#this movie changed me fundamentally as a human

[shouty-y]

Rewatched Goncharov (1973) and did a few studies of my favourite scenes

[sourdough-seal]

i love when you’re on public transportation and you see a stranger reading/watching a piece of media that completely messed you up but you can’t say anything about it so you sort of sit there in silence and wish them a safe and pleasant journey even though what they’re doing isn’t safe and the journey will be unpleasant

[imwritesometimes]

"I'm not gonna cry abt Indiana Jones tonight" I lie to myself as I turn the lamp on my nightstand off

[noneorother]

As a film person, this is the most f*cked up thing that happened in all of Good Omens

Forget about the final 15. If there's anything that should convince you that there's something really wack going on in season 2 of Good Omens it should be this cut. I literally gasped when I saw it for the first time. It's SO BAD from a technical perspective. Because you've probably been watching TV and movies your whole life, you might instinctively feel there's something weird happening with this cut, but not be able to put your finger on what it is.

I am here to tell you: they sacrificed continuity of action to *change the main character of the shot in the middle of the scene*. I won't do a full theory course on filmmaking here, but basically, when you want a fluid-feeling sequence of shots, especially when there's quite a lot of movement on screen, you have to conserve the direction and intention of that action to feel like it's all one take, and time is moving forward like we're used to in real life. Here, Crowley, Maggie and Nina all leave the Bookshop together, with Crowley and Maggie flanking Nina, who is centred in the shot. They are moving towards the camera as the camera is walking backwards, but at a slight curve camera-left. Crowley even turns his head and swings his arm left, making us feel like the camera will keep Nina center, and pan left or even cut wider to see more of the left of the street to watch them cross.

Well SURPRISE, idiots!

Forget everything you learned in film school because we're cutting immediately to a second medium length shot of the 3 characters from a slightly more camera-right perspective for no reason whatsoever, in the *opposite* direction of where the action is going, WHILE THAT ACTOR IS SPEAKING A LINE. This is so counterintuitive to the blocking of the scene that Maggie literally gets shoved out of frame while we're supposed to be reading her reaction to Crowley's dialogue. I can't stress enough how weird it is on a fundamental level. When a camera is moving and a character is talking, conserving continuity of action is THE ONE thing you don't sacrifice. It pulls people out of the moment, and makes it extra obvious that multiple takes have been stitched together. Which leads me to think that this is intentional, and sets up what I hinted to at the beginning of this whole "The More You Know" moment : Nina is the main character of the scene we're watching, until, suddenly, Crowley is. If you separated those two moments before and after the cut and watch them as two different scenes, you can see the camera following Nina and keeping her center before, but directly following Crowley and keeping him center *after* the cut. We've switched narrators in this moment. And to top it all off, they're making it pretty obvious that, while Nina is listening and reacting to both Crowley and Maggie, Crowley does not give a rat's ass about the two humans (not either not really in frame, or cut off behind him).

[astraystayyh]

Bittersweet

Pairing : Bang Chan x reader, exes to lovers.

Summary : You broke up with Chan because of an once in a lifetime work opportunity. Four years later, you are back home and everything has changed.

Warnings : Some cursing, reader has a big fear of thunder, allusion to sex in the end but no smut.

A.N: I wrote this as part two of Beginning of the End, but it can be read as a stand-alone. Still, i HIGHLY recommend reading part 1 first, it will just be more impactful!! Please let me know if you enjoyed reading, it means a lot to me <333

(Part 1)

-------------

Four years later, you were back to where it all started.

It felt weird to return home after all this time; to stroll down the alleys you once memorized, to meet up with the friends you once couldn’t live without. To witness firsthand how small your existence is, in the sense that you were so attached to your city, yet it had moved on perfectly despite your absence.

Still, you couldn’t really blame the world for moving on because you changed a lot too.

You had grown happier and more secure in yourself. Your work was recognized and praised, and you made some unforgettable memories that wouldn't have been possible had you not left. You felt as if everything you fought hard for finally paid off.

But throughout the years, one thing did remain the same; your love for Chan. You never tried to forget him or make your feelings go away. You figured that loving him was like the skin that clung to your bones, an inseparable part of your being.

Still, you were human after all, and as the months passed, you began to forget the sound of his voice and the warmth of his body against yours. His giggles became a distant memory in your mind, and so did the feel of his hands on your skin. Loving Chan became like a photograph that you safely tucked away; it chipped at the edges and its colors faded, but it still lived on, just like your love for him did.

And now that you were finally back with a bigger promotion, you couldn’t help but think about Chan even more. Everywhere you went, you saw snippets of your past with him.

You were so young, so foolish, you realized.

But so utterly in love.

----------------

It was 11 pm, and you were suddenly craving ice cream. You knew it was a bit ridiculous because it was -3 degrees, and you were already freezing, but you had one fundamental rule in life: never say no to your heart's desires.

This is why, despite the cold, you quickly leave your new apartment and skip toward the convenience store near you.

You head inside and grab your favorite ice cream before strolling around in case something else caught your attention. You just loved the calm inside and wanted to bask in it a bit more.

You round the milk aisle and suddenly bumped into someone’s chest. You were about to apologize when the words got stuck in your throat.

Chan.

"Yn…?" he calls out, and you feel yourself grow weak in the knees.

There was something about the way your name rolled off the tip of his tongue that made you feel as if no one, besides him, had ever done it justice.

He was even more beautiful than when you last saw him four years ago. His brown curly hair was tousled and his warm eyes reminded you of galaxies. Your heart was beating wildly in your chest because you couldn’t believe it. You couldn’t believe it was him.

Memories of your last time together came crashing down on you like a wave; how he hugged you and told you to pretend as if nothing was happening, how he wrote you the most heart-wrenching letter that you’ve since memorized by heart.

"How are you?" you ask, clearing your throat. It felt silly to ask such mundane questions. This wasn't what you wanted to know. You wanted to ask if he still hated the taste of alcohol, if he still cried during sad movies, if he still squealed when he laughed, if he still loved you as you loved him.

But you couldn't voice those thoughts, so you willed yourself to drown them in the storm that is your mind.

"I'm good, and you?" he replies, smiling a little. It doesn't reach his eyes.

"I'm great."

"You look like it," he says, and you meekly nod, "So do you."

"Are you... visiting?" he asks after a few silent beats, and you shake your head, "I'm back for good."

"That's great. It's nice seeing you again," he gives you a genuine smile this time, and you can't help but grin back. You missed him.

