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skepsiss · 8 months

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His People - Eddie Munson

Wrote a small piece for the October 13th prompt "Monster" for Eddie Month! @eddiemonth. This is a short fic about Eddie coming back as some kind of monster after the events of S4. I might explore this idea more if people like it. (If I continue it, I'll probably make it Steddie, lol). Believe it or not, this is fluff. This is extremely soft and a look into Eddie's mind when he himself doesn't know his own mind anymore. He is more like a stray cat than something scary though.

Chapter 1 Chapter 2

CW: Descriptions of gore/violence, body horror (minor), discrimination, mention of blood.

For as long as Eddie could remember he had felt like a monster. You were made to feel that way when you grew up poor without parents to rely on. You learned how to shroud yourself in mystery and grow teeth and nails to defend yourself with. How to be a viper and snap at anyone that dared provoke you. They made you feel like a monster, so the only way you could behave was monstrous. The only defense against the venom of humankind was to become something so grotesque they’d leave you alone.

They’d made him a monster, a creature like from Frankenstein’s lab; just an amalgamation of parts that had never really belonged to him. Animated in the likeness of man, but deemed as cursed and obscene. How he’d been driven from town with pitchforks held high; a monster despite never being asked to be here. Despite never lifting a finger to harm anyone. Despite how little or fragile he really was.

Eddie had always felt like a monster. It was how you grew up to keep yourself safe. My daddy was a demon and my mother was a mutant and they cursed this planet with a boy so terrible that no one would dare love him. That was how he had lived. That was all Eddie had to assume his future held.

How was it then that when Eddie had become a monster–a real one with fangs and claws, whose heart didn’t beat and skin didn’t bleed–how was it that he had found peace? How was it that he felt more loved now than he ever had when he was simply human?

At his return, his mind was a jumble, and scents and thoughts wafted through the air around him as he tried to recall everything to do with his previous life. He could remember things as if he was looking through a foggy window, grasping at the thoughts, but not always truly remembering. It had been hard not to fall silent in a room of people, to feel included, wanted, and safe. But these people–his people–they had celebrated his return.

Eddie had come home to Hawkins stinking of death and polluted with tar. The places he had been wounded were marred with obsidian and tacky like dried blood. It didn’t hurt, but it had been disorienting. He hadn’t remembered anything–he hadn’t remembered anything but feeling like a monster. A freak. A bigger threat than he’d ever been… and he had curled up in his tub until he was found. Until warm water was sprayed on him to wash away the filth and a gentle hand had soothed his confusion.

Scents were the first thing that had helped him remember.

The way people smelled and the grounding odor of cigarettes. How Dustin, and Robin, Mike and Steve all had such specific scents that helped provoke feelings. The memories attached to those feelings came afterward, but he remembered feeling joy, concern, pride, and love. Good things. Good feelings. But even with the goodness he had shrunk in on himself, fearful that he’d frighten these people away even as they stared at him with glassy eyes and quivering lips. But he hadn’t scared them. He hadn’t scared them at all–he was a real monster and he had never had more people rally around him before in his life.

With time the obsidian marks faded and his skin looked unmarred by the events of the Upside Down. He couldn’t fully remember what had happened or how he had crawled out of hell, but there were instincts ingrained into him that hadn’t been there before. Food curled his nose and tasted like water or ash in his mouth; the pleasures of sugar and salt felt like torture when he ate them, but meat had never tasted so good.

Raw, bleeding, hot or cold, muscle and sinew, meat. He had craved it like a starved animal but had cringed away from the idea of killing something to feed his hunger. A fragment of humanity made him shiver and twitch with concern over the prospect. The idea made his mouth water, but it also flooded his guts with anxiety. He didn’t want to hurt anyone. Even like this. Even as a caged lion.

Eating was what had finally cleared his skin and Eddie had learned that abstaining from food for too long marked his flesh with the black substance once again. It made him look ghastly and Eddie had grimaced at his appearance as his body shifted under his gaze. He ate often and hid his unrest.

Still, the food had not been able to hide the secondary row of teeth that were wedged under his gums. It was as if he was a shark or a leech, but you could only really see the teeth when he curled his lip or smiled wide. They were weapons made for tearing and Eddie tried not to eat around his friends in fear the scene would mark him a beast. It was easy to talk around the fangs so long as he remembered.

The claws were harder to get used to and Eddie had struggled with picking things up and not accidentally destroying everything he touched. They were sharp and he had refrained from touching any of his people in fear that he would wound them. Nothing seemed strong enough to trim his nails, but they didn’t grow either. It was like he had knives attached to his fingers and when he had remembered what his guitars were he had wept over the idea that he’d never be able to play the instrument again.

Nancy had been the one to come up with the idea and Robin had helped implement the plan. Acrylic nails to cover the tips of his fingers–they wouldn’t apply a full nail but the acrylic could be rolled into a bead and then applied to Eddie’s hand to cover the razer points. Eddie hadn’t known to feel foolish at the time, but he felt self-conscious about it now–even if there didn’t seem to be any way around it. Still, the girls had painted his nails black and he’d be free to touch things unbiasedly for a few weeks until the acrylic chipped off. It worked and he had encouraged the girls to make his claws look jagged or imperfect instead of nice and polished. He’d wear them as a costume, even though eventually he hoped he could figure out how to do the work himself.

People had rallied to him and Eddie had felt meek in their wake. He had slunk around the party and shrunk into corners quietly like a scared animal, the onslaught of love and care too foreign and overwhelming to him. He didn’t even have his mind to joke and tease, it had just been too much even if he was inexplicably drawn to the attention still. He wanted it, but he didn’t. He needed it, but it felt like he was dying every time he got it. His energy had shifted eventually and he had learned that he liked compliments, so long as he could joke. He’d fain shyness and squirm, obviously touched but hamming up his reaction.

Before he remembered that it was strange he had warmed up to everyone in quiet, affectionate ways. He had leaned and rested his cheek on Dustin’s head, relishing in the softness of his curls. He had tugged at Nancy’s shirt sleeves and followed her around while she worked, watching everything she did with the utmost interest. He had curled up beside Steve on the couch and slowly stretched across his lap like a cat looking to disrupt their owner, soaking in the warmth his body provided.

Everyone had tolerated his oddities until slowly aspects of his humanity returned to him. Memories and social norms struck him at inopportune times and then flooded him with shame or nervousness. He felt like a toddler or enfeebled at times and it was difficult to keep up with everyone as they chatted around him. Still, whenever someone noticed him struggling they had softly explained in an aside or given him a reassuring touch. It was more than he could ask for and Eddie had fallen in love with every single one of his friends again and again. His people.

It felt like he was bursting at the seams with platonic affection for every single one of them. He was taken care of and adored, not just tolerated. People wanted him for the first time, monster and all.

He had been shamed into submission amongst the horde for his whole life, made to carry the mantle of vandal, plague, and devil whether he wanted it or not. Branded a problem–a defect. Branded a freak. He was everything he had been told he was his whole life but he did not fear it any longer. If being a beast earned him Lucas, and Jeff, Max, and Gareth he didn’t care. It didn’t matter to him because he was celebrated for remembering things and he felt safe just lingering close to his friends.

He was grotesque now; built from spare parts and left for scrap, but his people wanted him anyway and Eddie had never felt more loved in his life.

Chapter 2

#I want to snuggle and hold this weird little monster Eddie #he really sounds so fucking adorable to me #Eddie munson #stranger things au #my_writing #eddie month #Eddiemonth #Stranger things #Stranger Things Fic #stranger things fanfic #also I'll pledge my soul to whoever draws Eddie with acrylic nails

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makoodles · 10 months

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I have been reading Avatar fics for some days and I have to tell the world something:

WHY IN THE NAME OF SANITY ALMOST EVERY Y/N FEELS SHAME FOR EARTH AND HUMANS???

