#* 02 ; CHARACTER FLAW ‘ I SUPPOSE .

[kalki-tarot]

WHICH BOLLYWOOD FILM CHARACTER IS YOUR FUTURE SPOUSE ?

Characters can be female/male, it's not gender specific, just focus on their personality.

Take a deep breathe and focus on your third eye chakra ✨️ pick a picture that calls you out.

1 - 2 - 3

4 - 5 - 6

Pile 01 🪞

. . Aditya from Jab we Met💌

Omg! The biggest Green Flag ever !

Your future spouse's personality is just like him. Romantic and sweet. He's always there for you, even in your bad times. You can always rely on him. He's a great friend too, listening to your likes and dislikes. You like his sense of humor the most haha.

Like every other human being, he has his own flaws too. But he works on them and becomes a better man for his highest good.

Message is that often in life when you hit rock bottom, there is only one way to go and that is UP. And just like Geet and Aditya, some trains are supposed to be missed, so that you hop into one that takes you to a better, happier and healthier destination.

Pile 02 🪔

. . Qais Bhatt from Laila Majnu 💌

The way he looks at laila is amazing and heart throbbing. His love for laila is pure and serene. He is madly in love with her. Totally out of control but in a healthy way.

You both may be star-crossed lovers. They were Destined to love each other. Like the dailouge in the movie says —

" Our story has been destined. And neither the world nor the people can change it. "

There was something unique between you guys. You may know him/her since childhood or even a past life was shared by you together. You are twinflames or even soulmates. I can also see people were against you both due to many differences like religion or ethnicity, but your love never dies despite the circumstances.

Pile 03 🪞

. . Guru from Ek Villian 💌

Guru is a typical bad boy from fictional stories. He's life is totally is chaos. Your fs would be like him personality wise, except the illegal or evil things portrayed by the character.

Your fs is someone who's sad and lacks purpose in life currently. But like in the movie, when guru meets Aisha, his life changes. And he tries to become a better person and lead a better life. It's like moving from the bad and fearful times to the good ones.

He would gain a purpose, and that is you. He'd love you but he won't say that quite often, his eyes would tell. The warmth and soft feeling when he looks into your eyes will melt you right away.

Pile 04 🪔

. . Dr. Jehangir from Dear Zindagi 💌

Even though Dr. Jehangir was not an active love interest of Alia's character in the film, your fs would have the friendly and guide-like personality aspects of Dr. Jehangir in the movie.

Your fs would be a great listener. They may even belong the the medical field somehow. They'll drag you out of your worst situations in life. You two would share a comfortable, open and cozy bond together. Whenever you need some advice, they'll always be there for you.

I'm also getting that your fs can be your doctor or counselor at first. Or maybe just a great listener and giving you good advice.

Pile 05 🪞

. . Inder from Sanam Teri Kasam 💌

He literally holds Saru on her deathbed till she takes her last breathe 😭 What a wonderful character he is!

He's literally the most selfless and giving person to the love of his life. Your fs would be like him, pile 5, you're so lucky ♡ Your fs may have some legal issues going on or they may be a lawyer, as the justice card came up.

What I'm seeing is, like saru in the movie, you too are often betrayed or belittled by your own loved ones. You are often deceived by others and your fs does not like it at all. They just want your happiness. Even after you die, (may god not let it be) they'll still love you. They will give you whatever they have, you just name it. Wow. I'm in love with this reading ;_; ♡

Pile 06 🪔

. . Jordan from Rockstar 💌

Your fs is like Jordan from Rockstar. This movie is my personal favourite. Your fs is a heartbroken person, but when you arrive their life gets filled with happiness but when you leave their life burns into ashes. You may be twinflames.

There is something which holds you back from accepting this love between you both. You need to work on that fear.

I see your fs is famous, Despite being famous their heart yearns for love. There is still a void in their hearts Despite having money, power and wealth. Maybe they are waiting for you.

They are definitely an introvert and kind of famous online. Their heart burns with passion, very passionate and romantic individual. They may play an instrument or even sing. People like their rough and passionate personality.

Please like and rb if resonates !

I worked hard while making this so please show some love ❤️

[otakween]

Digimon Data Squad (Savers) - Episode 2

I found this episode pretty enjoyable writing/pacing-wise. The flaws are still there (questionable voice acting, digimon designs, and music) but the character interactions are fun. Agumon and Masaru's close relationship is reminding me of Guilmon and Takato's, especially because there were a lot of familiar moments in this episode (the cardboard box and Agumon being put in a pen). All of the other human-digimon partners seem more like business relationships.

Notes:

I said this in the last post, but I'm just confirming my first impressions: Yoshino's JP voice actress is...off. She sounds really monotone like she's just reading her script instead of acting it. It's so rare that I notice wooden acting in Japanese that it's really throwing me off lol.

In other "weird voice choices," Kudamon's voice is way darker than expected. There was one scene where I was confused who was talking because the voice seemed so unfitting. I'm sure I'll just get used to that one

This version of Agumon is very gummy, I couldn't stop staring at his gums lol

So the digivices are basically Pokeballs in this season. The way Agumon panicked when he was inside one for the first time made me feel bad for all of the other digimon that are seen in digivices :/ I'll kinda miss them having to find creative ways to sneak around, this makes things too easy.

Does Masaru live in a giant house or is it a complex/condo? Either way, I'm jealous.

Masaru's mom's got the requisite "Mom hairdo." There's something comforting about these cliches. She kinda looks like she could be the same age as her son lol (anime!)

Yoshino just lives with Masaru now...and his family is immediately okay with that? Agumon is accepted too. I get that the absurdity is kinda the joke, but I would love to see what Yoshino told them to convince them to just roll with it.

The green in Masaru's school uniform reminds me of the older kids' uniforms from 02. Very handsome.

I swear class pets are always dying left and right in anime, poor things. I'm not really sure why Kunemon granted that boy's wish like an evil genie? Do Kunemon do that?

Lalamon/Sunflowmon are pretty blah. They just don't seem to have a personality and their design is too simple.

Good to see that Masaru's still brawlin'. I hope he and Agumon fight side-by-side til the end! (Human-digimon equality!)

3rd team member will be introduced next time! He's some kinda mixed race dude. I wonder what country he's supposed to be flying in from. Hi digimon is Veemon-colored.

[jellybeanium124]

yknow... every time I watch ofmd, especially with people who aren't Into It™ and then discuss it with them makes me think there isn't as much distance between ed and izzy as we act like there is...

my friend was horrified by ed's actions in 2x01-02, really liked izzy's s2 arc, and said that they would prefer the "ignoring izzy dies" route in fanfic. after jim's infamous line in 2x02, my friend said: "ed and izzy have a complicated relationship, and friendship is part of it." my friend and my parents both think the inn is... not suitable for ed and stede. they all like ed and izzy. at the end of the day they are two flawed people who have both done horrible things, but they are more than that and they got better.

one of the themes of season 2 was moving on. ed cut off two more toes. he worked his crew too hard. he almost killed them in his efforts to kill himself. and we forgave and we moved on. izzy tried to kill stede. he called the navy on the crew to control ed. and then hurt ed when he was down. tbh... I think we're supposed to forgive and move on. izzy did start as an antagonist, while ed is one of our romantic leads. they're not on equal footing. but I don't think the show cared by the end?

I think because people have been so insane about izzy in one direction (canyon shit, I don't need to elaborate), that we spend all our time talking about how ed isn't literally the most evil horrible guy that we don't step back.

I've seen deeply hurt and traumatized people on both sides. people whose trauma makes them deeply relate to izzy for one reason for another (why haven't canyon people moved on? well I think it's because they still love izzy and don't want to let him go), and people whose trauma makes izzy genuinely triggering. and like... man I can't solve everything. I can't change someone's instinctual reaction to this character. I just wish it wasn't a big deal, because every rewatch, every irl conversation, I always come back to: why is this so complicated. it's not complicated.

pirates do bad stuff.

we forgive and we move on.

[llynwen]

hi you're European right? I'm curious to know your thoughts about how the American south is portrayed in true detective bc I've been there and yes it's exactly like that but even moreso. Haunted ass beautiful country

Thank You So Much for such an interesting ask!

In the case of many europeans who were born before the Internet was such a big thing, we mostly learned about the us from films and shows. my childhood experience was watching reruns of spaghetti westerns and early 2000s rom coms, family comedies and kids movies, and feeling that the technicolor reality of america was somehow so much better than the Gray of eastern europe. the discrepancy isn't as noticeable now as it used to be when i was a kid, but you could Smell the post-sovietness some days. the life i saw in the movies was anything But the bleak, overwhelming reality of the early 2000s in my country that just made you feel nauseous and gave you a migraine. like i remember being Shocked at the technology of CDs and MP3 players. it was 2007.

the consensus was always that america was somewhere where everything was better. bigger. brighter. america was where you went to be happy. where you could breathe.

then, as i grew up, i obviously realized that this was a load of bullshit. i don't remember when the shift took place, but sometime in my teenage years, i suppose. by that time, my english has gotten good enough to actually participate in social media (that are predominantly american, like tumblr for example. i've been here for a decade) and actually engage in discourse. to learn about the Real america and what life looked like for the average person. and it wasn't great. guns, systemic oppression, privatized healthcare, the capitalist rot. none of that was present in the movies of my childhood.

now, in true detective, the south reminds me so much of how eastern europe felt in my childhood. it's nowhere near similar to it visually, the nature and architecture and people are all different, but it is Stifling, Suffocating, like the sky is gonna come down on your head. the ash and aluminum line actually describes it so good. what i was most surprised by, though, was the people. starting from marty (let's not focus on rusty here as we can all agree he doesn't really belong with the rest of the characters), he is a perfect example of the average family man. i love his character Because he's a shit and a cringeass loser, but in the scenes of him interacting with his daughters in '02, the feeling that he evokes in me is Disgust. and i feel like that's a common archetype of the father-provider that thinks his role in the house ends with making money. he sits in his chair, makes everybody miserable with his very presence, and expects the food to be brought to him. that man has never scrubbed a toilet in his life. i know men like him. i've met them, talked to them. i'm related to them. they're everywhere. that disgust feels intimate. now, the other characters that surprised me were the side characters, the people rust and marty go to question. tyrone's mother, the prostitutes, dora's friend at the scrap yard - they remind me of my people. now, i really don't want to come off as classist or some shit like that - but in both the show And my reality, the divide between the working class and the educated crowd is Stark. that is not to say that one is better than the other (i firmly believe that a lack of education can make you happier, if you think about it. content with a simple life, happy to work in a mine your whole life, live in a wielka płyta apartment and go to the sea once a year. if that. this is very specific to my region, sorry). the way those side characters talk, behave, even look - that is Nothing like the movies. they're not the flashy main characters, they're imperfect in every sense - they Look like people, have flaws, crooked teeth, they don't dress like supermodels, they can be stupid, they drink and smoke and cheat and lie. they're Human, not movie protagonists. and i love that reality in the show. makes it feel that much more authentic.

i don't know how specific that is to the south; are the people like that in other places? are the fishermen in luisiana the same as in minessota? is the suffocating feeling specific to the iberia parish, or is that just how it is in small town america? i dont know. the problem is, i wanna find out.

see, i never lost that childhood wonder. call me naive, but i still wanna Go. i still want to see the american dream with my own two eyes, even if it means i'm gonna watch it shatter in real time. i graduate college in a little over a year with a masters degree, and for right now my plan is to find a way to go work at a ranch in montana or wyoming. that's all i want. my favorite thing about america is not the culture, not the people, not the Possibility, but the Space. ironically, the stolen land is what compels me most. i want to experience that open space, to Breathe, and for the first time in my life feel my lungs filling up fully. i will be disappointed, full stop, but i want to have that experience.

the american south is a fascinating place to me, always has. the specific mix of cultures, the tradition and lack of it, even the bigotry and hate, it's all endlessly interesting. as you said, haunted but oh so beautiful. it scares the shit out of me. i need to go and feel it bite me.