You both stare at each other for a while after that, taking each other in. Looking at him felt like looking at a mirror of your past self -you could clearly see yourself in him because he once was a part of you, just like you were a part of him.

"I'll... I'll get going," he points behind him, retracting back, and before you could think it through, you grab his wrist to stop him.

It wasn't butterflies you felt when you touched him, that would be an understatement, it was pure electricity shooting through you.

People had touched you while you were away - hugs, kisses, and intimate caresses - but none of them made you feel this way. You were like a prisoner who had just felt the sun's rays against their skin for the first time in years. And you were starving for that sunlight.

"Can we meet up? Catch up? If you want to, of course," you whisper. Your voice is quiet- a stark contrast to the chaos going on in your mind.

"Yeah... Yeah, I'd like that," he agrees, rubbing the spot where you had grabbed him. Did he feel the sparks too?

"Tomorrow, this time, in the park near our old apartment?" you suggest, and he nods, "Sure. I'll be there."

"Great. I'll wait for you."

----------

You are sitting on a swing, swaying back and forth gently. Your heart is beating erratically in your chest, and you bite your nails from how stressed you are. In the four years you were away, you had to give conferences in front of thousands and thousands of people, yet you weren't as nervous as you are now.

"You still do that?" a voice next to you reprimands and you turn around to find Chan.

"Old habits never die, I guess," you smile sheepishly, dropping your hand down, and he chuckles.

"How are you?" you ask again, and he shrugs, "I'm good."

"How are you, really?"

"I don't think you have the right to ask me that anymore." His words cut you deep, and you swallow forcefully. "I'm sorry, I didn't... I didn't mean to pry."

"I know, fuck, I didn't mean to snap at you."

"It's okay," you reassure, looking up at the starry sky. He was right after all.

"Haven't been stargazing for a while," he whispers, and you smile sadly. That was one of your favorite activities together.

"Me too. But I love looking at the stars," you reply.

"I know. They remind you of how small you are in the grand scheme of things," he says nonchalantly as if he didn’t just knock the breath out of you. He remembered.

"Yeah, like how I've been away for four years, and everything moved on as if I've never been here."

"Your absence was felt, yn”, he pauses, “I used to miss you." Used to. Past tense.

"I still miss you." Your reply is instant; you don't feel the need to hide from him. You never did.

Chan holds your gaze for a while, and you wonder what he was thinking at that moment. You wanted to shout at him to tell you what was on his mind. To just say it. But you couldn't. You can no longer ask things from him; you knew that.

"I saw your name in news articles and TV shows. You had your big breakthrough," he suddenly smiles at you, changing the subject. You feel a blush creep up your neck; the fact that he kept up with you made you feel shy all of a sudden.

"I guess I did, I grew a lot. I... I think that I needed to get away and experience new things. It would have haunted me had I not," you smile, and he nods attentively. He still listened to you intently, as always.

"You were always destined for great things," he says seriously, and you feel your eyes well up with tears.

He spoke those words as if he wholeheartedly believed them, and nothing in the world could ever sway his mind.

"So are you. You've been doing amazing these past few years, getting all these awards and deals. I love your music," you gush, and he waves a hand in the air as if to dismiss your words.

"Don't do that," you chastise, "you should be proud of yourself. I know I am very proud of you."

"I suppose the years did us good," he sighs wistfully, and you hum in agreement. You are both quiet after that. You don’t dare to speak, afraid that your next words would break the bubble you are in. As selfish as it was, you didn’t want to face reality yet.

"Just say what’s on your mind," he suddenly speaks up, and you raise a brow at him inquisitively.

“You are scratching your throat as if to stop the words from coming out. Just tell me.” Chan, ever the perceptive.

You take in a deep breath, willing your voice to sound strong, "The only thing I regret is that... I had to lose you in the process. I know I'll never find someone as amazing as you."

Chan doesn’t reply and your words linger in the air, suffocating you. You hoped that a strong wind will come by and carry them away, somewhere they wouldn't hurt anymore.

"I did love you, yn." A pause, and you can feel a heartbreaking ‘but’ coming. "But I don't anymore. I found... I found someone else. They are good to me and I love them."

"Oh". You dreaded it, expected it even, you never wanted him to wait for you. Because you left, so he had every right to move on. Still, you were only human, an enamored human whose heart now broke in two.

You feel the bile rise in your throat and you shake your head as if to clear those stupid thoughts away. You left, for god’s sake, you weren’t allowed to feel this way. But still, it hurt, it hurt so bad all you wanted to do was to curl in a ball and weep.

"I hope that you are happy with them. That's all I ever wanted for you, happiness." Your voice wavers and he knows, Chan must know you are trying so hard not to break down. So he doesn’t comment, he only smiles at you, which makes your heart break even more, because he must smile at them like this all the time now.

"I will get going," you abruptly stand up, dusting your pants. "Let me walk you home," he offers and you shake your head no.

"It's nearly midnight, you are out of your mind if you think I'll let you walk alone."

"Okay," you simply reply. Truth is, you weren’t processing what he was saying anymore. 'I love them' kept repeating itself in your head like a broken mantra. He found someone else. He found someone else. He found someone else, and it isn’t you. 

"This is me", you clear your throat when you arrive in front of your apartment, and Chan stops in his tracks.

“Come here”, he says and it’s all it takes for you to bury yourself in him. Just like four years ago, he was leaving you with a goodbye hug. Only this time, there was no hope left. Only a sense of finality. He knows that you still love him, you couldn't hide that from him. But he doesn't love you anymore and he can't hide that from you.

The hug only lasted a mere ten seconds, but you tried your best to take it all in, to memorize how it felt for Chan to hug you again. You desperately needed to patch up the broken memories you had left of him.

You finally lean away, wiping your tears with the sleeve of your shirt. Chan’s brows furrow looking at you, and you smile reassuringly. "I'm okay really. This is just bittersweet to me."

"It is to me too," he whispers and you nod, biting the inside of your cheek to stop yourself from breaking down.

"You stay safe for me, yeah?" he tells you softly and you nod again, "you too."

"Goodbye, yn."

"Goodbye, Chan," and with that you turn around, entering your apartment block.

You've never hated goodbyes more than in that instant.

------------

it's been 3 months since your talk with Chan. Admittedly, you've gone back to that convenience store where you've met him, for a month straight, just in case he went back there. He didn't. And now you had a large stock of snacks you didn't know what to do with.

