#it's most obvious when comparing the scene of them getting their picture taken to the other memories they're in | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

gingerylangylang1979 · 11 months

Text

Reddit and Twitter need this most but I won’t, because reasons

I have said before I don’t think ALL the Camry and Sydney hate is racially motivated but PLENTY of it is. It’s Richonne 2.0. This isn’t new to me.

There is the outright racist coded comments like claiming Sydney has to be a lesbian, has to be asexual, looks like Kendrick Lamar (yes, it was said), along with the inability to ever empathize with her character.

But I’m not talking about that. I’m talking about unconscious bias with people who don’t get that they feel the way they do because Sydney is black. So anyone reading this may want to take a moment and honestly examine what I’m saying.

Unconscious bias is, for example, the thing that leads doctors, sometimes even black ones, to presume that black people don’t feel pain in the same way whites do. It’s not necessarily malicious intentional action or obvious hatred towards us. It’s subtle perceptions that change how one views the nature and capabilities of black people while still being able to be friends with them, respect certain qualities about them, and maybe even at times be allies. But there is always something different in perception that is so invisible that you aren’t aware of it.

I've seen it in white people, strangers and acquaintances, making assumptions about what I’m into or should be, what my education and earnings are, and who I should be friends and lovers with. It’s the thinking we can always handle anything and not be burdened. It’s what is happening a lot with Sydney, especially with Carmy.

People are allowed to not like the ship. They don’t have to. I’m not going to assume everyone who doesn’t is racist. But for anyone who doesn’t I think it would be beneficial to examine a few things.

Viewing the first scene between them, how would you interpret Carmy’s taken aback, entranced, nervous reaction to seeing her? To me it obviously says attraction and surprise. If there is another explanation I’ve never heard it. People just gloss over that interaction and I think it’s a tell. It shows that people may not be able to see him showing signs of attraction to her because she doesn’t look like who you would expect him to be attracted to.

2. How would you explain the way Carmy is constantly looking at Sydney closely like he doesn’t look at anyone else? When we see her from his perspective she if glowy or hazy or out of focus. We don’t see that with any other characters he interacts with aside from that finale flashback with Mikey. He doesn’t look at Sugar like that. Syd is the only one who gets special framing. If you’ve never noticed, why?

3. If you think Syd could be a lesbian or asexual, why her and not for instance Tina, or others on the crew? Sex isn’t referenced a lot so why is it not being referenced with her any different than it not being referenced with others? Often people assume a woman who dresses tomboyish is just that. Why can’t that just be her style? I have plenty of women friends that are straight and sexual with a similar style.

4. Could you imagine the scenes with Syd and Carmy if a man was in Sydney’s place? What would you think of the vibe?

5. Could you see Ayo in the Claire role?

6. Could you see Jeremy and Ayo playing love interests in a totally different show?

7. If Molly Gordon plays Syd could you better picture her with Carmy?

8. When you see a dark skinned black woman in a couple with a white man IRL does it make you especially take notice or feel it’s a bit off?

9. Does the thought of Sydney and Carmy kissing or being intimate make you have an extreme reaction like eeew or gross? Maybe not so extreme does it make you feel awkward to think about it?

10. Do you often compare their relationship to siblings?

11. Can you recognize the Syd isn’t into Marcus romantically and has other options?

12. Can you only envision Sydney alone and not needing romance because her career is all she needs?

13. Do you think maybe Carmy could find her attractive if she looked more glamorous?

14. Could you more easily see Carmy into Syd if she was played by Zendaya or someone that looks similar?

15. Have you never seen a couple that looks like Syd and Carmy?

16. if you saw the Emmy magazine photo shoot did you not perceive the touchy pose with Ayo and Jeremy as sexually suggestive and think it’s an impossibility?

17. How do you think Clairs would react if she saw all of their interactions?

18. Is it easy to view Sydney as having complex motivations and emotions at the same time? Can you possibly see that she’s jealous of Claire because she distracted Carmy from business AND because she has feelings for Carmy? Is it possible to think she can view Carmy as a boss, mentor, and someone she is attracted too and that’s hard to process?

All of these things may not apply to your perception but if any do realize these are very common examples of how unconscious bias plays out when thinking of black women, especially in storytelling. This is a lot of what has historically been seen with similar ships and IRL mixed couples. That’s not to discount the numerous white man, white woman ships that people don’t like, but these things are consistently present with black women and white men presented in the media and celebrity couples. There is always more scrutiny with these pairings.

You may not have a context to understand that. You may have never been questioned in this way. You may be angered to think it’s possible this is a role in how you are viewing things, but it’s the truth based on lived experience and observation. It’s worth examining.

I’m not here to be hostile, I’m just trying to voice in a gentle way what so many here already know and you may not be aware of or ready to think about.

I’m not going to argue with anybody about it but any intelligent, respectful dialogue is welcome and encouraged.

#the bear fx #carmy x sydney #chefs kiss

194 notes · View notes

probablyhuntersmom · 1 year

Text

Since my brain won't shut up about Hunter and also opposite colours on the colour wheel..

Allow me to ramble a bit about three pairs of complementary colours, used as lighting in Hunter's character arc to reflect the significance of what's going on and to reflect his internal state:

Orange and blue: I noticed that orange - a really warm colour - is when he is the safest and happiest. Blue seems to imply great danger, since it's also Belos's monster glow colour. Orange is alluded to at the end of Hunting Palismen but starts to come into the picture for him in Clouds On The Horizon, and is contrasted with the medium blue in Eclipse Lake, vivid blue in Labyrinth Runners and dark blue in King's Tide:

The most vivid orange shade was when Luz told him "You're family now", versus the vivid bright blue right after he got possessed and had the absolute worst night in his life:

The Noceda house basement where he and Gus stayed was mostly orange. The Halloween Festival scene showed both colours, showing the transition from safety to danger:

Red and green: Flapjack was a vivid red colour, and the artificial magic used by Hunter and Belos was the same shade. Belos's goop colour is a sickly dark green shade. Something tells me that red points to Belos's portrayal of strength on the outside and his agenda as Emperor, since the most striking red lighting we see in the show is related to the Day of Unity. (Whereas blue might point to his chaotic internal state that unravels especially in King's Tide and the final act of Thanks to Them).

It's interesting that Hunter has red lighting behind him, holding Flapjack in staff form as support, during the first time he stands up to Belos:

Hunter witnesses Belos's 'death' in the frame with the most striking red, contrasted with his dread that Belos was in fact alive in the following episode:

But what stood out to me when he was so caring towards Willow in the most recent For the Future, was that the lighting was also dark green:

Maybe I'm reading too much into it but it's a really interesting colour choice for an overlap between Willow (whose theme colour is obviously green) at her lowest point and Hunter being in such a painful vulnerable place himself, to be able to connect with her from the emotional place of releasing some of his own immense traumatic grief.

Compare this point in his development where he has beautiful moments of vulnerability, to way back in Hollow Mind when we are faced with the big reveal and he's surrounded by red artificial magic as his world truly started to fall apart:

Finally there's the combination I have saved for last, yellow and purple, comparing Hunting Palismen and For the Future:

If you notice, a prominent portion of Hunting Palismen had yellow backgrounds and lighting (the location being Latissa), and clearly he was the character who stood out the most in that episode, being unmasked and all that.

Whereas For the Future showed a good deal of purple in the Boiling Isles - including what I think is a muted purple in the photo classroom of Hexside - since it is Luz's theme colour and was building up towards Luz gaining her staff and Stringbean hatching.

It's also interesting that 1) in Hunting Palismen, Luz had the major struggle of not pairing up with any palisman but goes through the challenge of rescuing the palismen that are taken by Hunter, and she ends up getting to know him. But 2) in For The Future, Hunter suffers from major grief after losing his palisman, and faces the challenge of accepting the loss while Luz gains her palisman:

In For the Future, there is this short scene where the lighting harks back to Flapjack fading away:

Some scenes with very low saturation of colour, but very light or very dark value, also marked significant turning points in his arc:

For obvious reasons, the lighting is neutral and not striking in more light-hearted scenes (though the first half of Labyrinth Runners is a bit of an exception here), such as the flyer derby scene in Any Sport In A Storm, or the thrift store scene in Thanks to Them.

How I wish I could've sat in the pre-production and production team meetings where these lighting-related decisions were made. Let's see what will happen in Watching and Dreaming!

#toh hunter #the owl house #toh analysis #hunting palismen #eclipse lake #hollow mind #labyrinth runners #clouds on the horizon #king's tide #thanks to them #for the future #loz writes a meta

346 notes · View notes

stagefoureddiediaz · 2 years

Text

Costume Meta 6x04

Sorry this has taken me a bit longer than normal to get out but oh boy do I have a lot to get through this week - so much costume goodness and its full of interesting things, so pull up a chair and settle in with a beverage of your choice because this is a long meta!!! I even managed to somehow get round the 30 image limit and get 34 pictures into this post - I told you I was going to make full use of the increased limit 😂

I also have a question for you all -are you interested in me sharing with you where you can buy the clothes worn and how much they cost?? because I can do a separate post if you’re interested? I can’t always find everything, but I can usually find a good chunk of the costumes (especially the women’s clothes!) and I’m happy to share it if you’re interested! anyway let me know and let’s get to talking about the costumes in Animal instincts!

No Chimney this week as we didn’t see him out of uniform! 😭

below the cut as its very long!!

Bobby

Bobby has reverted to the green and brown colour palette we tend to see him in most often after blue and the choice is perfect for this episode - we start off with this /brown polo shirt which has a slightly greenish tone to it.

before we get the light green (almost army green) tee while he’s alone at the Grant-Nash house

before we finally end up on this forest green button up shirt

it’s an interesting pattern of colour for Bobby and the sleeve lengths are also telling. If we start with the brown polo, I’ve spoken before about how brown is stable and reliable, but what I haven’t spoken about is how brown is also seen as the colour of dependable friendships and good counsel and how it offers support and protection - in my opinion all perfect things to describe the scene Bobby has with Hen - him being a good friend to her and giving her some sound advice. the greenish tint to the polo also hints at the idea of renewal - in this case Bobby returning to the firehouse (and seemingly rejuvenated despite the circumstances from the previous episode) and in great spirits.

The green tee - which is almost an army green - similar to the ones we’ve seen Eddie in - hints at the battle against loneliness in an empty house. its a pretty neutral choice and continues to show a relaxed Bobby who seems to be fairly at peace with himself - but the choice of green here could also be hinting at the internal battles bobby faces - against his addiction - because an empty house could be a dangerous place to be. It doesn’t mean anything here in the context of this scene, but it could very well be planting seeds for the future!

And then there is the forest green button up shirt - with its sleeves rolled down one turn further that Bobby usually wears them - a sign that he is hiding something - in this case its obvious - Bobby is hiding Hoover the dog. the renewal and growth symbolism of green is very much pertinent here - Bobby and Athena find themselves empty nesting and Bobbys solution is to steal get a pet (once Hoover wind Athena over of course!!) which grows their household a bit!

Athena

Two Athena costumes to talk about this week and they are fairly contrasting, we have the blue knit top with the white collar and a plum ribbed top with a bronze longline belted cardigan.

We can’t talk about the blue top and not compare it to the one Buck wears n 6x02 - because they are remarkably similar. Athenas is a slightly brighter and darker shade of blue, but its hard not to draw a parallel between them and its yet another example of Bathena being paralleled with Buddie (because Eddie and Bobby are semi paralleling each other as well but I’ll talk more about that when I get to Eddie!).

Like Bucks struggle to understand the secret to happiness in 6x02, Athena is struggling to be fully happy now she finds herself with an empty nest - it’s yet another connection to lev and the idea of life passing you by if you don’t appreciate the moment. Athena has made her family and especially her children such a massive part of her life, that now she’s faced with the next stage, she’s struggling to understand where to find her happiness. this isn’t to say Athena is unhappy, just that she’s in the next stage of her life and having to grapple with what that looks like. It’s such a clear connection to Buck - who, now free of Taylor is grappling with where he goes next and how he finds what he’s looking for. I love the wardrobe department for making this parallel between Buck and Athena- because although they are at different stages of their respective lives, the answer is in the same for them both - its in their partners.

then we have this plum and bronze combination - which looks incredible on Angela - this woman would look good in a bin bag!!!!

Plum is a shade of purple with black undertones. it is a rich colour and is associated with royalty, wisdom and compassion. While Bronze is both a colour of strength and support, warmth and comfort. they are rich jewel like tones and we continue to see more and more of Athena in these colours this season which I am loving - yes the black is still ever present and I’m sure we’ll be seeing more of her in army greens as the season progresses, but we are witnessing a shift in Athena which began in season 4, but is really gaining pace now and is being shown through her costumes - I might be getting my hopes up, but it really is all pointing towards an Athena who is increasingly less about work and her position as a police officer and more about who she is as a person without that. I might have to do some adding up and compare the screen time of her in uniform compared with her out of uniform if I get the chance because I think it will back up my thoughts!

Maddie

Green blazer and tee with ‘we are the new hippies’ logo (available from Saks fifth avenue if you’re interested and have a couple hundred dollars to spend on a t-shirt!!

we continue to see Maddie in tees with blazers - not a leather jacket in sight - it really shows how far she has come. I spoke about it in my 6x01 meta - blazers mean Maddie in a good place based on her wearing them in previous seasons. the emerald green one is a great colour on Jen, but more importantly green means growth and renewal - the renewal of her relationship with Chimney and family life and the growth associated with that.

The orange dip dye tee with a white zip front hoodie and a blue double breasted blazer with brass buttons and a peak lapel is an amazing choice. we have the navy (military not colour) undertones of the coat with the double breasted brass buttons and its navy colour. The use of a military style suggests an element of protection, but it also suggests the idea of ‘ship shape’ - and by the book - which is something we witness Maddie doing in this scene - she learnt from the Tara situation and has gone about providing help in the right way this time.

Then we have the orange tee. Orange is a colour of enthusiasm, warmth and joy - it is also a colour of emotional strength, so to have Maddie in orange at the end of an arc which will have hit very close to home for her and to have her showing such emotional strength really does relay just how far she has come.

Hen

Hen’s first costume is this army camo jacket with a black tee and a green pair of trousers - which we see again later on when she goes to see her neurology professor to ask for a second chance. I found it really interesting and clever to have her in the same costume at the start and the end of the episode - just with a change of jacket - going from camo - something you wear when you’re in hiding or trying to go unobserved - so here we have Hen, in a scene where a large chunk of the conversation is about lying and keeping secrets. She is essentially trying to go unobserved - in the sense that we don’t know if the firefam know about her failing her neurology test

in her last scene and after her drunk conversation with Buck, Hen has decided to stop laying low and confront her failure by asking for a second chance - the use of a tiger pattern for this is wonderful to see - tiger stripes in fashion are meant to convey self confidence, courage and ambition - very much Hen in this scene! I also want to take a moment to talk about the use of a cardigan with a large Aries logo on it (fashion brand Aries) in red. Aries is of course a constellation and star sign, but did you know that in greek mythology, Aries is the ram that provided the golden fleece, which not only connects to Athena, but also to the other god of war (and courage) - Ares. Now the reason this is interesting and pertinent here is two fold - first is the fact that Athena is the one who helps Jason (and the argonauts) claim the fleece so that Jason may claim his rightful throne. The second is that Ares god of war, is the embodiment of the brutality of war, and he is often on the wrong side of battles in greek mythology - being outsmarted by his sister Athena - who uses strategy to win her battles (the trojan horse is a perfect example of this in practice in the greek myth) so putting Hen in an outfit connected to the ‘failure’ god of war is hinting that this endeavour of hers will fail (because she has picked the wrong side - pursuing being a doctor) and that it will be brutal on her in the process. This all ties in with what we know about ‘Tomorrow’ and I love hte fact that it also connects into the idea of the universe screaming at Hen - what could be more universe screaming than a constellation of stars - and when theres going to be a space lab involved!!!!

The other thing I want to point out is the colour matching of this outfit when Hen makes her bid to be given a second chance, and the outfit Buck is wearing when Connor makes his ‘second’ bid to Buck for him to be his and Kamerons sperm donor - russet - which is a reddish brown! the choice to tie those two things together through colour is so indicative of the fact that both will ultimately be the wrong choice in some way.