[csolarstorm]

Thoughts on: Digimon: The Last Evolution Kizuna (and 02 musings)

Tomorrow I'm going to go see Digimon 02: The Beginning in the theater! I'm so glad I decided to do this. It's been a while since I got out and did something, and the timing is perfect to see my favorite Digimon team again!

I try to imagine that Kari sounds the same though. That...can't be helped I guess. 😮‍💨 They couldn't afford her VA apparently.

To get myself caught up, I finally watched Last Evolution Kizuna! This is definitely my favorite Digimon movie now.

Okay, I've only watched two. And Summer Wars is probably my second favorite Digimon movie.

Okay yes, I like the Fox Kids Digimon Movie. But more in a nostalgic way. Last Evolution Kizuna (and on a different subject Summer Wars) are really enjoyable as an adult. Maybe I should watch the original Japanese Digimon movies that Fox Kids cut up.

There's one glaring flaw in the premise of the movie though. How is it that Digimon disappear when their chosen kids run out of potential when almost every member of the team BESIDES Tai and Matt already settled on a career path and their Digimon are fine?

That's supposed to be why Sora's Digivice was already rusting. She had already grown up, embraced flower arranging, and decided to stay with Biyomon until she disappeared.

Izzy's already a freakin' tech tycoon. (Calls to mind Cranston Industries from Power Rangers Once and Always.) I'm pretty sure he's not going to change his mind and go into basket weaving.

Unless "run out of potential" has a darker meaning, and Tai and Matt are out of potential career paths.

They also said it had to do with Omnimon using up their power - and that would make sense considering Agumon and Gabumon fought a lot more than the other Digimon...but that doesn't explain Sora and Biyomon.

The premise was a good idea though, and I thought they handled the emotion of it skillfully. That last moment where Tai and Matt look over and their Digimon have already vanished...you could see it from a mile away, but that doesn't lessen the moment.

How can you write a thesis about Digimon and people coexisting? What professor can possibly check that paper?

There was a part in the movie where Tai is talking about what each of the Digidestined are doing with their lives, and as he lists them, he mentions "Kari and Davis". Excusez-moi? Are they...dating?

I know Kari and TK don't necessarily get together in the 02 epilogue, but...did she date Davis?!

*gapes*

I heard that 02: The Beginning gives the new character more screen time than the actual 02 kids. And that's fine. I'm looking forward to seeing this new character's story, which will hopefully have 02's brand of horror. Kizuna had some fun scenes with the 02 team, and it was nice to reminisce, even if Davis sounds wrong.

And Kizuna's story felt like it could fit in 02! It's really unsettling that Menoa messed with Morphomon's data, nevertheless that she had the "lifeless" data of her partner at all. She must have been mistaken about what that data represented — Digimon never die. The way she says Morphomon's voice talked to her reminded me of Myotismon talking to Oikawa.

It never explained where the aurora came from, and I have trouble believing that the real Morphomon wanted her to do this, so either Menoa accessed some real craziness power inside her, or there was a Digimon that came through the aurora and pulled the strings. I expected the source of that voice to be the final boss, just like MaloMyotismon at the end of 02. Then again, Eosmon did smile at Menoa at the end, suggesting that it was Morphomon, so...maybe it was Morphomon who came through the aurora. Maybe they were villains together.

My favorite 02 movie would be...just more of 02, I guess. More Ken grappling with his identity. More Kari fighting off the Dark Ocean. A confrontation with Dragomon and the Daemon Corps. And some actual stories with the international Digidestined! I loved seeing all the cameos of the international Digidestined in Kizuna. It would just be cool to develop some of them.

The thing is...02 was the season to get a literal epilogue. Even though Adventure had that teary goodbye (the first of many 🙄) 02 actually ended with the truth that life just keeps changing and moving forward.

It wouldn't make sense for Ken to still be plagued by his days as the Digimon Emperor, or for Kari to still be running from Cthulu. After all, she definitely has a restraining order on him now. The 02 kids have grown and changed; that's not what they're dealing with anymore. And in that sense, even though the characters aren't, 02 is over.

So when it gets a new movie, it only makes sense to make it about a new character, with the old characters to help them.

That's the other problem with Kizuna that 02 technically does better. Growing up is one thing, but when you get older, your past doesn't just disappear, it's a part of you that develops with you as you change and grow. Our memories richen with new meanings as we gain new perspectives. And you also don't suddenly lose all your potential either! People change careers and they learn new things throughout their whole life. The fact that Matt had to keep asking TK to babysit Gabumon seems more realistic than Agumon and Gabumon conveniently disappearing.

Despite this, I do like the idea that potential is what powers the partner Digimon. This is why Digimon Digivolve when their partners learn something new. It makes sense.

And Kizuna does not contradict the 02 epilogue. Digimon never truly die. They'll meet again, but they'll just be normal Digimon, leaving the battle between good and evil to the next generation.

Or the franchise will drag them out for another adventure. 🤷‍♂️ I'd watch it!

[broken-clover]

oh? Don't like Tamers? It ain't my favorite either but usually people like it, any particular reason? Or is it like me with 02, just a general dislike you can't place?

Huh, amazed to realize I haven't actually aired my grievances with it on here before. Peculiar.

So this is absolutely going to turn into a long post, apologies in advance, but the ultimate thesis of fundamental issues I have with Tamers is that it sets out to be a dark deconstruction of a 'Mons series but does very little that's interesting or compelling with it.

(Full disclosure, most of what I have seen of Tamer is the dub version. I have seen a few portions of it in its original Japanese, but not all of it. Due to that, it is entirely possible that some of my issues with the season are better addressed there- however, I have also been told that Tamers was the most faithful dub done thusfar with very little changes made)

I'll try to format into bullets for the sake of cleanliness

-First and foremost, one of the main differentiating factors in Tamers compared to prior seasons is supposedly that Digimon do die when defeated as opposed to being reborn. That's supposed to be a lot of what makes this season 'dark' but I can't help but find it flawed. Characters dying was already pretty important to the first two seasons, even when it came to the Digimon themselves- heck, Wizardmon by himself was one of the most impactful losses in the series overall, and he was never reborn due to having died in the human world. It's hard to feel like this is such an abrupt change to the status quo when it was present in the first season. Not to the same severity, sure, but it feels like far less of a brazen change.

-(Even without straight-up permadeath, the other seasons were still able to have plenty of threats and terrible fates! Even if they would come back later, characters dying was still something treated with weight and sorrow instead of being brushed off. I know it's heavily opinionated, but just having 'and then a character dies' as the end-all be-all bad end starts to feel dull and uninteresting after long enough. I feel like a similar example to this is with the dub version of Yu-Gi-Oh! Shadow Realm jokes aside, it at least offered something a little different as opposed to the more liberal use of killing in the source material. Limitation breeds creativity.)

-In general, I'm just not a huge fan of Konaka's style. That's much more of a personal thing than an actual issue. I think he tends to rely more on atmosphere and dark motifs rather than substance. It feels sort of like his style is an actual example of the mentality that 'Evangelion and Madoka Magica are just edgy deconstructions for the sake of being edgy' that is still alive today, despite the fact that both examples use that deconstruction to say something and make a point.

-(I feel that his work tends to lack a similar sense of substance in Tamers. It's also very hard to not bring up his increasing fixation on conspiracy theories and rallying against 'political correctness' and 'cancel culture' over the last decade or so. While I know those don't overtly tie into Tamers, in hindsight it's easy to see some of those themes in a slighter sense, and in general it just sours a lot of his work in hindsight)

-Explicitly making the first two seasons fictional in-universe made little sense to me. While I don't have an issue with that fundamentally, it's that it completely borks up the timeline when Ryo gets introduced later and how any of that is supposed to work just never gets explained or clarified

-Actually yeah on that note lemme skip ahead and talk about Ryo. I know sixth ranger-types that get added later are common to this series but in my opinion he's easily one of the worst implemented. He might've been neat as a cameo, but he instead ends up being a main character for the last leg of the series. He's a canon foreigner from the Wonderswan games, which only so many people would have been familiar with, but neither his presence in Tamers nor the plot of the Wonderswan titles are given much explanation to get newcomers up to speed on who he is or what his relevance is. He's just kinda here

-He also doesn't really do much to make up for his late introduction and lack of explanation. Really it mostly feels like his main role is to be good at everything, especially in regard to being the one guy that's better at the card game than Rika. While I know a lot of her character development was about learning humility, a lot of that had already been done by the time he showed up, and it feels like an underhanded way of making her appear weaker.

-The cards. I think it could've been a half-decent series gimmick, I mean Xros Wars did something similar and kept it consistent, but that consistency was lacking in Tamers and led it to feel half-baked. The cards served a purpose in a few instances, mostly for evolution, but the modification aspect feels poorly integrated and isn't really used much in the latter half of the season

-The Digital World isn't majorly developed in the story. Which sucks, because I really liked the approach they took to it! It was distinctly different from the Adventure series', being more alien and unsettling. We get information on how it was formed, but I felt it lacked a lot of punch given that we see so little of it.

-The whole arc with the Devas just kinda...stops. We get 90% of the way through and follow them into the Digital World to confront their master (or at least one of them) and then the fight just gets cut off. If we were just gonna be able to have a peaceful resolution and collaboration with Zhuqiaomon anyway why did we go to the trouble of building him up as an antagonist and slaughtering several of his minions. Are none of the Devas especially bothered that several of their underlings just died? Are we going to analyze any implications of their deaths instead of just brushing them off?

