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agape-philo-sophia · 2 years

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➝ Television — Tell-Lie-Vision — Mind Control 🚨

You should be aware that the most effective prisons are made of beliefs and not stone or steel.

The most effective mind-control tool on the planet today is television.

Those who control the television content can control your thoughts, your beliefs, your attitudes, and your expectations.

Television was invented as a method of control. Repetition is key to believing something is true. TV works on this principal. It is structured in a repetitious way: Flashy INTRO, then SHOW/NEWS, flashy OUT, COMMERCIAL, REPEAT. Within the commercials and TV programming (notice how they even call it programming) the same messages are repeated time and time again. This is social engineering. “Illuminati”are able to dictate cultural norms and trends through TV repetition. They appeal to your most base desires like sex and food so your mind is constantly in lust, never able to think for itself.

➝ Nervous system manipulation by electromagnetic fields from monitors: ➝ US Patent: US6506148 ➝ google.com/patents/US6506148

Children are most susceptible. Monkey see monkey do. The media has been becoming more and more sexually explicit over the years and their target audience keeps getting younger. The sooner they can hook somebody, the deeper their agenda of mindlessness for the average citizen can drive into the brain, and the harder it is for the individual to undo the programming.

The mainstream media continuously feeds viewers fear-related stories. Why? Because when people live in fear they are much more easily mind manipulated and their behaviors controllable and predictable.

When people live in fear, they are much more likely to trade freedom for security. TV commercials commonly show a group of friends living the fictitious life that many viewers would like to be living. The actors have above average looks and strongly imply both financial and sexual success.

The overall goal of television is to produce a consumer mentality that is even more easily manipulated by the next artificially created crisis. Television is like the fluoride in your toothpaste and in your drinking water, despite numerous studies that indicate that fluoride is a neurotoxin.

Presently, our collective, mass consciousness has been Poisoned. Collectively, humanity is in deep suffering and cognitive dissonance because we are indoctrinated.

Conditioned into "believing" that somehow our behaviors, our systems of control (finance, government and religion) are necessary to prevent chaos. Humanity has been led astray from the perfect KOSMOS that is inherent in the vast Universe.

For a comprehensive understanding as to how we, as individuals are responsible for the environment in which we live, simply by complying with the demands of those who call themselves "Authority", and then learn real world "how to" METHODS how to take that power back into yourself.

We can not possibly, as an intelligent species, expect to manifest solutions to the suffering in the world if we continue operating on the same level of consciousness that created the problem. What we need, to rectify the damage done, is to "become the change we wish to see in the world". This is accomplished, not by doing anything extra. No, it is accomplished by Stopping the behaviors that facilitate the growing of the problem. Saying No to immoral orders issued by people who wish to control us through fear.

Ever notice how the news is always bad? We are kept in a state of panic. We then act with emotion instead of logic, and constantly look for comfort. Many are in a perpetual state of adolescence, unable to think for themselves. They turn to the comfort of the digital family. Digital dad who’s been right there in the living room with you every night will tell you what to think.

You've probably heard "consciousness gurus" tell you not to watch television. Here's why they say that. Television is a phenomenal tool for mind control because it significantly influences and often dominates the mind of the viewer.

Words: Viewers listen to the thoughts, beliefs and verbal expressions of those whose voices are broadcast over television;

Sounds: Viewers hear sounds depicting actual sounds heard in the external world;

Pictures: Viewers see visual images and scenes from the real external world;

True stories: Viewers hear and see news stories and in-depth reports about actual events -- events the likes of which they would never consciously and intentionally welcome into their personal lives;

Dramatic Representations: Viewers see dramatic depictions of all kinds of things they would never consciously and intentionally welcome into their personal lives.

Commercials: Viewers hear and see thousands of brief messages intentionally designed to influence their thoughts, beliefs, attitudes, and expectations, and to change their behavior.

Feelings: These words, sounds, pictures, and dramatic representations often generate strong feeling (internal emotions). This combination of words, sounds, pictures, and the high emotion they generate strongly influence the viewers.

YOU ARE NEGATIVELY INFLUENCING YOUR MIND AND FOCUSING YOUR UNIVERSAL CREATIVE ENERGY ONTO THINGS YOU DON'T WANT IN YOUR LIFE!

First, we have to recognize that there does exist a problem. Next, we have to make an accurate diagnosis of the causal factors that put the problem into effect. Then we must take action to rectify the causes.

This is called the 3 step problem solving process.

In society today, and in the generations past, mankind has only been focusing on "symptoms"; the alleviation of arising symptoms. We have not been striking at the root cause that put the problem into effect. And for any student of history, anthropology, social science, or philosophy, an honest look into the methods by which Man has arrived to where we are at, one should notice it all boils around control and domination. The concept of authority and whether or not it is a "natural" concept should become the question that we all ask ourselves. Do we have any Right to cause harm to another sentient being? Sadly, some people will say that we do. They will also say that the "ends justify the means". Inherently however, when we listen to that small still voice inside called conscience, it is screaming that taking that action will burn us... but we do it anyway. Is that called insanity or what?

The group of people who want to tout themselves as representatives of truth and “real news”, are in bed with the CIA, still mostly likely to this day. It’s official in the 50, 60, and 70s through a long running Operation Mockingbird to pay heads of major media companies to influence the minds of the public as propagandists and gatekeepers for the establishment. They manipulate data, twist and spin things to create narratives for people to accept about what is happening in reality.

➝ Psychological Warfare and The Weaponized News Media: https://www.minds.com/MindCom/blog/psychological-warfare-and-the-weaponized-news-media-1171153387089739776

➝ Weaponizing Narratives - Psychological Warfare 🚨: https://www.minds.com/newsfeed/1421799308897816590

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tonkirenta · 2 years

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The major manifest

#THE MAJOR MANIFEST SERIES#

Through her, they discover that the Major has been stealing Saanvi's research and attempted to attack her. This leads to her siphoning info out of Saanvi when she talks about the callings. The Major mostly works behind the scenes in the following episodes and the second season posing as Ellen Raiger, a therapist who helps passenger Saanvi Bhal after she suffers PTSD from being assaulted by a member of the Believer's church. Vance is presumed killed in the raid and Fitz flees. With help from Ben's son Cal, a target of Fitz for having stronger callings they locate the facility and start a shootout involving Vance's men. An escapee of the facility meets with Michaela and the passengers realize that their telepathic calling abilities blessed by the flight are triggered by Fitz's experimentation practices. This is noticed as math instructor Ben Stone and NSA director Robert Vance work together to investigate the nature of flight 828, and Ben's sister Michaela and her ex-finacé Jared, members of NYPD find the base guarded by troops. She hides behind her status and has several scientists and soldiers on her pay to do her bidding and becomes a major threat to the characters on the run from her.Īlthough it's not confirmed, it's evident that Fitz somehow managed to predict the anomaly that occurred on Flight 828, as when the passengers left she readily ordered a handful of buses to take test subjects to a research facility.

#THE MAJOR MANIFEST SERIES#

General Kathryn Fitz, better known as the Major, is the central antagonist of the drama television series Manifest, serving as the main antagonist of season one, the central antagonist of season two, and a posthumous antagonist in season 3.įitz is a military general who abducted passengers from the missing Flight 828 and conduct psychologically torturous experiments in order to understand the supernatural calling phenomenon. ~ The Major revealing her true motivations to Saanvi. keep everybody's performance more organic and authentic.What's the point of powerful mutation if you can't replicate and weaponize it? Although if pressed, he confirmed he will drop hints about story points within the season to the cast, "not to reveal anything beyond the season, just to let them live in the present. "Some of the actors know more than others because some are incredibly curious, and others don't want to know a damn thing and they find that it's more organic for them to find it out in real-time," he said. So, with most of the big moves of the show having already been established, how much of the overarching story do the actors know in advance? According to Rake, nobody knows everything. "Because the audience in recent years has sometimes felt burned mythology shows couldn't continue to pay off," he said. and NBC, he felt it was important the executives knew he had an endgame in mind and a road map to get there. He explained that when he pitched the show to Warner Bros. " series finale has always been locked," he said, explaining that the "master arc of the series has existed from the beginning." Just as he's said before, Rake confirmed he intends for the show to run six seasons. That's a needle thread that continues to play throughout the season and beyond." "And just like in real life, I think a lot of people believe that faith and science are very much intertwined. "And then there's the related question: What does that mean for the other side of the debate?" he added. Rake, who noted that Season 3 picks up "about three months after the end of Season 2," also explained that the show has "been on this faith versus science debate" since its inception and will provide "some clarity about which side is winning that debate" in the first few episodes of the third season. We get to a point of clarity in regard to some of the most fundamental questions about the underlying mystery." "However, we frontload revelations associated with it so I think that viewers will find that in the first batch of episodes we come to some fundamental understandings. "The unveiling of the mystery regarding the tail fin is threaded throughout the season," Rake told SYFY WIRE and other members of the press at a virtual roundtable ahead of the show's Season 3 premiere on April 1. It will also answer some big questions that have been looming over the series from the start. Jeff Rake, creator and showrunner of the NBC sci-fi drama, has promised that the upcoming third season will center on the mystery of that familiar tail fin. The second season of Manifest ended with a jet tail fin being pulled out of the ocean, no doubt causing many fans to jump in disbelief from their spots on the couch.

#The major manifest

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mostlysignssomeportents · 3 years

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Facebook's alternative facts

Facebook acquired a company called Crowdtangle in 2016; it makes a social media analytics tool that the press has used to monitor subject-matter trends on Facebook, especially in the runup to the 2020 elections.

Facebook just gutted Crowtangle.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/14/technology/facebook-data.html

Crowdtangle had operated as a semiautonomous unit within Facebook, primarily used by media companies to track the social media performance of their stories. A turning point came when the NY Times’s Kevin Roose figured out how to rank posts that included links to the real web.

Roose created a Twitter account called @FacebooksTop10 that served as a moment-to-moment leaderboard for the most popular web-links being “engaged with” on Facebook (Facebook separates “engagement” — liking and replying — from “reach” — how many people see a post).

Roose’s research revealed that far-right cranks like Ben Shapiro and Sean Hannity were dominating Facebook’s news ecosystem. These reports were most unwelcome within Facebook leadership, whose internal communications were leaked to Roose.

These leaks reveal the anxieties of top Facebook leaders — including Nick Clegg, the former UK Deputy PM who sold out his supporters, created the conditions for Brexit, and then landed a cushy, 4-million-per-year job as head of FB’s “global affairs.”

These leaders worried that objective data about Facebook users’ “engagement” would validate suspicions that the service was a far-right echo-chamber whose US users were trending to ageing conservatives, a group that advertisers are lukewarm on.

Facebook’s leaders debated what to do about this and ultimately decided to neuter Crowdtangle, replacing it with selective disclosures that put the service in a better light, choosing among several other metrics (like reach) to characterize the discourse on the platform.

Publicly, Facebook says it’s not killing Crowdtangle, but rather, integrating it into an “integrity team” — minus its leadership (on “vacation” with no defined role at the company) and key personnel (who are being scattered to other parts of the business).

Facebook’s attack on Crowdtangle is significant, especially in light of its sustained assault on independent accountability and transparency tools like Ad Observer, a project from NYU’s engineering school.

https://pluralistic.net/2020/11/20/sovkitsch/#adobserver

Ad Observer tracks paid political disinformation on the platform. Its users volunteer to install a free/open browser extension that captures the ads Facebook serves to them. These are flensed of any private information and uploaded to Ad Observatory, a public repository.

Accountability journalists and researchers use Ad Observatory to track whether Facebook is living up to its public promises to limit paid political disinformation. The project has documented many failures to uphold those promises.

In its smear campaign against Ad Observer, Facebook has insisted that the project is both dangerous (Facebook falsely claims it captures private information) and redundant, because Facebook maintains its own ad repository for researchers.

But Ad Observer has already caught multiple instances of paid political disinformation that was not included in Facebook’s repository.

Facebook has proven that it cannot be trusted to honestly reflect its own practices in its transparency efforts.

As Crowdtangle enters a decline — leadership sidelined, engineers scattered — we should interpret Facebook’s promises to replace it with its own “accountability” tools, run by the leadership faction that decried Roose’s top-10 list, in light of the Ad Observer fiasco.

After all, these leaders insisted that the problem with Roose’s list is that it measured “engagement” and not “reach” — but when the company produced its own internal “reach”-based leaderboards, they looked much the same as the “engagement” ones.

Roose agrees with FB leaders in that Facebook isn’t merely a far-right echo chamber (he says that it contains such a chamber, but that’s not the whole story). But there’s one way in which FB is firmly Trumpian: its insistence on “alternative facts.”

Trump is a bullshitter, raised in the “positive thinking” church of Norman Vincent Peale, whose gospel dictated that you could manifest new realities by insisting that they were already here — “fake it till you make it” (AKA “gaslighting”).

https://www.npr.org/2017/01/19/510628862/how-positive-thinking-helped-propel-trump-to-the-presidency

This ideology — call it gaslightism — is the fantasy that powerful people can warp reality simply by declaring it to be something else (think of the GWB official who sneered at the “reality-based community” and its skepticism over war in Iraq).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reality-based_community

It’s a common trait among wealthy narcissists. Elon Musk insists that the laws of physics will bend to his satellite internet network and allow for multiple universes’ worth of electromagnetic signalling.

He’s sure that the laws of geometry will bend to his tunnels and somehow relieve traffic congestion by adding private vehicles; that he will make massive leaps in computer science and create safe autonomous vehicles.

Trump’s insistence the virus would “disappear…like a miracle” was just the latest installment in a long history of bullshitting (“positive thinking”), including things like pretending to be his own publicist, boasting to journos about his prowess.

https://www.dailywire.com/news/audio-listen-donald-trump-pretend-be-his-own-hank-berrien

Facebook’s desire to “control the narrative” is part of this intellectual tradition, and it’s hardly the first time the company has done it.

Early in the company’s history, Zuckerberg defended his “real names” policy by saying that anyone who objected was “two-faced.”

It’s hard to overstate how deranged this is: surely Zuckerberg presents a different facet of his identity to his spouse, his kids, his shareholders, his co-workers and the press. It’s not “two faced” to talk to your boss differently from how you talk to your lover.

However, by forcing billions of Facebook users to confine themselves to a single identity, Zuckerberg does make it easier to target them with ads. This “two-faced” business is just an attempt to will a radical, sociopathic norm into existence.

This attitude permeates Facebook’s corporate conduct: remember the “pivot to video?” Facebook wanted to compete with Youtube — the number two supplier of display advertising, after FB itself — so it declared that videos were very popular on Facebook.

Not that videos would be popular — they were already popular. The company told its media and ad partners that they were missing out on a gold-rush because FB users loved watching FB videos.

Media companies literally laid off their newsrooms in order to hire video production teams based on this intelligence. The entire media- and ad-ecosystem reoriented itself around Facebook’s market intelligence.

There was just one problem. Facebook was lying. FB users weren’t watching its videos, and Facebook knew it. The company was just betting that if it convinced media companies to spend billions making videos, its users would watch them.

https://www.wired.com/story/facebook-lawsuit-pivot-to-video-mistake/

This fraud devastated the media world, first by triggering waves of layoffs of experienced journalists to make way for young video producers, then by killing or hobbling their employers and triggering another wave of mass layoffs.

Zuckerberg knows it’s not “two-faced” to show different parts of yourself to different people. Facebook knew that no one was watching FB videos. They were just betting that they could fake it until they made it — the core tenet of gaslightism.

The Crowdtangle affair is more of the same. Facebook’s US market is dominated by furious, old conservatives. The company knows it — but they also know that if they admit it, people who don’t match that description will be less likely to stay on its platform.

They know that advertisers don’t pay much to reach that audience. They know that an aging user-base will dwindle over time unless there’s a cohort coming in behind it. They think that if they suppress the true nature of their business, the nature will change.

Gaslightism is what Exxon embraced half a century ago, when it suppressed its own scientists’ conclusions that its product would render our planet unfit for human habitation. They were betting that if they just kept the news quiet, something might come up that changed it. #ExxonKnew

The wealthy and powerful have always practiced gaslightism (hence folktales like “The Emperor’s New Clothes”).

To be clear, we’re all prone to kidding ourselves with wishful thinking, but wishful thinking is different when it’s combined with unchecked power.

