#( META / CALL. )

[bluerosefox]

Stellar Collisions

Back at it again with a DPxDC prompt.

It does have deaged Dani (Ellie)

Only this time its KonxDanny idea!~

Supernova, Kon's new hero name since Jon took over the Superboy name now, wasn't expecting to be called out to... especially in the sky... by another floating/flying person and-

WOW

They were cute as heck.

Glowing green eyes, and white hair, a bit shorter than him. He was floating in the air with a soft glow around himself as well.

And he was holding a white haired, very similar looking toddler in his arms, only the toddler had longer hair that was tied in pigtails. And the toddler was staring at Kon with large, almost sparkling eyes.

The young man, around Kon's age if he guessed, smiled and floated a bit closer, his face friendly and warm. When the young man stopped he kindly asked "Hey, would it be any trouble for you to autograph something for my daughter? She's a huge fan!"

[fantastic-nonsense]

fun fact: today most people probably think that calling the nameless protagonist of a Beauty and the Beast adaptation 'Belle' comes from the Disney movie, but it actually happens because the 1946 movie by Jean Cocteau was so beloved and influential everyone else just carried it forward

[raindrops-on-concrete]

Hua Cheng wearing wedding colours, Xie Lian wearing funeral colours

Hua Cheng's spiritual weapon being forged in a last desperate attempt to stay alive, Xie Lian's spiritual weapon being forged in a futile attempt to die

Hua Cheng who is dead and has died three times clinging to life with everything he has to the point where he became one of the most powerful ghosts in the world, Xie Lian who is immortal and literally can not die trying to kill himself and being self-sacrificing

Hua Cheng who loves life choosing to die for Xie Lian, Xie Lian who wants to die choosing to live for Hua Cheng (live as in actually enjoy living as opposed to being idle and suffering)

[exfil]

always so fascinating to me that while none of the 141 ever directly disobey orders they do show insubordination by talking back but all in different ways.

while gaz shows his disagreement with sassiness (are we training right now, captain?) soap responds with rage (he's right here, you can't be serious.) while ghost mostly keeps his displeasure to himself and voices it off comms (bloody fucking hell).

but then these dynamics are so often flipped in fanworks (soap being sassy, ghost prone to anger and gaz devoted) which is so interesting and i think also because many people base their characterization of ghost and soap on the Alone mission which showcases their unique relationship rather than their usual rapport with the military hierachy and because most of the gaz back-talking happens not in the cut scenes but the actual play which is not easily accessible if you have not played cod yourself. anyway many thoughts on this

[undead-cypress]

Strohl and Hulkenberg are so funny to me as a duo. They're the exact same type of people - they NEED to pledge their life to a liege or they'll start ripping up your couch like an understimulated shepherd dog. However they go about it in polar opposite directions. (Early-game story spoilers ahead, mid-game gameplay spoilers) Hulkenberg had her life purpose taken away years back and comes to realize hyperfocusing probably isn't the optimal way to go about it, so she expands her horizons to do her duty better. Strohl had no will to live until joining the assassination plot, and then it fails so bad he resolves to hyperfocus so hard the classes he unlocks can only do one thing, critical slash damage really really well

Hulkenberg is the formal knightly one but she delights in mucking around and would rather fist fight people than think. But then she demolishes you in chess and teaches you tactics while Strohl, the familiar casual guy who's a lot more stategically minded is the one always sharpening a sword and implying if anything happened to you, seppuku may be on the table - Gallica this is so scary play encounter music - my courage has increased

It all clicked when I saw their third tier classes are paladin/dark knight and samurai. Ohhhh you guys are henchmen. You wanna be henchmen so bad. They're the exact same kinda guy but are completely baffled by everything the other guy does. They have everything in common and nothing in common. They both think they're the normal one of the group. They have completely different ideas about how to best do their jobs but they simply must beat the shit out of each other on the deck daily or else they might have to actually go to therapy. I need an early 2000s team up/roadtrip action movie with these two where Will is faking being kidnapped to draw out the bad guys but Gallica didn't tell Strohl and Hulkenberg because their bad acting would immediately give it away and they proceed to absolutely demolish the metaphorical furniture of the house of Euchronia looking for the world's most specialest lil' captain. Do you see my vision 🤌

[unicornpopcorn14]

Chuuya's reaction to Dazai getting hurt during the Lovecraft fight has always been so interesting to me...