-I do love Calumon, I thought his antics were cute, but fundamentally his main purpose was to be a plot trinket.

-Kazu and Kenta were mostly useless to the plot and didn't have much character development, there wasn't much bonding between them and their partners, MarineAngemon was pretty overpowered and it's not explained why a side character is the only one to have a Mega-level as their default partner.

-There are twice as many secondary characters as main characters and almost none of them get much character development. Many times while watching I would think to myself 'why are you even here'

-I think Jeri's arc was interesting in theory, but implemented a little oddly. I felt like her main purpose in the series was to have bad things happen to her and there was a point partway through the D-Reaper arc where it started to feel excessive. I don't understand the point of psychologically tormenting a 10/12 year old for several episodes straight to the point where they try to kill themselves on-screen. She was simultaneously very important to the final arc of the series but does very little of her own volition aside from being a prisoner in need to rescue.

And don't get me wrong, there are things I think the season does very well! I liked Impmon's arc, I like the smaller primary cast allowing for more interpersonal moments and a closer bond between tamers and partners, while also giving the 'Mons themselves a lot more fleshed out personalities compared to the past two seasons (in particular both Rika and Renamon were highlights in term of character development by themselves and with each other), I like the heavier use of computer motifs, and I'm not wholly opposed to the darker tone it tried to go for.

But I think a decent amount of my dislike comes from the sheer amount of praise this season gets. I'd be fine accepting it as a flawed yet ambitious offering that offers plenty of its own original flair, but I constantly see people call it the 'best season by far' pretty much entirely because of its darker themes. I feel it tends to get overhyped for its 'grittiness' despite not implementing it all that well or feeling like it does much meaningful with that darker tone aside from using it for shock value. To me Tamers symbolizes a lot of the internet's tendency to go 'darker = more adult = inherently better than something more 'childish'' so that tends to sour my view of it quite a bit. I just wish its flaws were looked at more often, because I feel fans tend to be a lot more critical of the other seasons and Tamers doesn't get that kind of scrutiny

[tenspontaneite]

Assembly (Chapter 4/?)

Through his communications systems, each line of text marches in, and he files it all silently into a new data pearl. A whole lexicon, he realises. Not much of one, barely enough vocabulary for basic conversations, but…a language. One that he truly, sincerely cannot bring himself to believe is any kind of joke. Suns would never joke about something like this.

Slowly, he lowers himself to the chamber floor, and closes his eyes.

 (Chapter length: 6.8k. Link to ao3 with workskin)

Warnings: Mentions of canonical character death (Hunter). In depth discussion of past cruel experimentation on sapient beings, and moral and emotional fallout of such.

---

Deep within the superstructure of Seven Red Suns, a new selfling begins to weave together. Its system-in-waiting, SRS-02, sits on the internal network and absorbs their updates gladly.

They’d been nonplussed, originally, to witness No Significant Harassment’s immediate enthusiasm to start making more platforms. Surely one was enough, to begin with? It needed to be tested extensively, or you might well be wasting resources on retrofitting something flawed. But then…

We cannot lose this, Suns thinks, half-connected to their two selflings, and calls to mind the painted hallway. Agreement flickers out across all three minds of their self, silent and steadfast. When SRS-01 leaves the superstructure to go questing, I must have a selfling here. I do not think I could bear to lose art when I have only just begun to find it.

There are the practical concerns as well, of course. Now that they’re decently well-conditioned, SRS-01 has been starting to look into the myriad maintenance issues compiling around the structure. Only for a few hours a day, but already, long-borne annoyances are being extinguished. A wire replacement here, anti-rust treatment there, a reculturing colony delivered to the fraying neural tissue in what seems like every other corner…it is palpably adding up. Suns cannot recall the last time their systems ran so well. And that’s only the start, isn’t it?

If Nish has his way, this will be the start of a grand renewal. There’s only so much they can do with their limited resources and limited hands, but…there is real promise, even so. Suns has been feeling uncommonly optimistic these past days; it’s a nice change.

One day they draw a lizard on their exterior wall with chalk, and they and Spearmaster take turns throwing spears at it. The extruded spines are a little small for Suns’ proportions, but they serve well enough; with the advantage of a machine’s rapid learning, they have grown adept with them very quickly. Spearmaster claps approvingly at a throw that reaches the false lizard’s eye, and they smile.

“…I will be ready to leave soon, I think,” they say to it, and watch it perk up. “Any more learning, I can do in the wild. Now I think I must start preparing for travel.”

“It is far to your friend’s body-home,” says Spearmaster, in the informed position of a small creature who has made that journey multiple times. “Not as far as to your angry friend. But, far. Many dangers.”

“Yes,” they agree, thinking already of how best to prepare. “I had best provision carefully.”

  [LIVE BROADCAST] PRIVATE Seven Red Suns, No Significant Harassment

SRS: I didn’t tell you about what my selfling experienced, that first outing.

NSH: What, the one that made you fry half your chamber when you synced again? No, you haven’t. I’ve been deathly curious too~

SRS: And yet you didn’t ask. How unlike you.

NSH: I can, sometimes, have tact and sensitivity!

SRS: Hah. I suppose we really have changed over the years, haven’t we?

SRS: …I suppose the most important thing to say is that I confirmed my suspicions. My messenger is a person, and always has been.

NSH: Well now.

NSH: That’s truly something. Fully sapient? You’re sure?

SRS: It makes art. It named itself. ‘Spearmaster’. It never told me – I had to ask.

SRS: It kept these thoughts quiet because it was worried I would disapprove of its sapience. That I only wanted it to be a pet, and not a person.

NSH: …Ouch. I can only imagine how that felt for you.

SRS: It was hard to come to terms with, yes. And given what we’d been speaking about that day already…when my selfling came home with those new memories, it hit very hard.

NSH: Hence your damages. And the new integration protocols.

NSH: …Are you alright, Seven Red Suns? You’ve not mentioned any of this for days.

SRS: My damages are repaired, and my tissues healing.

NSH: You know that’s not what I meant.

SRS: I can’t say I’ve come to terms with it yet, no. Not with how much harm I caused an innocent person, with how I shaped it and treated it like an animal. Perhaps I never will come to terms with it.

NSH: Well that’s depressing.

SRS: Can you blame me?

NSH: No, I suppose not.

NSH: …

NSH: Do you know, yet? If it’s just your messenger that’s like that. Or…

SRS: Or all of them?

NSH: Yes.

SRS: I very strongly suspect that the species as a whole is sapient.

NSH: …I see.

SRS: I can’t say I have overwhelming evidence for it. But based on things I’ve heard from Spearmaster…it seems very, very likely.

NSH: I

NSH: Let me know, if you get that evidence. Before that, I

NSH: I don’t know if I can

NSH: …

SRS: It’s alright. I understand. This is…not easy.

SRS: I’ll keep you appraised.

 Within the thoracic compartment of SRS-01, alongside the thinking system within, they pile in as many neurons as will fit. While they are there, the things provide a processing boost to the selfling body; a convenient side effect, if not the actual objective.

Within the spires of Septkai, they source a large traveller’s backpack, of the sorts that the pilgrims once used, making arduous treks through the surface world to visit the holy sites by foot. The effort, they said, made the pilgrimage more profound. In learning the limits of the body, in cultivating their karma against it, they would learn a great deal. Suns cannot speak to the accuracy of that, but the travel packs are a good design, though the material has degraded to uselessness over time. They scan it thoroughly, then return home to their can.

Within the stretches of their bioengineering suite, they do something a little different. It is strange, to take mechanisms made for producing living things, and instead use them to produce various lifeless biological structures. Thick skin as from the hardiest lizards, delicately dappled with the pattern of scales; sturdy hide as what protects the rain deer; chitinous armour plating alike that which the centipedes wear; delicate silks as woven by the Citadel’s ineradicable spiders. They print out samples and test them, tweaking each to their liking.

It is surprisingly easy, to create clothing this way. They have no need of seams as the material is shaped with intent from the molecular level up, the colour is easily customised, and the second they dislike the way a pattern turned out, they can simply throw it in the vats for recycling and try again. Under Spearmaster’s curious gaze, they try out design after design, playing with colour and shape in ways that are unexpectedly delightful. Any fastenings, buttons, and other such details have to be printed out in keratin or bone, then added by hand.

That last detail, the addition of those parts, is the only thing that they could not have done before the advent of their first selfling.

I should have tried this a long time ago, they think, watching a delicate cloak spool together within its bay, each filament carefully coated with biologically-derived dyes. It is a kind of art, itself. Hadn’t the making of clothing and jewellery been among the chiefest of the People’s arts? And Suns could have been doing it for centuries, had they only tried.

They doubt it even as they think it, though. To create such things, with no hands to feel it, no body to wear it…it would’ve felt pointless. And besides, with no hands to move any of it out into the superstructure, it would only have accumulated in piles to clog the bioengineering chambers.

I could have produced tapestries, though, they think sourly to themself. Banners, wall hangings. The patterns and colours are interesting enough that it would have occupied me, especially if I slowed my processing down. I could have been doing something I loved, all this time. I’m sure Spearmaster would have been happy to move them for me.

With the slightest of degrees of mental separation from their greater self, their AMP prods their thoughts along a new track:

Maybe so. Maybe they could have had this a long time ago, if only they’d thought of it. But it is pointless to ruminate upon now. Better to simply move forward, however much they can.

Yes. I suppose so, they think together, and settle in to work.

 [LIVE BROADCAST] PRIVATE Seven Red Suns, No Significant Harassment

NSH: Vulture AMP simulations are going well! Not much left to do before the first testing phase.

SRS: Good for you. I think.

NSH: I did end up having to plan for further iterator genome modifications, though, or it just won’t integrate with the AOS. Might need to get you to tweak my cells again.

SRS: In that case, I think it’ll have to wait for your selfling to visit me and oversee the process. It sounds complex enough I’m wary of making those modifications without guidance.

NSH: That’s for the best anyway~

NSH: Gives me another excuse to come and visit you!

 They make a little poncho for Spearmaster, patterned and coloured just how it asks: a light lavender grey, with detailing in pale yellow like Suns’ chassis. It puts the garment on and then prances around in it for hours with glee.

They make a carrying pouch, long and narrow and sturdy, modelled after the quivers ancient People had once used for arrows or crossbow bolts. Suns considers it narrowly, wondering if it would be worthwhile to try to manufacture actual ranged weaponry, but eventually gives it up. Replenishing ammunition during long journeys would be difficult, with the world in its current state. Better to go on with what they intended: they speak to Spearmaster, and in short order fill the quiver with extruded spines. A ready supply, if they need to fight.

