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Romitri - Rose / Dimitri - Vampire Academy - Season 1 - Ep 9

Welcome to my Meta for episode 9 of Season 1 of Vampire Academy on Peacock! If you’d like to catch up:

Episodes 1-5 Meta

Episode 6 Meta

Episode 7 Meta

Episode 8 Meta

SPOILER ALERT: I will spoil absolutely everything. So, reader beware. I haven’t yet read the books, so feel free to fill in the blanks, if you like! Can’t believe we’re already here, near the end.

Time to dive in!

Darkness

Haven’t we all faced some inner darkness at some time or another? Something that has clung to us with such steadfastness that we believed it must be an exterior force clinging to our goodness, robbing us of who we are. This episode is a study in the many facets of darkness... darkness that can come out of corruption, darkness that can come when night falls, darkness that arises from our choices, and darkness that becomes all that’s left when we deplete the light.

If I wrote Metas for the whole episodes, we’d be here for hours discussing... but this is a Romitri Meta... and it’s still going to be bloody long. So, grab your favorite fangtastic popcorn and drink (spirited or not), and let’s have fun!

Rose and Mason Embrace Their Future

Uhhh, Rachel? I think you forgot what this Meta is about... two sentences into it.

No. I didn’t forget. But, I think this is important. I’ve seen people saying, “It’s not the Rose and Dimitri show... this is Rose’s show. Abso-friggin-lutely. Rose and Lissa’s relationship is truly the heart of the show. And I don’t think we can properly discuss what happens between Dimitri and Rose this episode without taking into account the Mason factor. Like it or not, he’s a part of this.

Mason is caught up in the euphoria of the woman he loves choosing him. Yes, that’s what he sees. That’s what he thinks is going on, here, because we know he was aware of Dimitri and Rose. He saw it first-hand during the Benchmarks. He saw it outside the pub. He saw it when Rose and Dimitri trained together.

He’s not completely oblivious, but, at the same time, he doesn’t realize how deep Rose and Dimitri go. It’s soulmate stuff.

But, right now he and Rose are fantasizing about what they are going to do in the human world. And Rose is truly, truly feeling happy. But not because she chose Mason... because she chose herself.

That’s right. Rose Hathaway chose Rose. Dimitri isn’t even a choice in her mind, anymore. She’s released the belief that he will ever “come to [his] senses”. Rose is moving on because she has accepted that the path she truly wants is closed to her.

And it’s more than just moving on from Dimitri. She’s also looking to move on from Lissa. Lissa’s breakup with her shook her up. Follow that up with Dimitri’s words about Rose’s unusual upbringing, enveloped in the love of a Moroi family... and Rose is as lost as Dimitri.

But, we’ll get to that later.

While Rose is in the throws of euphoria, Dimitri is unknowingly facing down the long walk (but short fall) to the depths of hopelessness. The “choices” they made are coming back around.

Dimitri is Arrested for Treason

Refresher: Rose made an insane choice and told Sasha Tanner to run. Not saying she was wrong, but in Dimitri’s eyes this was the stupidest choice... to choose to aid and abet someone going AWOL... to choose Treason.

But, he chose Rose... and that’s landed him here, in hot water.

“Guardian Belikov, the punishment for treason is very serious.”

Duh. Like, none of us think the punishment for treason is a lollipop and a stern warning. It’s f*cking treason, you dolt. Dimitri, with his spotless record isn’t going to enter into it lightly.

Alberta enters, and she looks right at Dimitri. Like, “You, f*cker. What the f*ck did you two do?” Behind her is Rose, and her eyes lock onto Dimitri as fast as his lock on hers.

They likely haven’t spoken since the Ring... have avoided one another. He’s been healing, so we know it’s been a few weeks since he no longer sports the black eye. But with that one look, we know they are united. They won’t give each other away, if they can.

But Dimitri’s report is damning. He was the Head Command on this mission. He already knows he’s f*cked.

“I stand by my statement.”

Because there is no other option for Dimitri Belikov. He made this choice to cover for Rose back then, and he can’t go back on it, now. He will always choose Rose.

“I hope you know what you’re doing.”

Because they both know he’s f*cked. Dimitri even nods at that. Yes, he knows what he’s doing. He’s doing what he convinced himself he wouldn’t do—choosing love over duty.

Now, he doesn’t know that they have Sasha... but he knows they know something, and even that suspicion is enough to screw him. And he knows it.

And he makes the choice anyway. Look, I know a lot of us have a sour feeling in our stomach because our boy ending the last episode macking on snake venom in a human skin. He’s a lost boy, unsure of who he is anymore. But one thing he knows in his heart despite his head railing against it—he loves Rose Hathaway. No way in hell he’s letting anything happen to her if he can help it.

Dimitri’s Apartment

I love this glimpse into his life. Having his own apartment, he’s afforded more space and privacy than the Novices collected in their co-ed dorm.

We open on a stack of books. Biographies, as Dimitri will later identify, of humans. He describes it as his way of seeing the world, later, but I suspect it’s also his way of being someone else. He can’t embrace the idea of choice, as Rose can, but reading of another’s life and choices allows him to imagine in a way that he’d never allow himself outside of the sound of turning pages and the weight of the book in his hand.

Books are so often an escape for those of us who grew up in trauma. You can open a book, tune out the world, and disappear. I think it’s telling of Dimitri’s personality that he disappears into others’ lives. Perhaps secretly wishing his was filled with more of those choices he doesn’t believe he has.

The bed is impeccably made, another stack of books at the end of it. There’s a sense of scarcity to this room, Swedish Ladders lining one wall, candles and religious relics filling the window space. A mat on the floor for meditation. There’s so much white space in here, void of anything that isn’t necessary—save the books.

These books are Dimitri’s quiet rebellion. They’re scattered. They’re stacked imperfectly. They aren’t organized by author or alphabet. They’re the pieces of himself that yearn to break out of the shell of conformity.

But he’s not reading when there’s a knock at the door. He’s sitting cross-legged on the floor, meditating. He knows what’s coming.

He even warned Rose, “Do you have any idea what they’ll do to her if they find her? What they’ll do to you if they find out that you helped?” “I don’t care,” she had said. She didn’t. She didn’t care what happened to her.

But she cares what happens to him.

That’s why, despite her plans to leave, she shows up at his door.

He opens the door, and as soon as she sees him, she sighs, full of relief. He matches her sigh with one of his own. They didn’t know what had happened to the other after that moment of eye contact. Rose looks around her, and Dimitri wordlessly opens the door for her to enter while simultaneously looking for anyone watching.

And this effortless rhythm is so indicative of the bond between Dimitri and Rose. Fractured as they’ve been since the breakup, they are still completely in sync when they want to be. Neither had to utter a word for the other to know how they each felt, what they needed to do, and how to follow through.

Yes, they’ve trained together so they can make those choices in combat. But, this isn’t combat. This is a dance. It’s a painful, slow, heartbreaking dance. But no less beautiful.

The door closes, and Rose fills the silence with her ownership of the situation. This is important.

Remember back in the early episodes when Rose faced the consequences for taking Lissa outside the Wards? Dimitri tried to offer her support, but then felt she wasn’t taking it seriously. He asserted how people need to take ownership of their choices.

“I’m the one that helped Sasha escape.” “Sasha chose this. It’s not on you.”

While technically true, I don’t think early Season 1 Dimitri would have taken the same attitude. Yes, Sasha chose her path. But, Dimitri, my dear, you chose yours to protect your Roza.

Their initial conversation done, Rose finally takes in the fact that Dimitri is deliciously shirtless. But it’s so awkward, now. Dimitri wasn’t thinking about it, either, but with the lull in the conversation, he moves to put on a hoodie.

And all the Dimitri fan-folk collectively groan and throw things at the screen.

Look, I may be a Demi who spends my time wondering how hard it’s going to be for the makeup team to cover Kieron Moore’s new butterfly tattoo if/when we get S2, but I understand that there are people out there drooling over this moment.

Even Rose in her, “I’m running away to start a new life with Mason” state of mind can’t help but think, “DAYUM!”

And, I find it fascinating that Rose is in her full gear... Hair in a bun. Wearing her uniform. Boots.

While Dimitri is stripped bare of that (oh, yeah he is!). *ahem* Dimitri is barefoot. He didn’t even have on a shirt until Rose walked in the room.

All the bravado he’s carried with him, the badges he’s worn and the pride he’s taken in his role as a Guardian has been stripped, and he knows it. He’s more vulnerable than he’s been since the boat.

But Rose is focused on the task at hand.

“What’s going to happen to her?” “It’s in the hands of HQ, now. Nothing either of us can do.” “And that?” “A tracker. It’s nothing. Just due process and safeguards.”

No. It’s. Not. Look, all y’all people who are still pissed at our boy... He is now doing exactly what Rose did for Lissa back in episode 2 when Rose hid her Tribunal from Lissa to protect her... to choose her first. Dimitri is choosing Rose.

He’s not going to tell her about his troubles because he wants to protect her. He separated from her, and he hurt her, and he knows her. If she knows that he’s facing something, she’ll want to face it with him. Because much as they are both hurting, they still trust one another. They still know one another.

“I’ll be fine once all this blows over.” “HQ doesn’t let things blow over.” “The Dominion needs all the Guardians it has right now. I’m not entirely without value.”

There he is with his perceptions of “Value”, again. Remember Dimitri had requested to be moved to another province because he believed his value at St Vladimir’s to be compromised. But, it’s a very well thought-out lie. Rose knows as much as he does how dire it is—that people like Tatiana want to put teenagers out in the field... that non-Royals have had their Guardians taken.

What he doesn’t expect is her sly smile and response.

“If that was a brag, you need to step up your game, Comrade.”

It’s the first small smile she’s offered him since she walked in. But it puts him at ease. This is the same smile she wore on the boat as they shared a few moments of peace and contentment in their love before the whole thing went to sh*t.

But, also, it’s the return of one of her nicknames for him. The first time it was said, it was in friendly competition (with a touch of flirting). The second time, in anger in the Ring. This time, she’s said with affection and familiarity. He can’t help but smile back... that same smile from the boat.

It’s as though they’re both toeing the line between this present moment and the memory of who they are mixed with the potential of what they could have been. It hurts but in a bittersweet way that almost makes you forget the pain.

“Hard to brag to the woman who gave me a black eye.” “Sorry about that.”

And she means more than “Sorry about your eye”. She’s sorry about the whole thing. Rose was hurting, and angry, and out of control. And she knows it. She lost control, and she can’t even blame the darkness for any of it. Rose Hathaway won the fight, yes, but she lost a piece of herself in the moments after when she continued to pound a downed man.

But Dimitri’s already forgiven her. He will forgive her anything. He can’t help it. He’s that much in love with her.

“Forget it, Roza.”

It slips out, the dagger stabbing into them both simultaneously. Dimitri relaxed too much into the moment and let it slip. He let it slide. And Rose realizes the moment she hears it just how much she still loves him, even though she wishes she didn’t. It would be so much easier if she didn’t love him.

But as one of my favorite ships, Veronica Mars and Logan Echolls remarked, they don’t write songs and stories about the easy loves.

Part of what makes this scene hurt so much is that they both believe this is the last time they’ll see one another... but for different reasons. From Dimitri’s perspective, he wants Rose to go on to lead a beautiful life, not get tangled up in this mess by fighting for him somehow. Because, he knows she will. He knows that if she thinks she can help, she’s going to.

That’s why he was so strategic to tell her that Sasha was out of their reach, that they could do nothing to help. He is doing everything he can to set Rose up for a beautiful life... without him.