Then we have this fabulous D&G jumper (retails at $2,795 if you’re interested and have the budget of a major tv show!!!!) tv test card jumper. I love the fact that Hen is wearing something that resembles the tv test card, because that is what you’d see on the screen when the channel wasn’t broadcasting, or when there was an issue with the signal (this is back in the 1960′s to the 1990′s for those of you too young to know what one is!!) Hen in this scene is in waiting mode - she’s not ‘broadcasting’ without work or study to do and is at a loss as to what to do with her time and I think this is a neat bit of costuming to portray this. there is also the fact that checkerboard is synonymous with the idea of pieces moving into place and a symbol of duality and achieving balance in ones life - something Hen doesn’t currently have but is trying to figure out how to achieve!

Connor and Kameron

Ok so I don’t normally do meta for guest cast because if I did then they’d get way too long and it would take me all week, but Conor and Kameron feel too relevant and there is some interesting stuff going on.

When we meet them, Kameron is in a long dress with a pale blue chintz print on a white background I found this a really fascinating choice because this kind of print immediately makes me think of 3 things - 18th century women's fashion, wallpaper and porcelain (from the same period).

This is intriguing to me because throughout the episode she is presented as this almost non entity - I don’t mean it as a negative, because this storyline is about Buck and his growth etc and she has a very specific purpose in this narrative. This is about Conor’s inability to have children so Kameron is there for storytelling purposes and so she has been deliberately written as inoffensive. The reason I find this son fascinating is because the use of a pattern that calls back to the feminine world of the 18th century is a really clever one - it places Kameron in the same ideology as the world they occupied - a world where the expectations for women was to make a home and provide a family. We even textually get a confirmation of this concept when Conor explains that it was just expected that Kameron was the problem - that it was her who was infertile - a common assumption for women in the 18th century as well - and it shows us how little we’ve moved on from 18th century misogyny.

Her next outfit had me very 👀👀👀 and it still does if I’m honest - Pink cardigan and a white tee

because of this from 5x04 Home and Away;

and also (this ones for you @kitkatpancakestack ) because of this from 4x08 Breaking Point;

yeah - are you seeing what I’m seeing?? I know the lighting is a bit yellowy in the first shot which is making it look a slightly different colour, but we basically have her colour matching Buck at two moments where he is caught in the middle of someone else’s relationship - when he makes mistakes that prove costly (not only to him but also to those in the respective relationships).

We have Buck getting involved in Maddie and Chimneys relationship - involving a child - by keeping secrets and inadvertently doing more harm than good both to himself and others (long game foreshadowing anyone?)

And then theres Breaking point my absolute beloved - in a costume that is even closer to the one Kameron is wearing because of the white shirt Buck is wearing beneath. We have Buck having a conversation with Albert about Veronica and their relationship and the conversation is about Buck not being a third wheel in Albert and Veronicas relationship if he has dinner with them. This scene is also the set up for the end of Albert and Veronica - because she doesn’t like his friends - but also for bringing Taylor back into the equation - something that ultimately made him incredibly miserable! But the thing to take away from this scene is the comment about not being a third wheel - which is exactly what Buck is essentially going to be if he was to go through with this sperm donation - that unwanted third person in a relationship - always present but unwanted and not included (because its worth remembering that they might ask him more than once so they can grow their family - heaping more pain on him in the longer run!).

Conor is playing very nicely into both my check theory and my stripe theory and actually the combining of them both on one character within one episode has me salivating, because I can’t (off the top of my head and I don’t have the time to go check) remember any instance where we’ve seen both used in combination before.

Checks being the portender of trouble and stripes being the bringer of change in direction. To combine them in this way is prophetic (IMO) that Buck won’t go through with the donation - because while the stripes being worn in the scene where buck says yes to being a donor highlights the upcoming change in direction, the check being worn twice in the prior scenes seemingly without any problems arising for Conor is suggestive that the trouble is only delayed and that the fallout will have a larger impact than a singular use of check clothing would present - because this storyline isn’t over yet and I wouldn’t be surprised if the next time we see Conor he’ll be wearing more check - especially if we see him when Buck either changes his mind and tells them he can’t do it, or if Bucks medical history intervenes.

Buck

Okay - Buck has a fair amount going on in this episode from a costume perspective - we start off with this lightweight blue sweater;

which is pretty much the same shade as the one he wears for a different conversation with Maddie...

(Again the lighting makes the colour look a bit different but it is pretty much the same colour). The fact that we have yet more colour paralleling (because Maddie is also in green in that season 2 conversation!) for conversations that are about similar things - Abby was off ‘opening herself up to possibility’ and finding herself in Europe and now we have Buck planning on doing the same thing - just while staying in LA. The fact that Abby had ended her relationship with Buck (without telling him grrrrr) before she wen’t off to ‘find herself’ and Buck has just ended a relationship himself (actually making it clear its ended) is loud - whats even louder is that we know that Abby came back from that finding herself adventure with a fiancee (and future step children) and that implies that Buck will end his ‘finding himself adventure’ in a similar position - do we need more proof that Buddie is going canon - because this right here is it - you don’t call back to a conversation both thematically and from a costume perspective unless it means something - the wardrobe team would have been told that the conversation in 6x04 was mirroring the one from 2x01 and they would’ve picked those colours intentionally!

There isn’t a lot to say about the black knit polo, other than to say that it is meant to reflect Bucks charming nature, while concealing his vulnerabilities - because we can see from the dialogue and acting choices in this scene that Buck is surprised that Connor has settled down etc - its the very thing Buck has been searching for and here it is presented in front of him - he would be feeling vulnerable about not having the same thing, but we see him concealing it - the entire conversation is about Connor and Kameron, Buck really doesn’t say much about himself in that scene at all - its all one sided.

I’ve already spoken above about the choice to have Hen and Buck in the same russet colour for their respective scenes so I won’t go on about that again here, but I will talk a bit about the colour russet - because it’s interesting, especially when combined with texture - Russet has come to mean honesty, but also seriousness and regret. the perfect choice for both Hen and bucks respective conversations.

Russet was originally a term used to describe a type of coarse cloth rather than a colour and it was cloth usually worn by the poor in the medieval period - it was even enshrined in law in England, that people working in certain trades could only wear russet cloth! We do get patterning through the weave of Bucks bowling shirt, which again, like it did in season 5 hints at Bucks confused and uncomfortable state of mind - this is a Taylor situation all over again in essentials. We also get a white tee, so sound the klaxon as it means trouble ahead for him!

hopefully you can see the patterning of the weave in the below picture!

Thing is we’ve seen Buck in this colour before - in 5 x07 Ghost Stories - and connected to a story about a guy caught up in the drama of a married couple (and a big warning sign for Buck about the fact that Taylor will go after the truth no matter what!) and someone asked to do something for each person in the marriage. This is yet another call back to a scene where Buck is involved in something pertaining to either himself or someone else being or getting involved in a relationship where they would be better off staying out of it.

The dark navy knit polo with tan and white collar, is indicative of where Bucks head is at - the darkness of the navy shows we also have the white trainers - if we needed any more proof that Buck is on a journey to discover love, then this is it - he wears the white trainers when he’s in scenes about love - both familial and romantic and those scenes provide important markers on this journey. you can read more of this theory here, but we should take note of what was said in that scene because it is important in Bucks search - can he be a ‘donor not Dad’ is the key takeaway here.

Bucks blue vertical striped short sleeve button up shirt is a doozy of a costume choice - its yet more Buck wearing blue in season 6 (we’re not totalling a ration of 2 non blue outfits to 6 blue ones!!!)

I’ve seen a few gifsets going around showing the above shirt in parallel with the below one, and it’s a very important connection to make. The gaps between the stripes is wider on the one from 4x14 and like I spent many of my s5 metas talking about, the tighter the patterning the more it represents inner turmoil and confusion. the difference between the gaps is telling - Buck was done with being the one doing the chasing when Taylor turned up on his door, but the Eddie situation was beginning to resolve itself at that point in time - he was awake and on the mend - hence the wider stripes. This new shirt shows the narrowing - there is more confusion going on and it continues the theme of Buck wearing vertical stripes in this season so far as well - we’re totalling 3 vertically striped shirts now in 4 (technically 3) episodes. there is a further connection to make with this shirt and its with Past is prologue and the most uncomfortable I love you of all time. Its the one other time we’ve seen Buck in blue with vertical stripes and i don’t believe his yes to being a sperm donor was any more genuine than his saying I love you to Taylor was - oh he’ll try hard to convince himself its true and he’s okay with it, but in the end he’s either going to turn around and say no (in the same way he said no to Taylor in 5x18 when he broke up with her) or he’s going to be unable to donate and eventually feel relief that he didn’t have to go through with it (in the same way we saw his relief when Taylor handed back her key and walked out of his life).

Eddie

Eddie is wearing a green long sleeve tee when Christophers school phones him. the green is a darker army green - indicative of the fact that Eddie is ‘at war’ with Christopher in this episode, (maybe a strong term, but thats what it feels like to Eddie!) but the fact that the colour is both brighter and darker than many of his other army coloured t-shirts shows his progress - its not truly army coloured and its not washed out like his other army tops have been. this is bolder and cleaner - it is yet more proof that Eddie is in a good place - it connects him to his past, but also shows he can grow beyond it - we no longer identify him as a solider (in fact it will be interesting to see if we see any more army tees now he’s in a better place and finding himself without the identity of soldier - I think unless he spirals backwards we might not!)

Eddie’s watch was very prominent in this episode - we get to see it in the above scene as well as in the conversation with Ramon. Both scenes are obviously connected through Christopher (as does the fact that there is yet another timepiece connecting to Christopher in the tank top scene - we see Eddies clock on the bedside table when Chris has snuck out of bed to chat with his friends online!) and, as I have theorised that watch is a representation of his st. Christopher medal, as well as connected to Buck we have an interesting pattern emerging. Although we didn’t get to see Eddie and Buck talking about whats been going on with Christopher, we did get Buck being connected to whats been going on when Eddie asked him if Chris had confided in him - Eddie tried to involve Buck in the matter, but Buck was too much in his own head to be able to contribute.

As a quick aside - I’m truly enjoying the fact that Both Eddie and Ryan have the same colour phone case 😂

The scene above has Eddie in a black trucker jacket and a tan top and boots - all very nicely colour matched with his watch strap as well and it bares a striking resemblance to this outfit from 5x18;

Not the same outfit and the jumper is lighter in the 6x04 scene, but close enough to draw a parallel - and interestingly both scenes involve conversations with parental figures - and both are conversations that encompass the concept of healing from trauma and being saved. the lightening of the brown to tan and the switch from suede to cotton are indicative of the fact that Eddie is continuing to make progress on his healing journey (because even the boots go from dark brown to tan!), in this case the black jacket is about Eddie attempting to conceal his vulnerability - while the tan top is a mixture of brown yellow and white. The meaning of brown is stability, comfort and protection, while yellow is communication, optimism and clear thinking, then there is white - balance and new beginnings.

Eddies Black tank top proved my theory correct - if you haven’t read it then you can by clicking here and the fact it came in a scene after the bike incident - insanity and I’m still not over it! Eddie is in an interesting place emotionally, and we get to see a little of his stress response - his authority, before he reins it back in and breaks the cycle.

Christopher

Sassy Christopher (I love his sass!!) in his navy and white stripe short sleeve rugby polo also playing into stripe theory - his life is about to change - because he has been found out - gotta admire his plan though - not sure I’d have thought of doing what he did to get a bit of freedom from my parents when I was his age!

and finally we have his blue and green pyjama top. The patterning on this top is great - its kind of like clouds passing across the sky or even the Aurora borealis, calming and balancing green the colour of growth and the blue of trust, security and support - all things we see in the way Eddie handles Christopher in this scene - all things that show how fare Eddie has come and how different his relationship with Chris is compared with his own relationship with his father when he was Christophers age. Its a beautiful to see - just like the aurora borealis!!!

I hope you enjoyed reading and thank you as always for your likes, comments and reblogs - I love reading your thoughts etc in the tags - they make my day!

As always tagged people below (and hopefully they work as they’ve been a bit temperamental!!

@mistmarauder @theladyyavilee @loveyourownsmiilee @leothil @girldadbuddie @kitkatpancakestack @bucksintheroom @lemotmo @trashendence @elishareads @clipboardsandstethoscopes @comfortbuddie @fiona-fififi @name-code-black-widow @prettyboyandthekid @callanee @calyssmarviss @alwaysme @pbandjeremiah @batgrldes @piningpettyeddie @bi-moonlight @spotsandsocks @projectabc @livingwherethesidewalkends @idontshitpostbuttheolympicpark @diazboysbuckley @sweettsubaki @jordxnhennessy @shortsighted-owl @sherlocking-out-loud @ekstasisandangst-main @favouritealias @hearteyesdiaz @gossamerglob @ktinastrikesback @adamrparrrish @princesschez75 @bucksbuddie @oneawkwardcookie @leatherat @moniquekatie @wanderingwomanwondering @trickster-archangel @outrunningthedark @asharadaine @ajunerose @wolfybuckley @neon-d0rk @boohooweewoobuckaroo @talespinner230

169 notes · View notes

mhateesyoux · 8 months

Text

Y’all i wanted to make another post on episode 6 cause after rewatching that heartbreaking sandray scene over and over again I noticed something that is super important for their dynamic. HEADS UP THIS IS POST IS ABOUT SANDRAY ONLY

okay so let’s dive in:

We know that the fight was the cause of Ray being disgusted over the recording and finding out that Top is in fact playing/ or was playing with Mew. Add a little alcohol & drugs to that mix and you get the mess that was Ray’s exposing. So let’s also remember that the pool scene had Ray sort of happy because he thought sand was finally going to want to address their situationship hence him asking, “you only called me out to play pool?” Which led to sand saying, “no, I want to talk about Mew.” Followed by a very taken back reaction from Ray. He then asks, “are you not okay that i like him” which leads me to think that maybe Ray is thinking, I hope me liking me best friend won’t ruin a friendship or potential future relationship with the guy I’m slowly falling for. Sand in this whole interaction is being very badly dismissive of his obvious feelings for Ray. I think at this point, Ray knows Sand likes him. And Ray possibly does too, maybe not as much as Sand but he definitely feels some type of way towards him.

Anyway, we know where that scene leads. Back to the argument. The painful argument which is breaking all our hearts. I’m leaving this:

because it is very important. In the midst of all the chaos created by hurt, which may i add; i don’t think it was just his feelings for Mew and the anger he felt about knowing the situation on Top & Boston but the constant teasing by his so called friends of him not having a lover or anyone by his side compared to them. All that bottled up and he finally exploded. I saw on many posts on here how his friends literally let him leave while intoxicated which i agree & in my opinion is very insensitive. Of course, Sand goes after him.

Getting to the point of the picture above. Look at his face. Literally translates to: “are you fucking kidding me? After all that? Yea bullshit.” Not only does he not believe Sand in the moment but he looks so sad. At this point this is a confession from Sand. But Ray doesn’t believe it. He says “why are you butting into my business?” Followed by:

So… “what are we?” He wants clarification, he wants to hear Sand say it: i like you.

Sand again, doesn’t stick to his heart or feelings. He dismissed it yet again by saying, “we’re nothing” as you saw above in the clip. Ray is frustrated at this point. Maybe not the perfect time or moment for a confession but I feel that’s what he wanted, needed in that moment. After hearing Sand say, “we’re nothing” “risk your own life but not others” he’s done. His reaction: heartbroken. Yet again, no one gives a damn about him. That’s all that he’s thinking right now. Despite Sand’s clear & obvious actions he doesn’t believe Sand feels any different towards him like everyone else. This pain all leads to him treating sand like a literal whore, trash. He’s nothing to him cause that’s all he’s ever been from the start (in his mind) I sensed a little regret when he tossed Sand to the floor but let’s not forget he’s hurting over many things: the situation with Mew, his friends, Sand, and most importantly himself.

Next episode we might get an insight on to who Ray really is, hopefully. I’m nervous, excited, scared, anxious to see what’s in store for this couple. I hope they’re able to communicate better & really start confessing if they feel something for each other, which they obviously do.

Let me know your add ons/ thoughts!

#sandray #only friends #firstkhao

11 notes · View notes

springcatalyst · 3 months

Text

so i may have rewatched murder on D street. again. abandon all hope ye who enter here

all the major characters foil fukiya in a really nice way. for a movie that claims to be a detective story, the murderer is really the focal point.

