#( ld. | to the end of the line )

[screamsmeared]

(@itwcsmcroon || marta cabrera) "YOU KNOW, I NEVER USED TO BE INTO HALLOWEEN." it felt taboo to admit that in certain places, but it was true. not the whole story, but true. "pulling out pumpkin guts just didn't seem like a good time. and my parents were the type to make me give away all my candy, anyway. dad was a dentist." wasn't he? "but—it's starting to grow on me. at least now that i don't have to do the carving myself." much easier to grab a fake—ceramic, not plastic—pumpkin.

[the-cimmerians]

Today, ProPublica reports on yet another big change that stands to solve a decades-long problem we first learned about back in 2016, closing a huge loophole that allowed states to divert federal antipoverty funds to governors’ pet projects, like promoting abstinence, holding “heathy marriage” classes that did nothing to prevent out-of-wedlock births, funding anti-abortion “clinics” to lie about abortion “risks,” sending middle-class kids to private colleges, and other schemes only tangentially related to helping poor kids. It’s the same loophole that Mississippi officials tried to drive a truck through to divert welfare funds to former sportsball man Brett Favre’s alma mater, for a volleyball palace. [ ]

The agency has proposed new rules — open for public comment until December 1 — aimed at nudging states to actually use TANF funds to give cash to needy parents, not fill budget holes or punish poor people.

One change will put an end to the scheme Utah used to substitute LDS church funds for welfare, by prohibiting states

from counting charitable giving by private organizations, such as churches and food banks, as “state” spending on welfare, a practice that has allowed legislatures to budget less for programs for low-income families while still claiming to meet federal minimums.

Another new rule will put the kibosh on using TANF to fund child protective services or foster care programs, which are not what TANF is supposed to be for, damn it.

And then there’s the simple matter of making sure that funds for needy families go to needy families, not to pet projects that have little to do with poverty:

The reforms would also redefine the term “needy” to refer only to families with incomes at or below 200% of the federal poverty line. Currently, some states spend TANF money on programs like college scholarships — or volleyball stadiums — that benefit more affluent people.

[steddieasitgoes]

Steve’s parents leaving him home alone more and more after the Fall of 1983. Half the time they don’t even tell him in advance, he just finds out from a note left on the kitchen counter and $10 to cover pizza.

Steve waking from a nightmare, friendless, alone (let’s pretend he and Nancy didn’t get back together), and hungry. The fridge is empty and Bradley’s Big Buy is closed for the night. He tries to go back to sleep but his stomach won’t relent so he reluctantly gets dressed and drives 15 minutes to the 24 hour McDonalds in the next town over.

The same McDonalds where Eddie works the drive thru headset at on the weekends. He’s not exactly fond of the job and finds dozens of ways to make it more entertaining — like coming up with terrible nicknames for the company.

Steve is taken aback the first time the static drive thru speaker welcomes him to “McCrap-lds.”

It makes him smile for the first time in weeks.

Neither Steve nor Eddie recognize each others voices as they banter back and forth. Steve ask for recommendations, Eddie makes fun of him but gives in.

When Steve pulls up to the window he expects to meet the funny drive thru employee but he’s greeted with a tired middle-aged women instead. Apparently Eddie lost window privileges after an incident. Steve doesn’t ask questions.

When he wakes up from another nightmare a week later, he returns to the McDonalds and engages Eddie in more easy banter before ordering his food.

It becomes a habit — one he keeps up for the entirety of the summer of 1984.

Steve and Eddie never meet face to face but that doesn’t stop them from venting, joking, and sharing their McDonalds recommendations through a shitty drive thru speaker.

Then on the first day of senior year, Steve is in line for the terrible cafeteria food (it makes McDonalds look like a Michelin Star meal) desperately craving chicken McNuggets and sweet and sour sauce when he hears a familiar voice. He turns quickly, eager to finally learn who the mystery guy responsible for making him laugh at 3am in a McDonalds parking lot is only to find Eddie “the Freak” Munson waltzing across lunch table going on and on about how conformity is killing kids.

Steve’s in shock. How could the sincere and hilarious guy he’s been shooting the shit with all summer be The Freak?! But then Eddie’s foot catches on a lunch tray and he topples ass first to the floor. When he pops up he takes a dramatic bow and makes a joke — one that sends Steve into uncontrollable laughter.

Yep, Eddie “the Freak” Munson is McDonalds guy.

And Steve knows exactly what he has to do.

He figures out where Eddie’s locker is and then excuses himself two minutes before the dismissal bell so he can get himself into position. When Eddie saunters over to his locker at the end of the day, Steve is waiting for him.

“Think it’s time I cash in on that free sundae you promised me a few weeks ago.”

Eddie stares at Steve dumbfounded for a moment, mind reeling as he process what Steve is getting at.

“You, Steve “the hair” Harrington are the McDonalds guy? My McDonalds guy?”

“Well I’m certainly the McDonalds guy,” Steve says taking a step closer. “Buy me that free sundae first and then we can discuss me being your McDonalds guy.”

[heathersdesk]

How to Deal with the Family Proclamation

We had a lesson in Sunday School today on all six of the proclamations the Church has ever issued. So naturally, the Proclamation on the Family came up.

I have complicated feelings about it. I think it fails our queer membership and locks us into doctrinal positions that aren't scripturally supported. I don't like how every lesson that mentions it invites an open season to take pot shots at the queer community, at our own people, about sexuality and gender. I don't like that this is the first instinct of many of our people when they talk about it.

You want to know how to redirect the conversation that shuts it down every time?

I bring up the portion that talks about the rights of children not to be abused. No one ever wants to talk about that because it involves looking at our own mess instead of someone else's. And as a survivor of familial abuse, it's something I feel passionate about because I know there is no group that is immune to it.

Rather than enforcing a familiar standard of heterosexual nuclear family that everyone should aspire to, I think the proclamation does a much better job of outlining what every child deserves. All children deserve to grow up in a family where they feel safe, respected, and loved.

Whenever I have to talk about the Proclamation to the Family, this is what I say. This is the only way I've found it to truly be prophetic.

I did it again today and that was one of the most powerful and vulnerable conversations about abuse I've ever seen at church. I know the teacher well. He has been a lawyer for many years and has worked as a prosecutor for child abuse cases in the state of Idaho, including those that involved church members. He said outright that local leadership doesn't always get things right with this, to the point that it was one of the reasons he left that line of work. It instigated a really poignant moment with him and a retired social worker from LDS Family Services. The Church is not immune to failures in handling abuse, but the Proclamation on the Family calls us to be better. That's what the discussion turned into. That was the salient point we ended on before moving on to the most recent proclamation from 2020.

Discussions in church are malleable. You can shape them into what you want them to be instead through your participation. It takes courage and skill you can gain with practice. And you'd be amazed at how well people respond if you do it sincerely and with love.

I can't change the mind of every person in the Church about queer people. But I can be filled with so much love for them, the right thing to say and do will be given to me through the Spirit.

Never doubt that you also have this power and ability. With God, all things are possible—including this.

