Brownhat's Little Corner of the Internet.

A place for me to react, analyze and try to explain my own little views on media and the world as a whole. Hopefully, as a man in his late 20s with Asperger's Syndrome, he can find some middleground between madness and sanity. 

[brownhat614]

Steven Bomb 8.

*SPOILERS FOR STEVEN BOMB. WATCH BEFORE READING* I loved it. It had some great stories, I expected Lapis-who had legit reasons to leave due to her traumas-to stay, but she’ll come back in the clutch. And I like how things have gotten better in terms of the Gems feeling more and more human instead of distant. Though Garnet should have seen where this was going.  But then comes the big elephant in the room. I just don’t get Connie. I respect her feelings, I respect her choices and Lions, but I do not respect or acknowledge her anger at Steven.  I’m sorry. I cannot in good conscience look at this situation with open eyes that don’t support Steven-I am trying, I really am, but what I see is yet another couple who are angry for silly reasons, ultimately unwilling to talk for even stupider ones, and that a girl is mad at a boy without considering any of the factors associated.  Brass Tacks: The Battle against Aquamarine at the stage where they were was COMPLETELY UNTENABLE. Aquamarine had a supreme tactical and technological advantage over the Crystal Gems in every way that involved combat. Stevonnie would not have changed that outcome. Alexandrite couldn’t change that outcome, and she was on the field! That Stasis Wand put everything in her favor.  What is worse: Aquamarine was unwilling to be reasoned with..and even more importantly; She had already shown enough control and influence over Topaz that killing a human was well within their intent. A human has already died in this series-not by their actions, true, but by the escalation that has occurred.  Steven had one choice to save Beach City and its people. Give them a bigger target. “If you think we can’t, we’ll always find a way.” He did do that. 

I have great respect for Connie. She is no fool, and she’s incredibly sound as a thinker.  Is she right emotionally to feel betrayed? Sure, I won’t begrudge her that. I can’t begrudge emotions.  But I can begrudge emotions over cold logical situations. They could not prevent this situation from getting worse-they had no power against something with the ability to deadlock you with a flick of her wrist. The best move to make was what Steven did.  To stay mad at him for making the heroic call, and for the show to put her in the right for it bothers me. It bothers me because a) It’s like every other “I’m annoyed at you for thinking of others! I’m supposed to look after you/we look after each other!” situation I’ve ever seen between a relationship, only turned up. Seen it, please move on-I expected better from this, because it says that Steven was always going to be in the wrong for something that he could control, to the best of his ability. Should Steven have not been so balze about the fact that he’s home? Yes, sure-it was a bit cocksure considering what they’ve been through. However, he was always going to be wrong because he made a judgment call to save lives? That Connie is right to be angry when the situation could not be won? No, I refuse-if that had occurred the way you wanted, Connie, people would have been killed. I appreciate you holding yourself to those feelings, and I’ll defend to the death your right to have them, but not against such overwhelming evidence to the facts of your situation back there.   But that leads to b) Her stated problem is that he couldn’t keep a promise about fighting together...that due to the circumstances presented, he could not have kept. It was something he simply could not keep-it was impossible. Attempting to fight had no actual, actionable plans. You could not beat that kind of advantage in that moment with goodwill alone. Steven made a decision, the only decision, that he could have made to save all of their lives. 

End of rant. Apologies for those I might offend-I just don’t understand. I want to, but I see the situation that was engraved into the concrete, and there was no other way out.  And if she did go? She might have been the one who got turned into a vassal, instead of Lars. 

[brownhat614]

Election 2016.

I can’t deal with this. I am furious and sad and intensely aggressive as to the events that occurred. I cannot deal with this. I am so furious, I’m not even sure I can be optimistic as I wish to be anymore, and all I want to do is crush the virtual throat of something, but all my games are packed away at the moment.  I have so many people that this horrid piece of fetid, musky excerment that wears the title of President wants to hurt and I will not allow it. I said that last night, and I still feel it now.  I demand a recount. I demand action, and if I could commit to it, I would. 

To those who supported him: FUCK YOU. I hope you feel proud of yourselves: You allowed a sexist, rapist, bigot shithead who hurts disabled people into office. Good job. Believe me, I want to feel like you have a beating heart somewhere, I’m just not sure right now where it is. 