Like truly, I understand in comparison with Na'vi humans look like monsters, but I rarely have seen a reader who would defend beautiful things that humanity has done. Just look at it: books, arts, paintings, architecture, so many cultures (dead and alive) etc... You cannot tell me humanity has nothing to be proud of.

So imagine Na'vi with human reader, who is forced to speak only Na'vi language with her mate, because he wants nothing to do with human stuff (she's an exception). But her level of speaking this language is not so high and she can't really tell what she truly wants to say. So, one day, when Na'vi mate were humiliating her race and calling humans stupid, she just EXPLODES, screaming DO YOU KNOW HOW SMART I'M IN ENGLISH???

She shows him ancient architecture (for me it's always the best), make him to listen human music, prepare human food, demonstrate paintings of great artists etc. In the end she kills her mate with questions: well, what your people can do?

I believe Na'vi is going to be impressed, but will never admit it. Although he's stoped speaking trash about humanity...

Oh, I finally spoke out.

Sorry if it's a lot.

idkkkk i think that's a complicated one because of the message of colonialism

like i feel like a human on pandora has to come to terms with a lot of things, like the fact that they've arrived on the planet with a violent colonising force and the sheer amount of destruction that's wrought on the planet thanks to our species arrival there.

and i guess a big part of earth in the avatar franchise is how it's dying due to human greed and climate change etc, and how the humans on earth are completely disconnected from mother earth and everything, and i think it would be kind of difficult to have pride in your planet and in the achievements of humankind when you see the connection the na'vi have with their home

i reallyyyyy hope we learn more about what earth is like in the next movies! the deleted scenes from A1 were honestly so interesting, i love the aesthetic of it lolll

one thing i can really imagine is human reader telling their na'vi s/o about like household appliances that make life so much easier. like talking about how much they miss microwaves and fridges, and electric showers and dumb shit like scented candles, and your na'vi s/o will be listening with rapt attention bc they have no idea wtf you're talking about

#asks

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appl30fmy3y3 · 4 months

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Draw My Life (Part 1): The Fall

Long ago, Adam's first wife, Lilith, refused him, so God took one of Adam's ribs to create a new wife for him. I was born from the rib of Adam, the first human born from another, to be the perfect replacement wife. I was created to be just as beautiful as Lilith, but with a stronger sense of loyalty and docility to better serve Adam. I was made to be naive and blindly trusting of God and Adam. Whatever was asked of me, I would do.

We lived in the beautiful Garden of Eden, nestled between two flowing rivers. All of the most beautiful plants and flowers of the world grew there, and the trees bore every variety of fruit that you can imagine. There was only one tree from which we could not eat, the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, though I was never told why.

The Garden was large but not endless, and I wasn't long until I encountered Lilith. She was kind to me and told me wonderful stories about the herself, the Garden, and the angel Lucifer. She requested that I come with her to meet him by the Tree of Knowledge, and I agreed.

Lucifer appeared to me as a serpent in the Tree, telling me all about the powers of the forbidden fruit of the Tree and his dreams to bestow free will upon all of humankind. He spoke with so much conviction that he was doing the right thing for humanity that I couldn't help but believe it myself. I took the fruit and found my eyes truly opening for the first time! I did not have to live in servitude forever, blindly trusting those around me. I could move beyond the path that was set for me if I so desired to.

I brought the fruit to Adam in order to share my revelation with him. He scolded me for going against what I was told to do, but ate the fruit anyway so that I would not have to go through punishment alone.

As evening fell on the Garden, we heard God's voice demanding to know if we had eaten the forbidden fruit from the Tree of Knowledge. One can not simply lie to a god, so we admitted our guilt and were banished from the Garden of Eden for all eternity, damning humanity to a life of sin. Lucifer attempted to defend us, admitting that it was his idea for us to eat the fruit, but that only made God angrier, and he banished Lucifer to Hell to watch those who would misuse free will rot for all eternity.

#hazbin hotel #hazbin eve #hazbin lucifer #hazbin lilith #hazbin adam #lore

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doingherbestbutnot · 1 year

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One of the most important things Nightow did to develop his plot (read: psychologically fuck up the twins) was create isolation between Kni and Vash with the rest of humankind early in their lives. Specifically talking about how in Stampede and the manga the vast majority of humanity appear frozen.

We see in both how Vash clearly wants connection (Stampede he's literally naming them [using their real names?? unsure] and talking to them) but Kni's full background wasn't explored with as much depth in Stampede (read: not a criticism of Stampede, she's only 12 eps long 🤣🤣 and I love herrrrrr she can do no wrong in my eyes).

But looking at Kni's background, especially in the manga?? Like damn bro lol Kni is basing his entire world view off of like four people for 100+ years essentially (confirmation bias is a powerful drug my friends) meanwhile I can’t help but think of all the people I know IRL that - even the non-anime watchers - who would meet someone like Kni and be like "you’re under our protection now; our rate is one hug per hour. Would you like to pay up front or create a payment plan? Also, here’s a list of recommended local mental health professionals. No shame in the game; we’re all mad here.”

Both as a joke and partially serious like… I just imagine the girlies on TikTok telling Kni he's fucking awesome, he just needs to meet more people, diversify his experiences, and check in with the squad/friendship-board of directors before acting when he gets upset 🤣🤣

I think the brilliance and horror behind Kni's character portrayal is how he forces you to question what is true "evil" and the juxtaposition with Legato and other characters is amazingggg. Like, reasonable people can conclude Kni's not truly evil and the most controversial part of him (and, conversely, Vash's pacifism) is how you can see and know people like Kni IRL and still love/defend them just as Vash does, but the moment you see another do the same you see the morally grey spots and flaws in your own actions. Kni's actions may be perceived as evil but the moment you divorce his actions from his mental processes he’s really just misguided, afraid, and so deep in a hole of his own making he can't see anything else.

Y’all have already (correctly imo) pointed out Kni isn’t Vash’s true foil in Trigun (he's more of a mirror), I just think it bears emphasizing that Kni and Vash are both so intolerably human in so many ways while both thinking themselves so different from humans. Which, I get is the entire point of fiction here but 🤣🤣

I just think it's real neat, okay?!?! I love that the twins aren't real foils to each other but one is a mass murderer for a cause and the other is so starkly pacifistic that he refuses to be "logical" and kill the killer.

This started as a small thought... and got out of hand. OH WELL LOL might expand more on it later but that's all for now ✌️✌️

#trigun stampede #trigun #tristamp #trigun stampede could step on me and id say thank you #trigun vash #the ND is strong today #vash trigun #vash trigun stampede #what a treasure trove of angst and pain #vash the stampede #vash #millions knives #knives millions #trigun maximum #trigun manga

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hyperiion · 2 years

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the Message of BOE

After finishing NTN, I was thinking about how we still don't know how the end of the Earth truly played out. We know that people escaped on ships, we know that John started the nuclear war. But we haven't heard Blood of Eden's side yet, only that Commander Wake charges John with "acts committed with intent to destroy [...] the human race". We've only heard John tell the story.

When we're told the story, John's telling Harrow+Alecto in a way that makes it clear that she's heard it before, or lived it, in Alecto's case. And when we he gets to the bomb, in John 1:20, page 407, he says: "G– was the last one alive. I reached out and stopped G-'s heart... I ate every single death... In the body they paid me to puppet, I gave the command. That command was heard round the world... One little nuke, then a lot of bigger nukes..." This timeline has everyone in John's group dying, then him killed G– to set off the suitcase nuke, and then using the world leader puppet to kick off a nuclear war.