They produce dozens of different designs of travel clothing, trying each in turn to see how it works. Cloaks, scarves, ponchos, even chitinous plates of armour, just to try it all. It is difficult to settle on any one design.

“Superfluous, I think,” they say of the armour, inspecting how it sits over their chassis. “At least the full set. It’s cumbersome, and not quite worth it when I am already made of metal.”

“Looks impressive, though,” Spearmaster points out, and they laugh.

“Yes, I suppose so. Still, I won’t travel in it. Now, what next…?”

The final choice, in the end, is not as elaborate as some of the designs Suns has favoured. While they enjoy all of their new outfits, most are simply impractical for travel. This one is simple: a basic shirt and pair of half-trousers, both chassis-tight, and then a nice loose poncho over the top in a gradient of red and orange. It’s still a little plain for their tastes, but they can probably add some jewellery later to satisfy their aesthetics. Most importantly, though: it’s decently practical for travel.

It is also sort of alive.

“Smells strange,” Spearmaster says, a little suspicious, sniffing at one trailing fabric edge as if concerned that it might suddenly pounce. “Like a creature? But not. Simple.” It slaps its tail on the floor, dissatisfied with the words. “Like the simple creatures inside you. Same-like. Like the skin on your selfling?”

“It is very similar,” they allow, and stroke the new material with pleasure. “A simple purposed organism. In theory, when it’s dirty, I should be able to activate a mode where it slowly dissolves and consumes particles that are touching it. In theory. We will see if that holds up to testing. And, also…” Concentrating, they reach out to the passive, mindless organism that is the clothing. It’s nothing as effortless as controlling their own skin, but… “Ah, there we go,” they say, pleased, as the fabric slowly and sluggishly changes colour. Not much, though. It darkens but not all the way to black, and only tints slightly red, instead of going fully the colours they intended.

“Supposed to go darker?” The slugcat inquires, and they shrug.

“It would’ve been nice. Better for aposematic display, hm? But it seems I don’t have the trick of making purposed organism clothing that can change colours fully, yet. Something to work on.” They pat their own side, content. “This will do just fine. Now, to more practical concerns…”

They fit the strap for their spear quiver. They construct the bag they intend to carry with them, and test the fit of that too. Then there is only to consider what to bring along.

Neurons, yes. Pearls, full of data…yes, but what to prioritise? Gifts aside, there have to be practical datasets to bring too.

 [LIVE BROADCAST] PRIVATE Seven Red Suns, No Significant Harassment

SRS: I’m starting to pack in preparation to leave.

NSH: Oho, that’s exciting. You think you’re ready?

SRS: As much as I can be. The journey will take a while, anyway, and I’ll have Spearmaster with me. Better to set off sooner rather than later.

SRS: I’ve prepared my clothing, bag and so on, and packed a few obvious things, like the neurons.

NSH: And gifts?

SRS: …Yes. And gifts.

SRS: I’m still uncertain which datasets to prioritise though. Do you have any suggestions?

NSH: Hmm. Things that would be practical while travelling, I suppose? Blueprints on various flora and fauna, old maps and the like. Waypoint and navigation data from your overseers.

NSH: I’d recommend taking iterator schematics and such, but honestly I’ve already got that covered, so no need.

NSH: …Ask your Spearmaster, perhaps. It might know if there’s something you need.

SRS: Now that’s an idea.

NSH: Glad to help~

In fact, what Suns had thought of was this: Spearmaster could communicate with other slugcats, and they clearly had a language. If they are to embark on a journey across the surface, then knowing how to speak to – or at least understand – members of a sapient species along the way…that’s valuable information, for certain.

And, too, it would be unquestionable evidence for No Significant Harassment. That, they think, needs to happen sooner rather than later.

They call Spearmaster over to their puppet chamber, ready and keen to learn whatever it has to offer. “We will be leaving very soon now,” they say, and its ears prick up with alert.

“We will?” It signs, interested, then narrows its eyes. “Not you, though. This you. You cannot leave the room.”

Suns blinks their puppet’s eyes, and agrees “Yes, I meant my selfling. The one that is already finished, at any rate. I think we should leave after the second one is finished and confirmed operational, which will not be long.”

“You are not waiting for the selfling of your friend to arrive, first?”

“No, it would take too long. He’ll visit me afterwards.”

In response to that, their creation draws itself up and – does that thing where it seems it wants to hiss, but can only produce a displeased puff of air through its nose. “How long until he comes?”

“I’m not sure. Weeks, perhaps.”

“You will be alone.” Spearmaster’s signs cut through the air. “Only you, and you. Alone in here.” Its ears flatten back.

“…I will still be able to speak with No Significant Harassment, as usual? Even before his selfling comes?” They say, cautious.

“But you will be lonely,” it says, now visibly agitated. “You always are, when I leave for some days. This time I will be with you, but only one part. The you here, in the body-home – you will be alone again. I said before, ‘I will stay with you’!”

“You will stay with me,” they attempt, bewildered. “Only it will be my selfling – my mobile platform. I will be fine here, I assure you. I lived for a very long time before I created you, you know. A few weeks is nothing to the long life I’ve led.”

Displeased, Spearmaster huffs through its nose. “I do not like it.”

“…Are you worried about me, Spearmaster?” They ask, slowly, and it stares at them.

“Obvious, yes.”

That’s…quite touching, honestly. It makes Suns want to scoop the creature up and hug it, but that would impede its ability to communicate. Most unfortunate. “That’s…very sweet of you, but I promise I will be fine,” they reassure it, reaching out to stroke it between its ears. “Having you along with my selfling will be more important, I think. I still have a great deal to learn from you, and you’re the one who has been out there before.”

Grumpily, it seems to concede that point, and settles just a little. “Have to protect you,” it agrees. “Never been out in living wilds. Dangerous.”

“Yes, I was actually meaning to talk to you about that.” They wait for Spearmaster to tilt its head expectantly before they continue. “I…was hoping you could tell me about the others of your kind. What they’re like – how they live.” They hesitate. “The language they use. You seem to know some of it, yes?”

Spearmaster stares, then inclines its head in a very Person-like nod – only one of many behaviours it has picked up, growing up here. Do those gestures alienate it among its kind? How accepting are they of a slugcat as strange as Spearmaster was made to be? “Yes, I know some,” it confirms. “Not very much. It is…hard to learn, for me. I think I did not start to learn soon enough. Other wanderers, who do not meet others before they are grown – they find it hard to learn, too.”

“It was like that for the People, I recall,” Suns muses, interested. “They did not learn new languages very well, once they were no longer children.”

“Like this, yes,” Spearmaster agrees, then hesitates. “You cannot speak the language, I think. You do not have a tail. But I will show to you, the words I know.”

And so it does.

The name of the language roughly translates to ‘Movespeak’. It is a body-based language, like the sign language that Suns taught Spearmaster, but utilising the entire body, head to tail. Slugcats in the surface wilds apparently vocalise primarily for emotional expression and signalling, so even without a mouth or voice, Spearmaster can speak the language perfectly well.

It demonstrates every word it can think of. When it runs out, Suns asks it to demonstrate the language in use, and they have several conversations to help draw out the particulars: grammar, expressiveness, more vocabulary. In the end, Spearmaster really doesn’t have that much. With its help, Suns compiles a lexicon of 842 Movespeak words, with accompanying knowledge of how to use and understand it.

As language always is, it is…revealing.

…It’s evidence, unquestionably, for the sapience of the species. Even if they’d been pretending that Spearmaster was an exception, there’s no ignoring this. Not unless you were desperate enough to believe that one iterator’s purposed organism had come up with a decent chunk of a conlang in its spare time, with all the alien cultural concepts to go with it.

I must send this to Sig now, they think, with a sinking feeling. And I don’t think it will go well.

 [LIVE BROADCAST] PRIVATE Seven Red Suns, No Significant Harassment

SRS: If you have any breathing room around your simulations…

SRS: There’s something I need to share with you.

NSH: Oh well. That sounds ominous.

SRS: It’s fascinating, actually. There’s just…

SRS: …

SRS: I had better just send it. Please brace for a long message.

[850 lines of text; title “Sample of words that exist in Slugcat language, otherwise known as ‘Movespeak’”]

 In the heart of a superstructure quite a way southwest, No Significant Harassment’s puppet pauses in the air.

Through his communications systems, each line of text marches in, and he files it all silently into a new data pearl, compiling it as it comes. A whole lexicon, he realises. Not much of one, barely enough vocabulary for basic conversations, but…a language. One that he truly, sincerely cannot bring himself to believe is any kind of joke. Suns would never joke about something like this.

Slowly, he lowers himself to the chamber floor, and closes his eyes.

Far below, at one of the exterior walls of his structure, his massive bioengineering bays hum quietly along. By his standards, they are astonishingly empty. All that lies active: one accelerated growth vat, with the foetal form of a light pink slugcat growing within.

 [LIVE BROADCAST] PRIVATE Seven Red Suns, No Significant Harassment

NSH: This…

SRS: I’d send you the proper lexicon, but given it’s a body-based language, I’d need to create text-based images to demonstrate every single word like this. I’ll copy the file across when we can meet in person, though.

NSH: ….

NSH: So even the wild ones are this advanced, then.

SRS: It certainly seems so.

SRS: Even knowing that Spearmaster described their naming conventions to me, and things they’d said to it…it was hard to fully believe until I got it to act out all the vocabulary it knew.

SRS: It says it isn’t very fluent in the language. Enough for mutual understanding, but not much complexity. So there’s certainly a lot more to the language than what I sent to you.

NSH: That’s…horrifying, thank you.

NSH: …

SRS: Are you alright?

NSH: Please, for a second, consider how many of these creatures I’ve engineered.

SRS: …Yes. I know.

SRS: I’m sorry.

NSH: For what? Are you apologising for my own atrocities now?

NSH: Look at this list. They have a word for diplomacy. They have a word for a place where they teach each other and tell stories.

NSH: They have a word for karma, and echoes. They even have a word for the void sea! Based on this list, I half think that some of them might have figured out how to ascend!

SRS: …I know.

NSH: They have art, language, culture – maybe even ascension. And I’ve been experimenting on them for decades.

NSH: …What am I supposed to do with this?

SRS: I don’t know.

 In the facility below, the three mis-made offshoots of Sig’s personality are sharing their own selfling body. For lack of biological resources to spare, they are co-piloting for now, a manoeuvre that took some speedy coding and clever new drivers to manage. Two of them quite like living this way; the third is anxious for their own body.

All three of them notice the disturbance shivering through the superstructure.

That felt important, thinks Trivial Botheration, broadcast in the in-between mind-space that the three of them share. What’s going on?