To those who didn’t: I feel your pain. I feel the anguish that’s pulling at my chest that is filled with salt and edginess like I’ve never felt before. If I wouldn’t feel like a complete tool doing so, I’d basically dress like Reaper. 

[squirrelbro]

There are three things to remember tonight

1) There are 70 days until Donald Trump’s Inauguration. 70 days left of Obama as our President. There’s time. You can breathe.

2) There are Checks and Balances in the way our Government is run specifically to prevent a Dictatorship. While Donald Trump will soon be given a lot of power, it may not be as much as you think. He can’t change anything he wants at the drop of a hat, and he definitely can’t overturn any legislation previously deemed Unconstitutional. This includes Same Sex Marriage and other things. 

Unless he can come up with a new, strong case against it (and the man can barely read, so, doubtful), that won’t stop being a thing. Many other things won’t stop being things the minute he sits in that chair. There’s time. You can breathe.

3) You are worth 100 of Donald Trump. He is a weak, pathetic little man who can only get what he wants by bullying or throwing money at it. Don’t let him take away the freedoms and rights that your predecessors fought tooth and nail for. You can still fight against him by voting in every upcoming local, state, or senate election you can over the next 4 years. By rallying and spreading the word and growing your own politics. 

Don’t give up because the Boogeyman is President. You still have a big, glorious life to live full of new and fantastic experiences and feelings ahead of you. It doesn’t end here. You’re stronger than him. You can outlast this.

[bluespock-blog]

[reverie-struck]

bluespock:

Wise words from a wise man

[brownhat614]

Initial Reaction: Mindful Education

*SPOILERS FOR RECENT STEVEN UNIVERSE AND CONCEPTS ABOUT CHARACTERS. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK.* Okay, I recently had a conversation about the nature of what Rose wanted for Steven: That being human meant a lot more than the sum of all the positive parts that Steven brings to the table: that taking in and recognizing the bad-and even the value of doing the wrong thing when you’re protecting and saving others and yourself is just as human.  Because this is the kind of hero I think Steven will become. Not a true pacifist: He wants to use that shield and his powers to protect the Earth, the people he loves, the freedom that the Crystal Gems strive for, and Beach City-not to mention the whole of the Earth. Not only because it’s literally a ticking time bomb that is the Cluster, but because he cares about humanity in much the same way that his mother did-perhaps even better than his mother, who could not empathize with the species in the same way. And of course he wishes to do so without violence. 

But that will not be possible. Homeworld is a rigid, set-in-its-ways society built on class structure and merit. Even with all the differences we’ve seen and experienced even from the Rubies, they believe in what their structure stands for despite its many flaws, and Steven cannot talk his way out of all of these. Which means he’s going to have to fight. Which means he may very well have to turn into someone who always looks for the diplomatic solution first, but who also should have no regrets if he has to stand against someone else to save everything he holds dear. For all that Steven Universe does to bea happy, good-natured show that brings out the best in what it means to be human, the worst-for the greater good, for a better world- is a part of the human experience.  The good and the bad, that’s what it means to be human. That’s what Rose wanted for Steven.  Which leads into what happened for both Connie and himself-and kudos to Garnet, seriously-and what it means to hold onto heartache and fear when something goes wrong. Connie made up for those mistakes, and that makes me happy.  Steven’s hang-ups are a much more complicated mess of issues that cannot be resolved so easily-addressing them in a good first step, but what happened in those specific scenes? Bismuth, Jasper, Eyeball...each of those were battles that Steven not only couldn’t convince the person of better intentions-no matter what he tried to do-as hard as he tried, which he did...but they were also necessary teaching tools: Battle is necessary. It was not your fault they wouldn’t listen-it was their fault that they felt all their options were limited. Because you want to stand with the Crystal Gems and Connie as a defender of this planet, this is a part of that responsibility. 

Does it mean you’ll have to get your hands dirty? Absolutely. Should you enjoy it? That’s a tougher question; because of the unique nature of how Gems are contained. I think Steven has much more thinking that he has to do about what it means to be a Crystal Gem...and if it comes down to protecting everything you care about from a threat like Homeworld....perhaps you shouldn’t have any regrets when it comes to making a hard call. Soften the blow as much as you can, but realize-and accept with some degree of pride-that your actions will allow Earth to continue to exist, and that instead of a giant head of your mother glaring down on you-when she has more than enough to possibly answer for-she’d be smiling instead.