Only later, he reverses this. In John 5:4, page 433: "'I did need to do it, Harrow. There was no other way. Once those bombs were going off, there was no hope for Melbourne anyway— G– was dead meat.' [Harrow] said— 'You said G–'s bomb went off first.' 'Yeah, it did, of course it did... Look, what does it matter?'"

He gets so defensive and redirects when his lies come out. He's constructing this story for Harrow+Alecto to hear, but really he's telling it to himself again. He doesn't want her to engage, to point out inaccuracies. He wants her nodding along and playing her part. Because he started the nuclear war with the sole intent of gaining enough power from deaths to decimate the ships that he sees as stolen from him.

He justifies it as seeking justice on behalf of Earth, but it's very much personal. These were his stakeholders. His promised ships. His team being snubbed. In his chance to take personal vengeance, clearly acting against the Earth's interest— both the physical planet and humankind— he starts a nuclear war.

I'd never defend trillionaires escaping Earth to avoid the climate apocalypse and leave everyone else behind— and this is exactly what John plays upon. He sets the story up to be exactly that— unsympathetic towards a clear villian (even when John shows his increase of power, how gorey it can be, it wouldn't seem out of place to Harrow, who is no stranger to necromancy and how it works). They lied, they saved their own skin, they left the Earth behind when they were the ones behind the exacerbation of climate chnage. But we can't trust John. So what really happened?

In NTN, we're told that Aim is Blood of Eden, and must be protected at all costs, because of the Message they carry. I think the Message has to do with what truly happened in the final days, and how John's been telling a skewed, wonky version. He's a manipulator; he lies, he acts like he's the victim while being self-deprecating, he uses humor to try to lighten or distract from things he says. I think the Message is indisputable proof— one of his streams? News footage? Chat room history, like the names Aim/AIM and Emma Sen/MSN suggest?— that he has been telling a fabricated or embellished story that puts BOE/those who escaped Earth in a worse light, as well as his whole mythos of Emperor Undying.

#nona the ninth #blood of eden #john gaius #ntn spoilers #tlt spoilers #the locked tomb #tlt meta #ntn #tlt #the second part of the message is so intriguing too #does it need both implants to tell the whole message? what happens when both parts of the message are put together?#also Wake confirms that he uses a bomb to destroy the human race but we don't get anything else from her perspective #but she also says THE bomb... which is interesting #it puts more weight on the suitcase nuke which makes sense since it was the one John used in those last minute negotations #and BOE didnt know about the puppet leader

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lycanlovingvampyre · 1 year

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MAG 153 Relisten

Activity on my first listen: apple cutting.

"Intelligence doesn’t make you less prone to taking on bad ideas, it just makes you better at defending them to other people and to yourself. Smart people can believe some truly ridiculous things, and then deploy all the reason and logic at their disposal to justify them, because a belief doesn’t begin in your mind. It begins in your feelings. Cults are very good at finding you when you’re at your lowest point, when you’re your most emotionally vulnerable. And when you’re at that point it’s astounding what can crawl into your heart and start to fester there." Generally I'd say "intelligent people" are a lot less prone to joining stupid ideas. Especially since we now had a global event, that put this to the test. The Covid pandemic. All those people, of whom I'd have expected to believe stupid shit, did. I personally know no one, who surprised me to suddenly chime in to a conspiracy theory. But a few friends told me they had someone like this in their circle of friends and acquaintances - someone they always deemed smart and stable and suddenly they fell down this hole because they lost something important to them that put them at an emotional low. And then they’ll want to believe that shit that would them get their thing back.

"But that was when I started to properly look at my life, and I really didn’t like what was looking back." Ah yes, getting back to that DMN talk from yesterday's episode. The ability of self-awareness buys us the ticket to depression.

"And I’d always assumed that that was enough to eventually have real success, and for the first 10 years it seemed like I was right. I worked my way up, performed for basically nothing basically every night and got to be pretty successful." Yeah, I know that feeling... I get pretty decent fairly quickly when I latch onto a new interest. Problem is, I stay there. After my initial climb to "better than average" I stagnate and no matter what I do I just won't climb any higher. But I’m surrounded by people who do get farther and I stay just behind. It's frustrating. Doomed to be mediocre forever.

"do you know how much a “pretty successful” comedian makes?" Another line that's featured in the "Jonathan asks you things" video!^^

"Let’s just say I had a full-time office job and was still barely making rent. But between working full-time and gigging full-time I just kept putting off everything else in my life, always so sure the big time was just around the corner. This is the TV spot that gets me noticed, this is the sell-out fringe show that makes me mainstream, this is the deal that actually goes somewhere." Is that still part of the statement or is this just Jonny venting? xD

So Agape apparently means "love", and in Christianity it's meant as the love for god or god's love for humankind. Fits the toxic love theme.

“We formed into a long line, a chain holding hands with Joyce at the very end of it. It stretched from one end of the building to the other. “ When I hear about cult settlements, my mind wanders pretty quickly to Jonestown. And while there's nothing even remotely in common aside from just being a cult, there is one thing, that actually did remind me a bit of Jonestown. The thing about the cult members having to line up for the horrible thing. (If you're not familiar with Jonestown and are planning to look it up, be warned for suicide. Mass murder-suicide. It’s extremely gruesome...)

"Did you ever do that experiment in science class, where you held hands in a line and the teacher passed a very gentle electric shock down through the students" Okay first, what the fuck, no? Second, this is also in the "Jonathan asks you things" video!

JON: "He asked me to." JULIA: "Oh really? You always do what evil books tell you to, do you?" Oh wow... That was a low blow...

JON: "Christ, he was right, I didn’t – didn’t – when did you get so thin?" DAISY: "I’m not, it’s fine." JON: "It’s the Hunt, isn’t it? Without it –" Not submitting to their purpose does eat away at them. And to think that Jon never really as one of the physically fittest people out there..

JON: "Don’t listen to the blood." DAISY: "Listen to the quiet." One of my favorite quotes of TMA <3

@a-mag-a-day

#a-mag-a-day #mag 153 #tma #tma spoilers

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rockislandadultreads · 2 years

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The Shire is Burning... so Mordor it is...

epic fantasies and extraordinary adventure titles

Age of Myth by Michael J. Sullivan

Since time immemorial, humans have worshipped the gods they call Fhrey, truly a race apart: invincible in battle, masters of magic, and seemingly immortal. But when a god falls to a human blade, the balance of power between humans and those they thought were gods changes forever. Now only a few stand between humankind and annihilation: Raithe, reluctant to embrace his destiny as the God Killer; Suri, a young seer burdened by signs of impending doom; and Persephone, who must overcome personal tragedy to lead her people. The Age of Myth is over. The time of rebellion has begun.

The Raven Tower by Ann Leckie

For centuries, the kingdom of Iraden has been protected by the god known as the Raven. He watches over his territory from atop a tower in the powerful port of Vastai. His will is enacted through the Raven's Lease, a human ruler chosen by the god himself. His magic is sustained via the blood sacrifice that every Lease must offer. And under the Raven's watch, the city flourishes. But the power of the Raven is weakening. A usurper has claimed the throne. The kingdom borders are tested by invaders who long for the prosperity that Vastai boasts. And they have made their own alliances with other gods. It is into this unrest that the warrior Eolo--aide to Mawat, the true Lease--arrives. And in seeking to help Mawat reclaim his city, Eolo discovers that the Raven's Tower holds a secret. Its foundations conceal a dark history that has been waiting to reveal itself...and to set in motion a chain of events that could destroy Iraden forever.

