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mauesartetc · 1 year

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While we're waiting for Millie's shine in later episodes, how would you develop Millie and how would you write her?

PFFF uhh I expect we'll be waiting indefinitely tbh. But I guess the first step would be to ask a lot of questions and figure out which pieces are missing from the puzzle. Here's a list of what's on my mind about Millie, in no particular order:

In "The Harvest Moon Festival", she hugged her dad upon seeing him, but not her mom. Was she closer to her dad growing up? Why?

What first attracted her to knives and axes, and who taught her to use them as weapons?

What was her favorite job on the farm growing up?

Who was her first love?

How did she meet Blitzo and Moxxie?

What occupations did she have before joining IMP?

Does she ever hang out with anyone other than her coworkers and her husband? What are her friends like? How did they meet?

Does she want to have kids someday?

What's her educational background? If she went to college, which subject/s did she major in?

What hobbies does she have outside of killing people?

Millie's aggressive, violent side is emblematic of Wrath ring culture, but does she have any traits that clash with it?

What's her favorite location in all of Hell, and why?

Standard job interview fare: Where does she see herself in five years?

Why doesn't she ever stand up to Blitzo when he berates her husband? (I mean, in a meta sense, we know why, but what's the reason inside the narrative?)

What does her extended family look like? Do they all live in Wrath, or are they spread out across other rings?

What does she love most about Moxxie?

What did she and Moxxie do on their first date?

What's her most prized possession?

Most of these questions are fairly surface-level, like the kind of thing you'd ask someone you just met at a party. But the thing is, we've barely been introduced to Millie through this entire series. It'd help if she spent an episode or two away from Moxxie so we can see her personality as an individual rather than part of a set. These writers seem to think true love = being attached at the hip, but that's not how strong relationships work. You need a balance of the partners spending time together and having time to themselves. If a relationship leaves no room for independence, it'll get stifling pretty damn quick.

Maybe at some point, Millie gets burnt out from work and decides she needs a solo vacation for her mental health. This would separate her from Moxxie and provide an opportunity to glimpse parts of her life that don't revolve around him and IMP, as well as delve into the fractured mental state of a character who's usually a pillar of strength. To co-opt and rephrase a meme real quick: Everyone asks "What can Millie do for me?", not "How is Millie doing?"

Ideally, the whole episode would focus on her, with no B- or C-plots. She could meet her friends for coffee, or maybe visit extended family members. Perhaps learn some things about herself she never knew before. This all sounds very low-key and lacking in spectacle for this show, but any plot can crackle with deft storytelling. It'd be preferable if the episode answered multiple questions (not too many, but multiple) about the character at its center.

But when all's said and done, it seems the most important question is: What does this character currently struggle with the most? What do they want, and what's preventing them from getting it?

One major problem Millie and the other IMP employees have is that they don't seem to want anything. There's not much driving their actions.

Blitzo presumably wants his business to succeed, but what does that look like to him? What specific goal is he trying to reach? The Goetia family has a bit more direction: Stolas wants a deeper emotional connection with Blitzo (God only knows why, but that's what's presented to us), Octavia obviously wants her parents to stop fighting (though we have no idea how she plans to achieve this), and Stella wants Stolas dead (though she didn't think the consequences through, somehow) but everyone else is a big ol' question mark.

Anyway, that's just a basic overview of how I'd approach it.

#helluva boss #helluva millie #helluva critical #writing #character development #ask #blacklilly27

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autisticlancemcclain · 1 year

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fic rec friday 20

welcome to the twentieth fic rec friday! where, on friday, i rec five of my favourite fics.

1. for we are the beautiful thieves by @caimani-ao3

Keith and Lance go undercover (sort of) at General Iverson's gala to steal back an Altean artifact the general stole while treasure-hunting. Keith's job? Sneaking away in the middle of the party to find the artifact. Lance's job? Looking pretty in a dress.

love love LOVE adventure fics this shit ROCKS. voltron?? thief archeologists whose main goal is to steal artefacts from rich asshole collectors and return them to where they came from?? iconique!! klance playing the pretty distrction?? iconique moreso!!

2. ring my bell by @dumdum692 [EXPLICIT]

And granted, Keith has always been a sore spot for him in this way; Lance has always felt at odds with his domesticated temperament, and Keith holds absolutely none of that. Keith doesn't give two whopping shits about getting pimples, or if Stacy in English class thinks he has bad breath. Keith isn't standing zombie-eyed in the purple lights of a party, plotting woe-is-me narratives of his own melancholia and loneliness, gazing detachedly into a red Solo cup full of jungle juice - he just is, and that's always made Lance, in equal parts, devastatingly embarrassed and devastatingly horny.

Sadly, this scale weights significantly more towards the horny end as of late, because Keith is developing quite a few, very distinctly Galra characteristics, and it's driving Lance absolutely buck fucking nuts.

______________________________________________

Keith goes through puberty. Devastation ensues.

this fic is a proud truther of two important things: a) lance’s type is literally anyone who can kick his ass and look good doing it, and b) lance has a big vocabulary entirely so he can be as melodramatic as possible whenever he so pleases. and i for one am thankful for its service.

3. Cross My Path by @wittyy-name [EXPLICIT]

Lance owns a witch themed cat cafe that rescues black cats. Each one has a unique collar and color coded name to help tell them apart. He's not supposed to play favorites, but he's already adopted his favorite, Red, as his own. Cold and distant to everyone, Red is extremely affectionate to Lance. Needy. Clingy. Protective. But Lance doesn't mind. He makes Lance's home a little less lonely. He's a little weird, but aren't all cats? He loves his baby boy, and he's eternally grateful for the day that little black fluff ball crossed his path.

Lance doesn't think twice about Red's odd quirks. That is, until he wakes up with a naked stranger in his bed.

And hey! Turns out Red is actually a witch named Keith who's been cursed to be a cat for twenty years. A really hot witch who's still very affectionate towards Lance.

any fic that’s tagged with catboy keith is a winner in my book tbh. and this fic is AMAZING the entire concept is unbelievably cool and the storyline is adorable!! also healthy relationship boundaries and expectations for the win!! plus rough sex also!!

4. know by petalloso

Keith couldn’t feel his legs. Upon further realization, he couldn’t feel his arms either, or his hands. He could, however, feel Lance’s hands, and they were all over him, running up and down his chest in inspection, tilting his chin this way and that, pulling him up from the floor where he figured he’d landed probably because his knees had just given out on him.

“Stupid,” he heard Lance say. “You blew out your legs.”

those 2016 fics man!! they never miss they just dont!! insane to me that this author apologises for being ooc as if their portrayal of keith is not the most in character portrayal possibly ever lol. AND this fic has oldest child lance my beloved

5. stud by petalloso

“Ow.”

Keith stops in his tracks, listening. The voice comes again, louder and more elongated this time, muffled behind the door.

“Ouch,” it says, and then, “shit shit shit.”

lance IS the type of impulsive dumbass to pierce is own ears, and i thank this writer greatly for pointing that out. this fic is cute and sweet and silly which are my three for three basically

that’s it for today!! i’ll see y’all back next friday for the next fic rec post!!!