After that, you went to all the places where you've gone to on your dates. You don't know what you were expecting. You've lost Chan, but still, you always found yourself back to where you shared memories with him. But he wasn't there.

In the third month, you've started accepting that you lost him for good. The love mingled with the ache and you found comfort in its everlasting presence. It served as a reminder that you did love him, and he did love you back at some point.

Thankfully, your work was going really well, and tonight, you were out with your superior to celebrate a successful deal you chaperoned and discuss some upcoming projects.

You enter the restaurant, your boss hot on your tracks, when you abruptly stop. Sat on a table right across from you is Chan with a girl you did not recognize. You would have bolted out had it not been for your boss who looked at you with worried eyes. You shake your head mouthing an "I'm fine" to him.

While your boss placed your order, you couldn’t help but stare at Chan. He looked so... happy with her. She said something and he laughed, tipping his head back. You felt jealousy gnaw at your heart because you were the one who used to make him laugh like that.

You left, you remind yourself, you are the one who left.

Against your own will, you look up at Chan once again, only this time he was looking at you too. You hold his gaze as if under a spell, and when the girl next to him touches his hand softly to bring him to her, you almost sob right there and then.

"... our partners will come from France and you will have to hold a meeting with them tomorrow."

"Sure. I already prepared the slides and sent them over to your mail," you nod. Work, forget about Chan, work.

"I will check them out. You'll have Clara with you?"

"Yes, she's the only one who can speak French besides me. I have been overlooking her for this past month and she's really competent."

"Should I challenge her?"

"Yeah, I think she's up to the task", you smile and he nods, satisfied.

You try to eat your dinner after that, keeping up with your boss’s chatter. But it felt like a punishment- sitting there when the man you still loved was on a date right across from you.

And as if your night couldn’t get any worse, you hear thunder rumble loudly. You clench your glass so tightly in your hand- you are surprised it didn’t break.

You had a really really big fear of thunder. It stemmed from when you were a child, playing hide and seek when a thunderstorm happened. You ended up being stuck in the closet for an hour because your cousins forgot about you, and you fainted from how afraid you were.

You look up at your boss apologetically, you couldn't tell him you had to leave because of a childhood phobia, so you quickly try to muster up an excuse. "I'm sorry to cut it short but can I go? I have a- a dentist appointment and I need to wake up very early tomorrow."

"Sure. I'll see you at work?". You have never been more grateful for his understanding.

"Yeah, thank you for dinner".

You quickly grab your things, leaving the restaurant. You hop in your car but you are shaking so badly, you can't even start the engine. Another thunder resounds and you drop your keys, forcefully shutting your eyes. You try to drown out the sound with your hands clasped on your ears but it didn’t help. It was too much- the pain, the fear, the ache. You needed everything around you to stop.

You hear the door next to you suddenly open and you snap your eyes toward it, to find a disheveled Chan standing there. He pulls you out of your seat, instantly bringing you to his body.

He knows how scared you are of thunder.

"Shhh, it's okay, I'm here. You're safe," he pats your head gently and you hug him tighter to you; as if he was your only mean of survival.

He tries to peel away but you only hold him closer, to which he rubs soothing circles on your back, “I’m not going anywhere, let me drive you home, okay?”

You nod against his chest and he lets go of you, holding your hand instead. He opens the passenger door for you then he quickly hops into the driver’s seat. He starts off your car, blasting the music so loud you no longer hear the thunder booming.  

Your hand is still tightly clasped in his when you arrive home.

He silently opens the door for you once more, and you lead him to your apartment. You were mortified he had to leave the restaurant for you, but you were so grateful for him, because at the end of the day, he came to you.

Chan awkwardly stands in your living room and you figure the least you could do is apologize. "I’m sorry I cut your date short."

"You sound jealous", he points out.

"I am jealous, but mostly sorry."

"You shouldn't date someone who won't be with you in times like these," he dismisses your words, and you frown. Why did he sound angry all of the sudden?

"He didn't know."

"Still, he should have seen the signs. I was across the room but I saw you shaking for god's sake!” he almost shouts and you take a step toward him.

"Why do you care?"

"I don't," he is lying.

"Why does it bother you?” you insist. You needed to know.

"I said it doesn’t yn," he enunciates but you don’t back off.

“He’s my boss that’s why I was alone, but why? Why does it matter to you?"

"Because I fucking lied", he shouts, inching closer to you. "Because I lied yn, I never found someone else, it was you, it was always you."

"What... but the girl?".

"She's my coworker yn. I tried to forget you. I tried but you were always there. You were everywhere. And I had to carry on with the love I had for you but I didn't know where to put it anymore. Because you didn't tell me, you didn't tell me where the love was supposed to go now that you left!"

You stare at him unblinking, afraid that this was all just a figment of your imagination.

"And then... and then you came back and it was as if no time has gone by. It was as if you'd never left and I wanted to kiss you and hug you and I wanted you back. I needed you back", his hands are on your shoulders now, grasping you tightly as if to convince himself that you were here.

"But I couldn't, I couldn't allow you in because what if you left again? I wouldn't survive that, yn," his voice cracks at your name and it’s all it takes for you to bring his lips crashing down on yours.

You stagger back, your fingers grazing your lips in shock, "I'm so sorry, I didn't-", your words are cut off by his mouth on yours once again, "don't stop", he whispers and you kiss him, again and again. Your mouths moving in sync to the symphony that is your love.

When you finally pull away, he places his forehead on yours and you close your eyes. "Tell me this is real, that you're back to me."

"I'm here."

"You still feel like a dream."

"I'm here, I'm here", you reassure, your hand gently cradling his cheek, "I never stopped loving you Chan. I knew I was destined to love you, whether you loved me back or not."

"You are my soulmate", he leans back, kissing your forehead softly, "you and I are one."

"I've got a tattoo of your handwriting", you confess softly and his eyes snap open.

"What?"

"I tattooed a sentence from the letter you left me, with your handwriting, 'Our love will remain'."

"Where?"

"Here", you trace the outline of your breast and he chokes, "somewhere only I can see it."

"You are crazy", he chuckles, a bewildered smile on his face.

"In love, yes," you giggle and he blushes, hiding his head in your neck.

“Can I see you tomorrow? We have a lot to talk about," he asks, peppering the curve of your neck with kisses.

"Sure, I'm all yours after 5 pm."

"Works for me. I’ll see you tomorrow?", he smiles, and you beam at him, "I’ll see you."

Chan doesn't let you go and you laugh, kissing his cheek, "you are not leaving?"