I guess since it's a ""detective"" story I'll start with akechi. he is obsessive and he goes through a period of uncertainty, where he doesnt know who he wants to be or what to do. in the last scene he is directly compared to fukiya when he says "some men cant live without being consumed by something," and the cop hes working with says outright that that's awfully similar to how akechi functions. akechi only catches fukiya BECAUSE of this obsessive, meticulous method. and fukiya is nothing if not meticulous in his work. both of them work-obsessed, both of them consumed by it, both of them detail oriented and the best at what they do, it's hard to not see those similarities. but where fukiya derails and spirals, akechi pulls himself out of that depressive uncertainty with his work. he finds a purpose and a goal in his work, he can safely place his identity within the work he does because not only is it socially acceptable (as opposed to art forgery and gender expression), but its rewarded. fukiya cannot find the same stability in his work by its hidden nature, even if the outside factors at play werent there.

tokiko is also of note: her and fukiya share a certain vanity, a certain pride, and an easily damaged ego. tokiko knows this of fukiya very early on, using his pride ("tell me now if you cant do it"/"surely a man of your skill would have no trouble") to get him to agree to work for her. but it's there in her, too. in how she feels betrayed, double-crossed, lied to, when she figures out he referenced himself for the akegarasu works. in how she shows him the pictures of her as the original model, in how she preens under the gaze of the men she shows the paintings to, because thats her. and then, of course, his own pride takes THAT information- that she was the ORIGINAL original- and leaves him feelimg betrayed, like he lost something, like something was taken from him. and he kills her to reestablish the value that he thought he had and so quickly came to need. HE needed to be the original. he rested his understanding of himself on it.

saito isnt so much a parallel to fukiya as he is an opposite. saito is emotional, passionate, hedonistic. he knows what he wants and what he likes and he pursues it: the most obvious example is through sex, but I did notice that when he recognizes akechi's name, he pursues that: he gets a drink with him, likely having to lure that depressed bitch out from his room to the cafe, but he did it because he knew of his work and wanted a conversation with the man responsible for it. he met a celebrity, basically, and weaseled his way into dinner with him. saito knows what he wants and he gets it, not by manipulation or violence, but just by chasing it with a certain sincerity that fukiya always lacks. fukiya is meticulous and careful in a way that either stems from his work or drew him to the work that suits it, but either way its present in his personal life as it is in his work. he moves and speaks deliberately, with measured emotion, none of the genuine reaction that saito expresses. he rarely does things for the fun of it, and while it's obvious he finds satisfaction, pride, expression, in his work and his art, it is so meticulous, theres none of the hedonism that we see in saito. fukiya finds lying very easy, so much so that he cheats a psych test, where saito is so genuine that his looks incredibly suspicious just because he reacts bigly. and also, of course, its impossible to not mention the distinct sexlessness of fukiya's character, especially compared with saito, who is having lots of sex all the time. fukiya is averse and avoidant of sex, uncomfortable with it, uneasy. when faced with it, it is something he fights and then resigns to, a far cry from the almost gratuitous pursuit of sex that saito does. additionally, in the scenes where sex comes into play, saito is in control of his, literally the dom with his partners, where fukiya is very much out of control of his situation, not given much choice, and not really an active participant. the fact that these two are the two main suspects for the murder, then, is a great, jarring contrast. saito has every reason to look guilty, and he does, but the fact is that he is innocent.

even the minor characters have some fascinating roles. the couple across the bookshop, the way they arent involved with anything, just witnesses. saito runs into the street yelling about murder and we dont see him, we see the couple, watching through the windows. theyre voyuers, an audience, an outside eye. somebody to perform for. the nature of both fukiya's work and his life is that it is heavily scrutinized- his restorations have to be perfect, his forgeries even more so (or are all his restorations just forgeries passed as originals?...) his life must find a balance between being what he wants, and being something more broadly acceptable, something that fits within the world around him. its only natural that some of it ends up being a sort of performance.

i dont really have a satisfying conclusion i just think that all the characters are used to their absolute most potential and the end result is an impeccable exploration of what the fuck is wrong with fukiya. and i enjoy it immensely. thank u for coming to my ted talk

the student/assistant of akechi's is a clearer version of what's going on with fukiya. we're not given enough time with the character to know the nuances of their situation, but at baseline they're a girl passing herself as a boy for whatever reason to work with akechi. at the end, we see them put on the dress, the lipstick, look in the mirror, same as fukiya. that outward performance dissolves and we see something closer to the truth- it drives home the broad strokes of fukiya's situation with a less nuanced one- look at these two characters, what do they share? its a visual shorthand, as well as a continuous cycle, echoing that fukiya is not uniquely different, not totally isolated. (even if HE is isolated, its because of him, not because of this)

mayumi (the model) is similar to saito in how her sexuality highlights fukiya's lack of one. in the scenes where he's painting her, it gradually becomes clear that she's into it. she's having a great time; he's just painting. he's getting more and more frustrated which leads to rougher movements and more intensity but it is, again, strikingly sexless. she either doesn't pick up on this or doesnt care, and thinks the natural conclusion is to have sex, even when he obviously doesn't want to.

the girl saito is fucking (i dont think shes ever named?? if so i missed it OOPS) plays a kind of one-two parallel and contrast. her affair is a secret for obvious reasons, some kind of deeper desire that is kept hidden for her's and other's benefits, even as its pursued nonetheless. this mirrors fukiya's own queerness (in whatever sense of the word you think fits) in a pretty one-to-one way. but the way they go about it, or what it is in the first place, is vastly different- again, her open demonstration of sexuality and comfort in sexuality, of desire, makes his own lack of both of those things all the more obvious.

#Murder on D Street #AAAAAANYWAY. dont ask me how many times ive watched this movie. u dont wanna know #and i STILL notice things and make connections each time #one of the first scenes fukiyas in? where tokiko sneaks up in him? part of it shot thru a mirror. didnt notice until now #also written on the mirror is ��ウタスシリキ or maybe ハクタスシリキ but i cant find any translation for that??? what do you MEAN #maybe not important but the fact that's its written bold on the surface of the mirror makes me want to know. what are you

4 notes · View notes

fandoomrants · 2 years

Text

Some random thoughts on plot holes/unexplained things throughout the seasons of TUA

So I have these random things I’ve noticed throughout the seasons that I’ve been wondering about and I was curious if anyone ever also thought about these things.

This post is not about the most obvious plot details we’re not aware of but rather some small things that had me thinking. Might add to it later but for now, my thoughts are mostly about...

DRIVING:

Ok, so, I think we see everyone from the Umbrellas drive throughout the seasons (Except Ben, for obvious reasons..) but the thing is, I wonder how did they learn how to drive?

The obvious answer would be as teenagers, like most of the Americans but I’m not sure if Reginald would have cared enough/found it an important enough skill to teach them. Or, at least maybe not all of them, hear me out:

Let’s say, they learned in the Academy. Still, I doubt he would have cared enough to teach (or rather hire someone to do it) Victor as he was “powerless” and didn’t go on missions with the rest.

And unless he had done it very early, before they were 15-16 (not that surprising if we go with the route he did it. he after all set them to be superheroes that killed people so them being able to drive as children is not that unusual compared to it, BUT if he didn’t), FIve probably also didn’t learn to drive in the Academy.

In case they didn’t learn while in the Academy, I suppose Allison, Diego and most likely Victor, would have learned later as they pretty much started their own lives that had little to do with their past. But Luther or Klaus? Luther spent more time than the rest in the Academy and went on a Moon mission for 4 years, when did he have the time to take drving lessons? And Klaus was drinking/taking drugs for most of his adult (and teenage, I believe) life. When we think about it, we know the least about him and what was he up to during the gap from them leaving the Academy to when they reunite in season 1, But I’ve always pictured him not really having much money or a job, plus constantly being intoxicated would make it hard getting a license.

And, of course, Five. How did he learn to drive in either case? During the Apocalypse sounds unlikely as had no one around to teach him and I doubt he spent time trying to learn himself while trying to survive. So, most likely the Comission. Do they have driving courses there? Lol. Still, sounds most likely to me he learned then.

And now, some things when it comes to the characters driving in the show that make little sense to me:

Klaus:

In episode 1 of season 1, he asks Diego to drive him, saying that he can’t. Yet we see him driving later this season, and often during season 2 and 3. So what was that in ep 1? My personal thoughts are:

-He meant he “can’t” because he’s not sober.

-He might have had a license that was taken because he was caught driving intoxicated.

-I once saw a theory that he has ghosts driving for him. But I think it’s unlikely as, even if we say Reginald taught them and Ben could drive, in all scenes where he’s there with Klaus while he’s driving, he’s clearly not touching the wheel or anything. Also, Klaus is canonly afraid of the ghosts so I don’t see him making one do it for him. And he only learned how to make ghosts more... phisical, let’s say, in the end of season 1 with Ben.

So, in conclusion, I think he can drive on theory, but either never had, or doesn’t currently have a license. I think that’s also the case with Five.

And speaking of no license...

Victor:

So, we see him driving in season 2 and I believe in season 3, yet something that doesn’t make sense to me in season 2 is how he had no memory of his past and obviously had no documents on him,

So, how did he know he could drive?

And how did Sissy and Carl (Karl??) trust him with their cars? And, in general, let him drive them and their kid around without documents? Who does that?! Was there no police in Dallas in the 60s!?

Yeah, yeah, I know it’s a fiction show but these things just make me wonder :D :D

Anyway, thanks to anyone who beared with me and read this whole rant! Feel free to add your thoughts on the matter if you want to!

#tua #the umbrella academy #rambles and rants #driving #five hargreeves #victor hargreeves #klaus hargreeves #diego hargreeves #luther hargreeves #allison hargreeves #ben hargreeves

8 notes · View notes

siena-cawrse · 3 months

Text

Analytical Application 2: Semiotics and Structuralism

Shot: The Human Stain

In film, the shot is what you see when the camera is rolling and shooting a particular subject or scene. As it pertains to semiotics, the shot becomes trickier to define. Is the shot only what you see in the frame, or is it defined by the fact that it has duration? Does the shot find its linguistic equivalent in a word or a phrase? Metz will define the shot as “the smallest unit of the filmic chain,” rather than the shortest and most standalone aspect of film.[1] He describes transitions such as dissolves and wipes as technically smaller units but relegates those to the role of a connecting piece.[2]

The poster for The Human Stain exemplifies the term ‘shot’ through its composition and coloring. Of all the posters in the list, it is the one that feels most like it could’ve been ripped right from one of the shots in the film. Therefore, it literally embodies the idea of the shot, as well as taking into account several film techniques that go into the formulation of the shot in film. First and most obvious is the composition. It places the woman in the center, but in the background so that the man’s face is more prominent in the foreground. The coloring—or perhaps lighting is a better term—highlights the woman in the background and diminishes the man in the foreground, putting them on an even footing. The woman is looking at him while he looks away from her. All of these elements are just tiny details that come together to make the shot impactful and meaningful, and yet it is still the smallest unit in the filmic chain, as Metz describes.[3] Each little detail is a sign in and of itself that signifies something to the audience, but these are motivated signs; Metz might attribute this to the idea that everything in a film is intentional, motivated by what the creators want the audience to see and understand.[4] This is why the shot is so important: it takes several elements and makes them easily consumable in a single unit of film.

Sign: The Rocky Horror Picture Show

The sign, as Saussure describes, is the result of a signifier (sound-image) and a signified (concept) being associated with each other.[5] We assign value to a sign by comparing it to similar things, confirming the idea that the meaning of a sign is completely arbitrary.[6] However, a sign is different from a symbol, which is made to represent certain ideas or concepts and will always have an association with those ideas or concepts. In this sense, a symbol is never assigned meaning arbitrarily, whereas a sign can have value or meaning assigned to it simply based on the association someone has with the signified or the signifiers that make up the sign.

The Rocky Horror Picture Show poster makes use of a simplistic design, red and white text and a bold red graphic on a black background. It doesn’t tell the viewer much about the film itself, just stating the title and the tagline, ‘a different set of jaws.’ But the graphic of the lips is doing most of the work on the poster, working with the tagline phrase to get people interested in the film. The graphic acts as the sign, bright red lips with pearly white teeth biting into the lower lip. The image evokes a feeling of sensuality and lust due to the red lips typically being associated with a flirtatious or ambitious-in-love woman in most tropes we see. However, when taken in context with the text on the poster, it takes on a new meaning. The red text of the title is dripping, almost like blood, though it matches the color of the lipstick, which connects the two. The tagline also adds a different association with the lips, as ‘a different set of jaws’ could be referring to the lips pictured on the poster. Through association with the other aspects of the poster, the image of the lips takes on a new meaning, which goes back to Saussure’s idea of the meaning of the sign being arbitrary in nature.[7] If the interpretation of the sign is so easily manipulated by the surrounding elements like the text on the poster, it proves that the way we assign meaning to a sign is completely arbitrary.

Semiotics of cinema: Catch Me if You Can

The semiotics of cinema refers to the ideas of semiotics being applied to cinema, which Metz tackles in his essay, “Some Points in the Semiotics of Cinema.” Metz essentially argues for the signifier and signified that Saussure defined have two forms in cinema: the connotation and the denotation.[8] The denotation is motivated by the relationship between the signifier and signified while the signified in the connotation is what motivates the signifier, and it will eventually go beyond it and enter symbolism territory.[9] The reason for these two terms being defined differently by their signified and signifiers is that film is rarely constructed without motivation: the audience is always meant to understand a particular aspect of the film in a certain way.

To apply the semiotics of cinema to the Catch Me if You Can poster is to break it down into its connotation and denotation. Because the characters on the poster are blurred, it creates the illusion of the characters running extremely quickly past the camera. The arrows that have text written on them in the lower half of the poster also bring some meaning to the image, with ‘catch me’ on the arrow that matches the color of the text for Dicaprio’s name on the poster, and ‘if you can’ on the arrow matching the color of the text for Hanks’ name. Each arrow is also placed below one of the characters running on the poster. These choices have a denotation that allows the audience to assume that Dicaprio’s character is the one running, and Hanks’ character is the one chasing. The connotation behind these choices shows the audience that it’s going to be a crazy chase, one that will prove difficult for Hanks’ character, hence the ‘if you can’ signaling to the viewer that he might not be able to catch Dicaprio’s character. By applying the semiotics of cinema through the understanding of denotation and connotation, it can be seen that there are motivated reasons for the choices made for the construction of the poster, and by proxy, the construction of the film itself.

Myth: Talk to Me

Myth, as it pertains to semiotics, is primarily defined by Barthes in the essay “Myth Today.” Throughout the piece, Barthes examines the similarities between a ‘myth’ and a ‘sign.’ Where Saussure defines the sign as the result of the relation of a signified and a signifier, Barthes takes it one step further in application to myth.[10] The sign becomes the signifier in the myth, which relates to a new signified concept and the two unite to form a new mythical sign that derives some of its meaning from the original sign.[11] Myth is part of a metalanguage that talks about signs in a motivated form, as Barthes also describes myths as always being motivated.[12]

The poster for Talk to Me doesn’t seem all that mythical upon first glance, but there is a reason why it has a mythical value to it. The poster shows snapshots of the characters and shots from the film, narrowing in on specific parts that are integral to the story. These are the signs that make up the viewer’s initial interpretation of the poster, which informs their idea of what the film is about. However, there is some text on the poster below the images: ‘inspired by a true story.’ These words mythologize the poster—and the story as a whole—by suggesting that this story is already existing and the film is making a slightly fictionalized version of it. This is the layering of signs that compose myths that Barthes describes. The signs that are on the poster become signifiers of a fresh, new story developed specifically for the big screen, taking elements from real life events. The signified is now whatever concept the film wants to discuss, and the film becomes a sign in and of itself, representing a story larger than the original events that inspired it. This is the power of mythmaking; it allows storytellers to embellish details and create greater meaning out of an already compelling real life story.

Connotation: Joyeux Noel

Connotation is a loaded word in linguistics, and it only becomes more so when applied to film. Metz describes connotation as the “style, genre, symbol or poetic atmosphere” of a film.[13] He primarily discusses connotation in reference to the idea that nothing about cinema is unintentional, essentially promoting the idea that audiences interpret a film a certain way because the creators intended it to be understood that way.

