Downtown Khazan: Ice Cold Utopia

[Nik Hasta]

Would have sold it more for me, for sure.

But no, they're going more with 'We're like humans until, I'm sure, we have to EXPLAIN how we're not like humans (because we sure don't show it), and we're that way because we LOOOOVE humans.'

'Cause humans = special.

Maaaan, I do like the new Eternals where opinions on humans are somewhat divided: Unimportant? Fun pets to screw around with? We love them? Duty? Fuel? You decide!

Yeah, I was never really into old school Eternals, just never encountered them as a young 'un.

But I liked in Gaiman's take on them that they were all like "Humans are these funny little inconsequential things and we find it hard to relate to them,"

And I do love me some New Gods style Kirby-ass high melodrama.

But alas, that's not inkeeping with the MCU house style.

[Sharpandpointies]

And since we have Black Knight and Sersi in the same film, you know what that mean, right?

It’s the MCU debut of Edgy-90s-Sexual-Tension-Bomber-Jacket Avengers!

Eeeeagh...give me new-Sersi any day of the week, with her 'Ah, humans, they make for fun pets if you don't expect too much out of them.'

[Sharpandpointies]

Yeah, I was never really into old school Eternals, just never encountered them as a young 'un.

But I liked in Gaiman's take on them that they were all like "Humans are these funny little inconsequential things and we find it hard to relate to them,"

Which really how it likely should be, but we write the stories and have an exaggerated idea of our own importance.

And I do love me some New Gods style Kirby-ass high melodrama.

But alas, that's not inkeeping with the MCU house style.

Sadly, you're probably correct.

Still...

Ikaris Ivebeentricked.jpg

Wheee!

Side note: I love 'Clear the way everyone, outgoing disintegration beams.'

[Nik Hasta]

The phrase "Not even the edge of doom can keep you Eternals from your love of wisdom," is right up there with "I am the tiger force at creation's heart,"

You practically see the Kirby dots leaping from the letters themselves.

[Sharpandpointies]

The phrase "Not even the edge of doom can keep you Eternals from your love of wisdom," is right up there with "I am the tiger force at creation's heart,"

You practically see the Kirby dots leaping from the letters themselves.

Hee hee hee. Yeah, some good stuff back in the old days. I actually had that issue.

[Beadle]

Would have sold it more for me, for sure.

But no, they're going more with 'We're like humans until, I'm sure, we have to EXPLAIN how we're not like humans (because we sure don't show it), and we're that way because we LOOOOVE humans.'

'Cause humans = special.

Maaaan, I do like the new Eternals where opinions on humans are somewhat divided: Unimportant? Fun pets to screw around with? We love them? Duty? Fuel? You decide!

The purpose of the Celestials, Eternals etc and their relationship with humanity is something I used to spend far too much time thinking about.

Warning: Long Ramble Incoming

When I was a lot younger I always had this idea for a Marvel comics mega-event. Because you do when you’re young.

In it, it turned out the reason the Celestials implanted the mutant gene in humanity (and likewise on many other planets), and the reason they gave a mutant supremacist like Apocalypse their tech, was to accelerate the outcome that they would develop a special individual, somewhere in the universe, who I will come to later.

But they wanted to make sure that these races were challenged and protected in equal measure.

The Celestials’ first attempt to do this was the creation of angels and demons (remember, celestial can mean not only mean ‘relating to the stars’ but also ‘heavenly’). But those creatures became too self-involved, power-hungry and greedy, and even interfered with the Celestials’ experiments, leading to more angelic and demonic mutations (e.g. Warren and Kurt). So the Celestials went for their second generation - Eternals and Deviants - both of which they created from proto-humans because their focus was more likely to remain on humanity than their predecessors. The Deviants would provide a threat that would challenge the humans and cause them to adapt, evolve and strengthen. The Eternals would act as guardians to protect humans from threats for which they were not ready (ironic with Thanos, but whatevs).

While we always associate celestial beings, angels etc. with the afterlife, and use phrases like ‘in this world or the next’ it’s because it turns out the Celestials are exactly that - the next world. Or the next universe, to be more precise. They are destined to become Eternity’s equivalent in the next universe.

And they’ve decided that humanity, mutantkind and other superhumans are now sufficiently evolved that a suitable candidate has emerged for them to use as a catalyst to accelerate that process (rather than waiting for events to unfold naturally).

It turns out Galan of Taa isn’t just the only survivor of the previous universe. He was also actually the focal point of its destruction, and it collapsed in on him, although the horror of that knowledge caused him to fracture into two beings to obliterate his memory - Galactus and the In-Betweener, both stuck as perpetual balancing acts between one side and another (Chaos and Order, Eternity & Death, devouring worlds but feeding the universe with the power cosmic, the death of one universe and the birth of another, etc.).

This ‘special individual’ they’re trying to produce is to be cursed to effectively be the Galan of Taa of this universe’s destruction, birthing a new universe where the Celestials are the embodiment of everything.

So the Celestial host arrives on Earth and demand that the humans bring forth the being known as Franklin.

Obviously all the heroes, knowing his power, assume they mean Franklin Richards, and rush to protect him.

But they don’t. They mean Franklin Hall. Graviton. They intend to supercharge Graviton as an unwilling puppet to collapse the universe in on himself as the means by which they destroy the universe.

