💀

whispering-about-loki:

It just occurred to me!

It’s choosing not to be alone!

The Nexus Event wasn’t necessarily caused by romantic love (although it might be so, anyway), it was the fact that this Loki, our Loki, is choosing for the first time not to go about life on his own!

I imagine all other Loki Variants went about their lives by themselves… doing their thing without someone by their side, without sharing their lives with someone that they wanted to be there. Even Sylvie and her postman were just “a serious long-distance thing”, and they were not together-together.

It’s the theme, the whole point!

• “What exactly makes a Loki a Loki?” – “Independence, authority, style.”
• “Am I not your mother?” – “You’re not.”
• “I thought we would fight side-by-side forever.”
• “You are alone, and you always will be.”

But facing imminent death, Loki chose Sylvie to be his companion. Sister, friend, potential lover… whatever she was to him… he realized that not only did he not have to be alone, but that he didn’t want to be alone.

It was the one thing no other Loki ever did. And the chaos caused by that decision was what spawned the Nexus Event.

thortunes:

qwertybard:

thortunes:

Pretty much agree with this person, re: the direction Episode 4 takes. I wish people would take a step back and reconsider some of their outrage. Not liking where the Loki/Sylvie relationship is going is fine, but acting like Loki’s journey to self-love/self-acceptance is somehow depraved is a huge disservice to what has been, IMO, a really thoughtfully constructed story for a beloved character.

I am not invested in any particular ship, but from a storytelling standpoint I support and am excited by the possibility that Loki is experiencing real love–although I think we still don’t 100% know what that will look like w/r/t Sylvie. 

But with what we have seen, I think Loki and Sylvie’s ability to find purpose and self-worth from each other, romantically and otherwise, exposes how fundamentally immoral the TVA is at its core. It flies in the face of their guiding principle: that there is only one way for someone to be, and only one path to follow, and any deviance/variance from that path must be eliminated. That is seriously disturbing and fucked up. If Loki and Sylvie prove/discover their value and worth as individuals by recognizing those things in each other, then I think that’s a strange and beautiful and very Loki way to fight back against the toxic beliefs they and others have held toward them(selves) throughout their lives.

ETA: I am queer (bi, specifically) and wrote this post from a queer perspective, and from the perspective of someone whose immediate family includes survivors of incest. It’s fine if you disagree with me, but keep your comments civil. There’s no right or perfect way to be queer or express queerness, and we should be able to discuss the points where we differ without having our identities questioned or demeaned. That’s also kind of… the point of the TV show, so yeah. Thanks.

The thing I think folks watching the show with shipping goggles only are missing is that…by being separate people with very different personalities, who also percieve each other as an alternate version of themselves, Loki & Sylvie are basically getting a real-life version of a very specific therapy exercise.

One solid way of increasing self-esteem and decreasing negative self-talk is imagining yourself as a different person - maybe you as a kid, maybe your best friend, whatever - and then trying to talk to/about yourself like you would to that person. One of the things I love about the Lamentis episode is that it starts with Loki and Sylvie literally being combative towards each other, and then gradually grows the trust between the two until they’re acting in near-perfect sync. And a lot of what works for that is them sharing stories about each other and specifically getting feedback that says “I understand” instead of all the negative messaging both of them got throughout their childhoods.

This can, to some extent, happen in real-world relationships, but the type of relationship doesn’t super matter. It’s a shame so many people are looking at this on-screen content only through the lens of assessing whether or not it’s romantic, instead of like, enjoying the thematic richness here.

Great points. 

On a sort of related therapy-talk tangent, I’ve always been interested in the dynamics of Loki’s family, which is dysfunctional in a pretty common way: Odin, abuser; Frigga, enabler (don’t get me wrong, I love her, but she’s not without her flaws); and their children, Thor and Loki, who try in various ways to both resist and conform to behaviors and attitudes they internalized from Odin. Yeah, that is an overly simple summary of their personalities and I’ve left out Hela, but for the moment I just want to talk about this specific thread throughout the Thor films, and why it’s made the Loki TV series so satisfying to a longtime Loki fan like me.

Most dysfunctional families have an “identified patient” – the member whose struggle mirrors the dysfunction within the family, but whose family piles on as being “the problem” to deflect from their own issues. Loki becomes the IP in his family after he learns the truth about his birth and adoption. Prior to the show, we’ve only known him in the context of fulfilling the IP role, which is to be and to feel alienated by those whom he loves most. As Tom and others have said, Loki is always defining himself against something or someone–usually Thor. Because of that dynamic, we’ve only really seen the hurt, angry, and defensive side of him, which is often misinterpreted or misunderstood by his family, who, Frigga excepted, don’t seem to know how to extend compassion to Loki in their attempts to hold him accountable for his crappier choices. They don’t seem to recognize the loneliness he has always felt and continues to feel for being different, which he desperately wants validated. So he’s kind of trapped in this reactive cycle of being “the bad one” in the family. 