[what-even-is-thiss]

Is it common knowledge that Mormons still have prophets like our current one is 100 years old named Russel m Nelson and all the queer Mormons hope he dies after the guy who is next in line dallin oaks the guy in line after him is pretty chill as far as high ranking Mormons go tho

I think it’s well known by people who have done any level of research into them even on the surface level but I don’t think most people know about it. I learned a bit about Mormons in American history in California public school but I mostly learned about the basic facts. Joseph Smith’s treasure hunting, their migration west, their being annoying and the often disproportionate amount of persecution they received until they reached Utah and forcibly kicked out a bunch of native Americans. That’s about where most histories about Mormonism ended that I learned about growing up.

I originally learned about the prophet thing from my family members that are really into genealogy. Mormons run a lot of the genealogy research websites and organizations out there so if you are deep into genealogy especially in the US you might have reason to interact with the Mormon church even if you’re not a member.

That’s also how I learned about the whole Mormons baptizing the dead thing which is the reason that Mormons are really into genealogy. They perform ritual baptisms for the deceased by using a still living person to stand in for them. Genealogy is one way they get names for these rituals. Another way is by physically walking into graveyards and writing down names. And btw if you’re not Mormon the idea that after you die a Mormon could baptize you is kind of insulting to your own personal beliefs. I’ve been baptized and gone through my confirmation in my own church. I know what I believe in. The idea that some rando will someday pretend to be me and get baptized about it is kind of weird.

Back on topic though, yes the Mormons still have a prophet that they believe literally talks to God. The different branches of Mormonism disagree on who the rightful first prophet after Joseph Smith was. The LDS church is just the biggest sect of Mormonism. All branches of Mormonism also think that all the other branches prophets are fake and theirs is the real one.

[rei-ismyname]

X-Men #10 Review

Raid on Graymalkin is over with a return to status quo ante bellum, at least for the Alaskan team's roster. That was just one incident in a cold war, and as Cyclops predicted, consequences come in the form of the O*N*E. Lundqvist and his fuckboys are using the raid as a casus belli. It's a siege, and aside from a few oddities it's the best issue yet.

The civilians and support staff ready for war

X-Men #10 follows on directly from Raid on Graymalkin with the O*N*E coming to punish the X-Men for stepping out of line. It's not entirely clear how much collaboration there is between Graymalkin (a private prison) and the O*N*E (a federal agency) but Ellis called it in and Lundqvist responded. Every agency seems to have a mutant office, though it's implied that their budgets have been gutted since Krakoa left this dimension. Over in Mystique, Nick Fury Jr is on SHIELD's mutant desk, but it's literally just him. This plot development was solicited and setup so it's good to see it being taken seriously. Uncanny is a different kind of book but their Sentinel attack was accidental - it explicitly treated Raid on Graymalkin as if it didn't happen. Actions need consequences and they've come to Merle l, Alaska.

In Scott's absence, Magneto is in charge and he orders everyone except him and Xorn to evacuate in their Helicarrier. That escaping by air is incredibly dangerous against a foe with local air superiority might be the first hint that he's not thinking clearly. Ben Liu and Jennifer Starkey, the 3K mutants, both object to Magneto's 'blaze of glory' plan in different ways. Ben calls him out as wanting to die though he doesn't exactly condemn him for it. He's staying and he'll use his untested reality warping power to do whatever he can. Jen appeals to Xorn as a healer and he says 'I save lives however I can but I don't tell people how to spend them.'

I've been vocal AF about how much I hate R-LDS, and that hasn't changed, but it's good to see it play out in escalating character beats. Mags' powers are still there, he just doesn't have control over it. Considering the global damage and godly feats he's capable of intentionally, the devastation he could wreak unintentionally could destroy the planet. He's always been willing to die for the cause, but here he's seeking it. That says a lot about where he's at mentally and I look forward to seeing where that goes.

I assume they were delayed picking up Quentin

Magneto's mental health issues will have to wait for a future issue, because the cavalry is here and he does not have permission to die, dammit! Scott has a plan, as ever, letting the old man know that Hellions Protocols went online twenty minutes ago. The main event begins as Lundqvist agrees to talk, after some posturing. This negotiation takes up the rest of the issue, but I appreciate taking the time to check in on the support staff and how they respond to stress.

I'm not sure why Lundqvist would agree to this tbh, or why he'd accept the Factory as the place to talk. It's not a neutral location at all and if the situation turns hot he's either dead or a hostage. He's certainly been more reasonable than previous leaders of the O*N*E, and he did end up as an intermediary between the X-Men and whoever he reports to last time. Maybe he sucks at his job, or maybe he doesn't really want to be doing this.

Toothpick bravado, nice!

Scott cracks a beer and throws one to Lundqvist as they chat in the kitchen. Accepting allows Scott to set the tone of the negotiation and challenges Lundqvist's authority. They argue over the justification for this operation, with the damage of the Raid laid out. Scott quotes the Hague Invasion Act, framing the X-Men as being justified in taking action to get one of their people back. Meanwhile Boom Boom, Fantomex, the Bedlam bros and Locus are attacking O*N*E facilities.

Lundqvist is stunned that Scott would portray the X-Men as equal to the US government, as a nation unto themselves. He emphatically rebukes it and gets a 'says who?' in return. Meanwhile, The Hellions (copyright pending) are wrecking more of the O*N*E's shit.

Lundqvist tries to ignore that argument, shifting the focus back to force. The X-Men don't have a chance, he asserts, so Scott brings up Marvel's greatest force multiplier - superhumans. The X-Men have many and the O*N*E have none. He doesn't outright say that they're allied with The Avengers, but he asks why they're not here to help.

Scott follows up with an excellent point - that Graymalkin is a private entity run amok. By conceding the Xavier issue he's able to establish that they're exceeding their mandate. He really leans into the cold war framing as we'll see, but he sets it up here. It's refuge in audacity, but it's also an evolution of the thinking behind the Extinction team - we don't want war but we're absolutely capable of it. If they won't stop persecuting the X-Men then they'll make sure doing so is not worth it. I enjoy this. Remixing old eras is one thing, but building on Gillen's Uncanny run and escalating it is another.

It's at this point Agent Fuckface finds out his budget is in deep shit. Multiple O*N*E facilities have been destroyed but nobody has been killed. The war remains cold. He is NOT happy and he's just starting to realise he's been played. He's really sweating now, literally. It's clever to have Scott employ this Batman gambit. It's really only possible with an in-depth understanding of how the government operates.

It might be a stretch to infer Scott knows about funding for mutant agencies and departments from this text alone, but I guess he doesn't have to if he's slashing the budget himself. After letting that sink in, 'this is what it looks like when you push me' - calling back to their discussion in issue #3.

Lundqvist has had enough of negotiating from a position of weakness, sticking a gun in Scott's face and demanding the destruction stop. Cool as a cucumber, Cyke denies starting a war and pivots to the most terrifying Cold War and beyond concept - Mutually Assured Destruction. In our world it referred to the nuclear deterrent - if a country fired a nuke they'd be hit with instant, automated retaliation. There's no incentive to attack if you die too.