That’s why Thomas Jefferson argued for an anti-monopoly clause in the Bill of Rights — not because he disbelieved in smart people with good ideas, but because he disbelieved in infallible people.

Mark Zuckerberg is not an evil supergenius. He’s not a supergenius, or any kind of genius. He’s just an everyday mediocrity like you or me, someone who talked himself into thinking that he should be the czar of 3 billion lives.

https://locusmag.com/2018/07/cory-doctorow-zucks-empire-of-oily-rags/

The problem of concentrated, unaccountable, autocratic power isn’t evil supergeniuses. The problem is people no better or worse than you or me, indulging their worst impulses with no one to call bullshit on them.

Nerfing Crowdtangle and attacking Ad Obverser are just ways for Facebook to preventing journalists from calling bullshit on it — a way to further secede from the reality-based community. It’s pure gaslightism.

Image: Japanexperterna.se (modified) https://www.flickr.com/photos/japanexperterna/15251188384/

Minette Lontsie (modified) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Facebook_Headquarters.jpg

CC BY-SA: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/

Anthony Quintano (modified) https://www.flickr.com/photos/quintanomedia/41793468502

CC BY: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

#pluralistic

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hologramcowboy · 3 years

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My friend, your whole blog is sour grapes.

Manifesting tons of success for the Winchesters prequel 🙏 Hoping you would eat your words.

Wishing the best to the Ackles ❤️

My friend, you need a translator because the only things are the following:

- Jensen and Danneel do not have the experience, knowledge or credibility to run a production company. FACT. They are only lending their names while hired people do the ACTUAL work. This production company is a front for WB and money circulation and all of that but that's a bigger topic for another time.

- Danneel has no place within the SPN legacy, she is not Jared. She got the job by nepotism. She has no business profiting off of other people's hard work and talents.

- The prequel's premise makes no sense and was designed for gullible teenagers and hellers, AAs. That's their target audience. Jensen doesn't care if SPN fans don't tune in because this was a moneygrab off of SPN.

- Jensen could have waited and could have developed an actually good show to honor the legacy of SPN together with Jared. - I wish Jensen success even if I find the prequel premise and background subpar and a pathetic, power-hungry, money grab not to mention disrespectful towards Jared and real SPN fans (I am talking about the balanced people not AAs Hellers etc, the later don't even care what they watch as long as Jensen is in it or connected to it somehow, that's the main reason most stan Danneel, simply because she's connected to Jensen) So you see, there are no words to eat and you don't even grasp my posts so what are you even arguing for? This is my perspective, you can acknowledge it or not and you don't even have to read it so what's the point of your post?

Lastly, The Ackles', as you call them, need to be grateful for the people who actually did the work for them instead of thanking them last like an afterthought or someone less relevant than them, when in reality they were crucial while the Ackles are just names co-opted to be the "image" of the production company. THE END. lol That being said, I hope you have a wonderful day, and I hope you focus on your own success. The Ackles won't invest in your so be wary of the energy you expend on them, it could be going towards more important things,

#anti prequel #jensen critical #anti danneel

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justforbooks · 4 years

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Perhaps the single most lucid, succinct, and profoundly terrifying analysis of social media ever created for mass consumption, Jeff Orlowski’s “The Social Dilemma” does for Facebook what his previous documentaries “Chasing Ice” and “Chasing Coral” did for climate change (read: bring compelling new insight to a familiar topic while also scaring the absolute shit out of you). And while the film covers — and somehow manages to contain — a staggering breadth of topics and ramifications, one little sentence is all it takes to lay out the means and ends of the crisis at hand: Russia didn’t hack Facebook, Russia used Facebook.

That may not be a mind-blowing idea for anyone who’s been raised on the internet, but it would be wrong to think that Orlowski’s film is only speaking to the back of the class. While “The Social Dilemma” is relevant to every person on the planet, and should be legible enough to even the most technologically oblivious types (the Amish, the U.S. Senate, and so forth), its target demographic is very online types who think they understand the information age too well to be taken advantage of. That’s zoomers, millennials, and screen junkies of any stripe who wouldn’t have the faintest interest in a finger-wagging documentary about how they should spend more time outside.

Taking a top-down, inside out approach to the basic nature of the social media experiment, Orlowski’s film doesn’t waste any time in proving its bonafides (and using them to strike fear into your heart). It begins with an ominous nugget of wisdom from Sophocles, who would have crushed it on Twitter: “Nothing vast enters the life of mortals without a curse.” From there, Orlowski introduces viewers to some of the most worried-looking white people you’re likely to find these days: The designers, engineers, and executives who invented social media, and then quit when they began to understand the existential threat it posed to all civilization. The guy who invented the “like” button. An ex-department head at Instagram. Even one of the techies responsible for Gmail and Google Drive. As annoying as it can be when someone tells you to quit Facebook, it’s hard to ignore someone who’s actually quit Facebook.

Orlowski’s star interviewee, however, is a guy who’s often referred to as “Silicon Valley’s conscience.” His name is Tristan Harris, he’s the co-founder of the Center for Humane Technology, and his measured alarmism serves as a worried voice of reason throughout the film as “The Social Dilemma” strives to bridge the gap between abstract threats and direct consequences. The most overarching of those macro concerns is a free-to-use business model that coerces people into betraying their own value. As the saying goes (and is quoted here): “If you’re not paying for the product, you are the product.”

With the help of articulate testimony, illuminating visual aids, and a well-crafted thesis that elegantly articulates the relationship between persuasive technology and human behavior, Orlowski fortifies the familiar argument that addiction isn’t a side effect of social media, but rather the industry’s business model. Our data is used as a currency for these companies, but our time is a far more precious commodity — how much of our lives can they get us to forfeit over to them?

The more time we spend on social media, the more valuable our human futures become; the more valuable our human futures become, the more that advertisers are willing to pay for them. And how does a company like Facebook or YouTube (which is technically Google) convince us to spend more time on their platforms? They change our fundamental perception of reality, as The Algorithm is designed to populate things into our feeds and queues that will excite/agitate us towards engagement, pull us deeper into our respective rabbit holes, and silo us all into our separate realities. It’s surveillance capitalism run amok, as well as a peerlessly effective recipe for extremism.

Orlowski, recognizing that diagnosing the problem on such a profound scale is enough to make even the most rational of people sound like they’re suffering from paranoid schizophrenia, devises a bold and semi-successful way of making these enormous concepts feel more life-sized. Every so often, Orlowski cuts away to the scripted tale of an average, middle-class American family in order to more practically illustrate the effect that social media has on our lives. And by “our lives,” this critic means to stress that “The Social Dilemma” is more interested in Facebook’s impact on the average teenager than it is in — say — Facebook’s impact on the genocidal violence against Muslim Rohyingas in Myanmar. But Orlowski knows his audience.

“Booksmart” actor Skyler Gisondo plays a high school kid named Ben who’s addicted to his phone, “Moonrise Kingdom” breakout Kara Hayward is his concerned older sister, and — in a touch of absolute genius — “Mad Men” star Vincent Kartheiser plays several human manifestations of The Algorithm itself, selling Ben reasons to stay on his phone like some kind of dystopian Pete Campbell. These sequences first arrive with the queasy awkwardness of an after school special, and seem determined to make teenagers roll their eyeballs right out of their heads. But if these dramatizations can be more than a bit too on the nose, they’re redeemed by an emergent — and very amusing — self-awareness that reflects our own; a certain level of irony is required to get through to people who regularly tweet about how much they hate Twitter (aka “this website” aka “this hellsite”).

The least effective of these moments can make it feel as though “The Social Dilemma” underestimates the persuasiveness of its own arguments, but the most valuable passages help to illustrate one particularly alarming sound byte from elsewhere in the film: “We’re so worried about tech overpowering human strength that we don’t pay attention to tech overpowering human weakness.” It’s helpful to see how social media can inflame our inherent need for approval, and discourage people from taking risks that might alienate the online community. It’s convincing to see The Algorithm alert Ben to his ex-girlfriend’s new relationship so that he’ll spend more time sifting through her photos, and — in a frustratingly reductive way — watch The Algorithm populate Ben’s feed with videos that radicalize him into the fold of a political movement called “The Extreme Center,” a cute touch that nevertheless draws a false equivalency between left and right.

Is “The Social Dilemma” persuasive enough to convince a MAGA zealot to stop binge-watching Ben Shapiro nonsense and buy a subscription to a newspaper? It’s hard to say. But the film will definitely make you more cognizant of your own behavior — not just of how you use the internet, but how the internet uses you. And it will do so in a way that feels less like an intervention than it does a wake-up call; Orlowski and his subjects recognize how the internet has created a simultaneous utopia and dystopia, and they aren’t under any delusions that we’re able to wish it away. Their documentary isn’t instructive so much as directional, and thereby most fascinating for the implications it leaves you to consider on your own time.

How has social media shaped the way we think about (overlapping) things like politics, race, and entertainment? What impact does siloing people into their own realities have on our faith in empathy, objective truth, and some kind of shared understanding? And does the isolated and algorithmically-programmed nature of streaming video make it less of an alternative to the theatrical experience than its antithesis? As human futures become human presents, these questions will only grow more urgent. In the meantime: Quit Facebook, don’t click on Instagram ads, and — for the love of God — make sure that your Twitter feed is set to chronological order instead of “showing you the best tweets first,” because the only hope we have left lies in the difference between what you and The Algorithm consider to be good content.

Daily inspiration. Discover more photos at http://justforbooks.tumblr.com

#JUST FOR BOOKS #The Social Dilemma

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three-fulm-thaumaturd · 4 years

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Some scattershot, in-no-particular-order, potentially-spoilery thoughts about Shadowbringers, now that I’m at about 5.2:

The environmental design, the music, et cetera are lovely here! Combine that with the thing where your situation at the beginning is worse in some ways than it was at the beginning of 3.0 and *escalates* and, wow. Everything very much supports the mood of a world on the brink of annihilation. The changes in WoL’s relationships with familiar characters add to the tension and the sense of loss. From a narrative construction standpoint I dig it, even while, empathizing with my character, it was tough to have all of my comfort characters literally sequestered away on a different world.

The little parallels to familiar places and people on the Source are great for making the First feel like “the bad Mirror Universe,” and that was pretty great. Beating up Vauthry in November 2020 has some particular, interesting resonance.

Strix is max-level ALC, and some ways through the DRK storyline, et cetera. I knew that Natsuko Ishikawa’s writing was front and center for ShB, so I was like “Okay, this is going to be another story about people catastrophically wrecking shit due to their fundamental inability to accept change/loss/grief.” Welp.

I expected the story to make me sympathize with Emet-Selch (after coming in already oversaturated to the point of antipathy from tumblr) and it...really super did not. Then again, I’m the kid who derailed BritLit classes by asking why the Earnshaws didn’t just kill Heathcliff rather than letting him completely destroy three generations worth of two families, so I am super not the intended target audience for this Gothic Romance in video game clothes to begin with.

I did not expect the story to make me care about Ardbert and the Warriors of Darkness after they spend parts of two prior expansions being an annoyance, boy howdy, though, they did. Cerigg is somehow one of the best dads in a series jammed full of surrogate parents. Lamitt’s monologue at the end of the healer role quest was as if someone was reading Strix a cargo manifest for the contents of her own heart.

Speaking of surrogate parents, I don’t love that you never really get to address Thancred taking his grief over Minfilia’s loss out on Ryne, and how unearned his “parental” moments with her after his burly brawl with Ran’jit feel. I kind of want to hug him and fastball special him into the sun simultaneously.

I’ve officially run out of colormage levels, and have picked up SCH/SMN and AST in the mean time! The combat difficulty curve is getting markedly steeper, and I have some anxiety that we’re eventually gonna hit a point where it’s tough for me to access more story because I’m a mediocre gamer at best and the spatial reasoning you need for complicated AOE dodges in particular is always gonna be tough for me. Friends have been lovely and supportive/encouraging, so I will knuckle under and keep practicing.

#ffxiv #noob squad don't read

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akechicrimes · 5 years

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I'm a brand new goroboy and have questions if you don't mind answering any of them 1. Was everything that Akechi said about the PTs being unjust a part of his detective act or did he really believe that changing hearts was bad prior to the engine room? 2. When did he first suspect the PTs? Did he figure them out immediately at the TV station or did he just become interested in Joker cuz he's gay and figured it out afterwards lol. Basically who sussed who out first? (1/2)

hello welcome!!!!!! we are happy to have u!!!!!!!!

unfortunately we dont have concrete answers to a lot of these, but i will do my best!!!! these are some really excellent questions so i want to do them justice. and by do them justice, i mean theyre under a cut because it got really long lmfao.

thanks for the ask–this was really fun to write, instead of doing literally any of the work that i was supposed to.

1. Was everything that Akechi said about the PTs being unjust a part of his detective act or did he really believe that changing hearts was bad prior to the engine room?

SHORT ANSWER: we don’t know.

SLIGHTLY LONGER ANSWER: we can’t say for sure but there’s strong evidence that he was probably telling the truth, actually.

VERY LONG ANSWER: there’s strong evidence he both is and isn’t telling the truth in the TV studio scene, but with the qualifiers that (1) he never necessarily says theyre unjust, he says they’re dangerous. (2) he probably thinks the phantom thieves change hearts in the same way that he makes people go psychotic. (3) his sense of justice is basically entirely based on righting wrongs that have been committed against individuals, not what the law says. (also, when i say “individuals,” i mean himself.)

to the extent that he’s lying–he does say that they’re operating outside the law, and that they have unknown and apparently very effective power that cannot be stopped by traditional law enforcement. traditional justice says that if you operate outside the law, that makes you automatically bad. akechi is playing the part of someone who’s lawful good, so when he says, “they’re dangerous and operating outside the law,” he has to say, “that makes them unjust.”

to the extent that he’s telling the truth, that’s basically everything else he says. i do think those viewpoints are his own for a lot of reasons.

when he talks about the changes of heart, he makes it sound like it’s a thing that could just happen to anyone–even people who’ve done no wrong. when akira voices support for the PT, akechi argues back against akira to say “If [Ryuji’s] heart suddenly changed, wouldn’t you think it was the work of the Phantom Thieves?” like it could just happen to any random joe schmoe. he’s acting like someone could just one day change their entire attitude–possibly for the worse–resulting in terror amongst the population.

we have to keep in mind that at this point in time, akechi has no idea that you can steal treasure to change a person’s heart. he doesn’t even know treasure is a thing, let alone that you have to send a calling card to make it manifest. morgana is the person who knew all that stuff, and akechi definitely didnt have access to morgana when he started his hitman career.

so with the way that he’s talking about the changes of heart, i dont think he assumes that changes of heart always change the person for the better. he has no idea that it’s literally removing a person’s distorted desires. i’m like NINETY-FIVE PERCENT SURE that he thinks changes of heart operate in the same way that his psychotic abilities work: you cast a persona spell, and a person goes apeshit.

from his point of view, that’s kind of what’s happening. when akechi casts call of chaos, a person starts behaving in a way they never would under ordinary circumstances in the real world. the changes of heart really look exactly the same way to an outsider’s POV. and to akechi’s understanding, call of chaos can be cast on even good people. from the phantom thieves’ POV, only people who’re mega-dicks can have their hearts changed in the first place, because the requisite to have a palace is a certain level of distortion. (futaba, of course, proving that you don’t have to be a mega-dick to have a distortion, but the TV studio scene happens before futaba.)

akechi’s argument is that leaving that sort of power in just anyone’s hands is dangerous. because that’s a LOT of power for one person to have. akechi would know, considering that he’s in the same position. he’s wary of the fact that there’s no guarantee that that person will use it for good.

that, of course, brings us to the question of “well, what does akechi think ‘using power for good’ is in the first place?” does he think that the phantom thieves are using their powers for good? does he think he’s using his powers for good?

when asked why he seeks justice, akechi says: “Because of sickening human beings… Yes, my contempt for such people drives my sense of justice. It isn’t some grand reason like society’s sake or some lofty ideal. It’s simply an absurd grudge… and extremely personal.”

the traditional, lawful-good way of thinking about justice is that if you operate outside the law, you’re automatically bad. but akechi’s sense of justice seems to be driven primarily from the hurts he’s suffered, the grudges he still bears, and his conviction that wrongs personally done against individuals should be righted. it’s an end-goal oriented sense of justice.

if wrong-doers are punished and the grudges are appeased, then justice is delivered. how that happens does not necessarily constitute justice. my best guess at this time is that he’d qualify a lot as “the ends justify the means,” since his concept of justice is end-goal oriented.

of course, i think akechi definitely shows throughout the game that he knows that how you achieve those ends is… not irrelevant. i think his black mask outfit (and a bunch of other things he says) implies that he feels like he is a “villain” of sorts. he demonstrates feeling a type of way about killing okumura. he definitely knows that his actions are morally wrong under particular lenses. take a look at this section:

Akechi: Who cares? My targets were all doing the same damn thing in this eat or be eaten world. [referencing that all his victims were dicks who kind of deserved to get glocked]

Akechi: How is that any different from the Phantom Thieves?