#can u believe that we have now made it to 100 fics recced!! and 20 weeks of fic rec friday!!#whooo!!!#vld #voltron #lance #lance mcclain #keith #keith kogane #klance #established klance #pre klance #flirting #bad flirting #bamf keith #bamf lance #bamf klance #modern au #fic rec #fic rec friday

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mullettaegi · 3 months

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i know the galra had ten thousand years and unlimited resources to build up their defences and offences, to create an insane amount of weapons, to do evil experiments, and rule far across the universe, but HOW does it go from voltron being the defender of the universe, the most powerful weapon in the universe, something that zarkon has been hunting after for ten thousand years, something that made sendak (a very strong galra commander who would not let anyone stand in his way, according to himself) gasp and RUN.

yes he didnt fully run away but he retreated; he watched his battle cruiser get blown to fucking pieces, and remember this is the first time the paladins formed voltron. there was no sword. it was like their second or third time flying in their lions, and the only one that has had consistent flight simulations and training for however long is lance, and even then i think we saw him struggle to strategise a battle plan when going after the yellow lion with hunk because we heard him say he would cover hunk, we saw him carry that out but then get overwhelmed by the galra fighters in the air and take off after them.

hes a damn good pilot, and they all are, especially in the lions, but this is on a next level to what they could've been training for at the garrison.

so, this takes me to my point, why in the fucking world was voltron so fucking nerfed in the later seasons. like yes i dont want an easy win for voltron every battle, yknow, its about them working together as a team, its about voltron not always being the solution (aka when its better for them to split off into lions while they strategise), its about them actually coming up with strategies instead of just going in voltron first and hoping for the best.

its been a while since i watched the later seasons but rn im mostly thinking of atlas. like it just doesnt really make sense to me tbh? to build the atlas, yes, its essentially a replacement for the castleship, a place for a team to watch voltron from the sky, provide back up, but then to have it form into a voltron-esque robot ??? i just dont think thats where they should have taken it.

im glad for the castle of lions to take an important role in some episodes, where again the answer lies outside of JUST voltron, but it doesnt really make sense to build another giant robot.

it kind of takes away the development the paladins are supposed to go through as well, to work together better and stronger as a team thus opening up more weapons from voltron and learning how to fight in different ways.

idk i think the entire thing was kinda over-thought at the end as they were trying to keep the show going, but missing some of the other storylines they could've gone down, (black paladin lance, lotor redemption arc (which he did seemingly have but all along they planned to throw that in the bin), the team coming together as friends more often developing their bond as voltron but also as people, the team seeing their families again, not killing off shiro's FUCKING CANON BOYFRIEND IN A STUPID FUCKING SHITTY WAY ADAM DIDNT DESERVE TO DIE YALL ARE JUST COWARDS, and also the team kinda reflecting back to how they were jn the beginning and realizing they have grown (i say the team but i mostly mean lance and hunk because the writers just did not give two shits about them they really didnt get the chance to become fully thought out characters, they just had some insecurities and interests that were ignored until convenient then ignored again)).

#voltron legendary defender #i will not let this show die but also half the show doesnt actually exist its just made up in my head #i choose what to believe and what to ignore in this show tbh #ummmm yh feel free to ignore this #im still tagging tho #voltron #vld #mullettaegi #but overall voltron itself was done dirty like ??? how are you gonna make a show about a legendary robot and then just add another robot too

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faelapis · 10 months

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elemental has turned around at the box office and gone from flop to doing well. it seems this is pretty much entirely because of word of mouth. maybe theres other factors im not considering, but thats pretty fucking impressive.

and i think it deserves it tbh. it is far from perfect, but it might be my favorite pixar film of the 20s so far. granted, the bar isn't as high as the 10s or 00s, but hey, the decade is young. its pretty good!

i think what i liked about it was mainly that it was really emotionally sincere. like. its not too snide or self-aware, it just deeply cares about its characters and is totally committed to the world.

so many newer pixar flicks have this "popcorn filler" middle where there's zany antics that barely connect to the emotional journey. this movie doesn't. its all about these two main characters bonding in a way i found organic and compelling. and there's very little cringe humor. that one annoying tree guy is basically just in it for two seconds. idk why disney marketing still (wrongly) believes that kind of eyebrow wiggle humor is popular, because that made the movie look WAY worse.

anyway. its definitely good for a movie that was written off en-masse as cringey and generic and a lazy race metaphor. i don't think its any of these things. i think the main creative voice speaking about their own immigrant experiences does the job in a decent way.

also, that one clip of "fire girl being racist" is ignoring the crucial context that SHES the immigrant whos discriminated against, not some white-coded karen who needs to learn to be less racist. shes aware that shes less privileged and doesnt want to rock the boat.

also-also, i'm not even going reason with the badfaith twitter take that "she doesn't wanna date the tree boy because she's RACIST instead of it being because he's a CHILD?? #groomer alert!1!!"

like. come on. she's clearly not interested in him, she doesn't need to Spell Out that its because he's a child. that's not the point of the movie. thats just the most lazy twitter hot take for the sake of morally justifying that you found a thing cringe. don't be that person.

if you don't wanna see it, hey, don't. its fine. i'm not gonna go to bat like its the most important movie ever or anything... but its nice seeing pixar have more well-rounded, developed girl characters, after decades of being the emotionally sincere boys club. about time.

also, the romance is cute. i totally get why the aroace community in particular relate. like. its a romance where they Literally cannot touch each other, so its a relationship that actually develops because of their personalities rather than anything physical. its nice :)

#elemental #elemental 2023 #not su /#animation #pixar #disney #there are points against it i agree with related to character design and body types (and marketing)#but idk man every main character in fucking atla is skinny #i thought we agreed with the obvious level one media literacy thing that we could think a thing is good but also flawed. everythings #flawed in some way obviously - but i also understand the specific issue here. but its not unique to this film in any way

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yannig · 18 days

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I need someone to theorize with me about the Pit Babe 2 trailer

Ok so I thought a lot about Tony and Way being back. And I think we've got 3 options, ranked in how likely I think they are to actually happen.

They are actually alive (faked their death, resurrected, or maybe even clones/evil twins).

They are ghosts/spirits/whatever. They are there but still dead.

They are not here at all. All of their apparitions are due to nightmares, hallucinations, paranoia, flashbacks, etc.

I am entirely uninterested in them being actually alive, one way or another. I think this is largely the most underwhelming option out of the 3, and yet also the one we're most likely to get. For me, Tony and Way being back from the dead would just negate most of the impact of the first season.

Oh Way sacrificed himself to save Charlie as an attempt to redemption? Yeah no he's still alive actually. Tony was finally put done by the son he always treated like a dog, and who at last managed to escape his hold? Nope, he survived.

Talk about a way to undo major character moments. (I hated Way's death, but it was still an important character moment. and Kenta turning on Tony was great.)

(for Way as his own character, it could actually be interesting. Like "yeah no, you don't get to just die and be done with the guilt. you actually have to work for redemption". but 1) I don't think it's where they're going; and 2) I'm not convinced it would stem interesting development for anyone else.)

The ghost option could be fun, I guess. I don't really have an opinion either way tbh, depends where they go with it. Ghost possession could be a fun threat.

I know what my favorite option is, and it's definitely n°3, which sadly I don't think we will get. Mind you, Babe would be perfectly justified to have nightmares or flashbacks about these 2, considering how much trauma they gave him. Also Way giving Babe trauma flashbacks might help me forgive what they did to his character. But well. The show hasn't seemed very interested in talking about trauma before so...

Basically, I think the most interesting option is for the show to toy with its characters' (and its viewers') paranoia, by leaving all 3 options open for as long as possible. Done well, it could make for a very good thriller.

Are they actually back or is Babe just hallucinating in broad daylight? Are they actually vengeful ghosts that need warding against or is Babe just having very justified nightmares? Is there a threat at all or are they all just paranoiac after everything that happened? Is it really paranoia if they're really after you? They all thought Charlie was dead, didn't they? Does anyone ever stay dead?

I'd argue that if that thriller part is done well, all 3 options could work as compelling endings. I also don't think (from the writing in season 1) that they could pull it off effectively.

Or even that they would try. Season 1 wasn't a thriller in the first place, and the S2 trailer isn't giving thriller either. My problem being: I'm not really interested by their return if it doesn't turn thriller.

Basically, what I'm interested in is what impact their return would have on the other characters, after thinking they were finally safe. Especially Kenta and Babe. Kenta who finally escaped, finally managed to turn on Tony, to get free from him. Babe who is finally safe after spending the last 10 years looking over his shoulder, after so many betrayals, after loosing his best friend in all possible ways, after thinking his boyfriend was dead. Imagine how terrifying the prospect of Tony's return would be.

But beyond that? I have no interest in what they would do as independent characters. Tony has plans? What does it change from S1? Way is being an idiot, either working for the villain or clumsily trying to earn his redemption? I don't care. That is the exact same thing they were doing in S1.

Basically, I'm afraid that by bringing them back, the show is just being lazy and re-creating the S1 status-quo instead of imagining new stakes. And I am entirely uninterested in sequels that just undo the original story's ending. Which is exactly what I'm afraid they'll do.

TLDR: the psychological impact of the potentiality of Tony and Way being back is much more interesting than them actually being back.