Lundqvist thinks he's bluffing but Scott elaborates. If he's killed by a government agent then important parts of Washington DC cease to exist. He doesn't have nukes, he's got mutants - using Juggernaut (not a mutant but he's down for the fight) and Xorn as examples. Lundqvist says that would be the end of mutants - total extinction - and he's probably right, in so far as they'd try. Not without a functioning government, seceding states, and foreign powers taking bites out of the US. This is wild. Krakoa's deterrent was mainly economic but the threat was implied. Here it's spelled out. Mutants will not lie down and if you come at us we both lose. Mutually Assured Destruction.

At this point Lundqvist blinks, shocked that he'd kill all those people. Brah, you have no idea. Scott shouts in his face 'THIS IS HOW BRINKMANSHIP WORKS.' He pulls his gun to his forehead and declares his lifelong willingness to die for the cause. He knows they want to kill him but here's another reason why it's not worth it. 'My wife will know and she will grieve.' Threatening the whole planet with The Phoenix. It's about fucking time. The X-Men have been offering peace for over half a century and received endless genocide in return.

With that, Lundqvist gets it. It's not worth it, at least by his calculus. He'll tell his bosses and by extension the US government and military. They agree that it's not over, and Quentin immediately steps in to call off The Hellions. Even more than issue #3, the last time these two were face-to-face, this was a riveting dialogue and Mackay fully committed to gunboat diplomacy on steroids. It's in conversation with the last 60 years of X-Men history and really sells this dynamic as the 'what now?' after Krakoa. I have all the praise in the world for that - the writing was fantastic and the facial expressions were perfect.

It's the final few panels that let it down. Last time, Scott had a full on panic attack after the situation ended. Anxiety and PTSD do not just go away and this feels like a missed opportunity to develop that further. Scott has just led a raid on a prison to retrieve one of his oldest friends, had a falling out with at least one other, witnessed horrors, been under psychic attack and a stalemate, then immediately after walked into the events of this issue. If that's not followed up on now, when the hell would it be? Sure, we can go there next issue, but it deflates the tension and character work for me.

Then Quentin asks if he was serious about the Phoenix threat and Scott says yes. He lets Quentin know that it's on him to defeat The Phoenix (his wife) if it comes to that. I find that very hard to swallow and at odds with the Scott/Jean/Phoenix dynamic we've seen so far. Sure, have a plan for Dark Phoenix, but wouldn't Jean just resurrect him? Thinking Scott was dead bought out Dark Phoenix the first time, but aren't we past all that shit? This is a different Phoenix, having been reborn, and a much more experienced Jean.

I don't buy that Scott would believe that, and I don't buy that he'd destroy Quentin's morale by putting it on him. Scott, of all people, knows that you oppose Dark Phoenix with love, not violence. Above all, I think Jean deserves a little more credit, especially from her husband. I'm starting to think it's more enjoyable to ignore From The Ashes cliffhangers. They have this habit of either being a fakeout or drastically exaggerating character and plot.

There's also mention that King Bedlam wants a very specific head in exchange for his services. No clues as to who, but the very notion doubles down on Scott playing a dangerous game. The Bedlams have been Hellion and X-Force adjacent for their entire publication history. KB was the lover of Tarot who was killed by Trevor Fitzroy. Tarot has reincarnated multiple times since then, but Fitzroy has been making a nuisance of himself by killing mutants in this run, so his head being the price would make sense. We'll see where that goes.

Without those last few panels this was the best issue yet, and a true paradigm evolution in the fight for mutant rights. It shows Scott Summers as wartime general and politician, judo flipping the consequences of Raid on Graymalkin from a position of weakness. This is why people look to him when they're up against the wall. This is the guy with more than 26 plans who's really had enough and is speaking the only language his enemies and oppressors understand. This is where Scott's efficiency and competence shines, but he isn't happy. The cold war continues but having invoked MAD, I have no idea where we go from here. Please no Dark Phoenix though. Enough of the past is being recycled already and y'all can do better, I know it.

[nerdygaymormon]

Below are excerpts from the article:

Steven E. Snow, the emeritus general authority and former historian for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, is a bit of an outlier...the St. George native remains a staunch Democrat and a passionate environmentalist.

As the faith’s historian from 2012 to 2019, Snow is widely credited with helping bring openness and transparency to the church history department. He helped shepherd to completion the Gospel Topics essays, which tackled some of the thorniest of the faith’s historical and doctrinal issues.

Snow’s other signature achievements include overseeing the publication of the landmark Joseph Smith Papers and “Saints,” the new multivolume narrative history of the church. With Snow at the helm, the history department also took over supervision of church historical sites, where he placed a premium on education over proselytizing.

His beloved wife of 52 years, Phyllis, died from post-COVID-related issues eight months ago.

I didn’t always see eye to eye with all the brethren on environmental and political issues, but I can appreciate that. I tried to listen and be respectful of their points of view and understand them. I appreciate where they are coming from.

What did you think about the now-abandoned policy of not allowing the children of same-sex parents to be baptized?

I was surprised by the policy and was quite delighted when it was reversed. … I thought it was unnecessary, and I think it caused unnecessary hurt during the time it was in place. I was pleased to see President Russell M. Nelson revoke it.

How do you feel about the way the church addresses LGBTQ issues?

The church is trying. I’ve been really pleased with President Dallin Oaks’ and others’ efforts to try to find common ground. That’s why this recent action they took with regard to [transgender individuals in] the [General] Handbook seemed a little off, based on what they have been trying to do.

It’s a very difficult place for them to be. President Oaks continues to talk about gays in his General Conference talks. It’s as if he wants to draw a bright line that this is the way it is and there is not going to be a relaxing of that policy. It seems to me, that is what he’s trying [to articulate].

I have two gay granddaughters who have left the church. It causes me great sadness that we don’t have a place for everyone. They feel like there is nothing there for them.

How does environmentalism inform your faith?

We are given this beautiful planet upon which to live. As simple as I can state it, we should take care of it. We ought to make it a better place than when we came. We have to leave it in better shape, and we’re not doing that.

[klaipeda-witness]

Baselessly speculating about the implications of Lower Decks S5E9 Fissure Quest (spoilers obvsly)

Hearing Garak and Bashir's voices again saying new lines gave me a hit of serotonin that I'm gonna be surfing on for weeks. Alexander Siddig and Andrew Robinson both extremely still have the juice.

Garak hiding in the conduit in the wall is a callback to him having to go into the wall in the internment camp in By Inferno's Light, no? Crying screaming throwing up etc

Hologram Bashir a) exists and b) has a mobile emitter, meaning that he's from a universe where Bashir's secret was never exposed (or one where they have a more welcoming attitude towards the genetically enhanced?) but where Bashir was otherwise exactly the same, and either ended up as the medical hologram on Voyager or I guess they managed to make copies of the mobile emitter after Voyager got back to earth? (I actually haven't finished all of Voyager yet sorry :') )

How the fuck did Garak end up as a Star Fleet doctor. The things he says indicate that DS9 is otherwise the same, how did that even happen lol. How do you pick up surgery as an exiled spy and then get inducted into Star Fleet. And you might say hey, maybe he joined Star Fleet after he ended up in the multiverse, but the Harry Kims are all dressed like they were the day they got gabonked onto the ship! I think he came there dressed like that!! I love it though

And was he therefore a Star Fleet doctor on DS9??? Unfortunate place to station the federation's only cardassian doctor lol. And was Bashir still the CMO?? Is Bashir dead in Dr Garak's universe and so when the Bashir medical hologram showed up in the multiverse, Garak had a second chance to be with the person that he is cosmically tied to across all universes? And the hologram Bashir presumably didn't know who Garak was when they first met!!! Could someone please write a fic of that where Garak realises he gets the second chance he never thought was possible?