Ann: We’re not murderers!

Akechi: (now looking kind of pissed) So what?! [launches into speil about how it’ll all be worth it when he exacts revenge on Shido]

obviously he knows that murder is morally indefensible. but i think he’s justified it to himself as either not so bad because he killed primarily corrupt people, and/or that it’d be worth it if he achieves revenge on shido. he’s doing some kind of weird karma cosmic-scale balancing of “how much can i get away with and still be able to call it justifiable and justice,” and it looks like his answer is “quite a fucking lot.”

ironically, this makes his views on justice fairly practical. rather than idealistically committed to some platonic edition of justice, he’s more of a “what do i need to do to get the goals i want achieved? what needs to happen to make sure that asshole abusers get what’s coming to them? what needs to happen to make sure that i get emotional closure?” the biggest issue with that is the danger of a Pyrrhic victory–the moment where the means so go far that the ends no longer justify them.

all of this is to say: when akechi is talking about the phantom thieves as potentially unjust, i dont think he has a problem with their methods. “methods” are like a knife–it’s about how you use it, and for what.

i think he knows that changing hearts, and turning people psychotic, is morally skeevy if your sense of justice is very puritanical, but his sense of justice isn’t puritanical. i think he’s wary of what they might be using their methods for. again: his big argument in the studio scene isnt necessarily that theyre unjust, only that they’re dangerous.

seriously, though–changing hearts is potentially a recipe for societal collapse if used the wrong way. imagine if the PT were more self-centered and they went the light yagami route with their new supernatural powers, maintaining peace and order through authoritarian fear. that is, actually, the entire premise of the P5 Vanilla Bad End, in which the PT enforce peace through relentlessly changing hearts and making people too terrified to keep committing crime.

since his views on justice seem to be defined by what the end goal is, he’d have to know what those goals are before understanding if they’re “just” or “unjust”–which is probably why he keeps hounding akira for akira’s viewpoints on justice, tbh. the phantom thieves are only unjust if their end goal is unjust, not necessarily because of their methods. (see answer to question 2 for related/continued discussion.)

2. When did he first suspect the PTs? Did he figure them out immediately at the TV station or did he just become interested in Joker cuz he’s gay and figured it out afterwards lol. Basically who sussed who out first?

SHORT ANSWER: i pretty sure atlus expects us to believe that he figured it from even before the TV showing–he figured it out when he overheard ryuji saying “It’s not easy being phantom thieves” when they were in the hallway. it’s the same time and place where akechi did his famous pancake fuck-up.

SLIGHTLY LONGER ANSWER: the idea that akechi was just super horny for the guy who gave him shit on live TV and then realized that akira was a phantom thief later as a neat bonus is fuckign SENDING me.

VERY LONG ANSWER: because of the scene with ryuji, i’m pretty sure he knew that akira was a phantom thief, and also i’m half-convinced that he somehow got the TV host to specifically choose akira during the “ask the audience” portion of the show. it’s really too much of a coincidence.

because of that, i think the other implication of the scene is that he wanted to see what akira was made of when he invited akira for a debate on live television, and was pleasantly surprised when akira had something very interesting to say on the topic of grey morality and achieving justice outside the law.

what’s interesting about that scene is that akechi becomes interested in akira regardless of what akira says about the phantom thieves. akira’s options are “They’re justice itself,” “They’re necessary,” and “They do more than the cops”–so it’s not like akira ever says that he dislikes the phantom thieves, but the level of support ranges and two of these imply a justification/reasoning for it. and then akechi fucking argues back on live television like this is some kind of debate, instead of a daytime talk show meant to distract bored housewives.

like. akechi gets INTO it. justice is his THING. and here’s akira, who seems to be not only a metaverse user operating outside the law like akechi himself, but also has some pretty grey morality thoughts on what justice is and could be, also like akechi himself.

taking it as a given that he knows for a fact that akira is a phantom thief from the get-go, from even before the TV scene ever even happened, then akechi probably keeps hounding him because akechi’s interested in hearing akira’s reasons. he’s not fishing for evidence, since he already knows. this is very speculative, now, but my best guess is that he keeps hounding akira ever after this scene because he wants to compare notes, one vigilante to another, to hear how akira rationalizes his vigilante work as a type of justice. very possibly, he’s seeking reassurance to himself that his own actions are justifiable. (he certainly seems that way in P5R, especially when he wonders about if a “justice nobody wants” is really a true justice at all, or just someone being self-centered.)

so re: “did akechi figure him out or was he just gay,” the answer is. yes. akechi did figure him out, and also akira made him so intellectually horny on live television that he hounded the man down in public for follow-up dates.

what a king.

3. Does Akechi have a Velvet Room? Does he experience rank ups with Joker and the game over stuff too?

SHORT ANSWER: we don’t know. no, seriously, we have no idea.

SLIGHTLY LONGER ANSWER: i’ve seen compelling takes on him having his own velvet room, and i think it’s thematically very fascinating if akechi is quite literally akira’s counterpart in terms of cosmic chess pieces, but i would be surprised if he did. but again, seriously, since there’s no confirmation on the matter, i say akechi’s potential velvet room is fair game.

VERY LONG ANSWER: lore-wise, i’m betting no. akechi was yaldabaoth’s piece, while akira was philemon’s (if i’m remembering my lore correctly). philemon provides the velvet room to aid the people he chooses–yaldabaoth has no such deal. the only reason why yaldo was in the velvet room in the first place was because he wanted to fuck over philemon’s chosen trickster.

it’s the same logic for why someone like adachi wouldn’t have a velvet room: while souji/yu, namatame, and adachi were all given the power to go into the tv world by izanami, only souji/yu was selected by philemon to save the world from ruin, and was accordingly given the resources and aid to do so.

secondary bonus: the psychotic ability/call of chaos just removes a person’s bonds in their heart, which makes them behave as if they were crazy. it’s the exact opposite of joker’s ability to create bonds. yaldabaoth’s one gift to his chosen chess piece was to essentially undo the very social links that make akira strong. so again, i’d be shocked if akechi experiences things like ranking up, or any sort of velvet room/persona fusing mechanic.

personally i think the loki/robin hood divide just happened because he awoke to a persona twice. awakening to your persona just happens at moments of rebellion and strong resolve, and canonically even other persona-users “awaken” (sorta) twice when you max their social link. i’m betting that he just had two moments of resolve: one in which he wanted to be a hero of justice, and one in which he decided he was going to tear shido to the ground no matter how far into villainy he had to go.

but as always, it’s not like there’s a hard consensus on the matter.

4. How did he kill the shadows of people who don’t have a palace? Does *everyone* have a shadow in mementos?

SHORT ANSWER: he probably kills them in mementos, and also i think we’re expected to believe that literally everyone has a shadow in mementos.

SLIGHTLY LONGER ANSWER: i’m almost certain that the mementos depths section of the game confirms that basically everyone’s shadows are in there somewhere, even if they’re just your average joe with no significant distortions. the palace ruler for that section is “the public,” and also we do see the shadows of palace rulers who’ve had their hearts changed in the mementos depths. so even if you’ve had your heart changed and are supposedly a perfectly good human being now, this evidently doesnt disqualify you for having a shadow in mementos.

VERY LONG ANSWER: morgana says that mementos is the collective distortion of everyone in the area, but not a lot more concretely than that. morgana also says that reality is fairly plastic and that reality is somewhat determined by how we perceive the world, so i think that we’re expected to believe that everyone has, to some degree, some level of distortion.

i could say that jungian theory, which is the theory that the persona series is based off of, says that everyone without exception has a shadow. but this seems a little bit of a doylist explanation. instead i’ll point to persona 3, in which people without shadows literally become comatose and apathetic husks of themselves. this is because having a shadow is actually a fairly important part of a person’s psyche, and not having one doesnt make you a good and perfect person, it makes you a nonfunctional vegetable incapable of cognitive thought.

so yeah, i’m pretty sure EVERYONE is in mementos. with the exception of the phantom thieves, because… i think we’re expected to believe that their personas are in some ways their shadows? but also their personas are like, real-life kinning mythological/fictional characters so hard that you bind them to your soul? frankly i’ve been confused about how shadows work ever since persona 5 had people’s eyes turn yellow when they go through their awakenings, since perosna 4 used to use that as a sign that the person was a shadow, so… maybe i have no idea what the fuck im talking about. LMFAO.

#mine #meta #Anonymous

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bigruntheory · 4 years

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“To everything I’ve ever lost, thank you for setting me free.”

This event happened in Tony William's backyard, Mount Victoria, NSW. Fri 27- Sun 29 November 2020.

This report will swing from serious to joking, but will at all times be genuine with the best intentions; you will just have to try your best to navigate the subtle or dramatic changes for yourself, bearing that in mind.

This report is a true (made up on the spot then heavily edited) account of events I experienced within the beating heart of endurance running, the true spiritual home of ultra, the best concept to emerge in running since putting one foot in front of the other: A Last One Standing Endurance Race. (LOSER)

The Blue Goat Backyard LOSER is a little shorter than the official distance of 6.7 something kms, at just 5.23km a lap, but what it falls short of in distance, it more than makes up for in rugged, uneven, highly technical terrain- which pretty much makes it Australia’s toughest LOS event.

Whatever its comparable status, agreed or not, or however you approach it personally, it’s definitely an authentically challenging, scenic course, held within a supportive, fun, party atmosphere:

The buzz at the Blue Goat & Fatboy Slim’s Big Beach Boutique II -

equally awesome & hazy in my mind- and I was at both.

These LOS events will work for anyone who enjoys to run. The Blue Goat Backyard will work for anyone who enjoys to run challenging trails. And if you don’t like running or trails or a challenge, then they will suit anyone who likes to party while other people do. So they’re great events for everyone.

The LOS format will especially suit you if you are on a path to self-discovery, self-transcendence or to just see how far you can personally go and run for, in one go. You might be surprised to find that in just turning up to have a go, you discover new things about running, runners & yourself.

LOS event vibes & hubs will differ somewhat in style, and you can expect them to be as diverse and unique as their hosts- they should all provide a brilliant gateway for some amazing personal journeys in running & in life. This one delivered.

The LOS format, and specifically the way that AAA racing & BMF organise events, means ANYONE of any ability, can come and enjoy the experience of their running lifetime, seeing how far they can go, or set a target of laps or distance and create a PB in a unique, supportive, safe and fun setting.

When I say party and fun, I mean it. They had the most amazing Britpop and other timeless classics (Creedence/Stones/Beatle’s) blasting out the speaker all day and night; there was also a Robbie Williams song in there.....

Training and attitude will only take you so far- a lairy shirt must do the rest.

In spite of the bushfires & the pandemic, this event still happened, as seen & predicted by me, which in part is why I felt so deeply that I had to be there. You can’t escape your destiny, really, so you had better make it double awesome when it arrives.

After last years event ,which slipped under my radar for some reason, Tony’s backyard pretty much got burned to the ground in bushfires which massively damaged the whole Blue Mountains & Hawkesbury areas. There were also floods, which actually helped stop some of the fires but which bought their own destruction. This all happened during the end of 2019 and early 2020, after which everything went tits up, particularly for gyms, trainers & organised racing- due to the reaction to the COVID 19 bullshit pandemic.

Fun on one of the Blue Goat Bees, earlier in the year.

Getting involved behind the scene for this years event was great fun. Seeing it transform gradually until the race day was awesome, it went from burnt sticks, charcoal and indistinguishable trails to looking like a nature trail again by race day. It still has a way to go, but it’ll get there; it’s still a beautiful course which i parts feels like you are in the Grand Canyon at Blackheath, or the Grose valley, which are only just down the road.

If I’m correct, I don’t think anyone really thought this event was gonna be on, due to the COVID, but I had no doubt at all… . I knew I had to be there helping out and I knew I had to be there on that starting line and knew I was definitely going there to be the last one standing. This is not to say that it was time to put my feet up and just waltz in there like it was easy and in the bag - far from it. I trained hard. Really hard.

So call me mystic Steve if you like, but months prior to the event I bought a ticket and started manifesting, which is a pretty simple & powerful practice, not to be underestimated at all….it’s very much like goal setting to be honest, except there is a spiritual dimension and much that you can’t explain or prove scientifically. It works very well with the art of training your body mind & spirit for tough challenges and healing, too, which really go hand in hand. You basically write your story then walk into it.

Law of attraction/ manifestation.

This write up will cover some matters of running & strategy but mostly matters of the mind, heart & spirit. I present this to the world in genuine gratitude for the experience and I hope that it inspires others to be on that starting corral of an LOS event, wherever that may be, whatever your age, ability or experience.

How does it all work, this LOS?

Every hour on the hour, you have to be ready in the starting corral to go and run your lap, then back in time to do whatever you need to do-put your feet up, go to the loo, refuel or maybe have a banana & dance like no one is watching you- or in my case, like you are Bez from the Happy Mondays - whatever you do, however you roll, you have to be back in the staring corral to go do just one more lap, again. It’s really as simple as that. One loop, one hour, make of it what you will and what you can; bring out your soul & enjoy!

Should you do just one lap, you might find yourself in the position of saying, well why not see if I can do just one more? And so it goes…

These events are happening now, they are quite new & fresh and trust me, they will stand the test of time, because as I keep saying, there’s nothing conceptually better than the Last One Standing Format - it really is the Rock n Roll of endurance running & every event that happens has been a living testimony to that in one way or another.

Even during a global pandemic, nothing could hold the LOS back; in fact it just got stronger & rose to another level. While other events we imploding, postponing, being moved virtually and seeing reductions in numbers and interest, the annual Big Dog’s Backyard Ultra, usually in Tennessee, went ahead, on a satellite basis, across the world, live on the internet, and made history with record breaking performances & a once in a lifetime twist to the team dynamic; a twist so good, and a global audience buzz so great, that even the satellite event format will definitely go forward in some form or other into 2021 and beyond…..so many benefits to keeping things local and compet8ing more widely.....

The Australian Team sporting their AURA gear ready to take on the world.

Each country put a team together, which lifted the LOS format into another dimension. Instead of competing against your own team mates & globally in Tennessee, each country had their own teams on their own loops, competing against other teams. So in effect, this bought teams together and made the connection between the assist & the Last One Standing less of a battle of breaking the other down and more of a battle of building the other up, supporting them and remaining strong for the team. How good is that to see in competitive endurance running!?

Clint Eastwood, still cool after all these years.

I fell in love with the LOS format when I watched the Clint Eastwood Last One Standing, hosted by AAA Racing in Oxley Park Queensland and it was great to watch many of the same familiar faces, with the same party atmosphere, running together and taking on the world at the World Champs. Massive, genuine kudos to the whole team from the Clint Eastwood & The Big Dog satellite event, all runners and behind the scenes �� and Sam Penny needs special mention for the GoPro awesomeness, without which I may never have had that fly on the wall buzz of being at the event.

So, runners of all ages and abilities, whatever your goal, this is your opportunity to get up and at it & be part of something life-changing, challenging & massively fun, one short lap at a time.

Don’t go thinking you have to be superman, genetically gifted or even an ultrarunner or even a ‘runner’ Basically just ditch any thought or label that creates doubt or fear or holds you back and simply get up and go for it. You just need to be willing to turn up and have a go & enjoy the experience.

“Anyone can do anything” Tony Williams, Blue Mountains Fitness.

So, there was this running race my running mates told me about & I can’t remember when I made the decision to be there but it was also around the time a running mate was talking about helping out building trails and tracks and I know this must sound vague and I’m probably getting my wires crossed but I somehow put these two ideas together & they gave birth to the idea that I needed to be at the Blue Goat Backyard. And that’s how it all began….