So yeah…

[Postmania]

[Sharpandpointies]

The purpose of the Celestials, Eternals etc and their relationship with humanity is something I used to spend far too much time thinking about.

Warning: Long Ramble Incoming

When I was a lot younger I always had this idea for a Marvel comics mega-event. Because you do when you’re young.

In it, it turned out the reason the Celestials implanted the mutant gene in humanity (and likewise on many other planets), and the reason they gave a mutant supremacist like Apocalypse their tech, was to accelerate the outcome that they would develop a special individual, somewhere in the universe, who I will come to later.

But they wanted to make sure that these races were challenged and protected in equal measure.

The Celestials’ first attempt to do this was the creation of angels and demons (remember, celestial can mean not only mean ‘relating to the stars’ but also ‘heavenly’). But those creatures became too self-involved, power-hungry and greedy, and even interfered with the Celestials’ experiments, leading to more angelic and demonic mutations (e.g. Warren and Kurt). So the Celestials went for their second generation - Eternals and Deviants - both of which they created from proto-humans because their focus was more likely to remain on humanity than their predecessors. The Deviants would provide a threat that would challenge the humans and cause them to adapt, evolve and strengthen. The Eternals would act as guardians to protect humans from threats for which they were not ready (ironic with Thanos, but whatevs).

While we always associate celestial beings, angels etc. with the afterlife, and use phrases like ‘in this world or the next’ it’s because it turns out the Celestials are exactly that - the next world. Or the next universe, to be more precise. They are destined to become Eternity’s equivalent in the next universe.

And they’ve decided that humanity, mutantkind and other superhumans are now sufficiently evolved that a suitable candidate has emerged for them to use as a catalyst to accelerate that process (rather than waiting for events to unfold naturally).

It turns out Galan of Taa isn’t just the only survivor of the previous universe. He was also actually the focal point of its destruction, and it collapsed in on him, although the horror of that knowledge caused him to fracture into two beings to obliterate his memory - Galactus and the In-Betweener, both stuck as perpetual balancing acts between one side and another (Chaos and Order, Eternity & Death, devouring worlds but feeding the universe with the power cosmic, the death of one universe and the birth of another, etc.).

This ‘special individual’ they’re trying to produce is to be cursed to effectively be the Galan of Taa of this universe’s destruction, birthing a new universe where the Celestials are the embodiment of everything.

So the Celestial host arrives on Earth and demand that the humans bring forth the being known as Franklin.

Obviously all the heroes, knowing his power, assume they mean Franklin Richards, and rush to protect him.

But they don’t. They mean Franklin Hall. Graviton. They intend to supercharge Graviton as an unwilling puppet to collapse the universe in on himself as the means by which they destroy the universe.

So yeah…

I like this. Lots.

I like this a lot less. I mean, Monkey Steals the Peach/Peaches/Grapes/Walnuts/name something, it's probably the name of a similar technique to this SOMEWHERE is a 'classic Kung Fu' kind of thing, but the whole drop to the ground on one knee and 'Impact will lift your opponent off the ground'...ugh. Then it goes on to mention 'chi kung' which I just know is going to lead to spectacular BS on the second half of the sentence. ^_^

Thanks for that, Post - got a good chuckle out of it.

[bruceleegreyhulk]

[Postmania]

I like this a lot less. I mean, Monkey Steals the Peach/Peaches/Grapes/Walnuts/name something, it's probably the name of a similar technique to this SOMEWHERE is a 'classic Kung Fu' kind of thing, but the whole drop to the ground on one knee and 'Impact will lift your opponent off the ground'...ugh. Then it goes on to mention 'chi kung' which I just know is going to lead to spectacular BS on the second half of the sentence. ^_^

Thanks for that, Post - got a good chuckle out of it.

Yeah I didn't even think it was real, but someone apparently said this was a real book, printed in the 60s or 70s. Crazy what information we had back then

[Sharpandpointies]

Yeah I didn't even think it was real, but someone apparently said this was a real book, printed in the 60s or 70s. Crazy what information we had back then

Craziness. ^_^

An interesting thing I have discovered in lo, my many years studying and practicing martial arts: Don't believe everything in books on the subject. Similarly, don't believe everything magazines say on the subject, don't believe everything people who practice it say on the subject, don't believe everything TEACHERS say on the subject, certainly don't believe everything on Youtube on the subject.

A sad fact of the matter is that there is a crap-ton of BS regarding martial arts floating around out there, and a lot of people speaking it actually believe it.

...don't need to believe me on that, either. ^_^

[Hiromi]

While I've lost a whole lot of care about the MCU, I'm vaguely interested due to my appreciation for the Eternals. I feel that Marvel is going to make them a little 'too human', mind.

Interesting that the Celestials are finally starting to do more than just appear in a background shot.

My biggest takeaway from the trailer is how awesome the Celestials actually look live, Eson the Searcher in particular

[Sharpandpointies]

My biggest takeaway from the trailer is how awesome the Celestials actually look live, Eson the Searcher in particular

Admittedly, live action does have the potential for stunning visuals.

[Sharpandpointies]

Just found the 'Memes' area of office 365 (for my work).

I'm gonna torment people from now on.

[Postmania]

The Eternals do have some nice effects