Actually, here's my theory as to how alt Garak could end up in Star Fleet: He asked Worf to sponsor his application to Star Fleet to fuck with him like he does in In Purgatory's Shadow but their universe's Worf was like "Okay"

Dr Garak is also a sweetie, I liked it when he was like "these Harry Kims are stronger than they look! He'll be fine". Sweetie behaviour.

"You do know I would follow you to any reality" I don't think I will ever recover

They kissed on the mouth for real

I love engineer Mariner, I hope she comes back for the finale.

Curzon!!!!! Curzon was there and he was a klingon weaboo!!!! That's how you know he was the real deal

There was the correct amount of Harry Kims on that ship. He's just a little guy

Garak seems like he would be good at racketball doesn't he. I think so at least

Such a good LD episode, can they please uncancel the show, my god. We need like 3 more seasons.

[transgenderer]

Michael the Archangel barely shows up in the Bible itself, most information about him comes from sacred tradition. The Catholic Church specifically really reveres him (as Saint Michael, of course). Restorationist Christians tried to come up with alternate theories for who Michael is. Michael means “who is like God,” usually interpreted as a rhetorical question (nobody is like God). In Catholic sacred tradition, St Michael threw Lucifer out of Heaven when he rebelled, and yelled “who is like God?” as he did.

Jehovahs Witnesses are Arians, believing that Jesus is not the eternal God but the first creation. The Son is not co-eternal in Jehovah’s Witness theology. This requires a significant rereading of John 1, which says “the word was God.” They say it’s “the word was a god,” and then say the Bible doesn’t teach multiple gods, but rather that it uses language like this to say Jesus is like God. Since Michael also means “who is like God,” and all we know of him is that he leads the heavenly host of angels to fight Satan, they say that Michael is the name of Jesus in Heaven.

Mormons say Michael is the name of Adam in heaven, because Adam became a god after he died. Fundamentalist Mormon views on Michael are crazier. The gospel of Luke has a genealogy that goes in reverse, beginning with Jesus and ending with Adam and then God. “Jesus, the son of Joseph… the son of Adam, the son of God.” Typically, Christians interpret that last line allegorically, Adam is the son of God because he didn’t really have a father, and was created by God’s hand. Brigham Young said that this verse is giving Adam the title “Son of God,” the same title Jesus has. Adam, in their view, is an incarnate God. He’s actually the God who formed the earth, becoming human by eating the forbidden fruit. After his death, he returned to being the God the Father, Michael, in heaven with his wife Eve. Adam returned to earth later to have sex with the Virgin Mary, becoming Jesus’ literal biological father. When Jesus refers to the Father, that refers to Adam. This is called the Adam-God doctrine and it used to be taught in Mormon endowment ceremonies, but it was later removed and repudiated by the LDS church.

woah this is awesome. mormons might be the only people having fun with modern abrahamic religion

[kurithedweeb]

Okay SO, I think it was @al-ld who made the post about feeling like Xavier was retconned into being Esmund because the Jury of Nine is under O'khasis control if not directly under a Ro'Meave who are regarded as Esmund's bloodline, but I had the thought of what if they were both Ro'Meaves and then it turned into rewrite canon so I'm inflicting it on y'all too.

What if Esmund and Xavier were brothers, what if they were twins? They did everything together, they were close as could be. They became guards together and planned that if either of them ever ended up having to become Lord in the event their older sibling the heir died, they would do that together too. And then Irene came into the picture.

They both loved her. And Esmund was chosen as a Divine Warrior, and Xavier who had served at Irene's side as her personal guard, maybe even her head guard, was somehow left behind. 

The distance gave Xavier clarity. He loved her, yes, but he could see the way she was around Shad and quickly came to realize that she would never feel towards him what he felt towards her, and even if she did she would long outlive him on account of her seeming immortality, but maybe he could still protect her the way he once had after death. He went home to O'khasis, instituted the first guard academy there and the Jury of Nine, which he led and which followed the Divine Warriors on their later adventures as they went on their quest to save the world. Maybe he and Esmund get back to how they once were. During the separation, he became known as the Admirer because he admired both Irene and his brother from afar. 

In the meantime, Esmund followed in Irene's footsteps. He only looked back when he realized his brother was far behind, no longer following where Esmund led the way he always had before, and this spurs doubts about his position in the Divine Warriors. Did he do the right thing getting so close? Is it worth it when the one person who has been at his side his entire life, who he had always planned spending the rest of his life alongside, was gone? He followed Irene because he loved her, but it takes a lot longer for him to realize what Xavier had, and once he does the realization makes him feel like he had left his brother behind for nothing despite his work as the Protector, because she didn't love him either and even if she did he knew he couldn't make himself admit his feelings for her. So he sat and stewed in all these feelings, wondering whether he should leave for home, if they would be able to complete the mission they had set out to complete without him, and the guilt eats him up inside. 

Then Xavier shows back up with the Jury in tow. Esmund realizes that his brother has had an entire life without him while he was away. 

He made an institution that would outlive them all, he moved on, he's married with a kid on the way and Esmund was so far out of reach that this is the first he's hearing of it. They catch up, they talk about everything they should have years ago, and Xavier has to leave before the final battle when news reaches them that the heir of O'khasis, their older sister’s only child, is dead. Someone has to be the heir, someone has to put the Lord back together again, and Esmund is too important to the mission. 

This is when he realizes that this entire time, Xavier was the one leaving him behind and now he will never catch up. But he can protect Irene, something Xavier dedicated a massive chunk of his life to, and so he became Irene's guard in his brother's stead and remained so until the so-called betrayal' of Shad, a man he had come to think of as a brother too, and afterwards he went home to O'khasis to be with Xavier again. 

Further down the line, Esmund returns to Divine Warriors business but helps run the guard academy and Jury of Nine, and when their older sister dies the twins rule O'khasis as the only duo of Lords in known history. Esmund never married, his heart belonging solely to Irene, and so never had any children and when Xavier died his children became the heirs, beginning the modern Ro'Meave line. Esmund rules alone for a number of years, taking care of Xavier's family, the guard academy, the Jury, and holds O'khasis to the ideals of the woman he once loved, which turns O'khasis into the religious powerhouse it is today. When Esmund dies, his relic gets passed down to Xavier's children, eventually making it all the way down to Garroth and Zane, which makes anyone not in the know about Xavier believe that the Ro'Meaves are Esmund's direct descendants.

[goodoldfashionedengineer]

I like analysing shit.

I like Red Hood: Lost Days

So I am going to analyse some of it.

To start with, lets look at the titles of the issues.

#1: The First Step

#2: Baptism

#3: School

#4: Higher Learning

#5: After School Activities

#6: Benediction and Commencement

What immediately strikes me is how all of these are relevant to the issue AND as a whole. They are describing a life fresh from birth to how that life progresses until graduation. Extremely important when considering that this is basically Jason's second life. He died and now he is "reborn" after being put into the Lazarus pit.