The poster for Joyeux Noel is no exception, it is riddled with clues and hints that point to the creators intending for audiences to pick up on certain ideas so that they will come away with a certain understanding of the piece. First is the title and tagline, written in red text, which attempt to summarize the plot and concept of the film in a way that leaves the audience wondering how exactly the events of the movie will play out. The red text on the primarily white background are classic colors used in holiday designs and decorations, so these colors were likely chosen to bring out that association that the audience likely has. The other connotation lies in the characters that take up most of the poster. The tagline describes a World War I battlefield, so the men can be seen as military or commanding personnel, especially due to their hats and the man on the left’s uniform. However, the blue and green color of the other men’s coats adds a bit of festive flair to the typically washed out color scheme of military fatigues. These elements in combination with one another bring out the holiday cheer that audiences expect from films set around Christmastime despite the fact that the poster is literally telling us that it’s a war film, something usually not associated with the bright and uplifting feelings of a holiday film.

[1] Metz

[2] Metz

[3] Metz

[4] Metz

[5] Saussure

[6] Saussure

[7] Saussure

[8] Metz

[9] Metz

[10] Saussure

[11] Barthes, Myth Today

[12] Barthes, Myth Today

[13] Metz

@theuncannyprofessoro

#oxyvisualanalysis #semiotics #structuralism

0 notes

myastronastrologers · 2 years

Text

Tips to take perfect palm images for Reading

Palmistry is the most widely recognized approach to giving encounters through palm examining. In advance it was done by divine prophets by seeing the palms of the neighborhood and looking at everything faces to stand up to. Regardless, today as anything is possible on the web, for what reason will palmistry stay behind Kundli matching. People are searching for better ways to deal with send their hand pictures to palmists. Coming up next are several hints to take palm pictures for palmistry examining. So that really you can know about your future and various pieces of life through electronic palm examining.

Tips to Take Palm Images for Palmistry Reading: How?

Right when you are making plans for palm examining on the web then you want to show your palm for a careful scrutinizing. Notwithstanding, giving on the web is testing. So there are very few different ways you can have a go at taking pictures for your palm in palm perusing.

Full hand photos

You can take photos of your two hands. You want to take photographs of your two hands, and it should be taken from the different sides and each point so the palmist can do the specific scrutinizing. It is keen expecting the hand is upstanding. Keep your hand straight, don't turn your fingers. Think like you are giving your hand for an image. Make an effort not to take profoundly differentiating photographs of your hand. Since your palm tone and the line colores are fundamental for the palmist to do his/her audit. So keep it still and straight for taking photographs. Then, you can send the image through mail or whatsapp, Facebook or a few different media to the palmist for exact assumption likewise help in Kundli matching.

Palm Closeups

For Palmistry line scrutinizing you can take close photographs of your palms. Take the different sides of the palm. It should be clear to the point that all of your lines should be obvious. With the objective that palmist can see where the line starts, where closes and expecting it is breaking whenever. Make an effort not to resize your palm picture. it is clever if you send the first considering the way that sporadically the resizing makes an issue in clouding the image. To send through mail with remarkable size, if size showing matters in online amusement objections in palm perusing.

Take Fingerprints

Adopting fingerprints is another strategy to taking pictures for the palmist scrutinizing. The novel finger impression should face the camera clearly, with the goal that model can be obvious through the scene size point of convergence of the finger impression Kundli matching. Snap the photograph of your one of a kind imprint from the front and give base on the point of convergence of the fingertip plan. Take every extraordinary finger impression autonomously in light of the fact that it is phenomenal for all of the fingers to be flawlessly changed. In this finger impression plan you need definitively in the point of convergence of the fingertip supportive in Kundli matching .

Use stamp pad for the palmistry scrutinizing

Put your finger on a stamp pad and press your fingers on the sheet of white paper. Do this on different occasions with comparative finger as the underlying 1-2 impressions are better. In your print let the point of convergence of your exceptional finger impression be recognizable. Do comparative procedure for all of the fingers and regardless, for the entire palm. Likewise, do the separating or take photographs of your finger and palm prints and send them to your palmist in palm perusing.

These are the several procedures you can do to get your palm examining ace palmists. At the point when you come to Myastron to scrutinize palmistry lines then our divine prophets will similarly demand your palm pictures anyway close by it they furthermore represent a couple of requests to do the right focus on your palm for Kundli matching. Coming up next are relatively few requests that our divine prophets will posture to you:

Stand firm on your hand in a level circumstance and endeavor to turn it upwards. Endeavor to wind your fingers upto 10 degrees, 40 degrees and see whether or not you can curve it. Then again the hand is strong.

Endeavor to turn your thumb at the most noteworthy mark of the joint and the resulting joint or both and see whether it is versatile or strong.

Might it at any point be said that you are right given or left-gave?

Your age.

There is another methodology our seers at MyAstron considers and that is your handwriting. Your making also communicates such endless things about your personality. The techniques for creating, approach to making, underlining on a particular finger for making will depict your tendency and character.

Dependent upon your hand the report pages will addition or decline Kundli matching. The bare essential palm examining MyAstron will help you with acknowledging yourself better. We will give you better intends to know your capacities and your limits so you will really need to know where you can move yourself and where you should require a full stop. Your lines moreover help our stargazers with being know all about your personality and help you with knowing why you are doing combating with many issues again and again. Our stargazers will outfit you with strong answers for decrease your issues in your everyday presence. So endeavor your palmistry seeing now and see what there is coming up for you with visit our site myastron.

#kundlimatching #myastron #palmreading

0 notes

swordgayist · 3 years

Text

cultural appropriation in ATLA (hinduism edition)

i’m sure there’s already a ton of posts about this, but whatever, i’m still making one idc.

ATLA’s cultural appropriation, everyone knows about it, the white people don’t speak about it, and the asian and indigenous people get ignored. we know the cycle. but i wanted to come here and highlight some of the most prominent examples of ATLA abusing hinduism, as i am kinda sorta hindu (i was raised in a hindu household, i go to chinmaya mission, that kinda shit). i might forget some things so keep that in mind.

this is gonna be divided into 3 main sections, since there are different ways that they disrespect hinduism that i don’t wanna lump together.

and i’d say i know a lot about hinduism but that doesn’t make me an expert, obviously, so if other hindus have anything to add and/or correct then please do !! and if anyone else wants to share how their cultures were appropriated then please do that as well !!

so let’s get started shall we?

appropriating hinduism

1) the avatar

we’ll start with the most obvious example: the avatar itself

i know that there are parts of the avatar mythos that are taken from other cultures as well but the idea of the avatar itself is primarily from hinduism.

basically in hinduism, the term dashavatara refers to the 10 reincarnations of lord vishnu (the god of preservation), with avatar(a) meaning form or incarnation in sanskrit, and das(a) meaning ten. it was said that whenever the world was out of balance, lord vishnu would come down to earth in a certain form to restore balance. Each reincarnation is considered a different life with a different story. the avatars of lord vishnu are often considered the saviors of the world.

so basically, the central idea of the show and the actual name of the show is largely based on hinduism.

2) chakras

many different indian religions have a concept of chakras (chakra meaning wheel or circle in sanskrit), but hinduism is the one that primarily preaches the system of seven chakras, the version used in ATLA.

chakras connect the physical body to the ‘subtle’ body (referring more to the spirit and the psyche) by connecting parts of the body to aspects of the mind. the idea is that through different forms of steady meditation you can manipulate the different chakras and allow the pure flow of energy through the body.

the whole idea of chakras on ATLA is that aang has to unblock them all to let the cosmic energy flow through him so that he can go into the avatar state at will. so yeah, pretty much that whole idea was taken from hinduism.

3) terminologies

these are just a few terms that were taken from hinduism. i’m pretty sure there are more that i can’t think of right now but yeah.

“agni” kai

i’ll be honest i don’t know where the ‘kai’ part is from, i don’t think it’s from hinduism but if it is well fuck me i guess. ‘agni’ in hinduism is the god of fire, so the creators used it in ‘agni kai’, the name for a firebending duel.

“bumi”

this is in reference to the hindu word for ‘earth’, which is bhoomi. this is also in reference to our goddess of earth, bhoomi devi. also this doesn’t really bother me but i wonder if the creators knew that bhoomi is a name typically used for women (as are most hindi names ending in ‘i’/‘ee’).

in general, concepts like having multiple complex gods (the spirits) who are capable of good and evil and the reincarnation cycle are prominent in a lot of asian cultures, including (and arguably primarily) hinduism.

mocking hinduism

now we get into the mockery of hinduism in ATLA, because it is very much there.

1) whoever the fuck that baboon guy in the spirit world was

now what the fuck was this.

i mean i wouldn’t say this is the most egregious example of them making fun of brown people but lord why did this even need to be there? this random guy from the spirit world has an indian accent ? and is fervently chanting ‘om’ for some reason, and it’s clearly meant to be seen as comical. also portraying brown people as monkeys....... really.

2) combustion man/sparky sparky boom man

when rewatching ATLA in 2019 i actually had no idea that this was a thing, because the last time i had watched it was as a kid and i didn’t finish it.

so lord was i in for a surprise when i saw...

now... now what.

if you didn’t know, combustion man’s ‘third eye’ is designed to replicate the hindu god of destruction, lord shiva. right down to the vibhuti on his forehead (referring to the three line markings around the third eye).

in hinduism, lord shiva’s third eye is used to reduce people to ashes, though as far as i can recall, not very frequently. the primary significance of the third eye is that it represents the ability of higher spiritual thought and higher consciousness.

the ATLA writers take the ACTUAL significance of the third eye, throw it out the window, and then take its destructive abilities to make a super duper cool and dangerous new firebending technique.

and if that wasn’t bad enough, the actual person who uses this technique, and is meant to emulate a GOD who is PRAISED, is a scary, burly, half metal man who is a villain and an assassin. not to mention the design of his facial hair replicates that super duper scary “terrorist” depiction of brown people, particularly of muslims, that white people are so thoroughly terrified of for no reason.

this is a parody of a god, and they portrayed him as this terrifying, maniacal fucking assassin who, along with p’li, the combustion bender from LOK, is constantly referred to as a “third-eyed freak”. i’ve made this analogy before and i’ll do it again, this is like making jesus into a hitman.

now onto my favorite example...

3) guru pathik

ah, this motherfucker.

i don’t really have any problems with him as a character, i mean hell, must’ve taken a fuck ton of patience to handle aang’s “why would choose cosmic energy over katara” bullshit.

but we all know it, we see it plain as day, don’t even try to deny it.

“guru” literally just means teacher or guide, so i don’t really know why pathik needed to be referred to as “guru” so distinctively from aang’s other teachers and guides, but that’s just extremely trivial compared to all the other issues with this character.

first of all what is this character design? what is he even wearing? if they’re trying to replicate the clothes of swamis and priests and stuff this is already wrong, realized people don’t dress like this. and why the fuck does he have an indian accent? and why was this indian accent done by a non indian (brian george)?

once again, the poor but extremely heavy indian accent is clearly meant to be mocking, if it wasn’t, they wouldn’t’ve gone out of their way to get a non indian person to DO an indian accent, and instead they would’ve just gotten an actual indian person to play the role.

and oh yeah, the onion and banana juice. because hindus just eat weird shit right.

whether it’s actually weird or not, the show certainly portrays it as weird. and as far as i know no hindu actually fucking drinks onion and banana juice.

ironic because brown people can absolutely destroy white people in cooking. but i digress.

i know what you’re all waiting for. because the guru apparently didn’t have enough fun with guru pathik, so they just had to come back to him in book 3:

where do i begin.

so this is obviously john o’bryan’s super funny and hilarious depiction of pathik as a hindu god.

usually when a god has multiple arms it’s to carry an array of things, from flowers to weapons to instruments, and one hand is typically free to bless devotees (ie. goddess durga and lord vishnu respectively):

but of course white people see this as weird and so they make fun of it, hence guru pathik having multiple arms just flailing about aimlessly (save for the two that are being used to carry the aforementioned onion and banana juice).

then there’s the whole light behind pathik’s head which is usually depicted in drawings of hindu gods to show that they are celestial.

also what the fuck is he holding? is that supposed to be a veena? because this is what a veena looks like:

and i assume the reason this was added was to mock the design of goddess saraswathi, who carries a veena:

but that right there in the picture of pathik looks more like a tambura than a veena.

and it also just kinda looks like a banjo?

but i guess the animators just searched up “long indian instrument” and slapped it on there. actually no, that’s giving them too much credit, they probably didn’t search it up at all.

and then the actual scene is pathik singing crazily about chakras tasting good or something while playing the non-veena and it’s all supposed to be some funky crazy hallucination that aang is having due to sleep deprivation. just some crazy dream, just as crazy as talking appa and momo sparring with swords or tree-ozai coming to life.

our gurus and swamis and sadhus and generally realized people are very respected in hinduism, they’re people we look up to and honor very much. and our GODS are beings that we literally worship. and the writers just take both and make caricatures out of them for other white people to laugh at.

4) other shit

before we move to the next portion i just wanna mention there are also smaller backhanded jabs that i can’t really remember now, but one example was when zuko was all “we’ll be sure to remember that, guru goody goody”. or when a character would meditate and say “om” only when the meditation is supposed to be portrayed as comical or pointless. or in bitter work when sokka was rambling on about karma. small things like that. but moving on.

south asian representation, or lack thereof

now i finally get to the “losing” hinduism part. by this i mean the lack of actual representation there is of south asians (the region where hinduism is primarily practiced) despite the fact that hinduism plays such a big role in the show’s world design.

i think it’s safe to say that broadly the main cast consists of aang, katara, sokka, zuko, toph, azula, iroh, mai, ty lee, and suki.

a grand total of none of these characters are south asian. the writers don’t even attempt to add any south asian main characters.

there are characters with dark skin, like haru and jet, but a) they’re not confirmed to be south asian and don’t have any south asian features or south asian names, b) they’re side characters, so they don’t count as representation, and c) even if they were south asian and main characters, jet wouldn’t even count because he’s portrayed as a terrorist.

the ONLY truly south asian character we get is fucking guru pathik. so yeah. not representation.

i don’t get how the creators of this show rip off of hinduism (among many other south asian cultures they rip off of), mock indians, and then don’t even have the decency to HAVE a main character who is south asian.

i’ve never gotten a chance to compile all this, and this definitely isn’t all the creators have done, but i hope this was somewhat informative.

#atla #cultural appropriation #hinduism #guru pathik #combustion man #chakras #avatar

1K notes · View notes

1994sunflower · 3 years

Note

what if Michael accidentally hurts y/n. Like maybe she’s coming home from her classes and she sees him beating someone up and she tries to stop him and he hurts her on accident. Sorry I just really love your writing especially angst ;)

thank you so much! i love angst too hehe...I dont know how angsty this is but i put a little bit of fluff at the end lol

also, i’m so sorry for being so inactive guys i really am working on stuff i promise :(( but i’m also making like 20 essays for school applications so it’s going slowly. hope you like this!

in which michael accidentally hurts you

You’re never sure how they start. You couldn’t picture something making you so angry that you’d resort to fists. Even your boyfriend, as apathetic as he is with most people, you didn’t know his violent side intimately. It was just never the way Michael was with you. It almost felt like a stranger when you saw evidence of it acting against others, hurting others.

You never minded much, just tried to stop him and chastised him a bit while you patched him up. Because at the end of the day you knew he wasn’t a bad guy. Even appreciated his ability to defend himself and you. But still the mystery was always preserved. How the man that held you close, looked at you with nothing but love could be the cause of so many broken bones and bloodshed. Was it his temper that you had never seen or was it his not caring of anyone or even himself, the harm it could bring to him if he wasn’t careful.

Either way you hated it. Hated it each time you heard of it, his (comparatively much more violent) past of it and even more when you caught him at it yourself. It was never on purpose. Because if Michael had known you were anywhere near the vicinity he would stop, or leave to finish his business without you being there to witness that side of him.

You were docile, so much different than him. Michael knew that as well as anyone else. He knew he didn’t deserve you. So, he tried to hard to avoid adding to the list of why. He could imagine in his worst nightmares you seeing that dark side of him, the one that was so much better than before thanks to you, and be terrified. Realize what kind of man you had chosen and finally see that you needed someone better. Someone who wasn’t so aggressive, so violent, so scary. He didn’t want you to look at him with those eyes. Scared, like you never really knew him. Because the truth was you knew him better than anyone else.