Because it's the kind of worry you'd never expect from a character as gruff as Chuuya, who had displayed nothing but hostility towards Dazai so far. Usually, characters that are labelled as "angry" or "anger issues" (which Chuuya is much more complex than that but you get my point) act more as a tsundere type of way when the one they "don't care about" gets hurt. And show their care in very, very subtle ways (ex. their eyes widen, their mouth parts and closes again, etc) before putting up their front once more.

Chuuya, however, is open, and vocal about it. His worry is clear not only to us, but to Dazai himself, the one he shouldn't be displaying the concern to (as per the cliche). Shouldn't it be some sort of secret that Chuuya does care? Isn't that what skk's dynamic has been shaping up to be until now?

I'm telling you- the way my mind blanked when Chuuya just casually.... showed concern not once, but twice, was a sight to see.

Besides, the context makes it much more confusing, because Dazai isn't some rookie, and Chuuya knows that more than anybody. He was the youngest executive in Port Mafia's history, of course he can handle a hit or two. Of course he'd seen him handle a hit or two, sometimes without batting an eye.

Heck, Chuuya himself was hurling Dazai like a ragdoll in their reunion, which was their last meeting. And you could argue that he was going easy on him, but Dazai has mostly withstood the same damage (as far as I could see), and Chuuya was as bitter as ever.

So that kind of contradicts both what we knew of Chuuya so far, and how their dynamic was shaped to be. I mean, that just makes Chuuya a hypocrite, yeah? What makes him care now, all of a sudden? What makes him care at all?

Well, to me, this backasswards reaction implies one (or more) of the following:

- Dazai rarely got physically hurt during their partnership and thus this is an unexpected thing for him to see (during a mission).

- The four years of separation made Chuuya unsure of how much Dazai can withstand physically now. Also the fact that he isn't in the mafia anymore, aka fighting enemy organizations on the weekly, would naturally make Dazai lose his touch in a way, what prompts Chuuya's reaction.

- Dazai getting taken off guard took him off guard which led to panic. Especially since the situation was (momentarily) out of their depth. Seriously wtf even was Lovecraft?

- During the dungeon scene Dazai was an enemy, while in the Lovecraft fight he was as an ally. The difference might be significant to Chuuya.

- This has always been Chuuya's reaction to Dazai getting hurt regardless of the situation.

- "Only I can hurt him like that" ahh logic

- Asagiri was still experimenting with their dynamic and thus there are some inconsistencies.

This scenario didn't play out again (after their reunion) for me to exactly determine which one is more plausible, but it is 100% canon for Chuuya to shamelessly show his concern and run to Dazai to check on him before properly dealing with their opponent, which I find to be such an appealing layer to their dynamic, and a good spin on the type of character he gets stereotyped as.

Bonus: Dazai also becomes a softy when Chuuya's hurt, especially post corruption. Dead Apple alone displays that multiple times.

All in all, Skk are doing a terrible job at maintaining their 'hostile' and 'antagonistic' relationship post their reunion. Freaks.

[feelo-fick]

i thought the reason was obvious..??

but you dont seem to get the implication so i guess ill just keep talking and you can listen if you want to

—

that one meme but its them :] sort of a sequel to this

[fierysakura]

Aite let’s do this. Here’s my thoughts on the Jedi’s Attachment rule and why it exists:

Attachment and love/affection are two very different things. You can be loving and affectionate without being attached to someone.

The same way, letting go doesn’t mean forgetting. It’s accepting the way things are and that death and loss are a natural part of life. You can’t fight what’s natural. It also doesn’t mean to sit back and just accept things as they are, or why would Jedi fight to protect? To change things and save people?

Love is knowing to put the many over the few. If someone you love is in danger, but there’s also a boatload of civilians, it’s going for the civilians, even if you hate them, despite wanting to save the other. ie. Letting go of your feelings. Not being attached.

So why this rule is such a big deal.

For a Jedi, being *attached* poses a much bigger problem than for the average person (looking at you Anakin Skywalker.) If a normal person can go to extremes either as a result of losing someone or wanting to protect them, think of what a Jedi, who feels things more deeply because of the Force, could do if they can’t let go.

The important thing is Jedi don’t say ‘don’t love.’ They don’t say ‘feel nothing.’ In fact you often hear Obi-wan and others say to trust feelings, instincts and refer to each other affectionately.

Anakin: You’re like a father to me.

Obi-Wan: Then why don’t you *listen.*

(Episode II. Not a reprimand for calling him father-like but asking if that’s how he feels, why doesn’t Anakin listen like a son should.)

What they *do* say is don’t get carried away in positive or negative feelings, as both can lead to impulsive actions with long term consequences. It’s a concept that follows the lines of mindfulness and just being *aware* that they have so much power, they can’t afford to be reckless. Because the damage *will* be long lasting.

