persistent Things in western art is that cishet men create art based on their experience of Being A Dude. This is crucial, because this lens of cishet male perspective literally underpins almost all of western culture including popular culture. And thanks to feminist film theorist Laura Mulvey, we have a name for this.

The male gaze and you

I’m going to quote Wikipedia here, because honestly this intro sentence sums things up rather neatly (with one exception which I will address momentarily).

In feminist theory, the male gaze is the act of depicting women and the world, in the visual arts and literature, from a masculine, heterosexual perspective that presents and represents women as sexual objects for the pleasure of the male viewer.

What does that all mean? That the Viewer and the Artist are both cishet men by default, and any women are Subjects of art. Women are viewed, never viewers. Men take action, women are subjected to actions. Furthermore, women are supposed to be pleasurable to view. By men. Since the Viewer is male by default.

But I would disagree that the pleasure is inherently based on women being sexual objects. That’s honestly a really damn limited read on the whole theory, and it’s one that Wikipedia itself contradicts later in the article. More broadly, cis men also derive other forms of pleasure from the presentation and viewing of female bodies, including aesthetic pleasure (the enjoyment of looking at beautiful things).

The theory of the male gaze is not without limits. As originally theorized, afaik it’s not particularly intersectional. It doesn’t really address queer perspectives or perspectives of POC. However, these issues are something I just can’t address here, unfortunately. And when looking at popular media, I still find the concept of the male gaze, imperfect as it may be, is a helpful means of analysis, so it’s worth having in your toolbox.

Circling back, the easiest way to sum up the male gaze, if you’re still not super clear on what it is, is with a demonstration.

Ever seen a shot like this in a movie?

And did you immediately roll your eyes? Feel gross? Congrats, you have just perceived and reacted to the male gaze.

Now we actually get back to TMFU

But the male gaze also shows up in many more subtle, insidious ways than fanservice-y boob shots. For this post, let’s focus on the following considerations, which might help everyone follow my thought process more clearly.

Gaby is a woman

She functions as the love interest of Illya in the script (I am not talking from a shipping perspective. What you ship does not matter for this discussion. I am talking about the narrative function of Gaby in the script as written. Put on your “cishet man” goggles for a moment)

Illya is a man who is attracted to women, specifically Gaby (again, I don’t care if your shipping conflicts with this. I am analyzing the film based on a literal reading of it as if I were a cishet man. Why? Because that’s who made the film. That’s who it’s “for”. I am all for queer readings of film--hell, I ship OT3, I myself have chosen a queer reading for how I interact with it, but I’m not critiquing people’s readings, I’m critiquing the film itself and to do that I have to critique its intentions and cultural context.)

Cishet men are traditionally only allowed to be attracted to women who are conventionally attractive. If they were to be attracted to anyone else it would destroy their fragile senses of self and their heads would explode or something. At least I assume that’s what must happen, based on how terrified they are of it.

Therefore, Gaby must be conventionally attractive, because it is literally required of her or otherwise the whole underpinning of western straight malehood crumbles and then where would we get such a pure, vast source of unadulterated toxic masculinity?

(Yes, this is a very cynical read on things. I’ve studied, like, three centuries worth of this bullshit. I’m tired. Let me be cynical.)

Or, to force myself to be less cynical, Gaby has to be pretty because...nope, this is still going to turn out just as cynical.

But what I will say in favour of this movie is that it gives Gaby and Victoria both a lot of agency and general awesomeness, which is quite unusual in this sort of big-budget action film, and it’s one of the big reasons I love it. I’m not saying that the entire film is sexist. On the contrary, there’s a ton of stuff to celebrate about how it portrays its female characters. But these aspects don’t change the cultural context, and we still have to consider the impacts of the male gaze.

Anyways, point being is that as filtered through the male gaze, Gaby is never given the option to, say, wear no makeup (or the appearance of such, as the guys are afforded, this being cinema where “no makeup” still means makeup) because that would look “ugly”.  Instead she needs to have a “baseline of pretty” which is way higher than reality because she is not a real human being with her own agency, she is a character created by a cis male writer/director team in a film directed by a cis man in a genre that caters to cishet men.

Gaby doesn’t exist in a vacuum. She exists battling centuries and centuries worth of sexist convention.

Now then, remembering all of that, let’s actually look at her. There are woefully few good pictures so I’m going to have to piece things together a little. Starting with the coveralls.

This is a great look, I love it. And I’m going to give Ritchie a lot of credit here because it would’ve been easy to go for a “Michelle Rodriguez in F&F sexy mechanic lady” look. In case I need to provide a visual:

(Repeat above gif about rolling my eyes)

Now, to be clear, I am not making any judgement about the way any real-life women dress. I’m sure there’s plenty of female mechanics who have their hair down and wear tank tops while working. That doesn’t bother me. I don’t care if real life mechanics choose to do their jobs in a string bikini. Or in cosplay of the bee from Bee Movie. I don’t care (and quite frankly it’s none of my business) because they are real people who can make their own decisions. But what I am talking about here is a fictional character who does not have her own agency. I am critiquing how male creators choose to dress their female characters.

So I personally choose to read much more into the unpretty  aspects of Gaby’s outfit, because these are not the “obvious” or “easy”   things. Obvious and easy are “of course she wears makeup” and “of course her hair looks good” and  “of course she doesn’t look like a swamp witch  who bathes in mud and spends her days cursing passing men”. Those things don’t challenge or disrupt the assumption that women must look attractive for male consumption.

Gaby’s introduction to us is with her in a pair of grease-stained, baggy coveralls, not wearing any obvious makeup (again, this is cinema, so she is wearing makeup. For cinema the goal posts around “wearing makeup” always need to be moved from where they’d be irl). There’s very little here that screams ‘pretty’. And that is fascinating to me.