Usually you’d catch him when you were walking back from class. Something he should be doing as well. Instead, he’d be somewhere where he imagined you’d never cross paths, far from your last class. Too bad you liked to walk around campus and take shortcuts more than you should.

It was usually the same thing. He’d have the upper hand. With his height and strength, it was easy. But that’d leave a victim, someone who couldn’t properly defend themselves against the wrath brought on by whatever they had done to Michael. Sometimes as little as bumping into him. You, with all your goodness and empathy, always stopped your boyfriend because you knew only you could. And if you could help someone, you’d always take the opportunity.

This time was a little different. Maybe Michael had gotten his days crossed, maybe he forgot you had lab that day and you’d have to pass by that way. But in the walk from your building back to off campus, in the little alleyway of one of the last buildings separating campus from the main street, you heard it. The building was tall and its brick walls looked more like formidable walls, so you had to keep walking until you were right at the entryway of the surprisingly big alley to see.

But your boyfriend was unmistakable. And so was the way he was punching down another boy. The boy was younger than him, it was obvious, maybe even a freshman. Which somehow made it worse. But they were almost equally matched in height and the boy, either from adrenaline or reflex, wasn’t just holding his hands up in defense. He landed more than a few punches back at your boyfriend. Hitting him in his jaw and face, you already saw some scrapes on his temple and cheek.

Your face contorted into panic at the sight of Michael getting hurt. Maybe even more fear-stricken at that fact than you would have been just seeing another person getting hurt by his hand. It wasn’t fair to care more about him than the other boy, especially when you were sure Michael was the aggressor. But you didn’t care. You loved him too much to see him get hurt. It was the reason you hated him fighting so much, you dreaded to see the consequences it could end up having on him. You’d told him so many times to stop fighting in the past but he wouldn’t listen. He was getting better but never stopping. Being as good for his girlfriend as possible so you’d be proud of him.

There wasn’t much need to worry, though. A few punches landed on him but he still was dominating the fight by far. Especially when he was more pissed off at the younger boy fighting back. But it didn’t matter. If it went on the way it currently was going, both of them would be more seriously injured than maybe they even realized.

You weren’t sure why you didn’t call out to him. Maybe it was the urgency of the situation that had you mute and just running to your boyfriend as quickly as you could. You always stopped him, but that was always when he realized it was you by the sound of your voice. It never occurred to you that he wouldn’t recognize your touch when he was so blinded by rage. You didn’t realize until you were too close, had already touched his arm desperately, hoping to stop any more attacks from raining down on the other boy. You didn’t even get a chance to call out to him, let him listen to your familiar voice that always seemed to soothe him.

By then, he had already pushed you away. He did it without even looking at you, his anger still directed at the boy and no one would stop him — at least when he thought you wouldn’t be there.

“Get the fuck off me.” His words were in a tone you’d never heard directed at you, only at other people. And his hand hit your shoulder and sent you flying back, landing with a loud thud on the concrete.

You weren’t sure if the feeling of your body left lingering on his fingers was what made him recognize who he had just pushed. Or maybe it was the recognition of your voice in the pained yell you had let out as you fell down. But he froze. So completely paralyzed, his body rigid. He was begging that as he turned around, slowly almost mechanically, he wouldn’t see you on the ground. That you wouldn’t be the person he had just physically hurt in his anger.

It was fruitless. As he kept his grip on his opponents shirt, but stopped yelling, stopped assaulting; just looking behind him, dreading what he would see. It was you. You sitting up, your knees and arms scraped from the fall, some blood and red, raw skin on the injuries. Your pretty dress was crumpled and dirty, bits of concrete, dirt and filth marred your spotless person. His pure, fragile girl.

But it was your face that had him letting go of the boy, arms hanging limply at his side, anger forgotten and eyes wide in horror at what he had just done to his girlfriend who he loved so much. You were looking up at him, tears in your eyes from the pain. They flowed down your cheeks and while you were silent, your eyes screamed at him what hurt more than any of the punches he had just taken. It’s your fault.

He hadn’t pushed that hard. But to your smaller body, even a light hit from him would be painful and powerful. Especially with his added strength.

“Y/N…” The boy was long forgotten. Even when he took the opportunity to run away. Michael forgot the reason for the fight in the first place. Nothing, really, entered his mind as important except you. All his thoughts had zeroed in on the scene in front of him, what he had just done to you. You were the best thing to ever happen to him. He cared about you so much. He loved you more than anyone else, even himself. Hurting you was the last thing he ever wanted to do. He’d hurt himself before he let anything touch you. All he ever wanted was to protect you. But yet, he was the one that ended up doing just that.

“Fuck, baby, I didn’t-” Know it was you.

He fucked up. He’d never felt more ashamed at having lost control. If he hadn’t, he’d have stopped and seen it was you. He would have listened when your little hand took hold of his arm. Recognized the feeling of your skin on his like he could so easily do when he was in the right frame of mind. He wouldn’t have hurt you. You wouldn’t be on the ground, dirty and injured because of him.

But as he stepped towards you, already bending down to help you up, check on you, it got worse. It was worse before you pushed yourself back with the heels of your feet, putting more distance between him and you, making sure he couldn’t get near you. “Don’t touch me.”

Hurt flashed on his face at your words. At you rejecting to even be near him. The one person that had always stuck by him through everything and forgave him even with how often he fucked up. The one that gave him an unconditional love he wasn’t used to. Part of him new he deserved it, for hurting you even if it was an accident. But the ache he felt when he couldn’t even help you, ask for your forgiveness because you didn’t want to hear it right then, was strong.

Your voice wavered and broke but your eyes showed very clearly how much you meant those words. He wasn’t sure what was worst to see in them, the anger or the fear.

Why were you even there? He was sure you had class on the opposite side of campus. It was why he never imagined you were the one trying to stop him. He pictured you walking peacefully from your class back home to wait for him to get back to you. Not what actually ended up happening. He would have never fought in a place you could so easily have seen, so easily have gotten hurt. Especially when he wanted to make you see how much better he was being for you, even if not by much. If you had called out to him, he hadn’t even heard you.

Michael felt a pit at his stomach. Could already hear you breaking up with him, because a girl like you didn’t deserve to be on the ground, looking so pretty and innocent and have that ruined because her boyfriend couldn’t just listen to her and try to be less violent with others. Dread filled him at the different possibilities of losing you this could bring him. None of them did he want. But still, watching you wince as you emotionally collected yourself, he had to curse himself. He wouldn’t blame you. It’s his fault.

Even at your words, he still moved forward, getting down on his knees to be on your level. When you lifted up your palms from the ground, they were tinged pink from the fall and bits and pieces of the concrete were stuck to the palms of your hands. His jaw locked at the sight, regret filling his mind.

Taking your small hands in his, slowly, he sucked in a relieved breath when you didn’t push him away like he thought you would. Instead, he wouldn’t meet your big eyes as he felt them looking at him, he couldn’t. It was so shameful to see that pure wide eyed look of yours and know he had hurt someone that wholesome and kind.

His gaze stayed on your hands as you held them out palm up. One of his hands cupped the back of your two hands while the other he used to gently pick off the grovel. Not too fast lest they be sharp and hurt you. It was almost comical really, to see his hands, still bloody at the knuckles from the fight, being so tender only a few minutes later.

“Does it hurt?” He asked you when he was done. When you winced as you curled your fingers in was the answer.

You wouldn’t even look at him. Let alone acknowledge the apology begging to leave his lips. And he had to resist the urge to take you into his arms so he wouldn’t feel the coldness you were currently giving him. Tears were still running down your cheek by the time your backpack that had fallen beside you was taken up by Michael. He slung it across his shoulder easily, no matter how heavy you had found it. Then his arm was around your waist and his hand on your arm, pulling you up finally from the ground that should be kissed at your feet instead of you laying in it.

Clearly, he wasn’t taking your command to not touch you seriously. But you didn’t make any move to enforce it - despite how angry you felt, how struck at what he had done to you, no matter that he had done it unconsciously. He needed it, to feel as if he hadn’t completely destroyed everything in the relationship he cherished so much. That the only girl he loved and respected didn’t feel terrified of him and distrust him.

He’d brought a lot of emotions out of you, particularly pleasure, but pain was never meant to be one of them.

That much was obvious in the almost shameful look on his face all the way back to your house - the place you’d forced him to take you to instead of his own home. You would’ve preferred to go home by yourself, your anger and freight not being appropriate to be next to him, let alone have him nearly piggyback carrying you all the way. But he wouldn’t leave your side.

It was also seen in his small voice, as shaky and almost insecure as you’d ever heard it when you forced him to put you down as you finally got home. The security of your home giving you what your had been lacking the second Michael sent you to the ground, the safety you usually got from him was weak.

“I can help...”

“No, I got it.” Your words were cold, so different from your usually light and happy voice, as you walked away from him and to your bathroom where you kept the first aid kit. It was usually there for him whenever he got in a fight and got hurt. But now, you needed it.

He flinched at your tone. Despite whatever fights he ever got in, you were the only one who could ever truly hurt him.

Michael stayed in the living room silently while you disinfected your wounds and covered them up. He hurt you. You could still feel the pain of it, see it physically manifested. You were still crying, sniffling as quietly as you could. It didn’t hurt so much as it did scare you. Not that you were scared of him. Despite what happened, you knew it was an accident and you knew he would never hurt you purposely like that ever.

But the fact it happened, the fact he had been so lost in his anger that he didn’t stop and think about what he was doing and his surroundings. The fact that you had felt his strength in such an ugly, dangerous way. The suddenness of it scared you.

And you hated feeling that towards your boyfriend. You only wanted to feel happy and loved with him, nothing as negative as this. It was also frustrating, knowing you had warned him of consequences of his actions like this, though never expected you’d ever be on the receiving end of it, but he still hasn’t changed. But this was the last time you’d ever allow yourself to be in this position.

It made you almost think that your friends, the rumors, maybe they were more right about Michael and his anger than you were whenever you tried to defend him. You wanted your boyfriend to be safe. You didn’t want to believe they were right. Otherwise, you didn’t really know the man you claimed to love.

You were mad and frightened. But it came from a place of love. You didn’t want him to get hurt and you especially didn’t want it to get to this point where he couldn’t even stop himself before it got out of his control until it was too late. You loved him.

When you finished fixing yourself up as best as you could, you left the bathroom and moved quietly into your living room where Michael was sitting silently. His face was in his hands. His very posture screamed regret and you didn’t even want to imagine how dark and self-deprecating his thoughts were as he blamed himself for hurting you, you knew it was hard for him.

He’d told you so many times it was the last thing he wanted. You weren’t sure he could forgive himself. Especially when he knew his strength compared to yours, when he saw your injuries caused by his hand.

You weren’t sure he even felt your presence when you slowly sat down next to him on the couch, the kit still in your hands. “Here, let me cover that up.”

He had bruises all over his face, particularly his jaw but he had an especially nasty cut on his forehead.

But when you raised your hands to start working on it, Michael finally looked at you, only to move his head back and shake his head. You were too good for this world, to still worry about him after everything.

“Don’t waste it on me.”

With you red rimmed eyes, your voice was still more serious than usual but your words were almost normal, “Don’t be silly. You’re hurt.”

Michael kept silent as you focused on his injury. But you could tell his mind was moving quickly, probably figuring out what to say to you.

You wanted him to feel bad, it wasn’t okay and he needed to feel it in order to change. But you didn’t want him to drive himself crazy with kicking himself in the back for what he accidentally did. He stopped as soon as it happened, it gave you hope of how he could change. How this could be a wake up call.

It was only when you were almost done that he spoke. “I didn’t know you were the one grabbing me. I swear I would never have hurt you, it was too late when I realized you-” his head hung in shame, “You were already on the ground when I figured out it was you.”

He was silent for a while and you thought it was him re-living the moment you had been flung so strongly. “I’m so sorry. I’m sorry. I would never hurt you like that. Ever. I promise. You’re the only good thing I have in my life. I can’t lose you and it shouldn’t have happened, I should have realized I was just so pissed off. And I thought you were in class. I never thought you’d be there. But it will never happen again.”

“Michael…” You sighed, you’d heard that before.

But he cut you off. “No, I’m serious. It won’t. I….I hated seeing you hurt like that. Especially because it was my fault. I know I’m violent but you’ll never experience that again. You’ll never see that again. I’ll never hurt you again so…please…I’m sorry.”

He was so rarely vulnerable with his words, let alone speaking so much. It was obvious he meant it. You took in his apology and his words. You didn’t say it was okay but you didn’t move away or reject his apology either.

“You won’t lose me.” When his guilty eyes bore into yours, you took his bruised hand. “I know you didn’t meant to, Mikey, you’re not that type of guy and you’ve never been violent towards me. But I get so worried seeing you fight and get hurt, you didn’t even realize it was me because you were so mad. It’s seeing you in a light that I don’t like.”

His words were soft-spoken and gentle, his rough hands encasing your smaller ones almost as if they were glass, like the most precious thing he had. “I know. I’m working on it.” Both of you knew he was. If just to keep you happy. His fights are fewer and farther between but when they do happen, they’re never any less bloody.

Michael’s eyes trailed down to your arm and your dress, marred with stripes of gravel and dirt. Your scraped knees. Your eyes puffy from crying. Even hurt you were the most beautiful girl he’d ever seen. He almost wanted to pull away, he had no right to be touching you, to still be the object of your love. Not when someone as sweet, innocent and peaceful as you was with someone as wrong as him. You deserved someone that brought only smiles out of you. Fuck. He cherished you. And he was disgusted at what he did; would always be, the memory would haunt him for a long time.

He almost looked in pain as he forced himself to keep looking at what he had done to you. “Does it still hurt?”

You almost didn’t want to answer, for his sake but still you nodded. “I have to change clothes, too.”

“You look so pretty.” It made it worse, how much you more you deserved. “You deserve better.”

Your eyes were confident with your next words, “You’re going to give me that.” He had to. Otherwise, you didn’t think anything you imagined your future would be was going to stay the same.

And he would. For you.

It didn’t mean he would be perfect or that his tendencies would change. You’d always catch him in fights or in some kind of trouble. But he would be in his right mind, he’d stop before he went too far. And most importantly, he’d never hurt you like he did today. It wouldn’t be hard. When you changed his life so much, he wasn’t in that state of mind he was when he was so angry and violent before he met you.

Michael started that new resolution to change by peppering you with kisses, grateful he still could, not stopping until you began giggling and pawing at him to stop. You were still kind of mad and hesitant after all, but it was hard to fight back against his sweeter side giving you more of an apology. He was careful to ghost his fingertips over your injuries so as not to hurt you as he took you in his arms like his life depended on you being with him.

“I love you.” His gravelly voice murmured, “So much.” You were everything to him. What he cherished the most in his life, who he would always need at his side. The last person he wanted to hurt. He was so lucky you were such a good, forgiving person that believed in him. Trusted him. Loved him.

“I know. I love you too.”

You and your love were the what that brought his happiness and goodness into his life. Without you, he would be so much worse than he seemed to be right then. You were the reason he could imagine a normal future for himself, one with a family and a home. The reason he was so much happier recently, why he hadn’t been in a fight in months before this last one.

He’d never hurt you again. You’d only ever feel good feelings arisen by him, like it always should have been.

Your voice was almost shy but your words were very much willing to take advantage of his guilty mind. “Can we have a spa night? I think it might help my wounds.”

Michael, your big, mature, manly, would-never-have-a-spa-night boyfriend looked at you, knowing very well the healing properties a spa routine could have on your injuries was bullshit. But still he nodded. He’d do anything for you.

Anything to make it up to you. To take away that hesitancy and sadness in your eyes, to try as he might to erase his huge mistake and replace that scary image of him and know that he was nothing like that with you. Anything to have the rest of the day bring you nothing but peace and happy memories with him, what you had always felt in your life that changed when you met your explosive boyfriend. Having you in his arms for the rest of the night, forgetting the cuts on both of your persons for the night.

“With face masks?”

“…Fine”

You smiled sheepishly, “….And can we watch Legally Blonde?”

“Whatever you want, baby.”