They say don’t love someone so much that you’ll do anything for them. They say don’t be *possessive.* Because that’s a *very* dangerous place to go for a normal person, let alone a super powerful being who could leave *chaos* behind. Attachment is refusing to let go. Stopping someone from doing what they love because you’re scared. Love is trusting and accepting things can’t/will change even if you don’t like it, and accepting that when there’s nothing you can do without breaking your moral code.

Jedi grieve. They feel loss. They get angry. They *love.* They just don’t let those feelings overwhelm them to the point of irrationality, accepting, understanding, and releasing them because they’ll do no good in the long run. If emotion overwhelms the brain, the logical part shuts down, and we’ve all seen what force fuelled temper/grief can do.

‘Kanan and Ezra don’t follow the rule.’

On the contrary.

You see Kanan learn to let go of his grief and *attachment* which has been holding him back all this time. In doing so he becomes a Knight and Master. He loves Hera, yes, but he loves unconditionally. Not possessively. He’s fine with Hera going on dangerous missions and accepts that there will be times she’s hurt. That there’s always a possibility she might not come back and he’s gonna have to live with that. He doesn’t try to stop her. He doesn’t fall into a rage if she gets hurt. He accepts it, pain, rage, grief and all, but lets it go so he doesn’t become fearful to the point he won’t let *her* go. He accepts Hera loves the Rebellion and compromises even if he doesn’t like it. Love. Nothing wrong with that in the Jedi Order.

In contrast you have Anakin. When Padmé is in danger he will drop *everything* to go to her, including putting his men and padawan in unnecessary danger to do so. You see his jealousy when Clovis is around. His lack of faith in Padmé despite her assurances. How he won’t back down even if it scares or disturbs her. You see how he *refuses* to take any chances at all with her health to the point of breaking his moral code. This isn’t love anymore. This is attachment, possession. This is what the Jedi forbid.

You see Ezra struggle with letting Sabine go on a dangerous mission and Kanan teaching him that he has to accept the danger, that she might not come back. and how to do it. Telling him to respect her abilities, what she wants to do, and not loving her to the point of stifling her. This is what letting go is. This is what the Jedi teach.

Ezra has to learn to let go of his own grief and accept Kanan’s death. This is what love without attachment means. This is what the rule is. Feeling it. Accepting it. Then letting the emotions go so they don’t control your actions more than your mind does.

Also, anyone can leave the Jedi Order. If they don’t agree, there’s nothing forcing them to stay. Being a Jedi is a religion, a way of life. You can discuss and debate the details, but you don’t get to pick and choose what parts to follow.

You can be a force wielder without being a Jedi. The privileges the Jedi received were because of their belief and the respect that earned.

But more importantly, you can happily leave the order, and the Jedi will still welcome you to come hang out. To chill with your friends and walk about the Temple, train with others and catch up. It’s a community. You don’t suddenly lose all of that because you decided following the Jedi way wasn’t for you.

[artbyblastweave]

Elder Scrolls is fascinating to me because the vast majority of the background information of the setting is very obviously written by people with an admirably clear-eyed understanding of how history is mainly just groups genociding the shit out of each other before constructing post-hoc rationalizations of why that was a cool and good thing to do, if they bother justifying anything beyond the level of Might Makes Right. And then the actual main quest plots are often operating at Sword Hero Cleanses The Undesirables levels of These Are The Bad Guys, Kill Them Because We Said So

[winterprince601]

the best thing about jon and sam's friendship is that aside from their core shared identity of being alienated within a classist patriarchal society, they have Nothing in common. sam spends the whole first jon chapter of acok nerding out over the sociopolitical signifance of a bunch of old maps and jon's response is "litcherally why does it matter as long as the rivers are in the same place, you sweet fool" they're like the medieval equivalent of nerd who likes lotr and jock who likes evanescence forming a deep affection on the basis of no one else understanding them.

[patchouii]

[alltimefail]

I posted this on my Twitter, but I thought I'd share it here, too! I isolated the audio from Charles' death scene to answer a commonly debated headcanon in fandom: did Charles go by something else when he was alive?

Well, at least in this video, I can confirm that all the "Friends" who killed him call him Charlie. 😭

I reckon that is what his peers, teachers, and, even his abusive father likely referred to him as... Charlie Rowland. Makes sense for a teenage boy in the 80s; particularly a sporty, alternative, charismatic boy like Charles who hung around "lad-types."