Eyes of the Forest by April Henry

After a bestselling fantasy author disappears, only his biggest fan believes he’s in danger and has the courage to uncover the truth in this fast-paced mystery with a chilling psychological twist. Bridget is RM Haldon's biggest fan. His epic fantasy series, Swords and Shadows, created a lifeline between Bridget and her mom as she lost her battle with cancer. When Bridget met Haldon at his only book signing, she impressed the author with her encyclopedic knowledge of the fantasy world he'd created. Bridget has been working for him ever since as he attempts to write his final book. Now, Haldon is missing, and Bridget is the only person who seems concerned. Can Bridget piece together Haldon’s clues and save him before it’s too late?

In a Garden Burning Gold by Rory Power

Rhea and her twin brother, Lexos, have spent an eternity helping their father rule their small, unstable country, using their control over the seasons, tides, and stars to keep the people in line. For a hundred years, they've been each other's only ally, defending each other and their younger siblings against their father's increasingly unpredictable anger. Now, with an independence movement gaining ground and their father's rule weakening, the twins must take matters into their own hands to keep their family—and their entire world—from crashing down around them. But other nations are jockeying for power, ready to cross and double cross, and if Rhea and Lexos aren't careful, they'll end up facing each other across the battlefield.

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oliverbrydges · 1 year

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Princess Mononoke (1997) Film Review

Japanese director Hayao Miyazaki is known for a specific type of commentary in his films, whether it be a message of anti-war, nuclear destruction, or the balance of humanity and nature and how they interact with each other. Princess Mononoke in particular tells a story of a cursed prince, banished from his village; a warrior princess, raised away from civilization; and an ongoing war between the humans of a town desperate for resources and the spirits of the forest who are trying to protect their home from destruction.

Set in the Muromachi Period of Japan, the story introduces us to Ashitaka, the last prince of the Emishi people, as he defends his village from a demon. He manages to slay it but not without it grasping his arm, grating him super-strength but also cursing him with pain and eventual death. Once defeated however, the village discovers that the demon was in fact a boar god, that had been corrupted by an iron ball stuck inside of it. This leads Ashitaka to leave his village in search of a cure for his curse and the origin of the iron ball. Eventually, Ashitaka reaches Iron Town, led by Lady Eboshi, where humans have created an industrial settlement, using the materials they harvested from the surrounding forest area. This has caused a large conflict with the gods of the forest who are angry that their sacred land is being destroyed. San, the adopted human-born daughter of the wolf goddess Moro, is the one person Ashitaka can try to communicate with in order to put an end to the violent back and forth between humans and gods, but will she, as Princess Mononoke (princess of vengeful spirits), be able to ally with another human?

Princess Mononoke is often regarded as one of Miyazaki’s greatest works, and that may be due to the motivations of each character:

Ashitaka wants to bring peace to the forest in order to save his village and people, he takes this as his solo responsibility as he has been cursed by a god, both forsaking his future and causing him great pain, but also granting him immense strength, which he utilises for the betterment of others.

San harbours a resentment for humankind, as she was left as a sacrifice to the wolf goddess by her parents, who in turn raised San as her own, and now that her home is being destroyed, she acts out of spite, attacking humans gathering resources from the mountain.

Lady Eboshi, perhaps the most well written character in the film, can easily be pegged as the antagonist of the film, as she is the chief of Iron Town, leading the destruction upon the forest, however her true reasonings make you question whether she is truly in the wrong. Clans all over Japan are attacking each other and the people are living in poverty with little food and the women are being taken as slaves, however the residents of Iron Town are living happily and peacefully where the women are free to work industrial jobs, and everyone, even the lepers of society, are given a role. This is because Lady Eboshi has taken advantage of nature's resources, mining the mountain for iron and gold and destroying woodland to increase lumber production. However, because of their resources they are constantly under attack from smaller clans, and while Iron Town has the power to defend itself, it won’t stay strong unless it keeps growing and producing. This conflict is very interesting and thought provoking to me, especially as we currently are facing very similar issues in our current world, because it shows that is any action you take can have consequences that are both good and bad.

I can’t talk about a Studio Ghibli film without bringing up the animation and art style, as visually, very few animation studios compare to the calibre of Ghibli. The whole picture feels alive, as each character in each frame is treated as an individual rather than an extra just to fill the screen, every action a character does has a way of building to the world of the film, whether it’s Ashitaka washing out his bowl before filling it with river water or San adjusting the heed of her cloak before riding away on a wolf. These minor details really make the film seem full of life and like each character has their own habits and mannerisms, which make them feel like actual people rather than roles in a story. The design of the characters, creatures and locations also reflect the themes of the film, as nothing truly appears as it seems. Iron Town may seem bleak and hostile, but the people living there are full of personality and joy; the forest lake of the gods is at first glance beautiful and serene, but we see the floor of the lake is covered with bones; the Kodama (small forest spirits) are both unsettling yet playful; and even the god of the forest is visually abstract. This adds to the themes of nuance and duality within life, nothing is ever 100% black or white.

Having grown up with this film, as I did with much of Miyazaki’s work, it has instilled certain points of view and ethical considerations within me: a human may do something seemingly greedy, but if you look at the greater picture you can see that not all bad actions have bad intentions and just because someone's true aim may be beyond our vision or understanding, it doesn’t necessarily make them a “bad person” and vice versa. I truly believe that Miyazaki is one of the true greats of film making, as his point of view as a storyteller and his lived experience through Japan in the Second World War really come through in his art, and his way of feeding his messages to the masses in a way that creates a well-positioned view on life.

Word Count: 987

#studio ghibli #ghibli #princess mononoke #film review

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papirouge · 1 year

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If you wanted to know how deranged and evil American evangelicals are about gun worship, I had to listen to one tell me that Türkiye’s and Syrias earthquake was punishment from god because Europe banned guns to protect themselves from Muslims…….. and also add that I would turn into a socialist for choosing going to university in Denmark. That last comment was from my grandmother. She believes once I’m done with school america will ban me from ever entering into the US for being a socialist. Don’t get wrong, the US is huge and full of so many amazing diverse and beautiful people but the evangelicals here are….. something

The same evangelicals saying this trash are the same to be shook whenever people say the USA deserved 9/11 ¯_(ツ)_/¯ Let's say......the 9/11 a punishment against the USA.....for existing - existing over a literal genocide and the blood of millions of slaves🙃

They are so astonishingly stupid though. Like- how gun ownership has anything to do a LITERALLY EARTHQUAKE. At least a mass shooting would make more sense - thankfully those hardly happen here maybe because Europeans on average aren't as much mentally ill as USAmericans I guess. Do they really think God cares about the silly obsession of a handful of Americans with guns so much that he would punish a whole country abroad? Guns are from the devil. They are secret knowledge given by fallen angels to humankind, and it's crazy to me that so-called Christian are hellbent to defending those demonic tools. Guns aren't that much helpful against terrorism anyway because many terrorist attacks involve SUICIDE BOMBING.

And USAmericans need to grasp that guns aren't "banned in Europe". It's just that culturally, guns ownership isn't that much of a thing. I knew a guy in highschool who had firearms and everyone thought he was a bit weird for that. Switzerland has a high rate of gun ownership... Europe isn't a monolith and no, guns are not banned in every European country.