I don’t know how deeply Ritchie thought this through when giving final approval to the costume, hair and makeup. But unpretty is not the default here. It’s a choice

And look at this. This is the stance and dress sense (and socks!) of a woman who does not give a damn about looking good for the male gaze, whether the in-movie gaze of Napoleon, or the implied gaze of the viewer and creator. It’s not ‘pretty’. And this is the only time in the film we see Gaby in her own everyday clothes, as she only escapes East Berlin with the literal clothes on her back.

So how do I think Gaby dresses? I think that for the most part she dresses....like this. Practical. Comfortable. With a few simple touches of things she likes/finds pretty, perhaps, but not with a specific interest in being pretty. She dresses for herself, not for others. And if that isn’t something to aspire to, I don’t know what is.

[berniesrevolution]

You will not be surprised to be told that Tucker Carlson’s new book, Ship of Fools: How a Selfish Ruling Class Is Bringing America to the Brink of Revolution, contains a series of attacks on diversity, immigration, feminism, and “identity politics.” You may, however, be surprised to be told that the book contains high praise for Ralph Nader, quotes from Studs Terkel, laments the disappearance of the anti-capitalist left, and presents Jeff Bezos as one of its central villains. Carlson has written a book that is as staunchly nationalist as one would expect. Yet it’s also a little bit socialist.

Carlson’s basic framework would commonly be described as “populism.” There are the people, and then there are the “ruling class” elites. The rich and powerful care only about themselves. They do not care about Middle America, and have presided over the opioid epidemic, the hollowing out of industrial towns, and exploding inequality. Meanwhile, ordinary workers suffer. At times, he almost sounds like Bernie Sanders. His analysis is persuasive, well-written, and often funny. It’s also terrifying, because elsewhere in the book, Carlson makes it clear: he wants a white-majority country, thinks immigrants are parasitic and destructive, misses traditional gender hierarchies, and dismisses the significance of climate change. Carlson’s political worldview is destructive and inhumane. Yet because it has a kernel of accuracy, it will easily tempt readers toward accepting an alarmingly xenophobic, white nationalist worldview. Carlson’s book shows us how a next generation fascist politics could co-opt left economic critiques in the service of a fundamentally anti-left agenda. It also shows us what we need to be able to effectively respond to.

First, let’s look at the parts that are most right, and perhaps most unexpected. In an analysis almost identical to that of leftists like Thomas Frank, Carlson says that Republicans and Democrats are now both beholden to corporate power. Sometime in the 1990s, Carlson says, he began wondering “why liberals weren’t complaining about big business anymore,” and had started celebrating “corporate chieftains” like Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, and the Google guys. Ralph Nader should be a hero to all liberals, spending his days “greeting a parade of awestruck liberal pilgrims” from a retirement home. Instead, he is “reviled,” even though “every point Nader made was fair” and “some were indisputably true.” Suddenly “both sides were aligned on the virtues of unrestrained market capitalism… left and right were taking virtually indistinguishable positions on many economic issues, especially on wages.”

The “prolabor” Democrats, Carlson says, were “empathetic and humane” and “suspicious of power.” But today they have disappeared, and the party of the New Deal is now a party of Wall Street. Carlson points out that Hillary Clinton won wealthy enclaves like Aspen, Marin County, and Connecticut’s Fairfield County (the hedge fund capital of the country). “Employees of Google, Facebook, Apple, Microsoft, and Amazon donated to Hillary over Trump by a margin of 60-to-1,” and while “Seven financial firms donated 47.6 million to Hillary,” they gave Trump “a total of $19,000, about the price of a used pickup.”

As a result, Carlson says, Democrats are now largely silent on labor issues: “When was the last time you heard a politician decry Apple’s treatment of workers, let alone introduce legislation intended to address it?” Corporations make vaguely “socially liberal” noises, like decrying gun violence and being pro-LGBT, and as a result escape criticism for mistreating their workers or contributing to economic inequality. Carlson cites Uber, which has prominent liberal Arianna Huffington on its board and has had to commit to reforming its “bro culture.” And yet it still treats its drivers like crap:

“[Uber is] running an enormously profitable business on the backs of exploited workers… An obedient business press [has] focused on the ‘flexibility’ Uber’s contractors supposedly enjoyed. … [But] Feudal lords took more responsibility for their serfs than Uber does for its drivers… Uber executives weren’t ashamed… They sold exploitation as opportunity, and virtually nobody called them on it.”

What happens, Carlson says, is that corporations “embrace a progressive agenda that from an accounting perspective costs them nothing.” They are, in effect, purchasing “indulgences from the church of cultural liberalism.” Sheryl Sandberg published Lean In and Mark Zuckerberg is floated as a possible Democratic presidential candidate, but Facebook is an evil corporation to its core. Sean Parker has admitted that Facebook was engineered to be addictive, that its designers thought: “How do we consume as much of your time and conscious attention as possible?… We need to sort of give you a little dopamine hit every once it a while.. To get you to contribute more content.” Carlson notes that the company commits “relentless invasions of the public’s privacy,” and that epidemiologists have linked the product “with declining psychological and even physical health.” Carlson writes:

“Evidence has mounted that Facebook is an addictive product that harms users, and that Zuckerberg knew that from the beginning but kept selling it to unknowing customers. Those facts would be enough to tarnish most reputations, if not spark congressional hearings. Yet Zuckerberg remains a celebrated national icon.”

We know Facebook is manipulating people’s emotions to sell advertising, and yet we still get headlines like “How To Raise The Next Mark Zuckerberg.” Or look at Amazon. Jeff Bezos supported Hillary Clinton for president, yet “no textile mill ever dehumanized its workers more thoroughly than an Amazon warehouse.” Carlson asks: “when was the last time you heard a liberal criticize working conditions at Amazon?… “Liberals and Jeff Bezos [are now] playing for the same team.” Successful businessmen “pose as political activists,” and pitch their products as woke. That way: “affluent consumers get to imagine they’re fighting the power by purchasing the products, even as they make a tiny group of people richer and more powerful. There’s never been a more brilliant marketing strategy.” He goes on:

“The marriage of market capitalism to progressive social values may be the most destructive combination in American economic history. Someone needs to protect workers from the terrifying power of market forces, which tend to accelerate change to intolerable levels and crush the weak. For generations, labor unions filled that role. That’s over. Left and right now agree that a corporation’s only real responsibility is to its shareholders. Corporations can openly mistreat their employees (or “contractors”), but for the price of installing transgender bathrooms they buy a pass. Shareholders win, workers lose. Bowing to the diversity agenda is a lot cheaper than raising wages.”