[bittersweetbumblebee]

I put on boxing gloves to vent some steam and imMEDIATELY thought of my main girl Allura

[darkslover]

It looks like King Alfor either lied to or hid a lot of viltal information from Allura. 

Allura mistakingly believes that the Black Bayard is lost with its Paladin.

We know that Zarkon is that Paladin and he does have the Black Bayard. 

We know that King Alfor wanted to hide Voltron from Zarkon and hid things from his daughter.

Ergo:

King Alfor knew that Zarkon was the Black Paladin. And when Zarkon came to take Voltron, Alfor understood that Zarkon, as the head of Voltron, would succeed. He would only need to make the Black Lion obey his commands once it was in close proximity and the rest of the Lions would follow, as we have already seen here:

Zarkon floats above Voltron and tears apart Voltron into the Lions.

He overrides the controls of the Black Lion and makes it his, even though Shiro is still inside.

The Black Lion even goes in full power when Zarkon takes it over.

The most important part: it ejects Shiro.

This whole situation makes three things very clear:

This could have happened 10,000 years ago, when Zarkon first attacked Altea and Alfor knew it. That’s why he hid Voltron instead of going out and attacking Zarkon; he would have given Zarkon Voltron 10,000 years ago and then the Galra Empire would have been truly unstoppable.

That’s why King Alfor made the Black Lion available only if all the rest were present and scattered them throughout the galaxy: he tried to tear the bond between the Black Lion and Zarkon.  And the most important of all:

Shiro is not the Black Paladin. 

This last one may be hard to swallow, but it’s true. When the two men had a battle of wills about the Black Lion, Shiro got [r]ejected by it. And as we know, the Lion chooses the Paladin and not the other way around. We also know that the relationship between the Lion and the Paladin is “a mystical bond and cannot be forced. The quintessence of the pilot is mirrored in his Lion” (Allura, ep.1).

In other words, Shiro worked only as a contemporary replacement for the Black Lion. When shove comes to push, the Lion responds to Zarkon. 

This was also hinted in episode 9:

“You’ll never beat Zarkon.”

…for the Black Lion. 

Add to all this Shiro’s fear that he’s part of the Galra Empire already and that he’s a “broken soldier” and we have a nightmarish scenario for Shiro: not only he’s not the official Paladin of the Black Lion, but he’s been able to connect with it just because he’s part of the Empire that Zarkon created. 

Or, at least, that’s how Zarkon can present it and throw Shiro into despair. 

However this rabbit hole goes even deeper:

King Alfor knew all of this. 

How?

How could he know that Zarkon would do all of this? His actions in hiding the other Lions and making the Black one available only when the rest of them were present worked as a counter to this particular bond Zarkon has with the Black Lion: that of a Paladin. 

King Alfor tried to severe the bond between Lion and Paladin. 

How could he know the extend of Zarkon’s abilities?

There is only one simple answer:

He was a Voltron Paladin as well. 

Which one?

The Blue Paladin.

OK, obviously, everything in this show is colour-coordinated. King Alfor wearing all this blue kinda seals the deal. 

However, there is also something else. 

This post by @arcticfoxbear is a good guess about the quintessence of the Blue Lion, the only Lion whose quintessence we know nothing about yet (and trust me, it is on purpose).

Trust.

Alfor trusted Zarkon. He trusted him to the bitter end. 

It’s no question that since Zarkon was the Black Paladin, he fought on the good side once upon a time. He fought for freedom, for the good of the people and for justice. His change into a power-hungry monster who sees weakness as a sickness that must be ripped apart from the root couldn’t have happened in one day. Zarkon must have spend years having these thoughts. 

And as we know, the Paladins are of one mind, without any secrets. 

“The original Paladins fought hundreds of battles together, side by side. They were like a pack of [insert alien animal speces here] linked by the ears.” (Coran, ep. 2)

Actually, the whole of episode 2 tells us that the Paladins are of one mind, that they put each other’s safety above their own, that there is unquestionable trust amongst them. 

So, there’s little doubt that Zarkon’s ideas about power must have been known to the other Paladins early. How come they didn’t do anything to stop him before the situation reached.. well…

…at this point?