#5sos #Michael clifford #Michael clifford x reader #5sos fluff #Michael clifford fluff #5sos imagines #bad boy fluff #bad boy michael #Michael clifford angst #5sos angst #bad boy angst #college au

203 notes · View notes

fermented-writers-block · 3 years

Text

PART 1 of 6 of the Owl Deity Hooty Theory

[NEXT PART]

[OWL DEITY HOOTY THEORY MASTERPOST] (in development)

(TLDR at bottom of post)

Over several long months of research and analysis since March of 2020, I have been following an utterly fascinating thread of potential misdirection and subtle details throughout The Owl House, and today, I would like to start weaving together of what I believe could become one of the biggest and most cleverly disguised twists in the entire show.

To begin, let’s take a look at the B plot of Understanding Willow:

On first glance, it’s an ultimately inconsequential sidestory with the sole purpose of justifying an excuse to keep Luz and Amity in Willow’s mind, as well as providing some well-needed room to breathe and release tension after the veryemotionally charged confrontation with Inner Willow. After half an episode of Eda and King outdoing the other in ridiculous ways to win Gus’ vote and Gus running off in frustration at the end of the episode from Hooty’s inane rambling, it’s easy to laugh off Gus’ pick and assume that nothing/of value was said when he closed the door for the interview.

However, if one pays close attention to that very scene, Hooty actually canstill be heard (if faintly) underneath Eda and King’s grumbling, interestingly talking about how “It all started with a hunt. Blood red skies. That’s right, I was created-.”

Now, while it may seem silly to focus on dialogue from Hooty of all characters, this A) tells us that there was an event in the past involving blood red skies and a hunt of some kind, B) that Hooty had been created close to said event, and C) implies that what he knows but can’t tell as a story worth a damn is EXTREMELY important to be included and be hidden in such a manner.

For comparison, the only other instance of dialogue being tucked away in the background in the entire show is in Wing It Like Witches:

During the lecture at the beginning of the episode, the history teacher openswith lore on Belos appointing a head witch to each coven over 50 years ago, immediately cluing in the audience to try and decipher the rest of the lecture as it moves to the background. Adding to this is how the musical sting when Luz shows off her movie obscures what he says even further, making it even more of a intriguing puzzle that the creators clearly intended for viewers to pick up on and attempt to solve.

In contrast, the hidden dialogue of Hooty’s interview is much shorter and not as hard to decipher as the teacher’s history lesson, but at the same time, there are few to no indicators whatsoever in that scene to clue in the audience to even check for something like that. It comes at the end of an episode where most viewers would have been paradoxically tired out and driven abuzz by the revelations of Amity and Willow’s relationship, doesn’t attempt to draw much attention to itself, and frames itself as a comedic subversion of audience expectations with neither the “greatest witch who ever lived” or the self-proclaimed king of demons being picked by Gus.

Instead, he picks someone that the show portrays constantly as an oblivious and gullible idiot after being described as a “state of the art defense system” at the very beginning of the series. Someone who, despite it being played for laughs, is scarily capable of casually subduing Lilith offscreen one episode and then beating her and an entire squad of Emperor’s Coven members without even the slightest change in personality or temperament.

Someone who, due to being the Owl House itself, could be considered the titular character of the entire show, yet is taken for granted by those who inhabit him and barely gets any respect from even the cutely patronized King - including when Hooty could be interpreted as having potentially been full on DEAD for a time given the use of extremely cartoony X eyes and a lack of vital signs in The Intruder.

And someone who Eda at best tolerates and at worst abandons in personal interactions and only occasionally acknowledges him when he’s actually doing his job. Yet at the same time is so implicitly trusted beyondprotecting her home to the point where - when up against the closest person Eda has to an equal outside of likely Belos - the only actually recognizable spells Eda used in combat were 1) stereotypical energy blasts, 2) a single shield spell in Covention, and 3) a noticeably large reliance on imitations of Hooty above any other spells she could have decided to use instead.

In short, the show repeatedly tells us he is just an idiotic gag character through and through, but at the same time demonstrates he has immense power through both onscreen and offscreen demonstrations, implicitly tells us his importance ahead of time through Eda’s imitations in actually serious situations, and treats his interview and origin story as - if not even more- important to keep secret than a long lore dump about how Belos’ reign works.

After all, there being only two instances of hidden background dialogue in the entire season is already intriguing on its own, but for one to get plenty of clues to draw in people’s attention and for the other to be treated as just another gag about a “mere comic relief character” - aka a good way to draw away attention and lower one’s guard - heavily suggests a far deeper significance buried under layers of misdirection, comedy, and conditioned audience expectations.

I mean, when Eda bragged about being “a bad girl living in a secret fortress,” Hooty followed with a remark about how “I’m the secret.” While that line may sound like Hooty simply being confused as part of a one-off on the surface, it’s an odd dialogue choice for the writers to pick when you think about all the other reminders of his nature as the house itself throughout the season. With the precedent these moments set, it would have been much more appropriate for him to latch onto the “fortress” side of “secret fortress” AND it would have been just as equally funny of a joke about his awareness skills, but instead, Hooty broke away from the established trend to say something that would make people suspicious were it to come from anyone else.

In a way, this reminds me much of the many subtle bits of foreshadowing strewn across the show, like Luz unknowingly describing Amity in Witches Before Wizards and Eda burning a hole through Luz’s coven type quiz that coincidentally selected the same track she had taken at Hexside as “a punky potionist.” At the time of airing, these initially seemed like one-off jokes, but eventually came back in full force several episodes later with Amity’s hidden sensitive feelings and love for the Azura books becoming clear in Lost in Language, and the reveal of Eda’s school track in Something Ventured, Someone Framed with her school misdemeanor pictures.

That said, compared to these individual bits of minor foreshadowing, the jokes about Hooty in Understanding Willow appear to simply be the most obvious pieces in a giant puzzle, implicitly and outright telling attentive viewers that there’s a major mystery to be uncovered here.

In fact, I feel bold enough to say that we could be looking at a twist on a similar scale to that of the Pink Diamond/Rose Quartz and Stanford Pines twists in Steven Universe and Gravity Falls respectively, what with this particular puzzle piece coming from how Gus wanted to make THE greatest interview of all time, and how he was looking for someone who was “interesting, accomplished, AND noteworthy:”

Note the emphasis on the ‘and’ here, as Gus had made a big deal that “people aren’t meantto be all those things” at the beginning of the episode, so as a result, stripping away all the comedic framing of his subplot leaves the intriguing implication that whoever - and, perhaps, what- Hooty is, they really are the most interesting, accomplished, AND noteworthy person out of everyone.

I could go further and talk about why I suspect the mystery surrounding King’s origins, whether true or not, is partially meant to misdirect us from paying attention to Hooty, or how the TOH crew’s could be disguising legitimate clues to his nature among made up and highly meme-able joke answers in order to proliferate said concepts throughout the fandom - thus letting us do all the dirty work of getting ourselves used to the ideas and used to dismissing them at the same time - but to bring things to a close for now, I’d like to leave you all with a question that I’ll start answering next time:

What does it mean when both the most powerful and notorious witch on the Boiling Isles and the possible actual king of demons/the Titan itself/something don’t match up to a house? And what do you think it is that makes him so special to warrant such misdirection?

TLDR: Between Eda’s golem spells, the show stressing his nature as the titular house, his implicit strength, and the odd dialogue and structure of Understanding Willow‘s subplot in relation to him, I believe I have good reason to suspect the show has been giving us many hints towards Hooty being much, much more important than it would like us to currently believe or even joke about. Particularly, through clever uses of comedy to establish and enforce a strong audience bias against looking closely at him or unironically taking him seriously, and to potentially plant the seeds for something I will start exploring in Part 2.

#the owl house #the owl house theory #owl house theory #the owl house speculation #toh theory #the owl house hooty #toh speculation #owl deity hooty theory #long post

264 notes · View notes

nctsjiho · 3 years

Text

Shocking Truth Behind NCT JiHo’s Hiatus Revealed + SM Official Statement And Apology

July 24, 2021 By J. Mitchel (K!Today)

After an internal investigation of SM Entertainments financial reports, specifically those regarding NCT, the likely reason of JiHo’s hiatus from April to May of this year, has been revealed. The reason why this information, which I’ll be explaining in a bit, is only deemed “likely”, is because anonymous sources said this is only “part of a bigger problem”. However, what I’ll be diving into in a second is fully factual (unless stated otherwise), backed up by plenty of evidence, and I can conclude that this has been a driving factor of JiHo’s hiatus.

Visas, Working As A Minor And Bing A Foreigner Working In The Idol Industry

For those who aren’t aware, Geovanna Dubois, otherwise known as Lim Jiho, and debuted as JiHo, moved to Korea in late 2014. At that time she was only 13, turning 14 soon in international age, which made her a minor. Because her family stayed back in France, where she lived prior to becoming a trainee, she had to be assigned a guardian.

This guardian was an employee at SM Entertainment who was not particularly close to JiHo; it was stated that:

“(the guardian) was only in charge of legal affairs regarding JiHo and everything else: housing, medical needs, schooling, leisure and so on, was taken care of by other employees and managers - who kept in contact with JiHo’s family - until she was no longer a minor”.

However it was revealed that JiHo’s guardian had not taken care of their part of taking care of JiHo. For a total of 6 months, they did not provide JiHo with the right Visa (this does not include failing to renew her Visa when renewal was due). For a total of 4 months - beknown to managers and other employees - they violated the rules under the Child Labour Laws in Korea. And for her whole career up until April of 2021 they did not provide her with her fair earnings she deserved (more on this later).

Until 2020 all of this went unnoticed by the higher ups in SM Entertainment. An ex employee, who wanted to stay anonymous stated:

“There was always so much secrecy going on in the office. I felt insanely guilty towards JiHo because she wasn’t given fair treatment behind the scenes. Employees would fake reports about the state of JiHo’s legal documents. I thought it would all stop when she debuted, but things continued as they were.

… They withheld money from JiHo’s wage to pay off debt caused by the mistakes the employees made. One day the department got a 10,000,000.00 Korean won (around 8,500 USD) fine for violating Child Labour Laws. Instead of going to the boss, employees would take money from JiHo’s bank account - the guardian had full access to it - or would write it off on JiHo’s trainee debt. Something like this shouldn’t happen in such a big company as SM.”

If you thought this was bad, that was only just the tip of the iceberg.

Unfair Pay

As mentioned before, part of JiHo’s hard earned money would go to paying of debt and fines, but that’s not all.

JiHo is one of NCT’s rappers. But did you know she also participated in writing lyrics and sometimes help in arranging songs? Especially for Japanese releases. For most of her work she did not get credited, but apparently this was because of the percentage of her input being “too low”.

Whether this is a fair reason or not is not something I can comment on. In my small amount of research in this area I have found that not everyone gets paid the same just because they are credited in a song. And even if I find that logical, by that statement I would assume that JiHo should have been credited for every song she participated in.

However, that’s where I found out the reason as to why she might not have been credited for every song she worked on.

Comparing her with other members of NCT who have put in similar amounts of work into writing, producing, arranging music, as well as overall performing, making public appearances, modelling and other schedules, taking in account the money employees took away for debt, JiHo on average would receive only 80,6% of what her colleagues would earn.

Keeping that in mind, I suspect that if they would’ve credited her for every song, it would’ve been more obvious that she didn’t receive the payment she deserved whenever this news would come out. However if that was the reason behind this, they failed, because almost every source who is covering this news has at least mentioned this.

Today’s Reality

Before we go into SM Entertainment’s official statement and apology (yes I was also surprised by this), let’s talk about how these events have affected JiHo.

Of course we don’t know all the small details, and according to the previous anonymous ex employee there have been some problems with an ex manager, but in the big picture JiHo did not get affected by these past events on a day to day basis. Having said that, one thing does break my heart in this whole story. The same ex employee also stated that:

“While all this was going on, one of the managers - or maybe it was the guardian themselves - contacted JiHo’s family. They told them lies so that they would not ask JiHo to go visit them back home. Since her Visa wasn’t always okay, it might have caused problems once she left Korea. They also told her family it might be best for them not to visit JiHo because she was ‘doing fine’ and them visiting would ‘cause a distraction’. I once had JiHo’s mother on the phone, she seems like a sweet lady, who was heartbroken not being able to see her daughter for years, being under the impression that visiting her daughter would be a burden to her and her career.”

I hope that with everything that I’ve shared here, you can understand the severity of these events. Knowing that this is only a small percentage of the whole situation makes me scared to hear what else was going on. But let’s hope that things look better for JiHo’s future.

SM Entertainment’s statement

“This is SM Entertainment.

Earlier today, documents and numbers surfaced that we weren’t eager to show to the public. These documents revealed things that you weren’t meant to see either. For the longest time, we, the higher ups in SM Entertainment, were unaware of what was going on behind the scenes. That’s our mistake, and we want to own up to it now.

We should have been more thorough. We should have been more involved. But as we were tricked into thinking everything was fine, we decided to put faith in our employees and let them operate as they were.

Even though we felt cheated and tricked, we were not the real victims here. Lim Jiho, one of our idols, is the one who got tricked the most.

For the years we’ve known her she has grown incredibly much. She’s one of our most hardworking idols. She’s skilled in everything she does. She’s an inspiring and friendly soul and we, SM Entertainment, are extremely honoured to have her as one of our idols.

We are sorry to JiHo, to her family, her friends and her fans for all the discomfort, uncertainty and pain we have caused them. A simple sorry isn’t enough and that’s why we have decided to take some actions.

For JiHo: As you are aware, JiHo is now also under Esteem. The statement we have issued before still stands. We will work together with Esteem to provide JiHo with all the opportunities she deserves so she is able to grow in an even more talented and loved artist.

We will not only take accountability for the financial injury JiHo suffered, but also will try our best to put her emotional and mental health first. Many of these things we have and will continue to discuss with JiHo privately. She will, if desired, reach out to fans and friends on her own accord to talk about her side of things. So to respect her privacy we won’t go further into detail.

For family and friends: We are incredibly sorry towards JiHo’s personal and private relationships to which we caused damage. From the many foreign artist we have under our label, we know that homesickness and missing friends and family is natural. We did not mean to put even more of a strain on her relationships. Again we want to respect the privacy of everyone who is involved, so we will be reaching out to JiHo’s close family privately to issue a personal apology.

For the fans: We are again incredibly sorry towards all of JiHo’s fans who have been worried about her not only during her hiatus this year, but throughout her whole career. We know you want to see more of JiHo and we, along with Esteem and of course JiHo, will try and give back to you as much as possible by providing you with the content you deserve.

We know that the fans will be the happiest if JiHo is happy, so from now on we will make extra sure that JiHo’s happiness is our top priority.

Our apology doesn’t excuse our past actions and from now on we will try to be more transparent as that is something we heard many fans shared their concerns about. We want to let you know that most of the things we’ve discussed here are things we’ve been working on ever since JiHo’s hiatus started. But since the news is now public we want to assure the people that actions are indeed being taken.

We would also like to let everyone know that there have been actions taken in regards of the employees, managers and direct contacts who were at the base of all of this.

From now on we will be focusing on making things right and moving forward. Thank you for your patience.

Fans are happy to hear that SM is taking actions. Even if some things go unexplained and many fans don’t believe SM is being completely “transparent”, they are content things seem to start going into the right direction.

When more news surface (which I have a feeling it will) I’ll be updating you guys about this. For now I’ll leave you with some of the fans’ reactions to the situation.

What do you think about SM’s apology? And how do you feel about hearing the truth about JiHo’s hiatus? Let us now in the comments bellow or on our Twitter @KNewsToday

#jiho.misc #nct 24th member #nct addition #nct imagines #nct female member #nct extra member #nct additional member #nct female addition #kpop!addition #kpop!oc

109 notes · View notes

thinkingisadangerouspastime · 4 years

Note

By the end of avatar it's pretty clear that the gaang have no problem with/are friends with mai (suki playing pai sho with her, katara watching, sokka including her in his picture) so I was wondering how you think mai and the gaang's relationship developed from the coronation to the end scene

“This is Mai,” Zuko said. “My girlfriend.”

The room was quiet enough to hear a pin drop.

Right. Mai kind of wanted to die. They were just… staring at her. She hadn’t expected a positive reaction, by any means, but no reaction at all…? Ugh. Little was worse.