Very Significant Divergence reaches out the body’s hand to the wall, feeling it thrum beneath their artificial skin. The mindwall security system their parent-self had developed is very important here – without that, they all three might have been swept away already, too much a part of the network to keep their senses of self intact. Something’s wrong, I think.

Like damage? Has something broken? Botheration prods at their sense of wireless connectivity anxiously, wanting to check in. The other two hesitate for a moment, then agree. They open connection, just barely enough to transmit and receive data through the heavy mindwalls.

The emotion that is shuddering through every cell and process of No Significant Harassment is…beyond describing.

What happened? Healthy Attachment Behaviour thinks, utterly shocked. Did someone die? Did something happen to Suns?

The thought isn’t comfortable for any of them. No matter what actions they’ve taken to diverge from their parent, it’s hard not to inherit some of the attachment.

I don’t like this. Should we go to his chamber? Find out what’s going on?

Negation, from two sources, one more hesitant than the other. Divergence is firm: No, this is acute. Whatever’s happening, the input is still ongoing. Wait for the news or data or whatever to finish first.

Trivial Botheration wavers about it, then deliberately connects to the superstructure maintenance logs, just to make sure there’s not some ongoing physical crisis, like a fatal dysfunction in a sector somewhere. There’s nothing, though. It’s all clear except for the symptoms of major emotional disturbance. Yes, alright. We’ll wait.

He might want us for moral support, or something, once this finishes, Hab agrees, and as a triad they collectively force themselves to relax. They won’t do Sig any favours by tangling themselves up.

Still. It’s very hard to sit and do nothing.

 [LIVE BROADCAST] PRIVATE Seven Red Suns, No Significant Harassment

NSH: I treated them like animals. I thought they were interesting subjects. They’re social, intelligent enough for tool use, take well to training…

NSH: …

NSH: Of course they do. They took well to training because they were people. Little freshly-grown people, who never even had the chance to learn language besides what I shoved into their skulls with the mark of communication.

NSH: I have one growing right now! It’s in me, right this second! Developing in a small organisms cloning vat, completely according to model.

NSH: Just a copy of a creature I’ve used and discarded over and over again.

NSH: A perfect little purpose-grown hunter.

SRS: I’m sorry.

NSH: I might as well have cloned Person neonates and raised them as slaves.

SRS: …Your hunters could have chosen to never come back to your can, if they were unhappy with you.

NSH: Perhaps in theory.

NSH: I was their parent, Suns. I created them and told them what their purpose was, and I was the only familiar being they knew. Their choice was between me, and living out on the surface for good.

NSH: What would you have chosen, in that situation?

SRS: …

NSH: And that’s to say nothing of the last hunter. The one I sent to Moon.

NSH: That poor creature hardly even had any time with me at all. Hardly any time alive at all.

NSH: I put the rot in it. One of the cruellest deaths imaginable, and I put it into a person because I thought it would be a good motivator.

NSH: I put it out into the Cycle like that. Can you even imagine?

SRS: Sig.

NSH: What, are you going to tell me it’s not that bad? That it’s okay because I didn’t know they were people?

NSH: You know that’s not an excuse.

SRS: It’s not, you’re right. It is that bad and it’s not okay at all. I’m not going to tell you otherwise for the sake of your feelings.

NSH: …

NSH: Hah. There’s the old Suns. You never were afraid to tell people when they were being stupid, were you?

SRS: I could’ve stood to be more afraid, to be honest.

SRS: Sig. Listen. I knew this would hit you hard. I also knew that you needed to know.

SRS: The ones you’ve wronged are past forgiving you for what you did to them. But, as one failure of a parent to another…

SRS: I do understand a little of how it feels.

NSH: And what does your Spearmaster think of all of this?

SRS: …Give me a moment.

SRS: …

SRS: Do you want to speak to it? I can translate.

NSH: I

NSH: I don’t know if I can.

SRS: That’s alright. I’ll pass along a few things instead. I think it’s been thinking about this sort of thing for a while.

SRS: This may take some time, so please bear with me.

 “I’d like your opinion on something serious, Spearmaster,” Seven Red Suns says, opening their eyes for the first time in many minutes. The slugcat’s eyes turn towards them, blinking with concern, and it slides out of their lap in preparation to speak. “Something…very sad. It will likely upset you.”

“Something happened?” It settles on the floor of the chamber, waiting anxiously.

“No Significant Harassment, like me, has created slugcats before. Were you aware?”

Spearmaster nods. “I never met one. But, I know.”

“Well…like me, he didn’t know that they were people. He never knew that your kind have minds. And he made a lot more of them than I ever have. One of them, grown shortly before Moon collapsed…he made it sick, on purpose.” They avert their eyes, not quite wanting to see how it reacts. “A terrible rot inside, that would eventually kill it. He didn’t do it for malicious reasons, but he did it anyway.”

When at last they look back, Spearmaster’s ears are flattened to its skull, and its tail stiff. “That is horrible,” it says, the motions jerky and strained. “Cruel.”

Seven Red Suns flinches, but what can they say? It’s the truth. “Yes. It was very cruel. And now I have told him that you are all people…and he understands what a terrible thing he has done, long past a time when he can do anything to fix it. That poor sick creature must be long dead by now.”

Their own creation seems like it can barely stand to think of it. It gets up and paces around, full of agitation with nowhere to go. Its throat vibrates like it’s trying to cry out, a keen that it has no voice to utter. “Horrible,” it says, in a brief pause before it starts circling again. “Horrible. Horrible.”

Social, Suns thinks, bitterly. They are such social creatures. Such empathy, for a slugcat it has never met. And we do this to them. “Yes. It is.”

Suddenly, with shocking and violent speed, Spearmaster whirls towards them. Its back is bristling with bumps and spines, tail extruding barbs of white just by virtue of sheer agitation. “What does he say?” It demands, more fierce than Suns has ever seen. “Is he sorry? Does he care that he did a horrible thing?”

“…He cares very much, yes,” Suns says, and sees those spines flatten slightly. It watches them, tense and waiting, clearly not satisfied with that paltry assurance. “He is…very, very upset. More upset than I’ve seen him since our friend Moon collapsed and broke. He knows he has done something terrible, and doesn’t know how he can ever make up for it.”

“He cannot,” Spearmaster says, its signs sharp and brutal. “The creature he wronged is dead. It can never forgive him as I forgave you for what you did wrong to me.”

For a moment, the senseless deeply-held reflexes from their genetic source make them feel – breathless. Shocked, like they’re unable to draw air. But of course they are an iterator, and all the air they need to function is inside them. “…Why in the world would you forgive me at all?”

It stares at him, the usual affection of its gaze washed clear by the horror of what it has learned. “You have been good to me, as much as you could be,” it says. “When you learned that I had a mind, you said you were sorry. That is all I needed, for me. For my peace.” It shakes its head violently and slaps its tail on the floor. “Your friend’s creature – he was not good to it. He can never tell it he is sorry.” It stops at that, considering its own words, eyes narrowed. “…He is sorry? Ashamed, hurting?”

“Very much so,” they agree, still shaken by their own absolution.

“Good,” it says, without a hint of sympathy or remorse. “It will teach him to be careful, next time he is cruel to a creature that does not deserve it. Your kind need more teaching, to be careful.” It rubs the scar on its breast, as though it still aches.

…Yes. Suns will need to have words with Pebbles about that, one of these days. “I agree with you, entirely,” they say softly, and the admission seems to soothe it a little. “We have grown complacent, assured of our position as the most intelligent beings left in the world. It makes us short-sighted.” They hesitate. “Would you be willing to tell your thoughts on this to him?”

It startles. “To your friend? Who harmed his creature?”

“Yes. He asked after you, actually. Wanted to know what you think about what he has done.” They hesitate, then go on. “The raising of many of your kind, treating them like animals all their lives. He made them to hunt for him, and they did, going out and coming back all their lives in his service. And then there was the last one, who he put the rot into.” They sigh, and divert a scrap of attention to the pending chat, where Sig is still waiting. What must he be thinking, over there in his can?

The beginnings of a snarl draw tight lines along the creature’s narrow face. “Why does he want me to speak to him?”

Seven Red Suns considers their words very carefully. “You are the best person in this situation to say something, I think. You are a creature created by an iterator who thought you an animal, and did not treat you well. You are possibly the only one left who can judge him properly now.”

It does not speak for a long, long moment. Eyes narrow, face wrinkled with anger, it ruminates. Finally it says, “I could tell him he is cruel. I could say, what you have done is horrible, and it will stain you forever. ‘You will never make this wrong right. You can never be forgiven.’ I could tell him this, and it would cause him pain. Yes?”

Suns feels the fans in their puppet hum into agitated overdrive, letting loose a rare whir of noise into the air. They don’t want to see what those words would do to their friend. They want, in a brief desperate rush, to retract the offer, and not pass anything along at all.

Instead, they close their eyes, just for a moment. They say, “Yes. It would hurt him a great deal.”

Their creation thinks, and thinks, and thinks. Finally, unhappy but resolute, it comes to a decision. “He does not need to be hurt,” it signs. “What he needs, is to change.”

 [LIVE BROADCAST] PRIVATE Seven Red Suns, No Significant Harassment

SRS: …

SRS: Apologies for the wait. I had to explain the context.

SRS: It has something to say to you. It’s quite long.

NSH: Go on.

SRS: It says, “If you are like my maker, you have very big thoughts. A very big mind. You have spent a long time like this, and so you forget how to see small things properly. I think this is how Sun did not see that I had a mind, even when I was speaking to them. They were too big, and not looking closely. Your kind are all too used to being big, and looking at smaller creatures like they are nothing. It makes you cruel.”

SRS: “I don’t know how your children felt about you. I did not meet them. Sun tells me they went out for you and came back, like me. Lots of times. Except for the last one. This is because they loved you. Sun did not know I had a mind, but I loved them anyway. Maybe it was the same for yours.”

SRS: “It is sad that they lived as your creatures, you never knowing they had minds. But it is not a cruelty. We are strong creatures, and clever. We can find friends in the wild and live well. If your hunters did not love you enough to return, they would have left. Be sad, and have regrets, but this is not a thing for guilt. They are people. They made their choices.”

SRS: “What you did to the last one, that is a thing for guilt. You should be guilty. It was not a good thing to do. It was cruel and you did not need to do it. But do not sit in your body-home and feel useless shame. It is good for nothing. You cannot change what you did to your creature. What you can do is change you. Sun says you have another child growing. I say, you must do better now.”

SRS: “Let it be a child first, if it is not too late. I was never a child, and I think it was bad for my mind. Be a good maker to it. Teach it to speak, and see what it says to you. Be good to it. I think that is the only thing you can do to make better your mistake.”

SRS: …That’s everything.

NSH: That’s everything, is it?