The answer: Alfor trusted that Zarkon, his brother in arms would pull through. That he wouldn’t become a tyrant and a monster. That things would become better again. Alfor had trust and most importantly, faith.

(BTW, faith is what I believe that the quintessence of the Blue Lion is.)

Lance has faith in all of his friends (yes, even Keith) and that is his characteristic. His childish ramblings about parades and kicking Zarkon’s butt easily come from this. 

Also, here’s a nifty parallel:

Allura falls asleep in the arms of her father, the original Blue Paladin, calling “Father…”…

…and wakes up yelling “Father!” and falling again…

…in the arms of a boy who is the new Blue Paladin.

Subtle, but well-crafted.

And let’s be honest here: Voltron: Legendary Defender is a reboot of a shounen anime and anyone who has watched even one shounen series knows that the power that makes the protagonists pull through anything is faith. Despite all weaponry and training, above technology, magic or experience, what makes shounen heroes win is faith to oneself and… 

…you guessed it!

Faith to one’s friends. I believe in my nakama, bitch!

This elemental power is still missing from the quintessence of the Lions and since the Blue Lion’s is still unknown, it is safe to assume that Lance is the one whose characteristic is the faith to each other.

And let’s not forget: faith is the best weapon these kids will have in the climactic battle. 

Lance is bound to become the glue that brings them all together and makes them beat Zarkon, from this perspective.

Plus, it’d be a good way to undo the damage King Alfor did by putting his own trust in the wrong person (Zarkon) and letting things reach a point where Zarkon was capable of defeating the fleet of an entire planet. 

And to return in the beginning of this post: Lance’s faith will be what brings Shiro back, what helps him pull through. The previous Blue Paladin let the Black one fall into the darkness, the new one will save him.

I know that Shiro and Keith seem to be closer now, but Keith’s immaturity and overestimation of his abilities (he tried to take on Zarkon on his own!!!), plus his short temper make him unsuitable to be the rock when everything falls apart. 

In Lance we trust…

…and I have zero complaints about it.

[voltronheadcanons-archive]

OMYGOSH THIS POST IS GOLD. HEADCANON SIGNED, SEALED AND DELIVERED.

[brownhat614]

I love this post, and I want it so hard to be true. 

I’m sorry-I want to see this, I really do. If only because, when pilots eventually change and shift positions, that I would really like Allura to embody trust as an element when she becomes a Paladin.

And sure, Lance certainly has made himself a part of the loyalty of this team-I do not disagree there.

I disagree with this skeevy, glory-hungry weirdo who has too much interest in Allura (my favorite character by wide stretches, both original and now), and no sense of restraint when it comes to the people around him will help Shiro get through all this. I believe he will help, in his very funny, very touching way, but I don’t think he will be solely responsible. Why? Because if he could do that, be the backbone of the team much like Allura serves for all six of them, he would have been a far better leader and consoler before this point, when he doesn’t have the greatest sense of people (his reaction to Pidge’s gender being one, learning to curb it with every fairer sex he meets after getting the Blue Lion stolen for another), and most importantly, He’s about as emotionally engaging as Coran is-lots of neat moments, but usually given as a way to garner a good laugh.  There are certainly elements to this development-having a large family, missing what it means to be human, and the connection of Earth and other humans, and his longing for it, leading into that. But in order for this to happen, I feel like Lance has to experience most lasting, severe consequences that can mold him into this. Ones where his screwball, well-meaning but overblown attraction antics do not pay off and in fact cause significant harm to the team instead of this being another Tuesday for the “Bad Luck Lion”.

[brownhat614]

Watched the full current run of Miraculous Ladybug...

26 episodes behind, and now I’m fully into it, much more than I was before. Animation’s great, like the english dubs and the subs for different reasons, and I feel that Adrian/Cat Noir will continue to impress, or even have his own time in the spotlight, much like he did in the Origin. Now, only two things come to mind.

*SPOILERS FOR MIRACULOUS LADYBUG AHEAD YOU WERE WARNED DON’T MAKE ME DEEVILLIZE YOU.*

1) We’ve seen the chest the old man has, and his own Kwami. To what end will he, and those other charms, play a role against Papillon and those to come...