Sure, give me confirmed omega characters (Jeff and Kenta at least), give me AlanJeff and BabeCharlie being cute together, give me Sonic and North finally getting somewhere and maybe involving Kim (or aro/ace/aspec Kim, that would also work, but only if explicitly stated in the show), give me heats and mpreg and stop being cowards. I'll watch it for the relationships between the main cast if nothing else.

But I'm worried about what the big conflict is going to be.

#pit babe the series #pit babe #pit babe bl #pit babe season 2 #pit babe s2 #pit babe season two #theory #fan theory #trailer analysis #pit babe 2 #tony pit babe #way pit babe

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sadquickchristmassnowman · 4 months

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hi! what do you think are the best/most tolerable episodes in season 4 of community? it’s widely regarded as the worst season and I never know which episodes to watch each time I go through a community rewatch binge lol. so, I figured I would consult the encyclopedia! (this is my first time using the ask feature so I apologize if I am not using it correctly)

heyo! this is a great question. I actually have an abbreviated season 4 watchlist that cuts out the worst episodes (in my opinion), while staying comprehensible and making sure you're still able to follow the season's overarching plots:

4x01: history 101

4x03: conventions of space and time*

4x05: cooperative escapism in familial relations*

4x06: advanced documentary filmmaking

4x08: herstory of dance

4x11: basic human anatomy*

4x12: heroic origins*

4x13: advanced introduction to finality

the episodes with asterisks* are the ones I actually really enjoy watching. the others on the list are pretty mid, but are, in my opinion, important enough to the overarching plot and character development to be worth watching. when I'm showing other people season 4 for the first time, I adhere to this watchlist lol.

I’m going to do some (hopefully quick) explanations of how I came up with this list, but you don't have to read it if you don't want to lol:

✅ history 101: it's the first episode of the season, so it really does set the tone and establish some important details (jeff wants to graduate early, troy and britta are dating, this is their last year at greendale, etc.) as with most of season 4, the weirdness seems really contrived and unnatural, but it does have its moments of being genuinely funny. it's also a pretty abed-centric episode, which is always a bonus lol

❌ paranormal parentage: I don’t hate this episode, but it's just kind of boring and doesn't really add anything to the season. I love megan ganz but... yeah. a lot of the jokes seem forced, and there's way too much pierce for my liking. there are a couple good one liners ("you should probably tell your boyfriend's boyfriend" "I remember when this show was about community college") and it does help set up jeff finally contacting his dad, but imo it doesn't quite make the episode worth watching

✅ conventions of space and time: I’ve heard that some people hate this episode? couldn't be me. way too much trobed for me to hate it lmao. there is a lot of jeffannie in it too, but that resolves with the conclusion that annie is just a romantic who loves to fantasize, and doesn't actually have real feelings for jeff. it actually fuels my lesbiannie agenda tbh, because she is evidently just in love with the idea of a man but doesn't actually put that into practice. but that's another post lmao. we have some great one-liners, we have britta helping troy through his jealousy, we have "troy will find me :)" we have some more inspector spacetime lore, etc etc. I love this episode and rewatch it frequently.

❌ alternative history of the german invasion: for me, this episode has almost zero redeeming qualities. the jokes are lame, I hate professor cornwallis, there is so much discontinuity, it has zero importance in the bigger picture of the season and the show, it's out of character, etc. the one thing I like is the end tag.

✅ cooperative escapism in familial relations: this is a big one for me. I never see people talking about it, but to me this episode is one of season 4's saviors. we have HUGE jeff development, jeffbritta moments, some much needed shirley screentime and development, some great jokes ("-to eat garbage dip WHY DID I HAVE TO GO THIRD), classic trobedison shenanigans, and the shawshank redemption homage is very funny to me. plus! adam devine cameo! I like this episode more every time I watch it. unsung hero fr.

✅ advanced documentary filmmaking: okay so I won’t lie, I fucking HATE the changnesia arc. I think it is so incredibly stupid and uncreative. there are a million different and better ways they could have brought him back. but, this episode is just too important in the season's development to skip. and, honestly, if I ignore the whole premise, there are a lot of funny bits and jokes in this one. troy constantly smiling at the camera (read: smiling at abed), troy and annie being the silliest ever, jeff's trust issues, and ken jeong is truly very funny, I just hate this arc so much. but ultimately it's too important to cut. imo.

❌ economics of marine biology: I basically feel the same about this one as I do about alternative history of the german invasion. it's boring, the premise is stupid, it's out of character, it's unfunny, the guest character is lame, and it's pointless to the overall plot. abed and the delta cubes is a little bit funny? and I guess you could argue that the jeff and pierce development is important? but I’d refute that very quickly. it's pierce, who cares. not. worth. it.

✅ herstory of dance: this episode is honestly the upper end of mid, but it has enough good jokes and development to make it worth it. it is also Very abed-centric, which we've established is always a plus imo, and his whole bit with going on two dates at once is very in character. he also meets rachel, who comes back in season 5, so that's important. it also has some great jeff & britta development!!! which is sort of few and far between in the later seasons!!! yippee!!!

❌ intro to felt surrogacy: tied for my least favorite community episode of all time. it's clear they tried to do something similar to what they did with abed's uncontrollable christmas, but it is so incredibly contrived that it is physically painful to watch. I hate the puppets. the hot air balloon story is so stupid and out of character. the songs are bad. how dare they sully the legacy of my third favorite episode (lmao). the only redeeming qualities are troy as a whole (all of his lines are good, and that moment when he pretends his puppet is falling asleep is very funny), and the fact that pierce is not physically in it. but those do not make up for how horrific the rest of it is. in my opinion. haha.

❌ intro to knots: once again! Tied For My Least Favorite Community Episode! they're right next to each other, how convenient. and again: bad jokes, bad premise, I fucking hate professor cornwallis, the changnesia shit is back, the plot is ALL over the place, there is little to no actual character development, the dialogue just goes in circles, and it ends with a random litter of kittens that are never mentioned again??? I guess the only mildly important thing is the end tag with the evil study group, which comes back during the season finale. but yeah. not worth it. disgusting.

✅ basic human anatomy: and here we have a HUGE jump from the last one. this is my favorite season 4 episode, and is probably in my top 15 from the entire show. I could talk about this episode for hours. the troy development alone is so so so good and important. add abed into the mix and Oh Boy!!! britta is great in this one, jeff and the dean's whole thing is so fucking funny, shirley and annie competing against leonard for valedictorian on a technicality is very in character and silly, danny and donald's acting in this one is commendable, etc etc etc. there really isn't much, if anything, I dislike about this episode. jim rash being the credited writer makes me love him even more. legendary. outstanding.

✅ heroic origins: I actually really like this episode. it does still have that sort of unnatural and off-putting vibe that the majority of season 4 has, but I think it holds up. it's in character, it has some great jokes and one-liners, and although it does have its moments of discontinuity, it does a surprisingly good job of staying compliant with what has already been established. certainly much better than alternative history of the german invasion. abed's whole bit with the star wars prequels makes me laugh, the annie's boobs lore, footage of annie and troy in high school (surprisingly well done if you ignore the discontinuity of troy's injury), etc. it's also massively important for the overarching season plot, and we finally get to the conclusion of the stupid changnesia arc. I could go on and on, there's just a ton of really cool callbacks (including one to the pilot, which I only noticed a few months ago and am obsessed with), and I just. wasn't expecting this one to work out as well as it did. pleasantly surprised, all in all.

✅ advanced introduction to finality: this one is not great tbh, but it's too important plot-wise to skip. and, I mean, it does have some good moments. abed immediately recognizing evil jeff, the whole thing being in jeff's head a la remedial chaos all being in abed's head (insert something about how this being yet another demonstration of how fundamentally jeff and abed understand each other, which I could expand way more on but won't in this particular post), season 2 of the cape, "one of us is out of bullets" "is it you" "...yeah" "why would you tell me that," and more. overall, yeah, worth watching imo.

I do also want to say that I think season 4 is a bit overhated. I do agree that it is the worst season, I think most of us can agree that that is an objective truth, but it does have its moments and I do get slightly frustrated when people write the entire season off.

