THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER
dir. Taika Waititi
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Enough of "this character is my son" this character is my nephew, not my responsibility but I'm taking him out for lunch and buying him hot wheels
the fucking gorilla glue logo looks like an ad for gorillas. it has nothing to do with glue
a clown steps out of a tiny broom closet covered in kiss marks with a dopey smile on their face and then another clown steps out of the broom closet covered in kiss marks and then another clown steps out of the broom closet covered in kiss marks and then another clown steps out of the broom closet covered in kiss marks and then another cl
Zhao was Fire Lord Azulon’s illegitimate (semi-acknowledged) son
- that’s why he was standing with Iroh and Azula at Zuko and Ozai’s Agni Kai (the family section)
- that’s why Ozai kept promoting him despite Zhao not being all that special or talented (nepotism)
- that’s why he came up with three new titles to give himself once he killed the moon: Zhao the Conqueror, Zhao the Moon Slayer, Zhao the Invincible. for comparison, Azulon was remembered at his funeral by two feats outside his tenure as Fire Lord: “You were our fearless leader in the Battle of Garsai. Our matchless conqueror of the Hu Xin Provinces.” (Zhao desperately wanted to not just match but surpass the level of fame and historical significance his royal father held)
- that’s why he was always hating on Zuko (deep-seated resentment that Zuko got all the privilege that comes from being a legitimate heir but still fucked up in ways Zhao was sure he never would have if given the same opportunities. seething jealousy that despite it all, Zuko was still a prince and Zhao never would be)
- i just think it would be fun (an added layer to every interaction Zhao has with Iroh and Zuko: the unspoken fact that he is their bastard brother/uncle.)
A huge difference in terms of worldbuilding and general ambiance between Elden Ring and previous games like Dark Souls and Bloodborne is the relationship between divinity and non-divinity.
In Dark Soul, for example, you had a few examples of friendship and alliances between divine and non-divine, such as Havel and Gwyn having been friends, and even then, some of these end up having implicitly bad ends (Havel eventually might have plotted to revolt against the gods, if the Occult Club in his secret stash is any indication, as well as the nature of his imprisonment), but it was mostly a relationship of animosity and antagonism otherwise. Besides Gwyndolin, pretty much every other god didn’t much care for non-gods. And in Bloodborne, where the inspiration isn’t dark fantasy but instead Lovecraftian narratives, this is far more pronounced, as the Outer Gods don’t really have much of a notion of morality as we understand it, with the exception of Ebrietas, who sincerely wanted to help humanity, and just treat all of humanity as pawns with which they might accomplish something they desire (procreation and succession, in this case, ultimately failing on the former because the Good Hunter has hands, but potentially succeeding if the Good Hunter achieves the Splatoon ending).
In Elden Ring, gods and demigods are far more upfront and within reach. Queen Marika is the actual ruler, and she’s, well, not exactly fond of anything that’s not a human (misbegotten, demi-humans, etc) and even if they are human, it’s suggested she hates them anyways if they have a different faith (the Nomads, for example). Marika is still everything you should expect from previous Fromsoft divinity.
The Demigods, however, are a whole other ball game: Malenia and Miquella both are mentioned to be incredibly charismatic natural leaders that won the undying loyalty of many and ignited hope in the chests of countless followers, Radahn was very clearly beloved by his men to the point of considering them brothers and sisters, Rykard found love in Tanith and they have a child (Rya) whom they explicitly and unambiguously love, as well as Rykard’s desire to rally together the most decadent of champions is, in part, for the betterment of mankind, Ranni is characterized for her deep love for her mom Rennala (human), her mentor the Ice Witch (human), her uncle Iji (troll) and her stepbrother Blaidd (shadowbeast), even making the executive decision that her appearance after killing her own physical form would not be that of red-haired divinity, but rather, that of her mentor, the Ice Witch. Margit, even though he’s a stickler to the status quo, really thought what he was doing was for the benefit of the Lands Between and everyone that lives in it, Mohg, even though he’s reprehensible and beyond redemption, still was aligned to some degree with the freedom of people, omen or otherwise, from the complete authority of the Order.
And they are all, to some degree, characterized by being true believers that had true believers under them, and a connection to their people and close ones that was unambiguously positive, personal, and affectionate.
In other words, the biggest difference between previous works and Elden Ring, when it comes to divinity and its role in the narrative, is that instead of fighting sad old men, the Tarnished is fighting very emotionally fulfilled happy old men and women who have friends, followers, and loved ones. It’s so glaringly distinct from previous works that Marika seems like the weird one out in the narrative, even though she’s the closest thing to normal we have, if we go by sample size.
[image description: a digital illustration of Mae, Bea, Gregg, and Angus from night in the woods, wading through shallow water. They are all anthropomorphic animals, with Mae being a cat, bear being a lizard, Gregg being a fox, and angus being a bear. Mae is drawn more detailed and is clutching her left arm. Her silhouette is reflected in the water, haloed by a blue light, and the water underneath her waist looks like a starry night. The silhouette has one eye visible. end image description.]
it’s only about a foot deep