Carlson mocks the “socially liberal” Davos elite who hand-wring about inequality while reaping its fruits. He points to the example of Chelsea Clinton, who talked nobly about her values (“I was curious if I could care about [money] on some fundamental level, and I couldn’t… That wasn’t the metric of success that I wanted in my life”) before buying a $10 million, 5,000 square foot apartment in the Flatiron District that spanned an entire city block. Chelsea Clinton’s career, for Carlson, shows how contemporary believers in “meritocracy” benefit from an unjust and nepotistic system: Clinton was paid $600,000 a year as a “reporter” for NBC despite appearing on the network for a sum total of 58 minutes. The bubble of privilege that many elites inhabit was exemplified in Hillary Clinton’s 2016 campaign, which suggested that “Things in America are Fine.” (The slogan was actually “America Is Already Great.”) Carlson is not wrong here: Hillary Clinton herself was so out of touch that she is still saying things like “I won the places that represent two-thirds of America’s gross domestic product… So I won the places that are optimistic, diverse, dynamic, moving forward.”

Carlson also says that there has been a troubling tendency for both sides to embrace the military-industrial complex. Key Democratic figures supported the Iraq War (e.g. Feinstein, Kerry, Clinton, Biden, Edwards, Reid, Schumer). It was New York Timesreporters who contributed to scaremongering about Saddam in the leadup to the war, the New York Times op-ed page where you can find contributions like “Bomb Syria, Even If It’s Illegal” or “Bomb North Korea, Before It’s Too Late,” and New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman who said that Iraq War had been “unquestionably worth doing” because it told Middle Easterners to “suck on this.” Barack Obama (who was given the Nobel Peace Prize, Carlson says, for “not being George W. Bush”) killed thousands of people with drones, including American citizens, prosecuted whistleblowers, kept Guantanamo open, and failed to rein in the vast global surveillance apparatus. Hillary Clinton pushed aggressively for military action in Libya, which destabilized the country. There is a D.C. consensus, Carlson says, and it is pro-war. Some of the book’s most amusing passages come when Carlson flays neoconservative hacks like Max Boot and Bill Kristol, who have now become allies of the Democratic Party in paranoia about Russia. Boot’s career, he says, publishing articles like “The Case for American Empire” and advocating invasion after invasion, shows us how “the talentless prosper, rising inexorably toward positions of greater power, breaking things along the way.” The hawkish consensus is no joke, though, and Carlson says he misses the liberal peaceniks, who “were right” when they warned that “war is not the answer, it’s a means to an end, and a very costly one.”

To many on the left, everything Carlson says here will be familiar. The phenomenon he’s pointing to, by which Democrats and Republicans both became free market capitalists,  has a name: neoliberalism. Larry Summers was quite open about it when he said that “we are now all Friedmanites.” Carlson’s point about how corporations whitewash exploitative practices by appearing socially progressive is one leftists make frequently (see, for example, Yasmin Nair’s essay “Bourgeois Feminist Bullshit” and Nair and Eli Massey’s “Inclusion In The Atrocious“). The foreign policy stuff is a little off: it’s not that Democrats used to be pacifists, since the Vietnam tragedy was initiated by JFK and expanded by Lyndon Johnson. Empire has always been a bipartisan project, antiwar voices in the minority. Aside from the suggestion that this is new, it’s accurate to say that American elites have largely embraced the projection of American military power.

But Carlson is not going to be joining the Sanders 2020 campaign. His book has a dark side: a deep suspicion of cultural progressivism, inclusion, and diversity. Carlson believes that liberal immigration policies have been imposed because they serve elite interests (Democrats get votes and Republicans get cheap labor for Big Business). As a result, the fabric of the country is fraying. He writes:

Thanks to mass immigration, America has experienced greater demographic change in the last few decades than any other country in history has undergone during peacetime… If you grew up in America, suddenly nothing looks the same. Your neighbors are different. So is the landscape and the customs and very often the languages you hear on the street. You may not recognize your own hometown. Human beings aren’t wired for that. They can’t digest change at this pace… [W]e are told these changes are entirely good… Those who oppose it are bigots. We must celebrate the fact that a nation that was overwhelmingly European, Christian, and English-speaking fifty years ago has become a place with no ethnic majority, immense religious pluralism, and no universally shared culture or language.

To some people, what Carlson writes here may not seem racist. And like many conservatives, he resents having what he sees as common sense treated as bigotry. I don’t think there’s any way around it, though: Carlson’s problem is that the United States looks different, that it’s not “European” any more and has no “ethnic majority.” He’s explicitly talking the language of ethnicity: it’s destabilizing that we’re not a white-majority country anymore. This isn’t simply about, say, the “Judeo-Christian ethic” or embracing the “American idea.” If that were the case, then it would be hard to make a case for why we shouldn’t let in the Catholic members of the migrant caravan, who love American culture and want to march across the border saying the Pledge of Allegiance. The problem is that they are not European, that they change the look of the place, that they disrupt the “ethnic majority.” Europeans are the real Americans, the ones that hold the fabric of the nation together, and minorities, people who are different, threaten to undo that fabric.