I’m also happy to hear anyone else's opinions on what you think is/isn't worth watching in season 4, especially if you really strongly disagree with me. I’m curious to what your reasoning is lmao.

okay! this is definitely way more elaboration than you needed, but I hope this was helpful 💯💯💯

#sorry again for the long wait on a response #thank you for your patience :)#community #nbc community #community nbc #media analysis #community encyclopedia

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thelordofgifs · 1 year

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On Maglor’s Fate

(and why it’s a good thing)

I’ve seen several excellent posts by people far more knowledgeable about HoME than I pointing out that Maglor’s fate in the published silm – wandering the shores in eternal lament – was in fact taken by Christopher Tolkien from a single draft of the legendarium, and that JRRT’s later conception of Maglor’s fate was that he died by suicide at the same time as Maedhros, casting himself into the sea along with his Silmaril. This is a very good point, but despite the fandom’s general lack of adherence to published silm canon (see the prevalence of crispy Amrod truthers, or the lack of consensus on Gil-galad’s parentage) most people seem to have cleaved rather strongly to the idea of Maglor’s survival. Why?

Well, I would like to argue, because it’s SO much more interesting.

Of course, your headcanons are valid! If you prefer thinking that Maglor died at the end of the First Age, go for it; most of the texts support you! But for all the Maglor girlies (gender-neutral) out there, here’s a non-exhaustive list of reasons why Maglor’s survival is better, more satisfying storytelling, and you should continue to cling to this one outdated draft of the silm.

It fits Maglor’s arc better. For such a popular character, I always find it interesting that Maglor is only really developed in the final chapter of the silm – but what we do get in that final chapter is so fascinating. He takes pity on Elrond and Elros, he speaks against stealing the Silmarils, and, most pertinently to my point here, he effectively relinquishes his claim to Eärendil’s Silmaril. The straight line from "its glory is seen now by many, and is yet secure from all evil", to wanting to surrender to Eönwë, to actually throwing a Silmaril into the sea is SO delicious. A lot of that character growth is wiped out if Maglor instead casts both himself and the Silmaril into the sea.

It better sets up Maglor as a foil to Maedhros. I will never shut up about how Maglor's last debate with Maedhros is the best and most heartbreaking dialogue in the book. Its construction is exquisite, and one of the things I love about it the most is the way they mirror each other's words, becoming, in a way, reflections of each other. ("Who shall release us?"—"If none can release us...") All of Maglor's actions in the final chapter are in direct contrast to Maedhros': compare the fostering of Elrond and Elros with Maedhros' failure to save Eluréd and Elurín, and then consider why it is that Maglor still seems to have some hope that things will all work out (which is why he wants to surrender) while Maedhros despairs completely. That contrast makes it important to me that Maglor reacts in a different, more optimistic manner than Maedhros to the Silmarils burning them. ("More optimistic" by the bleak bleak standards of the end of the silm, at least.) I also really like the kidnap fam parallels of Elros and Maedhros both choosing death in very different ways, whereas Elrond and Maglor both choose life - E&E almost repeating M&M's decisions in a healthier and more wholesome manner.

It better preserves Maedhros' arc. Leading on from the last point, but, I think, separate. Maedhros' suicide, in addition to being just ridiculously tragic, is fascinating. The despair, the profundity of the realisation that it was all for nothing, the idea that Maedhros, who spent decades as a captive of Morgoth, is the one person knows exactly what being burned by the Silmarils means - aahh it's so good I can't dissect it all here. But do also consider Maedhros begging Fingon to kill him, and how he finally got his wish, centuries later! That terrible fall from grace is Maedhros' story. I think having Maglor also die by suicide actually diminishes Maedhros' tragedy, with the rather perverse outcome that two deaths end up being less sad than one.

Unresolved endings are good. This is a rather more personal one, tbh - but I love those last messy loose ends, and Maglor's survival is a quintessential one. Don't the great tales never end? There is, of course, so much excellent fanfic potential in Maglor still wandering Middle-Earth into the Second and Third Ages. Here's a legend from the Elder Days, and you can have him stroll into Rivendell if you want! So much more satisfying than neatly wrapping the story up and tying a bow on top.

As far as I can tell, Tolkien's own reasons for having Maglor die instead were that he wanted Galadriel to be the last surviving leader of the rebellion of the Noldor; I've also seen it argued that Maglor needs to die so that Celebrimbor can be the last surviving Fëanorian. To be honest, I don't think Maglor's survival does much damage to either of these arcs. He's effectively a non-entity after the First Age; the text specifies that he "came never back among the people of the Elves". So you can definitely prefer a version of canon where Maglor lives without losing all those Very Important Feelings about Celebrimbor!

There are, of course, myriad self-indulgent reasons why you might also prefer to think Maglor doesn't die. Maybe you just like him and it would be too sad if he dies; maybe you ship him very specifically with someone born in the Second Age; maybe you just want Elrond to have one thing left after everyone he's lost. I didn't include these in the above list because that was attempting to focus more on literary reasons why Maglor's survival makes for a better story, but they are all so valid and I agree with all of them! But hopefully Points 1-4 can be emphatically whipped out the next time someone implies that the fandom is clinging to Maglor's survival for solely sentimental reasons. There are good, solid grounds for wanting Maglor to live, we promise! It actually improves the story!

you're just jealous our blorbo survives and yours doesn't—

#silmarillion #meta #my meta #maglor #maedhros #the line of miriel #chris actually got some things right guys #this is one of them #cw suicide

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vigilskeep · 4 months

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Hiya, do u have a carrd or anything with info on your ocs? I love reading about ocs n all that crap but the tumblr search function is like actually evil. Keir seems super interesting but it’s like killing me trying to find posts to recap his lore 😭

i don’t i’m afraid!! it’s just his enormous mess of a tag as the lore built up... i might make something sometime??? i hadnt thought abt it tbh. in the meantime feel free to ask me any and all questions even if it’s something i’ve probably already said, i love going over this stuff and will do so forever if even slightly prompted. on that note, if it helps, here is a briefly condensed version:

keir is a red personality (aggressive/direct) non-mage hawke. i did his full playthrough as a warrior, i sometimes talk about switching him to rogue, but the only really important thing is that he’s a reaver and will bite you for real

he’s a man of few words, extremely blunt and threatening to the point of being absurdly over-the-top with pretty much all strangers, and much softer but still bluntly earnest with the small group of people he considers his own. he considers himself first and foremost a protector and would do anything to keep those people safe. his father malcolm was a strict man who raised him to do this and he accepted that wholeheartedly. consider him a guard dog. killed his first templar in defence of the family aged 15

he adores and idolises magic and fiercely supports mage freedom, though ultimately he would absolutely sacrifice a wider “cause” if doing so would keep his mages safe. fortunately or unfortunately, he can’t do that because the two are inextricable

he’s a proud fereldan and cares very little for kirkwall (hates kirkwall. hates kirkwall. someone please get him out of here) and its nobility, which tends to show in his appearance and behaviour. long braided hair, the streak across his nose is kaddis, and takes his mabari, silla, absolutely everywhere

he’s elf-blooded via his father, who was the bastard son of a fereldan elven servant girl and an orlesian chevalier who was with the occupation

his playthrough has circle mage bethany. he adores her and he would do anything for her but her acceptance of her fate and disillusionment with his overprotectiveness meant they had an increasingly strained relationship. it was because she was trapped that he couldn’t leave the city. once he was champion, meredith essentially had a knife to his sister’s throat whenever she wanted his compliance, not to mention the looming threat to anders and merrill, making those three years the worst and most terrifying in his life

he romances anders! friendmance and they escape kirkwall together in the end. not always easy but he really loves him, justice half included. there’s a lot of lore here ummm if i mention the “and they were housemates” timeline, that’s my silly mutual pining alternate version of events where anders moves into the amell estate for safekeeping before he and keir actually get together. if i mention aura hawke, that’s the potential daughter i occasionally hc for them

he had previous relationships with morrigan (in lothering as young 20-somethings) and merrill (during act 1). you cannot keep him away from those romanceable mages

he’s still close friends with merrill. isabela is his best friend. he has a complicated, semi-antagonistic friendship with varric, who was really closer with anders but now after the fact doesn’t want to remember that. he deeply respects and is friends with fenris. he did rivalry with sebastian, but in an agree-to-disagree way where they considered each other friends nonetheless until All That happened. he had a more genuine rivalry with aveline though still coloured by their trauma bonding

i THINK those are the main beats of his lore but he’s my most discussed and developed dragon age character so i’m sure i’ve missed some of the assorted junkyard of thoughts

#keir hawke

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aspoonofsugar · 1 year

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Hello big brain, I wonder if you can help me figure something out about RWBY. I am trying to see more in Oscar, but the parts of his character that interest me the most are his background art and hints at the future, rather than any actions or dialogue he's had so far. The one exception is his conversation with Ruby about fear. I am down to clown with this show, I know and love the story of Tip and Ozma, but Oscar feels to me like sneak preview of something that hasn't aired yet. Who is this kid? What did I miss? How do I love the green boy?