"I'm not", he smiles cheekily.

"And why is that?"

"Because....", he drawls out, his lips brushing against your collarbone, "I need to see that tattoo."

----------

A lover’s body is like a land you discover over and over again. And tonight, as Chan made love to you, you drank it all in- the flexing of his muscles and the new sounds he made. But despite those changes, you found out that you never forgot the secret passages to his body, and the ways only you can make him unfold.

Still, it wasn’t when his naked body hovered over yours that you felt bare in front of him. It was when you both laid next to each other, talking in bed until the sun rose, that he undressed your mind.

It is there, behind those walls that you both built, that Chan and yn from four years ago lived on.

And you were still as in love.

[ontologicalsynaesthesia]

It's so interesting to me that Izzy's suicide attempt wound heals very slowly, and leaves a big visible scar, in a show where characters regularly shrug off much worse injuries. You can even see it under his drag makeup:

Injuries in OFMD seem to have a physical impact on the character more or less in proportion to their psychological impact, regardless of how serious the wound should realistically be. In S1E4, Stede spends one episode injured after getting stabbed and hanged due to his hubris and incompetence, but then he's fine after hanging out with Ed for a while and getting some validation. In S1E6, Stede spends an entire night impaled on a sword, but he doesn't even seem to be in pain and suffers no lasting damage because it's not a psychological wound. And of course, in S2E3, Ed comes back to life more or less physically intact after realizing that Stede is there waiting for him, even though he should have been very, very dead after what the crew did to him.

But all of Izzy's injuries have a realistic impact on his body, in a way that isn't the case for any other character. I think some of that can be attributed to his Only Human In A Muppet Movie status, but it's also because of his uniquely fucked up relationship with Ed.

Ed causes all of Izzy's injuries, and I think they affect Izzy so permanently because of how deeply invested and dependent Izzy is on his relationship with Ed; his whole sense of self is bound up in it. Those wounds represent the toxicity of their relationship and how much it's damaged Izzy.

In contrast, when Izzy shoots Ed in the arm, the wound doesn't seem to stick around; we never see any evidence of it after that moment. Ed's actions have a far deeper impact on Izzy than Izzy's actions have on Ed, because there's always been an inequality in their relationship; Izzy cares about Ed much more than Ed cares about him, and that's the fundamental problem for Izzy.

Izzy post S2E4 has made a deliberate decision to move on from what happened between him and Ed, because it was so big and so awful that it's not the kind of thing he could either just forgive or ignore. And I think his Ed-induced suicide attempt was kind of the final straw; it's after that that he goes on deck and shoots Ed, which David Jenkins has described as Izzy "breaking up" with him. I don't think Izzy's stopped being in love with Ed, but he's stopped trying to influence his behavior as much, or even spend much time with him at all, and he's spending time with other characters instead.

But for all his change in behavior, every time he's on screen, we get a visual reminder of what happened, in both his leg and the scar on his face. Both are emphatically visible in the above scene, when Izzy and Stede are talking about Ed. It's a reminder of the impetus for Izzy's character arc this season, his relationship with Ed, and I think it's an indication that he hasn't fully healed psychologically, and probably never will. All he can do is keep moving forward.

[anarglitch]

Scott pilgrim takes off inhabits the same artistic space as the matrix 4, or even the final fantasy 7 remake. I mean this as a good thing. It has the distinct touch of an artist that made something that defined a generation revisiting the art that outgrew them a thousandfold with more maturity and different interests.

These interests usually skew meta, they're about what drives someone to revisit something made by a past version of oneself, about the experience of suddenly gaining more influence than anyone could reconcile, where criticisms of your work (which you also, no doubt, have many) become synonymous with criticisms of your culture. If you've been here a while, you probably know (and are tired of) what I'm talking about, manic pixie dream girls and aloof average male protagonists, toxic nostalgia, pick your theme and it's a video essay title.

Imagine having every read of your 2004 funny video game-coded coming of age comic reverberate infinitely toward every direction, people saying your main character taught a whole generation of men to be self-absorbed while the exact opposite type of people rant about how your secondary lead "ruined a whole generation of women" because of hair-dye or whatever. Imagine Edgar Wright makes a movie adaptation of your cute little comic that somehow launches the careers of half of the current celebrity pantheon simultaneously. How would that change you?

Well, for one, it makes you less relatable. The truth of an aloof nerdy guy dating in his early 20s is a lot more universal than the truth of an artist in his 40s forever defined by the event horizon of a thing he wrote half his life ago. The matrix 4 couldn't stop talking about how it feels to have created the matrix. The final fantasy 7 remake can't help but to constantly examine what it means to remake final fantasy 7. It's easy to see why someone would hate that indulgent meta trend, I'll probably never write a generation-defining story, why would I care about the first world problems of someone who did? It can feel distant, and at its worst it can feel insulting. Like it's pointing the finger at the fans, whispering 'you did this to me'. I get that.

I get that, but I love it.

It's the fundamental difference between wanting something that is like something you liked, and wanting someone that is from the same creator of something you liked. The difference between feeding the mona lisa into an AI and finding a new authentic da Vinci. You can't make something entirely new if you religiously stick to using the parts of something that's already there. The human behind the work will always have influences you didn't realize, thought patterns and aesthetic preferences that weren't entirely clear in their previous work, no matter how much you deconstruct it. More importantly, the human will also change, and this organic self-continuity will reflect on the art. I don't want the creator of something to hold their own creation with the same zeal as its fans, because someone who did that simply wouldn't have been capable of creating the original piece in the first place.

I don't want a product, I want art.

Scott pilgrim, the original, indulges the most earnest impulse we have-- that of self-mythologizing, of creating a narrative off of our own lives. To depict the mundane as fantastic, interpersonal relationships as adventures. It resonated with so many people because it was earnest, and it was also picked apart to hell and back because it was earnest. Its flaws were on display, and not just the ones it intended to show. But in my opinion, the opposite impulse, that of washing off everything that could be criticized and presenting the cleanest possible image of yourself through your art, is just... bad. it makes for bad art, or it just freezes you. The very first hurdle of creating anything is getting over that, then maybe the spotlight will fall on you. If it does, you'll get everything you ever wanted, but everyone gets to see through you.