The First Step: The fact that the title name was on the page in which Jason was pushed into the Pit lets me believe that this IS the first step, as Red Hood: Lost Days explains the time between him being found by Talia to him becoming Red Hood. This is the first step in him becoming the Red Hood.

Baptism: Not exactly clear as to what "Baptism" is referring to here. I have multiple ideas. First, there is the possibility that it is a continuation of the last issue, as that issue ended with Jason being pushed into the pit and in religious baptisms, water is usually connected to it as the person being baptized is getting water poured onto their head. But it could also mean a non-religious baptism as in he is starting a new role. He finally gets to train with a clear mind and can properly start his journey.

Issue #3-#5 are relatively similar, all him explaining his training and stopping the evil schemes his teachers are involved with.

Benediction and Commencement: Commencement, he has completed his training or "graduated" if you take the school aspect into account from issue 3 to 5. Benediction, he gets his blessings from Talia to finally confront Bruce after stalling him so long. Commencement, "the beginning of something new". The issue ends with him picking up the Red Hood helmet, before that, he met up with Hush. The beginning of the Red Hood.

Next I want to focus a bit on religious imagery. I am not a big fan of it in general, but considering that words like "Baptism" and "Benediction" are in the titles, it is note-worthy. If it is something you're uncomfortable with, feel free to skip this section

I have seen people make the point that this cover:

Has similarities to pictures of Mary holding a dead Jesus.

And now that I think about it more, I can see why and they are pretty good stand-ins.

Jason came back from the dead, like Jesus.

Talia found Jason after he came back. She considers it a miracle. Like fate WANTS Jason to live. He wandered into her life. She isn't so much as interfering with fate, as stepping out of its way.

And then you have this page:

Jason as he has his arms spread wide, legs forming almost a straight line. Similar to Jesus on the cross.

The Lazarus pit isn't green. It's orange and yellow. It shines so bright. Ra's says it burns in his heart. He tells Talia it could turn Jason mad in a few months, years or decades. That she has unleashed a curse. A pestilence. Pestilence being one of the for Horsemen of the Apocalypse. And so, the Lazarus Pit becomes a symbol for Hell.

The fact that Jason and Talia are more distorted versions of the religious figures they could represent becomes more prominent as the story goes on. In the bible, Jesus goes back to Heaven to rejoin with his Father. In this story, Talia is told and knows that she should return Jason to Bruce. But she doesn't. Because Jason will see it as betrayal and he wouldn't forgive her for that.

My last and favourite point is how RH: LD is the perfect set up to Under the Red Hood.

Jason explains how it isn't about the Joker. Or Bruce. Or him. It's about the three of them.

Bruce was supposed to protect him.

Joker killed him.

Bruce didn't avenge him.

He tried to kill both of them only to NOT do it and walk away.

Jason died away from Gotham in Ethiopia, but not before being beaten with a crowbar, the building he was in having exploded and then asphyxiating due to the smoke.

Jason almost killed the Joker by setting him on fire. (Explosion)

He initially wanted to do it in another location. (Ethiopia)

He wanted to do it slowly. (Crowbar)

Jason says when the pain would hit the Joker, he would scream. Until it hit his throat. His lungs. (Asphyxiating)

He is reliving his own death. He wants his murderer to go through the agony he did. An eye for an eye one could say.

"Reliving his own death" is an objective statement here, as Jason sees the Joker swinging a crowbar that is dripping with his own blood while at the same time also standing right above the Joker, who is drenched in gasoline.

Now I want you to compare these two scenes. This is when he was about to kill the Joker:

The panels switch between Jason and the firelighter, present Joker and past Joker. The firelighter, the device that would end the Joker's life, comes more and more into the focus. Until he disengages it on the last panel.

Now to the second scene, when Jason planted a bomb under the Batmobile and was about to detonate it.

The panels switch between Batman and Jason. Jason is hovering over the detonater. Until he pulls away.

When Jason explained to Talia why he walked away from the Joker, he said that it wasn't enough. It was only ever about the three of them, not just Joker. His plan doesn't include murdering Batman anymore.

But the reason Jason gave Talia why he didn't kill Bruce? "I couldn't let him get off so easy. He'd never know what happened. He'd never know knwo why. He'd never know it was me." One could wonder if we are supposed to see this as a parallel as well. If we should apply this reasoning of why he didn't kill Bruce to why he didn't kill Joker.

The Joker would never know why Jason killed him. He doesn't even know that it IS Jason who is about to murder him.

And while is plan doesn't include killing Bruce anymore. Nobody said anything about the Joker.

As I said, perfect setup to Under the Red Hood.

[baileys-writing-desk]

Snuggle time with Lanayru

In which the entire chain falls asleep on Lanayru.

AO3

Traveling through a portal has always been an unsettling experience for Hyrule. And after the group’s tough battle with black-blooded moblins, this one has been no different, if not worse. A wave of dizziness courses through the traveler as he passes through.

But when he drops to his hands and knees on the grass, a sense of familiarity hits him. He knows this place. Almost like…

Wait!

The buzzing of the LD-301 robots alert him, and he perks his head up, trying to blink the fog away. Lying some distance in front of him is—

“Lanayru?!”

Hyrule’s heart skips a beat upon seeing his beloved dragon companion, and the adrenaline soon takes over as he jogs forward. Lanayru is lying on his back, eyes closed, with hands by his sides. His breathing is deep and even. He’s asleep.

The rest of the chain is slow to follow, from weariness Hyrule presumes. But he only turns to look briefly before he’s already at Lanayru’s side, gently stroking the old dragon’s beard with one hand.

“Oh, I missed you so much,” he whispers, hesitant at first to wake Lanayru in the night. Glancing at the dragon’s belly, an idea dawns on him. He’s slept up there before, letting the rise and fall of Lanayru’s breathing lull him to sleep. There is plenty of room for them all…

“I…I hope you don’t mind, but we’re very tired—“

“Rulie.” Sky’s soft voice interrupts him. The others have caught up. Hyrule turns to see them standing close by, an incredibly exhausted Sky at the front. “You can…*yawn*…stay here, we’ll set up camp.”

Hyrule shakes his head. “No, you’re not going anywhere.” He gestures at the Thunder Dragon’s sleeping form. “I got a better place for us tonight.”

“But…”

“Nuh-uh. You look dead on your feet. It’ll be much easier this way, watch me.”

A few murmurs are heard from among the group, but the excited traveler ignores them. He carefully boosts himself up onto Lanayru’s limp hand, nudging the palm with one foot in an attempt to rouse him. The dragon doesn’t stir, and Hyrule glances back at the Chain with a shrug.

“Well…we can’t get on his belly unless he’s awake to help us.” The traveler sighs. “It’s too high up.”

But Wind’s eyes go wide. “Wait, I got an idea!” He turns around and starts running toward the dragon’s lower body. Hyrule watches the sailor as he finally reaches the end of the dragon’s tail, nearly disappearing among the white cloud-like substance swirling around it.

The small speck of Wind climbs up onto the tail and runs across Lanayru’s body, coming into full view again. “Ta-da!”

