#this kinda went off on a tangent oops

[bonyato]

I just realized we didn't get Death Game this season either. i see .. Well that's okay *deflates like a balloon*

[banamine-bananime]

AITA for trying to save my friend and keep the rest of my asshole friends safe from their bad decisions?

I (M26) just went through this real shitty breakup. So basically, my ex C (M lmao man fuck if i know his age idek if knows it. or has one i guess) has this god-fucking-awful habit of deciding to solve every problem by dying about it and/or fucking off without so much as a word to the people unfortunate enough to give a shit about him, except maybe his sister (unhelpful for the rest of us because she also inherited the "fucking off without a word" gene. man fuck this whole family for making me care about them. whatever). Also, killing himself inside peoples brains thats like a whole hobby for him. like okay either ghost us OR kill yourself in front of us altering the trajectory of our lives forever PICK ONE like a NORMAL person.

Okay wait im not explaining this well. So years ago C and W (M37 now) were partners but C was, uh, in a really bad place mentally (S is telling me this is more diplomatic to say than "crazy af") and that situationship ended as badly as a situationship can end. I mean W's told me he pretty much had his sense of identity as someone separate from C totally destroyed by that for a while, which like, in hindsight its kinda an accidental dick move that our team made him take C's legal identity, but in our defense a) the fuck were we supposed to know?, b) tbf he really did need it not to go back to prison, c) it's not like C was using his identity, on account of the fucking off and effectively-dying-as-a-solution habits, and d) i mean. i gotta admit it's also pretty funny in a really fucked way.

aw shit derailed on a tangent again

recently its just like, we just get so focused on one thing its hard to remember anything else, you know?

S is so good at getting us back on track though. thank god because you would not believe the number of irons weve got in the fire to keep track of, its ridiculous. (i love making my partner be the planner in the relationship lol. highly recommend being a passenger princess in the body sometimes. fuck massages, i'm telling you THIS is what you need after a long day getting shit DONE and taking care of everyone else's messes)

So I met C 6 years ago, right out of basic, when we were privates stationed at the same base. middle of nowhere. shit, this is gonna be hard to explain, just realized i should use different names for C to keep them straight. I knew "A" and W knew "E", i didnt meet E until years later. theyre alters and also the same guy but also not the same guy. dont worry about it if you dont get it bc ive dated both of them and i dont think i do. my life is stupid.

Bunch of bullshit happened, A ghosted (lol. you'd be high-fiving me if you knew him) and then found a problem to solve by dying. you get it by now.

Then i meet E, E encounters a problem and tries to die about it round one (i guess round two, after exploding in W <- LOL. you should be high-fiving me right now), E's sister drags him back to the land of the living, E ghosts, W and i start dating, W tries to martyr himself and disappears because i guess E rubbed off on him (dude i am on a fucking roll. you should be high-fiving me out of pity for my glamorously miserable soap-opera life if nothing else. homophobic not to), our team gets W back, E strolls back like he has no idea why im mad at him, we fight about it, makeup-makeouts about it, and E tries to die about it round two: in my brain boogaloo.

So thats how S and i meet. oops, guess i never introduced S? Feels weird to have to introduce ourself twice, people dont really meet us separately anymore LOL. S (M, ageless) is also C's alter, my partner in life and badassery and brain and body. and obviously freaky sex stuff, that goes without saying but i'm saying it anyway to brag. the swish swish to my stabbing people who really deserve it. Not really interested in your opinion on our relationship, it's not what i'm asking about. we're aware its not conventional, because we're not fucking braindead. Im so sick of all the "oooohhhhh this isn't healthy", "he's a male manipulator and youre codependent i know bc i learned psychology from tiktoks by girls with green hair", "why are you wearing your ex-boyfriend's armor colors while wearing his dead ex-boyfriend's armor while dating and sharing a brain with your dead mutual ex's alter", "have you considered going to therapy instead of a quest against death itself" blah blah blah. If youre so bored you need to judge our life then just get your own 🙄🙄🙄

we've been really on that sigma grindset the last few weeks. S has got our sleep optimized down to a tight triphasic 3.46 hours and we're minmaxing the fuck out of the rest of every day. Biohacked to shit over here. too much to do, so we have to make there be enough of our time to do it. who else is gonna? my teammates? the REDS? we're half batman half babysitter to a gaggle of idiots who can barely be trusted to wipe their own asses, let alone fight their own battles and make decisions like "wah wah wah A is dead let's just give up and cry about it or whatever".

Don't even get me started on W. Oh youre all about character-building wake up and grind self-improvement and taking leadership until we're making decisions you dont like, i guess. WHATEVER. this is why we dont listen to you.

its hard, okay. like, you cant understand the sheer fucking stress were under trying to keep all our plans going smoothly while keeping these guys safe while they're basically actively trying to unravel every carefully-laid thread and also strangle themselves in them. im probably going prematurely grey and also losing some time. its hard to remember when we need to hold back and use the kiddy gloves. i really didnt want to come to holding - uh, we'll call him MC (M25) - by the throat, passed-out. he's like a brother to me, been through thick and fucking thin together, so yeah, i feel really bad about that, my bad, we were the asshole there, but like, maybe stop throwing yourself in the way? like run out into the road you're gonna get hit by a truck no matter how hard they slam the brakes. mfw the conses quence. but im NOT asking about that. everyone's been on our dick about "please god stop doing all of this" and abandoning A and trying to break us up way before that, and THAT'S what im asking about

Anyways tl;dr are we the asshole for getting shit done when it takes methods that all our monday morning quarterback friends dont like

_____

OP has offered the following explanation for why they think they might be the asshole:

it really was a dick move to dangle my teammate's limp body in a chokehold even though it was basically an accident and also not even directly relevant to the question

OP has offered the following explanation for why they think they might not be the asshole:

okay but we're right

[star-shapedfruit]

Alright lets talk about THAT scene

Honestly I'm still processing all of it and I don't even know if this is even gonna be coherent or more like

This is long. LETS GO

So it's still very much up in the air as to whether that was really Hiyori or not because of the whole illusion thing that Father has going on in this domain but I'm going to assume this is actually her. It just seems kinda weird for Adachitoka to pull that and then go 'Haha SIKE! Jk!' in the next update. Like, if you're gonna pull a scene like that- you gotta commit to the bit ya know?

So let's assume it's all real. Cord snapped. Kapow. She's dead. Now what? God I wish I fucking knew because Adachitoka LOVE to throw curve balls at us so no matter what we predict it'll probably be wrong 🙃

But I think this might have something to do with it.

Kofuku was the one to originally tie the plaques together (uh oh) but then Ookunushi was the one to place them back and bless them with happiness. So you've got a disaster god dooming them but a god of fortune blessing them. Those poor plaques are so confused lol. But either way, Yato and Hiyori are bonded for life and that's an already pretty strong bond they've got. They're two idiots in love and call it silly and cliché but perhaps it's that bond that will save them.

Hiyori is a special case. She's a half-Ayakashi with ties to both the Near Shore and the Far-Shore and we have no idea what happens to someone like that when they die. Do they lose their memories? Will she forget Yato, Yukine, and everyone else from the Far Shore? Will she forget her name? Again, a tricky one but since she treads the lines between the two worlds and her soulmate is a god, maybe not. It could be possible that she retains all those Far Shore memories and forgets a lot of the Near. She remembers her name but can't recall her parents or friends faces.

(That then brings up the huge elephant in the room of what other shinki will think of that and then start to ponder their own deaths leading to the GGS (the likes of Daikoku, Bishamon and Ebisu's shinki etc) but let's just put that to one side for a minute. I can only have one panic at a time)

I think one thing is for certain at this point though. Noragami won't exactly have a happy ending. Either Hiyori somehow lives and Yato is forced to cut her ties and she forgets everything or she dies and permanently joins the Far Shore, leaving her life, ambitions, friends and family behind. And yeah, neither of those are good. But it looks like they're the only options. Now shoot me for this but I seem to lean towards the latter. I really hate endings where someone forgets the entire journey they just went on and it ends up in a sort of 'it was all a dream' ending. They just make me angry lol. Person has this amazing story and adventure and it ends with a literal I forgor meme? Lame. It's more impactful if both parties suffer 😈 (Why I always get more emotional watching the S2 finale of Doctor Who than the S4 finale. I hate that Donna had to forget everything to save her. But that's a completely different kettle of fish).