So, how do you revisit something like that? You have two options. Either you take all the pieces and try to reassemble them exactly how everyone remembers it, signing your name as a formality, looking at a mirror in which you no longer see yourself, or you talk to it. You dialogue with your own work, with who you used to be. You travel in time and talk to yourself. You question them, acknowledge them but also teach them a thing or two. You don't respect the product, you respect the feeling. You find the same earnestness that made you put pen to paper for the first time, and you point it towards your new loves and fears. Maybe you make it less about the main guy, take the chance to develop your secondary characters, maybe you give the girl more agency. Maybe you summon the future and refuse its answers. Maybe you fight yourself.

That's the harder choice. It submits your new self to the scrutinizing eyes of a whole new generation, it risks alienating the people who identified with your previous piece. It's riskier, probably less profitable, and by any pragmatic lens probably a bad idea. But it's the only way you can make art. It's truth, the truth that got you there in the first place.

It's how you get it together.

[quasarkwell]

My sister and I re-watched Ponyo last night. She absolutely went feral over Humbert von Gikkingen last week (who can blame her, honestly), and I thought she would like Fujimoto. So while I was getting the movie ready, I told her that she should get ready to have another favorite character. "You'd better not be talking about Ponyo's scummy dad," was her response.

I was a bit appalled. All the characters in Ponyo are great, but Fujimoto's so cool. He's a former human who loved the sea so much he couldn't forgive humans for polluting it. He married the Queen of the Sea and gave up his humanity for magic to serve nature. He's so fundamentally changed that he can't walk on dry land.

In his introduction, he even has a flashlight so he can talk to squid.

That alone tells me he's really good at his job.

And his design? Long red hair, the weird suit, the gold earrings, the magnificent bags under his eyes. It all screams "neurotic wizard".

He ends up as the antagonist because he knows how bad humans can be and is reluctant to trust them. I love the scene where he talks to Gran Mamare for the first time. We see that Fujimoto is incredibly reluctant to trust a human with the fate of his daughter, no matter how much his daughter likes that human. He becomes so distraught he starts to retreat into himself and Gran Mamare calms him down like this:

Fujimoto somewhat reluctantly helps his wife set up the test of love, and when it's over, he tells Sasuke, "I hope you will remember me kindly." He knows that even though he was doing his best, he failed. He isn't human anymore, but he's still fallible.

My sister did change her stance on him after this re-watch. Growing older allows us to see things in deeper color than black and white.

There is one thing he definitely got wrong, though: Brunhilde was a terrible name for Ponyo.

[funnysillyclown]

HAPPY 10 YEARS, THE LEGO MOVIE!

For transparency reasons, the motorcycle was directly traced from my reference image. The rest was drawn over/loosely traced. Not to say that I didn’t put any of my own spark into this, I feel quite the opposite..

Also, I got the inspiration for Emmet’s face from this brief moment that happens right between the two pieces of dialogue. Always loved this expression. He really hasn’t received any amount of praise in his life up until now.

Can’t believe it’s been 10 whole years since this movie came out. Fundamentally changed me as a human being. Thank you.. I guess. Idk this is a tribute piece but it’s weird to thank a movie. Thank you everyone who made the movie! That’s better.

[mercy-misrule]

Ridiculous take in the iwtv tag, where Lestat is 'the true victim' had me just vibrating with annoyance but...its not worth interacting with. just had to block and move on with my day.

But in no canon, not book, tv show, movie or musical is that an accurate and competent reading of the text or understanding of the character.

Hell, like, take book canon for example. As the series progresses, Lestat becomes god tier powerful. Vampires who drink his blood or any of the truly ancient vampires blood start to be able to resist the fire gift, and walk in the sun, they are almost impervious to bodily harm.

Louis rejects that, he refuses to drink the powerful blood. He does not wish to be changed, losing his fragility feels like losing the little humanity he has left, that he clings to.

And it's all very much gothic heroine coded, Louis is always metaphorically swooning and being princess carried and having his will violated for his own good.

That's horror, that's the genre. That's Lestat, so in love, so needy that he ignores Louis' decision to die, and brings him back with his ultra powerful blood.

And you get this great duality of Lestat loving Louis so much that he'll sacrifice anything to get him back...and the very act of doing so makes it that much more convenient for Lestat.

Now Louis is no longer vulnerable and he's reconnected to Lestat! Amazing!

This rules, btw. It's a fuckin nightmare, but that's the point of horror. there is no 'healthy' resolution to a vampire's romance, and any attempt at it always rings hollow. It's so fucked up and I love it. Love to see them fatally entangled in one another.

Anyway, Lestat is a monster. That's the point. He survives horrendous things, he commits unforgivable acts. He's a victim of abuse who becomes abusive, continuing the cycle.

He's the hero of his own story, he's the villain in others, but if you actually like the character, accept his flaws and cruelties because they are as fundamental to him as the romance and the charm.

[nourrris]

peter parker

(going off the tom holland vr! this is going to be a very long ramble about the character) i cant get over how genuinely hauntingly sad peter parker is, when the idea of peter parker was created, (to be different incomparsion of other characters), because you have a teenager superhero - it's such a good concept mind you - but god? having somebody so young have such a large role on their shoulders is insane, and it's so interesting because just the change in age literally completely fundamentally changes his characters actions and future, he'll have more impulsive decisions, extreme mental issues (which is unavoidable in his situation), and simply a very difficult time trying to navigate.

his level of severe childhood trauma (which quite literally gives you a form of brain damage) will ultimately affect his entire future and actions, he saw his uncle die at what 14? maybe younger? that itself even without the spider-man part is horrid, he never had the chance to even grieve because he was thrown into the most life changing event of his life, he also had no parents either, he has a very significant lack of figures in his life that is so hard to change how they impacted him. what happened in homecoming was the least terrifying experience he probably went through which says alot when a whole warehouse fell upon him and he was just /inches/ way from dying near the end from the vulture.

then infinity war happens next, his fight's and experiences horribly scary situations that nobody could probably even digest at such an age, or even older. and when he 'dusted' its obvious it takes a toll on him before it even happens, he could feel it, and god isn't that scary to think of? the unstoppable force of death? then fucking endgame happens, which i honestly can't even believe the fact that if i said it wasn't the worst thing that happened to him i'd be right, even though he saw somebody who he considered a 'father' figure die in his hands.

excluding that even if tony never died peter would have never recovered mentally so normally, seeing how he was beat up to hell holding that gauntlet was so fucking terrifying. he was tossed around so much and he quite literally held the most dangerous and world altering item in his hands, and if he lost it he'd have the entire world's blame on him. thats so much responsibility a newly(?) sixteen year old should never have, you cannot possibly tell me that it wouldnt literally alter his brain from the terror.