2) If Papillon is indeed acting against the natural order of things via using his powers for selfish reasons, will that a) have direct consequences in terms of influencing the balance of the balance of the world, and b) what, as Noonoo said in the exposition, was the threat that these powers were meant for?

[ghydswfv-deactivated20180412]

Sweet release of death.

[senorita--ugli]

@thejunesky it’s our manifesto

[thejunesky]

Failing the fruition of our guiding credo, some alternative options: 

Powerball Win, Unlimited Percocet

Full Time, Elephant Sanctuary

Most Men Abruptly Vanish

No Body, Brain Jar

[ambienne]

Sanctuary for old dogs

[tyrannosaurus-trainwreck]

Narrated by David Attenborough.

[copperbadge]

Robert Downey Jr. exists. 

[moosegirl13579]

They made it home.

[stophelping]

ok but kittens tho

[brownhat614]

No endings only beginnings.

[monsterhandholder]

Voice by @paper-mario-wiki

This one is a little more intense and serious, so I tried to get dramatic (though I was a doofus and forgot to white out my light gray boarder, so ignore that).

Original audio

[brownhat614]

Love everything about this.

[brownhat614]

Too Far Reactions

*SPOILERS FOR RECENT STEVEN UNIVERSE* Okay, so the way I’m seeing this, a lot of this is Peridot’s fault and how she approaches things is so very different...but unlike the time that was spent with Steven when he had to learn things that were (only slightly) hurtful when Ronaldo felt he should give Steven advice in Full Disclosure, Peridot is not understanding why these things are wrong. Which is a big problem, and gives her a major disadvantage when it comes to how she’s trying to deal with the Gems-Steven, of course, is attempting to bridge that gap, but he isn’t entirely sure what to tell Peridot because he’s very much a child himself, or at least, that’s the way I tend to see it. So what she did to Amethyst was certainly her fault (though I do thank her a great deal for the world-building info she had given) and she made up for that, I do feel like Garnet’s response to her was overwhelmingly aggressive for Square Mom. All she had to do was say “No.” and I’m sure Peridot would have had to accept it like she’s had to accept a great deal since joining cause with the Gems. And in many ways, I think Peridot’s request wasn’t too far-she simply asked and gave a reasonable explanation as to why she wished it. The fact that Garnet felt the need to limit her aggressively after a simple request strikes me as very off. Or at least, that Steven would have had more to say about it.

[thebraceletgirlsdeservedbetter]

reblog this if you're an autistic Yu-Gi-Oh! fan

I want to see how many of us are on Tumblr.

[brownhat614]

Right here, and happy for it. Watching some Zexal now.

[sandysmoved]

Pearl took advantage of Garnet’s trust

Amethyst kept the truth secret until the last second instead of confronting them immediately and privately

Garnet pressured Amethyst into fusing when she was uncomfortable with it at the moment

All three gems fucked up tonight don’t put everything on one

[brownhat614]

I disagree in terms of severity, but not in terms of blame. All three are, but Pearl’s transgression went above and beyond. Pearl did far worse than the other two. She instigated a relationship and manipulated Garnet into fusing with her-which we’ve already proved is an inherent violation to what Garnet believes and stands for, and practically embodies-and did it for her own gain. She simply moved her undying appreciation for Rose, and tried to transplant it on someone else. She may have learned from Sworn to the Sword, but she just moved over all the entitled goalposts just a little bit further. I find that very hard to forgive. She needs a hardline injection of character development for this. Because I’m pretty sure this shouldn’t happen again.

[brownhat614]

Tanks for the Memories reaction

I’m gonna break down my reactions to this episode based on the characters I thought held the most impact in it, 