(Continue Reading)

[eddycurrents]

For the week of 18 March 2019

Quick Bits:

Aquaman #46 is the penultimate chapter of “Unspoken Water”, as “Andy” and Caille confront Namma. I love the world-building that Kelly Sue DeConnick is doing here, enriching DC’s godly pantheons greatly, and I swear that Robson Rocha, Daniel Henriques, and Sunny Gho are somehow getting better with each subsequent issue. Epic storytelling.

| Published by DC Comics

Avengers #17 concludes the war of the vampires from Jason Aaron, David Marquez, Erick Arciniega, and Cory Petit. It’s as gloriously over-the-top as the entire story-arc and it sets up a new status quo for the Winter Guard as well as a few other surprises. The art from Marquez and Arciniega is glorious.

| Published by Marvel

Avengers: No Road Home #6 gives an extra-sized issue for Conan and Scarlet Witch’s adventure from Jim Zub, Al Ewing, Mark Waid, Sean Izaakse, Jay David Ramos, Marcio Menyz, and Cory Petit. It works well as a Conan story with monsters and magic, while still giving a bit of insight as to what horrors are still occurring on the traditional 616-side.

| Published by Marvel

Batman #67 is almost dialogue-free, leaving the bulk of the storytelling up to the art and sound effects from Lee Weeks, Jorge Fornés, Lovern Kindzierski, and Clayton Cowles. It’s damn good.

| Published by DC Comics

Black Badge #8 gives some rare insight into who the kids really are as Matt Kindt, Tyler Jenkins, Hilary Jenkins, and Jim Campbell dive into observational reports from the White Badges. I absolutely love the layers to the characters, as the black ops, highly secretive world that they operate in reveals even more secrets.

| Published by BOOM! Studios

BPRD: The Devil You Know #14 is the penultimate chapter in the Hellboy saga that began 25 years ago. Like every issue of “Ragna Rok”, there are some goodbyes here, checking in on numerous characters throughout the story’s history, and the continued confrontation between Hellboy, Abe, & Liz and Rasputin. This one hurts, a lot. Beautifully depicted by Laurence Campbell and Dave Stewart.

| Published by Dark Horse

Captain Marvel #3 reveals Som’s secrets while Carol tries to build an army out of the survivors. This one’s definitely a bit of a breather as the team works out a plan to take on Nuclear Man. There’s some nice character building with Carol, Hazmat, She-Hulk, and Echo. Carmen Carnero, with colours from Tamra Bonvillain, also continues to impress.

| Published by Marvel

Criminal #3 concludes the two-part “Bad Weekend” arc. I’m really quite liking how Ed Brubaker, Sean Phillips, and Jacob Phillips are approaching this series, telling a variety of tale throughout time, building up existing and new characters, and really giving depth to the world.

| Published by Image

Dark Red #1 is a great debut from Tim Seeley, Corin Howell, Mark Englert, and Marshall Dillon exploring the concept of the American vampire, like True Blood, American Vampire, or Redneck. It goes a little bit simpler diving into the ordinary, rural, service sector life of Chip the vampire, which makes for the twist in the plot more intriguing.

| Published by AfterShock

Electric Warriors #5 pulls out some more surprises in this penultimate chapter. Steve Orlando, Travel Foreman, Javi Fernandez, Richard Friend, Hi-Fi, and Travis Lanham spark the rebellion here setting up a cliffhanger for a very interesting conclusion.

| Published by DC Comics

Farmhand #6 returns from its break, weirder than ever. Amidst the EPA crawling down Jed’s labs throat trying to figure out what happened with the weird side effects and bizarre spread, Jedediah, Zeke, Riley, and Mikhail go fishing. Odd, that. Wonderfully bizarre story and art as always from Rob Guillory, Taylor Wells, and Kody Chamberlain.

| Published by Image

Guardians of the Galaxy #3 advances “The Final Gauntlet” from Donny Cates, Geoff Shaw, Marte Gracia, and Cory Petit as Starfox’s Dark Guardians continue to try to beat Gamora’s location out of people and the real Guardians try to convince Star-Lord to help protect her. Very nice bits of humour, phenomenal artwork, some interesting developments regarding Wraith and Knull, and I’m really getting the impression that the “new Thanos” is the scarred and broken Starfox.

| Published by Marvel

Immortal Hulk #15 is more brilliance from Al Ewing, Joe Bennett, Ruy José, Paul Mounts, and Cory Petit. This arc definitely seems to be focused on Hulk’s old friends and family, with this issue featuring Doc Samson, and it’s a wonderful exploration of how Samson is alive again and an analysis on who this Hulk happens to be.

| Published by Marvel

Incursion #2 feels even more epic than the first issue as Gilad turns to Doctor Mirage for assistance, then sets out on a quest through the Deadside. Andy Diggle, Alex Paknadel, Doug Braithwaite, Diego Rodriguez, and Marshall Dillon are crafting what feels like one of the next foundation stones for the future of the Valiant universe. With some of the best art I’ve seen from Braithwaite and Rodriguez.

| Published by Valiant

Infinity 8 #10 begins the fourth cycle, “Symbolic Guerrilla”, adding Kris and Martin Trystram to the creative mix, to introduce us to undercover agent Patty Stardust, stage manager to the Symbolic Guerrillas band, as she gets tapped to try to figure out what’s causing the ship’s destruction and try to stop it. Absolutely love the art from Trystram.

| Published by Lion Forge / Magnetic Collection

Invisible Kingdom #1 is gorgeous. I’m a huge fan of Christian Ward’s artwork and this is incredible. Beautiful use of colour, fascinating character and architecture designs, interesting layouts, delivering a sense of the alien and the familiar at the same time. Between Ward’s art and G. Willow Wilson’s concepts and character building, this feels like they’ve put a lot of thought into world building and it pays off in what feels like a living, breathing society and culture in this first issue. Also a nice mix of “futuristic” and normal lettering from Sal Cipriano that aids nicely in setting the tone and atmosphere for the story. This is an auspicious debut and looks like it should be another hit for Berger Books.

| Published by Dark Horse / Berger Books

Justice League #20 continues “The Sixth Dimension” from Scott Snyder, Jorge Jimenez, Alejandro Sánchez, and Tom Napolitano. The artwork from Jimenez and Sánchez is worth the price of admission alone, this is an incredibly beautiful looking book.