far from home is one of my favorite movie's ever but never fails to make me cry. he didn't even get the time to grieve tony, or the fact that his entire world changed in the matter of days, or the experience it was to endure the endgame fight, how can you casually go back to school after witnessing and /participating/ in the fight that could have possibly entered in the doom of the world again or bring it all back. then mysterio happens, which in my opinion is one of the absolute worst villains that peter's fought, because he was just so human. he ruined peters life completely, and he was just another human. wouldn't that make somebody so bitter? that no your life wasn't completely thrown away to shit by the big evil purple alien, but by another full human. absolutely nothing special to him power wise, not possessed, no weird voices, he did it with pure manipulation and thats one of the worst possible things i could have imagined somebody doing to him.

because peter at the end of the day was just a complete kid, mysterio made him believe he could trust him and peter did, he just lost so much in his life that somebody who could finally understand him was all he needed to feel assured, its why the significance of that one talk they both had after fury was being a dick to peter was so important, mysterio decided to go for such an emotionally devastating route it's unbelievable. but seemingly manipulating his trust wasn't enough, he just had to fuck him up so bad with that illusion scene, putting everything he loved against him and god the stark part was so fucking cruel, but after it all the part that hurt so much to watch was when happy got to him, peter questioning if he was real is so cruel. making this poor kid unable to trust his surroundings (after also being hit by a fucking train!), when he already had so much psychological issues going on is literally the cruelest fate he could have given him at the time.

and lastly no way home, and his future at that. mysterio exposing peters identity was such an irreversible decision that i honestly believe no matter what peter did, there was nothing that could give him or his loved ones the life he wanted unless if he did try to make everybody forget him. like if he originally went to the lady to re-persuade her to let his friends in it wouldnt have worked, and it also showed that much before peter ended up saving the lady in the car, all their fates were fucked and frankly there was no good way to get out of it, he was so absolutely doomed.

may parkers death was the worst of it all i think, i believe from everything that's happened to him, that absolutely nothing would affect him the way she died did. every other death of a loved one that had happened he couldn't truly take the blame for, but knowing how everything lead up to him is the most excruciatingly important detail. he canonically blames himself and i dont believe that feeling will ever end up going away. there's just no way it could, the fact he was the last person who ever saw her alive, the last person she spoke too, he quite literally saw the life drain out of her, there's no way to recover after seeing the person who's been with you for longer than you can remember die in your hands, and in the hands of your accidental actions.

i dont think there was a world were he could have escaped that death coming, peters identity being out as spider-man would have definitely done something in the future, and the problem is everything in no-way home happened in the smallest time stamp ever, i could be wrong but i believe it all went down in a few days at most, there was no way to even comprehend the absolute mental load and overwhelming amount of information being handed to him, nor do i think he'll manage to get over it easily later on either. the idea of different versions of him existing is so much to chew on, the idea of other versions of him living the happier life he could have, ones that never have the people he loves in them, ones where the people he loved are still alive, or some of them even. he even directly saw worlds where their peter parkers arent forced to be forgotten.

this version of peter lost so much that its impossible to cope with, all the peters lost alot already, like all of them didn't have parents iirc, all lost uncle ben, but the tobey and andrew spider-man had a living aunt may, then tobey's lost harry (?), and andrew lost gwen.

this version of peter parker lost both uncle and aunts, parents (of course), and tony stark. this is all just by death, he also lost his best friends, and girlfriend. they stay forever out of reach which is so tauntingly cruel. because he starts at 13/15 (pre homecoming) and by 17 (nwh) he's at the same point of all the other spider-man's started where theyre practically completely alone, or just experienced such a stark change to their lives.

my boy....... he deserves better..... sorry this is so long i had alot to say and i dont get the chance to talk about peter much and ive been recently hyperfixated on him since early feb and i love him so much and cant stop thinking or crying about him . also do tell me if i got any info wrong cause' ive only watched the tom holland trilogy, so im a bit uninformed there but did try to do some research!

[badasstransswag]

Just asking out of curiosity, but where does the idea that swk is trans come from?

Macaques are matriarchal, and 王 (typically translated as the "king" in Monkey King) was historically a gender neutral title. This is widely known enough that some scholarly readings of JTTW interpret the other macaque in his sworn brotherhood to be a female monkey king. (On a similar but less impactful note, though often translated as "Handsome Monkey King," Sun Wukong's title of 美猴王 more accurately translates to "Beautiful Monkey King," with 美/beautiful having feminine connotations.)

It is widely known that Sun Wukong was appointed the position of 弼马温 (translated directly as “to soothe the horses”) as a pun on the identically pronounced 避马瘟 ( “to ward off sickness for horses”). This title references a traditional Chinese belief (often cited to 马经 by 赵南星 of the Ming dynasty) that female monkeys and their menstruation would ward off plague for horses if kept in the same stable

The disciples in Journey to the West hold elemental names in addition to their given and Buddhist names. Zhu Bajie and Sha Wujing both have feminine elemental names (木母 "Wood Mother" and 黄婆 "Yellow Matron" respectively), but in contrast, Sun Wukong holds a masculine elemental name, 金公 Metal/Gold Male

Sun Wukong is a 妖 yao, and yao in general have a history of being associated with the Chinese trans community. (Supplemental: see Bai Suzhen being read as an allegory for trans panic)

Thematically-wise, Sun Wukong's story is one of transgressing boundaries. JTTW as a whole is a story that places a lot of weight on the topic of transformation and change. Buddhas becoming humans, humans becoming gods, gods becoming yaoguai, yaoguai becoming buddha, buddhas taking the face of yaoguai. Yin within yang, light within dark, nothing is inherent, nothing is black and white. 变化者乃天地之自然 "Change is the nature of heaven and earth" (Daoist text 抱朴子 by 葛洪), 诸行无常 "all forms are ever-changing/no self is permanent" (Buddhist three marks of existence), etc etc. Sun Wukong is at the center of it all, a yao who not only asserts his identity as a god, but also a yao who will not change his being in lieu of that (SWK is very invested in showing off his grand power, and achieving/living in human form is an end goal show of power by many yao, yet SWK markedly remains steadfast in keeping his monkey form). SWK is a yaoguai, a god, and a buddha all at once, transcending boundary over boundary and master of the 72 transformations, transforming himself into what he wants to be and what he feels is true for himself.