And LMAO the obsession with Conservatives American with socialism is hilarious. They sound like a cult scared that their brethren wander far away in the outside world and fearmongering them about an imaginary threat..... 💀 Everything they complain about Europe "socialism" are the perk of most European countries lol (universal healthcare, social welfare, PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION, etc.) I LOVE MY SOCIALIST SYSTEM THAT ALLOWS MY MOM TO TRAVEL THE WORLD WITH HER RETIREMENT PENSION INSTEAD OF HAVING TO WORK UNTIL SHE'S IN HER 70S - OBESE US CONSERVATIVES CAN SEETHE & CHOKE

I agree that there need to be a distinction between regular Americans and crazy Conservative/evangelicals. Many USAmericans have a very good self awareness about their country and pull out excellent takes to call it out. Tbh I totally understand Liberals hate against religion/Christianism whenever I see the crazy stunts of American Evangelicals. They truly are a disservice to the body of Christ.

#answered #Christian

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storytimewithnova · 9 months

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Captains x Hinata PT3

Hey hey hey Author chan here So this is gonna be new for me as I have no clue if this is gonna work so bear with me on whatever chaos this turns out to be and enjoy

The captains can see the sho was being used by her so-called boyfriends they were just using her for a body petty s*x they never truly loved her where is the captains do so Daishou was not only gonna call the boys are on their bullshit but show sho that she can't be Naive and trusting she can't keep say but they love me When in reality they just love her body

In what ever dead ass GC this is one where almost everyone has left

Yams is online

Yams:Has anyone seen sho

Kags:No she is ghosting me as well

Yams:Wtf did you do this time

Kags:What do you mean me

Yam:Well its either you or Tsuki and Tsuki has been with his brother Tenma all day

Tsuki:Ha i got an Alibi bitch

youtube

Daishou:🎶 Any dolt with half a brain Can see that humankind has gone insane To the point where I don't know If I'll upset the status quo If I throw poison in the water main🎶

Sho:Suguru WDYM?

Futakuchi:See what you are doing daishou cleaver come on sunshine you can't be that Nieve

Tsuki:???

Kags:???

Yams:???

Daishou:🎶 Listen close to everybody's heart And hear that breaking sound Hopes and dreams are shattering apart And crashing to the ground🎶

Kags:What's with negitive Nacey over there

Tsuki:Beats us

Daishou:🎶I cannot believe my eyes How the world's filled with filth and lies But it's plain to see Evil, inside of me Is on the rise🎶

Sho:Listen suguru 🎶Look around, we're living with the lost and found Just when you feel you've almost drowned You find yourself on solid ground🎶

Bokuto:Baby owl you are still being Nieve

Sho:Kota please 🎶 And you believe there's good in everybody's heart Keep it safe and sound With hope, you can do your part To turn a life around🎶

Futakuchi:You're too good for this world princess

Yams:So confused

Sho:🎶 I cannot believe my eyes Is the world finally growing wise? 'Cause it seems to me Some kind of harmony Is on the rise🎶

Kuroo:Kitten you are to soft even when you are being used you want to see the good in the world

Kags:Being used?!

Tsuki:What is that meant to mean

Daishou:🎶 Anyone with half a brain🎶

Sho:🎶 Take it slow🎶

Daishou:🎶Could spend their whole life howling in pain🎶

Sho:🎶 He looks at me and seems to know🎶

Daishou:🎶 'Cause the dark is everywhere🎶

Sho:🎶The things that I'm afraid to show🎶

Daishou:🎶And shona doesn't seem to careAnd soon the dark in me is all that will remain🎶

Sho: 🎶 And suddenly I feel his glowAnd I believe there's good in everybody's heart🎶

Daishou:🎶Listen close to everybody's heart And hear that breaking sound🎶

Sho:🎶Keep it safe and sound With hope, you can do your part🎶

Kita:baby fox can you stop being an angel for five minutes and maybe see it from our view

Daishou:🎶Hopes and dreams are shattering apart And crashing to the ground🎶

Sho:🎶And turn a life around cannot believe my eyes How the world's🎶

Daishou:🎶Filled with filth and lies🎶

Sho:🎶finally growing wise🎶

Daishou:🎶But it's plain to see 🎶

Sho:🎶And it's plain to see🎶

Daishou:🎶Evil inside of me🎶

Sho:🎶Rapture inside of me🎶

Shouhina:🎶Is on the rise🎶

Tsuki:care to explain what the hell that was about

Kags:yeah and what do you mean sho is being used who is using her

Yams:and why are you calling her Nieve

Bokuto:you guys are using baby owl and baby owl being the sweetheart that she is lets you because she thinks that is love

Tsuki: .....

Kags: .....

Yams: .....

Sho:wait they were telling the truth this whole time you were using me for my body and just for petty S*X i jumped down their throats and called them liars and defended you guys when in fact they were telling the truth

Yams:i mean come on love who wouldn't use you

Kags^

Tsuki:^

The captains: You 3

this is sho to Yamaguchi

Sho:You vile loathsome Little cockroach

Yams:ow

Ushijima:deserved come on babe lets go

Sho:oh and you 3 consider your asses dumped i have the captains and they are worth 1000 of you

they left the 3 looking like morons and went back to the captains mansion

#Youtube

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dfroza · 1 year

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“All of this happened so that through His grace we would be accepted into God’s covenant family”

Today’s reading of the Scriptures from the New Testament is the 3rd and closing chapter of the letter of Titus:

And remind them of this: respect the rulers and the courts. Obey them. Be ready to do what is good and honorable. Don’t tear down another person with your words. Instead, keep the peace, and be considerate. Be truly humble toward everyone because there was a time when we, too, were foolish, rebellious, and deceived—we were slaves to sensual cravings and pleasures; and we spent our lives being spiteful, envious, hated by many, and hating one another. But then something happened: God our Savior and His overpowering love and kindness for humankind entered our world; He came to save us. It’s not that we earned it by doing good works or righteous deeds; He came because He is merciful. He brought us out of our old ways of living to a new beginning through the washing of regeneration; and He made us completely new through the Holy Spirit, who was poured out in abundance through Jesus the Anointed, our Savior. All of this happened so that through His grace we would be accepted into God’s covenant family and appointed to be His heirs, full of the hope that comes from knowing you have eternal life. This is a faithful statement of what we believe.

Concerning this, I want you to put it out there boldly so that those who believe in God will be constant in doing the right things, which will benefit all of us. Listen, don’t get trapped in brainless debates; avoid competition over family trees or pedigrees; stay away from fights and disagreements over the law. They are a waste of your time. If a person is causing divisions in the community, warn him once; and if necessary, warn him twice. After that, avoid him completely because by then you are sure that you are dealing with a corrupt, sinful person. He is determined to condemn himself.

I am sending either Artemas or Tychicus to you. When one of them arrives, try your best to make your way to me at Nicopolis (I plan to spend the winter there). Do what you can to get Zenas (the lawyer) and Apollos on their way; make sure they have everything they need. Our people must learn to get involved when a need arises, particularly when the need is urgent. Teach them to do what is good so they won’t become unproductive members of the community.

Everyone with me sends his greetings. Greet all our friends in the faith. May grace be with all of you. [Amen.]

The Letter of Titus, Chapter 3 (The Voice)

Today’s paired chapter of the Testaments is the 8th chapter of the book of 2nd Chronicles that continues with King Solomon after building the Temple in Jerusalem:

After 20 years of constructing the Eternal’s house and his own house, Solomon built cities in the regions which Huram, king of Tyre, had given to Israel and settled the Israelites in them.