“Woah, you’re a fucking genius!” exclaims Legend, throwing his hands up. He’s quickly followed by a stern “Legend. Language,” from Time. The vet scoffs in annoyance, and Hyrule chuckles.

Wind settles down on the old dragon’s large belly, watching the gentle blue light travel down in lines, almost in rhythm with Lanayru’s deep breathing. Rulie, meanwhile, turns his focus to how the fuck this commotion hasn’t woken the Thunder Dragon.

“Lanayru?” he asks, raising his voice. “Wake up, sleepyhead. It’s me, Rulie!”

No response. Hyrule sighs again, listening to the others’ conversing voices, and turns back to face them. Four, Legend, Sky, Twilight, and Wild are all following Wind’s lead up the dragon’s tail. As they get closer he can see the deep circles under all their eyes, especially Sky’s. The poor Skyloftian looks like he could pass out right on the spot.

Time and Wars remain on the ground, and Hyrule pouts at them playfully. “Come on, you two! Don’t be so stubborn. Get up there.”

“Hyrule, don’t you think we should set up camp or…” The old man gestures to the large clearing around them.

“No. This is our camp.”

“On a dragon’s belly??”

“Time.” Hyrule pleads. “We’re staying here.” He briefly glances at the rest of the Chain, all cuddling up amongst each other, and smiles.

Before the older Links can utter another word, a deep mumble fills the air. The hand underneath Hyrule begins to twitch, fingers curling slightly. He’s awake! He readies himself to jump off, but Lanayru groans and soon the traveler is being lifted up. Hyrule yelps and wraps his arms around one of the dragon’s ringed fingers for dear life.

“Lanayru, no!” he whisper-shouts as his back comes in contact with someone’s head. The dragon seems to notice the movement of heroes on his belly and is now trying to touch them. “Shh…they’re sleeping,” he continues, as if a half-asleep Lanayru could actually hear him. “Don’t move.”

“Mmmngh…wha…?” The Thunder Dragon moves his hand up to touch his face. Hyrule flies through the air, the breeze blowing his hair every which way, and he can’t help but chuckle.

The slight curling of Lanayru’s fingers causes the traveler to lose his grip, and he yelps as he lands right on the dragon’s face, near his nose and beard. Lanayru grunts in confusion, and Hyrule giggles again. Large bleary eyes flutter open, searching for whatever just hit his face.

“Hey there, it’s me! Sorry to wake you like this.” He taps Lanayru’s nose insistently, and the hand finds him again, feeling around his fluffy hair and slim body.

“…Rulie?” the dragon mutters, the thunderous voice still hurting the small Hylian’s ears.

“Yes!” Hyrule smiles. “Don’t try to get up…we’re, uh—sleeping. On you.”

“Huh?” Lanayru, clearly still groggy from sleep, wraps his hand around the traveler and holds him up. “Where did you…”

“We just got here. Shh…I’ll explain in the morning, alright? You can go back to sleep.”

Lanayru raises an eyebrow, taking a second to look Rulie up and down. His eyes are still heavy, and he lets out a long, tired yawn. The traveler soon does the same.

“You…look worse for wear,” mutters Lanayru.

Hyrule scoffs teasingly. “So do you.”

He hears noises behind him, of a few Links snoring soundly, and new footsteps joining the cuddle pile. It seems as if Time and Wars finally gave in.

“Rulie, I can’t believe I’m doing this.” Time’s voice sounds slightly annoyed. “Ugh…” The old man yawns as well, and Hyrule can hear the shuffling of armor as he settles down.

Lanayru is careful to not get up and rouse the group, but he slowly lifts his head enough to take a look. He chuckles quietly.

“Oh-ho ho, I see. You’ve made yourselves at home.”

Time whisper-shouts from behind, apparently aimed for the dragon. “He forced me to.”

“I did not!” Oops. That was a bit too loud. Hyrule grins sheepishly, for only Lanayru to see. “Don’t listen to him, he’s just stubborn.”

“I heard that.”

Hyrule rolls his eyes playfully, bummed that his back is still to the others as the Thunder Dragon holds him. Lanayru sighs, lowering his head back down.

“Ah, Rulie…” He blinks with tired eyes. “I missed you, boy. We’ll talk in the morning, ok?”

“Ok.” The traveler nods, smiling as his own fatigue catches up to him. “Just put me on your belly. With the others.”

“I figured. Sleep well, Rulie.”

He’s moving again, away from Lanayru’s face and over to the others. The dragon still grips him tight, as he hovers in the air face-down to finally see the pile of sleeping Links below.

They’re all huddled together. Well, for the most part. Time and Wars lie about an arm’s length from the rest, clearly valuing their individual space. The old man is still awake, but he’s closed his eye, the exhaustion having finally gotten to him. Hyrule smiles at Four’s head nestled in the crook of Legend’s arm, at Wild curled up in a ball and Twilight using his long hair as a pillow, at Wind’s hands resting on Sky’s wrists as they face each other. He floats over them all, moving as Lanayru is hesitant to release him, but there is plenty of free room behind the Skyloftian.

“Right here is good,” he whispers, using a free hand to nudge the clawed fingers wrapping around him. And then he’s slowly lowered down, lying on his stomach as the grip releases. With a grunt, he rolls over onto his side and scootches in, snuggled next to Wind and Sky.

The adrenaline from his excitement is wearing off, and he struggles to keep his eyes open. With the warmth of the soft Sailcloth on Sky’s back to curl into, and the gentle rise and fall of Lanayru’s breathing below him, he slowly begins to drift off into a peaceful sleep.

[yashiro-arisugawa]

Just read Zayne's Medic of the Arctic and Dawnbreaker anecdotes and I can't play this game the same way ever again 💔🥲

They're just so damn cruel the tears won't stop. I need to know who came up with the LDS plot cuz they're insane with their imagination.

But one thing is constant in all the Zaynes across timelines. And it's that he's immensely kind.

I have a loose structure of the time lines in my head. It's not accurate ofc since getting a complete understanding of the LDS lore will take a while. ( It's literally just 6 months since the game released, and I still have a lot of memories/ audios left to hear. I haven't started with the other LIs yet either but I will eventually get to them). I really want to get to the bottom of everything and know how all the threads between mc and the boys tie up together in a knot but I still don't want LDS to end.

The loose structure of Zayne's timelines the way I see it:

Forseer (Philos, could be past/ coexisting with earth time-space)

↓

Medic of the arctic (earth, before meeting mc)

↓

Linkon Doctor (earth, current Zayne that we make memories with)

↓

Dawnbreaker (earth, parallel future/ coexisting with linkon doctor)

The thing in Dawnbreaker is slightly complicated cuz they're definitely still on earth but the interesting part is that it reminds me of the Fountain of Atei Project. Maybe the Ever group intervened too much. In Atei, they're trying to implant human consciousness into wanderers and protocore into humans so maybe this went out of control and the genes changed, turning a lot of humans into wanderers and it eventually destroyed linkon city and the earth. So now in a parallel universe branch where mc and earth couldn't "wake up", linkon city is a thing of the past and now Dawnbreaker lives in that destroyed world.

Also hit my pretty bad when I understood that Dawnbreaker dreams of Linkon Zayne and Medic of the Arctic dreams of Dawnbreaker killing Georgie.