I went on a tangent there oops. ANYWAY. If we go down the route that Hiyori is dead then it seems like only two things can happen; she'll become a shinki or she'll be deified. She can't be dead dead I refuse to believe that 😤 Not only because she's my favourite character but I really can't see Adachitoka killing her off for good.

Now call me a hopeless romantic (and my Yatori brain going ding ding ding) but the immediate answer that came to mind when I saw this passage at the end of the chapter is love. Perhaps it'll be Hiyori's love for Yato (and Yukine of course) that will be the Deus ex machina that will ensure that she can come back and that she comes back with her memories in tact, maybe even bypassing the GGS. With that, she may be the secret weapon to destroying Father (did Ebisu and Take even destroy the shrine? Honestly can't remember). Whether that means Yato will name her and the three of them will completely whoop his ass or something else entirely, but I think that post-death Hiyori will be the final piece needed to end Trash Dad and the crisis on earth.

Horrific as it is, It would be fitting for her character to make that sacrifice. She's always been brave and selfless and if she knew that in order to save everyone she loves on earth and the rest of the population by fighting by Yato's side, even if that meant that she had to die, she'd do it.

Yes this isn't the perfect ending but there is no perfect ending. Hiyori has been doomed ever since she jumped in front of that bus.

[ultfreakme]

For me, Toji is a very unique character in jujutsu, which makes him formidable. your personality your sense of humor and how calm he is this is captivating. I would like to ask you a question about it. I would like to know if his pride is based on fighting or other situations what I mean is would Toji do anything for money?

I think he's more driven by his own pride in his strength and disdain for the Zen'in clan, and thereby, the rest of Jujutsu society. Money's a priority but like, it's not over his strength/pride. He was ostracized and treated like trash because he was not like them. When he was in the clan, he still had the same overwhelming presence he does in Hidden Inventory. He's someone who seeks to assure and expand his own strength I think. A genius in his own right searching for a challenge.

EDIT: I said that he might not be broke but it's canon that he's lacking in funds, he gathered all his cursed toools by picking up jobs. I think he does seek money and prioritizes it now. He apparently went from woman to woman for their money. So.....sugar baby Toji is entirely possible do wit that what you will lmao.

Frankly I still don't know what to make of that since he doesn't WANT Megumi in the clan. I think it's possible Toji had some other plan for Megumi despite him telling the Zen'ins that they can take him, something that wasn't just Gojo. He really confuses me as a character tbh. Like he seems to care for Megumi, but forgot who he is, he loved Mamaguro but completely broke his promise to her. Like Gege, backstory and explanation please.

Oops, that tangent aside, despite him saying okay to 'selling off' Megumi, I don't think money is higher on his list than his pride as a fighter. If I had to guess, his priorities during Hidden Inventory goes like this:

His own power/abilities(kinda like Sukuna, Gojo, Kashimo, the strong people in JJK, searching for a good challenge)

Money

Megumi

I think his grief for Ms. Fushiguro clouded his love for Megumi and potentially made him resentful or too confused? That man wasn't dealing with the grief well that's for sure. Outcast by everyone and the little thing he did build died.

[harmonyckrs]

Day 5 in Twisted Pleasantview: Family Feud

THE PREVIOUS DAY

NAME: DINA CALIENTE

LIFE STAGE: ADULT

STATUS: UNKNOWN DEAD

SPECIAL NOTES: A man by the name of Oberon Summerdream found her body while flying a drone over the forest near Bluewater Village. A blonde man in a brown suit was also seen walking out of the same forest an hour prior with two babies, but has yet to be identified.

---

Dear Diary,

Today in English class we were given the assignment to interview someone in town that's due in a week. Ripp told me that his was going to be a surprise, so I'm betting his is going to be super good. It better be, if he refuses to even tell me! His brother was giving us these weird looks but it's probably because I'm a goth and he kinda gives off the same energy as Mom and Dad. Best if I don't think about it too much.

Naturally I wanted to get mine done and over with, so I tried to interview Mr. Dreamer about his painting career. He went on a long tangent about Cassandra and how she gave him so much inspiration or whatever, and it got so boring that I dozed out and forgot to take notes. Oops. Guess I have to find someone else, then. Angela said she wanted to do hers on Orpheus Specter, the heir for the Specter family, which Mom seemed more than happy to help her with. Because of course she would.

You know what? Maybe I'll interview the "town harlot" she hates so much. There's got to be some reason why he keeps fighting the Specters in spite of being at every possible disadvantage, and it'll definitely be more interesting than Mr. Dreamer. I guess I'm worried about my report being compared to Angela's, but maybe we can compare notes and make sure we don't fuck the other over again.

Also the Montague matriarch, Isabella Montague or something like that, had gone missing. The Montague and Capulet patriarchs also ended up killing each other, because apparently Mr. Monty thought that the Capulets were somehow responsible for whatever happened and they ended up having a duel in an open field that was caught on the same drone that found Dina.

I wonder if that drone can find everyone else. I'm sure Dustin and Ms. Broke would be more than happy to reunite with Beau, as well as the rest of the Montagues with their missing relatives. Looking forward to seeing how the Monty boys will be once the weekend is over

THE NEXT DAY

[airenyah]

Hi, fellow ace enjoyer of JoongDunk here! I'm also nearer to the sex-repulsed end of the spectrum yet wanting to see JD in something saucier! Kiss scenes generally gross me out, but for some reason, I can watch Joong and Dunk kiss just fine. They're like the ship equivalent of a cheat day — a Cheat(?) Ship.

omg hiiiii, high five ✋ glad i'm not the only one hahaha

personally, kiss scenes in media generally don't bother me or gross me out, in fact, often i like them even! but if it's like a (heavy) make-out scene, those often kinda just bore me, especially if they go on for a long time. i might just end up sitting there like "aight i got it, they're slobbering all over each other. now can we move on with the plot, please?"

that being said, i have watched and rewatched the end of hidden agenda ep8 multiple time already! there's something about it that i really like but i can't put my finger on what exactly it is. part of the reason why i've rewatched it a couple of times was to figure out what exactly about it it is that i like so much, but i just don't have an answer. idk, maybe it's just the vibes 🙌

though i feel like sometimes the reason why kiss scenes bore me might also just be a problem of the acting. and that actually includes some of the hidden agenda kisses...

for example the first kiss scene from ep4? i really like that scene up until the moment they start kissing. like, they're just kissing for a while and absolutely nothing changes?? the tension and the emotions, the urgency, all of it just stays the same for the entire time. i can't even pinpoint what the characters are thinking or feeling in that moment, which is quite a shame considering this is their very first kiss, aka a very significant kiss. we've got zo who is in the middle of trying to figure out his feelings (i wanna know: how does he feel about the kiss? is he into it? is he nervous? is he having a realization? does he start to regret it while still in the middle of kissing? all of the above? WHAT is going on in his head, show me!!) and joke who is being kissed by the person he's been crushing on for a while now (again, i wanna know: how does he feel about the kiss? is he excited that what he's been dreaming about is finally happening? is he nervous? is he maybe not entirely happy with it since zo's feelings are unclear? all of the above? again, WHAT is going on in his head, show me!!). and i'm just not getting much out of it apart from the fact that "yay they're having their first kiss". now compare that with the ep8 [4/4] kiss scene that starts out slow and soft and tentative almost and then goes up in tension to then slow down again and keeps being broken up by dialogue. idk i just think it's neat. or also the ep7 yank kiss yeet scene!! there's so much urgency behind that kiss, it feels like it really matters. i love it!!!!