| Published by DC Comics

Lazarus: Risen #1 is the very welcome return of the series from Greg Rucka, Michael Lark, Tyler Boss, Santi Arcas, and Simon Bowland in its new double-sized quarterly format, which also includes a short story from Lilah Sturges, some RPG content from Crystal Frasier, and other assorted backmatter. It’s good. Damn good. Easing us back into the conflict of the world as Johanna Carlyle starts taking care of the family’s problems as more conflict and complications begin to arise. Incredible artwork from Lark, Boss, and Arcas.

| Published by Image

Meet the Skrulls #2 continues to be highly entertaining as the family enacts some of their plans and Carl certainly isn’t going to win any father of the year awards. Niko Henrichon’s artwork is a huge plus for the story, nicely balancing the normal world, the alien nature of the Skrulls, and some neat monster designs to boot.

| Published by Marvel

Middlewest #5 gives us a bit of a look back at how much of an abusive asshole Abel’s father is, while in the present Abel makes an arrangement with the carnival folks. Jorge Corona and Jean-Francois Beaulieu continue to make this one of the most visually interesting series running.

| Published by Image

Naomi #3 presents a number of revelations about some of the characters, including Naomi’s mom acting like a savage mama bear, but not exactly the revelations you’d expect. Brian Michael Bendis and David F. Walker are still taking it a bit slow as to what exactly is going on with Naomi herself, instead building up the characters around her (part of me wonders if she’s actually a Monitor). Also, Jamal Campbell’s artwork remains stunning, truly beautiful work.

| Published by DC Comics / Wonder Comics

Outpost Zero #8 takes us out onto the ice to show what happened when the drill team uncovered the dome, then spends the rest of the issue dealing with the ramifications of that, making the residents of Outpost Zero even more reluctant to go outside to do anything to protect themselves, and the kids still don’t know what to make of what they say. This is kind of a taking stock issue, with the characters trying to figure out next steps again.

| Published by Image / Skybound

Pearl #7 returns with a new arc from Brian Michael Bendis, Michael Gaydos, and Dave Sharpe, with Pearl “on the run” from Mr. Miike, the Endo Twins, and a new player in the FBI’s Yuko Masako. This is developing more of Bendis’ dialogue tics as time goes by, but they’re largely forgiven for just how incredible Gaydos’ artwork is.

| Published by DC Comics / Jinxworld

Sparrowhawk #5 concludes what has been an excellent fantasy adventure from Delilah S. Dawson, Matias Basla, Rebecca Nalty, and Jim Campbell with the confrontation between a fully-changed Artemisia and the faerie queen. It’s great, with some interesting ramifications in all of what Artemisia has lost in her quest to return home for revenge. Great artwork from Basla and Nalty.

| Published by BOOM! Studios

Spider-Man: Life Story #1 is off to an interesting start from Chip Zdarsky, Mark Bagley, John Dell, Frank D’Armata, and Travis Lanham. It’s an introspective look at Peter Parker’s life, with some key moments, starting off in the ‘60s deeply tied to then-current events. Some of the best art from Bagley I’ve seen in a while, really nice stuff.

| Published by Marvel

Stronghold #2 continues the impressive world-building from Phil Hester, Ryan Kelly, Dee Cunniffe, and Simon Bowland. We’re introduced this issue to the opposite side in The Adversary and his minions, while the “good” of the Stronghold is put into question and Michael continues to wrestle with who and what he is. Great character work from Hester accompanied by some terrific art from Kelly and Cunniffe.

| Published by AfterShock

Teen Titans #28 is part one of the “Terminus Agenda” crossover with Deathstroke and it kicks off with a bang. Damian’s been travelling down a potentially dark and dangerous road for awhile and it looks like it may be coming to a head with this arc. Amazing action artwork from Bernard Chang and Marcelo Maiolo as the Teen Titans and Deathstroke clash.

| Published by DC Comics

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #92 delves into the negotiations of transfer of power of the Foot Clan to Karai in earnest, delivering some interesting complications to the story that look like they’re going to have significant ramifications. Michael Dialynas, with colours from Ronda Pattison, consistently provides some of the best depictions of the Turtles and the Mutanimals.

| Published by IDW

Thor #11 serves as a counterpoint to last issue’s conflict with Odin, as Thor is aided by his step-mother, Freyja, on the even of The War of the Realms. Beautiful guest art from Lee Garbett and Antonia Fabela.

| Published by Marvel

Venom #12 is another big issue. With art from Joshua Cassara and Rain Beredo, we get more insight into Eddie’s son and a startling development, even after last issue, regarding the symbiote. Donny Cates and the entire creative team are really going full-bore in developing compelling additions to Venom’s mythos.

| Published by Marvel

The Warning #5 feels like one of the first major payoffs for sticking with the story. Edward Laroche has been giving this a real slowburn, making it decidedly feel like chapters and snippets from a work that should probably be read at once. They've been good, but not always entirely satisfying as monthly comics. The set-up last issue and the incendiary contact this issue, though, have really lit a fire to the action.

| Published by Image

West Coast Avengers #9 is kind of bittersweet. It’s another fun issue, full of humour, great character development, and wonderful artwork--from Kelly Thompson, Gang Hyuk Lim, Tríona Farrell, and Joe Caramagna--but it’s the second-to-last issue. I feel like the industry needs more of these types of upbeat superhero series, not less. Especially for Jeff the Land Shark puppy.

| Published Marvel

X-O Manowar #25 is largely all-battle between the bounty hunters and Aric & Schon from Matt Kindt, Tomás Giorello, Diego Rodriguez, and Dave Sharpe. Kindt gets in some nice character moments between Aric and Schon, but you're going to be wanting to pick this up for more gorgeous artwork from Giorello and Rodriguez.