(so everytime we get frisky and annoy him in Destiny Cafe, play kitty cards, catch plushies and make memories/ bonds, Dawnbreaker sees that and longs to feel the warmth of this world) 🥲🥲🥲

Medic of the Arctic first dreamt of killing many people = all the Abominations he killed,

Then next dream is him killing Georgie, means the people/ content of the dreams changes ever so slightly based on what the other time-space Zayne is doing🥲

>> I think mc was able to see Dawnbreaker/ all the Zaynes being able to see dreams of mc and each other is because of the "consciousness energy" that is left behind in the Deepspace tunnel that was recently mentioned in the interview blogpost after the 2.0 version update.

[toraawa]

Why Serena Can't Hate Yuri (and What May Happen in Duel Links) Part 1

This post is a mix of analysis and speculation, with specific focus on Serena's character and the similarities between her and Yuri due to their shared upbringing at Academia, as well as specific scenes in Duel Links that clue us in on what Serena's possible perspective on Yuri is.

It's a common idea in the fandom that Serena would hate Yuri and vice versa, but a closer look at her character reveals that there isn't much support for that idea at all. In short, it's OOC.

There's many reasons for it that I will outline below. But for one, if Serena hated Yuri, it would make her a massive hypocrite.

Before Serena betrayed Academia, she was willing to attack any and all people who used Xyz summoning. She had no qualms about hurting people as long as she got what she wanted and believed it was right. As we all know, her motivation was carding the Xyz remnants so Leo could recognize her abilities. This resulted in her carding Hokuto (and most likely other LDS students as well) and waving the card in a mocking gesture. Very Yuri-esque behavior.

There is also her duel with Dennis, which portrays how Serena's self-certainty and arrogance was so strong that she refuses to listen when Dennis says he is not an Xyz remnant. Even after she realizes he wasn't who she is looking for, she is dismissive of the fact that she could have hurt someone uninvolved with the conflict. This Serena would most likely brush it off as collateral damage if she did end up carding him.

(Interestingly enough, even though it's implied that Reiji brushed Hokuto's carding under the rug, Serena is never shown to reflect on the mistake even after meeting Shun. But that's for another day LOL.)

Serena, like Yuri, was generally arrogant and overconfident in her abilities, and saw herself as superior to all other duelists. Her desire to be recognized was a selfish one, even if it was so she could be useful to Academia's goals that she thought were honorable and just. That's how Academia's culture is—constantly proving that you're better than everyone else so you can climb the hierarchy. But a large part of Serena's character is introspection. She reflects on her past mistakes, and realizes the horrible things she did in the name of Academia—and her own pride/ego.

I believe that with the amount of self-reflection Serena does in Arc-V, it's only inevitable that Serena compare herself, or her past self, rather, with Yuri. All the reflection of everything she has done and what has happened to her probably makes Serena think that Yuri is the person she could've become had Leo given her what she wanted. A fate she escaped, in other words.

Of course, there is also Serena's horror at what Academia did to Xyz, which most likely still would have rocked her core even if she did achieve her dream of fighting on the front lines. She wanted to fight honorably, and is disgusted at her former peers for treating it like a "hunting game". This contrasts with Yuri, who is shown to not care at all about all the innocents carded in Xyz. But when it comes to hurting others for selfish gain, both Serena and Yuri have shown to be very capable of it, and to be bad people in general.

It's all about conditioning. Serena, a kind and compassionate person at heart, was able to be conditioned to feel superiority and arrogance and attack anyone to impress Leo, which she thought was wholly justified. Just about everyone in Academia is conditioned to be bad, though it's interesting how some are more susceptible than others (a poignant point in real life as well). What is it that makes some people more willing to engage in the "hunting game" and take glee in dominating others, like Sora, and some people horrified at the behavior of their peers, like Serena, Asuka, and the girl she tried to help escape? Is it being entrenched in that part of Academia's culture enough? A willingness to abandon one's humanity because they think there is nothing else for them? Or is it a desire to prove something?

Which then brings up the point of Yuri's own conditioning, and how it parallels Serena's.

I know a lot of people in the fandom think Yuri was completely bluffing here, and while I agree he was pretending to be swayed by Asuka's words, I do think his upset and grief was genuine. Otherwise, they probably wouldn't have shown flashbacks of his childhood. This scene is from Yuri's point of view, after all!

We know little of how Serena was as a small child, other than she was constantly frustrated with Leo's treatment of her and wanted to prove herself to him, but Yuri's childhood more clearly shows how Leo got through to him. Yuri didn't start out as a bad person at all—he actually seems good, as all the Yu-boys are without Zarc, but his conflict was that everyone hated/feared him for being too strong (It can safely be assumed that it was Starving Venom in particular, or Zarc's benign influence). He was confused that someone like Asuka could be simultaneously strong and well liked, and was envious of her. At this point, all Yuri wanted was to duel others and have fun defeating them... and hopefully make a friend out of it.

It's obvious, but Leo finding him in the midst of his isolation was the perfect way to manipulate him. Yuri immediately idolized Leo for reaching out to him, and thus accepted carding people with no second thought because of it. There were no questions asked; Yuri embraced it immediately, just like how Serena embraced carding her own opponents and fighting the other dimensions to create Leo's "utopia". Both Yuri and Serena only cared about pleasing Leo at first.

(Interestingly, in the English dub, Yuri screams that Leo ruined his life and he was too blind to realize it).

This devotion to Leo obviously falls apart for Yuri later, and I'll get to that. But there is something very striking about these lines in Duel Links that encapsulates Serena and Yuri's conditioning by Leo perfectly, and just how much pain and self-deprecation Serena's hindsight brings her personally:

Serena and Yuri never, ever, ask any questions.

Ever.

I mean, every time someone in Arc-V demands for Yuri to tell them why he's kidnapping the girls, he doesn't bother with thinking about it. As long as it's an order from the Professor, Yuri will obey without question. And Serena tells Yuzu that Leo's words are absolute in Academia; she believes in a utopia with united dimensions because it's Leo's idea. No questions asked.

They just don't bother with thinking.

Yet another similarity between Serena and Yuri's conditioning is that they do make way for their own pursuits outside of Leo's orders. Yuri does everything he does because Leo tells him to, but his more central goal is deriving pleasure and excitement from chasing the girls and carding whoever else. Serena goes so far as to directly disobey Leo, but it's only because she thinks he's making a mistake in not recognizing her ability—she harms her loyalty to become more loyal, in a sense. Though Serena wants to be helpful to Leo's goals, boosting her pride and sense of superiority is her more underlying central goal. It's the same with Sora and Dennis, too. They follow orders without question, but they were both more interested in other things: the hunting game for Sora, and entertainment for Dennis.

Academia's culture not only cultivates absolute, unquestioning loyalty to Leo, but also a huge ego fest in which everyone wants to be superior. They're never given the opportunity to do much else. Serena says so herself in Duel Links, when Yuzu is sad upon her saying that no one was waiting for her to come back.

In Japanese, Serena says it's because she was under house arrest in Academia since she was little. Either way, both versions convey that there is only so much you can do at Academia but fall in line with the paths they paint for you. This is doubly so for Yuri and Serena, who had special circumstances.