Thanks to Tony & Alun – the whole BMF & AAA Racing collective , Fabiano & Sean for being on hand to help and support and look after us through the night and day and Keith for the awesome photos- popping up all over the course to catch candid snaps- all the sponsors, too. T8 for the awesome shorts and underpants, Papadino’s for the Pizzas & the prize voucher even made peace with Tailwind and had a recoverite after the event.

Thanks to all the people I met and worked with on the several bees & for all the care, imagination & spirit that put energy into making this happen- the whole event- not just the LOS; all the work that goes into delivering a vision into reality, planting the seed & helping it grow.

Hawkesbury Trail Runners

Massive shout out to the Hawkesbury Trail Runners! So glad you all came to support the event you fell in love with last year before a period of tragedy hit the area and awesome to see you at the event (well, sort of -in the heat of the moment and the day, socialising was very short lived due to needing to cool down, fuel up and get back out; and after the event, I puked up & conked out!) Managed to wave and mumble to a few of you and had a chat with regular run buddies Mike & Vicki.

You all did so well, especially in that fierce heat and I’m quite fond of the memories of just blurting random stuff out in the zone- the Britpop running the event of your lifetime zone….

Congrats to Jackie and Claudio in their runs, had a brief chat with Jackie in the fierce heat....also to Matt & Jen from Plus Fitness running the marathon and half respectively on a tough course in tough conditions.

All any of us really need to do is turn up and make the most of it, and that’s exactly what everyone did; and that’s how a great event works, really, so let’s all do it again next year! Mystic Steve predict big things happening in the Blue Goat Backyard for 2021…..!

Whilst I was busy running and didn’t get to join in the party for too long & during the later phases and the high heat was stumbling around like a bull in a china shop, it was huge fun singing, dancing &, running all night and day. The energy I drew from Britpop was out of this world! I’ve never sung & danced at an Ultra or race before to my knowledge. It just got better with every lap!

Massive thanks for all the runners I had a chitchat with and shared a song joke or story with, however mish mash it all was, it was great fun all night and day - and apologies for the audible fart and swearing- it was quite challenging keeping this under the radar at times.

Everyone who stepped up to that course was a winner whatever the goal, distance or outcome. Sorry if I missed you on the day, or if I didn't miss you but wasn't making much sense in the delirium of hot endurance. Here’s some awesome photos:

Rob heads up to the Corral.

It is said, when you blow this horn, Beer & Pizza arrives

The drone, sounds like a swarm of bees.

In all the excitement I forgot to get a t shirt.

Got some awesome car stickers though and part of a Goat’s skull.

When I’m in the zone I often adopt a different persona and mindset- I’m not the same often reserved introvert as when you see me under normal conditions; I guess the animated extroversion gets magnified , as you’d expect from anyone giving the performance of their life up on stage.

There are moments of surrender, where I’m in total alignment with higher self, emitting my frequency with a genuine smile & peace into the world and that is where the practice creates the art.....

Endurance running is all about finding your inner peace, well, sort of....

I think Alun’s singing Tom Jones here- I’ve zoned out to Oasis classics

I missed the presentation- seems to be a trend of mine (happened after the Hounslow Double when, after accidentally busting in on the elite presentation, did I mention bull in china shop already? I went and nodded off in the car!) That was the inaugural year when Tony took out the first place in the Double by a long, long way.

After it was all over, I puked up then momentarily imploded and had a lie down.

Deep relaxation is really good for you.

The medics gave me ice packs and aimed a big fan on me (was really nice to have a fan at one of my races, actually, i could get used to that) They took good care of me, so thank you for the care and the cups of tea and water I recall there were two of you and you were lovely. I had a power snooze for a couple of minutes, which I think actually lasted a couple of hours, and I cooled down, which brought me back to life.

Before this, I fondly recall running up to the corral giving the goats a wave the final time and being greeted by everyone going wild.

Hello gorgeous.

I blurted out a speech, that I know would've made total sense to everyone if it actually left my lips the way it was written by my heart- the former not sure, the latter no doubts. Basically gratitude, peace & love, keep going, never give up and things will get better- as in running so in life. ❤️

In spite of it being the hottest day of the year so far and genuinely a tough course we had a lot of laughs and fun moments in the middle of it all. Some of it is a Blur but most of it was Oasis and also notable tunes also from the Stone Roses, Muse, Radiohead, Prodigy, Rolling Stones, The Verve, Doves, Manics, REM and many many more

Music is medicine & I’m so grateful to my musical brothers & sisters.

There were several different events happening at the same time during the heat and middle of the day and it became a little confusing at times with all the different energies going off around the hub, but once back into the peace & calm of focussing on the running every hour, everything made sense and came together. The music fired me up like a second wind every lap, I thought I was dreaming at one point, like I could not have scripted the day better if I’d have sat there and made up my own story about a perfect day out running around with Britpop classics in the background, because that’s exactly what it was like!

Again, never underestimate the power of manifestation, positive thinking and the art of raising your vibration so that you attract good, positive people & experiences into your life.

I can’t wait to go to Queensland now and join in for an all weekend running party at the Clint Eastwood. I can see myself dancing and singing my way round that course al day and night and day and.....well, if they’ll let me in!

Correct, you also swear and sing a fair bit as well.

I’ve said it before I’ll keep saying it and you heard it from me first: There is nothing conceptually better in running than a Last One Standing Endurance Race. It’s the Rock n Roll of endurance running. It’s raw, simple, pure & true and it happens in the now. It provides a stage for you to give the greatest performance of your life- every present moment- every hour, on the hour & all the minutes in between. It really gives you the opportunity to be loud & proud and really turn up, (not just to be fully in the present moment) your training and turn up your performance to the next level.

Turn up, turn it up & BE LOUD!

As in running so in life; God calls upon you to bring all that you are to the starting corral and step up into the very highest version of yourself. All your experiences, the culmination of physical mental & spiritual training, as you step into space, out past the music (of Britpop!) into the blinding lights, then the darkness & then the many winding turns that lead us to who knows where, because there is no finish, is no end….. the end is just the beginning, of another loop, another lap- another chance to shine.

Competitive mindset bypass. There is no finish, there is no competition, there is no advantage to being the fastest runner, no disadvantage to being the slowest. Anyone who can complete a lap in time to be back ready to go out on another, has an equal chance at being the last one standing to complete that beautiful, identical repetition of what we all love: simply running in nature; one foot in front of the other, moving forward, fully grounded in the present moment; putting the practice of our meditative flow state into effect as best we can.

The reality of endurance trail running is that it is a tough struggle and your achievements are hard earned. Such is anything worth doing. And I’m sure anyone who heard me stumbling, swearing singing & shouting through the dark and the day, will attest that I am not the exactly an oasis of calm- I’m probably more like Oasis the band.

As many of you may already realise or guess from reading this, I don’t take the competitive, type a personality, or egoic side of running at all seriously. I do genuinely regard running as part of a spiritual practice. It can at times be done purely as a spiritual practice, like meditation or Yoga or making music. Running can bring us together, individually and collectively.

Not every time that run do I run spiritually, just as not every time I sit down do I meditate or every time I pick up my guitar do I make medicine music; sometimes I just make a noise or just sit or just go and run and zone out to music, However, there is a great light to be found when you just get out into nature and breathe and move gracefully, gratefully and in complete alignment with the flow of the universe and everything in it.

The Bluegoat track, like a spiritual path, is rocky, uneven, twisting & turning, it requires total concentration & surrender to the process; still you may trip, slip, maybe fall; there will be blood, sweat & tears….you need to climb & descend, there are milestones, you meet others at different stages in their journeys and there is no finish in sight; there are surprises, tests and you find yourself back at the beginning with each cycle….

There are tears and laughter and moments you don’t even comprehend at the time. It can be dark and ugly and chew you up and spit you out many times, all day long in fact....until you surrender to the process and let go.....Then you may see, there are obstacles and trials, but they are not in your way; the only thing standing in your way is you – and that’s really more of an illusion you created than a real living person, so you just get your unreal self out of the way and let your best self shine- & shine it does….

You can tell this is lap 1 - my legs are the still the same colour as my shirt.

All you need to succeed, at whatever you turn your mind to, is a single-minded determinism- pure focus & intention of putting one foot in front of the other and deciding not to stop until you have succeeded. May you spirit drive your machine wherever you may roam, knowing within you , is where you are home,.

So now we know the power of manifestation and endurance and the value of community & service to others, the plan must be created to use apply energy skills to seed & grow something of genuine, lasting value in this world. So that’s what’s gonna happen….it’s out there in the Universe, God is my witness, momentum is building, so watch this space….like, not literally here this is just a web page.

Whilst I train & participate in events during all conditions, phases & biorhythms, I do love a full moon. Clear full moon nights are magical & highly energetic; Blue Moon rising at the Blue Goat was perfectly poetic!

I'm not knocking a new moon, by polar contrast, or any other phase, but the energy was just right and I guess I was feeling lucky.

Let’s talk about feeling ‘lucky’ as I’ve already stated my predictions and what I positively manifested with my energies & intentions form the moment I made the instant decision to be at this race.

I basically created my own luck through being completely honest with myself whether this was something I could achieve.

Did I have what it takes to run at an LOS event? Of course, I did, no doubts at all. Why? Not arrogance or confidence, but the format itself. You can’t really lose in an LOS unless you are the last one standing! So going to win is going lose, and losing is glorious in all its forms. There is no shame in the DNF (Did Not Finish) at all if you’ve given your all. The DNF in other events is nothing to strive for or celebrate, but the DNF in the LOSER is a test to see how far you can go….what could be more pure? And the only one who doesn’t get to fully reach their potential on the day; reach the peak of what they can do on that day, during their race time, is the Last One Standing.

I created my own luck by setting my intention and my energy to creating & following a training program that would enable me to achieve my goals. I visualised being the last one standing for months and I trained like it was in the bag already, because that was what I felt deeply.

I knew it was my time & I had the God given ability to create my story & walk right into it. I said many times during the event that it was just perfect and that I couldn’t have scripted it better myself. I stepped into a higher version of myself that I’d created through some very tough training & some heartfelt actions; in another sense it felt like I was on stage performing.

Apart from key milestones that marked out the path of consistent focus and intuitive training, as I regained fitness from hiatus, there were some very specific and tough challenges that I set myself in order to prepare for a race of this nature. A race that just goes & goes & goes interminably requires you to leave no stone unturned regards you physical body, your mental ability your nutrition plan & your spirit. Someone once said runners don’t’ run with their legs they run with their arms. I believe runners. once the body is trained sufficiently, run with their minds- and the mind is fuelled by limitless energy & power of the spirit.

So you go through every motion of training and preparing your physical body and you feed you mind and your spirit with positive thoughts and genuine love for self & for others. If you don’t see this kind of thing in training programs, then you soon will do just as soon as I can get my shit together…..

I’d watched the Clint Eastwood & I’d watched the Big Dog & I fell in love with the concept of the LOS. I fell in love with all the people in the front row. The runners slogging it out in the Clint Eastwood LOS & the Australian team at Bigs Backyard Ultra satellite event. I decided in a moment that I wanted to be part of it, so I made it happen; the moment I’d made my mind up, everything started falling into place and I was sent signs and opportunities that I had to take without a moments thought. I knew that everything surrounding this journey had to be centered on other, something outside of, larger than self.

An ex Army bloke from the UK RunGrahamRun was doing a mental health charity treadmill World Record helping blokes with mental health and suicide prevention. The run was to complete 21 marathons in 7 days – on a treadmill! . He invited teams to rival of beat him in the challenge. So I supported this and set out to do just 7 marathons in 7 days.

This set me up very nicely for the next opportunity in my path, which was to support Mark Avery doing a 20 marathons in 20 days challenge for Gotch4Life and Run4MentalFitness- an Australian blokes charity helping with suicide prevention and setting up places for blokes to engage in ways that deal with the root of bloke issues. Safe places to share stories, feelings and concerns without judgement.

Instead of just marathons, I actually did ultramarathons and also added in a lot of cycling. I know how to listen to my body and push it through adaptations with fasting, nutrition & specifically focussed rotations across all terrains and relevant speeds and intensities. You are really just calibrating a complex God driven physical body through a series of experiences in order to achieve a specific goal.

The goal in this instance was conceptually perfect in that it was technically interminable, ie. kind of eternal. You simply had to train to go as far as you could go; so you had to see how close to the edge you could get to that point in the training, without breaking yourself.

I genuinely pushed my limits and discovered more about running and endurance than all the hours my studying had taught me, and infinitely more than debating with ultra coaches online could ever have revealed. I trained and pushed harder and longer than ever before and also balanced that with more rest & recovery and fine tuning than ever before. I applied every technique I knew and discovered exactly what nutrition worked best in all situations.

After all the training and the experience of others doubts, I thought it would be quite amusing to win one of the toughest ultra endurance challenges in Australia while singing and dancing & wearing a lairy pink shirt and cargo shorts I got from Big W, fuelled up with honey water, bananas and hemp and walnut oil . I had a plan, a 50 hour plan. It consisted of 30 litres of honey water (1kg raw honey per 10l) 25 ripe bananas, 250ml x Hemp seed oil 250ml x Walnut oil, a few vitamin e capsules and a few coq10 capsules.

So let that be a cheeky lesson to all you very serious runners in your expensive compression gear, with your gadgets & gimmicks and fancy nutritional products & lord knows what else you use, slogging away to the beat of your watch, as I did before a great meltdown of over training and loss of genuine joy- in running and in life. In many ways the way I run today is a result of hard lessons and failures, or going too far too son, and burning out. I’ve been obsessed with a quicker this a quicker that, gotta beat the last time every time.....lets set an unrealistic goal....it slowly takes all the joy out of your passion like all addictions inevitably do.

Let this light shine on those who talk the talk so readily in their little cliques and so called training groups, especially those who have personally attacked me and tried to shut me down or censor the story of my training and my experiences for reasons best known to their egos and projected issues. I forgive ya.

May the light of my achievements and those of my brothers & sisters- everyone walking the walk- everyone saying I can- illuminate the dark attitudes of the ‘can’t’do this ‘can’t’ do that- and the put downs and rationalising words of so called science, and disbelief in your training, thinking , fuelling, wider wellness strategies..... genuine experiences......May my brothers & sisters who are in doubt, or disliking, hating, fearing, not loving, put down the ego, and find a better way. May my walk inspire others to walk the walk and to never say they can’t do something, or be held back by others as to what they think they can or can’t achieve. And may I long take all my own best advice back to my own heart as well and never forget it.

Everyone, today, just get outside and get moving and enjoy what you are doing and be grateful that you can do what you can do; and you’ll find that you can do a lot more and a lot more and a lot more......

Genuine footage from an online Ultra running research conference.

I know what it’s like to lose things, we all do, but there’s no use banging on about that old story; a great spiritual teacher recently told me that I had to put that down and never pick it up again.... and so it is. So know this - an event that celebrates losing in all its glory is of divine significance when you are running on a spiritual path. You ether win or your learn ; and in a race/journey with no winners, everybody learns, which is a glorious & pure win win paradox.

It takes the biggest fear in endurance running - the dreaded DNF (Did Not Finish) and turns it into a glorious badge of honour. A badge that says you gave your all. You went as far as YOU could go on that day, in that place. There is nothing to fear in the LOS regarding a DNF. You really cannot lose.....

......unless you win!? Ooops, well, oh well, I think I can handle it.

I wasn’t quite ready for my glorious DNF just yet, so I became the biggest LOSER. And I’ll just have to wait and see where my glorious limits truly lie.....

I caught quite a tan out there.

So, after an extended power snooze I revived myself and had some pizza and some Goat’s pish, and enjoyed the hospitality and company of Tony,Alun & Susannah, thereafter kipping on the sofa for the night, where upon I made a swift exit the next morning, before the England v Wales Rugby came on....I think I might’ve predicted the score and dIdn’t want to hang about for it.

Truth is, I had to get back to talk to my son Jack (also race strategy/challenge consultant) on the phone and then on Zoom and told him the news.. He was pleased I won, and notwithstanding the pep talks about the true nature of taking part, he rightly likes it when I win. I think it has a positive effect when your son knows that you’ve gone and done something a bit special, even if it might not make full sense to him now, it may well help him in the future, so that's a win win. I actually asked him during one of the training cycles (20 maras in 20 days) whether I should beat everyone on the leaderboard or let the organiser take the top spot. He said nah, beat him, I don’t think he’ll mind if you win. So that’s what I did.... thanks for the tip matey!