| Published by Valiant

Other Highlights: American Carnage #5, Archie #703, Aristophania - Volume 1: The Kingdom of Azur, Bitter Root #5, Bloodborne #10, Delver #2, Dungeons & Dragons: A Darkened Wish #1, Edgar Allan Poe’s Snifter of Terror #6, Evolution #14, Firefly: Bad Company #1, Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #4, Grumble #5, Haphaven, High Level #2, James Bond 007 #5, Jessica Jones: Purple Daughter #3, JesusFreak, Kaijumax Season 4 #5, Lucifer #6, Lumberjanes #60, Marvel Action: Avengers #3, Miles Morales: Spider-Man #4, Monstress #21, Rainbow Brite #5, Savage Sword of Conan #3, Solo: A Star Wars Story #6, Spider-Man: City at War #1, Star Wars #63, Superb #18, Wizard Beach #4

Recommended Collections: Batman - Volume 9: The Tyrant Wing, Beasts of Burden: Wise Dogs & Eldritch Men, Belzebubs, BPRD: Hell on Earth - Volume 5, Crowded - Volume 1, Encounter - Volume 2, Family Man, Harrow County Library Edition - Volume 2, Nancy Drew: Palace of Wonder, Polar - Volume 4: Kaiser Falls, Seven to Eternity - Volume 3

d. emerson eddy has been to Flavortown. It was an experience.

[thescrapbookingscientist]

Biweekly Media Roundup

- Epithet Erased (Web Series) - Watched through this little web series about people who have weird super powers, and had a fun time! I was especially fond of Zora, a badass cowgirl assassin who has the ability to slow down or speed up the aging process of whatever she’s touching. She had a really cool design and was a cocky asshole, which I for one think are traits more female characters should have. There’s a sequel in the form of an audio novel coming up, which I’m looking forward too. It’s a pretty short show that’s free on youtube, so if you’re a fan of wholesome cartoon villains and witty banter, check it out.

- Lord of the Rings (Movies) - Watching all the extended films again with my buds. I’m not a big drinker myself, but they are playing a drinking game where they drink at all the memes, and boy are there a lot of them. I haven’t watched them in quite awhile, so I’m finding the juxtaposition between most of the fellowship- who are going on great adventures and bonding as friends - and Frodo - who is having just the worst time you can possibly have - very funny.

- Lot’s of Monster Anime (Multi-Anime) - I’m doing a thing where I’m watching a whole bunch of monster related anime episode by episode, with the goal of ranking them by the end. So most of my TV time is devoted to this. As a placeholder, Shadows House was one of the standouts, with cute designs and a genuinely intriguing and unique premise. 

- Yu Yu Hakusho (Anime) - YYH I love you but omg your tournament arc is so long. We finally reached the final battle and yet we somehow have like 5 episodes of just that battle left. Boy.

- Spy X Family (Anime) - This is cute! Obviously, there’s not many episodes out yet, but I already really like the family dynamic, this could be turn out to be quite a fun love/family story. Also, I’ve always loved the “2 spy’s getting married without knowing the other is also a spy” idea, it’s nice to see it outside of Mr. and Mrs. Smith.

- Pathologic (Video Games) - As one can probably tell from my blog, Pathologic has been my big hyperfixation this month. I really like the central characters (Daniil is such a likable little twat, Artemy’s personality is Tired, Clara is hilarious) and I love how each of their respective endings manages to reflect their personal circumstances and philosophies so well. I’d have to say I agree with Playheead North’s analysis videos in that I don’t think that Artemy’s is the “best” ending despite it being the fan favorite (Though tbf, it is the best for shipping purposes-Haruspex route Daniil is thirsty as hell). To be clear it’s not really that I think Daniil or Clara’s are better, so much that they are all designed in such a way keep any of them from being a black/white, morally right/wrong situation. I can see why so many analysis-lovers adore this game, it would have been so easy to streamline the opposing sides into a progress vs preservation situation, but instead they bring up the complexities of classism/limits of conservativism that would happen if you actually tried to bring these ideas into reality. So yeah. Neat!

- Schitt’s Creek (TV) - Yup.

- Arcane (TV) - Finished up my rewatch with my family, was hyped for my Dad to hear the “Is there anything as undoing as a daughter?” Line as I knew he would dig it. I was also able to appreciate Mel more this time around knowing more about her in hindsight (not that I disliked her the first time, was just apprehensive). Really hope you’re alive in S2 Queen. 

- Golden Kamuy (Manga) - One more chapter till It’s over. Seems like it’ll be bittersweet, though I’m shocked and thrilled that my boy Tsukishima looks like he’s gonna live. Noda thank you so much it’s what he deserves.

Listening to: Twilight Princess OST, Oh Ana by Mother Mother, Shadow of the Day by Linkin Park, Fairytale by Alexander Rybak, Two Evils by Bastille, All You Wanna Do (SIX), Rasputin by Boney M, Kaibutsu (Beastars OP), A Good Song Never Dies by Saint Motel, Rather Be by Clean Bandit, Famous Last Words by MCR

[cksmart-world]

The completely unnecessary news analysis

by Christopher Smart

January 26, 2021

GOD BLESS AMERICA — PLEASE

Dear Lord, where to start... Please tell the haters to stop hating. OK, OK, that's too general. Try this: Tell the people in Idaho that Trump didn't win the election. We know, that's really not how you work, Lord but if you can part the Red Sea this shouldn't be such a big deal. Jesus preached love and understanding, so like, Lord, what is with the evangelicals who espouse hate and that America without guns is not America, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen. And QAnon? Democrats eating babies? It would be funny, Lord, but they believe it. They prefer a false prophet to Baby-Eaters, and who can blame them? The Bible is full of tales where people are led astray by others who are up to no good. The Good Book doesn't come right out and call them Republicans, Lord but as you've always said, if the sandal fits... We know, that's Old Testament, but still. Our new shepherd, Joe Biden, has big problems to solve: the pandemic; the economy; the climate; Ted Cruz... it's a long list. As you know, Joe likes to pray a lot. So the staff here at Smart Bomb is breaking tradition — except for Wilson and the band — and we are praying that you will help him kill those Philistines with kindness. Not actually “kill” them, but you get it, right?