Rainbow Dash: to say that this didn’t effect me is unfair, but I was able to parse that Hibernation was not the same thing as death...that being said, I can see how the episode made it seem like it was. Clearly, Rainbow Dash does not have a strong concept of what hibernation is, and if she does, she doesn’t much care-keeping Tank with her is what mattered. How she has never shown this level of dedication for others is both worthy of respect and confusion in my eyes - This kind of love is real, but when put on her own friends, I’ve never seen that level of depth, whereas Fluttershy, Spike and Twliight have shown it. But that’s neither here nor there - she’s showing it now. That she went to such lengths is something I can fiercely appreciate, and that she was willing to cause committed natural damage to do so is a real testament, especially for a creature that she didn’t know how to handle. Fluttershy: Now, I want to support my favorite pony-Kindness and gentleness are incredible things towards family, friends and loved ones is great and should be a strength all it’s own, but I will say that I was a bit concerned by the way she handled that grief with RD. I remember the Breezies, and I understand that in some (I’d claim very rare) cases, Kindness needs to be delivered with sternness, but once Rainbow started crying her eyes out-or even before that, when she was still attempting to negotiate the situation about Tank, Fluttershy should have talked it over with her then. Sternness would not have been necessary if RD understood what was happening, and got all her fears out on the table for Fluttershy to dismantle in a gentle, compassionate manner that takes time, but time she’d gladly take for Rainbow Dash. That strikes me as a way to more effectively display the Element of Kindness through it’s embodiment.  Twilight (and Applejack): See, I appreciate that you were logical here. Hibernation is something that doesn’t parse well to you, and I accept that. One thing this episode did very well was to make each pony show their sadness differently-some were the same, Rarity’s being a bit more dramatic than the others, but that’s her nature, Fluttershy’s being the most strange, but ultimately fitting for who she is. Twilight did so through logic, which goes to show that it is a valid grieving mechanism-even though Tank wasn’t dying, and she knew that. Applejack too...though I will say: if we ever get to the thing that will make Applejack cry openly, I will take a bit more interest. Also, I appreciate the Game of Thrones reference for a much more serious episode about loss, since it makes sense. Twilight Sparkle for honorary Stark! Pinkie was funny, but ultimately went along with the grief in my mind, so I didn’t think much of it.  I thought it was a good episode. 

[brownhat614]

Joy Ride Reactions

SPOILERS FOR RECENT STEVEN UNIVERSE: Okay, so I have absolutely no problem with Steven having wanted to have fun or to play with the Escape Pod. I find the actions of these teenagers-all three of them, inexcusable. Ignoring the fact that they couldn’t hope to relate to Steven’s issues if they tried-I do appreciate their support, but it simply is an issue of depth-they managed to convince him from doing the right thing into having too much fun with the pod. If he had curbed it a little and then went back to it with the Gems, I would have had no problem with it, but that kind of caution to the wind-especially when Steven was concerned about what it could do, and how it could hurt them, and how he’d have to protect them like the hero he’s shaping up to be-only led to the problems that occurred and Squaremom nearly punching her son. That was on them, and I guess they made up for it, but I imagine that it never should have gotten there in the first place? There’s a need to have fun after stress, Jenny, but there’s a limit.

[brownhat614]

Galavant and Peggy Carter Pilot Reactions.

Okay, so I just watched these, so here we go. I did like them both. 

*SPOILERS AHEAD*

Galavant: Now, I was going into the fact that we were dealing with a bad hero from the get-go and that he never deserved the abilities and skills he had possessed, but I wasn't aware that he was so severely morale broken by the betrayal of Madelyn. There was no question he was good (and probably also had some Dashing Swordsman capabilities with all the singing) and I think if she hadn't dropped that bombshell and , the fight against the Kingsguard would have been much more even. But no, he fell farther than some City Watchmen I know. # For all I know, he may have been a real hero-and the kind who does care for and look after people. Can't be entirely sure, but I do know that if he had a LOT of D&D feats, the DM decided he'd have a little fun with the player. "Okay, I want some character growth from you now-you did all the fighting and the rescuing, and you're great-but let's shift things up. Your girlfriend leaves you, and you're hit really, really hard. All your feats have opposite, negative effects."

My guess is that the player would first rage a little...then decide to roll with it, after him and the DM have a chat.  

The squire seems really funny, and really charming. I want to see where that goes. The Princess of Velencia...also cute, but I'm wondering how exactly she'll choose not to betray him-and from what I saw slightly in the episode prior-how they'll give her some flaws to give her both apparent feminine traits with greater combative training than the main hero, unless he gets out of his funk. 

The King is so pathetically funny. He's my favorite character, and so is his peanut gallery.  Agent Carter: Great showing, and lovely to see. Peggy herself was a delight-strong, and somewhat humanized to smooth out potential aggressive-only foibles, and I hope they keep that up, as well as motherly towards the right people. 