So here endeth the tale of a fantastic weekend and experience, can’t wait for next year, see if we can get double the numbers starting and smash some course records. Hoping to see more of my running buddies on that starting corral with me having a dance and a song and then heading out onto the endless, beautiful loops of our own personal limits...... anything can and always does happen in a race- sorry journey- of this kind.

You may be next years LOS, with me to help you to go as far as I possibly can, leaving YOU to do just one last loop and be the biggest LOSER on the day? You know it makes sense. Big love from Steve. :)

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razberryyum · 5 years

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The Untamed/陈情令 Rewatch, Episode 14, Part 2 of 2

(spoilers for everything MDZS/Untamed)

[covers MDZS chapters 55 and 56]

WangXian meter: 🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰+🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰+🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰+🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰+🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰+🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰+🐰🐰+🐰🐰+🐰🐰

Every glimpse we’re provided of the Jiang family life is really equal parts discomfort and electricity because of Madame Yu. Even though each scene usually involves both familial and marital strife, which is usually very uncomfortable for me to watch, I find myself completely incapable of turning away because of her, even as I’m wincing for Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian’s sake. Madame Yu is just so AWESOME. The way she sweeps into every scene she’s in, eyes flashing, taking charge and commanding the room is really breathtaking. As I’ve mentioned before, while I would never want her to be my mother nor do I support her method of mothering, I still completely respect and love her. Every line of dialogue from her is spoken with such conviction and impact and ferocity that I can’t help but grinning in admiration, even when her words are meant to hurt and belittle the boys I love.

I mean, that alone is pretty brutal to say in front of her son and ward. While I’m sure Jiang Cheng and Wei Ying spent most of their lives hearing divisive statements like that from her, it’s really a testament to their basic good natures that they still ended up being so close. I’m sure Jiang Fengmian being present to counter his wife’s harshness helped a lot, but if JC or Shijie were even the least bit petty, arrogant or unkind, they could’ve been easily swayed by Madame Yu’s influence and held her words against Wei Ying. The fact that they didn’t at all and still loved this orphaned boy like their own flesh and blood brother really makes me love the siblings that much more. I’ve always thought it’s quite sad that Madame Yu couldn’t find it in her heart to love Wei Ying as well, especially since he really is so lovable and adorable, but jealousy is an ugly and powerful monster that is hard to defeat, so it’s really a shame that she let it overcome her to the point that even her relationship with her husband and children was negatively affected. Not to mention, I can only imagine how unhappy Madame Yu herself felt, believing as she did that she will always be inferior to the memory of a woman who has already passed and also questioning her husband’s fidelity and loyalty even so many years later. It’s obvious that her quick temper and biting words are the manifestations of her unhappiness. For such a capable and strong woman who could have easily been a sect leader in her own right, I really wish she could have been had a more joyful life.

It should be noted that for her all her magnetic screen presence and impressive performance, actress Zhang Jing Tong, who portrays Madame Yu, is only 30 years old with just a few credits to her name. It’s amazing when I think about the fact that even though she’s only two years older than Xiao Zhan and Xuan Lu and seven years Wang Zhuo Cheng’s senior, she pulled off the Jiang matriarch role with total aplomb. Watching her I never for one second doubted she was their mother, head of the Yunmeng Jiang sect and household because of the authoritative air she possesses. Prior to looking up her professional history, I actually thought she was an industry veteran and I somehow just never saw any of her shows even though I’ve watched my fair share of Chinese dramas. The fact that she hasn’t been in that many shows just makes me appreciate her work in CQL even more. The degree of success in which she's brought Madame Yu to life is truly amazing: it’s as if the character literally just walked off of the pages of the book. I hope she gets a lot more high profile professional opportunities from now on as a result of her wonderful performance in The Untamed.

Yunmeng Bros Love

It’s so difficult not to cry or at least get teary-eyed watching this scene now; I sure as heck couldn’t get through it without a few tears this time. The love these brothers have for each other, what they sacrificed for each other, just makes my heart hurt so much. What’s most heart-aching is that this really is the last time they can still laugh and embrace like this without any reservations, without any sadness or true regrets, because their family, despite its imperfections, is still whole. So this moment, this promise, in addition to serving as a testament to their bond, also feels like a marker of the end of their childhood and their innocence since soon after this is when all their dark days start arriving.

Clive Barker Would be Proud

Going back to the Xuanwu of Slaughter’s cave, even though I still don’t understand enough about the anatomy of the creature to be able to figure out how it can have so much room in its own shell to allow for storage space since the last I checked, that’s not how a tortoise’ body fits inside their shell, and if it’s actually a snake then why couldn’t I just come out of its shell to go after the boys earlier, I still appreciated the set design within its disgusting abode. Team CQL really did execute the gore and squelch elements quite well. That interior was pretty effectively creepy and gross.

Prelude to the Yiling Patriarch

Not gonna lie, that smirk does funny things to my tummy. It’s so deliciously sexy and evil. Makes me wish they had gone full darkside with Wei Ying when he became the Yiling Patriarch, or at least retained most of the moral ambiguity he had in the novel. We get his Yiling Patriarch smile a few more times after this, thank goodness, but since this is the first glimpse we get of it, I will always have a soft spot for this moment.

I would love to see Xiao Zhan take on a truly villainous role one of these days since I think he would really excel at it and can totally succeed at making the audience both love, hate and fear him in such a role, but considering his elevation to leading man status now, I doubt that will ever happen anymore. Such a shame. He would’ve been scarily effective and alluring.

Jin Zixuan Appreciation Time

I’m going to take a moment here to show some appreciate to our dear bro-in-law. At the outset, I had thought he was a dick unworthy of our dear Shiji because of the way he treated her in the beginning and his rudeness towards Wei Ying. I have since warmed up to him considerably, and now I think some words of praise is due. For being the son of a perverted piece of shit and growing in the lap of luxury, Jin Zixuan honestly turned out to be much better than his genetics and upbringing should have produced. Actually, I should give Madame Jin some credit, since she seemed to have a somewhat good head on her shoulders considering her favoring of Shijie. Most likely the reason why JZX turned out to be a decent enough man was because his mom did most of the parenting work. Despite his initial treatment of Shijie, I was impressed by how protective he was towards Mian Mian when she was being targeted by Wen Chao. Being a product of a total lecher of a father, it’s actually amazing that he never predatorized Mian Mian himself. Hell, I wouldn’t even be surprised if he had to protect her from his own father (yeah I really don’t think highly of Jin Guangshan at all). But no, he’s absolutely upstanding and I did also appreciate the fact that he went back with Jiang Cheng to rescue Wei Ying and Lan Zhan when he could have easily just not do so having already escaped. He was risking the Wen’s wrath in doing that so I know it did take guts and a strong sense of chivalry. I guess that’s why Shijie fell in love with him early on: she obviously saw something in him right from the start that took me this long to see.

Other Odds and Ends

I remember being flabbergasted when I first saw this image on Wei Ying’s headboard because I simply could not believe what my eyes were seeing. Naturally I wanted to know everything about that illustration: did Wei Ying draw it himself? Who was he thinking of when he drew it? I know it can’t be Lan Zhan since the drawing obviously predates their relationship, so who could it be? Jiang Cheng? That thought actually did cross my mind very briefly way back but since I prefer their brotherhood above any shipping possibilities, I dismissed that thought almost as soon as it arose. I know now that drawing is probably nothing more than an Easter Egg by Team CQL, but I still appreciated it since I thought this was even more blatant than the gay porn they snuck in back at Cloud Recesses’ library pavilion scene. That drawing wasn’t as clearly shown as this one and seemed more ambiguous. Really, bravo to their boldness, and bless the censors for overlooking this little bit of fun as well.

This poor kid. I should’ve known his life would soon come to a premature end as soon as they focused on him and gave him a sweet learning moment.

Just FYI for anyone who cares: looks like this while thinking of Lan Zhan is the reason this scene gets two 🐰.

Questions I Still Have

- Why did Lan Zhan let Wei Ying keep that disgusting, bloody sword even though he had to have clearly seen the demonic black smoke coming from it and surrounding Wei Ying while they were fighting the Xuanwu of Slaughter. Even if Lan Zhan missed the smoke, why wouldn’t he have at least sensed the all the evil and resenting energy emanating from the sword? Considering its origins, you’d think its ominous aura would be so overwhelming that even someone with a low level of cultivation would sense it, much less someone as cultivated as Lan Zhan. Not to mention, just in terms of sanitary issues, why would someone like him, who prefers cleanliness and has some knowledge of infection prevention, even let Wei Ying continue to hold on to that filthy thing anyway? I know story-wise, the sword is important and needed for later on, but I’d honestly rather they kept with the novel in this instance and had it just fall back to the bottom of the water in the cave. It could still magically reappear at the Burial Mounds later on because it already recognized Wei Wuxian as its owner or something like that.

- Actually, what I also don’t understand is why Wen Ruohan never sensed this most powerful piece of the yin metal when it was so close to his stomping grounds? Why did that the first piece of metal he obtained call out to the pieces that were farther away instead of this one which was much closer? Unless, the reason is because the yin metal sword was activated because the other pieces finally reunited?

Huh.

I actually never considered that possibility until now, but if that’s the explanation, I can accept it. I guess this question might have been answered.

Overall Episode Rating: 9 Lil Apples out of 10

Disclaimer: The Untamed would not be possible without Mo Dao Zu Shi and Mo Xiang Tong Xiu-laoshi. I mean no disrespect whatsover when at times I may favor the shwo over the MDZS bible that is the novel. All hail MDZS and MXTX-laoshi, always and forever!

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agl03 · 5 years

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Season 6 Final Predictions

Well here we are! It’s been an awesome summer and an awesome season and we’re just a few hours from the end! As I’ve done with past seasons I will do my Final Predictions.

This now has to come with a disclaimer due to the great backlash of Season 4 when Fitzsimmons didn’t get engaged and a few Anon’s felt this was my fault. These are my predictions, I will hit, I will miss, but please do not scream at me if a theory you are really attached too doesn’t hit. I am not a writer for the show, I have no control over what they do. I’ve had a really rough week so don’t take frustrations out on me.

For the last time this season:

Something BAD happens to Elena. The result is severe injury, possession, maybe even a death and save thanks to Monolith Magic.

This could be one of the last times we see her with her Robotic Arms, be it the monoliths or Fitzsimmons Family over hiatus that get her new ones

Her injury will not only take her out of commission but likely is the reason we only see Mack and Daisy with Alt Jemma. In the May and maybe Deke stay with her.

The Flint we saw at the end of 11 isn’t real. He’s a manifestation just like Benson’s husband was. He’ll be the one that puts the Monoliths back together and something tells me Izel isn’t going to let him hang around. had this one on the list before the peek too!

Letting Pachicuti out is a BAD idea and will have some dire consequences. IE he stops Izel but then goes on all sorts of a rampage himself and it could have ramifications into next season.

In the end it will be the team, likely Daisy or May, connecting to some part of Coulson that will allow them to stop him.

Some of the team get possessed by some of Izel’s people.

There is a tie in to Maveth

The sword fight is gonna be freaking awesome and maybe happens after Mack and Daisy have been ‘taken’

Another Ghost Rider reference to help set up Season 7.

The Jemma and possibly Pilot Deke seen in the promo/promo pics are from the future/alternate dimension. Mack and Daisy see them due to getting pulled into a portal or one of the Monoliths. Jemma will offer a dire warning and do some set up for Season 7.

The “Other Shoe” with the Chromicons is going to drop as Malachi and Baal Gad proceed with creating Chronica 3. They turn out to be the biggest bads of the season.

Izel is a decoy to hide how much danger the Chronicoms pose.

The Chronicoms intent to make Earth Chronica 3

The Chronicoms will go after the Monoliths and possibly Fitzsimmons

Another target is Koenig, WE ARE OUT OF TIME PATTON AND YOU SAID YOU WERE IN SEASON 6!

Somehow we’ll see a return of Leopold and ID Jemma.

Enoch is leading some sort of resistance or revolution against the Chronicom Hunters.

It’s revealed that Season 5 isn’t the first time Enoch used the monoliths to save the earth from an extinction level event and he also helped get rid of Hive.

I just feel like another shoe needs to drop with Enoch as well.

We see Space Vegas one last time

They ‘singling’ out FItzsimmons and their intelligence all season gets paid off, big time.

Fitzsimmons go all home alone on Malachi and are able to stop or delay him. That will in turn cause them to call Enoch who does a ton of set up for Season 7 time travel craziness.

Deke has a huge hero moment

Snowflake gets a hero moment or we at least find out what the heck she’s been up too outside of binging Netflix.

The FItzsimmons family save each other at some point

We see Deke’s place again

Deke is the reason Fitzsimmons don’t go to the temple of doom as he tries to keep them out of the field/danger and goes himself instead.

We finally see Koenig and Papa Kasius possibly another surprise Cameo.

The team possibly loses the Lighthouse or control of it setting up the need for a new base in Season 7.

Eventually the team will beat Pachicuti but the result won’t be getting our Coulson back, rather we’ll have a mix of Sarge and Coulson moving forward.

It ends on the biggest cliffhanger in the Shows History possibly with all or part of the team missing/scattered and teasing Timey Whimey fun times of Season 7. I can very much see an end similar to Self Control where we get glimpses of everyone in a “New Life”

The Fitzsimmons baby bomb isn’t dropped in a way we expect but there is a hint or Something taking us another step closer to it.

New Life in the form of a baby bomb…though Fitzsimmons still might not even know, it could be a gasp kind of cliffhanger where advance Chronicom tech has picked it up, so only we the audience know and Fitzsimmons are in some range of mortal peril or their wherabouts unknown.

See crackpot Fitzsimmons kid shows up with Alt Jemma.

One or both of Fitzsimmons will be separated from the team. However if Fitzsimmons separate from each other it will be on their terms and for “one last time”.

I can’t and won’t rule out Fitz getting grabbed before the credits roll.

My ask box will die after.

We still have a few hours to go so I might add to this list.

#aos spoilers #finale predictions #lets see how I do this year

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theonyxpath · 5 years

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Hi all! Meghan here, with our first preview from the upcoming Night Horrors: Nameless and Accursed for Mage: The Awakening. Please enjoy House Vedmak, one of the Houses of the Tremere Order of Reaper liches, from the inestimable Malcolm Sheppard.

House Vedmak

The Keepers of Vedet were a Slavic Legacy devoted to helping the virtuous dead rest, and protecting Sleepers from angry ghosts, spirits, and similar malefic beings. Wandering Vedma (women) and Vedmak (men and non-binary practitioners) made themselves quietly known to the communities throughout Eastern Europe and Central Asia. This earned them cautious respect, as common people supposed these “witchkeepers” drew power from the devil, but somehow managed to twist it to the service of good. Founded in the 8th century, the Keepers survived the Mongols and went on to train hundreds of members, reaching such popularity that by the 16th century, Legacy Masters considered asserting themselves as an independent Order.

These plans went awry when rumors arose that witchkeepers had fallen to Satan, killing and unleashing evil spirits upon Sleepers across the Keepers’ territory. Its reputation tarnished, the Legacy hunted for the source of the trouble, locating it in the Eastern Carpathian Mountains. Divination suggested a place of great, ancient evil, located in a tower fallen from the Time Before — one ruled by the Tremere. The Order had lured the witchkeepers to Chur, fortress of the Seventh Dragon, where it possessed an unmatched advantage. They would have wished to destroy the Legacy in any case, but the witchkeepers’ rising power and proximity inspired the Tremere to not only unify against them, but risk Chur in the attempt. The Tremere prevailed, though it was a hard-fought battle. Today, the Keepers of Vedet are gone, replaced with House Vedmak.

Due to its history, Vedmak is the largest Tremere House. Tremere use Vedmak lore to perform feats of reverse possession, chaining ghosts or spirits to the souls they command. Vedmak also use souls as arms and armor to fight Twilight-bound threats. Some Vedmak even act as witchkeepers of old, protecting communities, but only when local citizens promise the Vedmak their souls as payment.

Origins and Doctrine

Background: Vedmak are defined more by community than personal inclination. Many Vedmak grew up in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, close to rural communities. Neopagans, folklorists, and anthropologists among the Tremere are also drawn to the House.

Appearance: Members of House Vedmak usually dress to travel, in rugged and practical clothing, with a satchel or backpack always at hand. This is part of the House’s nomadic tradition. On the other hand, some modern members prefer casual suits, tablets, satellite phones, and first-class flights. Vedmak often worm Slavic pagan symbols into their clothing and jewelry.