“It’s nice to officially meet you!” Aang said, giving her a bright smile. The rest of the group followed with tentative waves and a few nods in her general direction.

The awkwardness might have gone on another five minutes if she and Zuko hadn’t been asked for by an advisor, cutting her introduction short. Well, Zuko had been asked for, and he’d slipped his hand into hers before pulling her along. So she hadn’t been given much say in the matter.

“They’ll come around,” Zuko told her later, when they were lying in bed. “You’ll see.” He chuckled, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead. “They took me in, after all.”

Mai wanted to believe him. “If you say so.”

Sokka was first.

Mai saw him struggling to walk down the steps of the palace, awkwardly attempting to maneuver his crutches but wincing every time his injured leg hit the ground.

“Let me help,” she offered, lifting his arm around her shoulders to help take the weight off his foot. Perhaps she should have waited for him to give confirmation, but in some ways Sokka reminded her of Zuko - rarely willing to accept assistance, even when he needed it. He let her take his crutches, though, and she interpreted that as a sign of silent cooperation.

Sokka gave her a crooked grin when they’d reached the foot of the steps. “Thanks.”

She nodded curtly, returning his crutches to him. “It was no trouble.” She turned to walk away, but stiffened and stopped in her tracks as Sokka placed a hand on her shoulder.

“I, uh… This is kind of random, but I just wanted to tell you how grateful I am for - for what you did at the Boiling Rock.” Sokka cleared his throat. “For saving us. Me. My dad. Suki. Zuko.”

Mai winced at the memory. The despair, the rage Azula’s eyes. The paralyzing fear that had ripped through her chest when she’d watched her friend - if Azula could ever be called that - drop into her lightning stance. And yet…

She’d do it again. A hundred times.

“I don’t think you should be thanking me for doing the right thing,” Mai said as she slowly turned around. “For doing the bare minimum, really.”

Sokka laughed. “Maybe you’re right. But from what I’ve heard, treason against the Fire Nation isn’t usually considered the bare minimum.” He hesitated, then offered her a grateful smile. “I mean it, though. If you hadn’t saved us…” Something akin to grief flickered in his eyes. An expression that was a little more raw, a little more tired. “I can’t lose anyone else,” he finally said. “So thank you, Mai.”

Mai stared at him in perhaps more shock than was necessary, because Sokka laughed again.

“Can I hug you?” he asked. “It’s kind of an official thing to dub you as part of my friend group.”

Mai hesitated, but nodded, and Sokka shuffled forward to pull her into a brief, tight embrace that Mai was surprised to find herself returning.

“I wouldn’t have pegged you as a hugger,” she said after releasing him.

Sokka chuckled. “For a long time, I guess I wasn’t.” He winked at her. “But things change, right?”

She supposed they did.

Aang was second.

Mai wondered, perhaps, if he would have been first, had his duties as the Avatar not taken up so much of his time, especially in those first days after the war had formally ended.

“Hi, Mai!” Aang said cheerily, waving at her from atop his bison. “Want to take a ride on Appa with me?”

Mai glanced around her, as if someone else named Mai would appear from behind a pillar to take him up on his offer. When none did, she responded with a hesitant nod.

She wished Zuko was there.

“Do you need help getting up?” Aang asked as she walked towards him, pausing when she reached Appa’s side. “I can provide a boost if you need it.”

Mai raised an eyebrow at him, a smirk unwittingly inching onto her lips. “Could you provide a boost even if I don’t need it?”

Aang returned her smirk with a wide grin. “Your wish is my command, Lady Mai.”

Mai was mortified to admit that a startled yelp escaped her lips as Aang airbended her up and onto Appa’s saddle, but he didn’t comment on it. She supposed he was probably used to that sort of sound being an instinctive reaction.

“Ready?” Aang asked. He didn’t wait for her to respond before gently snapping the bison’s reins. “Yip yip, Appa!”

He reminded her of Ty Lee in that respect - never waiting for an answer unless one was truly required.

Appa roared and took off into the sky. Mai kept her eyes squeezed shut for longer than she’d care to admit.

After the initial anxiety of flying higher than she ever had in her life faded, Mai found herself relaxing into her seat on the saddle, one elbow resting comfortably on the edge. Aang chattered aimlessly about post-war plans, and Mai commented every now and then if his ramblings had to do with Zuko. It was… strange. Everything about Aang caused a tiny smile to rest perpetually on her face.

No wonder her boyfriend was so fond of him.

“Wanna go higher?” Aang offered at one point, an excited twinkle in his eyes.

Mai didn’t respond at first, staring upwards at the endless pink sky. “Can you take me into the clouds?” she finally asked.

Aang laughed. “Let’s find out!”

Katara was third.

“I told you, Zuko can’t see anyone right now!”

Mai paused upon hearing the irritation that drenched Katara’s voice. She’d just turned the corner into the hallway that Zuko’s room was off of, and, trusting her better judgement, chose to hang back.

Katara was staring down a tall man in formal robes - oh. Ew. Mai recognized him as one of Zuko’s more annoying advisors. Her boyfriend hated the man, too.

“Kata-”

“Master Katara.” She glared at the noble, and respect bubbled in Mai’s chest.

“Master Katara.” Mai relished in the discomfort of the man’s tone. “I understand that you wish to allow the Fire Lord as much rest as possible, but he has responsibilities he cannot abandon -”

“Zuko can’t fulfill those responsibilities immediately after a healing session!” Katara snapped. “How would you like if someone bandaged your broken arm and expected you to lift weights afterwards?”

The advisor stared at her in confusion. “But my arm isn’t broken.”

Katara placed her hand atop the flask that rested on her hip. “Not yet.”

Mai bit her tongue to stop herself from laughing as blood drained from the man’s face. He gave Katara a hasty apology and took his leave.

That interaction had certainly raised her spirits.

But no visitors…

Mai’s grip tightened on the ceramic plate in her hands. The cup of tea resting atop it quivered. If Katara said Zuko wasn’t seeing anyone at the time, then she would respect that decision. She was no exception to the rules just because Zuko was her boyfriend.

Besides, Zuko was probably fine. She didn’t need to check on him, she was just letting her worries get the best of her again -

“Mai?”

Mai blinked upon hearing her name called. Blood rushed to her cheeks when she realized it was Katara who had spoken. “Yes?”

Katara gave her a warm smile, gesturing towards the plate in her hands. “Is that for Zuko?”

Mai hesitated, but nodded. “Tea,” she explained briefly. “I… tried to make it like Iroh does.” She took a step backwards. “But I can bring it back later, after more time has passed -”

Katara laughed, waving her hand dismissively. “Mai. Zuko would never forgive me if I didn’t let you in.” She tilted her head. “Besides. You know you’re always welcome.”

Mai’s grip on the plate slackened, and she found herself returning Katara’s smile.

Toph was fourth.

“Mai! Spar with me!”

Mai was startled by the sudden interruption, though years of practice prevented her from showing it. “Why?” She’d never been the earthbender’s go-to partner before.

“Because knives are made of metal,” Toph said, as if it should have been obvious. “I want to see if I can bend projectiles mid-air. Or at least better detect the path they’ll follow so I can earthbend a wall to block them.”

Mai raised an eyebrow. “And why would I agree to let you bend my knives?”

Toph grinned at her. “Who said anything about using yours?”

Mai’s eyes widened as Toph procured a large box from behind her back.

“We’ll practice with these. Don’t ask where I got them.”

Mai accepted the box from Toph, unable to stop the sharp gasp that escaped her lips as she admired the assortment of blades. “Alright,” she finally said, picking out a set of steel kunai. “I’ll spar with you. On one condition.”

“Name it.”

Mai spun one of the knives around her index finger. “Let me keep some of these when we’re done.”

Toph burst out laughing. “Oh, I knew I’d like you.” She smirked at Mai. “You’ve got yourself a deal.”

Suki was last.

They’d run into each other. Literally. Mai spilled all the papers she’d been holding, and Suki had immediately apologized before offering to help her sort back through them. She’d almost turned the girl down, but…

“I haven’t seen you much,” Mai commented as they were putting the documents into piles based on their contents. “Compared to the rest of Zuko’s friends, I mean.”

Suki shrugged. “I’ve been spending most of my time with Sokka and the Kyoshi warriors. We’re thinking about heading back home soon.”

Mai nodded. She placed a document about the differences between crowning a Fire Lord and a Fire Lady in its appropriate stack. She hesitated, then asked, “Does… Do you know if Ty Lee plans to go with you?”

Suki blew air out her lips. “I’m not sure. Sometimes I think she wants nothing more than to get out of the Fire Nation, but there are other days where… where I don’t think she can imagine leaving you and Zuko behind.”

Mai’s heart seized in her chest. Spirits, she needed to talk to her friend. New responsibilities after the war had kept them apart more days of the week than Mai liked. “I see.”

Suki offered her a sympathetic smile. “Sorry I can’t be more specific. I think I just” - she shook her head - “I don’t know Ty Lee well enough yet to read her and her feelings. The other girls had a chance to connect with her in prison, but I’d already escaped the Boiling Rock and was on the run with Sokka at that point, so I just… don’t have the same level of experience with her yet.”

Mai clenched the scroll in her hand so tightly she was half-concerned she’d tear a hole through it. “Speaking of prisons…” She licked her lips, her mouth having suddenly gone dry. “I… I wanted to apologize,” she continued after a momentary pause. Mai didn’t like how her voice had dropped close to a whisper.

Suki tilted her head in confusion, though there was a keen recognition in her eyes that made Mai wonder if she was merely feigning puzzlement. “What do you mean?”

“I attacked you and your - your kinswomen. When you were protecting Appa.” Mai smoothed the scroll across the table before placing it in its appropriate stack. She didn’t dare meet the warrior’s eyes. “We got you arrested and sent to the Boiling Rock. And - I know an apology doesn’t make up for that, but…” She forced herself to look upwards. There was no bitterness, no resentment in Suki’s gaze. It was kinder than she deserved. “I’m sorry. I don’t deserve or expect your forgiveness, but - I’m sorry.”

Mai had hurt Suki the most among Zuko’s new friends. There was no changing that. And she knew she would never be able to make up for the months in isolation the girl had endured, either, no matter what she did. No matter how much she wanted to. Wished she could.

Mai didn’t blame her for staying silent.

Then Suki sighed, unfurling the paper in her hands. “I had mixed feelings about you. For a long time.” She skimmed something on the scroll before placing it aside. “On the one hand, you put me in prison. On the other…” She gave Mai a tentative smile. “You freed me from it.”

Mai’s heart skipped a beat. “That doesn’t make it fair -”

Suki laughed, cutting her off. “At this point, I don’t think ‘fair’ exists. Not after what all of us have been through.” She tucked her hair behind her ear. “But like I said. I had mixed feelings about you.” She gave Mai a soft smile. “I know how Sokka thinks you’re the funniest person to walk the Earth since his father. How Katara lets you visit Zuko after their healing sessions, even though she’s probably not supposed to. And spirits, Mai, the way Zuko looks at you…” She shook her head, winking at her. “You won my friends over a long time ago. It was only a matter of time before you won me over, too.”

An unfamiliar warmth settled in Mai’s chest, and a tentative smile inched onto her lips. “Thank you.”

Suki waved her hand dismissively. “Don’t mention it. And with you around, at least I won’t be the only sane person in our group anymore.”

Mai snorted, recalling an earlier incident of Sokka daring Zuko to eat raw tart batter while Toph egged them on. ‘Egged’ in two ways - both very different, but both equally frustrating. “Will that really make much of a difference?”

Suki snickered. “Maybe not for them, but…” She handed Mai a scroll to be placed on a stack too far for her to reach. “I think I’ll appreciate the company.”

Mai accepted the paper, and she smiled at Suki. “I think I will, too.” She placed the smoothed-out scroll in its appropriate pile. “Care to join me for a game of Pai Sho later?”

“Oh, count me in! That sounds like a great cooldown.”

Well… Mai wouldn’t describe Pai Sho in exactly that fashion. But she figured Suki would learn that on her own time, and chose not to comment. “I look forward to it.”

That night, Mai slipped into Zuko’s bedchambers under the cover of darkness, as she’d been inclined to do ever since his return to the Fire Nation. Zuko’s eyes lit up upon seeing her, and he moved to make room for her beside him on his bed. She sat down, and rolled her eyes but didn’t protest as Zuko wrapped his arms around her waist to pull her into his lap.

“Did you have a good day?” he asked, nuzzling his face into the back of her neck. He asked her the same question every night, and every night she told him the same answer - no. Then she’d gripe about whatever little thing had irked her over the course of the day. It was foolish, yet cathartic, and she knew Zuko didn’t mind. He probably found it entertaining.

“You know what?” Mai mused, thinking back to the mixture of glee and exasperation that had crossed Suki’s face numerous times during their earlier Pai Sho game. “I think I did.”

Zuko raised an eyebrow. “Wow. What happened?”

Mai shrugged. Five faces floated through her mind, all people she’d grown to care for over the past few weeks. People who’d grown to care for her in return. “Nothing special. Just… spent a little time with some new friends.”

Zuko chuckled, and she had a feeling he knew exactly the people she was referring to. “I’m glad to hear it.” He pressed a kiss to the nape of her neck. “Don’t kill me, but…” She didn’t need to turn around to know he was smirking. “I told you they’d come around.”

Mai groaned. “Oh, shut up.”

“Make me?”

She sighed, turning around so she could properly face her boyfriend. “I guess I don’t have a choice, do I?”

(Mai made sure to silence him before he could answer.)

557 notes · View notes

jjmjjktth · 3 years

Text

Chapter 3: Firsts Lead to Seconds

Lady Papilion sent a butterfly to the Eiffel Tower at the arranged time. She could sense the apprihensiveness and destruction of the Black Cat hero. Guiding her butterly to land on Chat’s baton, she felt the weak mindlink for between the two of them. “Hello, Chat Noir, I am Lady Papillion, your partner.” Chat started at the sudden voice in his head.

“Lady Papilion? What miraculous do you hold, how did you get it, and why are you able to be in my head?” Chat questioned.

“I am the weilder of the Butterfly Miraculous of Metamorphosis and Encouragement; the miraculous was put in my bag; and, the miraculous makes a mindlink for me to speak to you directly and give you power if we both agree.” She responded,”What miraculous do you hold and how did you receive it? I assume it has something to do with cats.” She decided to keep the fact that she knew so much about the miraculous a secret for now, she didnt trust him…. Yet.

“I am the wielder of the Black Cat Miraculous of Bad Luck and Destruction; the miraculous appeared on my coffeetable; and I can destroy anything with a touch.” Chat stated with the same amount of formality.

“We must discuss a plan for dealing with Paeon; maybe patrols of something like that. We will also need to speek with athoraties abou setting up an alert or something.”

“I agree, they need a way to contact us as well. For all we know it won’t always be obvious when there’s a…. what did you call it…. an amok?” at her nod, he continued. “Maybe we could talk to our kwamiis about communication devices and give the local government our numbers?”

“I could talk to Nooroo about that. What’s your kwamii’s name?”

“Plagg”

“Give me a few minutes I’ll detransform since I’m not in a public place.” Lady Papillion transformed without recalling her butterfly. She immediately gave Nooroo a flower petal.

“Thank You Miss Marinette.” Nooroo tiredly said.

“Nooroo is it possible for you to notify me of messages while detransformed?”

“Yes, I’ll know if a message is left while you’re not LP!” Nooroo chirped.

“Thank you Nooroo, let’s rest a bit. I told Chat we’ll be a few minutes.”

After a minute or two Marinette transformed to reconnect with her butterfly in Chat’s weapon.

“It is possible for us to communicate with the miraculous, our kwamii are able to notify us of any messages and relay responses even when we aren’t transformed.”

“Well, its settled then. Will you usually be contacting me from off-site?” The cat questioned.

“Yes, my miraculous is made to be used from outside the battles; therefore, I am not as wellprotected as you while transformed. I do have a place I can use as a base, though.”

“Ok. Can you recall your power so we can test our communicators effectively?” As soon as she heard his request, She called out her butterfly and released it from her service.

A few seconds later, her staff buzzed and beeped. Opening the top, she requested the message be read to her.

“One message from Chat Noir…. ‘How can I be of surrrvice, Lady Papillon.’”