It's no wonder he flinched when Brad/Hunter called him Charlie Boy. This show really doesn't miss a single detail. It's brilliant and intentional in every single thing it does.

FUCK it deserves a season 2! It's so well-written and in its first season. *Chef's kiss* from beginning to end.

[dclovesdanny]

2/3

Dcxdp trope twist

So, maybe taking Pariah’s crown was a bad idea, but he had meant it as a “rubbing salt in the wound” thing, not a “I want your power” thing. Now, he had been having trouble with his abilities being too strong and unpredictable along with new ones developing.

Luckily, his parents thought he was a meta. Unluckily, they were sending him to his great aunt and great uncle’s farm to learn how to control it. Apparently their son had had similar issues?

All Danny could hope was that he didn’t accidentally destroy the Kent’s farm.

[exfil]

something that has always fascinated me about the dynamic between ghost and soap is how their vices perfectly complement each other.

soap is a good soldier because he is a righteous and committed man (let's get ourselves a win) but has a tendency towards anger (i will blow your brains out i swear i will do it) and wrath (are you serious he is right fucking there) while ghost is a competent and confident man (choices have consequencea) albeit with a tendency towards pride (pay attention you just might learn something) and arrogance (i have seen better - who? - me).

both of these characteristics could lead to tension within a unit - but they make ghost and soap work together perfectly because they enable each other. soap gets to overkill for ghost (about to play rough with the shadows - i like the sound of that) and ghost shows off for soap (gonna do this one my way, watch - fucking brautiful, sir).

even in moments where they try to reign themselves in, the other makes sure they dont have to - ghost validates soap's anger (it was the right call at the time - at the time.) and soap validates ghost's ego (you want to be better than me - i got my work cut out for me then).

what a perfect pair they make.

[realbeefman]

sunny should do an episode where the gang descends through the layers of dante’s hell and at first they’re all a little freaked out but it’s still got the sunny background music and they’re joking and getting into situations but as it progresses the mood gets more and more somber and the sets get more disorienting and their experiences more disturbing until eventually we end on ten minutes of dead silence while the gang silently walks down an endless and shadowed staircase that grows progressively darker and darker until the screen is fully black and all we can hear is the shuffling of their footsteps ever further down down down until even that fades into nothing but an unfathomably endless darkness

[blightbright]

i think it's interesting to not let Solas kill the ignorant mages (the ones who bound his Wisdom friend) in his DA:I personal quest!

they definitely enslaved a spirit, which is wrong, and Solas disapproves of sparing them, AND:

these are pathetic randos who have literally only ever been exposed to cultural messaging that says spirits are objects not people. they're annoying and they destroyed someone's life, but they are not evil. they were imprisoned for years, they were taught misinformation by their captors, and now they've escaped, they're vulnerable, they got scared of being killed by bandits, and they ignorantly stumbled their way into something they didn't understand by following a book's instructions.

none of that is an excuse and also, in an extremely on-the-nose fashion, being enslaved and forced to kill is what harmed Solas' friend. the Inquisitor doesn't know how directly this parallels Solas' story, but if Inky can come at the mercy choice intuitively, the choice to stop Solas is IMO a very good one, because (like Cole embodying Compassion for the Templar when choosing to make Cole "more spirit") it actively reinforces Solas' inner Wisdom self.

Inky doesn't have to intervene much at all to get Solas to stop btw, literally all it takes is an uneasy "Solas..." and he stops.

IMO, gently expressing uncertainty about his decision to outright kill them reminds Solas, hey, what if you don't have to kill them (which hurts you too, which you were forced to do, and that damaged you)? these people might be teachable. what if you, Wisdom, teach them to never do this again? what if they spread that message to the other oblivious mages they encounter, and many more people learn?

these mages literally cannot learn anything if they're dead. if spared, they're still not the best critical thinkers, but they state this was the first time they'd ever done a binding, and they seem genuinely shocked that they hurt someone by doing it. IMO, they seem unlikely to ever do it again. IIRC Inky can even threaten them in optional dialogue afterwards, and they swear (in a way that seemed earnest to me) that they've learned their lesson.

TL;DR, gently prompting Solas to slow down and consider what he's doing instead of slaughtering people who are cowering in front of him with their hands up, even though intervening makes Solas feel unhappy in the moment, is IMO a great way to reach out to his own bound Wisdom and say, 1) hey, I actually like your truest self, and 2) hey, sometimes people do terrible things... I'll stop them permanently if I have to, but I prefer to first try and see if they're willing to do better.

that's a pretty important message for Solas, for multiple reasons.