And Rose Hathaway is here to say goodbye because she believes Dimitri is a non-choice for her, and she needs to live her own life. She needs to figure out who she is outside of who she’s been.

Side Note: I talk a lot about relating to Dimitri’s trauma. But I also relate to Rose in this moment. See, both of them are struggling with personal identity outside of what they’ve known up to this point. The difference is that Rose is handling it more like I did, when I first starting figuring out who I was.

I limited my ties with my past. I tried new things that I’d never done before. I got outside of what I was “supposed” to be and started to see my life from a new perspective.

Co-dependency is a hell of a drug. I was raised with the expectation that I would be codependent. But... that’s not who I am, and as soon as I got out of the house and into college, I slowly started to see that who I was wasn’t defined by who mothered me. I could choose my own path. I could choose to be who I wanted to be. Now, my mother and I have a much better relationship, now, but it took a lot of years of tough talks and work.

Rose and Lissa are co-dependent and have been for a long time. They’ve both realized it in different ways, and so Rose is going to try to figure out who she is. And I fully support her. And so does Lissa.

Lissa even tells Rose that she’ll be back (yes, I know I’m skipping... I’ll get back to it in a second). Lissa knows that Rose needs to figure out who she is. And I think that’s important.

It’s important for Rose not to let herself be defined by Dimitri or Lissa or anyone else. Rose needs to embrace who Rose is, then add in what she wants and take out what she doesn’t.

Back to the Scene: Rose needed to know that Dimitri was okay before she left. Because, much as he knows she’d do anything to help him, Rose knows it herself. But, he seems okay. She can finally say goodbye.

But him saying, “Roza” sends her spiraling. You can see her searching the room around her for something else to focus on. Her eyes land on the books, and you can see the wheels turning.

“Are all these about-” “Humans.”

Rose went out into the Human world with Dimitri, once. It was the happiest they’d ever been. But she never would have imagined that he had an interest in that world the same that she did. They never really had the opportunity to discuss it, and it hurts anew that he chose to sever things between them after they’d experienced such a world together.

She’s planning on heading back out into that world... without him.

“Biographies—my way of seeing the world.”

F*ck. That hurts. Because she wanted to show him the world, but he pulled away. And now she is going to see the world, but without him by her side.

Rose looks for something else to focus on, and her eyes land on the religious relics. Her voice fails her. She can’t think of what to say as she looks at the flickering flames, remembering his steadfast dedication to his religion. He chose that over me. He chose that over me.

It’s the drumbeat in her head. And it hurts.

“Having a staring contest with the air, are we?”

It goes back to the beginning. Not their first interaction, but close enough. They share a smile, an earnest one. Oh, how far we’ve come.

But Rose loses the smile and a quiet sadness overtakes her. Oh, look how far we’ve fallen.

Rose walks over to him, head down, mustering the courage to tell him goodbye. But somewhere between their exchanged looks at one another’s lips and eyes... she loses courage.

It reminds me so much of their first kiss... the charge that ran through and between them that sent the air crackling with tension. They still have that same spark. But this time, Rose isn’t closing the distance. Rose is saying goodbye.

“I guess I’ll see you around, then.” “Yeah. See you around.”

In their own Lois / Superman interaction (think Superman Returns), these two are talking about the issue. Both of them are keeping something from the other, and the other knows it. Both of them are speaking in circles, and the other knows it.

But they both also know that those dams need to remain in place, right now. For so many reasons.

But as both utters their phrase, it’s a goodbye.

“Goodbye, Dimitri. I’m leaving forever. But it’s okay because I know even if we’re not together, you’re going to be okay.”

“Goodbye, Rose. I’m leaving forever. But it’s okay because I know even if we’re not together, you’re going to be okay.”

These two f*cking piss me off. Because if either of them actually communicated, it’d be a whole different story. But, we love them because they are flawed people making flawed choices in an effort to protect one another. If they did everything perfectly, there’d be no conflict.

We’d all switch off the tele (or laptop) quicker than you can say, “World’s Shortest Forbidden Love Story (but still better than Romeo & Juliet)”.

Rose breaks the eye contact and connection, but Dimitri remains rooted in place. It’s so symbolic of where they are and where they’re going. Like last episode, Dimitri is digging in while Rose is running away.

Rose walks to the door, but she looks back at him, offering a modified salute to him, almost with a smile. And I honestly can’t remember if she ever saluted him before. But, it’s bittersweet, the way that she smiles softly at him with the salute.

But my favorite part is how she watches him the whole time she closes the door. Rose doesn’t turn her back to him and pull the door closed behind her. She backs out, watching him as she goes. She’s memorizing him, spending those last few seconds looking at him... but also symbolically showing us how hard it is for her to walk away. She can’t turn around... not until he’s completely out of sight.

Because Rose would stay if she knew he needed help. And he knows it.

As she exits, he offers his own half-hearted salute, but then takes the fingertips that touched his heart to brush his lips in a goodbye kiss.

Goodbye to the love of his life. Goodbye to his one exception. Goodbye to the life they could have had. Goodbye to the moments they shared. Goodbye to the chance to watch her live from afar.

Dimitri knows the fate that awaits him, but it’s a little easier knowing Rose Hathaway will get away with it—that Rose Hathaway still has the chance to build the life of her dreams.

Meredith Tries to Talk Sense to Mason

We’ve seen these two palling around a lot the whole season. Two good friends. But, the best of friends often have tough talks, and this is one of them.

“We’ll be okay.” “We? Anyone with eyes can see how she feels about Dimitri.”

My husband and I started dating in college, and he once told me that before me, he didn’t notice the buildup of romantic relationships in shows before. But, being around it more (and being in love for the first time *ahem*), he saw it more.

I think Meredith is falling for Mia, and as she is, she’s more and more aware of how others feel about one another. Not that poor Mason was every subtle (he’s more a “neon glowing light” kind of lover), but I think Meredith’s definitely more tuned-in to Rose these days because they both are in the midst of forbidden love affairs.

For Meredith, it’s Mia. For Rose, it’s Dimitri. They’re both pining for people they can’t have.

“She asked me to go with her. Rose is with me, now.”

As we say in the South, “Oh, Mason, you sweet summer child. Bless your heart.”

The kid’s gone. And he’s clinging to anything that gives him the shred of hope that Rose might feel the same way about him as he does about her.

There’s a hitch in his voice between “is” and “with”, as if he’s trying to speak something into being, to will it to be so.

“Then why did I just see her coming out of his apartment?” “Sweet.”

See, this is why I don’t think Mason is “oblivious” as some people have said. I think he’s aware that there’s something going on there, but he legitimately thinks he’s won.

And here comes Meredith with another reminder of Rose running off to Dimitri.

But she chose me. We’re running away together.

He wants to believe it so bad that he’s tuning out the truth.

“You deserve someone who loves you. The way you feel about Rose, that is how she feels about Dimitri. She can’t help that any more than you can. I’m sorry, but you’re gonna have to face the truth.”

Meredith hits it on the nail, here. (Did I mention she’s my favorite Novice besides Rose? Because she bloody is). Rose loves Dimitri. She can’t help it. She can run away from it. She can pretend around it. But she can’t purge it. He’s not a drug in her system. He’s a piece of her soul as much as she’s a piece of his. And it’s a lot harder to lop off part of your soul.

And poor, poor Mason. Instead of listening to his friend, he goes on the offensive, attacking her, tearing into her, trying to one-up her.

Mason’s raw and he’s angry, but Meredith finds a way to stay calm, in spite of that.

“Rose doesn’t love you.”

And there are tears in Mason’s eyes... because deep down... he knows that. He really does. But he’s ignoring his head as much as Dimitri has been trying to ignore his heart.

Mason walks away from his best friend... the last words he thinks the two will ever exchange.

And, yes, I do want Mason to find love and joy, someday (if he doesn’t die in the finale). But, we all know it’s not going to be with Rose Hathaway.

“... are you lying? Are you covering for another Guardian? Or both?”

That’s all it takes for Alberta to connect the dots. “Is Rose Hathaway going to be a problem?” It was Dimitri himself who once asked that of Alberta. Dimitri feels her glare, and his eyes find hers. He glances away, quickly.

He knows she knows. Now, Alberta can speak up and try to lessen Dimitri’s sentence, or to try to carry out “true justice”. But she doesn’t. In this moment, Alberta makes her own choice—not to intervene.

“I was the Commanding Officer. I was responsible for the veracity of the information I relayed. Any gap between my report and the truth rests solely on me, as should the punishment for giving false information.”

Dimitri. Chose. Rose.

Dimitri will always choose Rose.

“Though I wonder at your prioritizing punishing a Guardian during a time of Civil Unrest.”

Sh*t, your girl’s been rubbing off on you, Guardian Belikov!

But, it’s an incredible sign of growth for Dimitri “Good Soldier” Belikov questioning what’s going on. He’s so used to following orders, to following commands, to doing what he’s told.

But for one bright, fleeting moment, Dimitri Belikov questioned the establishment without questioning who he is... and I’m so proud of him.

“You’ll be taken to the dungeons before you are sentenced by the Queen.”

Alberta is aghast. She didn’t expect that. I think they’re all surprised that such a harsh punishment is being dolled out to someone who has such a spotless record. And she’s the only one who knows the truth—he did it for Rose.

This may be the truest representation of love she has ever seen. Damphirs are subservient to the Moroi, especially the Royals. Guardians have the elevated task of protecting the Moroi with their very lives. Most marriages within the Court are arrangements born out of the quest for power or status. Amongst Damphirs, romance and love are not permitted or expected. Sex, sure. Love? No.

But Alberta just witnessed Dimitri give up his very life for the sake of the woman he loved. She’s come face-to-face with it for the first time, probably in her life. And she can never shake its impact.

If she survives, of course.

Too soon? Yeah, probably too soon. Anyway...

Mason Goes to See Dimitri

I’ve looked at this from several different angles, because there are a lot of thoughts out there regarding this scene. Honestly, I think it’s Mason trying to reassure himself of what he believes by counting Dimitri out. He wants to look Dimitri in the eyes, tell him that he’s got the girl, and move on feeling that sense of victory that he so badly needs to validate him right now.

And, like Meredith said, he deserves to be with someone who loves him, and he shouldn’t let his relationship with Rose define him so much. He’s got a lot to offer, and I can only hope he discovers it before it’s too late.

Look, I’m not saying he’s a-goner, but book readers say he’s a-goner, so it’s very possible Rose’s favorite puppy dog is a-goner.

Mason gets Dimitri to himself, partly because he can’t possible let anyone else know about his plans, but also because he wants to focus on this moment. It’s not vindictive. He doesn’t hate Dimitri. But he hates that Rose loves Dimitri.

“I wanted to tell you... Rose and I are leaving.”

Watch. Dimitri’s. Face.

There are about a thousand things to compute in a matter of seconds. “Rose is running off with Mason.” “Rose is getting out, good for her.” “Rose is going to be happy.” “I truly know for a fact that she will have a good life.” “This makes my sacrifice worth it.” “This is why Rose acted weird.” “I knew she was hiding something.” “That’s why she reacted when I talked about seeing the world.” “Rose is going to see the world... with Mason.” “Mason knows about me and Rose.” “Mason’s going to be with Rose and I’m not.” “Mason made a special trip to tell me.” “Little f*cker’s got no idea what he’s messing with.”

That last one’s important. Not because Dimitri is vindictive... but because Dimitri knows what he and Rose have and why they aren’t together. Mason doesn’t.

Mason’s still clinging to the idea that Rose “chose” him.

“That explains it.”

There’s a small smile on his words. But it’s that same heartbroken one he used talking about Alexei, the one he used talking about the darkness within him... now it’s also attached to the sadness he feels about losing Rose... because he does feel it.