Prerequisites: Space 2, Wits 3, Occult or Survival 2

Initiation: A successful initiate banishes a ghost or spirit from a place. He can use brute force or cleverness, but the task must be challenging, and he must destroy the being, enslave it, or decisively drive it away.

Organization: House Vedmak is led by the Svetovid, a quartet of princeps who identify themselves with the deities Svarog, Perun, Lada, and Mokosh. The Svetovid rarely grant personal audiences, preferring to communicate through bound ghosts and spirits. The branches of Perun and Lada use Spirit as a secondary Arcanum, while those under Svarog and Mokosh utilize Death. A Vedmak must choose whether to learn the Spirit- or Death-based optional effects for his Attainments; this remains the same for each Attainment.

Theory: Magic filters through the desires of capricious gods and the unquiet dead, but one may use trickery, bargaining, and force to steal their powers and make them serve one’s own desires. To understand this cosmos of hidden motives, one must cultivate exceptional sensitivity, to see the conspiracies of gods in the placement of a single stone or the fetters that keep a ghost bound to the world.

Magic

Yantras: Eating a meal ritualistically (+1); drawing the traditional symbols of Slavic witchcraft (+1, +2 if in blood); invoking deities in the four cardinal directions (+1); indulging in one’s fixation (see House weakness) for longer than necessary or seeking out an opportunity to do so (+1, +2 if this involves significant effort or leads to injury)

Oblations: Traveling to a wild place on foot; holding a ritual banquet for multiple people; carving a four-headed representation of the Svetovid: four gods in one

Weakness: The House’s emphasis on sensitivity to the natural and supernatural worlds sometimes manifests as a fixation that emulates the folkloric weaknesses of certain supernatural beings. Each witchkeeper chooses one such fixation. Suggestions include counting plant grains (rice, barley, etc.), being transfixed by the appearance of running water, shedding the blood of animals, staring at one’s reflection in a mirror, and concealing or destroying symbols of religions and magical practices other than one’s own.

The fixation confers the Addicted Condition (Mage, p. 314). If resolved, the character acquires a new fixation, which confers a new Addicted Condition. If he goes a scene without indulging the fixation when the opportunity arises, he suffers the Deprived Condition also.

Attainments

All House Vedmak Attainments require the use of a soul. This soul can either be attached to the character, or held in a soul jar or hollowstone.

Apprentice Attainment: Eyes of the Invisible

Prerequisites: Initiation The Vedmak sends a soul to quietly inhabit a subject, and experiences what the subject does. This emulates a sympathetic Space spell for which Potency is the primary factor, which requires a sympathetic connection and Yantra as usual. It lasts up to one scene, adds 1 to Potency, costs a point of Mana, and requires a scene of ritual preparation. It affects supernatural beings, including those in Twilight, if the character can perceive them. He experiences all the target’s physical senses, but not their thoughts. As a side effect, he suffers any wound penalties and sensation-dependent Conditions or Tilts the subject experiences.

Optional: Death 2 or Spirit 2 If the subject is a ghost (Death) or a spirit (Spirit), the witchkeeper can also perform an elementary act of possession while experiencing its senses, willing it to perform tasks. This emulates the Spirit 2 spell “Command Spirit” (Mage, p. 181), but the character shares the spirit’s senses for the duration, and may suffer sensation-based ill effects. If the creature has supernatural senses, the Storyteller decides which ones translate into sensations the Tremere can comprehend and which are unavailable, although mages are intimately familiar with unusual senses and the Vedmak already possesses the appropriate Arcanum by necessity, so the Storyteller is encouraged to be generous.

Disciple Attainment: Distant Presence

Prerequisites: Space 3 The Vedmak possesses a soul and sends it forth as an extension of himself. This emulates a Space 3 spell with Duration as its primary factor; this phantom body appears anywhere within the mage’s sensory range. It requires a scene of ritual preparation, using its fixed Reach for advanced Duration. The manifestation is solid, and has a combination of the witchkeeper’s physical features and those of the soul’s original owner. The character is fully present in both the manifestation and his real body, and must choose which one to act with at any given time (or on each turn, in action scenes). Injuries and other afflictions, such as Conditions, affecting one body affect the other also; he maintains one collective total for Health, Willpower, Mana, and other traits, at their usual ratings. The Vedmak may eliminate the Distant Presence as an instant action, leaving the harnessed soul floating free wherever he sent it.

Optional: Death 3 or Spirit 3 The Death 3 variant lets the witchkeeper manifest the phantom body in Twilight and gain access to places only ghosts may visit. With the Spirit variant, the manifestation may enter the Shadow as if crossing through an Iris.

Adept Attainment: Bind Within

Prerequisites: Space 5 The Vedmak can physically imprison subjects within a soul under his command. This emulates the Space 5 spell “Pocket Dimension” (Mage, p. 178) with +2 Potency and advanced Duration, requiring a scene of ritual preparation to acclimate the soul to its new purpose. The willworker must use other Space magic to transport a subject into the Pocket Dimension, which has Connected sympathy to the soul to which it is linked. Vedmak do not place themselves within their own attached souls, since this produces a paradox: a Tremere inside a soul, inside a Tremere, inside a soul…. The Storyteller is free to invent a strange consequence for characters who do it anyway.

Optional: Death 2 or Spirit 2 With one of the optional Arcana, the Attainment gains the appropriate type of Twilight, as the spell’s usual effect with these conjunctional Arcana.

#Onyx Path Publishing

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incarnateirony · 6 years

Text

The Problem with DreamHunter...

Is that there is no problem with DreamHunter.

You're probably like "wait, what?" So let me clarify: This is absolutely not a Dreamhunter!Critical post. In fact, I have a lot of accolades for DreamHunter. I'll address a few complaints I've read from a surly, never-happy swath of stan twitter, but this post isn't actually about that - it's about a pervasive cultural issue involving coded phobia and how Bobo Fucking Berens showed his level of quantum literary and social brainfunction to do everything from canonize an LGBT ship to run a far deeper and more exposing social experiment on the fandom at large.

We've all seen the gif sets. I can't find the video in my vat of poorly maintained blog, but I'm sure someone else could, wherein Bobo on Twitch was talking about being ecstatic over us seeing what he wanted us to see. To the fandom that keeps their ears open, none of DreamHunter's premise is new to us. The only new thing was a certain confirmation, "First love strikes quick."

First, to the part that is NOT the point of the post, but I feel needs addressed before people start yelling at me:

Now, this has opened up a floodgate of hard-end-stan-twitter complaining like "Oh so they didn't just kill a WOC but a queer WOC and then after-texted it?" Well, no, fam. They were setting up a queer romance of the century with her dream half and potential return to the self while facing the darkest parts of challenging the self and deleting our weaknesses, and maybe even going so far as to make a statement of self imposed biases. Wayward just wasn't picked up so they've had to funnel and condense the concept in other ways. Dark Kaia wanting to target Claire after seeing what she meant to Kaia isn't an arbitrary and random sentiment. But arguing literary romantic value with stan twitter is like arguing algebra with an ill-behaved goose, so that's as far as I'm going to take that explanation beyond "y'all are often our biggest enemies on content."

Now then... to the actual point of the post:

I've mentioned it before, but it really deserves its own rebloggable master post not attached to some overlong thread, and able to be brought into fuller scope. The problem with DreamHunter is almost nonexistent. In fact, the simple fact is: with a line that simple, it was universally accepted as a truth, whether people are screaming about tropes they want to read in the worst light before the romantic element ever got a chance to get its feet under it. Nobody's out there saying it doesn't exist. Nobody's out there downtalking that line.

THAT is the problem with DreamHunter - that there is no problem with DreamHunter. And by that, I don't mean to say we should have a problem with DreamHunter. It's that DreamHunter reveals a hugely systemic coded bias in our culture.

And honestly, I think Berens did that on purpose.

There’s a certain level of coy battle in acceptance going on. First of all, people naturally seem to accept F/F before M/M due to a bunch of cultural reasons. Mostly because F/F has been convenient to publicly fetishize while M/M freaks out dudebros that are really uncertain about themselves, so for a longer time, GA has been exposed to and accepting F/F. And I think of anyone out there, My Big Gay Author King Berens is going to understand that.

WLW still has its own stigmas, I'm not saying it doesn't, but acting like resistance to it is on any cultural coding level parallel to the stigma against MLM is a weird display of intersectional privilege and lack of awareness.

Acting like it’s coincidence that they monkey-stomp packed as many identical lines and scene arrangements into all of one episode as possible, then dropped a bomb like that episode two, is silly. We know exactly what he’s after – hell, he said he was ecstatic we saw what he wanted us to see. So the real question is, why is it that “first love strikes quick” is taken without argument from the GA but a thousand up-nods for the M/M pairing with the same content – and TBH, far far far more that could never be packed into a single episode – has people take lines like “attached at the everything” and immediately have a portion of the audience start laughing, despite the surrounding substance around it?

Destiel fandom read into yet-again heaven and hell believing DeanCas are an item; antis decided it was an insult to “annoy” them. Even the angel in the past threatening to gouge Cas’ genitals over it. Because that’s what I do when I don’t believe it but am a religious zealot. Threaten to cut dicks off to annoy people. But somehow, it’s far easier to negotiate, to these people, that the male queer coded content is a punchline, rather than either a genuine or perceived truth. Antis choose to interpret MLM as a punchline. It’s that simple. No amount of surrounding content or story thematics can convince them otherwise.

The same substance they monkey stomped, condensed, and largely stripped down for time limitations, into DreamHunter?

I’ll give a hint: it’s the same cultural stigma that – which late night show was it, where they started playing well-edited slash videos and the audience started laughing despite it being well timed and edited? It’s that. It’s the same thing that made Ateo unable to play queer roles in the industry as being “not believably gay” despite being a gay man himself, until the Hunter Husbands. It’s a horrific stigma that the audience has been coded to bite and gnash back against M/M content unfairly to the queer male audience and it’s gross, but it’s just there, sort of in the collective mind.

I absolutely don’t think Berens, of all fucking people, is unaware of this. And I see what he did as a really, really fucking coy set of actions beneath already masterful writing.

Berens knows exactly what he’s fucking doing and has basically coded a social experiment into the show that betrays people’s biases against M/M queer pairings while allowing the saturation (largely by fetishization) of F/F pairings to do the heavy lifting for him. Nobody out here yelling that Jody could be wrong about it or that “we didn’t see a kiss so it didn’t happen LOL they’re just in a sismance” – it is what it is. And here we are.

So on a social level I am fucking fascinated to see where he takes this next.

Berens has come out swinging for the queer male community whether anybody wants to accept it or not. Which is, modernly, by our demographics, at least an equal if not the greatest portion of our primary male demographic of viewers for the show. And I'm not just talking about the fandom census. I'm talking about Nielsen's demographics shift on gender since season 10, and general Kinsey-scale-esque testing of the true target demo at large in the US. Our ads count 18-49. CW targets 18-34.

Following the work of Berens within Supernatural will give you a very blatant papertrail. It started in deeply layered subtext; his first episode Carver directed Misha to play Cas as a Jilted Lover; after that, he took Robbie's work on Cain and manifest the Colette parallel coded into our story; he chose to take Dabb's Dean-speech from 12.1 and turn it into our coffee-Mixtape-Win spree that other authors shed from their pen in his wake, just like later in season 10 people continued his Colette grind. Berens has been an internal motion for the legitimization of truly structured and admittedly intentful elements of Destiel in the show. And people can scream that they don't like or see it all they want, but it's right there -- and with DreamHunter, it was What He Wanted Us To See.

It's grossly disingenuous activism to try to accuse SPN's first overtly queer author of queerbait while internally shifting the motions of our author room mechanics towards genuinely structured and intentful romance-skewed storytelling, whether it remains subtextual or not. Especially as that author continues to throw wrench upon wrench upon wrench into the no homo gears in ways the GA is perpetually exposed to and spun into having to think about. An eternal negotiation of poignantly delivered lines that catches even the most resistant ears and at least plants a seed in their mind about something else. A true normalization of it as a potential element to the story.

The same sort of normalization hyper-condensed into DreamHunter, but as per the above discussion, far more readily accepted. I have literally heard, from people who argued the "bromance, I'm not entirely convinced" on Destiel, that DreamHunter had been "obvious" to them and the "first love strikes quick" wasn't even necessary, because everybody knew. Cue me sending simple gifsets and script line side by sides and blowing their brains because suddenly their entire world scope just got bent sideways in -- why do I accept the one while I negotiate away the other?

Well, I covered why, above.

The problem with DreamHunter, I repeat, is that there is no problem with DreamHunter. People accept and see that it exists, without argument, even going so far as to label it "obvious" from a single episode, of a highly condensed version of only a fraction of the moments of another queer-coded duo in the show, but simply with culturally differing gender dynamics.

The concern troll of "bromance" or "why not let men be close" dies here. The idea of a bromance is letting two men have a friendship with the form of openness platonic female friends can have. That's fine, that's great. Dean-Benny would be a great example of this, and even then we once again had the offset of Dean-Cas to show different operations. I might even say Dean-Sam as an idea of that, but I don't think "bromance" is necessarily needed since brothers natively have a different sort of dynamic from growing up together. But once you are going out of your way to dismiss elements that we accept in hetero pairings with a laissez-faire “duh”, or even WLW scenarios as “it’s so obvious”, because it's MLM, we have left the area of "bromance" and "why not just let men be close without making it gay" and into “I am negotiating this away due to some sort of coded unwillingness to accept it, perhaps subconsciously, even if I consciously consider myself an ally.”

And that's the true masterpiece of this social experiment Bobo planted in the Supernatural universe with DreamHunter.

The world is grossly unfair and tilted in remaining cultural stigmas about queer males after ages of repressing them to limited niche capacities and stereotypes so strong that masculine gay men couldn’t even get cast in roles as gay men, where the world reads queer men as a punch line rather than a “duh” or “it’s so obvious” or “it’s just right there”, and DreamHunter is a walking fucking social experiment putzing around in Supernatural universe that gives no choice but to pick a side of the fence once you’re aware of these things.

Whether or not it’s physically consummated does not make it not-romantic. Being queer isn’t just about sex. It’s about feelings. And yes, we want our feelings to lead somewhere, and they deserve to lead somewhere, but is Jody acknowledging Claire’s “first love” now what suddenly makes it romantic, or is it the motions, the stories, and the feelings that preceded those lines, even though they never kissed and all hand-holding could be negotiated away the same way we can negotiate away our canon touches for two very emotionally involved men? “She was just leading her through the gate because she was scared,” “she was just consoling her as she died.” See how easy that is? But we won’t do that. And now, frankly anybody that does looks like a jackass.

So why, oh why, is this treated with ambiguity? This is a canon statement of “this relationship is being in love.” It was young love - it struck quick, in only an episode - but it was love. But name an element DreamHunter has to define that love that Destiel doesn’t? If you bend over backwards and try for the handholding, I can raise you hundreds of moments of intimate style contact. Try again.

Canon just confirmed what we already knew -- that Destiel is romantic. That there is love there. And not the kind of love we dismiss as Bros. Bobo just did that. Because every element of their relationship exists in Destiel, and a hundred times more. But it was first love. Dreamhunter was young love that came quickly, and not a single soul argued. Destiel is the same showcase of love, older, more matured, grown over years with dozens more moments of contact and display -- but in the very least, those moments -- those ones lived through DreamHunter in parallel -- that’s love. Canon literally just painted those sparse, compacted down elements, these behaviors we’ve seen, these moments, as coded romantic and in love. If you take nothing else from that -- take that. The elements that build Destiel are canonically romantic, when within DreamHunter and the question is -- without any physical affirmations or DreamHunter on screen, why is it romantic to them and not to Destiel? Why do we even humor this as a discussion, though we expect it, and what does this say of the coded phobias in fandom that we even have to expect it?

Dean and Cas haven’t kissed or dual-confessed to it in public, but you know... neither did DreamHunter. Unless of course we don’t talk down the timely placement of Need Yous and Love Yous and Big Wins and whatever else like people insist on doing with the MLM arrangement. Nobody’s talking down Jody’s third person “first love,” because we know better, and there’s not a mix of MLM and ship warring in play with DreamHunter. Bromance ends at the same line platonic female friendships end. Everyone accepts that DreamHunter is not platonic. Even without ceasing previous negotiations around poignant DeanCas lines, DreamHunter has established the romantic and loving engagements in retrograde. Canon has literally confirmed -- this relationship is romantic and in love.