Hi anon!

I am so sorry for this super late reply! I wanted to finish some longer meta first :)

Anyway, here are some of my metas on Oscar:

An overview on Oscar

Some thoughts on Oscar and Ruby

Some thoughts on the Wizard of Oz allusion

In general, I think that if you are not particularly interested in Oscar... there is really nothing to do :''')

In my opinion, Oscar is one of the best written characters in how his story is well integrated in the main plot and rather thightly written. His development is perfectly interwoven with the events and it does not feel that the narrative has to take away time to focus on him. On the other hand this might be why you feel you can't pintpoint him so well. He grows a lot, but his development happens so naturally you might arrive at the end of it and ask: "Wait, what happened?"

Anyway, about the things you say interest you the most:

I am confused about what you mean by background art. Do you mean Oscar's room art? In any case, I don't think Oscar's background is so important tbh. His story really starts when Oz appears and its focus is his relationship with the Wizard and how it influences his sense of self - identity :)

You are right about a climax still needing to happen for Oscar's arc. I think he and Ruby are among the characters who will take a rather large portion of the final section of the story

In general, Oscar's foiling with Ruby is a good way to look at his character. I am gonna give you a rather schematic and synthetic overview.

Parents and Children

The crux of Ruby and Oscar's arcs is the relationship with a parental figure, that they decline in opposite ways:

Ruby's story starts with Summer's sudden disappearence

Oscar's story starts with Ozpin's sudden appearence

This is why Ruby sets off on a journey to follow into Summer's footsteps, while Oscar sets off on a journey to find out who he really is. They both meet Oz and go to a Huntsman Academy (Beacon-Choice for Ruby and Haven-Knowledge for Oscar). Still, they do so driven by different motivations.

Ruby wants to save the world (the macrochosm), while Oscar wants to become his own person (the microchosm). This difference is well conveyed through Ruby and Oscar's major ongoing motif: outside/inside.

Ruby is focused on the outside, so that she can avoid looking inside.

Oscar is focused on the inside, so that he has trouble dealing with the outside.

Leader and Teammate

Mistral is the arc where Ruby fully becomes the leader, while Oscar fully integrates with the main group. This happens especially after Oz's disappearence in volume 6. Then is when Ruby and Oscar have to step up in different ways:

Ruby has to shoulder the group (team-leader)

Oscar has to shoulder who he is (team-member)

Once again Ruby has to take care of the macrochosm. She needs to make sure others are okay and to bear everyone's fears and doubts. Oscar instead has to deal with the microchosm. He needs to face crippling self-doubt and to decide who he wants to be on his own.

This struggle is solved in the fight against Cordovin. There:

Oscar comes up with the idea to destroy Cordovin's missile launcher by observing from outside:

Oscar: Right, but her missile launcher doesn’t lock in, it pops out! Without her shields, one well-placed shot could detonate the missiles while they’re still in the launcher!

Ruby executes the plan and defeats Cordovin by acting from inside:

Jaune: The missile launcher springs out… but the raw dust gets locked in!

Ruby still gets an active role and Oscar is still passive, but they are still progressing. Finally, they succeed at becoming a leader and a member of the group, respectively:

Ren: You (Ruby) petrified a Leviathan... after diving down the barrel of a cannon!

Ruby: I mean, Oscar made a successful crash landing! He's a fourteen-year-old farm hand!

This new-found identities are tested in Atlas, where Ruby and Oscar meet a strong foil: Ironwood.

A New Approach

Ruby and Oscar both foil Ironwood, in opposite ways:

Ruby foils Ironwood when it comes to leadership

Oscar foils Ironwood when it comes to self-identity

As a matter of fact Ironwood is struggling to cope with Ozpin's disappearence, just like the 2 kids are doing. Ruby and Oscar just happen to comment different parts of his arc:

Ruby like Ironwood has to step into a role of leadership and wants to find a new approach. This is why she is intrigued by the Amity project. She also has to struggle with trusting others.

Oscar like Ironwood has to grow into his own person without Ozpin's guidance. This is why they are shown training together and growing closer. The way Ironwood treats Oscar is symbolic of the progress of his personal journey. It is not by chance Ironwood grows when he listens to Oscar (not Oz). They are both trying to become the best versions of themselves.

And yet, Ironwood falls and symbolically he does so by giving up on the Amity Project and by shooting Oscar. Still, Ruby and Oscar push forward.

Ruby is the one who ends up using Amity to tell the world the truth. Oscar instead doesn't give up on trust or who he is because of a failure. He keeps on trusting himself and others, even enemies. In this way, he succeeds at guiding Ozpin, whereas Ironwood never could.

Once again, you see Ruby taking care of the macrochosm, while Oscar takes care of the microchosm. Ruby warns the world, while Oscar warns Salem's inner circle.

At the same time, Ruby and Oscar also make progress with the crux of their arcs:

What are you?

The Girl Who Fell Through The World

Oscar: I thought the idea of falling through Remnant into a new world was exciting. I never understood why she was so sad when she finally made it back home. But now it makes more sense.

Ozpin: She wasn’t the same girl anymore.

Oscar is the one who introduces Alyx's story to the audience and he is the first character to relate to her. Oscar himself is like Alyx, after all. He left home and is changed by his journey. This makes so he is now not the same person as to when he left home.

Ruby goes through the same realization in volume 9, when she ends up specifically in the Ever After, the set of Alyx's story. She too is not the same happy child who left home to save Remnant. And she has to face this truth.

Once again, Ruby and Oscar are opposite and yet the same. They have similar fears and doubts, but face it differently:

Ruby is focused on the world and refuses to look inside, so she is forced by the narrative to make a deep dive into her own self. She falls in a world designed to challenge and eventually heal her.

Oscar is focused on the self and is definately one of the most introspective characters. I mean, he is literally the only one we hear the thoughts of thanks to his conversations with Ozpin. So, he doesn't need more introspection, but rather to act and to face challenges outside himself. This si why he doesn't fall, but is asked by the narrative to keep going even without Ruby to guide him.

In short, Ruby and Oscar have parallel arcs, but our Little Red is forced to go inside, while our Little Ozma has to wait outside.

Still, they are both asked to define who they are. This happens with some clear parallel scenes:

For example, Jaune lashes out on them, which sets them both off, but in the end their crisis has a positive resolution, since they both grow more into the people they need to be:

At the same time, they both fall:

But this fall ends with them successfully grabbing their weapons.

Grab your weapon! Get a hold of yourself!

Both Ruby and Oscar reach out to their weapons in parallel scenes. This happens because they are both getting a hold of themselves. Sure, their growth and journey is still not complete, but they are not lost. They are still themselves, despite all the changes. They are not the same children they were in the beginning, but they are still Ruby and Oscar. They are still Someones.

So, Ruby realizes she doesn't have to be Summer, but can be herself. Oscar instead realizes (well not really, but he is getting there) that he is still himself despite the merge with Ozpin.

About this it is interesting to notice how Ruby's wish is really Oscar's fear:

Ruby wants to become Summer

Oscar doesn't want to become Ozpin

The end result for both will be to realize they are their own people. Sure, they may grow similar to Summer and Ozpin and be influenced by them. Still, they are different people with ultimately different stories and destinies.

This is more or less where we are with Ruby and Oscar's story :)

Thank you for the wait and have a nice day!