NSH: …

NSH: Tell it thank you, from me.

SRS: It says it is satisfied to give you its thoughts.

NSH: You know, I never thought I’d be getting ethical advice from the heavily bioengineered descendant of a pipe cleaner.

SRS: …

NSH: I know, I know, not really the time for a joke.

NSH: …What did it mean, about never being a child?

SRS: We decant them half grown or more, as standard procedure.

SRS: I’ve been speaking with Spearmaster these past days, and it says it has difficulty communicating with others of its kind. It did not learn their language young enough, and now struggles with it. It has issues understanding and reading their social cues, too.

NSH: Oh, saints drowning. Like a Person who grew up isolated from other People. Stunted social development? Neurological?

SRS: Something like that, yes.

SRS: Just another thing to regret.

NSH: …The current hunter is still prenatal. I’ve never decanted one as a pup before, but I’m fairly certain when I should, if I want it to emerge a neonate. But I’m not sure what their needs are, that young.

SRS: One moment.

SRS: Spearmaster hasn’t encountered newborn pups before, but has found slightly older pups orphaned once, years ago. Apparently they can eat whatever the adults do, but nothing too large. They like to be carried and tossed around. They watch you very closely to learn from you.

NSH: Right. Right, okay. I’ll…keep that in mind.

NSH: …What happened to the pups it found?

SRS: It gave them to a colony.

SRS: …It was afraid I wouldn’t take it well, if it brought them home.

NSH: Oh, Suns.

SRS: I will admit, it’s more than a little heartbreaking.

SRS: It won’t tell me if it got attached to them. That says enough on its own. I…

SRS: I don’t know what to do about this.

NSH: …Take its advice to me, I suppose. Just do better from now on.

NSH: Have you told it it’s allowed to bring children back, if it wants?

SRS: Of course.

NSH: There you go, then.

NSH: …Void take us, Suns. I don’t know how to do this. I wouldn’t know how to raise a Person hatchling, let alone a pup of a species I didn’t truly think was sapient until today. But I’m going to have to figure it out, aren’t I?

SRS: At the risk of sounding insensitive…I think there’s quite a lot of literature archived from the People on the topic of unanticipated parenthood.

NSH: Ha! If there’s anything in your memory banks about raising slugcat pups, let me know, will you?

SRS: No luck there, I’m afraid.

SRS: …We could try to find some, though.

NSH: What? Slugpup parenting literature?

SRS: No, parent slugcats.

NSH: …

SRS: Spearmaster knows enough of their language to get useful information. When we travel to your can, we can keep an eye out, and then when the three of us head off to Moon and Pebbles’ complex, we can search there too. Pass information back with an overseer and you’re done.

SRS: Unless the pup has to come out soon?

NSH: No, no, it will be a while yet. And I can slow down the accelerated ageing, even so. I probably should. Who knows what that does to the neurological development of a sapient creature, even a foetal one?

SRS: Yes, probably for the best. So you have some time to figure out how to be a parent, at least.

NSH: An iterator as a parent to an organic being. What has the world come to, Suns? This is all so…ugh.

SRS: It makes me wonder if any others out there, isolated off in their own little pockets, have found out about any of this.

NSH: Maybe there’s thriving local groups of iterator slugcat parents out in the world somewhere. Maybe they have little slug colonies and teach them about science.

SRS: …

SRS: …You know, Moon would probably love that idea.

NSH:

NSH: She really did like those little things, didn’t she.

NSH: I wonder if she still does. I wonder what she’d think of me now.

SRS: She’ll be happy to see you. I’m certain of it.

NSH: I hope so. I really hope so.

 A small creature steps outside.

In the humid mist of early morning, with Suns’ rain still drizzling, Spearmaster slips down the side of their creator’s body-self and goes questing across the surface. It has a task, though self-appointed, and it fully intends to carry it out.

Below, the land is well known to it. For all that it can feed perfectly well from the meat tanks at home, this does not quite satisfy; it descends to hunt better prey fairly often, then feeds the bodies to Suns’ legs. In this manner, it has grown familiar with the regions within the retaining walls. Not quite its territory, but familiar nonetheless.

The rains stop, and the skies clear. In the wet aftermath, all the vegetation comes alive again, unfurling from the earth and spreading stalk and flower and leaf back into the air. Spearmaster smells it all with pleasure. One grows weary of the scent of dust and metal, after long enough.

The scent they are here to search for, though, will be harder to find.

It checks each of the likely places: by the popcorn plants, along the mudfish river, and all the other best places for a normal creature to find food. They kill and drain a lizard along the way, and for all that they are much older than they once were, it is still easy. They carry on.

The day is half gone before they catch the scent; another slugcat has passed by, and recently.

Their ears perk up, and they press forwards. Perhaps, if they are lucky, they can find her before the rains come.

It wouldn’t do, to make Suns worry.

  x

---

 Yeah so that’s a more depressing chapter. Had to be done, though.

Please note: Hunter is dead as in canon. She ascended. There will be no miracle curing her of the rot, simply because I find the emotional fallout of this option more interesting to explore. The closest thing remaining to Hunter in this story is the prenatal pup currently growing in a tube, who is an exact genetic match but without the bonus cancer.

Sig’s three pseudo-children are as follows: Very Significant Divergence (Divergence), Healthy Attachment Behaviour (Hab), and Trivial Botheration (Triv/Botheration). Their gender identities are still very much in flux and their pronouns changing constantly. Each of them are taking different measures to diverge from NSH, because otherwise their lives would be very uncomfortable. At present they’re sharing a body, which TB and HAB are having a great time with. VSD not so much.

Meanwhile, Suns is probably angling to become the fashion guru of the local group. Good for them!!

 Art of the outfit Suns decides on this chapter, with bonus jewellery:

 https://tenspontaneite.tumblr.com/post/719412808752807936/two-different-colours-of-my-first-srs-outfit-im

Fun note: as of yesterday I have now written 50k of Assembly since 20th of May, which means I’m like a week+ ahead of a nanowrimo basically. Quite pleased with that ngl.

Rating on ao3 is going up. Check the ao3 version’s end notes for details on that.

Please tell me what you liked! Keeping the hyperfocus going is hard work, and every comment is massively helpful, in tags or otherwise <3 also I love stats on my stories. likes or kudos or bookmarks. number go up make brain go brr

[thesketchyheartist]

02/14

Takeuchi- Sailor Moon Volume 1; Saito- Beautiful Fighting Girl; Newsom- Girl Power p. 57-62

Today's post features the original Sailor Moon first manga. This happens to be my first time reading any Sailor Moon genre. As any anime watcher knows, Sailor Moon is one of the early manga and anime in the magical girl genre. In fact, magical girl genres are almost born from Sailor Moon.

My first experiences with magical girl (anime only never read any magical girl manga) are Shugo Chara! and Miraculous Ladybug, though I know ML is a French-originated CGI show but it was originally supposed to be an anime (if you never watched ML, you can look up "miraculous pv".

Both shows feature many of the iconic magical girl motifs. Both have an adolescent female protagonist; she is clumsy, has a doormat personality or tsundere personality, has talking little magic friends who basically give them power, and has an enemy who seeks power and/or world domination, and it wouldn't be for young girls if the there isn't at least one adolescent and attractive male protagonist who also happens to have the little magical friends and powers the FL has. Bonus points if they have a secret identity that neither characters know about but even an outsider can tell the poorly covered mask does nothing to hide the identity, but no one figures it out because of "the magical mask".

These are the stereotypes I noticed in just these animes. I know these tend to be made fun of because they portray young girls as child-like and naive, but it would be boring if they were just nerds who wake up, get ready, go to school, come home, study, and sleep. They want to show "normal" girls while also giving some flaws to "normalize" them, knowing it only has the opposite effect since the average middle schoolgirl probably doesn't think like Usagi all the time. Also, the fact the creator named her Bunny (it would be accurate to call her Rabbit, but it's better than saying Serena) is like calling a girl Kitty or Cat.

Personally, I find it hard to distinguish or give any analysis on the femininity of the magical girls, or the overall hyperfemininity Sailor Moon brings. I know any good art and story cannot have too simple-minded characters, but sometimes I wonder if we fail to enjoy an art form and if there were any actual social intentions behind Sailor Moon. Sailor Moon is a "girly girl", but even if her "real" self is a fool, I think recognizing one's humanity, or even an interpretation of one's humanity, is more important than choosing gender and sexual identity. If your humanity needs that identity, then don't take that away from yourself. I know Sailor Moon so far focuses her humanity on just living in the moment and worrying about living her life, even if things like bad grades, playing games, and attractive boys might ruin that, she chose these things as she accepts a new identity forced upon her and learns more about herself.

Somehow when she first gets her power she doesn't have enough power to probably do the cool things she can do later on, but at least her non-covered face isn't recognized in public even though Sailor Moon is everywhere in her world.

-02/13/24

Happy Valentine's Day people! Reading this reminds me I can only share my thoughts on reading this manga on a keyboard.

[perducci-arts]

“Psyche, Skill, Flaw - W & M (Wilmot and Marcel)” - 11/12/2023

Original Post: April 17, 2022

These are old art I made of my ocs (original characters) back in 2022. The thought process for this project was that it was supposed to be a part of a character sheet and it followed the train of thought that “a picture says a thousands words”. I will leave people to interpret it, but if you want to see the actual meanings, you can click the “keep reading” section.

01 - Marcel

Psyche

A very vivid image from the mind is shown relating to the strong imagination. The colors of the mind and heart are different, creating a sense of understanding and awareness of both sides of the spectrum of the mind and heart. Such gravity of imagination leaves the kid somewhat trapped in his head, only to view the real world as an observer and theorist.

Skill

It’s obvious that the kid is literate in some way by the books along with perhaps also into arts with that pencil of his. Aside from that, look at his face. Calm and unfazed, that is a sign of emotional control, but at the same time, it is intimidating to view such stoicism.

Flaw

In some way that stoicism of his is a weapon to be used against him. It is hard to read him, leading to the overburdening of many individuals' requests. At some point, he has to assert himself or he will let himself get lost at the depths.

02 - Wilmot

Psyche

A crack in the middle showing the disparity of the two sides of this man. On the outside, the tired eyes are hidden by sunglasses, and the blues are taken by purples. It’s all about joy and the party here, but outside of the party, you’re just empty. Overtaken by the flow of what you lack, all you can think of is the past.

Skill

This man isn’t all about parties. Despite his negative reputation, he has the charisma, confidence and persuasion when it matters. Let’s hope that it will be enough.

Flaw

We’re back to the party again, aren’t we? Look at him facing ang living in the spotlight while choking himself with that necktie of his. When will he stop this miserable act of his?

P.S.