“I thought maybe it’d help if you know that she’ll be okay.”

D*ck move, Mason.

Okay, look, I believe he’s truly not trying to be a little sh*t. But, he’s justifying why he’s doing it, when he is really doing it to try to assure himself of the reality to which he’s clinging.

And, I get it. Last episode I wanted to pour hot lava on Dimitri’s libido for daring to neck with Lady Evil Von Psycho. So, I’ll get over my annoyance with Mason, but I’m frustrated with him. I’m allowed!

“I wish you the best. Rose is meant for greater things, and she deserves to be safe. And happy.” “She does.”

Right there. That’s where you see that shift. Mason is puffing out his chest on that, “She does”, like, “and I’m the man to do it!”

But Dimitri picks up on that right quick, and it’s his turn to lean in.

“Never tell her what’s about to happen to me. If she knows, she won’t leave.”

And now Mason knows where he stands.

Yes, Rose is going off with Mason, but because she doesn’t think Dimitri is a choice, and Rose is choosing Rose. She’s chosen Mason as a companion because she wants to go with someone easy. She doesn’t have to convince Mason. She doesn’t have to push or draw him out. Mason’s this sweet, loving puppy trailing after Rose. And that’s what she’s looking for right now—easy.

But her heart will always tug her back to Dimitri. As his tugs him back to Rose.

He could have given her up at any point in this process, but he never did. Heck, he could be vindictive now and announce Mason’s plans and get him thrown in the dungeon with him. But he doesn’t. Dimitri chooses Rose over and over.

And if Rose thought there was a choice to be made... she would choose Dimitri every time, too.

Dimitri’s speaking facts, here, but he’s also spitting in the face of this validation that Mason was seeking. Mason didn’t “win” anything, here. If there ever was a contest, it wouldn’t be a contest. It couldn’t be a contest, because Dimitri and Rose’s love is true, and they will always choose each other.

“Let’s go.”

Dimitri is done. Much as he wants Rose to be happy and content, he doesn’t need Mason throwing sh*t in his face right as he’s going down. The Guards return to their positions while a gutted Mason watches Dimitri.

“Fuck you, Dimitri. Fuck you.”

Dimitri barely pauses as Mason holds back the tears. Because, much as Meredith tried to break though, Dimitri did. Deep within, Mason knows it’s true... if she knew what was happening to Dimitri, she’d never leave.

“I’m leaving... For so long, all I thought of was being your Guardian, and that was enough. But now, after everything, I need to figure out who I am outside of all of that... And outside of you.”

Rose is taking a huge leap, here. Do I wish she was doing it alone? Sure. But that’d be a lonely journey. Taking Mason with her gives her someone steadfast and loyal (gosh, I really am describing a puppy...) who she can count on.

Growing up with one version of yourself in your head is so hard... especially when you hit a point and realize you have no f*cking idea who you really are because you’ve informed every decision based on who you thought you were. That’s where Rose is. Rose has realized that she informed all of her decisions on being Lissa’s Guardian.

Being forced outside that mindset is what helped bring her here... that and losing so much. She lost Mikhail. She lost her great love. She lost so much of herself in the process.

But who the hell is she? We’ve seen it, sure. She’s headstrong and fierce. She’s intelligent and foolhardy. She makes quick, gut decisions, and she commits. She asks tough questions, and she acts without considering the consequences if she thinks it’s right.

But it’s all been measured against what kind of Guardian she could be. Rose needs to figure out who she is without all the measurements and comparisons... when she’s just... Rose.

Much as I doubt she and Mason will make it far (hello, STRIGOI attack!), I wish we could see Rose go on that journey of self-exploration. I’ve been there, and tough as it is, it’s marvelous.

And, yes, I had a man in my life at the time, too.... and one I was breaking up with. Gosh, it’s a long story, but essentially I took time off to figure out who I was without a man and without the influences of my childhood. And on the other side of that, I found the man I married 15 years ago waiting for me... patiently waiting as I worked on myself.

Golly, I love that man.

So, Rose, go figure out who you are. It’s so freakin’ healthy.

“So... um... just you? Or...” “I’m going with Mason.”

Lissa still has no idea what’s gone down between Dimitri and Rose. And as Rose says, “Mason”, there is no absolute joy or excitement. It’s a statement. It’s what it is. Lissa takes in that information, because she liked Rose with Dimitri. But, she’ll always support her bestie.

“Stop it. He’s a good guy.”

And that is so freakin’ telling. He’s a good guy... Not, “I love him.” Because, she doesn’t... not like that. But, he is a good guy.

“You’re being weird.”

She can’t read him. She doesn’t know him at a glance. She never pegs what’s going on with him. But Mason has felt the full impact of Dimitri’s words and is choosing to ignore them wholeheartedly. This is what he wants, and he’s going to hold onto the fantasy as long as he can... hopefully forever.

But as they’re walking off, his arm around her, she can’t help but look back.

What is she looking for? Is she hoping to see Dimitri there, watching her, giving her a reason to stay? Is she hoping he’d run after them? We don’t know.

But for that very small second, she isn’t looking forward on the adventure. She’s looking back, just as she did when she exited Dimitri’s apartment.

Dimitri Trapped and Unable to Help

The camera movement is eerily similar to Dimitri praying in the Church during Near Guard, Far Guard. He’s not praying this time, but he is feeling fuck*ng helpless... moreso when the alarms blare.

Rose and Mason drive off

The music line strikes me so hard, “I can take the pain”. That’s what they play as Rose smiles to herself, then her smile diminishes a little. Because she knows that she’s leaving a part of her soul behind.

She just doesn’t know how bad it truly is.

As always, thanks for reading. Next week’s going to be insane, and we’re all going to lose our minds. But, I’m ready for the fun. Enjoy our last week of Daniela Nieves torturing us with out-of-context clues, VA Jail locking up cast and fans alike, and our favorite Vampire Academy cast and crew crushing it.

Bonne nuit. Buenas noches. Goodnight.

#Vampire Academy #Vampire Academy Peacock #Sisi Stringer #Kieron Moore #Rose x Dimitri #Dimitri x Rose #Romitri #Romitri Meta

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raven-at-the-writing-desk · 2 years

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do you often get asks along the line of "how would characters react to fem!yuu"? just a thought because most if the time when 'yuu' is brought up there's an implication that they might be asking about fem!yuu. why is that in your own opinion? and what do you personally think would chance is yuu is a female?

[Referencing this post!]

Not that often (though it comes up every now and again in writing requests)? I believe the anon in the last post only asked because it was recently brought up again in fandom discussions. Additionally, the “would Leona treat fem!Yuu differently” question has been around for a while, since Leona is one of the few characters who has explicit lore that states that he acts differently towards women.

I feel like when the fandom speaks about Yuu, people have a tendency to default to fem!Yuu because… well, most of the TWST fanbase is women. Thus, many of the Yuusonas for TWST are also women to reflect the demographics of the fandom. It makes sense that people want to superimpose and to see “themselves” in the character they play as (Yuu).

Canonically, the game usually avoids lines and details that hint at Yuu being one specific gender. This allows the players to better immerse themselves in the world of TWST, regardless of their own traits or how they identify. (However, there are still a few voice lines that vaguely allude to Yuu’s traits, ie I believe some people remark that Yuu looks small relative to them.) Additionally, the player’s gender does not seem to be a particularly significant component to the story or to the character interactions, so it’s not as important to emphasize that in the narrative.

Whatever Yuu is is left up to every individual player. (Personally, I speak about Yuu in gender neutral pronouns as much as I can since not everyone in my audience identifies one specific way! The only exception is when a prompt or a question specifically requires discussion of gender, like this ask that I’m responding to right now.)

However, I do want to point out that there is a line early in the main story (episode 1, part 8) that causes some contention among the fanbase:

Which is strange, right? At this point in time, Yuu is already enrolled as a student, but here, Ace’s wording implies that the player cannot be a girl, as “girls [aren’t] officially enrolled [at Night Raven College].” This is the one line that I think is very weird (even “out of place”) since TWST is usually so good about not hinting at Yuu being one gender over another.

Another thing that I think is interesting to note is that in both the manga and the light novel adaptations of Twisted Wonderland, the Yuus (Yuuken Enma and Yuuya Kuroki, respectively) are considered male protagonists. I’m not sure what the plans are for the anime (or if Yuu will be in the anime at all), but judging by the track record so far, it’s likely that there will be another male lead. (EDIT: The Episode of Savanaclaw features a female Yuu, Yuuka Hirasaka!)

I think that there’s an important distinction to be made when discussing “Yuu”: everyone has their own version of them, and this should be recognized rather than treating every single Yuu as “one and the same”. There’s generic game Yuu, Yuuken, Yuuya, and so many different Yuusonas (which, yes, are different from generic game Yuu, who can be their own character outside of Yuusonas). Just because official materials have one interpretation of the character doesn’t invalidate other interpretations. They can all exist concurrently. It doesn’t mean that one is “better than” or “worse than” the others, but it does mean that not everyone will agree with or enjoy one particular interpretation of Yuu. This is something we should be more mindful and more respectful of 💦 rather than interpret them as personal attacks or as invalidations of one’s work.

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eileen-crys · 11 months

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Ok so usually these things about fic stats give me a mild depression because my stuff is very niche, but I'll do it anyway because I'm still in my writer's block and I would love to do a self rec of what I wrote in the past.

Tagged by the always lovely @bambirex : Rules: give us the links to your wonderful words with the Most hits/Most kudos/Most comments/Most bookmarks /Most words/Least words

Ok, the fic with "most" everything is Down in the Dungeons, followed by There's a Cottage in the Woods (Witches AU) so I'll list the 3rd in position to have some variety:

Most hits: (752)

1977, Queen are touring in America for their new album News of the World. Everything is going right, but Deaky feels homesick and misses his family a lot. Based on some pics of NOTW John holding Robert, that episode when he cut his arm and some interviews where he says he loves to bring his family on tour. MY FIRST FIC 🤣💕💕💕 Please, I wrote much better things later 🙏🏻 go read those and not this.

Most Kudos: (58)

Veronica has a date with her boyfriend, but she has to pick him up at the recording studio. This is the perfect occasion to finally meet his bandmates! Written for the first Johnica week! 🥰💕

Most bookmarks (10, and it's actually the 2nd after DitD):

1985, while Queen are working on their new album A Kind of Magic in London, John can spend some time at home with his family. One night Veronica wakes up after a nightmare with a high fever and John decides to take care of her instead of going to the studio. Everything is very fluffy and they love each other a lot, that's it. Ahh this was my 2nd fic! 🥺🥺🥺

Most Words (11,345) and most comment threads (25):

It's the summer of 1971, John Deacon has joined a band called Queen in early March and at the end of the same month he also found another dear friend in Veronica, who he secretly love much more than just a friend. The band is now touring in Cornwall with girlfriends and a bunch of roadies, and John finds himself face to face with his new friends, their new audience and the girl he likes. His life is changing, and it's all up to him to make it a great experience. Written for the 50 Years of Queen event, multiple prompts included.

Least words (691):

KING!AU: It's almost Joan's birthday and Veronica wants to make her a special gift, one that will (hopefully) last forever. (Ahhh the tattoo ehheh)

Numbers for comparison:

Down in the Dungeons: Words: 153,094 - Hits: 8,515 - Kudos: 302 - Comment Threads: 171 - Bookmarks: 32

There's a cottage in the woods (Witches x Monsters AU): Words: 13,444 - Hits: 1,560 - Kudos: 74 - Comment Threads: 42 - Bookmarks: 8

Thanks for tagging me Bambi! I tag @beydeaks @freddie-mercury-rising and @john-paul-george-ring0 💕💕💕

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2004joker · 11 months

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Owl House Luz Head canons that I came up with (personal interpretation).