#rwby #oscar pine #ruby rose #asksfullofsugar #anonymous

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thrandilf · 2 days

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while i fully agree with the thesis of your gay best friend mei post (she is often pushed aside in fanworks and her friendship with red son is undersold) but i think you might have gone too far in the opposite direction regarding mk and red sons dynamic?

obviously they dont have as much plot-relevant screentime as mei and red but mk is still important to red son. even disregarding their s1 nemesis dynamic, red son still regularly brings up mk in his conversations with mei during the s3 special, announces his entrance to mk in the mech, and asks about him on meis stream in 401, all of these feel like intentional writing choices to imply he cares about mk (and mei, but thats more implicit with him saying her name and such) more than he lets on

that is to say, i dont think shipping mk and red means someone doesnt value mei and reds dynamic or think its unimportant, just like shipping red and mei doesnt mean disregarding mei and mks bond

i hope this doesnt seem like im trying to pick a fight or anything, i just wanted to put in my 2 cents :v (also tumblr is being shit so sorry if this sent twice)

MK and Red Son are definitely friends, not denying that, but the show doesn't have an interest in developing their specific relationship further past like... halfway through Revenge of the Spider Queen. MK says they should trust him, and from there on out the two banter or work together sometimes, but nothing between them really gets going or more intense

Because after that the majority of the time is spent developing Mei and Red Son's dynamic (which was already starting in S1, 1x08 in particular I'd argue, but it was still minor then).

Her and Red Son constantly get paired up onscreen together in RotSQ, both on the main quest and then in like... every shot possible. The piggyback ride thing is actually a romance trope as well, btw. 3x06 involves everyone, but it's Mei who Red Son touches and has the Samadhi Fire connection with, and even then it's Mei who interacts with Red Son before they leave and she leaves her plushie, and then -insert the special here-. MK comes up in their conversations, as Mei comes up in MK's conversations with Red Son, so that segment's even to me, but then the Samadhi Fire ending is kinda like. Man. That's unique to Mei and Red Son and it got build up. That's something intimate and between just them

Don't get me wrong, I don't think shipping Has to be about who a character values most, because my arospec ass doesn't think that there has to be a One person put above all else. But it often comes across that way in shipping. I guess a fic doesn't have to include people who aren't in the pairing, but it does feel like it skews Mei's importance to MK and Red Son.

TBH, entertaining my own idea of a Most important person, even liking Red Son and Mei together, I think think that MK is more important to Mei than Red Son is, if she had to choose. Frankly I also think both of the boys would pick Mei before each other if they were in a situation where they had to choose, MK as Mei's best friend and Red Son, to me, having Mei as his anchor to the group considering how S3 went. They all matter to each other, but in different ways.

So sure, I don't think shipping automatically means that a dynamic is skewed to exclude or devalue a character, but it sure comes across that way when paired with seemingly ignoring all Red Son and Mei do get together, as well as how often I see people trying to give the Samadhi Fire to anyone but Mei. This is also a fandom where it seems like Lady Bone Demon's nameless male sidekick gets the same amount of content she does, which makes me scratch my head

Like, if Drag-onfruit was m/m, would Red Son and Mei be the rarer pair? Would ppl keep trying to give the fire to anyone else? For me it does read as fandom sexism with a gay hat slapped on. At the very least it's MK/main character bias, even though Mei is the female lead

No one Has to ship anything to be clear, Drag-onfruit isn't canon, but maybe it's because I watched the series all in one go that hitting the end of S3 and imagining going, "Who do I think Red Son is most likely in love with/has the most compelling relationship with? -insert anyone but Mei-" baffles me

I certainly prefer Drag-onfruit where MK is deeply important to both of them, even as a sort of platonic third (1x05 shot down MK and Mei or chimera faster and harder than any other ship known to man for me lmao) and to be fair I rarely engage with Red Son and MK shipping because it isn't my thing for multiple reasons, so maybe there is a lot of stuff out there where she's really given the love and place in their lives that she canonly has and I just don't know it, but the Mei treatment that I see in fandom does seem to be a side effect of said fanon favorite ship which is how I landed on the original post I made about her getting shoved aside to be the sassy bff who's conveniently fanonly a lesbian (for reasons I don't get) so people don't have to consider that she could have a relationship MK doesn't get to have

Maybe I'm a pessimist but this is how I've perceived it. TLDR they're a delightful trio regardless

Thank you for being polite btw, I know this got long winded but I appreciate being able to discuss!

#not tagging with ships bc i dont wanna get in the tags but if it does get in searches im sorry #ask

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averyfineboi · 8 months

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Ok as i said i finished The Owl house and i loved it a lot so heres some random thoughts and opinions on the show i wanna share (spoilers)

-I love it

-i love what they did with Mattholomule in season 3 he's so good <3 they gave this guy an actual kinda character arc even though hes only relevant in like 3 episodes (also his name is actually Matt Tholomule which is so funny)

-ed and em are the best :3 i'm very bummed out they were barely in s3... they're a bunch of goofballs but can also be so thoughtful and sincere, especially to amity. one of my fav scenes ofcourse is in s2e5 when amity gives luz that adorable lil kiss (love them) and for some reason ed saying "bold move, sister" is just the cherry on top <3

-Lumity omg omg everything about them they're so cute <3 <3

-While i'm on the topic of the Blights uhh. Alador. I love that guy he's such a great guy i love him

-all of these so far are just me saying "i love them" but thats how it is so i dont care and i will keep going

-i love the Lulu-Hootsifer duo its so weird but they go so well together <3

-i like how Eberwolf, head of the beastkeeping coven, is just. a lil beastie guy. it's like "yeah this is our leading zoologist and veterinary expert, uhh he's a wolf or something idk"

-Darius is so good, love his dynamics with both Hunter and Eber

-Hunter <3

-Gus and Willow are soo great together <3 we don't see it that often but their friendship is so genuine and they're so supportive of eachother

-and yeah i love both of them so much, who woulda guessed

-speaking of gus s2e18 Labyrinth Runners omggg i love this episode its one of my faves <3 not only the backstories and the character developments are great, the illusions are soo damn cool i really want more of that (also Adrian Graye <3)

-why the heck is s2e8 so important to everyone's story but the episode is about and named after fucken hooty of all people?? i love this episode but why??

-do NOT get me started on s2e12: Elsewhere and Elsewhen i have a very complicated relationship with it

-Hunter had to come up with an alias when meeting Willow and Gus and on the spot he thought of Caleb?? Like, the guy he's like a clone of?? Which he didn't conciously know??? Like that's really fun and clever and i loved it when i realised that but it's just almost rude how they did that tbh (so cool tho)

-Raine Whispers <3 <3 <3 they're so cool and i love them and Eda and i love them in the finale and the bard magic is so cool omg

I should really sleep now but i'm most definitely gonna come up with many more things to say so get ready i guess

(i love toh)

#the owl house #toh #owl house #the owl house spoilers #toh spoilers #owl house spoilers #the owl house spoiler #toh spoiler #owl house spoiler #toh hunter #toh gus #toh willow #toh amity #lumity #toh lumity #raine whispers #dont feel like adding any more tags so byee

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suspicious-of-simple-answers · 10 months

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I know that Barbenheimer was mostly a meme but I did actually go watch Barbie and Oppenheimer on the same day and... They kind of actually complemented each other really well. I'll elaborate on that, but major spoiler warning: stop reading right now if you don't want spoilers for either movie.

Oppenheimer, by itself, was about the atomic bomb and the man who led its development. But in the context of Barbie, Oppenheimer was about what a world ruled by men has done. And, just like in Barbie, the fragile male ego was a big motivator of evil in Oppenheimer. I know that it's a bit silly to compare Barbie to a very serious movie based on an actual historical tragedy, but these are just my thoughts after watching them.

In Oppenheimer, the movie spent a lot of time on the development of the atomic bomb, of course, but also a fair bit of it focused on Oppenheimer's life. In the last 45 minutes of the movie we slowly found out how Lewis Strauss tried to destroy Oppenheimer's life and reputation. And that wasn't because of his involvement with the bomb: no, it was because Oppenheimer had been mean to him. Strauss had all these other reasons he claimed, stuff about communists and whatever, but really the reason was that Oppenheimer had humiliated Strauss.

And in Barbie, Ken turned Barbieland into a patriarchal nightmare world because Barbie had been mean to him. He had all these other reasons too, like finding horses cool, but the real reason was that Barbie had always taken him for grantedand always left him out. It's different from humiliation, but still. Idk, I see a parallel.

Barbie made fun of the meeting room full of men in suits talking about empowering girls (by selling more Barbies). In Oppenheimer, we saw meeting rooms full of men in suits deciding what city gets obliterated, making plans on whether to make bigger bombs or try to work on diplomacy, and so on. The depiction of what happened in Barbieland when the Kens took over - a world where a bit of jealousy, tiny bruises to men's egos, can start a war - wasn't so far off from reality. In reality we have big important men in charge making big important decisions about who lives and who dies - and sometimes the real reasoning is as superficial as "I had my honeymoon there."