THE EDSEL, THE HINDENBURG AND A GONDOLA TO ALTA

After decades of study (read squabbling over free lunch) the committee to perpetuate itself has determined that the best way to get multitudes up the totally over-used Little Cottonwood Canyon is by gondola. Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, says he is “leaning toward” a gondola, rather than cog rail or enhanced bus service, because he thinks gondolas are cool. But seriously, that would join the flying tank and the vacuum beauty helmet on the list of dumbest ideas ever. First, you would need a gigantic parking lot at the base of the gondola near the canyon's mouth. Second, by the time you stand in line, get loaded and travel the nine miles up the canyon, it will be noon. The only advantage, according to Wilson, is that you could get good and stoned on the long ride up. Cox says he will wait for studies and a pubic process to make his decision official. But don't forget Greg Hughes and friends at the UTA rode trains in the Swiss Alps from one five-star lodge to the next in order to help with the analysis. Maybe if Hughes were governor (perish the thought) we'd get a train. But then you'd need a gigantic parking lot... On the other hand, we could have buses departing from many locations with little parking lots and it would save a ton of taxpayer dough. And that's why it's totally out of the question.

CHRIS STEWART SEES ABE LINCOLN IN THE MIRROR

Utah Republican Chris Stewart wrote an op-ed in the Deseret News recently with the headline, “America Needs Heroes Right Now,” in which he cited Abraham Lincoln as the nation's great healer and his hero. The staff here at Smart Bomb was hoping he wasn't looking in the mirror when he said that. If he wasn't laughing, he's an imbecile. Stewart, one of Trump's stalwart ass-kissers, says he's shocked that an angry mob overran the Capitol on Jan. 6. “I unequivocally condemn anyone who destroyed property, assaulted police or intended to commit violence... ” He forgot to mention how for weeks Trump summoned his followers to D.C. and then in a one-hour diatribe told them to march to the Capitol and take their country back. Stewart and Burgess Owens were among 147 Republicans who gave Trump's big lie — Stop the Steal — credibility by refusing to certify the election of Joe Biden. “It seems there is a sense of severe disquiet in America,” Stewart said. “Something is broken in our society.” Gee, now how did that happen? It didn't have anything to do with Democrats stealing the election, did it? It wasn't years of vilifying Nancy Pelosi as the devil, was it? It wasn't labeling AOC and Dems as socialists, was it? Abraham Lincoln? Give us a f-ing break.

Post script — Well, that's a wrap for another week here at Smart Bomb where we keep track of White Supremacists so you don't have to. One thing continues to puzzle us: Why are the so-called White Supremacists such knuckle-draggers? Purity of race? They have to be kidding. These people are giving Neanderthals a bad name. We have learned that some of those white knuckle-draggers at QAnon are bummed out because “The Storm,” otherwise known as their white lightning-induced prophecy, didn't come true. According to Qers, Trump was supposed to declare martial law and install himself as El Presidente and then there would be all kinds of public hangings: most notably Democrats and Mike Pence. Getting hanged is bad enough, but getting hanged with Mike Pence? That is cruel and unusual punishment. To make a weird story short, everyone in QLand was to live happily ever after, including crazy Michael Flynn who would be QAnon's Grand Something-Or-Other and would wear robes and a conical hat. But Trump split to Mar A Lago and the Qers had been had. They probably still don't realize that everyone who deals with Trump eventually finds themselves in a big pile of something that stinks. We call it Trumpism.

Well, Wilson here we are in a brand new post-Trump reality. If it weren't for the deadly pandemic, we'd be partying like it was Mardi Gras. But until the vaccine gets here, we'll have to stick close to home. You and the homebodies in the band surely must have a theme song for that:

Clouds so swift Rain won't lift Gate won't close Railings froze Get your mind of wintertime You ain't goin' nowhere Whoo-ee ride me high Tomorrow's the day My bride's gonna come Oh, oh, are we gonna fly Down in the easy chair! I don't care How many letters they sent Morning came and morning went Pick up your money And pack up your tent You ain't goin' nowhere Whoo-ee ride me high Tomorrow's the day My bride's gonna come Oh, oh, are we gonna fly Down in the easy chair!

(You Ain't Goin' Nowhere — Bob Dylan)

[thesevenseraphs]

Bungie Weekly Update

This week at Bungie, we’re grading one test and cramming for the next.

The Destiny 2 Beta on PlayStation and Xbox is over! Millions of you showed up to stand in the fires of the Tower and fight back. If you were one of the brave souls who dove past the drill to infiltrate the Inverted Spire, we thank you from the bottom of our sadistic hearts. The Crucible was an epic struggle between Market and Rugs. The Farm was so packed for the one hour we tested, we had to coop the chickens.

All told, this was the biggest Bungie Beta ever, and we’re not even done running eager test subjects through the obstacle course. We learned a lot about how we can improve the launch of Destiny 2 – on consoles, at least. There will come a time for a public analysis of our findings. Before we dare take a victory lap or share statistics for how many shots were fired in the new version of Control, we have preparations to make for the final phase of pre-launch sparring.

PC Community! You are up next. And this will be our first dance. Save the Date.

Destiny 2 PC Beta

Early Access: August 28 Open Beta: August 29 Beta Ends: August 31

Minimum Requirements

We know you want to know what you’ll need to play. This question has been floating on the winds of the Internet ever since we finally uttered a sentence with the words “Destiny” and “PC” and “Yes!”

The following are the specs for what you’ll need to build to participate.

Recommended Spec

CPU Intel - Core i5-2400AMD - Ryzen R5 1600X GPU Nvidia - GeForce GTX 970AMD - Radeon R9 390 RAM 8GB

Minimum Spec

CPU Intel - Core i3-3250AMD - FX-4350 GPU Nvidia - GeForce GTX 660 2GBAMD - Radeon HD 7850 2GB RAM 6GB

If you’re upgrading, here is hardware that’s available today and runs the game well:

Recommended

CPU - Intel Core i5-7400 GPU - Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 6GB

Minimum

CPU - Intel Pentium G4560 GPU - Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 2GB

Bungie’s Event Machine

CPU – Intel i7-7700k  GPU – Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080Ti 11GB

These are the specs for the Beta. They could change before launch on October 24. It all depends on how things play out.