I decided to give my own spin on Luz as well as shed any background information that may or may not closely relate to the subject material, but honestly, let me know which of these head canons you find interesting.

Luz’s father was in the military. Military Branch: The Marines or Coast Guard. This would explain why perhaps Luz was more inclined to stay in the boiling isles, surrounded by water resembling her and her father shared love for the ocean and protecting those from across the vast seas. The gigantic Titan corpse resembles the sacrifice her father and many like him made to protect their homelands and the people who inhabit them. This gives Luz and King's bond a deeper understanding of one another. King looks up to Luz, for this reason, one of many.

Manny / Camilla Noceda originally was going to have two children, Luz and Azura Noceda. Unfortunately, they lost Azura, after a bad pregnancy, Luz was the one that made it, weighing at 4.3 lbs, She was born prematurely, due to being born 7-8 months early. Manny referred to his daughter Luz as his “little light”, or his “little trooper.” Camilla suffered a small episode of postpartum depression. Manny shared the same feeling and comforted his wife.

Manny quits the military due to his declining mental and physical health, Camilla picks up on this and does the best she can to support the family, and Manny is a stay-at-home dad and takes care of his daughter Luz to the best of his ability. On Luz’s 9th birthday, she starts her new life in Graves Field Middle School, She’s in 5th- 6th grade. Her father gives her an Azura book, and Luz realizes that her twin was going to be named after the heroine of the fictional story.

Manny took his family to travel the world while he was a part of the military, they were kept safe at U.S bases, For 5 years she would attend different schools. Preschool, kindergarten, grade 1, 2, this would continue until she turned 8 years old and moved to Connecticut.

During her life in Connecticut, her parents adopted a stray orange tabby kitten and named him goldfish, Luz and goldfish were inseparable friends.

Manny read countless stories to Luz about Azura, Luz learned to adopt the nickname Luzura, as her own heroine's sidekick. Manny helped foster that idea. When Camilla was off a shift working as a veterinarian, She and Manny took Luz to Comic-Con, Renaissance fairs, and cosplay events.

Both Camilla and Manny were the ones that introduced recording important moments of Luz’s life, from her first word to her first coherent speech, her first time walking to full-fledged running. Luz would then use the idea of recording important moments from her life for her “record diary” ( what she decided to call it).

Manny made a vow to stick by his family's side, for his wife Camilla, and his little girl Luz. Manny lived for two more years before passing away from developing cancer in his body; Luz was 12 years old, 2 years away from graduating from 8th grade.

Luz’s mother would then attend the funeral of Luz’s father and her husband. It was an open casket and she did not want her daughter to be exposed to her father's dead open casket corpse.

Luz begins to fall behind in school, both academically and socially. Luz begins to show strange and disruptive behaviors during class, making her peers resent her. This only causes Luz to disassociate, this becomes noticeable by her in-school psychologist. Who schedules a PPT with the parents and the teachers about Luz Noceda and accommodations Luz may need.

Luz at this time would spend time at home reading her book and making her first official entry to her record diary, This is where she would record everything that has happened, while also letting herself be emotionally vulnerable.

The school was contacted during this hard time in Luz’s life and offered their support by giving her extra time to do any makeup work.

Luz would walk home from school every afternoon to her mother's workplace, “gravesfield veterinary clinic” Luz would spend her time working on homework or petting the animals that were there for their checkups.

Camilla would do her best to help her daughter with her homework when someone else would take over her shift. Luz would spend approximately 20 minutes at the veterinary clinic before having to return home.

If Luz had any trouble with her homework then she would either look it up on YouTube on how to solve the problem, while taking notes on the new information that she learned, and in her opinion was way more valuable than relying on the school's way of teaching.

The girl and other of Luz’s peers began to take pity on Luz's situation, Luz began to quickly warm up to her new “friends” and was often seen hanging out with them. Luz would mostly listen to the other girls' conversations while reading her book.

The conversation in question:

Things that they did last week.

What they’re hoping to do this week.

Any concerts that they are looking to go to are available.

Gossip about other people.

Luz did not mind this as she was used to them talking about other people, which mostly involved useless information that would be soon forgotten about.

On occasion Luz’s peers would talk about recent crushes that they had on other people, and not in the friend group, however, Luz was the only one that had a crush on someone in her friend group.

Haylee Dean: a girl around the same age. Short blonde hair with a pink stripe in the middle of her hairline, Luz felt an attraction towards her, that was the only true reason why she decided to sit at the popular girls' table, was to get closer to her.

Luz would then confront her mother about this, coming out to her, Camilla was very understanding and did the best she could to provide the support that her daughter needed. Luz would take her mother's advice and try to get to know Haylee a bit more.

She learned that Haylee was part of the cheerleading squad, the Girl Scouts, was a straight A+ student and came from a wealthy background. Everything that Luz wasn’t, but it didn’t stop her from trying.

Luz would send secret love letters to Haylee disguising herself as a secret admirer. Luz’s letters would include questions about her hobbies or favorite books that she liked. As well as a return address as to where Haylee should leave the letter after writing back.

Luz would then take notes on the things that Haylee liked, her favorite places where she liked to go, and things that she liked to read. Haylee liked to go to the Cafe out of town and read fashion magazines.

Luz would then try to enjoy the same things that Haylee Dean liked, however going to a cafe out of town would be a bit more pricey than just going to the cafe in town, and reading fashion magazines was boring.

During their time at lunch she would overhear Haylee talking excitedly about her secret admirer, however to Luz’s dismay, Haylee was convinced that it was a boy that she liked that was finally sending her love letters, and would later approach him in an attempt to hoping that he would reciprocate her feelings towards him.

However the boy turned her down and didn’t know what she was talking about, Haylee would later flip out on the boy saying that he was a prick and a stupid player and that he would be lonely for the rest of his life for turning down a “gem" like her. Luz saw just how psychotic Haylee was, and decided to comfort the boy, instead of chasing after a girl who was out of her league and was toxic. The boy's name was Jason Octavia. Luz would then develop feelings for Jason.

Luz learned a lot about Jason, he liked to ride his skateboard, was part of the basketball and football team, and liked to play music on his guitar. Luz would then learn to open up to Jason about her interests and hobbies, and eventually, Jason would take part in them and encourage her to take part in some clubs that he thinks she would enjoy.

Luz took his word and began inserting herself in clubs that fit her interests, She mainly was involved in the art club, other students however would show their talents through means of watercolors, or acrylic paint. However Luz on the other hand would take her interests to the extreme.

Luz would often go out after school and search the streets for any dead animals, usually ones that are small and easy to pick up and bring home. If there are bigger animals that she finds, she will pick the parts that are desired rather than leave the rest of the corpse behind. She would then combine other animal corpses and call them her “amalgamations”.

This was the start of Luz’s obsession with weird and sometimes extremely dangerous antics. Jason would show concern for Luz’s well-being. Luz would open up saying that during her time growing up when her father was in the war, she would often see gory sights of people dying and that creating amalgamations helped her get over her trauma. Jason was the only one who truly understood Luz’s problems.

Both Jason and Luz would often go to the cafe in town and spend time after school, either doing homework or trying out some smoothies. They did this for a couple of months until Haylee and her friends found Luz hanging out with Jason at the graves field park.

A fight ensued between the both of them, Haylee berated both Jason and Luz in front of other people in the park, Jason cowered while Luz stood up for Jason claiming that she wouldn’t be there if she didn’t pretend to be Haylee's secret admirer.

The cops came to the park and interrogated the group, Haylee the entire time, only gave one-word answers and brushed off the police officer. Everyone went their separate ways, and after Jason learned the truth about Luz, he was indifferent to the situation.

Haylee Dean would not return to school for 3 days, In the meantime, her friends would treat both Luz and Jason poorly, including vandalizing their lockers, and desks, and sending them nasty letters, under an anonymous profile.

Jason however received the worst out of the bullying and Luz noticed him crying by his desk while holding a letter. Luz tried to comfort him but he shot her down, claiming that the situation wouldn’t have happened in the first place if she was just direct with Haylee from the beginning.

Haylee returned to school after her three-day leave and acted like nothing had happened to her while she was gone.

Upon hearing the return of Haylee, Luz wouldn’t take the news so lightly so she decided to confront Haylee about this, but first, she was going to need proof, a teacher, and a witness.

She gathered enough evidence that she would need as well as taking the letters away from Jason's locker before he found them.

She showed her mother the evidence that she had gathered and both Luz and Camilla went to the principal's office and presented the evidence that Luz collected, Luz held onto her mother for emotional support.

Haylee Dean was sent to the principal's office for further discussions regarding the bullying of both Luz Noceda, and Jason Octavia, if she was at any point involved, or instigated it. Haylee refused to ever have an association with the bullying.

The bullying stopped for a brief period however during lunch, Luz while sitting at a table by herself noticed Haylee walking up to her and began to berate her.

A fight ensued between the both of them in the cafeteria, and both ended up in the principal's office with bloody noses, scrapes, and bruises.

Haylee immediately lied on the spot about what had happened to her, in an attempt to try to get Luz at the very least suspended. However, the principal remained impartial to both sides and suggested that both Luz and Haylee would serve in-school detention.

Luz was also monitored by her in-school therapist for the time being, separated from Haylee; The principal arranged a meeting with both Camilla and the parents of Haylee, each separately.

They’ve heard all that went down, at the school, as well as outside of its premises, and the evidence that was gathered, could all trace back to Haylee their daughter, causing the whole situation to be blown out of proportion.

The Deans had resentment toward both Camilla and the Octavia family. Not once did taking accountability and siding with the parents of Haylee's friends who were a part of the bullying and were in Haylee's friend group.

This had disgusted Camilla on how they could raise their daughter to be this way, but she was no saint either, as her struggles to take care of Luz were becoming more apparent.

The principal recommended that Luz be taken to a summer correction camp, with troubled students around Luz’s age, Camilla reluctantly agreed as she believed that perhaps Luz spending time away from her would not improve her mental health, but instead worsen it. Still, she had no choice but to discuss with her daughter the possible benefits.

When Camilla brought up the brochure to Luz, she fell silent, knowing that it was a lot for her daughter to take in, and admitted that she didn’t expect her to be on board with this, but that the whole situation with the bullying was far more deeper than anticipated, it wasn’t about Luz being seen dating Jason, or about Luz being potentially Bi, but with a tendency to have a stronger female attraction.

This was about the premature coping mechanism that Luz had used to escape from her feelings, why she acts out when she doesn’t mean to, and why she is much more prone to getting bullied or being caught getting into a fight. Her living out her dreams of living in a fantasy were cut short the day her dad died, and reality set in. That was until she stumbled across…The Boiling Isles.

#owl house head canons #Luz Noceda

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rametarin · 1 year

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Ram watches Naruto. Status upade #1.

So the entire series has been added to youtube for free. I thought I’d watch the series and give my thoughts on each episode so far. I didn’t bother watching it when it aired back in the 00s, no reason not to today.

----------

Episode 1: *record scratch, freeze frame* “Hi, you’re probably wondering how I got into this situation.” Why is the Japanese music more 80s than I remember the 80s being.

Why is the sacred scroll full of dark ninja powers done up with less security than a small town museum.

Why do these ninjas paint targets on their own backs.

AUP, there it go. well, genuinely touching reassurance from this Iruka guy. Aaaaand this prick got stomped. I hope you got pissed on twelve times.

Episode 2: “Who are you?