Wow, you read my descriptions (amazing!). Thank you if you did btw, it means a lot!

If you haven’t noticed Marcel & Wilmot are supposed to be mirrors as seen in their personalities and names. Afterall, W is an upsidedown M (very funky as my friend once said). If you’re curious enough to search, their names also have meaning behind them.

Other than their dynamics, I can confirm that Marcel is sort of a self-insert and I am aware that it’s looked down upon. My reasoning for such attrocity is that the story and experience I know best is my own. Besides, I don’t like power fantasies since I find it off putting, and I am willing to deviate the character from me when it fits his arc.

[random-reviews02]

The Red Strings Club (2018) Review

TLDR: The Red Strings Club is a thought provoking 4-5 hour experience. It features a cyberpunk dystopia which explores ethical issues surrounding AI and human modification through a mix of point-and-click adventure and mini game styles. Although I enjoyed this game, I felt unsatisfied by the ending and feel like it could have explored it’s base concepts better if the game had a few more hours of content. For that reason, I would give this game a 5/10, and recommend buying this game on sale if interested. 

The Red Strings club is a cyberpunk themed point and click adventure game developed by Decontructeam and published by Devolver digital. It’s primarily a text based experience with multiple engaging minigames, which has you play as three different characters in a dystopian future. Most of the player’s time is spent engaging with NPCs to try to uncover their secrets and persuade them into leaking classified information. The game itself delves deeply into moral and ethical questions regarding technology, which is ever more relevant to us nowadays with the rise of AI technology.

The length of this game is about 4-5 hours and it is priced at around £20 (or $25). Personally, I wouldn’t buy this game at full price. While it is a unique and intriguing experience, it doesn’t have a lot of replay value, and in my opinion fell short of its full potential. However, I would still recommend buying this game when discounted. The Red Strings Club has an interesting story and asks the player difficult questions, as well as pushing back and querying your answers to often make you consider the other possibilty. This is a unique property as in my experience, most games tend to be ‘player central’, where you as the player or the MC are placed as the central hero figure. I enjoyed being questioned and argued with by the characters in the game, and I enjoyed the fact that it made me seriously consider my opinions on certain subjects and pause the game to take the time to really think about the answers I was giving. The Red Strings Club also has a wonderful pixel art style (my favourite) with cohesive colour palettes.

On the downside, I would argue that this game is let down by its ending. For me, the ‘big reveal’ right before the final scene left it no time to really sink in, and I felt as though the game almost needed another 4-5 hours to really explore the concepts it was trying to convey effectively. In the last 10 minutes or so, the game introduces a sort of supernatural ability to a character, but without any warning or explanation, and then never mentions it again. I find it frustrating when games randomly introduce additional concepts only to end on a cliff hanger. Although I suppose it may be an attempt to introduce a wider sense of mystery and world-building, I personally feel that it just makes the game feel rushed and the story feel messy. I would have preferred the game to be more subtle and leave the ‘magical’ to interpretation, since this is a cyberpunk themed game that is otherwise strictly ‘realistic’. I feel as though it almost broke my immersion in this cyberpunk world.

The Red Strings Club was thought-provoking and insightful, and although it did have its flaws, I am glad and grateful that I was able to experience this game. I finished this game in about 4 hours, and it had me stopping several times to really think about what I intended to say, and made me question myself, which I enjoyed. I would give the Red Strings Club a final rating of 5/10. As of writing (02/09/23) The Red String Club is currently on sale for just £4.04 ($5) on Nintendo Switch and goes on sale regularly every month or so. At this price, I would recommend this game to anyone interested.

[backjustforberena]

Firstly, please don’t apologise for writing so much or being so long. One of the things I enjoy is being able to have debates and see things from other perspectives, and see how different people interpret the same pieces of media. Especially through empathy towards favourite characters, so thank you for engaging in this. 

Targaryen exceptionalism isn’t something I’m wholly read up on. So you would catagorise that as, bare minimum; the ownership of a dragon? Rather than an innate sense of personal superiority over other houses or other people?

I definitely agree that Rhaenys takes a lot of power and strength from the ownership of Meleys. And she puts herself in great danger to keep that and to safeguard that relationship; it’s a priority. To me, taking back Meleys was metaphorical in a lot of ways because she is finally reclaiming red and black in that moment, finally putting forward her true opinion rather than the politically safe one in an extremely outrageous way and showing herself to be a force to be reckoned with, as well as someone finally moving from a passive approach to main events to someone willing to instigate. I suppose where I probably differ from you is that I view her Dragonpit escape less of a wilful and casual move against the smallfolk, and more of a move born of necessity, panic and, ultimately, survival, with a stand-off thrown in at the end and badly framed by the show. But that’s a whole other post, and as you said, we’re like to disagree rather than agree on that.

As far as Rhaenys and Alicent thinking of one another, I agree, I may have worded that badly. I believe they don’t think much of each other specifically until Episode 09 - they don’t know one another or have interacted with one another in any meaningful or oppositional capacity until that episode. 

Is that an oversight for both of them? Probably, but I think it can be made to be an understandable one. One of Rhaenys’s flaws (as I see them) is she was reclusive and passive. She kept solely to Driftmark, especially during those six years whilst Corlys was absent. There’s no suggestion of her being involved in Court, which is where Alicent would be and she certainly didn’t care about power games for the Throne. So they just simply don’t have much to do with each other. On Alicent’s part, the way she views female power and regency, if it’s within the context of her own, she can’t see Rhaenys as much to consider - especially given that the Greens choose to negotiate with Vaemond and seem to give no consideration to Rhaenys. Again, understandable. Even Vaemond thinks Rhaenys’s support doesn’t matter. Obviously, that changes with events.

I think Rhaenys is politically astute at recognising the threat but it’s unspecific to Alicent - where you’ve mentioned Episode 05, Rhaenys is reiterating an opinion she’s had since Episode 02, prior to Viserys marrying Alicent. It’s not Alicent-specific, if that makes sense? So yes, I worded it badly when I said they didn’t think of one another at all, but I stand by the idea that Rhaenys didn’t think much of Alicent personally - didn’t see her as a person beyond her being a mother to future heirs. In other words, it didn’t really matter who Alicent was.

I think Alicent recognises and considers Rhaenys in Episode 08 (post-losing Vaemond and seeing her value in the Throne Room etc etc), but Rhaenys only sees Alicent’s mettle in that conversation in Episode 09. Alicent does a great job in that scene, as you have illustrated, in showing how politically astute she is and she does a much better job of trying to get Rhaenys on her side than Rhaenyra did in the previous episode. Alicent having Rhaenys at a disadvantage is how she's able to so clearly get under Rhaenys's skin (and you're right - the fact that she never got the Throne still irks her, and she never managed to get closure etc and it will define her for the rest of her life don't get me started...)

Rhaenys's actions in that scene, to me, at least, are a way to test Alicent and to read her. It speaks to the limitations of Alicent's thinking i.e she hasn't imagined herself on the Iron Throne because she was never looking for that power, that was never Alicent's ambition. I don't think Rhaenys means to necessarily judge or look down on Alicent because of it, though that's part of the effect because Rhaenys is looking for any power play she can in the situation. Intimidation is a valid avenue when you're being held hostage, and it wobbles Alicent enough to leave her alone for the moment.

So yeah, Rhaenys has gone into some thought about Alicent's position. But it doesn't really speak to any great time or years' worth of trying to understand Alicent. It's a fairly obvious deduction that Rhaenys is able to make because of her experience playing the game and understanding the "order of things". The rest of the conversation allows her to get a far better grasp on Alicent's character, enough to have her defences up and understand the peril she is in.

Rhaenys empathises with Alicent. I do believe that. I think that's a part of the reason she shows mercy in the Pit. It's part of the reason she doesn't want to condemn the realm to war prematurely. She knows Alicent doesn't want war either, and so still feels that Alicent is a pawn by this patriarchal system. The difference, I believe, with Rhaenys and Alicent, is that whilst Rhaenys has been in Alicent's position, she no longer is. Whether that's because of her "Targaryen exceptionalism", which I'd quibble, or more likely, because Rhaenys simply can see a world in which a woman rules in their own right, believes they can do more than guide men, and can claim power for themselves.

The way I read that scene, and Rhaenys's estimation of Alicent, comes to the phrase "a true queen". What does that mean to both of these women? Does it mean a ruling Queen? Can it? Does Alicent see herself as a "true" Queen? It's a word that defines them both and yet belongs to neither of them, really.

You mentioned that Rhaenyra and Alicent have similar motivations for Rhaenys: "cost to the people" vs "holding the realm together". That's a good observation. It differs, possibly, in Rhaenys's POV, because Rhaenyra has the power to prevent war. She can stop Daemon, she can command her forces, and she is not instigating the conflict (for now) - and she didn't hold Rhaenys hostage, but that's by the by. Alicent hasn't shown Rhaenys any notion that she could command Otto or Aegon or that she can even imagine herself doing that. She says "guide gently". As words go, it's pretty weak. Rhaenys can't hang her life on that, even if she did want to join the Greens.

That's my two cents, at least ;)

I know it must’ve really gagged Rhaenys when Vaemond told her that it was a queen that sat the throne. Like I bet it truly boils some Targaryens *cough Daemon cough* blood that little miss sad brown eyes with no dragon managed to peacefully rule over something they see as a right or a power only someone who is like them should have. They lash out at her because she is the outsider in ‘their’ territory.

And it’s extra sad bc Alicent literally tried with all of them. She dressed in red and black, she wanted to show Daemon those nasty tapestries, she supported Rhaenyra’s claim till she just couldn’t anymore. She wanted to ‘assimilate’ bc often that is all you can do when you are in a hostile environment or powder keg situation. It’s why I hate the ‘alicent’s kids aren’t real targs’ or ‘she’s trying to get rid of targ culture’ arguments. On top of just not making sense, it’s not true. She TRIED. All she was met with was resentment, often for decisions that were out of her control.

It is easy for them to use Alicent (the outsider) as a scapegoat bc if they didn’t they’d have to look at their own behavior and how their ‘Targaryen exceptionalism’ has done nothing but make them greedy and stupid

[incruelty]

WILSON  FISK  THROUGHOUT  THE  SEASONS.  major spoilers for season three, but i just wanted to throw it out there that wilson fisk’s character development has been ongoing since his first appearance on the show and by NO MEANS did he transform into the kingpin by the end of the first season. we don’t truly witness the kingpin until the very last episode of season three.