actually i have a similar problem with bad buddy. idk if you've seen it (if not, feel free to skip this paragraph), but the ep11 kiss at the beach is just so boring. they do get a little faster when they go back to kissing after they separated for a moment but there's aboslutely no urgency behind it and that just results in the opposite effect of making me feel like the characters want to be doing this, that it matters to them. it just doesn't feel like that at all. meanwhile the rooftop kiss... god, the rooftop kiss. that one is SO important and they let you feel it. the longer it goes on the more the tension rises and the more urgent it becomes and you as a viewer are just left breathless. the rooftop scene is a thing of beauty for so many reasons and this is one of them

oops i went off on a nerdy tangent.... sorry about that 😅

aaaaanyway, as i've mentioned before, kiss scenes are usually ok for me. it's the sex scenes that i'm a bit wary of, especially the more explicit they get. the more clothes come off and/or the more the kisses get further and further away from the head, the more likely i am to feel uncomfortable watching the scene. and if moaning is involved, that's usually the point where i'm like "ok i'm out". (and before i get an angry anon in my ask box telling me i'm being homophobic bc "yay gay sex" – i do not give a single fuck (quite literally) about the genders of the people involved in the sex scene. i find watching straight sex just as icky kjdfjkdg. ideologically i'm all for normalizing gay sex, put practically i'm just simply not the right target group fjfjhd)

though i have to say, it's gotten a little better now, the older i get. i guess i'm just getting used to those scenes. it's a slow process, but still, i find myself getting less uncomfortable now at age 26 compared to when i was, say, around 20

like, only friends has mostly been ok for me to my big surprise?? well, that bostontop scene in the car was a bit too much for me (and a definite skip on rewatches) and so was the sandray scene in the camper from last episode, like, i didn't really need that to watch that, while other scenes i'm having an easier time with (i haven't yet been able to figure out how a sex scene needs to be shot in order for me to enjoy it)

but even if i don't get uncomfortable as quickly anymore, i still don't really actively seek out media with overly sexual content/plots. UNLESS. i have a reason to do so like, uh, first kanaphan. (ngl if it wasn't for first, i probably wouldn't be watching only friends at all. i would have watched the trailer and been like "ok this show is too horny for me, i'll let the others have fun and maaaybe follow the show via gifs on my dash at most")

or, you know, joongdunk 😂😂 although i have to say that in reality i actually want a saucy/sexy series (like an only friends-style series) more for them rather than myself! i feel like they'd have fun with it. there's just something about them doing dum dum for lol fanfest and that choreography ending in some neck biting action and them having the idea to switch up who bites who for day 2 in order to surprise everyone. there's just something about how they kept talking about how hidden agenda is more mature than star in my mind and how there were some scenes that they'd never done before (here is some of that interview with eng subs, but unfortunately it's heavily edited rip). there's something about the way the two of them actually sat down together and did a whole ass instagram live in which they watched, reacted and provided commentary to the entirety of hidden agenda ep8 (as far as i'm aware of they didn't go live on instagram for any other episode. and i'm 1000000% sure they chose ep8 specifically for the love scene and the love scene alone fkfjjfjf). not to mention how joong immediately went "episode 8" when asked for his favorite episode and grinned and looked at dunk and when dunk was like "i'm thinking either 7 or 8" joong repeated "eight" and when dunk still didn't get it joong nudged him and firmly went "eight!!" and then dunk went "oh yeah, ep 8"

so yeah. i want a sexy joongdunk series for them, for their sake. i think they'd have a blast with it djkfgjkdkjd

#SexyJoongDunkVampireSeriesWhen #JusticeForJoongDunk @ gmmtv

[deathlessathanasia]

Hi, I’ve noticed in a lot of Greek art, and statues, Hera is often seen holding a bowl or plate. Do you know why?

I am far more familiar with literature than with the visual arts, but I assume the objects she holds must be phialai (libation bowls), which were used for pouring liquid offerings to deities. Gods holding libation vessels, and even performing libations, is indeed quite common in ancient Greek art, but it's really difficult to find a definitive answer for why this is so.

Why are gods depicted as performing religious rituals? To whom would a god make offerings? Are they worshipping themselves or each other? It could simply be supposed that the common activity of human worshippers are projected onto the deities themselves, since we tend to create gods in our image and to imagine them doing everything we do. But that interpretation seems overly simplistic. Is this how the ancient Greeks saw it? Surely not. Perhaps the gods hold phialai so that they can receive the offerings directly? "Burkert suggests that the libation bowl wielded by the gods themselves … was an iconographic solution to an awkward problem. It was hard to envision 'giving' to the gods by pouring wine into the ground or, we might note, even onto an altar, where as alcohol it evaporated in the fire or rolled onto the ground. … According to Burkert, the Olympians stretch forth their phialai to receive the libation directly; and this solves our iconographic problem. The gods hold these vessels because this is how they get their drink offerings." (Religion of the Gods: Ritual, Paradox, and Reflexivity) Do the gods perhaps use them simply as drinking vessels? "The phiale could be used for drinking; it appears in symposia scenes, including those of the gods themselves, such as the Kodros Painter’s red-figure stemmed cup with a reclining Pluton raising a phiale, accompanied by Persephone in the tondo. This usage, which as Heinz Luschey has emphasized, is particularly characteristic of the gods, the uppermost echelon of a striated society. Hoffman observes that “Banqueting… was the pastime of the gods, who were thought of as engaged in an eternal symposium on Mount Olympus.”59 At their symposia, the images show us, the gods drank from phialai. The role of the hand-held phiale in the human realm is charged with numinosity; it is first a libation bowl, a drinking bowl for gods, and only secondarily a vessel for humans. It is this bowl from which the gods are always show drinking. And it is this bowl from which they are almost always shown libating, … Luschey has argued on the strength of this evidence that the phiale has a sacramental character and is sacred to the gods; it “belongs” to them and not to mortals." (Religion of the Gods: Ritual, Paradox, and Reflexivity) But then, what does it really mean when the gods actually pour out libations themselves instead of receiving them? This is a more complicated topic than it first seems and I'm not well-equipped to say much about it. This ask is actually what made me look more into the concept of gods engaging in religious rituals, so I can only recommend the book I've mentioned before (though I've just found it like an hour ago and haven't finished it yet, but it's super interesting so far): Religion of the Gods: Ritual, Paradox, and Reflexivity by Kimberley C. Patton.

Oops, sorry anon, I kinda went off on a tangent there and you probably expected a more concise answer. So basically, she is holding libation vessels, but I can't precisely say why. I'll be looking more into this, though, so thanks for this ask!

[partiallystarsif]

You mentioned that the ship and shuttle are named after goddesses. Can you tell us more?

Adiona and Abeona are actually goddesses from the Roman pantheon!

Adiona is the goddess of "safe returns", she protects travelers and ensure they get home safely. Abeona is the goddess of "outward journeys" and she protects travelers as they depart home to places unknown.

Partially Stars takes place in the very distant future (I'm still working out the exact timelines, but I think around a thousand years, give or take), after humanity has mastered faster-than-light travel and colonized other planetary systems. But even though we've left Earth behind (for the sake of this story, anyway. there's still people living on Earth, but Adiona isn't a sturdy enough ship to fly between systems like that) we still remember our history and where we come from.

So there will be some things that are familiar from Earth, like Adiona and Abeona, like the cultures and accents of the crew, but some things change and evolve with their environment and over time 🥰

[kuiinncedes]

hehe actually gonna reread candymakers sequel 🥰🥰

[fairyroses]

(1) Everyone keeps on going on about how Nia is like Nura and how she will get together with Brainy, but I noticed that in reality Nia only resembles Nura in powers and code name, who she really resembles is Mysa Nal/White Witch, Nura's little sister, I mean they are both the younger sibling, uniform wise Nia's outfit is very covering, like Mysa's, and unlike Nura's, whose most covering outfit has a large boob window , both Mysa and Nia have powers that no one else in their families have

(2) Both Nia and Mysa are somewhat scared of their powers (Mysa having a tendency to turn evil for short periods of time, her first appearance in the silver age for example), also both come from backgrounds of oppression (Nia a trans woman, Mysa’s origin story is clearly about being disabled, unable to see the future unlike most of the planet), and Nia when we first met her very clearly lacked Nura’s confidence. If they do Karadox, it should be noted that Mysa had 2 love interests.

Oh wow, okay, this is a lot of comics stuff lol. 

I knew that Nura had a sister who didn’t have pre-cog powers like she did, but I didn’t know anything else about her before (I finally went ahead and looked her up after I got these asks, just to check out her bio for myself). And I mean…I can definitely see what you’re getting at with the Nia vs Nura stuff…but I’m not sure that I totally agree with all the Nia = Mysa stuff? (Sorry! I promise I’ll explain!) 