In the series, Loki is immediately stripped of that context. He is placed under the watch of Mobius, who knows him–truly knows him–and doesn’t expect him to be anything other than who he is, and doesn’t pass judgment the way Loki is used to others doing. What I love about the first episode is how visibly more relaxed Loki becomes, even as he realizes he’s extremely outmatched and can’t go back home. At least he’s somewhere where he can be more or less himself. At least he’s in the company of someone who appreciates about him the few things that he genuinely appreciates about himself–his intelligence, his scheming.

Then, Sylvie shows up and he gets to see his own strengths, insecurities, and fears reflected in her. He shows her the kind of compassion he couldn’t show himself. It’s kind of like real-life relationships: Something terrible or toxic happens to you, and it’s a struggle to recognize it as such or feel like you deserve better. But if you saw the same thing happen to someone you care about, you’d immediately identify it for what it was and reassure that person that their feelings about what happened are valid. 

Bearing all of this in mind, I don’t see homophobia or incest in Sylvie and Loki’s relationship. I think @qwertybard is right: It would be useful to expand the lens(es) through which their relationship is viewed. Romance has never been central to Loki’s journey before, and I don’t think it’s the point of the intimacy between Loki and Sylvie–at least not yet. Loki’s journey has been about figuring out who he is and can be and what he actually wants without the expectations of his family weighing on him. The Loki/Sylvie dynamic we’re seeing is an elevated form of self-talk, and of reconciling oneself with their own identity, worth, and potential. Honestly, it’s beautiful–romantic, platonic, or something totally different. In a weird way, it was actually NICE to see Loki sitting still on a rock, bravely and calmly facing death next to someone who understands and accepts him. All of his previous deaths were SO violent and fraught with pain and conflict, but on Lamentis he’d achieved a bit of peace. To be quite honest, I’ve wanted to see something like that for forever.

From a queer standpoint, there’s a lot the show is getting right. Queer folks are often the IP in their families, which is another layer to Loki’s story. I haven’t quite teased out my thoughts about this, because it makes me pretty emotional to think about it, but I think the fact that we are seeing a queer character in a major franchise discover radical self-love/self-acceptance is a really big fucking deal. It matters a lot to me personally. I’m sure it matters a lot to tons of people. It’s not something we see very often, especially not from major studios whose queer audiences are not foremost in their minds. After many frustrating years of seeing Loki confined to the queer-coded villain/antagonist trope and cycling through the same/similar stages of turmoil and self-destruction, it’s so completely lovely to see him emerge as canonically queer and receive this depth of development. As Kate Herron said, this is only a small step, and I hope Marvel will continue to push their own limits and further educate themselves when it comes to queer rep.

Don’t know if I’m making any sense at all, but I gave it a good shot. Laters.

(via thortunes)

dailylilnasx:

Lil Nas X for Guardian Weekend Magazine.

(via prince-cake)

ilsa-fireswan:

Ice dams are caused by temperatures in the attic being warmer than the roof, by radiant heat from the sun, or by temperatures that fluctuate.  There’s not a lot you can do to stop the sun, there’s not a whole lot you can do right now about poorly insulated attics, and (sadly) there’s not a lot of solutions for an ice dam that has already formed, but here are some tips.

Right Now:

Take photos!  Document for potential insurance claims. THIS APPLIES TO FROZEN PIPES AS WELL!  Double check your insurance and see what kind of damages are covered. Most policies will cover water damages from leaking but if you end up with standing water, that is considered flooding and is separate coverage.  If you are sheltering away from home and suspect frozen pipes, call your utility company and get that water turned off ASAP!  If you rent, your renters insurance covers personal property only; your landlord’s dwelling policy covers the building.  If you know you need coverage you don’t have, see if you can add it and pay the difference to make it retroactive to the start of the policy.  (Not every company will do this, but it’s often cheaper to pay the premium difference + deductible than to fix the damages out of pocket.)

Try to stop any active leak.  Take a fan into the attic and aim it at the underside of the roof where water is actively leaking in.  You are hoping to re-freeze the leaking water to stop the leak.  Even if the attic air is above freezing, the blowing air and exterior temperatures can combine to refreeze thin layers of water.  

Try to cool your attic.  If you have gable vents you can try using a fan to vent attic air faster, but unless you can cool the attic to below freezing you are unlikely to make a large difference in ice dam formation.  

Be careful with large icicles.  Icicles are a sign of water melting and then re-freezing, so if you have large ones you probably have an ice dam.  If you have gutters you are even more likely to have an ice dam.   Falling chunks of ice are unpredictable.   Leave them be, but keep an eye on them.  Keep pets and children from playing under them.

You can knock off smaller icicles.  Just  knock them away using a large pole or rake handle.  Then move them away from the walkway as melting and refreezing will cause slippery patches.

