the only time white tumblr users will engage w black art, regardless of its form, is when they can strip the "blackness" from it and project themselves onto it - basically, if they can whitewash it, they'll engage w it
some (mildly disjointed) thoughts i had about the translation of most recent leona overblot scene from the second twst novel. unsaid disclaimer is obvi these are just my thoughts and youre free to disagree. i cant stop you
read more because i might ramble a bit 💆🏾♀️
i'll start by saying that i'm very grateful for the novel & yuureis translations, bc its given me so much to chew on wrt leonas psyche and mental state, much more than book 2 in the game did. i havent bothered to go looking for reactions tho, bc i can already kind of predict the takes i'll find (knowing how parts of the fandom talks abt leona generally) - and i do "get" it, in the sense that i do also feel the way he tortures ruggie before he overblots is upsetting - but theres so much to dig into here, i feel like its such a waste to get hung up on obsessively moralizing
(i'll mention here that to formulate these thoughts i'm also pulling from the translation of leona's post-overblot scene, plus some moments from the game that i'll mention specifically as i go)
for example, the things leona says pre-overblot, his meltdown about dreams being stupid and useless, how the savanaclaw students (ruggie included) aren't meant to question him; they're meant to obey quietly, sound less like actual things he's trying to tell them and more like him lashing out at himself. as in, he's more talking at them, not to them. skipping forward to book 6: there we see leona give jamil advice, but the implication underneath is that everything he's telling jamil are things leona wishes he had internalized himself - again here, he's talking to someone, but really it's also directed inwards. almost like it's easier for him to look at (and speak about) himself critically when he can externalize it as critique of other people
the other thing im curious about is the distant, detached persona he adopts when he's truly angry. this'll be quick because i don't feel i have enough information to unpack it properly, but if i allow myself to spin thoughts out from limited information: it could almost be a habit he picked up as a child - something he might've forced himself to learn as part of an effort to be seen as more of a 'model' prince. if people were afraid of his moodiness because they feared what his UM (he) could do, then if he swallows those emotions maybe he can mitigate that. this, ofc, being shot through with the expectation that, as royalty, any order he gives people will obey
the final thing, for this post at least, is unpacking the way leona lashes out at ruggie when ruggie defies him. i'm willing to make the very safe bet that most of the reading of this moment is focused on leona being angry over being defied at all, or general disgust at how small and weak ruggie is (appears) to be. and while i think both of those points have some element of truth to them, i think the larger aspect of leonas reaction is jealousy. ruggie somehow, despite everything, despite all of the disadvantages life has thrown at him, still has the courage to have determination. and i want to be very clear here: this is not me saying being poor or struggling is admirable because it makes you strong - i'm not naive and i'm not here to romanticize poverty. what i am trying to say here ruggie's tenacity - a tenacity his life circumstances developed in him - is something that leona lacks, and that's what he's jealous of. he's jealous of his inability to keep having that hope, to maintain that courage in the face of his own repeated failures
(an aside: isn't it ironic that part of the reason ruggie has that tenacity is leona? leonas tutoring, leonas effective leadership of the spelldrive club, and as housewarden?)
(an aside 2x: in many ways, 'giving up' can be seen as a luxury. ruggie does not have the luxury to give up, because it could very well mean that he doesn't eat that day. for leona, regardless of what he does he's going to have a roof over his head and three square meals a day anyway, so what does it matter if he gives up? sure, he won't be happy, but he'll be comfortable in a material sense, and isn't that enough? except, of course, it isn't - not for him. as much as he tries to deny it, he's as fiercely ambitious as the rest of his dorm)
i'm gna be honest, every time i see some yt twst fan make a joke abt leona its always juuuuust at the line of being racist/colorist. like if i was being generous i'd say that a lot of yall arent thinking before you make them but... i would suggest you take a moment before hitting post to consider some optics. because i really think if you sat back for a second, you'd realize why making a watermelon joke about one of the three main cast who could reasonably be considered black is very very weird behaviour
Spiderpunk's color and texture changes are used to indicate his emotions. He often turns pink near Miles. The color pink is symbolic for honesty, compassion, and playfulness.
SPIDER-MAN: ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE (2023)
dir. Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, Justin K.
rewatched a couple episodes of runways and tbh if you came out of that show hating alex you’re just racist 🤷🏾♀️ karolina and chase were right there being insufferable and raggedy the whole series
[Images: two edits of Black Manta from DC Comics. He is rendered in grayscale against a bright red background, except for the eyes on his mask, which are a darker red. The first shows him from the side, reaching up, bubbles floating out of his air tank. Fish swim in the foreground. The second shows him from further away, full body, from the front, reaching up. Bubbles float beside him, along with a singular swimming fish. End description.]
Plain text: the seas consume my hatred, as they consume me.
*person who's grown up online their whole life & regularly uses the internet to learn indepth information about their favorite TV shows* yeah they just don't teach us anything about countries outside the US >_<
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