This naming scene: 祖师笑道：“你身躯虽是鄙陋，却像个食松果的猢狲。我与你就身上取个姓氏，意思教你姓‘猢’。猢字去了个兽傍，乃是个古月。古者，老也；月者，阴也。老阴不能化育，教你姓‘狲’倒好。狲字去了兽傍，乃是个子系。子者，儿男也；系者，婴细也，正合婴儿之本论。 "The Patriarch laughed and said, “Though your features are not the most attractive, you do resemble a pignolia-eating monkey (husun). This gives me the idea of taking a surname for you from your appearance. I intended to call you by the name Hu. If I drop the animal radical from this word, what’s left is a compound made up of the two characters, gu and yue. Gu means aged and yue means female, but an aged female cannot reproduce. Therefore, it is better to give you the surname of Sun. If I drop the animal radical from this word, what we have left is the compound of zi and xi. Zi means a boy and xi means a baby, and that name exactly accords with the fundamental Doctrine of the Baby Boy." -JTTW Chapter 1

Also 1961 Sun Wukong speaks in a very characteristically Chinese opera 生 voice while no other character in the movie really does so outside of exclamations and such. And well... (The sheng is a role type in Chinese opera for dignified and respectable male characters such as Confucian scholars, nobles, or heads of households. They may be portrayed by either male actors or actresses. In Yue opera, sheng roles have been mainly portrayed by actresses. Actresses playing men (sheng) is also common in some southern genres like Teochew opera and Taiwanese opera. It also appears in Ping opera. (Wikipedia))

[anghraine]

I watched the movies first as a kid and they made it seem like denethor DIDNT want the beacons to be lit and I was so surprised when I read the book and it was all his idea. And that’s not even getting into them glossing over him using the palantir also. There’s just no seemingly good reason for either of those decisions except to make him into a simple caricature. It wouldn’t have been that hard to include?? And would have changed the whole tenor of his character in the films if they had

They actually do make it seem like that! The most Film Denethor moment to me is probably the shot of him glowering like Wormtongue as he sees the beacons light up. It's such a villain shot and yet his motives and actions are so reduced yet muddled that he's not even an interesting one. Like, it's not just that film Denethor is a terrible person regardless of the barely-alluded-to palantír where book Denethor is a great man whose pride and desperation lead him to use the palantír one last time and his sanity finally snaps. Film Denethor's motives are essentially "he be crazy and mean."

I obviously don't think highly of how the films handle Gondor in general, but my suspicion is that this is not mainly a result of just not having enough screen time. Making such an antagonist (if a pathetic one) out of him involved adding scenes, after all. I feel like there was actually an active effort to make him unworthy of respect. They could have made two movies out of ROTK (and probably should have) and I doubt it would have significantly changed the treatment of him.

The subtler, more complex gradations of his personality are already antithetical to the films' approach (see: Gimli). And Denethor additionally poses a direct challenge to Aragorn's super-special yet troubled heroism—as written in the novel, Denethor is probably closer to that than Aragorn himself, though both men are quite alike (as Tolkien repeatedly reminds us). And I don't think the films really want that likeness, or indeed want any other human men to be comparable to Aragorn in the way that book Denethor is.

That's so fundamental to the ethos and structure of the films that I think doing justice to Denethor would require a different way of thinking about the story, characters, and themes than was ever really going to happen with this production.

[gatheringbones]

[“When we survive violence, we are transformed by it. The nature of that change varies widely, but the fact of it is nearly universal. And if we are truly a part of something, if our existence and membership in something larger than ourselves is real and matters, then that change in us should show up somehow in our world.

When our pain is not acknowledged, the ways we are changed have no bearing on our world. Everything goes on as it did before. Here we are, fundamentally different than before, and here the world is, exactly the same. That disconnect can feel like unbearable isolation to survivors. As creatures of belonging and of community, it is not our nature as human beings to be so isolated. We fight it. And when what we are fighting is the invisibility and irrelevance of our pain to others, then in our fight we make that pain visible and we make it relevant.

One way we can do that is through revenge. When we enact revenge, the world is different because of what happened to us. Someone who wasn’t hurting is hurting now because of us. That difference, ugly and largely unsatisfying as it may be, can feel like an affirmation of our connection and our influence on the larger thing of which we are a part. But though it may be a form of what we need, revenge is not itself the thing we need. It is not more pain that affirms us and quiets the terror and injustice of isolation.

What we need is for something in our world to reflect what is different in us. What we need is to be recognized. As so many characters in movies say before carrying out retaliatory violence, “You see me now.” Revenge is in part an inescapable demand to be witnessed. The fundamental human need that can manifest as revenge, particularly when it is otherwise unmet, is the need for recognition. Recognition affirms our membership in something bigger than ourselves and our importance to that larger group. It affirms that when we are different, so, too, is the world, and in that way recognition combats our isolation and the legitimate terror that accompanies it. When that recognition comes from the responsible person, and especially when it is witnessed by community, it can fulfill the need that underlies the desire for revenge and can, not always but often, release survivors from it.”]

danielle sered, from until we reckon: violence, mass incarceration, and a road to repair, 2019

[thyandrawrites]

I'm gonna voice a bit of an unpopular opinion here but I wish Horikoshi would've put more of a focus on anti-mutant discrimination through the pov of non-villains. (using the word mutant here bc iirc 'heteromorph' is the less sensitive one as far as Viz's translation goes)

I believe someone before me (possibly @/transhawks) has already said this much, but... Hawks could've brought so much nuance to the table. He's a mutant, but he has more privilege than most because he retains a mostly human-like appearance; unlike fanon, his feet and his hands are human looking, and the only "birdier" trait he displays is a heightened sight. All in all, his wings are the only part of his appearance that make him visibly a mutant, and he's exempt from the anti-heteromorphic sentiment because his wings are the very things that make him a hero. His entire brand revolves around them: he uses them to fight, to save, to gather intel. Without them, he's simply not a hero, because they're a fundamental part of him, of how he does his duty. The Commission made them his trademark, exploiting his trauma ("what are those wings for?") as a way to leash him. They trained him to exploit the potential in his quirk to the max, and then made it a focus for the public to latch onto and idolize. He's not just Hawks, he's the Wing Hero: Hawks. When he models, he puts them on display. When he's out in the streets, he lets fans get into his personal space and touch them, feel them up. And his admirers do. In their eyes, those wings become akin to Endeavor's flames or Kamui's branches. They're no longer seen as a mutation that makes him "subhuman", but as the very thing that makes him a hero.