Jarvis is my favorite character, and it would be a damn shame to marginalize his character to her rescuing him all the time. Please don't do that. He's snarky, he's a good man and a good husband, and I want more of it. And I do happen to like Stark...because much like Tony, you know he cares.

What I'm trying to understand: Is that guy who attacked her and killed her friend a near-Super Soldier? Far as I can tell, Peggy wouldn't have been able to beat Steve in a fair contest of combat, so I assume this guy is less powerful and less resilient than Steve, so she managed to use his force against him and win that way. In that case, the attacker lost due to either his lack of combat skill, or he was simply not as cunning. 

And hey, weapons mystery. Interesting and provocative.

Two things I'm confused about.

1) Peggy berating the disabled agent who came to her defense in the meeting. He came across as conventionally, and unconventionally progressive and supportive of her, and she just blows up a little at him because she could handle it herself? That wasn't the point, Peggy! The point was that you were an agent, and that you shouldn't be treated that way-no one should. Good on him...and I can't see what he did wrong, so I can't side with her on this one. 

2) Nearly stabbing the atery of the fatman at the end. While immensely satisfying and more than a little funny after the Red Flags (my own term for derogatory aggressive words and actions toward people of a certain strata) he committed, I'm wondering if this is going to be a trend every episode. Peggy, just beating down the flagrant sexism of the week. While engaging, I'm not so sure that one would want so much alienation without more chances for a) more progressive men like the Agent, and Jarvis. Or b) Women who are also bringing women down. 

That's my current take. Gonna watch some more. 

[bladekindeyewear]

*Really cool, analytical words*

[brownhat614]

Sorry in advance-I don't know how to make quotes directly to stuff on Tumblr yet. 

Oh, good, I see you linked back to The Ultimate Riddle. I just recently read that piece you did, and I liked it....but now, finally, there's a method to make lives and the agency of those who have died meaningful, or to give them meaning. Right now, Hussie is telling us: "Oh, I have a power now that can change all the elements of the story to give the players a chance to succeed against their enemies...oh, but hey "Subtle" shit is the way to go!" 

In PS near the end, he started to throw the book out the window-people came back through Death's door, rules changed consistently, and ultimately everyone in that story had a purpose. What I want-wholly from this series-is purpose and agency. When John and Roxy talked on their planet, being the testament to all their failures and remembering that it all happened, that bothered me the most. John has the means to fix things. 

When Murderstuck occurred-and having just read it over again out of schadenfreude-I tried to see purpose in all this. Your post about the Ultimate Riddle helped, but they still served to die and Aranea pretty much says they were worth something in their death. And now, John has a power that can change the narrative wholesale-assuming you realize the importance and capability of this power- and make them capable of retaining their agency, developing as people, and making an impact to their greater goals. And we're gonna leave everyone dead who could help, and do "subtle" things. That's been most of the comic. That's Vriska getting a tattoo.  Serving no purpose to their goal. By your own words, John has the capability to exert his own will on any or every aspect of the comic to serve their own ends, and now he shouldn't. Why? Because they won't succeed-I disagree. Giving them advantages would help, if only to prevent lives lost, and allow some of those requirements to be fufilled in creating a new universe and gods to rule it-ultimately, the GOAL. The tie of the Alpha Timeline is capable of being manipulated by his will-the very ebb and flow of the narrative is-like with Hussie-in his hands. Why does no one realize exactly how powerful this is? Even through Terezi's anchorpoints, John could easily change things to direct his favor towards winning this game, and making whomever's left the Gods of the coming universe they create. Changing the literal flow of narrative matters. Hell, I can live with him meditating in Gamzee's and Terezi's relationship on the meteor since Rose couldn't. If only to prevent Gamzee's removal from the others, and to prevent him from being controlled by Aranea, which would in turn prevent her raw emotional state from making a bad decision like removing her eyesight. But Terezi specifically said "subtle consequences." Maybe I don't get what subtle means here. But I do understand that using this ability to its upmost means that the big moves shouldn't just be thrown out. Because like in the story before this one, everyone mattered. Hussie said it himself-"All adventures are about teamwork and friendship." But what that does mean is that John can't do this on his own-he can do a lot, but not on his own.  He's gonna need people who aren't dead. He's gonna need to be the Savior of the Waking World, and that means he needs people to be saved.