Rake off the edges of your roof.  There aren’t a lot of snow rakes in these here parts, but gently using a leaf rake to remove the top layers of snow will help open up the eave so the sun can have an easier time melting down to the shingle.  Do not scrape on your shingles as this will cause damage by removing granules.  

DO NOT USE A HAMMER ON THE ICE DAM!  Or a chisel or shovel. It can cause damage to your shingles, drip edge, gutters, and possibly decking.  If conditions are right it can cause large sheets of ice to slide off the roof (onto you!)

Calcium chloride ice melter.  Be aware that salt will kill any plants under the eave of the house and you don’t want to salt your fields; avoid rock/driveway salt for deicing a roof.   Fill the leg of discarded pair of panty hose, lay the hose onto the roof so it crosses the ice dam and overhangs the gutter.  Of all of the solutions available to actually remove the ice dam, this is the only one that people in this area might have.  And even then, it’s only those prepared for freak winter weather that have de-icing solution on hand.  Calcium chloride is a kind of salt and can also damage plants, so cover shrubs under the area with a tarp.

Prevention for Next Time:

Insulate the attic.  This one will help with your summer electric bills too!  I know whole-attic insulation can be cost prohibitive, but there are some small steps you can take as the budget allows.

This Old House is an excellent resource for small affordable fixes you can make yourself.  Here is their list of tips in order of priority.  But remember, every step helps and you can do them in any order you can budget for!

1. 1. Ventilate Eaves And Ridge. A ridge vent paired with continuous soffit vents circulates cold air under the entire roof. Both ridge and soffit vents should have the same size openings and provide at least 1 square foot of opening for every 300 square feet of attic floor. Place baffles at the eaves to maintain a clear path for the airflow from the soffit vents.
   2. Cap the Hatch. An unsealed attic hatch or whole-house fan is a massive opening for heat to escape. Cover them with weatherstripped caps made from foil-faced foam board held together with aluminum tape.
   3. Exhaust to the Outside. Make sure that the ducts connected to the kitchen, bathroom, and dryer vents all lead outdoors through either the roof or walls, but never through the soffit.
   4. Add Insulation. More insulation on the attic floor keeps the heat where it belongs. To find how much insulation your attic needs, check with your local building department.
   5. Install Sealed Can Lights. Old-style recessed lights give off great plumes of heat and can’t be insulated without creating a fire hazard. Replace them with sealed “IC” fixtures, which can be covered with insulation.
   6. Flash Around Chimneys. Bridge the gap between chimney and house framing with L-shaped steel flashing held in place with unbroken beads of a fire-stop sealant. Using canned spray foam or insulation isn’t fire safe.
   7. Seal and Insulate Ducts. Spread fiber-reinforced mastic on the joints of HVAC ducts and exhaust ducts. Cover them entirely with R-5 or R-6 foil-faced fiberglass.
   8. Caulk Penetrations. Seal around electrical cables and vent pipes with a fire-stop sealant. Also, look for any spots where light shines up from below or the insulation is stained black by the dirt from passing air.

Planning a new roof? As about having ice and water shield installed in valleys, around all roof penetrations (like chimneys or vents), over all slopes with a 4/12 pitch or less, and around the perimeter.  Some of that (specifically valley and low slope) might be covered by your insurance company if you live in an area with code enforcement.  But it does exceed code minimum for most of Texas, so there may be some out of pocket expense.  It won’t prevent ice dams, but it does help keep water from getting through the decking in the places it is most likely to build up!  You can also plan some of those above ventilation changes (#1, 3, 6, & 8 specifically) as part of the roof work!  (Again, there may be out of pocket costs, depending on your insurance policy, roofing company, and your roof situation.  Having a roofing company add insulation (#4) might also be cheaper than hiring a company to do it later.)

(via hailtothepumpkinqueen)

directbraintopost:

directbraintopost:

directbraintopost:

why doth the human body ooze when provoked

theres an ooze for just about every brand of human provocation and plainly i am sick of it

was going to elucidate on this matter but then realized i was accidentally inventing the four humors again

(via hailtothepumpkinqueen)

hb-pickle:

why-i-love-comics:

Represent! #4 - “Believe You” (2021)

written by Nadira Jamerson
art by Brittney Williams & Andrew Dalhouse

This is so important. There are literal studies proving white doctors don’t think black patients (especially black woman) feel pain the same way white people do. Please advocate for yourself and stay safe.

(via hailtothepumpkinqueen)

(via hailtothepumpkinqueen)

krasna-devica:

Arkhangelsk, Russia
by Aleksey Yunicyn

(via hailtothepumpkinqueen)

makebeliever:

♕  Will you ride the wooden horses across the black salt sea? Will you kill my enemies in their iron suits and tear down their stone houses? Will you give me the Seven Kingdoms, the gift Khal Drogo promised me, before the Mother of Mountains? Are you with me, now and always?

(via bydragonfireandblood)

twitblr:

Breaking news you old but that’s okay

(via hailtothepumpkinqueen)