Oh and about the women in Oppenheimer: I can only recall five. There was a communist seductress, an alcoholic wife, a friend's wife, a secretary and a female scientist (and some unnamed students but I won't count them, they were barely characters). The one feminist quip the scientist lady made does not make up for the fact that frankly, the women had zero agency. One got killed, one just turned a radio on once, one was just someone to cheat with, and one was passionate and made some great points in a crossexamination (but then that amounted to nothing). This, sadly, is historically pretty accurate, so I won't blame the movie for this. Tbh I'm happy about any little bit of presentation women in science get, and I liked the little quip from the chemist. But still, not a lot of women in this movie.

So, to anyone who might want to complain about the representation of men in Barbie (a movie that is just as much about a woman as Oppenheimer is about a man), I'd like to point out that Barbie had far more (and more complex) male characters than Oppenheimer had women. There were Ken, the other Kens, Allan, the Mattel CEO, Aaron Dinkins, Sasha's dad... and the men in Barbie actually got to do things and affect the course of the movie. In Oppenheimer, just like most movies, women were just a fun accessory with zero real impact.

That's my two cents. Overall both movies were good, very much recommended. But don't go into Oppenheimer expecting much more than a biography. (And if you watch both, watch Oppenheimer first or you'll just ruin the good mood gained from Barbie).

#barbie #barbie spoilers #oppenheimer #oppenheimer spoilers #barbenheimer #oppenbarbie #feminism #equality #movies #movie analysis #women in movies #women in film

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fictionalmenmistress · 8 months

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A VERY IMPORTANT ANALYSIS, FINALE META, AND AT THE END, FUTURE SEASON TAKE; HANNIBAL (important to read to the end)...

I just finished Wrath Of The Lamb, for the very first time, after binging the series over the course off and on from like, spring to now... the last day of summer, of 2023. Tomorrow, in this timeline, it will be the very first day of the season of Autumn. I say binge, because I would hyperfixate and binge it in three segments. Season one moved a tad slow for me, as I was developing my interest, being courted and romanced by the format and unique design flavor of the show, and meeting the characters (I didn't really care much for Garrett Jacob Hobbs tbh, so that took a bit for me to want to get through), and I wanted to see more of Hannibal most of all (whom I loved and knew previously, through the movies), so I ended up taking a lil break about halfway(?) through the first season. But ohhh... like all of us, it consumed me whole, and I came willingly. Then after some months(?) (Like Will, I lost time a lot during my consumation of HANNIBAL, so I lost time. I'm not sure... its all a blurr how it came about, then to now), I came back, and got to season 2, and then I didn't stop. After season 2, I took a small break to try and pace myself... draw it out a bit more. Relish in the sweet savor, before everything was gonna heat up again. I went on an adventure across the world for a month, so, my binging was also stiffled during season 2, then. And then I went hard, again. Hannibal hannibal, I am a cannibal...

I lingered there... in the moment mid-season, before the three years later. Before the Red Dragon. When Hannibal and Will were on Verger Estate, and the last they had of one another... before Will moved on. I relished in that taste, of THEM. Out and about. Then I went back in, about a few days later. Every episode had ads throughout, long ads (thanks, hulu), so often I didn't sleep all night to watch just two or three episodes, then sleep during the day.

And I finally, made it here. The Finale, ended.

I do feel that the end was... sudden. A simple way to lay out the complexity of it. Quick, feeling. It was beautiful, but unfortunately thanks to the internet, reading show analysis as I went that would mention ending spoilers too, and being on twitter and tumblr... coming avidly to the party with cake, ready to dance, ten years late... I have seen and knew plenty well, what was to come. I recieved the impression that "will and hannibal die at the end" and "will got married" and "alana changes her look drastically, and is a lesbian" (but she's actually probs bi?) and of course, seen over and over, gifs handed right to me... of the cliff fall. Them holding one another close, covered in blood. Then... drop.

But here's the thing. The direction is clear, they didn't die. And its just as tragically poetic, in both ways. Now, if its going to forever be left here, its just fine to leave it open to your own opinion, but I do see the intent here. Bedelia's acting was rather framed odd, through, as she was confirmed to have *NOT* cooked her leg, and it was Hannibal, and there are THREE place settings, because I did at first get this weird impression from how quick it all flowed and how it was framed, that she was eagerly cracked (mentally, by hannibal, and given in to her fate) and waiting... which would be very likely for this show and an interesting route to take. But, I digress gladly, as I am very happy this WAS intended to be confirmation that Hannibal and Will made it... and though they were not in the picture, they were running that show, even in the end.

That dive... was symbolic. Like everything about them, it was multi-dimensional. Will, holding on to his last bit of justice and avengement and revenge (for his family, for Abigail again, for Hannibal drilling into him, just... everything), taking the last of Hannibal. In multiple ways. It was his... reconciliation. His final move, his forgiveness and peace, all in one. Then there's the "can't live WITH him... can't live WITHOUT him" dilemna line, this moment showing both the confliction and resolve of that for Will AND Hannibal... and also Will's conflict and impulsive resolutement to solve that tug and pull he will forever live with... just as Hannibal's impulse to free himself of it, was absurdly actually allowing himself to reach a point of desparation when he felt the need to eat will, as the final and only way to be free from his pull and hold on him.

Hannibal's love for him, all consuming. Will's obsession for Hannibal, all drowning. Will was later than hannibal, to realize, and allow himself to realize and admit, that its love for him, too. Hannibal surrendered to Will fully and accepted and stepped into being fully consumed by falling in love willingly, when he realized, "Will I'll wait for you. I surrender. At last, I allow someone else to control me, wholly, and fully I relinquish all of my control to you. Forever, its yours." Will still was confliced and feeling both love and confusion and complete decided resolve, and fighting that dilemna of truth he knows, but is not willing to face or embrace all the way(?), and facing/embracing his becoming, the whole time.

The fall, for Will also, was him fully surrendering himself as well, to Hannibal. He both took the plunge, to sacrefice them tragically, sacrefice their love FOR them, on an altar of their own design, ("this is my design"), for the greater good of all. For the greater good of them, too. And let destiny intertwined with fate, decide what came after... if they live or die from it all. Sacrefice HIMSELF, and put BOTH of them down. But also... more poetically, its when he fully embraced and also surrendered himself to fully leaning into accepting his becoming. He was one with Hannibal. He knew he loved Hannibal at this point, and he finally not just accepted it, but leaned into it... just as Hannibal did by surrendering all of himself, *for* Will, *TO* Will.

And it was so tragic, Will also knew that they must do this. Together. Just like back in the house... at the finale of season 2. Kill together, was Hannibal's plan with him. They must, again, die together. END, together. Their beginning, their End, them. Their becoming. Immortally... tragic death. Together at last, fulfilled.

I can almost envision their smiles, as they held onto one another... finally complete, as they fell. They knew what was coming, but they knew what they were. Every question for one another, and for themselves internally, together answered. All at once, laid to rest. Finally surrendered and fully open to one another. United, soul-tangled. That was everything, for them. Even as they fell, they were willing. Surrendered. In a state of total serene vulnerability, after the intimacy and climax of fighting and killing, vanquishing the beastly dragon, together. (Yes, that was a symbolic innuendo). They were happy. It was now, both Hannibal's becoming for them, and Will's becoming for them... unified as one...

If they survived, then, (which they did, its confirmed) its clear then, what waited for Will on the other side. He is fully Actualized. They both are, together. For both of them, its... new life. Born again, poetically... for they are one, together. They survived and thus have been given their new lives, surrendered to one another, happy, free. Everyone thinks they are dead. Everyone thinks they are gone. Their families mourned and release them, laid them to rest, with their fate. And they are... they've run off. The transformation, has completed itself. And there will be no more attempted killing one another... its... complete. The courtship, the contrasting and fighting back against togetherness, the tension, and reconing of figuring out their dynamic, and what it means to THEM, as individuals and a duo... and what it will be, after all. They are now in the next moment, together.