I’m you but with money and social connections.” Naruto gets a look into a mirror and determines he hates part of himself.

Two dumbasses sneak into a women’s spa, film at 11.

Episode 3: Fucking teenagers. Also fucking lactose intolerant people being diehards for dairy. Spoiled milk my ass, they’re just like that.

Episode 4: ♪ Baby won’t you ring my beee~eeee~eellll, ring ma bell. ♫. Kakashi is kind of an asshole but I can see where he’s coming from. But dude no more preteen prostate exams come on wtf.

Episode 5: Oh what a supreme fucking copout episode. They ran out of time. “Yay you broke ALL the RULES and instead of expelling you if I was just a little bit more of a bastard of a teacher, you pass.”

Well at least the children will learn the hard way that real life authority just be like that, and honestly that’s probably a more important lesson than teamwork, tbh.

Episode 6: here comes Ig and Oog. Why is this dumbass trying to STAB the poison out? I’m upset. Oop, here comes Guts McCowprint to deal with Commander Red Trump. I’m kind of mad at this bridge builder but well can’t be too upset.

Episode 7: Kakashi stunting on the COVID Masks Before They Were Cool Crusader over here.

“WHERE DID HE GET HIS SPECIAL EYE!?” it’s his brand, Sasuke. I dunno where’d you get what your momma gave you. Dumbass. Where do you usually get eyes?

Episode 8: L’s carved into flesh with kunai. Outsmarted by a dumbass and outperformed by a brooding prep schooler.

Episode 9:

I have a feeling Naruto getting jealous of younger people with more skills than him will be a running theme of this franchise. Someone take these sewing needles away from this masked twink, please.

Episode 10: ah, good. World building. Wait why wasn’t this a day 1 lesson walking up trees or anything else seems like a fucking amazing technique. aight.

there are may derogatory words to describe this needle-thrower and I’m not sure which ones can be safely said while being accurate anymore. I’ll call them Maidy Boy, since he want to clean up after Holstein Spotted Guts.

Until next time.

#naruto

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archivyrep · 1 year

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"Trapped in a mirror": From archival artifact to Gem Warrior [Part 3]

Continued from part 2

youtube

Some archivists would probably have said that the mirror should have remained in storage and that is an inanimate object which can't "want" anything, like Garnet. But, in some ways it is like an old videotape. It has a story to tell on its own too. As Lapis says when she meets Steven for the first time, he helped her, actually talked to her, and predictably attacks the Crystal Gems. She powerfully declares "I'm Lapis Lazuli and you can't keep me trapped here any more!" And she also tells Steven to not trust them, also an understandable statement from her viewpoint. In a connection with my other article on Steven Universe back in January of 2021, she sends a message to Steven in the episode "The Message". However, it, and any recordings made on a tape recorder by Peridot (more on her and her possible role as an archivist here) are destroyed and lost to the sands of time.

Reprinted from my Wading Through the Cultural Stacks WordPress blog. Originally published on Feb. 8, 2023.

There is more to say about the magical mirror that Lapis was trapped in. I have loosely called it an "artifact" in this post. The mirror does not fit the usual definition in the Dictionary of Archives Terminology: "a physical object that is made or modified by human culture." Neither does it fit the description of a "three-dimensional object held in an archives". The page also states that in archaeology, the word artifact is used to distinguish between natural and man-made items, but that in the archival community it is used to distinguish "three-dimensional materials from two-dimensional materials" and that they may be "preserved as records, documenting a design or function."

This definition is somewhat limiting. What is to say that an artifact is only a physical object modified or made by humans? Why can't it be something made by another species? Without a doubt, this mirror has historical and cultural significance, and it is aged. It shares this with human-made artifacts which, when they become old, can "become brittle and easily brake or crack", with conservators then taking the necessary steps to "clean, repair, and prepare an object for future maintenance". Steven's healing of Lapis' gemstone is akin to sculpture repair, which includes filling cracks and breaks to "restore the integrity of the structure", although he is not engaging in any of the many steps, and processes, involved in conservation treatment. Her gemstone is repaired, she sprouts water wings, thanks Steven, and flies off. There's no cleaning of the gemstone, no removal of soot, dirt, or anything else. There is, also, no assessment of the object's condition.

Even so, using the limited definitions on the aforementioned dictionary, it is definitely an object, i.e. an "item that is tangible, especially one with significant depth relative to its height and width." Steven did a one-and-done deal. In real-life, there are many more steps. For instance, the Texas Historical Commission says that proper preservation measures can slow down or stabilize deterioration in an object, but then adds that if "repairs, major restoration, or major cleaning" are needed, or if deterioration is not slowed by basic preservation measures, then the museum should "contact a professional conservator". They also lay out some interesting guidelines, which are definitely violated not only in Steven Universe but Star Wars animated series, where characters handle artifacts often, sometimes without a care in the world:

In general, you should handle artifacts as little as possible. The oils, acids and salts in human skin will damage most all types of materials over time....All artifacts should be treated as if they are extremely fragile, even if they do not appear so...The major environmental factors that affect the long-term preservation of artifacts are light, temperature, relative humidity, air pollution and pests...any stain removal or major cleaning of any artifact should be handled by a professional conservator, or at least with the advice of a professional conservator. Otherwise, cleaning may do more harm than good and could irreversibly damage the artifact

Others, in the archaeology field, have argued that "without conservation, however, most artifacts will perish, and important historic data will be lost". In some ways, arguably, the encasing of a gem or item within a bubble, making them inactive until released, is a form of conservation. After all, when a bubbled Gem is released, "they instantly regenerate with seemingly no mental problems or awareness of their time contained"! It could be argued that keeping these objects in the bubble, especially the Gems, allows them to repair and stabilize themselves. Even so, for objects like chips, it doesn't help as much, although it can help them remain in their "original form".

This post went a different direction than I had originally intended, with a focus on conservation and preservation, and records. But, that's ok! I'm trying to take new avenues on subjects, and topics, that I hadn't previously, partly to give different perspectives on shows I like. Anyway, as always, comments and suggestions are welcome.

#lapis lazuli #steven universe #bismuth #crystal gems #archivy #archival science #archival studies #conservation #pop culture #reviews #records #artifacts #Youtube

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sizzlingpatrolfox · 2 years

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"sudden interest" jimin has always been a football fan, both as a spectator and player. In the knowing brothers episode he also set the record of ball juggling I forget how many he got but it was a lot. Either the person is a new fan, or as 90% of people in this fandom they see jimin inside a box of their own creation, just a nice soft gay boy, who acts cute and does aegyo and only likes pretty things.

About his fashion sense. He's just following the overall trends, back then tight pants were the standard but now, to my demise, big and baggy pants made a comeback. Also he's probably more confortable just going out in comfy outfits instead of tight jeans that made him look like a whole meal but were for sure not comfortable for long flights. Back then they were still very much in the idol bubble and were just starting in america so I think all of them were "trying" more and are more relaxed now.

- sudden interest in football? does anon need a list of all the sports he’s played since he was a child? He even posted pics of his younger self at football matches and only butch queens wear plaid anon so technically he’s still gay right? lmfao

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"to my demise, big and baggy pants made a comeback" I hate it too.

I had read that baggy pants are trendy right now in Korea, many people have said it. And I see it. I honestly don't know much about trends, much less in other countries, but yeah I have noticed the same.

He made some points. I feel represented.

I'm kidding 😸

Maybe some people don't really know, but Jungkook and Jimin are both the most sports-oriented BTS members. Jimin did kendo for 8 years. That's literally like, a third of his short life so far. He also has a black belt in taekwondo. The man can definitely throw a punch or kick a ball.

(This looks fake 😭 but he actually said something like that).

I feel like, apart from not knowing some stuff about Jimin, which is perfectly fine because nobody is obligated to know everything, there's also a huge difference in how younger lgbtq folks grow up.

When I was a kid (and Jimin was also one, we're the same age), we didn't grow up with sexuality at the center of our lives. Everyone grew up the same way, playing the same games, watching the same things. Maybe if there's someone younger reading this they won't get it, but people my age will probably know what I'm talking about, especially if they're from a third world country. Most kids, particularly those that live in countries where English is not the first language, we all grew up at a "slower" pace than kids in English speaking countries.

I only knew what bisexuality was in like 2004 because I saw a magazine headline or some gossip website about Angelina Jolie being bisexual. After that, the next time I remember of even seeing the word bisexual and actually learning what it meant, that was in 2009 thanks to lady Gaga. My sister was 8 and she already knew what the LGBTQ flag looked like, while I think I was around 15 when I started being familiar with the flag. That was crazy to me. It seriously was a wow moment to find out that she was so young and she already knew a lot of LGBTQ stuff I didn't know when I was her age.

"We live in a society" is a meme that I love because we really do live in a society. A huge part, the majority of how we grow up and develop and learn is conditioned by the society and culture we live in.

As much as kids activities aren't exactly "gendered" anymore, and some pockets of society are more accepting of girls playing football or boys doing ballet, and stuff like that, kids are also politically gay from very early on in life. I see a lot of kids in social media purposefully "rebelling" by doing things that are seen as wrong or that could irk homophobes. And they're so young. Most of us only became political gays in our 20s.

I don't know if I'm making any sense. I just sometimes read armys talking about gay people and it hits me that millennials really do have a somewhat different way of living their sexuality compared to younger kids. And talking about how can a gay man like football reminded me of that. The point is, I guess kids teens and young adults lives nowadays are crossed by their experience of their sexuality, and most grow up experiencing and living their sexuality to the max, whether is in real life or online. But 20 years ago that was not the case.

With the rise of social media culture, sexuality has even become something performative and so people expect other gay people to act in real life the same way gays act on their TikTok videos.

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cannoli-reader · 7 months

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My notes watching Wheel of Time Season 1, episode 2

Posted on readandfindout.com on 11/19/2021

1:48 – Just for the record, on this so-woke show, the two blackest actors are playing Padan Fain and Eamon Valda. Not even cool bad guys, but scummy, marginally competent, bad guys. And rapists.

2:46 – More stupid world-building and “characterization”. I hate hate hate hate hate these lazy monologues about something pointless that is supposed to be profound and allegorical, or some experience or anecdote from a character’s distant past that is incredibly on-point and relevant to the current situation. Seriously. Back during their strike that messed up broadcast schedules about 10+ years ago, I opined that they didn’t deserve anything because TV writers are the absolute lowest form of fiction writers. Nothing in the production of the five major fantasy series I’ve seen adapted for the screen since then has changed my mind in the slightest.

By the way, there had better be something other than “cutting off an Aes Sedai’s hands prevents her from channeling” to explain how the Children of the Light got around “live witches being somewhat hard to (execute)."

5:00 – As abstractly symbolic intros go, this is not the worst. I’m still going to start using the Skip Intro button unless I see it’s somehow relevant to the coming episode.

6:20 – One thing that has never occurred to me, regardless of medium… if they were going to prevent the Trollocs from crossing the Taren after them, they would be effectively stranding them in the Two Rivers. With all the people the boys left home to protect.

8:36 – In the Borderlands they have a saying, ‘The look of the Eyeless, and the Noseless and the Lipless is fear.’

9:30 – I like this version of how Moiraine screws over Hightower. The book version seems not have landed with people as much, and the fandom doesn’t have much sympathy the boys being disturbed by it, which feeds into the myth that Moiraine is always right and smart and everyone should never doubt her because she’s the bestest.

11:27 – “I know, instead of showing character interactions on screen, why not just yeet one of them out of there and then have Mat tell the audience what it would have been like!” “Brilliant Rafe! Book authors are just morons, aren’t they!”

