It might be because my brain is wired weird but I never quite got the "How would a melody describe itself?" quiestion. And not in the sense that it's just nonsensical and that's how it's meant to be. But because the first time I heard it I just thought, "By playing its tune, duh.''
Like, yes, it not what most people think about when they hear 'describe yourself' but it's the only way it could. It doesn't have words, frankly it's hard to say it has enough sentience to have a concept of itself, but it has it's music, it's tune, and with it, it can describe itself. It's not conventional, it's not a way of describing everyone would understand but it's the only way could do it.
And I think that's kinda the point?
Michael can't describe himself how most people would understand so they do it the only way he now knows how. Through a vague metaphor that can't be easily understood if you use your logical brain for it. Because it's not meant to be logical.
He IS a melody describing itself. He IS playing their tune. It's just hard to understand that if you think it's a riddle with a logical solution, a question to be answered and not an actual description.
To be fair, I don't think it would have been that much of a good idea in terms of storytelling or plot for Belos to actually have freed The Collector. Considering that we know how far the kid's powers can go (Examples: Moving the fucking MOON, being able to dollify people, rearranging mass at will, etc).
Can't really blame him since there was a good chance The Collector was going to cause even more chaos.
Buuuuuuuuut, at the same time, I would have honestly loved to see how The Collector's and Belos dynamic would have been affected specifically, and how in turn that'd affect the fate of the Boiling Isles (considering that The Collector was the one who stopped the draining spell but like. mostly focusing on dynamics here).
I know damn well that if Belos tried, he'd basically have his whole plan set in stone. He spent so much time with this child, probably having to deal with The Collector's silly questions, tiring games (whatever games a shadow could play), and more, promising them to eventually set them free once in a while if the other asked for reassurance.
And eventually, he DOES end up freeing The Collector. The child would be the most happy he's ever been in centuries, because his 'best friend' actually freed him! He fufilled their promise, and they'd play so many games, just as they said years ago. So hey, it'd only be fair for The Collector to repay Philip for his kindness.
Take in mind too, Belos knows the in's and out's of this kid. After all, they did spent atleast 200+ years together, he's been emotionally manipulating this child since the start. And what happens when you pair that with complying to a request that was made from the very beginning? Unconditional trust.
I'd imagine that after The Collector was freed, he'd probably make the kid make another promise, probably along the lines of "Only listen to what I have to say, ok? The others wouldn't understand you at all, not like how I do. That way, we'll have even more fun as we play." (Honestly I made that up on the spot but you get the gist).
And y'know, Philip actually fufilled his first promise! So surely he isn't lying with this one either, so of course, Collector accepts.
Belos would probably be the most gaslighty he's ever been too.
Collector starts to doubt him? Words of affection and reassurance would be thrown his way immediately, probably even physical displays of it too.
Collector does anything that's against Belos wishes? Taking back all those previous positive reinforcements, saying how disappointed and hurt the man was after all he's done for the child, only to be doubted? Manipulation 101, everyone.
It'd all end with The Collector running back to Belos, because after all, he'd probably end up alone again, and that's the worst thing that could happen.
Honestly I could say so much more, but they're dynamic in canon is honestly complex enough and I don't have the braincells for it xd
He was painfully aware of that. The other children wouldn’t look at him most of the time, and when he was able to gather the courage to speak to them, he was often turned away with a “Why would we want to be near such a filthy half-breed?” As they walked away, he was forced to shrink back in shame.
His ears stood tall, ever present on top of his head, hearing everything that was said about him. Even worse, he heard all that they said about his mother. His mother had ‘tainted’ herself, and should have been rid of him when he was babe and unable to survive on his own. He shouldn’t have been allowed to live.
He was far stronger than anyone else around him. He learned that when he went to push down his grandfather for striking his mother, and tore through his flesh instead. The howls of the older man haunted Inuyasha for years, well into his adulthood.
“I’ll kill you,” he hollered, “I will kill you and your mother and be done with all of this!”
He was different, though he didn’t want to be.
He wasn’t supposed to cry, he learned that young.