Then Solomon conquered Hamath-zobah in Aram. He built Tadmor in the wilderness and all the storage cities in Hamath. He also built upper Beth-horon and lower Beth-horon (fortified cities with walls, gates, and crossbeams in the territory of Ephraim), Baalath (in the territory of Dan), all his storage cities, and all the cities for his chariots and his horsemen. Solomon built these in Jerusalem, in the region of Lebanon, and in all the lands he ruled to defend Israel’s territory.

All of the non-Israelites who remained in Solomon’s kingdom, including descendants of Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, became conscripted laborers to this day. But Solomon did not enslave the Israelites for his building projects. The Israelites were warriors, Solomon’s leaders and commanders of his chariots and horsemen, and 250 of them were his chief officers who ruled over the people.

Then Solomon moved his wife, Pharaoh’s daughter, from the city of David and away from the temple to a separate house which he built for her. Solomon thought, “My foreign wife will not live in the palace of David, king of Israel, because the places are holy where the Eternal’s covenant chest has entered.”

So that it pleased God and followed the provisions of his father, Solomon gave burnt offerings on the Eternal’s altar, which he had built in front of the porch. He did this daily (according to the commandment of Moses), weekly (on the Sabbaths), monthly (on the new moons), and at the three annual feasts (the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the Festival of Weeks, and the Festival of Booths). Following the plans of his father David, Solomon assigned the temple duties to the priests, the Levites’ daily duties of praise and ministering before the priests, and the gatekeepers’ gate divisions. These plans had been laid out by David, a man who followed the True God. The priests and the Levites followed all the commandments of their king, even those regarding the storehouses. Solomon finished all this work, beginning with the groundbreaking of the Eternal’s temple and ending with its completion.

Then Solomon went to Ezion-geber and to Eloth on the coast in Edom. Huram sent his seafaring servants in ships to help Solomon’s servants sail to Ophir. There the servants took 450 talents of gold and brought them to King Solomon.

The Book of 2nd Chronicles, Chapter 8 (The Voice)

A link to my personal reading of the Scriptures for Thursday, february 23 of 2023 with a paired chapter from each Testament of the Bible along with Today’s Proverbs and Psalms

A post by John Parsons about “turning” to face God:

The teshuvah (repentance) called for by Yeshua is not like that of the rabbis... The rabbis want you to be sorry for your sins, to confess “every sin in the book,” and to find “atonement” in religious rituals, but this is not "good news," but rather "stale news." The teshuvah of Yeshua is the miracle of new life; Messiah sets you free from the power of sin and death itself. The repentance of Yeshua is to trust in God's remedy for your sin: "This is the work of God, to believe in the One whom God sent" (John 6:29). "He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no one to intercede; then His own arm brought him salvation, and his righteousness upheld him" (Isa. 59:16).

We must turn away from the idea that God demands anything from us other than trust in his love. "Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 18:3). Stop trying to “measure up” to his standards. You simply cannot give more than you have the grace to give, so you must begin by getting your heart needs met by accepting God’s unconditional love. It's not about what you do for God, after all, but about what he does for you. That's the message of the gospel. Trust that you are rightly related to God because of the salvation of Yeshua, not because of your own efforts at self-improvement. "I tell you the solemn truth, the one who hears my message and believes the One who sent me has eternal life (חַיֵּי עוֹלָם) and will not be condemned, but has passed over (i.e., μετά + βαίνω, lit., "crossed over" [עָבַר]) from death to life" (John 5:24).

Do you believe that God loves you right now - just as you are - and that you don't have to change or improve yourself to be loved by him? Do you believe that, whatever your present condition, God loves you with the very passion that put Yeshua on the cross? The LORD is present for you now, if you will believe, not some time later, after you've attempted to remedy yourself or after you have somehow “endured to the end.” If we come to God in utter poverty of spirit, confessing our need for deliverance from the misery of ourselves, why do we think that, after so coming, we should later relate to God on a different basis? You are delivered by trusting in God's grace, by accepting his love for your soul, and likewise are you sanctified. We never get beyond our need for the cross, which is to say that we always need God's compassion and mercy... “Repentance is the ultimate honesty” (Dietrich Bonhoeffer).

We must be careful not to worship an idol, that is, a false concept of God... It is possible to read the Bible, to go to church or synagogue, and yet worship a pagan god. How so? By not knowing the heart of the Father; by not honoring the One who passionately seeks our healing. We know the Father by the Son, that is, in “the language of Son” (Heb. 1:2; Luke 10:21-24). Our heavenly Father is eager to forgive and embrace all of his children. In Yeshua’s famous parable of the “prodigal son,” the father saw his child a “long way off” and ran to embrace and kiss him - no questions asked, no explanations needed about his past. When the son nevertheless began reciting his carefully prepared speech of repentance, the father barely listened, and in his overwhelming joy instructed his servants, 'Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found...' (Luke 15:20-25).

[ Hebrew for Christians ]

========

Psalm 63-3 Hebrew reading:

https://hebrew4christians.com/Blessings/Blessing_Cards/psalm63-3-jjp.mp3

Hebrew page download:

https://hebrew4christians.com/Blessings/Blessing_Cards/psalm63-3-lesson.pdf

2.22.23 • Facebook

Today’s message (Days of Praise) from the Institute for Creation Research

February 23, 2023

The Cure for Spiritual Weariness

“For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.” (Hebrews 12:3)

Faith in Christ does not make one immune to spiritual weariness and faintness of mind. This condition may arise from frustration at our own natures, our inability to love God as we ought, to pray effectively, to understand the Scriptures, or to bear fruit for Him. We may feel that our best efforts to represent God in our community have been of no avail and very few show by their lives that our witness and ministry have been effective.

Sometimes we may question why God does not choose to favor all those who follow Him with material blessings and pleasant circumstances, but instead, at times, the wicked prosper. Looking at the tide of evil sweeping our world can leave us faint and weary.

But the answer to our dilemma is Christ! Reflection on Him will re-energize even the most discouraged saint, for He “endured such contradiction [or opposition] of sinners” (today’s verse), was victorious, and now promises to lead us to similar victory (see Hebrews 2:17-18; 4:15-16, for example). It will help us to persevere if we notice how He endured, “who, when he was reviled, reviled not again” (1 Peter 2:23), and that He endured it all, not just for Himself or just for His followers, but also for us, who, “when we were enemies [of Christ], we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son” (Romans 5:10).

The so-called Hall of Fame of Faith (Hebrews 11) immediately precedes today’s verse. Reflection on the testimonies of those faithful and victorious warriors, coupled with our example of Christ, will make our greatest burden seem light and should spur us on to even more effective and sacrificial labor. JDM

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grandcrossoverworldbuilding · 2 years

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Aeolia and the Origins of Celestial Being

Originally Written by Infamous Empire

Aeolia Schenberg was a genius. Almost since his birth, the man had been endlessly curious about the sciences. From Physics to Engineering to Philosophy, Aeolia studied them all in his developing years, and had come to model himself off of the great geniuses of the past such as Reed Richards and Hank Pym. In his adult years, he had come to ultimately grow fixated on the nature of humankind, conducting research into the study of human nature and society. In his research, he ultimately came to the conclusion that Humankind was stagnating. That endless warring, environmental destruction, and refusal to fix the flawed systems that governed the world would ultimately drive the human race to their Doom.

Where most people would have fallen into depression upon coming to such a conclusion, Aeolia sought instead to save humankind himself. To this end, he proposed the Global Reorganization Plan, a detailed proposal submitted to the scientific community and several world leaders. The plan involved the construction of a series of Space Elevators on the equator, connected to each other by an orbital ring, which would harvest Solar Energy and wirelessly distribute that energy around the world. Such a system would also be defended by a series of specialized mecha known as Mobile Suits. Aeolia believed that, by solving the energy crisis and giving humankind something to collectively protect in the form of the Tower network, war would come to an end, and Humanity could progress forward into the future. He also believed that the Orbital Elevators could serve to jumpstart the colonization of space, which Aeolia viewed as essential.