Which brings us... to Hannibal keeping his date with Bedelia. Post credits. He always keeps his promises... even death cannot deny Dr. Lecter being a man of his word. For he is neither of heaven nor hell's forces, and will not be denied. After all, its Hannibal's world, and we are all just living in it. That's why the show is called "HANNIBAL". And Will and him shall feast, and survive, together. All is right in the world, and everyone simply knows what they need to know. They finally go off together. And all is finally even... forgiven. All jabs taken, all shots, all stabs and slashes... its all even, all complete in its phase, now. ("Even, Steven.") Will and Hannibal, are one. One couple, a united team. A marriage. And they have both, surrendered to it, and chosen to embrace it fully, with open arms. They *are* Actualized.

This keeps going through my head... "see you on the other side." That expression. They needed to plunge, that was Will's final step. Now, everything is... evolved. Completed. What lies on the other side, is a new chapter in their stories. The past, their lives before, laid to rest. The future, now theirs only, to write. They've stopped running, from one another. And are now ironically more free and themselves and fulfilled, on the run, than they ever were before. They's stopped fighting destiny, and embraced it.

Its quite beautiful and poetic... as it always has been.

Now... The Silence Of The Lambs. I have faith that somehow, in some way in the future, we WILL see season 4. And they will succeed in its creation, and maybe even season 5 or 6, EAGERLY, once it gets back in motion. I do strongly believe that. Somehow in some way, it will happen. It feels... right. And with everyone still so driven, its only a matter of time, now. Its something time cannot outrun. Its a canon event in our timeline, I would bet a fortune on it. Someone will pop up and be the final key deal to setting the prepped lumber to burn, ablaze. And it will go like wildfire and everyone is going to be ecstatic. The show will have been revived. Have new life... and so will Hannibal and Will. Everyone will.

But I've seen a lot of takes, where people are afraid of Clarice coming in; when she can, and when she definitely will. This has all led to this, too, just as everything before it continued to build to every moment and landmark in their stories, ALL of the character's stories, thus far.

Its been ten years and I've never seen this take, so here's mine.

We have nothing to fear. Will and Hannibal are not just *ONE* and avoiding it or scared to face it, they ARE an item. They are at last, complete. That is FIXED in the story from this point on... its all led to this. Just as they are fixated, now, their stories together are a fixed point, too. Now I say, the show made us fall madly in love with Will Graham. And Will Graham, with Hannibal Lecter. Would the excellence of the show, not also make us fall in love with Clarice Starling? The only other, worthy of Hannibal Lecter in every iteration? And if Will is his beloved, as Hannibal is Will's, finally... I present a third, very excellent, very untapped but high potential dynamic. That could be juicy brilliant, compelling, conflicting. Hannibal and Will having their time together, just them, complete gay romance and marriage... just them. While Clarice develops as a character, parallel to them, on her own journey with them on theirs, just like Will was when HANNIBAL began. And they have their blissful murder husband honeymoon phase, they never had yet. Its poetic and beautiful... and on the side, we get to know Clarice... and where she fits into this post-fall (falling in love, falling for love, literally and tragically and physically), FBI situation. But I reckon, what if it comes to her pursuing them, and they pursue and play cat and mouse with her, too? The same push and pull tension, in the same brilliant way, and we get to see all of it happen with them together. And I present... what if she? Became *THEIR* obsession? Their destined third. The trifecta... the symbolic, holy trinity. We know Hannibal (character, book, and show) loves his biblical proportions symbolism and analogies. Murderous threesome soulmates... a polycule. Now that... can take this flaming titanic on a whole 'nother next level of WILD mad love. Brilliance.

Hannibal, Will, Clarice. It could have even been foreshadowed, all this time... that they were destined to have a third. Be a "family", complete together, with a younger female counterpart, of SOME kind. But she would not come in the form of a daughter... no, we've seen that. We've been given Abigail, and her time has passed. Micha, and she was laid to rest. They have healed from the loss and position of that dynamic in relation to them. No... she would be theirs, their third, in a new way. Different than Alana ever could be.

How bloody interesting.

If I was one of the writers for Hannibal, that personally would be the route I would pitch and lean to take, as both the shocking turn and sinker, that consumes us all. I think it could be so thrilling. So excellent, dynamic, new, yet iconically perfectly them, somehow. Its their next chapter. She is their next development. The final dynamic... peices, falling into place. The idea may be a love it or hate it for some, but if the show did take that route, I just know they would behold it to us in a way that would make all neigh sayers, and those hesitant of it, fall madly and utterly captivated. Just as it always has... in the disturbingly beautiful, all consuming influence, of HANNIBAL.

"I believe... that sentence, is what they would reffer to, as a 'Mic Drop'. But you've picked the Mic up again, Will."

Any direction we are shown next, will be excellent, and not one to fear. But one that will be beheld, and beloved, just as brilliant as all previous, in the end. Trust Fuller!! Mads and Hugh ♡ and everyone in love with laying out its creation perfectly and intricately.

It will be beautiful.

(Please do share any thoughts or ideas or responses in the comments or reblogs!! I would love to see what you think.♡)

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trash-can-sam · 8 months

Text

OKAY this is a long one but I dont see people talk about Grace and I deeply adore her shes my second favorite (almost tied with first (Qi) tbh) and deserves more love.

Heres the line that I pretty much based this on:

When I fist saw that line I was like oh thats interesting but then I learned about what she was and I was like OH MY GOD SHES TALKING ABOUT HERSELF. Because what are the chances she just happens to have a sister with a very similar job as her, and the wouldnt you get sick of a life like that implies she doesnt like her job even if she does actually have a sister.

(Also this line from her engagement letter)

NOW THINGS THAT I IMPLY THAT ARE NOT CERTAIN BUT ARE TRUE TO ME (you do not have to read this to understand anything I just want to talk about her):

She genuinely is interested in archeology. Her collecting various things for archeolgy could have just been her making herself seem more convincing, but she does genuinely seem very informed on the topic. AGAIN, could be her being more convincing, but I wouldnt doubt if she actually majored in it (or at least took a few classes) because it would make sense to play a character with something youre kind of knowlegable about, and she seems to know quite a bit about specific school practices and genuinely be opinionated on archeology's place in the world. Also, her likes indicate this is something shes genuinely interested in and passionate about. THE DIGGING HOLES IN THE GARDEN THING ALSO IS NOT MADE UP, and she says "Old habits die hard I guess", implying (at least to me) that she did it for similar reasons or maybe that she found something that inspired her to be interested in archeology.

She definetly seems to not really have faith in the system shes in, or at least doubt in it. Im not saying shes radical or anything (IF WE ARE GETTING SPECIFIC (Using current day terms) she seems reasonably moderate, pretty center left yk but I wouldnt be surprised if she believed in more socialist policies and shes clearly informed in whats going on, partially because of her job and also because I think being informed is important to her) and she still does work for the government, but she seems to not really be completely content with it. I dont really have any concrete proof for that besides this line which is really just how she thinks:

NOW she says she wasnt really involved in politics, which I think at the time shes saying this is true. I wouldnt be surprised if she was more involved when she was younger, but I think for the most part she has ideas. She really likes to think (also proved by this line, I think she thinks a lot of thoughts in a similar vein but for the most part doesnt share them because they dont really fit her brand) and I feel like that would translate more into thinking more of ideals than actual politics, especially since she feels like people who are noble and want to make a difference cannot under the current system.

I feel like there were more lines in quests and what not with her being more disillusioned but full disclosure this could entirely be an illlusion of the mind palace.

Since she also mentions specifically making a difference, I also decided to extrapolate that was strongly about her as well. Wanting to make a difference being attatched to her choosing the job is also something not said at all, but something I decided to connect because it makes sm sense to me

I THINK THATS ALL. But a lot of this is largely headcanon since we dont have that much info on her (Character development is still low, therefore I cry and sob and make things up completely BECAUSE ITS FUN.)

please think about her more so i dont have to make another 12 page kind of comic, mostly illustrated writing.

#mtas #my time at sandrock #mtas grace #my art #I have an absolutely incredible amount of thoughts on her #PLEASE have thoughts on her too #I BEG YOU #also this took SO LONG #literally on and off several months #I love how the second to last page turned out tho its my fave #not to pick favorites or anything #but I am #and grace is one of them #thank you for your time #im also tagging this #innane ramblings #because they are lets be real here #ernest is next on the chopping block.

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