With all this in mind, it's clear that Serena understands very well how Academia conditioning works. How it can transform you into a bad person who only sees one way of life, and how Leo can make your worth revolve around him. Serena despises Academia and is hostile towards everyone affiliated with it, but that doesn't erase her understanding of these things. She's extremely familiar with how easy it is to embrace something bad with no questions asked, under the pretext of impressing Leo or believing it's good.

To allow herself to recognize the manipulation she was subject to and how it made her capable of terrible actions and not extend the same understanding to Yuri (or anyone else from Academia) would be very hypocritical. It would be a different set of rules for her and a different set of rules for others, in short, and I don't think Serena would stand by that. She believes strongly in fairness and integrity.

If Serena were to hate Yuri, who exhibits very similar behavior as she used to, she would have to hate herself too.

The limited paths Serena and Yuri have been subject to their whole lives paints yet another close parallel between them.

Serena learns the truth about Academia from Yuzu and Shun, and eagerly takes the path that leads towards the light. She's surrounded by people willing to give her a second chance and prove herself. Yuri knows nothing except how to win duels and please Leo, and when he stops caring about the latter, he only sees a path into the darkness. Everything Yuri does at this point is a means to an end. He's going to card everyone, keep satisfying himself, let himself be absorbed and resurrect Zarc, and die. This is all there is to him; there's nothing else anymore, because Yuri is incapable of having faith in any other possibility, or in any other version of himself. He doesn't understand them. It's how it's been for as long as he can remember; why would it change?

It's never explained why Yuri suddenly stopped caring about Leo (maybe because the Arc Area Project was pretty much complete and he saw no use for Yuri anymore), but I find it really interesting how surprised Leo is when Yuri says he doesn't care about making him happy anymore. It shows that Leo genuinely believed Yuri would always be wrapped around his finger. His manipulation over Yuri is much more severe than Serena.

Perhaps there was a chance for him to escape Academia like Serena did, and Yuri briefly considers it right before the flashback, but that's impossible when he sees nothing else but what's in front of him. With Zarc's influence in full strength, Yuri thinks carding and satisfying himself is all there is. That it's all he is. Ironically, Yuri's reducing himself to what exactly Leo made him: a carding machine. Except this time, it's on his terms (like that makes it any better, because it doesn't).

What is most ironic about the paths Serena and Yuri take is that Serena goes from bad to good—an arrogant, selfish soldier with no qualms about hurting uninvolved people in the crossfire to a more compassionate fighter for justice, while Yuri goes from good to bad—a child who only saw joy and fun in dueling to a heartless attack dog. Who Yuri used to be is highly reminiscent of Yuya, who only wants to entertain and connect with people through duels, and it is that very quality that Serena eventually learns to enjoy for herself. Basically, what Yuri lost is what Serena gains, and what Serena lost is what Yuri gains.

Either way, they were both majorly screwed up by Academia and Leo.

There's definitely more analysis that can be done regarding Serena and Yuri and Yuri's character as a whole (who is unfortunately seen as one-dimensional and any further insight is even shunned by some), but with that foundation established, let's focus more on Serena's possible perspective on Yuri.

I'm running out of picture space, so part 2 continues here.

[callisto42]

A moderately qualified analysis and critique of Heretic (the 2024 horror movie) as a former sister missionary

so I saw the movie last night with a nonmormon friend who enjoyed it. I also enjoyed it, but felt like it didn't quite stick the landing, I didn't feel satisfied. He asked what I would've done differently to fix the ending, and I didn't have an answer at the time but I've thought it through and wanted to share my thoughts to all 5 of my active followers (sorry guys)

spoilers below the cut:

So the first half of the movie sets up the second half - building tension, as Mr. Reed asks increasingly uncomfortable questions about Mormon history and points out ugly facts about Joseph Smith and polygamy. The second half has the sisters descending into multiple levels of metaphorical hell, it would seem, but I think each stage represents a different missionary lesson - but turned on its head.

The first LDS missionary lesson is about the Restoration of God's true church. As a missionary, you emphasize God's pattern of calling prophets to restore that population to righteousness. Eventually they return to their ungodly, apostate ways, and the cycle begins again. This is a pattern that investigators need to understand in order to have context for Joseph Smith - accepting that an uneducated 19th century farmboy saw God is a little harder to swallow otherwise. But in the pattern of calling prophets, it makes sense. So Mr. Reed flips this - his first lesson, in his pseudo chapel, is that there are patterns of saviors - miraculous births, disciples, miracles, rising from the dead after betrayal and murder. Again, patterns of stories of chosen ones

The second LDS lesson is about the Plan of Salvation. Why are we here? Did we exist before this life? What happens after? Where do we go? We see this echoed in the basement with the false miracle of the woman coming back to life and describing the afterlife. Mr. Reed even starts drawing circles and lines on a table, which is how missionaries draw diagrams of the road map of existence, although Mr. Reed was off script here, this wasn't planned.

The third missionary lesson is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. What do we need to do? What is the main message of Christ? Have faith, repent, be changed by the Atonement. This parallel is a little weaker here, but Mr. Reed, in the room with caged victims, reveals his gospel, the gospel of control, to Sister Paxton.

I think the parallels here are probably intentional, but in the second half of the movie, Mr. Reed pivots from picking at mormonism to attacking all religions as derivative and controlling. I think a stronger plot would be to keep him focused on psychologically terrorizing sister missionaries by taking their lessons and teaching them back, but twisted and cruel. It seems more in character for Mr. Reed to act like that - he'd want to pull their strings and watch them realize what he was doing. He was flat out giddy when he realized Sister Paxton was on to him.

So how should the film end? In real life, the missionaries ask you to get baptized and join the Mormon church. In the movie, Mr. Reed asks Sister Paxton if she's figured out the one true religion. It's a similar question, and while "this religion is true" is implied by missionaries asking you to be baptized, it's a request for you to take action. Mr. Reed, in turn, should have asked Sister Paxton to decide between killing herself (her choice) or to get in the cage (accepting his religion). However, as Sister Barnes points out earlier in the film, there's a whole spectrum between "belief" and "disbelief" that Mr. Reed ignores. He read them a Hinckley quote earlier that positions the church as either completely true or completely false; but he himself presents his idea of religion as an absolute truth too. In choosing to kill him, Sister Paxton would have rejected both the church's and Mr. Reed's ideas of forcing her into harsh binary options.

(I also would have liked both sisters to survive. I was a missionary who had to deal with creepy, dangerous men regularly; but also I wanted one final conversation between the two as they escaped, as a fitting bookend for how the movie started.)

[justlarkin]

How much of Kagutsuchi's past does he even remember? He obviously remembers what he did to his mother and how his father disowned him since that's his entire reason for training, but he never pulls the sibling card like Ebisu.

His C4 line is crazy. Izanami loved him so much and Izanagi just tossed him away like garbage for something he had no control of.

"I still regret my own immaturity when I remember that scene. Even as she was being burnt, my mother smiled and hugged me... I will live the rest of my life with that regret."

He even calls out for his mother in his LD line and his father in his W line. "Father, I'm sorry... Kagutsuchi, in the end, turned out useless..."

He's just a baby.