And until this post, not a single person has tried to argue it down as Just Young Sis Love. Because we all know. Just like, deep down, everybody knows it about the mothership, some just don’t want to accept it. For whatever reason, subconscious or otherwise. I’ll laugh if the same antis that just tried to blind parallel it to W*ncest as a proof of love, while disconnected from the very origins and confirmations of DreamHunter, suddenly start rambling that doesn’t make DreamHunter canon either once this post gets around.

Berens is a fucking master ISTG.

I mean, I guess you’re free to celebrate any network level blockades going on right now while Bobo does Big Queer Fatal Combat from within, but allow me to celebrate DreamHunter whether or not we get consummation for Destiel, an MLM-scenario ship that has to deal with entirely other stigmas on a network primarily run by a bunch of old dudes. This is there. This will never be taken away. And cheering any blockades being run against MLM content with blatant intent does not make you the gr8 person here, m8.

This post is probably gonna have a low level of spread because it’s also something that forces even Destiel fandom to negotiate with themselves too -- how many lines and moments and whatever-else have we negotiated down, talked around, and chosen to interpret in the most left field way as if arguing ourselves from the position of an anti, only to get crack slapped across the jaw in this? How many have yelled queerbait without really observing what Bobo has been doing from within, how many have to face-or-deny the unfair queerbait shouting? How many hold-outs are we putting up, ourselves, because it isn’t the type or level of confirmation we want; we’re sitting here waiting for a bigger more dramatic reveal than a third person statement like that, or what-have-you, but when it’s not “our ship” that we are eternally defending from antis, and not a ship being targeted due to a mix of ship warring and MLM social issues, this is fine? And why is it okay when it’s not The Mothership and we totes accept it for DreamHunter canonization but we’re still talking circles around DeanCas like we’re our own antis? Why do we let anti-dom spin everyone’s head up in such knots that the majority expect Dabberens to live in stan twitter, abandon narrative properties and quality, and have Sam walk in on something while they profess their love and walk away with pictures as hard sealed photographic evidence when that isn’t expected of literally anybody else?

Can anybody tell me why Bobo Bookends Berens, who penned Cain -- Dean’s kindred spirit and fated path parallel -- calling out -- as confirmed -- that Castiel was his Colette, his wife, the love of his life that knew who he was, and what he was, that loved him unconditionally, forgave him, and only asked for him to stop -- a third person perspective -- has a third person, offscreen confirmation of the same sort, with far less plot weaving, taken universally as canon without the play of shifting goalposts via MLM social stigmas and/or ship warring stan twitter getting up in everybody’s heads?

Cuz it’s the same dude, guys. Same pen. A moment nobody even dismissed or TRIED to heckle out. If we just want to go third person while dropping punchline perception, we have everything from The Angel In The Dirty Trenchcoat Who’s In Love With You to Attached At The Everything. Y’all really think Bobo Berens is out here using his own sexuality as a tool and a punchline to be laughed at though? Bobo, “I protest human trafficing and ICE engagements front line in the body walls while people are being arrested” Berens? That guy?

You’re gonna go out of his way that hard to miss the point just because you have phobic asshats on twitter, and/or asshole haters with “opposite ships” on twitter, or it’s just not the kind YOU wanted to see for Destiel, even if it’s enough for you to take it as canon in DreamHunter, when you already Been Had It for Destiel?

Meh. So many problems with DreamHunter, in there not being any problems with DreamHunter.

All Dabberens. Every Dreamhunter moment was a Dabb or Berens written previous Destiel moment. The meaningful third party line from Jody was Berens. Just like the meaningful third party line in Executioner’s song, also by Berens. Not just a random jab - someone who knew them inside and out. And that - people will take that as canon, again, when there’s no rival ships or MLM phobias in play. Every inch of Dreamhunter (and far, far more) existed in Destiel, by the same authors, porting the same concepts across, piece by piece, and like magic, nobody protested.

And if you’re protesting, or worse if you hilariously ship Dreamhunter but reject Destiel, despite -- I dunno -- Bobo’s own book reviews on issues like queerphobia and intersectional issues -- you may want to introspect on the real reason you’re denying it.

Because that, my friends, is a strictly personal problem.

#supernatural #lgbt #destiel #dreamhunter #bobo berens #mine

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zenosanalytic · 5 years

Video

youtube

Great Beasts of Legend: Centaurs, Sirens and Chimaera: The Greeks and th...

I know I’ve posted this lecture by Dr. Jeremy McInerney before, but I was watching it again(third time; really love this one uwu) and at 41:55 he starts a discussion of a boundaries-based reading of Centaurs(good target for that given the melding/muddying of boundary btw animal and man Centaurs represent[1]), beginning with the Herakles, Deianira, Nessos Myth that I feel he doesn’t quite hit though he makes/brings up other great points and it made me want to write a short little thing about why this myth, specifically, is really open to such a reading:

Ok so the basic outline: Herakles and Deianira are traveling, they come to the river Evinos where Nessos[2], the Centaur, is selling his services as a living ferry(ppl sit on him and he carries them across). Herakles, of course, decides to swim across and pays Nessos to carry Deianira across. While doing so, Nessos attempts to rape her, Deianira calls for help, and Herakles whips out his bow and arrows dipped in Hydra’s blood, and shoots Nessos dead. As he dies but before Herakles reaches them, Nessos tells Deianira to take a vial of his blood(sometimes blood mixed with his semen). The story splits interestingly here, so remember this point for later. Years down the road, Herakles is off in some part of Greece partying in celebration of yet another city he’s plundered, and he sends a train of new slaves taken from said city-plundering back home, along with a messenger with an off-hand request to Deianira that she send his favorite cloak along cuz he plans to keep partying for quite a long while. This is another point of ambiguity in the story and its retellings so remember it, too. She steeps his cloak in water mixed with the vial of Nessos’s blood, sends it along and, while the poison doesnt kill Herakles cuz he’s part god and Hydra’s poisonous blood isn’t powerful enough to do that, it DOES cause him such enormous, unending pain that he builds his own funeral pyre and burns himself alive, apotheosizing into a god in the process.

So, regarding Boundaries:

Nessos, obvsl, is a physical manifestation of the close and ever-present boundary between humans and beasts; btw self-control and indulgence; btw “civilized” behavior and “uncivilized”, as discussed above, and particularly of the threat of rape Greek men present to Greek women.

This story involves a River, a physical boundary

Rivers are ALSO what separate the world of the living from the world of the dead to the Greeks, and this is a story ABOUT TWO DEATHS, both tied directly TO a River(one taking place in it, during the act of crossing it; the other a long-term effect of that event[but also Herakles’s hubris, though most versions, being written for men, don’t emphasize that totally obvs aspect of it]).

Not only that, it’s LITERALLY the story of Herakles’s apotheosis: of how he comes to finally transcend the boundary between God and Mortal which he has straddled his whole life.

Herakles is celebrating the sack of a city, ie, his violation&destruction of the Boundaries defining said city, when he dies. Greek cities are often protected by female divinities(Athena usually), so it’s yet another symbol of rape.

So Split 1: In most versions, the reason Nessos gives for why she should take his blood is that it is a powerful love potion that will ensure Herakles remains faithful to her if his eye ever strays. BUT, also in most versions, this is a lie and he’s secretly trying to poison Herakles, though how would he know Herakles’ arrows are poisoned with Hydra-blood? I remember reading a version where he presents it to her AS POISON, explaining about the Hydra, but I cant find any mention of it online, so maybe my brain’s just making it up(or maybe this was the Hercules TV Show version X|).

Split 2: BUT BUT, while in most version Deianira sends the cloak out of desperation to keep him faithful(and of course there’s a particular slave girl in the train she’s warned about just so all of this can be EXTRA the fault of women, rather than Herakles for being a giant asshole like he always is), in other versions she sends it OUT OF VENGEANCE, TO FUCK HIM UP because Herakles is being a giant asshole, wrecking up Greece, partying as much as he likes, flaunting his rapes and his victims in her face(this is VERY RELEVANT given the nature of other versions of this story), and leaving her to run his household alone while ordering her around like she’s a slave rather than his Wife.

These are mutually exclusive: she cannot be both seeking to punish him, and trying, in anguished desperation, to keep him faithful to her[3].

Herakles in this story, as is ALWAYS THE CASE IN ALL HIS STORIES, is flaunting the boundaries of Proper Behavior, in this case those defining a happy and successful marriage(IE Hera’s Domain; which you’d THINK would be kind of relevant, given the deep narrative connection between Hera and Herakles and her quickness to anger regarding marriage violations, yet it somehow perennially goes unmentioned), and getting punished for it.

Now here’s an ADDED kicker. There’s a version of this story were Herakles initiates the conflict. one day he visits the house of Deianira’s father, Dexamenus, and while a guest, rapes her. Dexamenus can’t fight Herakles, of course, but he demands by the gods and tradition that Herakles marry Deianira to “repair” the injury(WE LIVE IN HELL!), and Herakles agrees. After he leaves to prepare for the wedding, a local Centaur, Eurytion(name meaning “Widely Honored”) visits Dexamenus and proposes to marry Deianira himeself(you know: without the whole BEING HER RAPIST thing), and Dexamenus complies. Herakles arrives a few days later, kills Eurytion, and sees that their marriage is carried out. Presumably in this version, the blood poisoning the cloak would be Eurytion’s.

What I’ve tried to get across here is that, among other things, there are readings of this myth were Herakles is the bad guy and Deianira the agent of divine punishment, if not the actual Protagonist. And those readings suggest certain ideas we would be prone to consider “modern” about the agency of women, consent, personal and social boundaries, morality, Greek ~Heroic Masculinity~, and yes even Centaurs, might not have been so alien and “anachronistic” to the ancient Greek mind as we tend to think.

But anyway, even if you think that particular part of my little argument here is total Bunk, I hope I’ve managed to get across that Deianira and the Cloak is a myth Absolutely LOUSY with the theme of Boundaries, what they mean, what it means to Cross them, and the Consequences for which you Cross, when, how, and plain just choosing to cross them in the first place. It’s a really great example for him to suggest for this particular topic, and it really inspired me quite a lot today, and I just wish there was a lecture online where he developed it further uwu

[1]And not only that, but of course owning horses was a common sign of aristocratic status, and trading horses a common aristocratic activity(this is one way you know Hesiod’s claims of poverty are a put-on; his family breeds and sells horses). I feel like it’s pretty well understood that Centaurs are in someway a commentary and meditation upon the nature of Greek masculinity, on the capacity for violent cruelty and wanton appetite Greeks inculcated men into beside all the talk of civilized society, but I also feel it’s less well understood how open they also are to a similar reading regarding the appetites and barbaric capacities specifically of the upper classes of Greek society.

[2]In some versions Nessos and Herakles actually have a history, and the whole incident is Nessos’s attempt at vengeance. There is another story, where Herakles visits a centaur who is his friend named Pholos, and a gang of nearby Centaurs(I like to think they were Rowdy Teens myself u_u) smell the wine they’re drinking and crash the party to share some. Herakles, being Herakles, of course immediately begins killing them for the perceived insult, which inevitably leads NOT ONLY to Pholos dying(cuz Herakles isn’t careful and shoots him too, or in other vers bcuz he refuses to so much as retrieve his arrows from the bodies due to concerns with “pollution” from the corpses, and Pholos cuts himself on one of the arrows), but ALSO the poisoning, and eventual death, of Chiron, who was one of Pholos’s neighbors and who Herakles accidentally knicked while wildly chasing down and shooting the interlopers. Nessos is one of these Centaur teens, and the only centaur in the whole situation to survive (:T

[3]Which, btw, the whole “faithful” thing doesnt make much sense(even though it pops up regularly in Greek Myth), because her “competitor” in these versions is a slave. These next sentences are going to be gross and awful, but in the society which told these stories male slave-owners already had unrestricted sexual access to their slaves and, beyond that, I’ve never read a single example in Greek or Roman sources of a slave being legitimized and married as a wife(which doesnt mean such examples dont exist; I’m an amateur). So the idea that a slave could threaten Deianira’s position as Herakles’s wife seems very dubious to me(as does the general trope of slave women as threats to wives in Greek stories). Again: this is all super-awful, but it’s something complicating the traditional presentation of the myth, which is rarely addressed because most academics writing for a general audience are super-loath to deal with classical slavery as the awful, body and soul crushing institution which it was.

#Penn Museum #Dr. Jeremy McInerney #cw: rape #cw: slavery #Classical Greece #Centaurs #Boundaries #Myth Analysis #Mythic Themes #Agency #Female Protagonists #analytic posts #Critical Analysis #zA Opinions #Video #Youtube

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VLD7x13 – “Lions’ Pride Part 2”

7x13 – “Lions’ Pride Part 2”

This is an odd episode to end a season on. Most of this episode is just a mindless action sequence. There is no character connectivity to the fight. There is no internal struggle to mirror the outer struggle. The mysteriousness of the enemy only sustains the action so far. It eventually gets to a point where it feels like you’re waiting for the battle to hurry up and finish so that we can finally start getting an explanation for why we should care about what’s happening.

The transformation of the Atlas from ship to mecha seems so blatantly designed to be something Allura was supposed to cause to happen. But the EPs’ adamant, primary desire to have Keith as Black Paladin, and thus Allura as Blue Paladin, deprives the Atlas transformation of the significant emotional impact it could have had. Not that I don’t love Shiro, clearly, but there’s no explanation for why he was able to make it happen.

The episode begins with the object that entered Earth’s atmosphere at the end of last episode continuing its plummet to the surface. Allura screams out, “No!” without any real reason to. Yes, this does end up being a mecha that they have to fight, but that hasn’t been revealed yet. So, why is Allura acting like it has? Conveniently, the mecha lands really close to Voltron, close enough that a shockwave hits them. Black tries to block some of it, but Hunk and Shiro (at least) are shown tumbling through the air, Yellow coming to swallow them. Keith tells Hunk to “get Shiro to the Atlas.”

This mecha has a long polearm weapon with blades on each end and a rapid-fire wrist blaster. The Black Lion fires on the mecha, landing no hits. Allura says, “That energy spectrum completely deflected our attack.” Really? Because it looked like the mecha deflected Black’s blasts by spinning its polearm. Allura’s comment sounds like the mecha used some kind of energy shield. Not a big deal, but still the dialog doesn’t match the animation. The Lions try using their jawblades, but the mecha parries them.

The Paladins’ conversation establishes that they haven’t a clue where this mecha came from. And that’s the way it is for most of this episode. I remember watching this for the first time and feeling super confused the entire time. I’m not actually against the show varying up the story structure like this. It leads into next season’s story, but it is completely disconnected from this season’s story. It’s an interesting writing choice. But doing this does make something stark to me: This season’s main villain wasn’t narratively significant.

Ending the season with this battle emphasizes that this season didn't really have a main villain. Sendak was sort of put into the position of main villain, but the only thing that could have really connected him to his conflict is the past emotional antagonism he had had for Shiro. None of that past antagonism was turned into current antagonism for this season though. Shiro and Sendak fight last episode, but none of their previous contention is brought up during that fight. There is nothing about Sendak's being in this season that needed it to be Sendak. Everything he did could have been done by nearly any other Galra. The show seems to have been relying solely on name and face recognition, relying on viewers seeing Sendak and remembering him from the first season when he was a threat by himself. His brief appearance in season five was ultimately insignificant, as that appearance placed the source of his threat in Haggar because she had chosen to support him (with hopes of manipulation) to become emperor, and that was a moment that was quickly over. This season relied on Sendak having a past on the show in order to pretend he was relevant to the invasion plot, but he ended up functioning like a generic villain. This shows that the creative team had a plot plan for this season: Galra invade Earth. They did not have an inner story planned for the characters this season.

Keith gives the expected rallying speech. The Atlas joins, Coran stating they’re there to support. The mecha blasts Atlas, knocking the ship’s shields out in one hit. A medic has taken Shiro to the medical bay, but Shiro declares, “I need to get back,” and shoves his way past the medic. Keith asks Atlas to hold off the mecha while they form Voltron. The mecha takes to the skies and continues its attack on Atlas.