The Plan was praised and accepted by many global superpowers, who soon went about making the plan a reality. Despite many minor hiccups, the Plan progressed steadily for half a decade, with Mobile Suits being constructed, the construction sites for the Orbital Towers being firmly set up, and wars gradually coming to a close across the world as the beginnings of a solar power network were created. All this work was undone, however, by Second Impact. The apocalyptic event destroyed the foundations of the Solar energy networks and the Orbital Towers, and in the aftermath, the ancient conspiracy known as SEELE moved to have the Global Reorganization Plan shut down and Aeolia ousted.

Left with nothing, Aeolia became a hermit, isolated by society and scorned by SEELE-controlled media. Despite this, the man refused to give up his objectives, using his remaining funds and connections to invest in the colonization of space, eventually moving off-world himself along with his closest collaborators. It was in this exile that Aeolia contemplated the nature of human conflict, coming to believe that humans fight each other because they do not truly understand one another, becoming too caught up in their own beliefs and prejudices to truly learn about the ones they are fighting. He also felt that such a human race was not prepared for interstellar travel, as that would only lead to the spread of more war across the galaxy, as observed in so many interstellar races that humans had encountered.

It was because of this line of thinking that Aeolia and his colleagues began studying psychics and telepaths, believing that their ability to feel the emotions of others, to achieve true understanding, was what humanity needed most. The problem was that psychics were a rare breed, and there seemed to be no consistent way to mass-produce psychic awakenings. This all changed when Aeolia, while experimenting with Hadrons, discovered a unique type of Baryon particle that he dubbed the Gundam Nucleus (GN) Particle. These GN Particles functioned much like the Ahab Waves which powered the Gundam prototypes, being able to disrupt and disable radio waves and heavy electronic machinery. Their most important trait, however, was their ability to transmit and expand human consciousness. This meant that whenever enough GN particles were gathered in an area, everyone within that area became able to sense each other's thoughts and feelings. It was even believed that enough exposure to GN Particles could lead to a person “evolving” into a new type of human with telepathic abilities.

Aeolia truly believed that he had found it, the next step in human progression and the true solution to conflict. However, even this came with problems, as the reactors required to produce GN Particles needed to be custom-made and required years to produce, meaning that mass-production was likely impossible. Not only that, but Aeolia knew that the world could not be reformed by mere words and would likely reject the change offered by GN Particles, something which he had learned from the failure of the Global Reformation Plan.

Aeolia knew that the world could not be created in his lifetime, especially as he saw Earth falling into chaos before him. And so, he created a plan that would last beyond his lifetime. He used his connections to secretly gather the top minds in the scientific community, in order to form an organization which could carry out his vision even after he was gone. This organization would be the guardian angels that watched over the world in secret: Celestial Being.

The first meeting of the organization was the formulation of their plan. This plan, dubbed the Aeolia Plan, would come in 3 phases. The first was the eradication of conflict via “armed interventions”, wherein Celestial Beings GN-powered Mobile Suits, a new generation of Gundams, would step in to wipe out conflict wherever it appeared through armed force. The second phase was for the world to unite against Celestial Being, which would become every nation’s common enemy via their armed interventions, and seemingly destroy the organization. The next phase would be for Celestial Being to guide the newly-united humanity from the shadows and introduce GN technology to make way for the next stage in human evolution.

The newly formed group would work in secret to research GN Particles, recruit new members, and await the plan’s beginning. Aeolia went into cryosleep, wishing to live to see the world he envisioned. But before then, he created a sentient supercomputer, VEDA, which managed the organization in his absence, subtly altering the details of the plan to suit the state of the world, and selecting new members to induct. The organization stayed this way for centuries, even after civilization on Earth collapsed and humanity scattered across the Solar System, Celestial Being simply laid in waiting for their time to strike…

#grand crossover worldbuilding #fanfic #mobile suit gundam #neon genesis evangelion #fantastic four #the x-men #ant-man

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padawanlost · 3 years

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I have a couple of questions about Karen Miller/Traviss (are they the same person?) who wrote the Clone Wars novels. Are they still considered canon? Also, I heard that Karen Traviss was abused online or something, was that over her Star Wars novels? Really, I mean that just takes toxicity to a new level.

This is a hot topic but one that desperately needs to be explored because to this day people are still spreading misinformation about that happen as a way to ‘defend’ their points. So, here we go:

Karen Miller and Karen Traviss are not the same person.

Karen miller wrote novels like The Clone Wars: Wild Space and the Clone Wars Gambit series.

Karen Travis wrote novels like The Clone Wars movie novelization and the Republic Command Series.

Both, in my opinion, are very talented writers but both also suffered thanks to sexiest and overzealous fans. There are many reason why they became ‘infamous’ but the main reason is their political stance. They both had a lot of sympathy for the clones and the enslaves citizens of the GFFA, and both were not shy about calling out the Jedi Order and the Senate for their inaction. Of course, jedi stans hated them. To add insult to injury, Karen Traviss was the writer who ‘killed’ Mara Jade (btw, this wasn’t her idea but she’s still hated for it).

Karen Miller ‘crimes’:

Her biggest ‘offense’ was being mistaken by Karen Traviss (more on that later). Beyond that all she did was write Anidala and portraying Anakin and Obi-wan as good but flawed people. This is the kind of stuff she wrote:

“Coruscant was out there. Padmé was out there. There was a heart in his chest, beating, but it was only an echo. She was his true heart. She was his home.” - Karen Miller’s Clone Wars Gambit: Siege

“He saw himself a candle. He saw himself behind a wall. Brick by brick he tried to raise it. Brick by brick, it was destroyed. Every death was a hammer blow. Every loss a chisel. The Sith were a wily foe, they knew where and when to strike. They were drawn to weak places, to old griefs and unhealed wounds.” - Karen Miller. The Clone Wars: Wild Space

To weep for a fallen comrade was to display unseemly attachment. A Jedi did not become attached to people, to things, to places, to any world or its inhabitants. A Jedi’s strength was fed by serenity. By distance. By loving impersonally. Karen Miller. The Clone Wars: Wild Space

Nothing particularly edgy or offensive. Imo, she’s one the best prequel writes in the game.

Karen Traviss ‘crimes’:

Beyond killing Mara Jade, she’s known for being critical of the Jedi and Republic and advocating for clone wars. She supported the highly offensive and controversial idea that clones were human being who deserved the freedom. She also believed that love (romantic or platonic), family and friends were not inherently evil and that Order made mistake by banning them.

Karen Trraviss is also know for writing so much of what we know of Mandalorian culture and she struck a nerve that too.