There was some talk about Nura’s sister on here back when Nia’s sister was first cast (tbh, that’s the only reason why I knew Mysa existed - again, I’m not a comics reader, I just like doing research). I didn’t look too much into it at the time, but since we’re discussing it now, I decided to go back and take a look at the casting announcement for Nia’s sister, Maeve (who called Nia at the end of the last ep)…and honestly, I think she fits Mysa a bit better than Nia does?

(I’ll put the rest of this under a cut, in case people consider the casting info to be a spoiler and don’t wanna see it. Below the cut I speculate quite a bit about Sunday’s ep, and also explain why I don’t necessarily think that Nia is the one who’s the most like Mysa - though I also don’t think she’s all that similar to Nura, either.)

Here’s what the announcement said:

“Maeve Nal is described as being a driven young woman focused on maintaining her family’s rich legacy, and while she’s always had to work a little harder for her achievements than Nia, the sisters are described as having a very strong bond.”

I think it makes a lot of sense that Maeve felt like she had to work harder for her achievements than Nia, because a) she’s the oldest child (older siblings are often subjected to stricter parenting and given more responsibilities than their younger siblings), and b) she’s also the child without powers. 

(I do wonder how Nia being trans factors into this, though - it seems like her family will definitely be accepting of her, but that doesn’t mean that she suddenly wouldn’t experience other hardships related to being trans, because obviously the oppression of trans people is institutionalized. So I kind of question the idea that she didn’t have to work as hard as her (presumably cis) sister…but maybe that’s just how Maeve sees things, and her viewpoint isn’t necessarily true? Idk. I guess we’ll find out on Sunday.) 

I think it’s interesting (in a good way!) that the sisters are described as very close despite the whole powers thing, which could have easily been used to put a rift of resentment between them, especially since Nia has these powers but doesn’t seem to want them, and Maeve has no powers but is All About Their Family’s Legacy. 

(That kind of “we have some issues but are still ride or die for each other” dynamic reminds me a lot of Kara and Alex in season 1, actually! It’s complex and I like that.)

Thinking along those lines, I wonder if there might be some kind of a conflict for Nia in the next ep, where maybe Nia feels like it should’ve been her sister who got powers instead of her? And that’s part of the reason why she’s so hesitant to use them? 

And maybe Maeve has always been a little jealous of Nia for having powers that she herself probably wanted (or expected) to get, but more than anything else she still loves her sister… Ooh, what if Maeve is the one who ultimately convinces Nia to embrace her powers??

Like, I could see there being a part of Nia that subconsciously needs a nudge from her sister to go and be a hero and carry on their family’s legacy, because she always thought that that was going to be her sister’s destiny, not hers. And she can’t actually give herself permission to be a hero until her sister encourages her and tells her that it’s okay, that this can be Nia’s destiny, too - that their family’s legacy can belong to both of them. 

That’s all just speculation, of course! I could be completely off the mark, but I gotta say that all this theorizing is making me REALLY excited for Sunday. :D

…Sorry, I got off track for a while there. Back to the whole Mysa/Nura/Maeve/Nia thing…

From what I understand about Mysa, when she found out that she didn’t have pre-cog powers, she decided to teach herself magic and became a sorcerer instead (please feel free to correct me if I’m wrong)? To me, that aspect of her character sounds more like Maeve, who’s apparently very driven and was forced to work harder for her achievements, as she was not naturally given powers like Nia was.

So that’s why I kind of disagree about Mysa being like Nia - perhaps the oppression angle could work, if the writers put more of a focus on Nia overcoming the hardships that she faced for being trans, but just based on the description of Nia’s family, it sounds more like Nia is in the Nura-like role despite being the younger sister, and Maeve is in the Mysa-like role despite being the older one? (Also, Nia/Nura and Maeve/Mysa - the first letters of their names match…not that that necessarily means anything, but still.) 

I DO agree with the first thing you said, though: that Nia is similar to Nura in terms of powers and code name, but not so much in terms of her personality. 

Now of course, I’m not super familiar with Nura’s characterization beyond what you can read in summaries and bios online, but even I caught onto the fact that she seems more confident in herself and her abilities than Nia does. Her and Brainy also have a more contentious and bicker-y relationship (at least in the continuity where they later become romantically involved), which isn’t like our Brainy and Nia at all. Nura is also a genius scientist, and thus very STEM-focused, unlike Nia, who is very much into the humanities and arts. Nura also has platinum blonde hair and is very glamorous, whereas Nia is a brunette and generally dresses more casually. 

I’m not sure what all this means, really, other than the fact that it’s clear that Nura is her own character, who exists in the 31st century, just like Nia is her own character, who exists in the 21st century. While Nia is certainly related to Nura, we can tell by her personality that she’s obviously not actually meant to be Nura. 

I think that’s the most important thing to take from all these comparisons, really.

[mosstomb]

Hey reding that bellow made me curious ab manifestation and how u feel ab it 🤨 do u think it is possible to manifest anything even anyone? And even change how people in our lives treat us just by shifting our thinking process? Ive been seaing so many yt videos on how no one in our reallty has free will they just project our image of the world/ aka our feelings and thoughts onto us. I think thats very intresting but not sure if thats the case tbh

Ok this might make people upset and I’m sorry but. I’m only saying how I feel and I’m not making any judgements this is just how I feel personally. I don’t really think it’s ethical to try and change someone’s feelings for you through spiritual means. Even non spiritually in some ways, acting like you’re different than you are just so someone will like you, as in develop feelings for you and get into a relationship with you, I don’t think that’s right. This is different from like actively trying to be a better person but if you are lying about who you are or your character, you’ll eventually have to be your authentic self and that’s not the person they thought they were talking to. I think being truthful and authentic from the beginning is best.

In the same way. Manifesting a relationship with someone, manifesting them developing feelings for you, casting spells on them so that they view you differently, so that they fall in love with you, etc. I feel that’s unethical and I don’t know if I believe it’s possible either unless they had already started to develop feelings for you but even then idk. I think some things are better left to fate.

Also I don’t personally manifest things nor do I know very much about manifesting honestly, I do think it’s possible to manifest certain things but from what I understand continually manifesting and obsessing over something can have an opposite repelling effect, I do think a lot of people misunderstand how to manifest and this is why they aren’t seeing the results they want.

I do think free will is kind of a grey area just in general, considering laws, societal standards, etc. Sure I could do whatever I wanted right now but if I break the law I’m getting in trouble and if I say something hateful to someone they’re going to be upset. So we can control ourselves and our actions, our thoughts, but only to an extent. Mental illness also plays a factor in this as well and I’m saying this as someone who has never been to a therapist or been professionally diagnosed, but I have and do still occasionally have thoughts that are just. Awful they scare me and I don’t want them or want to have them and I can’t really control them but I can control how long I focus on them and how I decide to (or not to) act on them

[starswallowingsea]

give me an essay about uh... kyouka?

Oh man I had this one locked and loaded for months now. I love Kyouka sm and her whole character arc and how that reflects onto Atsushi and Dazai by extension and their own character development, as well as Kouyou's to an extent.

So when we meet Kyouka, we see her trying to blow up a train and basically she doesn't really have a will to live. She's been told since she got pulled into the PM that her only purpose is to kill people, best exemplified by every interaction she has with Akutagawa, ever. Akutagawa, also, doesn't really feel like he has a place in the world outside of killing for the PM and trying to get Dazai's approval but that's neither here nor there for this essay.

She relatively quickly decides she doesn't want to keep killing people, which I mean. She's a 14yo girl, I would imagine she doesn't want to keep killing people because it's fairly traumatizing, and her solution to that in the moment is to sacrifice herself, which we also know Atsushi would have done just a few chapters earlier given the chance. Instead, Atsushi saves her and shows her kindness as they figure out what to do with her, which continues to drive her forward as a character.

Anyway, this scene is the turning point I think, for her character arc. She's admitting that her only roll in the Mafia was to kill people, that was her only purpose for several years, but that little bit of kindness Atsushi showed her on that day out they spent together was all it took to make her believe there was a life for her in the light as Kouyou would put it.

She also has a very complicated relationship with her skill, believing she killed her parents with it, and having used it to kill at least 35 other people. Which is frankly, understandable for her. Her skill has been what people have used her for, having her use her skill for violence, for their own means without a thought about what Kyouka could possibly want, so to her, at least for the first part of her transition process to the ADA, her skill is dirty, bad, something that other people want to control for their own means. And Atsushi even falls into this trap, saying her powers should be used for the ADA, which gives Kouyou a leg up in trying to get Kyouka back.