11:52 – Yes, this! Rand’s articulated thought is an actual thing. Like, Moiraine has good reasons for doing what she does, but she also badly handles the Two Rivers boys, so their reasons for being wary of her are also good.

11:55 – Also making it possible for any of them to be the Dragon kind of undercuts that this is something Rand struggles with when he is finally told what specifically the Shadow is after him for, but if done right, it gives opportunities to explore the conflict in dialogue, rather than internally as ITB. Not super confident it’s going to be done right.

13:55 – “Words are important and how we use them is important.” Spoken on a TV show that’s going to mess up all sorts of words, and misuse them dramatically. Edit from the Future: Oh, you sweet summer child.

14:50 – "The Power inside you is the smallest part of your strength. It’s your mind and how you use it that will mean much more in the battles to come.” Explains so much about Egwene, really.

15:35 – That Moiraine has already sensed Egwene’s channeling ability should rule her out as “the most powerful channeler who ever lived.” Meanwhile, ITB, normal people don't care who is a more powerful channeler than whom. To normal people, they are all just channelers, and normal people more likely to call them Aes Sedai than channelers anyway.

17:01 – “It’s the wind that listens to you” is neat wording, harkening to “touch the wind that moves the sun”.

21:07 – I suppose getting the dream stuff out in the open right away works, to stop the fans whining about them not trusting Moiraine and saving time.

22:35 – I like this conflict. It informs the rest of their relationship. Even if to the uninitiated, Rand comes off as petulant, based on the ITB world-building, he’s got legitimate questions.

23:34 – The word “bastard” is never used, once, in the whole Wheel of Time series. In a series where the main character discovers that he was born out of wedlock, with the circumstances of his birth and parentage being a significant and traumatic issue for him, and where a major character conceives a royal heir outside of marriage as well, with her pregnancy being an issue with her character over three books by the original author. Take all your woke bullshit and gender studies nonsense and shove it where the Dark One will be confused, because that’s way more important! That people in WoT don’t even have the concept of legitimacy says way more about gender relations and women’s agency than all the substituting of the word ”person” for “man” or “woman” in the world, or finding ways to cram LGBTQ issues into a series that is already overstuffed with material that it doesn’t have time or room to adapt to the screen.

Even Brandon Sanderson, with all his other blunders, abuse of anachronistic language and misconceptions about the themes and setting, did not make this mistake. He used “interrogate” more times in one paragraph than Jordan did in 11 books, but he was not stupid enough to use “bastard” in the mouth of a character in a world where female social dominance is unquestioned and even mass murderers and Darkfriends are appalled at rape.

More relevant to the plot, Rand’s prior understanding of Egwene taking the Wisdom job and cutting off his nookie nicely establishes that his anger at Egwene’s choice to follow Moiraine is not petty relationship crap, but genuine betrayal that she’s siding with outsiders.

23:47 – Mat is trying to talk Rand into being more reasonable in his hostility toward Moiraine. Because if you’re going to swing and miss that hard for the setting, why not the characters, too? That is a kind of Mat-like rationalization, but it’s the sort of thing Mat says, rather than does. He talks about being practical and self-preserving, but then he acts according to principle.

25:43 – I don’t think Moiraine actually hopes her “sister” in Whitebridge will let them stay. And “wars and witches” kind of do concern them. The effective portrayal of the Three Oaths requires writers who are on the ball, and reasonably clever. But shows keep hiring TV writers instead.

25:45 – Waiting for the zinger question, and it better not come from Valda.

26:00 – There is no worse Child of the Light to alter into an Inquisitor of the Hand of the Light than the egregiously unsubtle and incurious Eamon Valda, whose only tactic is “the charge”.

26:43 – I could be wrong, but I also don’t think the Children ever refer to Aes Sedai as sisters. Even when Niall and Balwer are plotting their PR campaign about the Tower split.

27:27 – “Madam” so they have French in this world?

27:58 – NOOOOO! They would never recommend someone seek out a sister for Healing! What is this?

28:09 – The idea of Moiraine grinning sycophantically like that in the books is highly amusing to me. It kind of looks like Lan is thinking “seriously Moiraine?”

You would think the Children would be questioning how Moraine and company managed to escape Trollocs when they managed to inflict that wound and meanwhile, no one else shows any sign of injury.

29:20 – There’s just something wrong about Moiraine being the one to tell the kids “it may not be the truth you think you hear.”

29:49 – I like the ruins. It’s the kind of thing that WoT should have. They’ve been through the equivalent of two falls of the Roman Empire, after an apocalyptic cataclysm.

30:05 – Nosewart.

30:17 – I’m thinking Nynaeve’s moment of revelation is going to be her saving Moiraine’s life when she turns up again by Healing her.

30:21 – We need singing even less than the books needed dress descriptions. Which were actually important. Unlike the singing.

31:08 – Moiraine only tells people things when she needs a reaction. She told the story of Manetheren to sway the ire of the villagers. She would not whip it out when the kids are already in a good mood and especially not when the last on-screen words with Rand were a fight. Don’t want him getting too full of himself.

31:48 – Nosewart

32:21 – “They knew no help was coming.” Yes, who betrayed them again, Moiraine? See this is why, regarding Rand being suspicious, this is a bad time to bring that up.

34:30 – Sweeping vistas and scenery shots. The TV equivalent of dress descriptions.

36:33 – Don't sniff on camera! First off all, sniffing has a particular meaning in this fandom and second of all, you have a certain osenay artway issue to which it calls attention.

36:50 – You’d barely know Perrin was a widower, if Egwene hadn’t mentioned Laila twice on the journey now.

37:50 – I guess this is their adaptation of how Perrin becomes a Coyotebrother. Because that looks too small for a wolf.

41:05 – Okay, at least with Moiraine being unconscious, there is some excuse for her not telling the boys what Shadar Logoth is. However, Lan on his own would absolutely tell them. Moiraine acts like they have no agency and will behave as she expects. Lan acts like they’re idiots. The former would just sit where they were left and not move without permission, and the latter would not trust them to behave.

43:00 – Which he does.

43:30 – Now they might think this version of the Shadar Logoth story is more economical, but it utterly destroys the lesson of Aridhol, which is that doing things for the wrong reason, and fighting the Shadow with the wrong attitude, is just as bad as being on the wrong side! This is incredibly important, because it informs the stakes of Rand’s internal conflict for most of the story!

And let’s not even get into the potential motivation such as the fact that it conveniently fits with a specific political narrative, leaning into “Walls are bad” and steering away from any implications for extremist methods and their narrative, where what side you are on is all that is important and any tactics are justifiable if your heart is in the right place. In WoT, motivations matter. Using evil methods to a achieve a good end is self-defeating, and the penultimate major lesson for Rand to learn. In later books, we believe a mentor figure who declares that unless Rand pulls his head out of his ass, his victory over the Dark One will be as bad for the world as his defeat, because Shadar Logoth is an example of how that can be.

44:59 – Be neat if this is the same spot where Rand sees Sammael get Mashadared.

45:27 – Good, right profile. Keep showing that right profile, Egwene! No, stop, don’t turn. No, no. Not the left side… And cut to wide angle. Phew.

45:51 – Lan, you have now let all four Emond’s Fielders out of your sight. Are you really doing any good poking at Moiraine’s shoulder?

47:30 – Mat-Perrin interactions are weird. Mostly because they barely exist ITB.

Also, I’m thinking somehow Mordeth is going to infect the dagger from Laila. Or Mat will take up an already infected dagger, because he gave his own away, which is no less dumb.

50:00 – This is all very stupid, because they were specifically warned against touching anything. Whereas they were not in the books, and the dagger was just something Mat picked up at random, instead of specifically messing with stuff he knew he should not, against instructions.

51:18 – One problem with CGI creeping evils is that it’s hard to get horses to react to it. Aldeib’s just standing there in the background, chillin’, because Moiraine can’t run so they can’t have her horse run off, but it looks very incongruous.

I do like this version of Mashadar. For my money they will never top the depiction and atmosphere of Shadar Logoth from the WoT PC game, but this is an interesting way to do it, especially when you remember how much Moiraine’s weaves in the prior episode looked like the book description of Mashadar.

52:08 - “Why don’t you hoist me up?” is a very good question when directed at someone canonically eight inches taller than you.

52:43 - Good use of the power-wrought sword’s properties.

53:19 - The person who says “I’ll find you” when forced to part from their love interest always must shortly after jump from a great height.

54:20 – Forget Rand and Mat, you guys left Bela!! Narg’s lines are cut, and Bela doesn’t carry Egwene out of Shadar Logoth. This show is bullshit.

55:07 – Nynaeve FTW!

#wot on prime #season 1 #timestamp annotations

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bodywint · 2 years

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Curren$y the game spotify

Curren$y the game spotify full#

We spend long hours in the gym and sometimes the right song will help keep me in the right mindset. Music plays a very important role during my training sessions. How does music play a role in your workouts? When I’m about to compete, I trust that I’m exactly where I need to be and that I’ve done the hard work to get myself there. I’ve worked hard on both elements throughout my career. There is so much physical preparation that goes into CrossFit competition, but the work is mental too. I embrace a feeling of focus and calm just before I walk out onto the competition floor. How do you get in the right mindset before you compete? You’ve talked about how preparing for the competition isn’t just physical but also mental. I am so ready to be back on the competition floor in front of an in-person crowd and show everyone how hard I’ve worked. Qualifying for the CrossFit Games is no guarantee, and the training is extremely demanding. It’s extremely exciting and a bit of a relief to finally make it to this point in the season. How does it feel to finally arrive at the event? You spend so much time training for the CrossFit Games. She’s logged long hours of daily training to get her body and mind prepared for the grueling tasks she will face in Madison.Īhead of the Games, For the Record caught up with Brooke to learn what it’s like to compete and what music helps her train her best. īrooke, who has qualified for and competed in the Games since 2015, knows that the road to the competition requires unrelenting hard work and dedication. Those who are competing have to be prepared for anything in order to earn the title of “Fittest on Earth.”įor this year’s Games, Spotify Advertising is partnering with global training brand NOBULL and athlete Brooke Wells for specialty audio and video ads, as well as a sponsorship of Spotify’s most popular workout playlist: Beast Mode. The event tests athletes in a variety of unannounced fitness tasks, from long-distance swims to handstand walking to rope climbs.

Curren$y the game spotify full#

You too can take a deep dive into Kojima's brain when the first episode launches on September 8.Ĭatch up with our full list of Gamescom announcements from Opening Night Live and check our Gamescom schedule to find out when to watch everything else.On Jhundreds of athletes from around the world will meet in Madison, Wisconsin, to compete in the 15th annual CrossFit Games. Here's the show's Spotify page (opens in new tab), which currently hosts a short preview where a robotic voice breathlessly intones about Kojima's genius before the man himself gives the insight that he uses his ideas when creating stuff. The blurb says the show will feature "talk show–style discussions on a wide range of his favorite topics, including games, movies, books, art, philosophy, and the social landscape." Guests will "both local and global leaders as well as top creators from a variety of backgrounds such as business, technology, and entertainment." Yes, Kojima can sometimes seem close to disappearing up his own fundament, but he's also an individual of rare perception and creativity. Over this time he has also consistently contributed to various outlets with essays, book and film reviews, and seems to like keeping his hand in as an observer of the culture as well as a shaper of it. In all seriousness, Kojima is undeniably one of the pre-eminent creative forces in the games industry, and has now been so for multiple decades. Spotify does, though: the press material accompanying the announcement is heavy on use of the word "genius" and also includes the unfortunate phrasing that this podcast will "take a deep dive into his brain." You never really know, which is half the fun. As with much of Kojima's work, the title and image could be self-aggrandising irony, or they could be dead serious.