When Shiro arrives on the bridge, he asks about their weapons, which are charged, and then he orders their shields dropped so that those cannons can fire. Anyone remember how the Castle of Lions would fire its weapons either through or somehow directly from its shields? I thought the Atlas was supposed to have been designed significantly after the Castle’s technology. So, it makes it odd that the shields have to be dropped in order to fire on a target. I do kind of like it this way, it allows for some play with the progression of tension in a scene or sequence, but it does still feel like a discrepancy.

The mecha spins its polearm, and now doing so causes incoming blaster fire to reflect back at the attacker. Before, doing that just caused the blasts to be blocked. Little inconsistencies like this in a story combine to eventually make it impossible to build the story in one’s mind as one watches/reads it. I imagine that this creative team would think that that’s a good thing, but the audience/readers of a story should be able to anticipate certain things. If a character action produces a certain result once, then, unless there’s something introduced to explain a change, that same action should always lead to that result.

Voltron swoops in and blasts and/or knocks the mecha into the ground. The mecha changes the shape of the blades on its weapon and separates the pole into two swords. Voltron responds by Red and Green opening their bayard ports. I do not understand why Lance and Pidge are animated to scream while plugging their bayard into the port. It’s not really that dramatic of a moment to necessitate that scream, though I guess the creative team thought it was. Voltron produces two swords, and they and the mecha have a brief sword-on-sword fight. The mecha quickly though knocks the swords out of Voltron’s hands, jumps and dives down onto Voltron, even more easily knocking Voltron’s shield in two. I can’t quite tell but I the mecha actually pierces Voltron’s hull with its swords?

Shiro orders the MFEs to launch, the weapons fire of which does nothing. Pidge grabs the green bayard, still in its port, and Voltron manifests a new (at least I don’t remember seeing it manifested before) arm cannon, which Pidge uses to blast the mecha away from them.

Hunk says that the mecha’s blades “sapped our energy.” And Pidge adds, “It felt like the komar.” This would have to be a reference to the battle in 2x13 “Blackout.” That’s the only time I think Pidge would ever have been in position to know what being subjected to the komar felt like. But this does give the episode’s first hint at who’s behind this attack. I know this episode is about setting up next season, but it is narratively weird for the season to have had no Haggar, except tangentially with the Druid, until here at the very end. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t miss Haggar, and I’m not looking forward whatsoever to watching Honerva have so much screentime next season.

The MFEs are recalled to the Atlas, which hits the mecha with a sustained cannon blast. The mecha throws its sword at Atlas, knocking its shields down again. The mecha then charges some large blaster in its chest and hits the Atlas with it. Pidge says that the mecha absorbed Voltron’s quintessence with the sword attack and is using that energy to power the blasts. Keith says that they’ll “have to avoid direct contact,” and then Voltron reforms its two swords. Wouldn’t a sword fight be direct contact? When I hear “avoid direct contact,” I think a return to cannon fire.

The mecha elbows Voltron in the face, knocking Voltron back a bit. The show then throws Hunk’s family and other assorted humans into position behind Voltron so they can pretend that those people are in danger. They haven’t been mentioned once in this battle until now. These mechas have been dashing about all over the place, and never once did their location include risk to humans. This battle was taking place where Sendak’s ship crashed, and Voltron had specifically maneuvered that ship away from any settlements prior to it crashing. Now including this risk to miscellaneous humans feels empty and contrived. Voltron launches into the sky and the mecha eagerly follows.

At this point, ten minutes into the battle, it’s become mostly spectacle with no emotion involved. That’s not really the best way to end a season: empty, emotionless fighting. There’s nothing about this fight that connects it to an inner struggle for any character, so it functions as just a miscellaneous action sequence.

Keith orders Pidge to fire her cannon again, and she does so. The mecha reflects the blast, and the reflected blasts find their way down through the atmosphere to precisely where the Atlas is floating barely off the ground. That feels contrived. The mecha pierces Voltron again and pile drives it into the ground below. It’s weird that Voltron gets pierced by weapons, but it never takes any structural damage from being pierced. It makes the animation of having Voltron be stabbed feel off, like something is wrong with the animation. Voltron’s eyes go dark. The mecha blasts the Atlas, which explodes. I don’t know exactly what about Atlas explodes, but it does. The Atlas has no physical damage depicted, of course, just like Voltron has none from being stabbed.

Everyone is screaming at Shiro for orders, things are chaotic, the sound of voices drops away. Shiro looks at his new prosthetic hand, and everything around him starts glowing white circuit board like lines, then things snap back to looking normal. Shiro orders the Atlas into the upper atmosphere. Everything glows for Shiro again, the camera zooms into him and then cuts to the crystal the Castle of Lions was crushed into. The walls and lines of the Atlas all over start glowing. The Atlas begins its transformation sequence.

This is a huge part of why so many of us have argued that it seems clear the Atlas was originally intended to be captained by Allura, not Shiro. Why does Shiro respond to the Atlas like this? Why does the Atlas respond to Shiro like this? Shiro was not part of the construction of the Atlas. He was not part of providing it with power. That power comes from the corpse of the Castle of Lions. Shiro might have lived on the Castle for some time, but that Castle was Allura’s. It would make total sense for the Atlas, powered by the corpse of the Castle, to react to Allura if she were captain and in this moment of desperation. It would have had so much more emotional impact if this was Allura having a big hero moment, channeling her alchemy through the crystal made from her Castle, to turn this new ship into this new mecha. It doesn’t have an emotional impact that it’s Shiro doing this because he has no emotional connection to the Castle. He has no ability through which this transformative connection can happen. It’s not like a Paladin and a Lion having some kind of transformative moment because they have a bond. How is Shiro making this happen? The EPs and writers never care to explain. They must have just hoped we wouldn’t pay attention to how this would have far better fit for Allura than it does for Shiro. It emphasizes that their primary goal with this show was Keith as Black Paladin, and they were willing to sacrifice the story having emotional impact and resonant meaning to do so.

Also, Mecha Atlas has really big legs. It’s easy to see how a lot of viewers look at Atlas and see feminine hips, which again, suggest Allura was supposed to be the one captaining the ship.

Atlas fist-dives down onto the spot where the enemy mecha was standing. There’s a really weird sound, almost like a deep, airy scream, as Atlas does so. I don’t know why that scream was included. The mecha flies away, while the Atlas punches a bunch of dirt. Given how close the mecha was to Voltron when Atlas punched the ground, I would think the shockwave would have hit Voltron.

Atlas as a mecha is huge. I know that Atlas as a ship is bigger than Voltron, but it didn’t seem like the size differential was quite this big. I wonder if the animation team made Mecha Atlas bigger than ship Atlas. If so, that’s a problem for me. But maybe we just haven’t had enough side-by-side of the Atlas and Voltron for the size differential to be clearer to me. Atlas tries to blast the mecha but just carves a circle around itself as the mecha flies out of the way.

The Atlas and Voltron reestablish communications. Shiro says that he’s “not exactly sure” how he turned the ship into a mecha. I’m really not a fan of this show having so many upgrades happen without the person causing them to happen knowing how they’re doing it. It makes the upgrade process totally random within the narrative and contrived from a writing perspective. And of course the show having Shiro do this without knowing how is made worse given that they had a totally reasonable explanation for how Allura could have done it if she had been in Shiro’s position.

The mecha blasts Atlas, but Atlas blocks it with its hand. The mecha comes flying toward the Atlas, and a ghostly projection of the mecha comes off the mecha and grapples with the Atlas. This projection is the same size as Atlas. It feels like every time this episode advances the heroes’ abilities, it almost immediately counters it with the enemy. What is played to feel like success ends up being negated almost immediately, and that creates a feeling of being jerked around by the plot. It’s not that the heroes deal with one problem only to have a new one, it’s that their successes are negated. The projection knocks Atlas back and then ends, the enemy mecha at its normal size.

The mecha comes around, projects itself large again, and hits the Atlas in its back, in its shoulders, knocking the Atlas to its knee. The regular sized enemy mecha stabs the Atlas in the shoulders and starts draining its energy.

Keith seizes upon the idea (that was actually set up a lot earlier in this battle) that they have to hit the mecha in the opening it uses for its big chest cannon right before it fires.

Fifteen minutes into this battle, and it still doesn’t have any inner struggle brought out by the outer struggle. Why is this fight happening? It just is. What character(s) are connected to it? None. The battle has a total miscellaneous quality to it. And that causes the audience to not have an emotional investment in the development of the fight.

Red starts blinking its bayard slot at Lance. He and Keith bayard up, activating Voltron’s big wings, they fly to the enemy mecha, stab it in the chest, and there’s a big explosion. In typical fashion for this show, that explosion has no physical impact on anything. No hull ruptures or anything like that for either Voltron or the enemy mecha. Voltron has been separated into the respective Lions. They detect a surge in energy, and Hunk says that the enemy mecha must have a self-destruct mechanism. It’s survived tons of weapons fire, it survived the big explosion just now, but it’s going to blow itself up? Oh, whatever!

The Lions push the mecha up off Earth and into the sky. The music is really nice, but I wish the emotion of the story matched the emotion of the music. Keith says, “It’s been an honor to fly with you all,” like we’re supposed to interpret this as a potential final sacrifice of Team Voltron, but it feels empty to me. The narrative hasn’t been leading to a big character sacrifice, so I have no reason to believe that this is one.

They push the mecha into space, and the mecha explodes. One by one, the animation flashes each Paladin’s face, like we’re supposed to think this is everyone dying. But still, like I said, the narrative didn’t actually set up a character sacrifice, let alone the sacrifice of all five Paladins. It doesn’t have the emotional impact that it seems like the creative team of the show thought it had.

The unpowered Lions fall back to Earth. They were in space, why are they falling down like they’re low in the atmosphere?

Miscellaneous humans stand in miscellaneous locations looking up at colorful streaks for each of the five Lions. Red just plummets through air, not shown to hit anything. Blue hits water. Green hits a forest. Yellow hits rocky desert right next to where Hunk’s family is. Black hits near the Garrison, which, despite having been ordered evacuated into the Atlas when the Atlas launched, still has a person there to see Black hit. Since Shiro has a far greater connection to the Garrison than Keith does, the Black Lion landing at the Garrison would have made so much more emotional sense if Shiro was the Black Paladin in this moment.

Most people who write stories want to have an emotional impact on the audience/reader. So, of course, this show is trying to produce that. But moments like this are just blatantly manipulative. Did literally anyone watching this actually think in this moment that the Paladins died?

Cut to the Galaxy Garrison flying a flag at half-mast. Instantly connoting the observance of respect for the fallen. Shiro is giving a speech. “Today is a solemn day.” The show wants us to think that their having a memorial for the Paladins. It’s a fake moment. It’s not that they’re not having a memorial, it’s just not for the Paladins. It’s purposefully framed to be manipulative. And that makes the scene frustrating from the start.

“Today, we look back at the lives that have been lost and the sacrifices that have been made here on Earth and across the universe,” Shiro continues. Clearly visible in the crowd are a bunch of aliens. How are they suddenly here on Earth now? A few days, maybe a couple weeks have passed since the big finale conflict, and the Voltron Coalition is only just showing up now? Where were they when Earth needed help fighting the Galra for the past three years?

There are miscellaneous photographs of the fallen behind Shiro. The only one who is someone actually in the show is Sanda.

“There isn’t anyone here today who hasn’t experienced the tragedy of losing someone close,” Shiro says. The camera cuts to the memorial wall of the listed dead, those from the Garrison who died in the initial invasion. “It truly feels like a light has gone out in our lives, and the sun itself couldn’t reignite it.” The camera spends a moment on Adam’s placard. It makes me wish we had gotten to see Shiro have more time on camera to be upset over Adam’s death. I wish we had gotten to see more of their relationship so that it felt like Shiro lost somebody deeply important to him.

“But that light, that fire, has not gone out completely,” Shiro says. Then we get a still image montage of what has apparently happened over the past few days or couple of weeks. Matt showing up with the rebels. A Balmera is in the sky behind him. “It is fueled within each of us by the memories and the love of those we’ve lost. And now we must move forward in their names—” the camera purposefully pans over the faces of the Lions positioned behind Shiro and then onto Shiro. The episode is still! trying to fake us out into thinking the Paladins died. It’s so obnoxious. “—and shine that light onto a new path for future generations. Today is a solemn day, but it is also a day of hope.” A still image shows members of the Garrison shaking hands with various aliens.

“Earth is now stronger than ever, and it stands as a beacon of light to help guide those fighting against tyranny and oppression.” More aliens arrive, there’s a shot of miscellaneous Garrison personnel and aliens standing behind them. “From here, we will spread peace, and together we will hold strong as the defenders of the universe.”

The camera pulls back from Shiro to reveal that Hunk has been watching this memorial from his hospital room with his family nearby. Shay enters his room and hugs him. Cut to Pidge in her hospital room with her parents, Matt, the android? rebel, and Nyma. Nyma is here but Rolo isn’t? Where’s Rolo? Lance has his family with him in his hospital room. Allura is in her hospital room with Coran, Romelle (now wearing a Garrison uniform), and the mice. There’s a card nearby in Allura’s room that has a really rough drawing on it, and I’m left wanting to know who drew that card for her!! Keith is in his hospital room, unconscious. He opens his eyes to see Krolia and Kolivan there.

So, the fake Paladin deaths have been resolved. They’re not dead after all. Surprise everyone! Is anyone surprised?

It is frustrating to see this sequence of the Paladins each being shown with their families, but that Shiro doesn’t get any sort of moment like that. Hunk, Pidge, Lance, Allura, and Keith all have some form of family, someone important to them. Shiro gets no one. That the EPs and the writers of this show didn’t think we needed to see Shiro having people who care about him is infuriating. There was so much possibility. They could have literally shown us Shiro’s family. They could have had him having parents still living who come to him and hug him. They could have chosen to not kill the main clone and instead have Shiro’s spirit put in one of the other unactivated clones, and Shiro could have had a brother in the clone. They could have not killed Adam and had him and Shiro reunited, which was apparently at one point part of the plan, according to recent interviews. But Shiro has nobody because the EPs and writers wanted him to be alone.

This season ending with everyone having someone, but Shiro being alone is part of why fans were so incensed over how his character was treated this season. Unfortunately, the EPs very narrowly interpreted this upset to mean that everyone just wanted Shiro to have a boyfriend. It’s not like we are against the idea, but we didn’t want it to come out of nowhere. That eventual end marriage to Curtis was so clearly and blatantly tacked on to try to placate fans who were upset that this ending has Shiro being alone. But it shows that the EPs didn’t really understand why fans were upset that Shiro was alone in the end.

Cut to the Lions, humans, and aliens all working to rebuild Earth. Sal from Vrepit Sal’s has come to Earth and seems to be contemplating a pineapple. I don’t know why, but I kind of really like seeing him there. Allura stands looking up at a wormhole, standing at a platform with her hands on two pedestals, generating it with her magic. Olkari help the Garrison with technological repairs.

Keith, Krolia, and Cosmo go to his father’s grave. Axca walks up behind them. This is a story the show completely drops. This suggests that there is something to Axca. We know from interviews and public appearances that there had been plans to have Keith and Axca get together in a romantic relationship, but this is really the last hint toward that, and the relationship never manifests. This moment recalls all the other moments of unexplained connectivity between the two characters. And it feels so weird that this is just dropped, never resolved.

Cut to Sam showing Allura the hangar where they’ve been storing pieces of the enemy mecha as they recover them. Sam says that the amount of time that has passed has been months since the battle. He says, “We never found its power source, until now.”

To Allura’s surprise, it’s an Altean. And the episode smash cuts. The season is over.

This ending episode has such a long battle, and because they were preserving the reveal at the end of the episode to be this last, sudden, surprise twist, the battle, and thus the vast majority of this episode, is a fight against a faceless enemy. It results in the battle feeling like it’s going on too long, and it deprives the conflict of emotion.

Season seven was very ambitious. The first half of the season felt like it was spinning its wheels really, waiting until it finally got around to the Earth invasion and occupation plot. I think it would have worked better if the Earth invasion and occupation had been given more time to breathe. With so many new characters introduced, they needed time to become important, but they often just ended up feeling miscellaneous and like they were taking time away from the story’s main characters. I like the premise and some of the ideas behind this season, I just don’t think they were executed well. Like the series as a whole, this season had so much potential that just wasn’t actualized.

#voltron legendary defender #voltron #vld #voltron criticism #vld criticism #voltron critical #vld critical #vld season 7 #vld 7x13 #commentary

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