Even though Kyouka doesn't end up even thinking about going back at first, I think Kouyou knew exactly what buttons to press to manipulate her, and she was able to see through it and ended up using Demon Snow for something she wanted, to protect Atsushi on her own terms. And while Atsushi may have wanted her to use her skill for the agency, she first has to use it on her own terms and dissociate it from her past, and then Kouyou has to go and drop the bomb on her about her parents and yeah. Scene over, Kyouka is back with the mafia, she's upset and traumatized, Kouyou has her protege back, and all of their names are still being underlined in red by my spellchecker.

I kinda lost the thread when I went back to look for all these images oops but anyway, when Kyouka does eventually return and goes through her trial to join the agency in full, she finally has a place that will accept her for her, won't make her use her skill, and will let her just be a kid.

Kyouka best girl I think she deserves all the good things in the world and then some. By the end of the series, she's fully come into herself and her skill, using it for herself, for her wants, for her goals and morals. She's allowed to be selfish, she's allowed to want for herself, and she has a place to call home and people she can call her family. She has something to keep living for, to fight for.

Unlike whatever Akutagawa did at the beginning of this. Like seriously what the hell dude.

I definitely don't think this made sense and I realize I tend to go off on tangents but in conclusion, Kyouka's arc is about learning to live for herself, letting herself feel safe and protected, and just...accepting her past as something that happened and not trying to cope with it on her own.

[gloomstudy]

What would be your advice to someone who has a crush?

the nice thing about crushes is that you don’t have to worry about the commitment of a relationship. you can crush on anyone at any time. woohoo!

but then, there are *the feels*...

when you have a crush, try getting to know them better and talk to them. communication is key. take your time, and take small steps. no one is rushing you.

when you feel that the time is right, tell them you like them! if they like you back, awesome. if they don’t, that’s okay too. let yourself be sad, and give yourself as much time as you need to heal.

when someone rejects you, it actually says something more about them than it says about you, so don’t put the blame on yourself. just because you don’t meet someone’s standards doesn’t mean that you’re undesirable or unlovable. you deserve to be loved by someone who genuinely cares about you.

[mittensmorgul]

I find Joyce Bicklebee quite amusing LOL!

I find her the PERFECT exemplar of the Leviathan, actually. 

(yes I am watching 7.16 too... *waves hi across the TNT loop*)

Well, some combination of her and George. They were going for “Evil Corporate Monsters” in s7, and that really comes across here. Joyce is the Evil Ambitious Micromanager trying to advance her own career on the back of her employees, and George is the more-competent-than-he-gets-credit for grunt worker who just isn’t properly appreciated.

JOYCE: We have a chain of command here, George. You see a Winchester, you don't eat him. You tell me, and I eat him. What do you think, I'm gonna tell Dick, "I think he ate him, but I didn't see it"? What, I'm supposed to vouch for you, George? Like you're not one dumb move away from a bibbing already? Come on.

and

JOYCE: Sam and Dean. It is such a pleasure to make your acquaintances. Now, just so you can put names to the faces that’ll be eating you, I'm Joyce, and this is my assistant, George.

But George had been playing his own game, trying to make a deal with Sam and Dean, helping them kill Joyce, telling them about the Leviathan’s “Big Picture Plans,” and tells them they’re building a research facility to “cure cancer.” But he does live... (or at least we don’t see him die...)

(meanwhile Sam is cracking up, Dean has to fight the urge to Prince Sigfried himself into oblivion, and Frank is telling Dean that when you dig down deep it’s all Dick... a big old giant nesting doll of Dick... and right at the end Sam and Dean lose another anchor--however paranoid and whackadoo-- in their lives... Frank.)

I find it really interesting, aside from the Joyce and George dynamic, that Sam describes what’s happening inside his head as “Lucifer” doing these things to him.

SAM: Yeah, well, every time I close my eyes, Lucifer is yelling into my head. It's like I let him in once, now I can't get rid of him.

and

SAM: It doesn't matter what I do, Dean. Lucifer will not shut up.DEAN: Even now?SAM He's singing "Stairway to Heaven" right now.DEAN Good song.SAM Not 50 times in a row.

I mean... that’s Sam’s own mind generating “Lucifer” as his tormentor. It’s not actually Lucifer. It’s the damaged part of his soul that remembers Hell taking over.

And then we go right into 7.17, where that damaged part of his soul takes over to the point where it’s actively killing him. The Lucifer hallucination even points this out to him:

HALLUCIFER: I’m just sayin’... back when you had no soul you never had to sleep.

and then Sam confirms it to Dean when Dean suggests there could be a cure out there:

SAM: When you put my soul back...DEAN: No.SAM: ...Cas warned you about all the crap it would –DEAN: Screw Cas! Quit being Dalai frickin' Yoda about this, okay? Get pissed!SAM: [sighs] I'm too tired. This is what happens when you throw a soul into Lucifer's dog bowl. And you think there's just gonna be some cure out there?

The hunter who calls Dean back, after he follows Bobby’s clue, essentially reports his meeting with Emmanuel in a way very reminiscent of Dean’s first meeting of Cas in 4.01--

MACKEY: Heard the best way to get to him is through his wife, Daphne, out in Colorado? So, I go. Tell her I'm going blind. It's true. My right eye's burnt out. She says, "Go home. He'll come." So, I go. I set every trap, every test in the book.DEAN: That's what I would have done.MACKEY: Emmanuel shows. He passes every one. There ain't nothing weird about this guy. Except... he's the real deal.DEAN: What do you mean?MACKEY: He touched me, and my eye was fixed. Look – I don't believe in much that don't suck your blood. But I wouldn't call you on a maybe.

And oh gosh there’s quite a few narrative and visual callbacks to 4.01 in this episode-- Dean peering out the window of the closed convenience store, talking with the demon on Emmanuel’s porch in a way that recalls talking with the demon waitress in the diner in 4.01, even Meg showing up as a “helpful” demon to parallel Ruby-- and it’s even DEAN who vouches for her to Cas, telling him she’s a “friend.” I know there’s more, but I keep getting distracted watching it instead of keeping track of them...

And then when Cas does finally remember everything, the crushing guilt he hadn’t been able to remember from 7.01 finally returns:

CASTIEL: What I did. What I became. Why didn't you tell me?DEAN: Because Sam is dying in there.CASTIEL: Because of me. Everything. All these people. I shouldn't be here.

And suddenly, everything Dean just couldn’t find it in himself to forgive Cas for, that he’d confessed to Emmanuel that he just couldn’t let go, suddenly when it’s CAS again none of that matters. But it’s now CAS that can’t forgive himself, who believed he DESERVED TO DIE for what he’d done.

DEAN: If you remember, then you know you did the best you could at the time.CASTIEL: Don't defend me. Do you have any idea the death toll in Heaven? On Earth?

And it’s Dean who offers him redemption, giving him his coat back and telling him that they can still fix it. Sadly, in his depressed state, he feels like the only thing he can fix is Sam, but it’s a start.

Taking on the damage to Sam’s soul, healing Sam, also becomes penance for Cas as he suffers through that damage himself. And still it’s less punishment than he thinks he deserves (since he’d intended to stay in Purgatory as well... and really everything he’s done since then, everything he’s done trying to do the right thing in the last five years, has been an extension of this moment... whether by direct result, guilt, or as the consequences of his self-sacrificing attempts to fix everything, or at least to do one right thing... to make one right choice)

This... sorta got away from me.

[errorsharingiscaring]

Moon Knight System Relationship Analysis + Other Notes + A Lot Of Rambling + A Breakdown (Episode 4)

Jake gone.

System gone.

Life gone

Disclaimer: I do not have DID and to my knowledge have never met a system. I will fix any mistakes that people point out. 

TW: Swearing, a lot of caps, MK rep criticism.

You know, when I started typing out my thoughts on episode 5 and then went into a tangent about episode 1 within the first paragraph and then decided “ok fuck it I guess we’re doing this now” and started this entire mess of a long-ass essay, I thought I’d lose interest incredibly quickly and never actually finish all of the episodes, or worse, I’d forget everything I wanted to say about episode 5’s ending (Which is an unfortunately common thing with me, it’s why I wanted to write it down). 