She wrote things like:

“The only thing [the clones] all had in common was their appearance—although they were starting to age differently, she could see that now—and what the Republic had done to them. Apart from that, they were individuals with the full range of virtues and habits of random humankind, and she now felt completely at home with them. If she had a side in this war, this was the one she chose: the disenfranchised, unreasonably loyal, heartbreakingly stoic ranks of manufactured men who deserved better.” Star Wars - Republic Commando: True Colors by Karen Traviss

Serenity, my backside. Passion. Passion and anger and love. That’s what this galaxy needs, not serenity. Passion for change. Anger at this brutality. Love-buckets of it, for everyone, love between child and parent, between spouses, between brothers and sisters, between friends. We need more attachment, not less. Attachment can stop us from tearing ourselves apart. The Clone Wars: No Prisoners by Karen Traviss

He wanted to ask her why only a handful of Jedi objected to a slave army, and why they could claim to believe in the sanctity of all life and yet treat some life as being exempt from that respect. [REPUBLIC COMMANDO: TRUE COLORS BY KAREN TRAVISS[

Fandom (over)reaction:

Because of her ‘polemic’ takes, she started getting a lot of hate from the fandom. She used to interact with the fandom and her reward was to get constant death and rape threats. Some fans threatened her with ‘corrective rape’ to change her mind about the Jedi Order and other topics. Apparently, she responded by calling these fans ‘talifans’.

And the fans used that reaction to further vilify her. she was accused of hating the Jedi Order, of favoring Mandalore over them, getting the size of the clone army wrong, of ruining the OT by killing Mara Jade and now, of attacking fans. She was basically bullied out of the franchise.

However, her depictions of Clones and Mandalorians as heroes, while portraying the Jedi as petty or villainous, frustrated some fans, who felt that her stories and characters were counter to Star Wars. These fans wrote negative reviews of her books, and created a petition to George Lucas to stop Traviss from writing further Star Wars books. Traviss also received rape and death threats. Traviss wrote about these experiences on her blog, attacking the fans who created the petition, and likening them to Muslim extremists by calling them "Talifans." Traviss ultimately retired from Star Wars writing due to the threats she received. [x]

It got to point where she had to write an open letter to the fandom explaining she DIDN’T hate the Jedi Order, she just didn’t believe things like war crimes and slavery should be so easily overlooked.

“No sane human can hate someone who doesn’t actually exist. From a writer’s perspective, the more super-powers characters acquire, the harder it is to develop logical story arcs and true human drama…but I don’t have any real feelings about fictional characters that stay with me once I step out of character-point-of-view-writing mode and get on with my life […] My real problem, then, is not with fictional Jedi, but with the people who refuse to believe they can do wrong. – Karen traviss [x]

If you want to know more about this, check this out :)

Now, back to Karen Miller

A few years ago, a popular sw tumblr tried to discredit Traviss writing by spreading the info that she was a sexualizing Ahsoka with Bail so people started hating her for that too. Thing is, Karen Miller was the one accused of doing that but here is the deal:

Neither Karens ever wrote Ahsoka interacting with Bail Orgarna. What actually happened was that someone wrote a fic about Bail sexualizing Ahsoka on fanfiction.net, someone read it and decided the writing style was similar to Karen Miller’s so OF COURSE it must be Karen Miller who wrote the fanfic. Thanks to that genius level of deductive work, over the time people started saying that Karen Traviss wrote about Bail wanting to fuck Ahsoka as extra proof that SHE IS EVIL and should not be taken seriously.

Conclusion

Regardless of what you feel about someone writing, it’s NEVER okay to send them rape or death threats. Never! unfortunately, some hardcore jedi stans still spread the ‘karen traviss was attacking us’ without explaining exactly transpired between her and the fandom. According to their narrative, she was the *only* one in the wrong. That’s why there’s so much misinformation about her and what truly happened online.

My take on this ‘controversy’ is very simple: stop sending rape and death threats to women. I don’t care if you agree with her or not. The moment you believe a women *deserve* to be rape or killed, or support those who do, you lose any more ground you might think have. The situation becomes even more dire if it’s done to protect FICTIONAL CHARACTERS. 🤦‍♀️ I swear...this fandom....

#ask #englishlady #sw meta #sw fandom #karen traviss #txt #karen miller #meta: fandom

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thedeviljudges · 3 years

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What do we think about Min Jung Ho as the eponymous Medea of ep 15 - he's 'abandoned' by Gaon so seeks to destroy Gaon's new beau, and he sacrifices both his 'children', ostensibly for the greater good but really just to serve his vendetta against Yohan. I know we all love to hate him, but I find him interesting because tbh he's not actually wrong about the societal/legal impact of Yohan's actions. (Lest you think I'm defending him, there's a part 2 to this!)

Min Jung Ho cont: I *do* think he genuinely cares about the justice system, but his convictions are undermined by a) his ambition and b) his hypocrisy. He can tell himself til he's blue in the face that he sold out to ensure there was a ‘righteous’ voice where it could be heard/make a difference, and maybe that's true to a degree, but mostly he was just concerned with his own legacy. And ultimately he’s just another ‘end justifies the means’ guy, which is exactly what he rails against in Yohan.

nah i don't see it as defending. there ARE interesting "villians" and he is definitely one of them, not so much because he is truly evil. he is just a man who ended up corrupted by politics, which is literally anyone in politics tbh. it's a reflection of the things humankind is willing to excuse/tolerate for their own impulsive and selfish desires.

i think he cared about justice at one point, but when sunah introduced herself and fed him lies under the guise of justice, that's when things spoiled. because look, when someone is telling you that if you do this and you do that with an end result you've always wanted to see, then why not go for it? why not try it? especially if it works in the favor of your unconscious bias. the only thing about MJH is that he didn't take into consideration just how much he'd hurt people, especially soohyun. because i'm sure in his mind he figured he'd do wrong by them but he'd be forgiven. they'll understand one day, which is what he told gaon. but uh, well, yikes.

i think you're very right about him, but i would say again, in the beginning, it wasn't so much about his legacy. those delusions definitely came much later and most likely as he continued to witness yohan's descent into chaos. i wouldn't be surprised if that was the catalyst for trying to have a savior complex because if he could stop yohan, then him and his team would have prevailed. his savior complex beforehand wasn't as grandiose until it inflated too big by the end of it all.

but he's definitely one of those characters, and a reflection of people, about how it's so easy to lie to yourself and lie to others about your intent. you can definitely tell everyone one thing—that you're doing this for one reason or another but deep down, the truth is there. and it's also an internal battle within yourself, trying to convince yourself that that's not actually what it's about, and i think that was what MJH struggled with, too. it wasn't so much about convincing gaon as much as himself that what he was doing was for the greater good until it was too late.

(for a terrible example, imagine you wanting that cookie. you know deep down you want to eat it, but you're telling yourself you don't actually want it. the truth sits there, and it's easy to ignore, and your actions and words may point in every direction of you not wanting it, but that truth is still there, buried and your unintentional actions, the ones that are not so obvious, prove otherwise. the way you eye the cookie, maybe opt for a different, less caloric sweet. but the signs are there no matter but only if others paid attention).

which makes it even funnier, in a not funny way, simply because it's so easy to point fingers and place blame on others who are doing wrong (because to your point, MJH was right about injustice, to an extent) without looking at yourself and your own actions. what does it mean that someone can do wrong but your actions, which are also wrong, are okay because it serves a different, "better" purpose? pot calling kettle black, lmao.

MJH is what happens when we don't look at our actions, when we're too self-righteous, and we forget to humble ourselves. and we know he was so far gone because he could've put a stop to everything after soohyun died, and yet he didn't. he kept going, thoroughly convinced yohan was the bigger issue, which says a fucking lot, doesn't it? how deep in vengence do you have to be to continue on like an attack dog when someone you were supposed to care for and love died because of your decisions and involvement?

and to that i can also say that it parallels sunah, too. because girl had every opportunity to stop what she was doing, especially finding out she unintentionally helped the elite experiment on people. she could have gone to yohan and worked with him and yet she didn't because of pride? like, she cried over the girl she saw herself in and then still did nothing about it. makes a lot of sense why MJH chose sunah and himself over his own family, then.

#x #the devil judge #the devil judge meta

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