“Respond to Chat Noir with, ‘Since this seems to be working, could you bring the contact information to the law enforcement?’”

“Responce sent…. New message from Chat Noir.”

“Read it please”

“‘On my way’” Smiling, she detransformed and retrieved a flower petal for Nooroo.

“Thank you!”

“No problem, lets make our way back to school though.

The rest of the day was fairly uneventful compared to the morning; and people were flocking to Ivan to hear about how he beceme a superhero.

“I don’t have any power, guys, there was this lady in my head who gave me power and guided me through the battle!” He explained for the hundredth time. He sounded exasperated.

“This so-called ‘lady’ must be rediculous if she chose you. I would have ended it the moment it began. Ridiculous, utterly ridiculous.” Chloé, it’s always Chloé. I could hear Ivan shaking in his seat.

“HOW DARE YOU!” Ivan roared, “MY LADY IS A WISE AND RESPONSABLE WOMAN AND YOU CALL HER ‘RIDICULOUS!’”

“Ivan.” I state, drawing on my calming aura. “Can you calm down? Paeon is still out there and, from what I observed, he gives strong emotions physical form.” I was too late.

Rose shreeked, “The feather! It’s back!” The blood drains from my face and I get up to leave the room. As I enter the hallway, I hear a faint “Yes, Paeon” followed by a stampede.

I ended up using a fire escape to get out of the building since no one semed to think of that. From there it was a simple affair to arrive at my greenhouse as it was somewhat out of the danger zone.

“Nooroo, did the amok take the same form?”

“Yes, it has also taken Chloé Borgeois and Mylené Harple captive.”

“Ok, Nooroo, wings rise!” The familiar warmth washed over her, leaving Lady Papillion in its wake. Feeling the rush of emotions, LP sought out Ivan once again. Bonding with a photo he had on him, she spoke, “Ivan, we meet again.”

“I am so sorry! I was just so angry at Chloé, she insulted you!”

“While I am honored you decided to defend me, Paris has changed. As much as I hate to admit it, it is no longer safe to feel negative emotions. That’s what makes Paeon so cruel.”

“I understand, My Lady.”

“Ivan, are you willing to become Ironheart once again to defeat the amok?”

“Yes, My Lady.” She smiled at his agreement and allowed her power to enter Ivan fully. Transforming him into Ironheart in a wake of lavender bubbles, she began to guide him towards the battle.

Chat Noir was already on the scene, arguing with the police.

“This isn’t a failure on our part! This is an entirely separate situation!”

“Then why is the same monster as earlier climbing the Eiffel Tower with the mayor’s daughter!”

“I don’t have all the information yet!”

“Ironheart, can you please open your palm?” I asked. When Ivan opened his palm, an image was projected into the air. Lady Papillion was siting on her throne of metal vines, her sceptre resting on her lap. One of her hands remained on the handle of the sceptre while the other was draped casually over the vines of the armrest. Around her thousands of butterflies, many different kinds, flew around her. Giving her the image of a Lady in her keep.

“What seems to be the issue, officer….”

“Raincomprix, Leutenant Raincomprix.” the leutenant seemed to be a bit intimidated by the aura of power she gave off. At a nod of her head, he continued, “As a police department, we were concerned about the resurfacing of this morning’s villain despite you two supposedly defeating him.”

“I assure you, the resurfacing of the amok has nothing to do with Chat Noir and I. The man behind the attack, Paeon, posesses an ability to physically manifest any strong emotions into beings for him to control. The victim of this morning mearly got upset enough for Paeon to exploit them again. This will most likely become a common occurrence untill we track down Paeon and strip him of his power.” The leutenant’s face fell at her words.

“We have already left our contact information with the police department,” Chat chimed in.

“We must hurry, the amok has already caused enough damage as is.”

There is a sudden rustling of feathers as the amok put it’s chest towards the sky releasing millions of feathers from inside. The feathers, moving against the wind, rose into the air taking ther form of a man in a mask.

“I am Paeon, the man who controls this sentinel.” Paeon gestures toward the amok. “I have come to rescue you from the villains Chat Noir and the Butterfly. I must retrieve their miraculous to strip them of their power. Look around you, look at all the destruction they caused.”

“Ironheart, put your palms into the air please.” When Ironheart follower her instruction, a much larger projection than earlier filled the space above him.

“Paeon, how lovely to meet you.” Lady Papillion greeted with a sickly sweet tone. “I was wondering when I would have the pleasure of your acquaintance.” She relaxed onto her throne as Paeon scowled. “I am Lady Papillion, weilder of the Butterly Miraculous of Metamorphisis and Encouragement. Chat Noir and I have not caused the damage to uor beloved city, but Paeon tore through the city using a creature formed with the hurt and rage of an innocent teen. Doesn’t that sound more like the actions of a villain?” With that Ironheart lowers his hands and lept up the tower catching the feathers in his shield. A blinding light shone from the shield and the feathers were gone.

Sensing it was time to act, Chat Noir bounded after Ironheart. The battle was short after that. A well times cataclysm and two graceful catches ended the majority of the afternoons excitement.

As soon as the heroes reached the ground, they were surrounded by the press with their questions and flashing lights. It was definitely a new experience for the three.

“Lady Papillion! Ironheart, do you plan on working together for the time being?”

“Chat Noir! What do you think of Paeon painting a picture of you as a villain?”

“Chat Noir! How long do you plan on being a superhero, and how will it effect your daily life?”

“Lady Papillion! Why dont you show your face in person?” There were so many questions and so little space that Ironheart had to send out a little shockwave to get them to back off so the small image of Lady Papillion could speak.

“Ironheart and I will each take one question.” She stated with no room for argument. “I will not appear in person as, like Paeon, my miraculous is meant for distance and leaves me more vulnerable than the average miraculous weilder.”

“I dont know if I will be selected by my Lady again, but if I am, I will gladly accept it.” Ironheart stated and then left.

“Well done, Ironheart. Remember, your protectiveness is both your strength and your weakness. Be careful.” And with that she withdrew her butterfly and released it from her service. Before she could detransform, her septre buzzed.

“One new message from Chat Noir.”

“Read it.”

“‘Purrhaps you could send one of your butterflies to Arc de Triomphe, I would like to speak with mew, winky face.’” She sighed and sent out another butterfly with a kiss.

The butterfly made its journey to the Arc de Triomphe rather quickly and promptly joined with Chat’s golden bell. “You wanted to speak with me?”

“Yes, I would like to see this base of yours so we can work together purrroperly.” Chat demanded.

“No, It would give away my identity or at least narrow it down for you. That is against what my kwamii told me.”

“Would knowing our identities not improve our teamwork, My Lady?”

“It also may hinder it Chat; so, I must say no.” she could feel his disappointment and anger rising.

“How can I trust you if I don’t know who you are?!”

“You will have to. I am goind to send a champion to heal the city. Good bye, Chat.” and she recalled the butterfly; but not before she felt his anger spike.

Feeling around, Lady Papillion searched for someone with the desire to fix everything. She sent her butterfly into a foreman’s clipboard.

“Hello, sir. I am Lady Papillion, what is your name?”

“Lady Papillion! Um…. I’m Rich Bordétte. It’s an honor to meet you My Lady.”

“Thank you Rich. I would like to offer you the ability to fix all the damage from today’s battles, even death.”

“Ok, call me…. The Worker!”

“Rich Bordétte, do you accept my offer to become The Worker”

“Yes, Lady Papillion.” The lavender bubbles covered Rich; in the same way as Ivan, the bubbles gave him a sunflower-colored hardhat, a safety vest, and a toolbelt with only a drill on it.

The Worker rose into the air and raised his dril and without ceremony pressed the button. From the tip of the drill, various butterflies and moths streamed out to the city covering everything that was damaged and anyone who was hurt or worse. As soon as the last moth landed, The Worker cried out and all the bugs rose at once flying to the sky. Below, the city looked just as it did the day before. The rubble was gone, the people were healed and all evidence of Paeon was gone.

Masterlist - First - Previous - Next

Taglist: @novemberandmay @mysteriouslyswimmingfan-blo-blog @slytherinhquinn @blackroserelina @buginetye @basenikon @moon5608

Hello, Jjmjjktth here. welcome to my extremely irregular upload schedule filed by a mix of procrastination and The FeelsTM.

WARNING!!! It may be one day to two or three months when i upload next!

please be patient :)

Love y'all!

#marinette dupain cheng #blind!marinette #butterfly!marinette #maribat #maybe?#idk #felinette #master fu #is a supportive mentor #the question au

169 notes · View notes

true-blue-megamind · 3 years

Text

Fan Theory Thursday – The Not-So-Evil Overlord?

Shhh… Want to hear a secret? Come closer... SPOILER ALERT!

Okay, this one delves a little deep into the imaginative side of Megamind fan theories, however I believe it holds enough interest and has enough support to be well worth discussing. There is a supposition which I frankly love: our favorite blue alien was an Overlord of sorts before he briefly took control of Metro City, and he had good reasons to be so. That might sound a little crazy, but bear with me.

This idea has appeared in several fan fictions, and essentially goes as follows: Megamind was more than a supervillain; he was also a crime boss, and he chose that path for the most unlikely of reasons. Bizarre though it may seem, his primary drive was bettering Metro City. (And, yes, I’m aware of how contradictory that sounds.) However, it’s logical when considered more closely. By making himself the de facto ruler of the city’s underbelly, Megamind was able to control crime to an extent, probably even setting limits on certain activities, and guidelines for others. In the majority of fan fictions using this concept, that includs things like reducing violent crime, setting purity standards and purchase limits for narcotics, and ensuring sex workers were neither underage nor abused.

I’ll be the first to admit that, on the surface at least, this seems like nothing more than fans seeking to justify or even moralize a beloved character, but research reveals that there is actually some support for this theory. Firstly, there is the fact, touched upon previously in the Fan Theory post concerning the Warden, that Megamind was clearly already establishing control over other criminals at a young age. While writing a truly wonderful blog article, Demishock actually went through the trouble of deciphering the newspaper clipping shown at the beginning of the film’s title sequence. It contains, among other things, a reference to the fact that, although an elementary school age child, Megamind was feared and obeyed by other inmates at the prison where he grew up. A quote from the Warden reads: “I've got experienced, hardened criminals in here who are afraid of him.” The article goes on to mention an incident which involved a few other inmates, adding that “the other prisoners refused to point fingers for fear of retaliation.”

It is quite possible that Megamind was already building and consolidating a base of power.

Next, there is the fact that the blue man seems to have lines he won’t cross, even as the self-proclaimed Evil Overlord. In one of the storyboards, when Megamind is approached by the Doom Syndicate, he clearly holds them in disdain, yet they are careful to placate him. Obviously they have somewhat different standards. When Agent Orange—who was later reimagined as Psycho-Delic before being cut from the film entirely—compares Megamind’s “inspirational” defeat of Metro Man to “a car crash on prom night,” the blue alien looks rather disgusted. Although they refer to celebrating his victory, it also seems the Doom Syndicate may be indirectly asking Megamind’s permission to go on a crime spree. While this may be because he is the new Overlord, it seems odd that other villains would immediately leap to the assumption such approval is necessary if they were accustomed to acting on their own. However, if they were already in the habit of requesting the blue alien’s sanction, their actions make more sense.

youtube

Whatever the case, it seems that, once again, Megamind and the Doom Syndicate may have very different ideas of what sorts of crimes are acceptable. The Destruction Worker refers to “really putting the screws to the city,” while Agent Orange adds his desire to “swim in the torment of the innocent.” However, these suggestions don’t seem to match what we actually see Megamind doing. In the movie, Megamind does, indeed, go on a crime spree, but none of it appears to be violent. He certainly causes chaos, but no one seems to ever be injured. In fact, in the DVD commentary, one of the creators even states outright that the supervillain never goes beyond vandalism and theft because he doesn’t really want to hurt anybody. (Indeed, in the film it rather seems that, by being raised in jail, bullied, and constantly rejected, Megamind was pushed into supervillainy.) This, together with the previous evidence, paints an image of a man who has been forced to do some harsh things, but who nonetheless dislikes violence and, deep down, possesses a certain moral code, albeit a skewed one.

There are, in fact, several other details that point toward Megamind being far from truly evil despite being a supervillain. As I mentioned in Megamind and Identity, he displays several redeeming qualities, such as his largely friendly treatment of Minion, his respect for Roxanne’s intelligence, and his playful, affectionate game of fetch with the brainbots. However, I won’t go into a long explanation about that here as it can be found in the aforementioned post.

Nonetheless, I don’t believe we can seriously expect that the former villain has never once hurt anyone in his life. Keep in mind that, as discussed in the post How Strong is Megamind, the blue alien almost certainly had to fight in order to survive. However, his unwillingness to attack citizens suggests that he only injured others when it was absolutely necessary. Similarly, the aforementioned “news article” indicates that he may have limited his physically aggressive responses to other criminals only. (After all, the reference to prison inmates fearing him is the sole evidence of possible violence we have.) I have seen it suggested here on Tumblr that he may have taken over Metro City in part because he believed that, if he didn’t, someone worse like the Doom Syndicate would. It may even be possible that he was afraid of appearing soft and thus losing control over the criminal underworld.

Of course, it has to be mentioned here that Megamind also fought with Metro Man, who certainly wasn’t a criminal. However, there are two factors that I believe need to be considered. The first is that it is very likely that Megamind didn’t expect he could truly harm his nemesis. This is evidenced by both the his apparent shock when Metro Man seems to actually be dead, and by his overt statement during the museum scene that he “didn’t think it would really work.” The second is that, as young Metro Man was a bully, tormenting Megamind without provocation and encouraging other children to do the same, Megamind may have mentally placed him in the bad guy/threat category.

His lack of violence is not the only proof that Megamind had a better heart than most credited him for even when he was a supervillain. Keep in mind that he had a holographic disguise watch and a hoverbike. Presumably, Megamind could have simply fled Metro City when Titan turned evil, but he didn’t. Instead he went to Roxanne for help, stating that if they could not find the new villain’s weakness Titan would “destroy the whole city.” And this was after Titan had tried to kill him. Clearly, despite being a supervillain, Megamind cared enough about his home town to put his life in danger.

The final support for the Benevolent Overlord theory is less obvious: Megamind had to have been getting funds from somewhere even when Metro Man was still functioning as the Defender of Metro City. (Indeed, in some of the early concept art, the Evil Lair was imagined as a luxurious space boasting things like a huge library and a sleek laboratory. Some fans still picture the living quarters in much the same way despite the creators stating that he built his inventions from whatever he could get his hands on.) Near the beginning of the movie, Minion mentions a supplier in Romania, and presumably he and Megamind had to be getting food and other necessities somehow. While it’s true that the blue villain was clearly not above thievery, we also know that his plots were always defeated by Metro Man, so it’s safe to assume that he rarely if ever got away with stealing anything before the former hero’s supposed “death.” Of course, it also seems extremely unlikely, even laughable, that Megamind would have had a day job. Where, then, did the money come from? Many fans theorize that, as the local crime boss, he received a cut from all illegal activity. It certainly seems like the most probable explanation.

Art by Kory Heinzen, found in The Art of Megamind by Richard von Busack

So why would Megamind build his technology and machines largely from scrap if he had a constant cash flow? Given his concern for the city, several fan fictions have imagined the blue man secretly and anonymously donating a significant portion of his ill-gotten money to various charities and non-profits. That idea is not directly supported by any evidence, but it does fit with what we know. It’s also consistent with Megamind’s character: a feared supervillain who possesses a surprisingly good heart and, given his past, knows too well what it’s like to be thrown away by society.

So, was Megamind a crime boss as well as a supervillain? Did he use that position to secretly better life in Metro City? If so, is he still doing that now that he is the Defender of Metro City, thus curbing criminal activity from within as well as fighting it from without? (For the record, given that there is no apparent gang war happening during The Button of Doom, I would propose that the answer to the last question may be yes.) These are certainly interesting ideas to consider, and the mere fact that this animated film offers enough details to argue the point is a testament to just how well-constructed the movie is. I consider it yet more proof that the film Megamind is truly an underrated masterpiece.

#Megamind #Megamind movie #megamind fan theory #fan theories #fan theory #fan theory thursday #Overlord #crime boss #good bad guy

80 notes · View notes