But here we are. Episode 4. And the hours I spend rewatching the episodes and typing out my thoughts are the happiest hours of the day! And I’m glad I did it this way, not episode 5 first and then the others because now I’m gonna go into the thing with a whole new perspective. So many things I would have missed if I’d just taken everything at face value! 

I love analysis. I genuinely do. It’s fun to see things come together, figure out the themes, understand characters and their motivations, piece together why the scene plays out like it does. But few shows have anything worth mentioning beyond the obvious reasonings and that makes analysis boring and not fun at all to do. So I’m very selective. 

Moon Knight is a show that comes once in a decade. And I love every single part of it. 

Episode 4. Tomb time! 

And instantly we get to see why Marc trusts Layla so much to have his back – I'd put my life in her hands. Without question. 

So for most of this episode Marc doesn’t front. It’s like a mirror to episode 3, where Steven fronted only at the end. And both of them had valid reasons for shunning the other, even if pettiness is part of it. 

Or, I should say, a large part of it. Marc kept Steven from the front when he should have given it up as soon as he realized he knew nothing about the sarcophagus, so that stung. To be fair to Marc, he had no assurance that Steven was going to give the front back if things got ugly, which had a very high chance of happening in a wide open area where there are tens of armed goons. Eventually he did let him front, but that was in a more peaceful position (as far as they knew), where Steven wasn’t going to get shot at. But ah. Pettiness. 

This beginning sequence, Layla talking to Steven, is both of them vocalizing their issues with Marc, who “isn’t there to hear”. And Layla starts with “we’re gonna need Marc”, but as soon as Steven points out that he was being kinda rude to her - “Hadn’t he disappeared from your life already?” it turns into bonding through hate. 

As patient as Layla is, it is definitely not the easiest thing sticking by someone who seems to actively get in the way of doing that. Someone who refuses to talk, who just keeps everything to himself, and now he disappeared for months and his only explanation is “welp whatever guess I fucked up now huh I guess we’re not okay now oops”. Steven is everything Marc isn’t, just like Marc is everything Steven isn’t. Steven is honest and forthcoming with his words while Marc is closed off and expresses his affection through actions and small gestures. Marc is usually stoic, single-focused, while Steven goes on a million tangents as soon as anyone mentions anything Egypt-related. After Layla spent however long she did with Marc and got so used to his antics that eventually they’ve become a thing she speaks negatively about when angry, meeting Steven, someone who is the opposite of all those annoying habits, is truly refreshing. 

This is not me justifying her kissing Steven. I feel like that’s a more complicated thing than the show allows it to be, and we can’t be certain about why Layla did it or how she felt, we don’t actually know her history with Marc. 

But it may be possible that she just misses him? 

Yeah she understands the alter thing and that Steven is not Marc, but... “You smell like him”, “you look like him”, and Marc’s most annoying habits are turned opposite, almost endearing because of how genuine Steven is... 

All I’m saying is, there is probably a long conversation about this once all the tension dies down. And I hope we get to see it! 

And despite everything, Marc still is worried for Steven. Every time Marc demands the front it’s when Steven is getting himself into a situation that Marc could handle better. But that has been this entire “mission” - this is Marc’s expertise, Steven was only really needed for figuring out the code for the sarcophagus. Everything else has been proven to be out of his depth, including handling a fight. So perhaps out of spite – not letting Marc do things the “violent” way, or out of pettiness – giving Marc a taste of his own medicine, not being allowed to front, Steven is not going to let himself be underestimated again. Not like he’s been his entire life, at his job, or by Marc, or Khonshu – Steven is going to get things done his way. 

And Marc understands that. He’s been watching Steven be put down, walked over and misnamed for far too long. And maybe there was little guilt in Marc when he gave Steven the front last episode. Maybe he realized he treated Steven the way that all those awful people did. And when Steven put his foot down, declaring that this was now his mission, Marc saw something a little different in Steven. 

So while he’s been protecting him this entire time, Marc realized his mistake in underestimating Steven. And when Steven doesn’t even flinch at “If you are gonna go through with this, you gotta be smart. For Layla’s sake”, Marc’s only reply is reassurance - “I’m here [in case you feel outnumbered], you’re not alone”. 

(And personally I love how Marc says “I’ll throw us, oFF A CLIFF”. It’s sad that right after he says “I’m here” Steven just bites back with “I’ve got Layla”. Like “I have the trust of someone you fucked up your relationship with, how does that feel?”. It’s an understandable anger from Steven, but... he really does not get the full picture. And I’ve seen Marc’s reaction be called jealousy, which might be a part of it, but the sting of a person he thinks he’s been protecting by distancing himself from being so enamored with what Marc must think of as “his better version”, it’s just... 

It hurts. And what hurts me is what if Marc thinks that Steven and Layla together is better for the both of them? What if Marc takes himself out of the picture on purpose, just so he can see the two people he loves the most be happy together, without his involvement, without him “fucking things up”? 

… Episode 5 happens though. And even if Marc would try to make this happen, Steven wouldn’t allow it. 

(Even now, when it’s just Steven and Layla, and Marc isn’t peeking into their conversation through any reflection, even when Layla is the one that leans into the kiss, Steven backs away with almost a scared look in his eyes and blurts out “Marc is trying to protect you”. Even full of spite and anger and pettiness, Steven almost automatically says “Marc isn’t a shitty guy”, because that’s what he’s slowly starting to realize. 

It’s been steadily happening over time. How he reacted to Harrow’s speech about Khonshu, how he gave up the front to Steven mid-fight, how he let Steven do his thing with the sarcophagus map, how he did try to reassure Steven that he’s not alone and Marc is always there if the worst case scenario happens. It’s all the little moments Steven noticed that made him believe the first thing Marc told him – “I am protecting [Layla]”. So Steven tells her what Marc can’t - that he still very deeply cares for her. 

So in Steven’s head, the kiss is less to replace Marc and more because they like each other as people. Overall, a decent way out of an impossible situation. 

(Even if Marc doesn’t necessarily agree.) 

(The fact that pure spite and anger was strong enough to take over just one hand for a single punch is just... Yeah I accept that as the only time in-universe rules are broken.)) 

And despite that, when Marc appears in a reflection again, he doesn’t seem pissed off. In fact, I think he’s missing a line in the few he says. A “Thank you”. 

I feel like I re-say this every episode but Marc truly does not understand words. He does not know how to properly express what he feels in words, that’s why his actions are important, they speak to his inner world. So Steven saying what Marc couldn’t - that he’s protecting Layla and him pushing her away wasn’t because he suddenly decided he “wants his life back” - it’s a meaningful moment to Marc. Someone understanding what he can’t do and then doing that thing for him is probably a first from Steven. 

Steven being kind to Marc is a first. 

Just... Them <3 

And now we get on a depression train that’s not gonna stop for a while, buckle in! 

First time Harrow made Layla doubt the whereabouts of her father’s death, she asked Marc about it and he immediately said everything was false. And yes that conversation could count as a fight but it’s nothing they haven’t experienced before – Layla learning something new about Marc and being frustrated about it. 

But this time Harrow gave details. That Marc was at the site, that her father was at the site and that scarf that Layla would know he died with. Marc can’t escape with lies again, he can’t say it doesn’t matter because Layla isn’t believing it again. Because even if Marc wasn’t the one that killed her father, “[he] was there”.  

Layla is done with the lies, it’s honestly surprising she wasn’t done with them way before, but this is twice now the same lie Marc has been trying to tell her is related to her father. All that time together, marriage, partnership, perhaps even being the only person there for each other – and Marc never mentioned that he knew something about her father’s death. His worst habit, his lying, the thing that she experienced the most of and what caused the two of them the most pain – it comes back, just once more, to make them lose everything. 

It hurts, knowing what’s ahead, but it is truly exceptional how much it hurts. 

That Marc has to speak, he has to tell exactly how it went down, him sharing secrets is bringing unimaginable pain but he can’t soften the blow, he can’t cut himself off now, he wants to tell Layla “It’s not worth recalling, you don’t need to know”, but he knows her, he knows how much her father means to her, he knows he’s the only one that can say what truly happened and he has to because if he doesn’t do it now he never will. 