#Curren$y the game spotify

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kevinychen · 2 years

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Homer (7/9)

This morning started with a 3.5 hour drive from Seward to Homer. My maximum contiguous driving duration used to be bottlenecked by whenever my right foot got tired of pressing the gas pedal. However, I have since practiced switching feet from time to time, and it's been a real game-changer.

During the drive we played Contact, where I led with the word "marshmallow", which turned out to be a pretty good Contact word. Ooh, we should have smores!

We stopped in the small town of Soldotna where we once again got Thai food at a place with a very charismatically written menu (Siam Noodles and Food). I got Pad See Ew and Natalle got this:

Before we got to our Airbnb, we took a stop at the Wynn Nature Center, where we saw a moose! Other discoveries included a caterpillar, a spider, star flowers, and potentially even a Wilson Warbler.

We then went to Homer Spit, which is a piece of land jutting out into the sea, and is the iconic area of Homer. And Homer is known as the halibut fishing capital of the world.

So our first dinner was halibut fish and chips. And some clam strips, because Tommy is always hungry. Tommy and Becky then fought over who had to hold the clam strips while we walked on the boardwalk afterwards.

Natalle found gelato! She bought some Earl Gray before we realized that they had some award-winning flavor (maybe Tahitian Vanilla Bean?).

"Argh," grumbled Natalle. "Well, all the reason to come back tomorrow!"

We then walked along a long trail going down Homer Spit. Tommy wasn't a big fan. "This trail is a bit too monotonous, horizontally-speaking."

"Ooh, a semi-palmated plover!" exclaimed Becky in delight, still a couple hundred feet behind.

Later we stopped at Safeway to buy lunch for our all-day trip the next day. We planned to get hummus, but they didn't have any - so we settled for PB&J. Though Tommy suspected he would get hungry, and added some sausages.

I got a call from the aviation company that would fly us tomorrow. I picked up, worried that we would have to cancel or something like that. But instead, they just said they would have to delay the flight one hour, from 7:30am to 8:30am. For us night owls, this was awesome.

We went home and - WandaVision episodes 7&8! But then, Becky suggested bridge herself! Yes, the game that she never wanted to play before because it was too stressful. When she was the declarer, she played perfectly.

As I tucked myself into bed that night, I suddenly panicked. The aviation company hadn't sent any email confirming the flight delay. My brain raced with bad scenarios. What if this was all a big scam? We all paid $1000 per person, what if we get there at 8:30 and they claim the plane already left? I don't have any recording of the phone call. So I just wrote a Slack message to myself so I could use it as evidence for the case in court. Yeah, my night brain is a psycho.

#alaska

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historyhermann · 2 years

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Arizal, Recordkeeping, and the World of Maktaba

Note: Some spoilers for the show Recorded by Arizal

What if I told you that an Austin, Texas, animation studio is currently streaming a show about a 16-year-old Filipina who wants to be a record keeper? You might scoff and laugh, declaring that no such show exists. In fact, the show is real and is named Recorded by Arizal. Originally named Record Keeper, before the name was changed to avoid copyright issues, [1] all four of the show’s prelude episodes were posted on YouTube [2] and on the studio’s website in July and August of this year.[3] The show’s creator, Yssa Badiola, has posted three additional videos to give a behind-the-scenes look at the show itself,[4] and a panel on September 21, 2020, with Badiola and others working on the show. The studio is Rooster Teeth, a subsidiary of WarnerMedia’s Otter Media, which has produced animations such as RWBY, gen:LOCK, and Red vs. Blue. [5] Although Recorded by Arizal does not feature archives as institutions or physical spaces like in Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 or Star Wars: Episode VIII The Last Jedi, the show has archival themes. If the show gets a proper season, as Badiola hopes, then these themes can be expanded upon.

The show’s overachieving protagonist Arizal, who is voiced by Filipina-American actress Christine Marie Cabanos, lives in the far-flung futuristic city of Maktaba with her aunt, uncle, and cousin (a college student), away from her homeland Yaman. She has a dream to be a record keeper (known as “keeper” for short). In this role, she will travel across the world, trying to document it for those within the city of Maktaba with the records she collects and creates. In all of the prelude episodes, she composes a series of vlogs during summer vacation as an extra credit assignment and as part of her formal application to become a keeper. She learns more about herself as she attempts to pursue this career, a lifelong dream for her, even if she hasn’t figured out why she wants to be a keeper in the first place.[6] While Recorded by Arizal is mainly a coming of age story, Badiola noted on Reddit that one of the main driving themes is “the discussion of record keeping and learning.”[7]

In the first episode of the show’s prelude, Log i, Arizal explains that keepers are citizens of Maktaba who, “add to the global archive by exploring the world,” go to new places, meet new people, and record their progress along the way for “the history of humanity.” At the same time, she struggles to explain why she wants to be a keeper, saying she became interested when her childhood friends Rizella and Lia joined her by having the same dream. She also says she is most proud of her room and calls it a “nice representation” of herself. This episode supplies the clearest definition of a keeper in the show. Keepers are curators, guardians, protectors, custodians, caretakers, or guards who visually lay hold onto something, like records, similar to roles that archivists have.[8] This is why the International Council on Archives and archival scholars like Alan Bell, Caroline Brown, Terry Eastwood, and Terry Cook have stated that the words recordkeeper and archivist are synonyms.[9] After all, archivists are more than what Webster’s New World College Dictionary defines describes: people in charge of archives where public records and documents are kept.[10] Additionally, the word “maktaba,” means library or place of study in Arabic,[11] showing the attention to detail in the show to historical and cultural concepts.

In the second episode of the show’s prelude, Log ii, she interviews a Dante, a real keeper, who tells her the harsh reality of gathering information for the global archive, explaining that he is alone “all the time.” His words cause Arizal to have a personal crisis in the next episode, Log iii. She laments that it may be impossible to be a keeper, worries about leaving her stuff behind, like her favorite (and precious) fiftieth anniversary edition of a book titled The Littlest Royal. This item holds special value to her above anything else and represents a turning point in the show. At the same time, she wants to discover more about the world and explore it with her friends. Her spirits are lifted when Rizella calls her an “adorable bookworm” after proving her obscure knowledge of an ancient settlement. Although these episodes contrast with accepted definitions of an archivist as a person who has “expertise in the management of records of enduring value” or the head of an archives program, by being a keeper, Arizal will be “responsible for records of enduring value.” This relates to Badiola’s assessment that vlogging and future record keeping, in other formats, by Arizal, is inherently archival.[12]

In the final episode of the show’s prelude, Log iv, Arizal finally leaves her self-imposed isolation in her house. She reflects on a secretive mountain overlook about her dream to be a keeper and how her friends helped her leave the house so she would not wallow in her sadness. Arizal declares that she wants to leave the city and is ready to visit places her mother (a former ambassador) visited, discover new part of the world, and find something to love. In the last shots of the episode, the primary athenaeum votes to accept her application. Since an athenaeum is a scientific or literary association which tries to advance learning, Arizal will be good company with fellow scholars who enjoy learning and knowledge, including those which read for fun, taking in information “with no thought of application,” to use Dante’s words to her in the second episode.

As Arizal explores the world, collecting records for world’s public archive, she will be, as a result of societal role as a keeper, be bound to the records themselves, and their creation. Like Dante, the keeper she talked with in the second prelude episode, Arizal will undoubtedly be chronicling her adventures using her electronic devices, whether by vlogging or something else, as she “records her journey into adulthood” in Badiola’s words.[13] Whatever Arizal collects on her journeys across the vast world will undoubtedly make the annals of history richer for all the people of Maktaba.

[1] Yssa Badiola (@dearbassy), “Went thru a name change! It is now considered “Recorded By Arizal” :),” Twitter post, July 1, 2020, https://twitter.com/dearbassy/status/1278452904588914690.

[2] “Recorded by Arizal,” Rooster Teeth Animation, YouTube, last modified July 31, 2020, https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2vBnPCQT4WLwauEGe–oESZusgQNjPge.

[3] “Recorded by Arizal,” Rooster Teeth, accessed September 27, 2020, https://roosterteeth.com/series/recorded-by-arizal.

[4] “Recorded by Yssa,” Rooster Teeth Animation, YouTube, last modified August 31, 2020, https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2vBnPCQT4WJFhi5lJKMillt5TQQbRgvG.

[5] “About,” Rooster Teeth, accessed September 27, 2020, https://roosterteeth.com/about; David Bloom, “Rooster Teeth, New GM Levin Take Bite Out Of Pandemic With 10th-Year, 10-Day RTX At Home,” Forbes, September 23, 2020, https://www.forbes.com/sites/dbloom/2020/09/23/rooster-teeth-takes-bite-out-of-pandemic-with-10th-year-10-day-rtx-virtual-gathering/#6b919dcf31a1

[6] Yssa Badiola, “A Look at Recorded By Arizal with creator Yssa Badiola,” interview by Sagebzzzzn, Rooster Teeth, July 10, 2020, https://blog.roosterteeth.com/a-look-at-recorded-by-arizal/

[7] “Recorded by Yssa: The Team – Vlog #1,” Reddit, accessed September 27, 2020, https://old.reddit.com/r/RecordedByArizal/comments/hse1wv/recorded_by_yssa_the_team_vlog_1/

[8] Glynnis Chantrell, The Oxford Dictionary of Word Histories (New York: Oxford University, 2002), 288; Michael Agnes, Webster’s New World College Dictionary (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2007), 783.

[9] Alan Bell and Caroline Brown, The Recordkeeper’s Bookshelf (Dundee, UK: Centre of Archive and Information Studies, 2013), 8, 23, 37, 62, 65, 67, 77, 84, and 98; Terry Eastwood, “A Contested Realm: The Nature of Archives and the Orientation of Archival Science,” in Currents of Archival Thinking, ed. Terry Eastwood and Heather MacNeil (Santa Barbara, Calif: Libraries Unlimited, 2017), 21; Terry Cook, “Evidence, memory, identity, and community: four shifting archival paradigms,” Archival Science 13 (June 2002): 12; Terry Cook, “Macro-appraisal and functional analysis: documenting governance rather than government,” Journal of the Society of Archivists 25, no. 1 (August 2006): 7, 17

[10] Agnes, Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 73-4.

[11] M.S. Asimov and Clifford Edmund Bosworth, The Age of Achievement: Vol. 4 (Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1999), 34-5; “Maktaba,” Wiktionary, Wikimedia Foundation, accessed September 27, 2020, https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/maktaba.

[12] Yssa Badiola, Christine Marie Cabanos, and Joshua Kazemi, “RTX – Recorded by Arizal,” interview by Kdin Jenze, Rooster Teeth, September 25, 2020, video, 41:54-42:56, https://roosterteeth.com/watch/rtx-2020-arizal-panel.

Reprinted from The American Archivists Reviews Portal.

#archivists #archives #recorded by arizal #star wars #rooster teeth #pop culture

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sourholland · 3 years

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Omg u should do an imagine of season 2 the bonfire scene but instead of it being Sarah and John b it could be the reader and jj and tipper being the readers ex and the use like a random girl from the party

Bonfire || JJ Maybank

Summary → You and JJ are broken up and Topper takes you to the annual bonfire.

AN → This is based off of an episode in szn 2 so OBX2 SPOILERS! Send in OBX concepts/requests!

Pairing(s) → JJ Maybank x Fem!Reader

Warnings → Strong Language, Underage Drinking, Violence, Blood

Word Count → 1.0k

“I’m planning on getting absolutely shitfaced, how about you?”