But this is all a speculation on my part because Hawks' original design was different from its finalized version. Before the movie came out and Horikoshi had to scrap it, Hawks' original appearance had a bird head, feathered torso and arms, and bird-like claws for hands. And that makes me wonder: was he always supposed to be a beloved public figure? Was his background with the Commission all it took for him to breeze past the social stigma and become so popular? Or did Horikoshi sacrifice some of its initial plans for Hawks' character when he had to last-minute change his design?

Even without considering the redesign angle, I always thought Horikoshi missed the mark for giving us a bit more worldbuilding nuance when Hawks recruited Tokoyami as an intern.

Like. We know that individuals still get discriminated on because of their appearance and quirks to this day. As this chapter points out, it might be an issue that appears to be smoothed over by some more progressive choices (like Nedzu becoming UA's principal), but Nedzu's backstory itself tells us he was the victim of experimentations by humans. Shouji wears a mask for other people's comfort and Spinner was the victim of social ostracization and became an hikikomori.

The discrimination is still there, but it just evolved into something more rooted and less outright than bullying and religious or social oppression. At least in the city, mutants are now integrated well enough in society, but their needs are still not accommodated or even accounted for. This is why for example Shouji has to rip the sleeves off his uniform instead of getting one custom-made, or why there was that background character TV host who cut one of his horns not to block the viewer's sight of the screen behind him (and was praised as a dedicated professional for it). In other words, mutants are expected to conform to the standards for non-mutants, instead of society actually making any effort to be inclusive and accessible.

And all of this is fine and well as background worldbuilding information. But given how it's now becoming a plot point with its own subplot, I can't help but think we could've used some more set up for it.

One of the stated reasons why Hawks extends that internship offer to Tokoyami, despite not usually taking interns, is because "they're both birds". And of course part of this is just Hawks being Hawks. He's quirky and he makes a habit of throwing off people with his laidback and goofy act. But my point is, what if there was more to it? What if he saw a fellow mutant, a fellow flying-adjacent quirk he could help hone, and thought, "people like us already have it hard as it is. He's a mutant and one with a quirk that can potentially be seen as villainous. The League nearly captured him too, and the media ripped into that other kid to blame him for his own kidnapping. But by taking Tokoyami under my wing, I'm vouching for him. If he associates with me, an already established media sweetheart, it's less likely that anti-mutant sentiment will target him."

I mean, obviously Hawks still would've offered an internship to a class-A kid because he needed insight on the League. But Tokoyami isn't the only kid who can fly. Heck, Bakugou has been doing that with his explosions since day 1, and he was in the League's lair for a few days. Obviously, if intel and quirk compatibility were all Hawks was after, Tokoyami wasn't the sole option. Hawks wasn't looking just for wasted potential, either. Uraraka can float, she's similarly driven by challenges, and has never maxed out on her potential either. It's obvious to me that Hawks feels some kind of kinship for Tokoyami that he doesn't for the other kids. And I'm just saying, it would've been interesting if that was because of their roles as heroes and mutants in a society that is hostile to one but not the other.

Don't get me wrong. On his own, Spinner does bring up a lot of interesting things to the table. But he's meant to be an outsider, someone rebelling against the current state of things. So one thing he cannot portray is the pov of someone who is a cog in that machine. Hawks could've done that, and he could've shown us the double standard at play in all its glory.

Hawks is a mutant, but he "passes" as human—or human enough to be integrated fully. So he has privilege. But that privilege is artificial, since he started off at the bottom of the food chain and only rose into wealth and power thanks to government funding and sponsoring. Yet, at the same time, his integration is still conditional; it hinges on his performance, on adapting to society and its needs over his own, on being a hero through and through with no time to spare. On making his mutation a show that can sell, and that can be a tool for the people who invested time and resources into it. The respect he's given now is not inherent, but it ties directly into what he gives back to the society that "allowed" him to raise to number two. And he knows it. He very well knows it, and he protects his forged hero persona because he's aware it's the only thing standing between his current life and a return to homelessness, poverty and abuse.

Idk. I just think expanding on this would've added a lot to the story. It would've made it an issue to fix, rather than something that only affects "villains," because the heroes learn to deal with it and that makes them "plus ultra" as opposed to oppressed in a different way

[paradoxcase]

John 5:1

THE TOWER HAS REA

Honestly, if regular necromancers had this ability to stop bodies/meat from rotting like this, that would be something that like fundamentally changed some aspects of society, like feeding people becomes much easier, you don't necessarily even need things like salting or refrigeration or freezers if you have a necromancer on hand, and maybe necromancers wield power in society because without them there's no fresh food? But I don't get the idea that that's the case in the Nine Houses, Ianthe didn't learn how to stop apples from rotting until after she became a Lyctor, and she's actually a flesh magician, unlike Harrow who we can expect probably knew very little about anything to do with meat

I've been thinking throughout these segments that this is starting to sound more and more like the story of how John became the Unabomber, and this is making me think that even more. Come to think of it, Kaczynski also had an advanced degree, didn't he?

Apparently that's a NZ secondary school qualification, I guess he's talking about Pyrrha's level of education here?

It really all keeps coming back to Weekend at Bernie's with this story, doesn't it? And yeah, like someone pointed out, John should know about that movie, I'm surprised he hasn't mentioned it at all

This can't be foreshadowing, because that part of the book already happened, but it's like, I dunno, aftershadowing or something of how Mercy and Augustine also teamed up to kill John even though they hated each other

I think there's a limited number of nations this can actually be for John to be able to recognize the head of state and also for this to be a "big political conspiracy". I think maybe just the US, UK, Russia, China? It has to be one of those, right? Maybe John would recognize politicians from Australia, too, but I don't think anyone would really care all that much if one of them died. And at least in the US, there's a designated line of succession precisely so that if the president dies it doesn't cause political turmoil like they seem to think would happen here, and I bet the same is true in the UK, and I don't think there would be any political turmoil if the actual king of England died, either. So probably it has to be Russia or China, right?

It's kind of funny that this is like, exactly precisely all the right-wing conspiracy theories about how Biden is secretly dead and they're just parading around a fake or a body double or something

I mean, we're already in the middle of an extinction event, like, right now in the real world, and have been for a while now, humans have been causing extinctions ever since we hunted the megafauna to extinction back in the stone age

I don't get why they argued for this. Isn't this to get funding for the cryo project? What could they possibly need more than actual cash? Wasn't the point to just get money? What do they actually need a nuke for? Is this just because of Pyrrha encouraging John to become the Unabomber?