Layla shoves him and he shifts right back, “You brought a killer right to him”, he can only nod, he can only accept that her hate and her anger and her “You just had a guilty conscience” accusation is the late punishment he is receiving for his actions. He can’t explain that their entire relationship isn’t him just doing penance, that he genuinely loves her and would give her the world, but he can’t give back what he took from her, that he will never forgive himself and will never stop trying to save her more pain than he has already caused her. 

He doesn’t even get the chance. 

The Sarcophsystem is killed. 

(Oh. Oh no I hope I’m wrong. 

Why didn’t Jake front to protect the system from death? 

There’s definitely the aspect of there being just way too much to handle, that no matter what kind of power you have you couldn’t get out of that situation alive (or not horribly wounded). But there is a mystical power that could manage that. 

One that. 

Seems. 

To come. 

As a prerequisite. 

To. 

Jake. 

Lockley. 

What if it is exactly that. Yes yes Jake can see what’s happening and he may understand that it’s hopeless but this is not the first “hopeless” situation the system has gotten itself into. Episode 6, how the hell do you recover enough from your soul being sucked out of your body to take out a horde of goons and a person that holds the power of an almighty god? Yes yes Khonshu armor gud, BUT JAKE IS A HUGE PART OF THAT MIRACULOUS FIX. Steven had that armor, Marc had that armor, and yet as soon as Jake took the stage, it apparently didn’t even take that long for the situation to be dealt with. With how Layla reacts when Marc and Steven return, it’s not impossible to think it was just a blink of an eye (CUE THE COMIC ACCURATE WAVY MUMMY STRIP ARMOR THAT REALLY LOOKS LIKE IT COULD TAKE CARE OF A BUNCH OF PEOPLE AT ONCE). 

What if Jake can only handle things when he has Khonshu’s armor. Or his protection, encouragement, WHAT IF POST CREDITS SCENE IS MORE THAN JUST KHONSHU TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THE SYSTEM. What if the only reason Jake is protecting the system or bothering to is because of a deal he made with Khonshu? 

What if the Jake alter appeared because of Khonshu? 

Yes I know Khonshu had something to do with Marc’s brother dying, but why the fuck would that stupid bird take notice of a completely ordinary child? IT’S PROBABLY SOMETHING SEASON 2 EXPLAINS BUT COME ON. 

If we take all the facts as we have them now, it is hauntingly pointing towards Jake only being there because of Khonshu. Protecting the system because of Khonshu, because of a deal, because of something that prevented Jake from defending the system from death when they didn’t have Khonshu’s power. 

You cannot begin to fathom how much I hope I’m wrong. From what I’ve seen of people talking about the comics and Jake he has nothing to do with Khonshu pre-Marc making a deal with him, Jake is another alter like Steven, appearing because of severe childhood trauma and serving a purpose that’s mainly “protecting the system like they weren’t when they were kids”, but what other fricking explanation is there. 

Alps was a death situation. THE GUYS HAD GUNS, Jake pops in then, pops in with the car chase, one wrong swerve they were all dead. 

Cairo chase was also death, THE GUYS HAD KNIVES, Jake pops in then! 

You’re telling me Jake “I’ll take care of this fight for you Steven!” Lockley wasn’t going to even try getting them out of that situation? 

You’re telling me Jake “I’ll take the uncomfortable ride through this bumpy car with these people that really want us dead for you Marc!” Lockley wasn’t going to front to at least take the pain of the gunshot?! 

You’re telling me Jake “I’ll kill this evil bastard that wants us dead for you guys because I know you’re not gonna do it because you don’t want that on your conscience!” Lockley just- 

JUST LET THEM DIE LIKE THAT?! 

AND NOW I’M JUST THINKING OF HIM KNOWING HOW TO GET OUT OF THE AFTERLIFE. Like he’s obviously buddy-buddy with Khonshu, you think the birb talked to him more and explained the afterlife and how to come back to life to him?! YOU’RE TELLING ME THE MORE REASONABLE OPTION TO EXPLAIN THIS IS JUST “KHONSHU SAID TO FREE HIM BECAUSE HE AND JAKE KNEW OF A WAY TO DIE AND COME BACK TO LIFE WITH MINIMAL EFFORT BUT IT REQUIRES KHONSHU TO BE NOT BOUND TO STONE”?! 

WHY WOULD THE BIRD THEN TAKE THE RISK OF BEING BOUND, WHAT IF SOMEONE SHOT THE SYSTEM AS SOON AS HE WAS A ROCK BIRB?! 

DID KHONSHU ALSO KNOW HOW TO APPEAL TO OSIRIS SO HE WOULD LET THEM THROUGH THE GATES?! 

HOW MUCH DOES JAKE KNOW OF THE AFTER LIFE!!!! 

Oh my LORD. 

Okay. Great. Amazing. We have two explanations. 

Jake had a deal with Khonshu before Marc even knew he existed. Great. Cool. Jake only protects the system when Khonshu is there to give him immortality armor. Yeah. This sounds really stupid now that I say it out loud. 

BUT THE ALTERNATIVE IS THAT KHONSHU TOLD JAKE BASICALLY EVERYTHING ABOUT THE ENNEAD AND HOW IT WORKS, HOW TO MANIPULATE TAWERET TO TURN THE BOAT AROUND SO THEY WOULD BE HEADING TOWARDS THE GATES OF OSIRIS, THEN EXPLAINED HOW TO APPEAL TO OSIRIS SO HE LETS THEM BACK INTO LIFE, AND IT ALL HINGED ON KHONSHU NOT BEING BOUND TO STONE SO THE HEALING ARMOR CAN REVIVE THEM – AND THEN THE STONE AGE FUCKING PREHISTORIC DINOSAUR WENT AND GOT HIMSELF TURNED INTO A STUPID PLAGUE DOCTOR STATUE?! 

I- 

It makes so much sense I hate it. 

I hate- 

Oh my lord. 

Basically: 

Khonshu: “If there ever comes a time when you can’t get out of a difficult situation, dying is a valid option!” 

Jake: “WhAt.” 

I just. 

I want a season 2. 

I WANT THEM TO EXPLAIN SO MUCH SHIT- 

GodDAMMIT. 

(AND THE SCALES BALANCE HOW THE FUCK ARE THEY SUPPOSED TO MAKE THE SCALES BALANCE THAT’S NOT SOME SORT OF FORMULA YOU CAN JUST MEMORIZE TO REPEAT IT EASILY WHAT THE FUUUUUUUUUU-)) 

Aight that’s episode 4. 

I knooooow the beginning of the hospital is this episode’s end, but I have the intro written already and I wanna start with it so the only thing I can really is the way Steven was screaming inside the sarcophagus seemed really alarmed. This is one of two pieces of evidence towards my “Steven is claustrophobic” theory, and there’s not much beyond it. But I guess it’s just a little bit about Steven, and these little things end up doing the most for characterization, so it’s a win! 

And before diving head-first into episode 5, I have to say that for all the love I have for this show, I can’t ignore its worse sides. My focus is the writing, not the matter of whether it’s good representation or not, but scrolling through tumblr it’s inevitable to read people’s reviews. 

And just judging it by rep... it’s mixed at best. 

They avoided using proper DID terminology, avoided using the actual term itself, characters repeated insults usually thrown at systems that are used to discredit DID, and the show didn’t disprove them (when it should have, adamantly), it used the classic annoyingly unrealistic “alters talk through reflections” thing, they didn’t have a conversation about DID where it was plainly said that systems are people same as otherwise neurodivergent persons are, all really important to hear to a mainstream audience that’s been fed bad and false representation for a long time, now taking the show as high authority in the conversation. 

I admire the writing. It fell really short on representation. 

So there is room for improvement. And thank fuck there is, if it was an astronomical disaster in every aspect imaginable, it would be a lot more difficult to convince a studio such as Marvel to give it another shot with tweaks that the fans and community suggested. And that would affect their opinion on trying to represent other marginalized groups. (I know a lot of people think that would be a good thing, but there has to be something to balance out the misinformation of media in the past. The stigma has to be rooted out, and Marvel is using their platform like a huge multi-media corporation should. All of their research matched the insane resources they have for it, so they can dedicate even more to get it just right.) 

A verdict of good or bad is too final for a show that tackled a long misrepresented topic of an experience that is very different for each person. And looking back on people’s opinions when the announcement of Moon Knight came out... 