His mother told him strong boys didn’t fear the night, didn’t fear the old man down the hall, didn’t fear who they were. So Inuyasha figured that the first step to being a strong boy was to learn to not cry.
His tears caused his mother great distress and often beatings from the man down the hall, so better that they not fall at all, he figured. Unfortunately, he forgot how to smile when he learned not to cry. When his mother left the mortal realm, he forgot what happiness felt like too.
He bottled it up, as he always had, the night his mother died. No tears shed for the woman who had brought him into this world, because she even though he may not be able to touch her anymore, he still knew that crying would hurt her. He couldn’t do that.
“Heartless child,” they whispered as he sat by her bed, looking at the cloth covering her face, silently praying to gods who never once helped him, to bring her back. Just bring her back.
When he was forced to leave, forced to flee his only home and seek refuge in a cruel world, he never looked back.
He wasn’t supposed to cry, but on the inside, it was all he did.
He wasn’t wanted, that was made clear to him.
He sought out his brother, the only family that he had left. It look him a year to find his brother, a tall, strong, unstoppable demon. A full blooded demon, but Inuyasha was half like him. He followed the older boy around for six months before he realized that he wasn’t wanted.
His brother didn’t want him there, didn’t want him to follow him around, didn’t want to help him. Sesshomaru would happily have fed him to demons if Inuyasha wasn’t willing to fight to stay alive. It wasn’t his brother making him stronger, teaching him to fight. It was his brother trying to be rid of him like the humans before.
He tried to make peace with other demons, knowing that humans would never accept him again, he would never belong to a village again. But the demons who were nice for a while had a purpose, normally a nefarious one that intended to leave him dead.
He was better off alone, better off fighting to stay alive just out of spite for everyone else.
He wasn’t wanted, though he longed to be.
He was hard to know, and it made it hard to trust.
Kikyou was the first person to offer him any sort of truce in his life. Everyone else had sought to harm him in some sort of way, but with Kikyou, a gentle understanding of ‘You leave me alone, I’ll leave you alone’ came to be. It was the closest thing to an actual relationship he had ever had.
It was a rocky and difficult relationship, but he loved her for showing him compassion, something he had never truly felt. He didn’t open up to her easily, and offered her no details about himself when she offered hers.
It was fragile, but beautiful in it’s own way. It fell apart in blood, mortally wounding not only their bodies but also their souls, to the point it would haunt them in times to come.
“You betrayed me...” filled two hearts who were once so close, and yet so far.
He was hard to know, because he didn’t know himself.
He was many things, all at once, an overly complicated man.
He was stubborn to a fault, and unwilling to meet anyone in the middle. He was fiercely protective over anyone he cared for, and yet so aloof to them at odd times. He craved closeness, but didn’t want to be near.
He was beaten and battered by the world, broken in so many ways that those closest to him couldn’t possibly know everything about his past sufferings. He was reluctant to share his life experiences, because it brought on sympathetic looks or touches that he didn’t - couldn’t - understand.
But when he looked at the people closest to him in his life - the girl from the future, the old priestess, the young fox, the monk, the slayer, the villagers - he saw something he had never seen before. He was a man who had a place, somewhere he belong, and people he belonged with. A place where he was called by name.
“Uncle Inuyasha,” two little girls called out to him as he walked towards their home, “come play!”
Why do I find it funny that Skip is listed as a "Foe of Spiderman"? Like??? Peter was like twelve when they met?? He wasn't even near to becoming Spider-Man??? Skip didn't even have a personal vendetta against him, he was just a creep that decided Baby Peter was cute and said 'I'm gonna emotionally fuck him up.' Skip does not come back later and go "Spider-Man foiled my plans so I'm going to kill him" like literally every other Spidey villain does. Unless Skip could somehow see the future, he wasn't a supervillian coming to take revenge on Spider-Man. He was just a horrible person and Peter was just unlucky enough to be the kid he decided to prey on. He is also one of the only listed "Foes" to not have known Peter before becoming evil. There was no opportunity for Peter to place the blame of Skip's actions on himself. And I like to believe Stan Lee did that on purpose.