Topper couldn’t help smiling at you, taking a sip of that Natty Light he’d been thrown a few minutes before. The clouds were hanging low in the sky, only a few stars visible through the thick smog. That didn’t stop the blazing fire from sending up grey smoke into the air. Clusters of teenagers were sat around the fire, others messing around on dirt bikes and skateboards.

“Don’t you think you should just take it easy? I don’t want you to make yourself sick,” he told you, leaning over to get closer.

He had been an amazing friend in the week you’d been staying in his pool house. After getting off Figure 8, you and the rest of the Pogues ran off and got into some deep shit. Your parents told you not to bother coming home, mad about how you were dating JJ and sneaking off every other night. Once the cops got involved, you figured you were royally fucked.

So a few days before the bonfire, when you weren’t thinking straight and broke up with him, you essentially had nowhere to go. He was family. The Pogues were family.

Topper let you crash at his, though. It was weird at first, mostly because you had history and everything. You had no choice, it was his place or sticking around the Cut and having to sleep ten feet away from JJ.

“This is me taking it easy,” you sighed, taking another sip of the beer in your hand.

“If you’re not up for this, Y/N/N,” he started with a tone of seriousness. “We can head out and go get something to eat if you want.”

God, why did he have to be so respectful and sweet. It made it so much harder. He woke you up for school in the morning all week, brought you breakfast, helped with whatever homework you didn’t have the energy to do.

And still, you missed JJ more than anything in the whole fucking world.

Topper slung his arm over your shoulder, pulling you into him a bit closer than would be considered platonic. You could smell his Armani cologne, the one he always wore when you were together. And as if timing couldn’t get any better, you looked up from you drink to see JJ being pressed by some senior girl you recognized from your lunch period.

His eyes flickered from her dark hair to you, taking in your appearance and the way Topper had you so close. His lip was busted, cheek sporting a black and blue bruise from a right hook he’d received a few days prior.

“You alright?” Topped asked, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear.

“Mhm, yeah,” you mumbled. “I’m fine.”

The speaker was blaring whatever song, the girl placing JJ’s hands on her hips and letting him sway her around drunkenly. He kept looking over her shoulder, watching you with a hard expression and narrowed eyes. She even at one point seemed to lean into him, waiting for a kiss. He looked the opposite way, ignoring the girl’s huff in frustration and continued to let her dance with him.

“I’m just gonna grab another beer,” you told Topper. “Hold on.”

Pushing through the groups of people, you kicked a few red solo cups and felt your face heat and heart quicken. You weren’t against confrontation, not when you knew he was trying to get a reaction from you.

JJ looked up, watching you near him and and tried to play it off like he wasn’t smirking ever so annoyingly. The smug look lasted until you were standing right in front of the both of them, hands on your hips and eyes trained on her specifically.

“Who’s your friend, J,” you said with more malice coating your voice than intended.

“What’re you doing, Y/N,” he asked. “Shouldn’t you be over there tending to Top and his frosted tips?”

“Fuck off,” you rolled your eyes.

You felt Topper come up beside you, JJ stiffening and the girl visibly upset at you talking to him. It was definitely not ideal, but you assumed that you looked upset to at least him. He always knew how to tell if you were in a mood.

“Look, Y/N. Just go, are you really so desperate that you can’t leave your ex-boyfriend alone?” The girl spoke up, getting into your face a bit.

“I’m sorry, were you talking?” You mocked her.

“He doesn’t want you—”

The sound of your fist colliding with her nose seemed to shut her up. There was a loud reaction from the clusters of teenagers, some taking out their phones to record you. JJ looked taken aback, but pleasantly surprised nonetheless.

“Crazy bitch,” she choked, spitting blood onto the ground.

“You want to see crazy? Get up and I’ll show you how fucking crazy I am!”

Topper put his arm in front of you, as if to stop you from doing anymore damage. This only struck something in JJ, his arms shoving Topper back onto the ground with a collective shout from everyone around.

“Don’t you ever fucking touch her!” He warned through gritted teeth.

It didn’t take long before both of them were on the ground, punches being thrown and people taking sides. John B and Pope had run up soon after, Kie pushing through everyone and yelling at JJ to knock it off. You grabbed him by his shoulders from the back, yanking him onto the ground and watching Topper back away.

“Both of you!” You yelled, “what the fuck is the matter with you, god!”

Sirens could be heard in the distance, meaning in the middle of whatever that was—a freshman probably called the cops. JJ stood with a battered face and black eye, he stepped up to you and exhaled with blood dripping down and his chin.

“This what you want?” He snapped.

He turned away, walking off and leaving you to stand there with glossed over eyes and a bruised hand.

#outer banks season two spoilers #jj maybank imagines #jj maybank imagine #jj maybank x reader #jj maybank #jj maybank x y/n #jj maybank x kook!reader #outer banks x reader

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ruby-whistler · 3 years

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i made a list of the vibes of the hermits i watch, so you might want to check some of them out! this is just mostly jokes, but i thought all of the more “serious” propaganda was missing something, so have what truly makes hermitcraft worth it; the players’ unique styles!

will be back on my dsmp stuff asap but it’s the first day of season 8 and i would really appreciate if you checked them out through the links provided :]

Grian; [ episode one link ]

vibes of a 17 year old mcyter, is actually 27 and married

noo not my red jumpah!

chaotic capitalist

someone is making the server better through order? *starts another war* whoops, hand slipped :D

he built a- he rebuilt his entire megabase in survival, above a giant lake of lava, in the nether, on hard mode, upside down??

“watching as scar dies over and over in my trap is peak comedy and i’m tired of pretending it’s not” but it happens like 5 times i every season

video editing is very main-stream and good for short attention spans!

*sad montage over losing stuff he’ll get back in 15 minutes because he’s rich*

pesky birdd! great elytra flier! amazing builder! will tnt your house! poultrymannn!!

wholesome, chaos incarnate, talented architect

why won’t mumbo respond to my messages it’s been two weeks :[ (clingy)

doors???????????? your house has doors???? no doors for you good sir!

will laugh a lot at a lot of things, esp when he’s with his friends

genuinely just so fun to watch

Mumbo Jumbo; [ episode one link ]

perfect british accent

mustache man (warning: he has no mustache irl)

*fails ten businesses in a row* iskall please help

redstone is his element

“it’s actually quite simple” i like your funny words magic man, now can you repeat how in the hell you made a that fancy vault work-

filmographer?? i think? met up with grian irl

him and grian have a robot son named grumbot. that has nothing to do with the vibes but i had to mention him because he means a lot to me.

tries to stay out of wars and server politics until someone (grian) drags him into them

minigame maker, makes the hermits competitive and that is scary (also very funny) e. g. button, hermit challengesss!

“it’ll be fineee” *que shot of everything on fire behind him*

makes his base a living being and then all his neighbors end up feeding it instead of him

conspiracy theorist. bumbo baggins. the usual.

very entertaining videos that help you learn more about minecraft mechanics!

GoodTimesWithScar; [ episode one link ]

wheelchair creator with literally the best vibes

so wholesome i. he is so cool he makes me so happy :’D

*extremely cool announcer voice* ooooo hello there my fellow miners and crafters, good timeees with scar heree, and welcome backk to the wonderful world of hermits and crafting, and we’re flying over-

commentates everything extremely well

spends tenths of hours on builds within a single video and doesn’t bat an eye

lore for all of his builds! he builds these amazing bases to tell a story!

“i wanna see white flags! white flags, outside your base, by-“ wait no wrong anti-rebellion army leader

all videos have a clear objective

mostly building, but he loves hanging out/helping his friends!

loves disney movies! wants to go to space! :D

kind-hearted, always makes everyone else smile

can be chaotic but usually just tries to have fun and make sure everyone else has fun too

*flies into a tree on half a heart* wait what why did i die D:

scar. scar please eat. you’re going to die for the tenth time this video-

the non-chaotic capitalist, has extremely creative shop designs

a danger to himself, but also the kind of person you can’t be angry at for long

BdoubleO100; [ episode one link ]

the guitar music at the beginning of his videos brings a smile to my face, it just has such an immaculate mood

*camera pans over him as said music plays* ladies and gentlemen welcome to another episode of hoimycraffff

the way he talks is extremely endearing

one of the best builders on the server - probably best builder of interiors in existence

able to make a palette using any number of strange blocks and then make amazing builds using it

built a whole castle as a backdrop, then built an entire giant mountain for said castle

extremely sensitive to short jokes, usually gets pranked by others because his reactions are always so funny

his daughters show up from time to time in his room while he’s recording and it’s so cute

*has no way to see the sun but still knows it’s nighttime* gotta go schleep!

scar, pointing at him “this is why we can’t have nice sunsets”

(scar dies because of mobs every time bdubs isn’t on the server to sleep)

likes to be accomplice because he isn’t the one being made fun of (/lh)

*shoots himself in front of a confused grian because he thinks the guy wants his face again when he’s actually just looking for a netherportal*

is usually the underdog so it feels good when he wins

they’re all actually such great friends so it’s genuinely funny to watch

he himself is amazing at entertainment and just a very cool guy

ImpulseSV; [ episode one link ]

what’s going on everyone, my name is impulse and welcome back to hermitcraft!

always speaks with a smile in his voice

has a good dynamic with basically everyone

great co-worker and always helps out if he can

had his base turned pink during the swap, and instead of changing it back afterwards, he dyed his skin’s hair and clothing pink to match it

very cool and original building style!

makes a lot of farms and sells what he gets in his few shops

makes money to be able to do more stuff and make more farms

blows up most his base ever so often to rebuild parts. you know, like a normal person does in minecraft survival.

the grind is never over

the guy who always gets all of the work done on the school project and proceeds to be chill about it

always has very cool side-projects going on and puts his heart into all of them

pog timelapses!!

Rendog; [ episode one link ]

*short, funny scene from the video at the beginning slowly fades out into great music

dogs howling as the half-dog half-cog logo comes up*

greetiiings cyberdogs and citizens of the interbubs! this is ren diggity dawg coming atcha, in another minecraft episodes varuuummm the hermit. craft. server. (hey!)

we’re kicking things off today my friends, from the- *location name on screen*

that intro gets me hyped every time

he’s a furry who talks in bro language it’s great i swear - very atypical but fun

he transformed an entire biome into a star wars planet for his base

his building skills and dedication are incredible

horny (just a little bit)

the only person who cared about mycelium in the whole rebellion

does a lot of roleplay-themed stuff and mysteries to be solved

“b-dubba-dubs one hundred”

extremely upbeat & sweet guy

adds -age after everything “biddage” “flyage” to make it sound Cooler

amazingly positive always and funny as hell

mcc winner!! wooooooooo :D

always tries to be where stuff is happening and interact with people

very entertaining editing style

Iskall85; [ episode one link ]

drives joke into the mud and then picks them up and does it again which is funny

starts videos with one-off bits

iskallman!!! the superhero literally no one needed and yet there he is

only has one (1) braincell when with mumbo

they both do and they’re hilarious together every time

like when they laughed at squeaky noises for ten minutes straight. guys please you’re adult men

bernie the leaf master

omega (something) of doom!!

encourages gambling (in a videogame)

he has so many jokes he keeps using i can’t possibly fit them all in here

basically a wildcard

i have no idea what he’s doing this season

i have no idea what he’s doing ever actually

tame chaos, confusing to the point when it’s funny again

really great builder as well!

mostly for younger audiences but his videos are a good watch in general

feel free to send asks about hc! i’m already loosely involved in hermitblr but yeah, my dsmp followers aren’t immune :] /lh /j

#long post #hermitcraft #hermitcraft s8 #hermitblr #ruby's rambles #:]#all my personal opinions #just wanted to add to the hype lol

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