This is not the last piece of news we’ll have for PC players prior to the Beta. In the weeks to come, expect us to sound off again with more details on how you can get the most out of your first steps in the PC build. Today, we wanted to let you know when the exercise will begin, and give you enough time – assuming you’ll even need it – to build the perfect rig. There's much more to come.

We’re looking so forward to hosting you for this crucial testing op. It’s been a long time since Bungie has served gamers on anything other than a console. This is an exciting time for us in our studio, and we’re packing a lot of love into the PC Beta. We hope you’ll join us for this tactical pre-party.

Stop Them Cold

Did you hear the one about the new Exotic Weapon that you’ll meet in Destiny 2?

Everyone will have a chance to get their hands on this weapon in Destiny 2. If you want to be the first Guardian in a Public Event to trace your enemies with pure energy, reserve yours now. If you already have a pre-order in your hot hands, this cool implement of destruction will be waiting for you.

Endgame: Crucible

Destiny 2 is closed – for now. That front will open back up for more testing on new platforms soon. In the meantime, there are some pretty heavy milestones in the Crucible that we have known for three years that need to be observed.

Do you look good in royal blue? Have you reached Rank 7 in your Age of Triumph Record Book? This weekend will be the last occurrence of Trials of Osiris before the offer to obtain the Age of Triumph t-shirt expires. If that page needs some final love, this will be your last chance. Your deadline is August 1. This weekend will not be the last Trials of Osiris, mind you, but it is your last time to profit uniquely.

Next week, the Iron Lords will host their very last competition in the Destiny 1 Crucible. It’s the end of an era! One more time, you’re invited to Felwinter Peak to collect some Bounties and let your Light run wild in the Iron Banner. The circle will close where it began. The game is Control. You’ll discover the rewards in the offing when you visit Efrideet. We’ve arrived at an interesting time where we live in between two worlds. Step by step, we’ll migrate to a brand new title. Don’t miss out on your last chance to partake in these rituals as you know them.

Calling all Overlords

Are you the leader of a Clan? If you are, your gaming life is about to get a lot more interesting in Destiny 2. While you wait for that day to arrive, we have some housekeeping for you to do.

Yesterday, we updated Bungie.net with some new functionality to let Group Founders prepare their Clans for the trek to Destiny 2. If you are Founder of a Clan, give the support documentation a read. If you are a member of a Clan, go and rally your leadership to do what they gotta do.

Proctors of the Test

Destiny Player Support always has one eye on the game, one eye on the datacenter, and one eye on the road. The rest of their eyes are on the Bungie.net forum. While we were Beta testing, they were taking the Moose by the horns. They never sleep. Well, not at the same time anyway. This is their report.

Preparing for Destiny 2 PC Beta

The Destiny 2 Console Beta provided a great amount of data and information for our internal teams to address leading up to September. The next round of Beta testing is coming in late August for PC. If you have pre-ordered Destiny 2, follow these steps to register:

Sign-in to Bungie.net - Create or sign in to a Bungie.net account using your Blizzard Account, PlayStation Network, or Xbox Live credentials

Redeem the Early Access Pre-order Code - Enter the Destiny 2 Early Access Beta Code provided by the retailer on Bungie.net/redeem

In the coming weeks, we’ll update help.bungie.net/Beta to reflect PC Beta times, and the process of downloading the client. Until then, stay tuned to @BungieHelp for further instruction.

Please note the following:

If players experience issues retrieving a Destiny 2 Early Access code upon pre-order, they must contact their retailer for further assistance

Code redemption does not display properly on some mobile devices. Please visit Bungie.net on a web browser if you are experiencing any issues, and post a report to the #Help forum detailing your experience

Players will only be granted one Destiny Beta Download Code per Pre-order. Bungie will not replace codes if they are lost or have been redeemed for the incorrect platform

Preparing Clans for Destiny 2

Wednesday, we announced important steps for Group Founders to take leading up to the release of Destiny 2. Here are some of the most frequently asked questions from the #Help forum:

Q: When will Destiny 2 Clans have access to the new Destiny 2 Clan features?

A: On August 23, 2017, Bungie.net and the Destiny Companion Mobile App will undergo maintenance to apply the chosen options to existing Groups and Clans. Once Bungie.net and Destiny Companion services have been restored, some of the new Destiny 2 Clan features will be available on Bungie.net and the Companion App, such as the Clan mottos and Clan banners.

Q: How can a Clan name reservation be redeemed?

A: If the "Remain a Group" options was chosen, the user that was designated as the Clan Founder when the process was finalized on August 23, 2017 will hold the Clan name reservation. To redeem the Clan name reservation, this user can simply create a new Clan with the reserved name. Any other user that attempts to create a Clan with the reserved name will receive an error message saying that the reserved Clan name is already in use. If a reservation is not redeemed by September 20 2017, the Clan name will become available for use by anyone seeking to create a new Clan.

Q: How can the Group Founder change the designated Clan Founder?

A: The Group Founder can set the designated Clan Founder from the Clan Roster page. To get to the Clan Roster from the Clan homepage, please click the " CLAN" button on the ribbon between "MEMBERS" and "LEADERBOARDS."

Q: What will happen to non-Clan members of Groups that choose the "Upgrade Clan" option?

A: Non-Clan members removed when the Group is deleted on August 23. If players wish to retain membership, they must enroll in the Clan prior to August 23. For example, if a player is strictly a non-Clan member of two Groups that choose the “Upgrade to a Destiny 2 Clan” option, they will be removed from both.

For all preparation steps for Destiny 2 Clans, please see this Help Article

.