We all expected much worse, didn’t we? 

Like as soon as we saw “MARVEL is making a show about a CHARACTER THAT HAS DID”, we all expected the worst of the worst, that it was going to be such bad representation it would put Split to shame. 

So if nothing else, those expectations are shattered. For better, for worse, for somewhere in the middle. 

So whatever comes first, season 2 or a movie appearance, let’s hope that they at least start using the terms that any simple tumblrite can find and easily remember within 20 minutes of scrolling. 

(Let’s hope) 

Episode 5 my friend, my fiend. 

[press-x-tojason]

Giant Bomb is dead, and I care way less than I thought I would. Probably because 83% of the people who I ever cared about had already left or died, or were already relegated to reduced content roles. 

Honestly, though, the writing’s been on the wall for a bit. They haven’t had anything worthy of paying for premium in several years, and, even though they’ve had well over a year to figure out a plan for the COVID era, they maybe made it a month with their plans to have a series of streams daily. I actually managed to forget I followed them on Twitch at all, for about 4 months, because they only streamed the podcasts and the occasional former Harmonix employee (who was literally paid to make content with their games while employed at Giant Bomb, which was funny because he blocked me on Twitter for making a post, addressing no one, back in 2014, which was asking about the legitimacy of the leaked list of “games “””””journalists”””””” who had taken money from publishers for positive reviews, a list which included him and multiple then-coworkers. I didn’t follow him, he didn’t follow me. He was manually searching the keywords, because he was, and is, a prick.) solo Rock Band stream in the last 8 months or so. Even when Jeff would manage to do one of his 20 streams from home a year, it would be on his own channel. There was just no content. And they’re surprised their “pay for our unique premium content!” model failed. They always “feigned” anger at Dan for “making” them do the Mario Party Parties, and literally never promoted his and Drew’s Metal Gear series after the first game... but I bet that, when only those, UPF, and the ad-free versions of the podcasts were premium features, those two series were keeping them afloat. Well, that and the remaining goodwill they miraculously managed to hold onto for a few years after Ryan died.  Shit, I follow several people who are GB staff-adjacent, and... I can’t think of the last time they mentioned anything that happened on-site. Even the people who’ve been directly supporting them for over 10 years were out. 

But yeah, the site is super dead. They pretended in the announcements like they’re going to make a go of it still, but... you’ve got like 4 content people left, and the only one people give a shit about is Jeff. You just saw 3/4 of the side of the site that was still trying these past several months jump ship in a 3 month span. One of those was, by nearly any definition, a founding member. Of which you had already lost one, and are losing another from the main side. Jeff’s been way less active until the last week or two, probably because he heard they were leaving and was like “oops, should probably check on the ship that’s been sinking for years!” Then you have Jason “The Human Mumble” Oestricher, the charisma vacuum, whose legitimate public-facing reaction to first hearing that all but one of his GB predecessors were going to be gone. was, and I quote, “Hoo Boy.” Ben and Jan are the definition of “fine”. They would have been great, as they are today, as secondary members 8-10 years ago. But carry the site, they cannot. They’re down to, what, 5 named members now? It hasn’t been that dire since the beginning of 2009, before they hired Drew, when they hadn’t even started the P4 endurance run. You know, that surprise massive, internet-changing thing that essentially popularized the Let’s Play concept, loosening its definition and making it something that could be as personality-driven as game-driven, made simply to give them something to put on the website, beyond the rare review and, slightly later, quick look. This kinda illustrates the problem with modern Giant Bomb. When they were figuring shit out, flying by the seats of their pants, they came up with great shit, and they gave enough of a shit to make it happen. 0.000% chance they do a 10 hour Thanksgiving Kinect stream if the Kinect was new today. 0.000% chance the core members would have done an endurance run in the last 10 years if CT and Shenmue (which I haven’t watched) weren’t driven by the younger members. And you could see it in the fact that they never made a real, true mobile app. The number one thing that would have made them indispensable this past decade, an app to integrate premium features, the podcast, their video player, etc. all in one place in a mobile-friendly package, that could sync with the website... and they never even raised the idea publicly. I wonder how much of the innovation was the group think-tank of the first 5 years. Beyond Dan’s couple major contributions, I don’t think they added a single new type of content after 2012, which... still means the last 6.5 years lacked any semblance of innovation. I guess that’s a big part of why I fell off tremendously quickly after late 2014. There was just nothing new, and believe me, I was looking. I wanted reasons to stay watching. I supported them with my dollar. I believed in those brave early days. And I went back yesterday to watch the DP endurance run from VJ again. I still miss that rapport. And really, that hurt, too. Vinny moving back east, less than a year after Ryan passed... short term, it was fine. You had more people than ever to cover the gaps. But the spark was gone. The chemistry made the site. When I think of Giant Bomb, I still think of Jeff, Vinny, and Ryan, first and foremost. Those early podcasts, the NintenDownloads, the crazy tangents that everyone could seamlessly follow up on(well, except Brad, because he essentially slept through most of the podcasts, unless he was talking about the thing he did that week), the weird high-concept GOTY stuff... it wasn’t perfect, but you were entertained. You laughed. You were engaged. It never felt like you were watching them working, even though you could see the work they put in. It felt like, when they released something, you were experiencing a group of legitimate friends doing what they wanted to do anyways.(And boy have I seen enough groups do everything they can to NOT be enjoying doing that, and break up as a result due to hating the jobs that they chose to do). 

Part of me would love to make it as simple as “Ryan died, and so did the original spirit”, and... to a degree, it’s true. If you go back to any retrospective they’ve done about the founding of the site, or the podcast they recorded after Ryan passed, you can’t help but recognize that Giant Bomb never happens if these core members don’t all quit their jobs, led by Ryan,  because they respect their boss/manager, Jeff, and know he’s doing the right things(for them, for the reader/viewer, etc.) ahead of what GameSpot management wants him to do. Jeff could have been left in the wilderness, trying find a spot elsewhere, with the rumor going around between executives that Jeff wasn’t going to help them promote anything, essentially killing their revenue. He would have been done in terms of getting employed by a major site. But Ryan first, and soon after, Vinny and Brad, gave up their jobs to make this fledgling little project go. As much as the ERs brought me in and gave the impression that Jeff and Vinny were the long-standing duo, no, it was Ryan who was Jeff’s partner in crime. And, 8 years later, I can comfortably say... Giant Bomb never recovered from losing him. 

But it was so much more. Everything that set them apart slowly went away,  in time. I don’t think they’ve posted reviews for games in consecutive MONTHS since 2017; 2018 at the latest. They have done one Endurance Run in 9 years. They have not had a meaningful live event in 6 years. Unprofessional Fridays were more formulaic and lesser in volume and frequency after the major players started moving east. The lack of coordination between coasts killed the camaraderie, to the point that I think one of the last 5 true gameplay crossovers was their series of 2016-2017 PUBG shitfests. I remember when Vinny starting GBEast was supposed to be the start of a new era of content, and... it was, but not in a positive way, like it sounded. When half of each side seemed to constantly have no interest in making anything, nothing got made. But I guess that’s what happens when your second in command in one of your headquarters is just a former marketing grunt with an attitude problem, and the guy with the biggest ego on the team is the one who refuses to move to join either side, and just pushes out the most self-important drivel as a header to what were literally just copy-pasted articles from other sites every week while sitting at his desk, dreaming of the days Gawker would pay him to plagiarize political drivel instead, because that’s what really gets the soulless clicks. One of your founding members becomes depressed due to losing his two closest work friends, one for real, one to a 3000 mile separation, within a year, while the other one who is left virtually stopped playing anything but DOTA 2 for 2 years. Suddenly your most prominent personalities are the 2 new guys(one the aforementioned charisma vacuum, the other a walking mark) and your previously-mostly-off-camera producer who is best known to the wider Internet for... blinking. So, yeah, lifeless. And NOW, all you’ve got is old melancholy dad, charisma vacuum dad, and the two ADHD kids whose defining trait is that they choose to exclusively refer to their partners as “my partner” in voices that make it sound like they are embarrassed to have partners, while also talking more about what their partners are doing than what they do.  It’s confounding.

But yeah, TL:DR: RIP zombie Giant Bomb. Glad you’re finally getting taken behind the shed. It took 3 years too long, minimum.