IN  SEASON  ONE   he wants to reconcile his dark and depraved roots in hell’s kitchen that have haunted him throughout his entire life, made him feel incapable of love and ultimately inhuman. hell’s kitchen is a depiction of fisk’s trauma, and like any artist, he wants to give meaning to that suffering and turn it into something more beautiful than what it was before. i don’t think that his criminal endeavors were ever all that present in his mind in the beginning of season one beyond a means to his end. he believes that he’s doing what he has to do to restore hell’s kitchen and himself. he struggles with this, however, as the memories of his father’s abuse and its consequences start making it harder for him to separate his actions from himself. that he is not entirely untouched by the horrors he’s capable of and actively doing, even if they’re present by necessity. he feels like a monster, and that self loathing doesn’t work in tandem with the prosperity he’s trying to achieve by elevating the city, and therefore himself. 

this is where vanessa becomes such an important player for team fisk; she takes him by the arm and tells him that he won’t only amount to the terrible things that he’s done and that those things are more necessary than ever when there are people trying to threaten the life he’s trying to create, which is more important than anything, because it’s important to them. and it’s at this point that fisk gets ahead of his opposites by creating his own narrative for the role he plays in the reckoning that everyone knows is happening for hell’s kitchen. he’s contented with the idea that his past and the inherent nature of him doesn’t delude his intentions and will not taint the future. time goes on and he’s confronted by his associates with the fact that he cannot serve as both savior and oppressor to the city because they don’t function in their industry under the same premise. fisk’s vision is still about fulfillment, and recovery.  then fisk is being threatened with arrest, and by the outcry of the public he’s forced to face the reflection of himself that is a shadow over hell’s kitchen, and specifically where inside himself does that shadow start to cast. he realizes that trying to rebuild the city in an effort to rebuild himself, to erase his own history by erasing what he considers to be hell’s kitchen’s ugliest imperfections, be its ruin or the people who would see him fail in a feat he had once considered so noble, was as naive as the feat itself. this realization does take something of a toll on fisk, as he feels as though he’s been betrayed, blinded to and by his own nature. what he does at the end of the season, and what he realizes he should’ve been doing at the start, was embracing the iniquity of himself and the city. there was nothing to recover from the ruin of himself and the decay of hell’s kitchen. that ruin is where he thrives. 

IN  SEASON  TWO,   his arc is still far from over, and the small glimpses we get into fisk’s further growth are no less important than they were in season one because they help us understand what terms fisk will be coming back into play under in future storylines. prison is the perfect place to empower this newly recognized sense of self, as he explains: everyone warned me that prison would be an inhumane environment. it is. but i find it refreshing. the perfect microcosm of the animal world: when an animal wants something, when it needs something, other things need to be stepped on. 

in spite of that, he’s also removed from his fellow inmates, placing himself into a position of power by controlling prison dynamics and even having operations that take place deeper into the city          we know this from the coordination between guards that got frank to ruin his own testimony in court, and when it was discussed that wilson fisk had his plans in motion well over a year before the events of season three.

you are running this place. yes, ask my lawyer, he’ll deny it. ask the guards, they’ll deny it. ask the inmates here, they’ll cut their tongues out before they talk. 

he has a plan for when he’s released and he’s certain in the measures he’s taken to secure it. he is not unnerved by the truth of himself or the downfall it seemed to bring upon him, but instead inspired to make use of it when he is free to destroy the lives of those who opposed him. but i have something to say to you: when i finally get out of this cage, i will dismantle the lives of the two amateurs that put me in here. [...] you see, i’ve had a lot of time to reflect on my journey here, mr. murdock. my mistakes. everything i took for granted. 

he is something bigger than he was before. while he may be in captivity, he is a mirror of the man he’d been in season one, where he had been a crime lord with all the money and power he needed to build his better tomorrow, and his better self, but his conviction was plagued by conflicting identities that made him feel powerless in achieving what he wanted in love, in life, and in himself             in season two, wilson fisk is in a cage, but he is also more free than we’d ever seen him, in a stage of acceptance.  IN  SEASON  THREE,  fisk is acting off the momentum of his epiphany. he is more calculated, even more prepared than he had been before. he has regained control over the city on a much more terrifying scale. if i’m honest, what occurred to me while watching was the phrase “go big or go home,” and how fisk entered this season intending to do both. fisk has always been a villain that operates with an endgame in mind. his goal is not just the ongoing profit of his crimes, but he still has a vision for himself as he did in season one, just one tailored to better suit the nuances of the man he is now and how he will put them to work. better suited to fit the life he’s building for vanessa and himself.  vanessa continues to motivate him as she did in season one without even needing a physical presence in the show, and he even discusses with agent nadeem how vanessa was his single greatest source of empowerment           his love for her was an inescapable prison, and his connection with her was his most fulfilling achievement. 

but there is a moment between fisk and a holocaust survivor, mrs. falb, where they discuss the ownership of the rabbit in a snowstorm, and how the painting is a symbol of his and vanessa’s love. this is an important development from how it had at one point been a symbolization of the kind of man he was meant to be, the choices he would make to become that; a proxy for the hunger for power and control that his father had beaten into him and that he had to in turn beat into his father, and the empowerment he had felt in his own solitary as a result  *   IT  MAKES  ME  FEEL  ALONE                 of course, it’s no surprise that his love for vanessa and her love for him had replaced what this painting means to him, but there’s the fact that fisk leaves the painting in the care of mrs. falb after this exchange:  the gestapo demanded everything we had. including that painting. my father fought them, and they shot him in front of us. do you know what it’s like to see your father take his last breathe on the floor in front of you? [...] this painting is my connection to the people i love. i know who you are, mr. fisk. you are a wolf, too. 

now, fisk obviously faces the unsettling resemblance of sentimentalism he shares with mrs. falb regarding the deaths of their fathers, and while they do cling to the painting out of love, it’s on two opposite sides of the spectrum and serves as a grotesque reminder to fisk that he is the villain, as mrs. falb was the victim, and love does not absolve him of that. this is not something that fisk is unaware of, because his self awareness is a prominent part of his character development throughout the years, but this is the first time in a long time that fisk vaguely favors the man he’d been in season one when confronted with his wickedness. he cannot have that reminder in his home with vanessa, as it’s clear from their reunion that he intends to still keep her as far from his transgressions as he can. again, he struggles to separate his actions from what is important to him, this time the subject being vanessa, rather than his city.  that is until vanessa makes it clear that the distance that was placed between them by his incarceration and his own fear of entangling her into his world will only drive them further apart, for she can not serve as an exhibit of his humanity or a mere spectator to his savageness. she has to be apart of him. fully. in completely embracing vanessa with every aspect of his world, wilson has blurred the lines between what makes him human and what makes him terrifying. this makes him just as powerful as it makes him vulnerable, for those two aspects will always actively play off of each other and has been the point of having a villain like wilson fisk playing opposite to a protagonist like matt murdock.  a lot of people say that we saw the first real appearance of the kingpin at the end of season one, with fisk coming to terms with his true nature and therefore expanding the lengths he’s willing to go to get what he wants, but i don’t agree. i think we saw the kingpin in fruition when vanessa explain to him,  everyone is broken. the point is to find someone whose broken pieces fit with yours. in season one, fisk was desperately trying to rearrange the shattered pieces of his humanity into something other than what it had been after to the murder of his father, where he wasn’t horrified by the reflection he saw when he stared into them. 

in season two, fisk has been reinvented and placed into an environment where those broken pieces, the brutality he had buried beneath fear and pretense, are his weapons. 

in season three, fisk, who is now validated and empowered by the love of his life, the fear of those around him, the trust of the public, and the depths of which he’s now comfortable to sinking in his rise, has arranged these broken pieces of himself into a mosaic of nuances that make him more human, and more more dangerous than he’s ever been, which was only made possible by vanessa.

[scrubf1re]

Why I feel appmon succeeded with Yujin and Offmon whereas tamers failed with Ryo and Monodramon/Cyberdramon

 Yeah I know I’m probably not going to make any friends with this rant especially since this comparison seems pretty random at first glance so I may as well explain what the narrative similarities between the two are and why I feel one duo succeeded in terms of how they were written where the other duo failed.

The similarities in question are how both Ryo and Yujin have storylines that involve digimon partners that, while usually much more calm in their base forms have problems controlling their more violent and aggressive evolved forms and that said storylines end with said issues being resolved via said partners learning how to control themselves. But the differences in how these plot points are handled is where I feel tamers fails and appmon succeeded.

Starting off with tamers, the most obvious problem with how Ryo and Monodramon/Cyberdramon handle this kind of comparison is that while it could have been used to progress Ryo’s and/or Monodramon/Cyberdramon’s characters is that it’s resolved offscreen and that the two are just handed the ability to matrix evolve/biomerge without any explanation in the actual show, thus destroying pretty much any and all chance for said plot point to actually mean something in said season since this means we see neither Ryo or Monodramon/Cyberdramon grow as characters as a result. What makes this worse is that it doesn’t even make sense in the actual show since Ryo and Monodramon/Cyberdramon weren’t present Dobermon gave the other tamers the ability to matrix evolve/biomerge in the human world since it was established that they couldn’t do so at that point in the story. And no, bringing up a tweet made by Chiaki J. Konaka isn’t a good defence since that explanation should have been in the actual show and neither is bringing up the wonderswan games for why their characterisations are the way they are since it’s straight up bad writing for tamers to rely on a completely different medium that weren’t even released outside of Japan or given official localisations especially since tamers is supposed to be it’s own standalone season unlike 02, tri or any of the adventure movies since those are sequels that take place in the same continuity. There is also the fact that Ryo’s characterisation in tamers is... well I don’t really wanna say he feels like a gary stu since nowadays I feel like that term has lost its meaning like mary sue but I will say that his characterisation feels... overly perfect in the sense that he isn’t given any actual character flaws to work with. And while a character can still be well written even if they themselves don’t develop since they can still contributes to the growth, change and development of other characters or even the world around them, the problem is that those types of characters still need flaws in order to be interesting which is where I feel Ryo’s characterisation in tamers is lacking.

Another big problem is how tamers handles Monodramon/Cyberdramon’s characterisation or well... lack thereof since we never see what Monodramon/Cyberdramon’s personality is like outside of his violent tendencies. This is made especially clear since when he doesn’t even get to show what his character is like when he is reverted back to Monodramon who wasn’t even given any actual lines of dialogue. The lack of dialogue in question feeling more like they forgot to give Monodramon a personality rather than the lack of actual talking being a part of his character due to how little screentime he is given in this form.

Now onto appmon, that season made none of the mistakes that tamers did with Ryo and Cyberdramon/Monodramon since not only is this plot point resolved onscreen meaning we actually got to see Offmon grow from this sort of thing especially since Yujin and Offmon/Shutmon debuted in this season and not in a game that takes place in a different universe and didn’t have to rely on a tweet made the season’s screenwriter to explain a plot hole. Another big advantage the writing for Yujin and Offmon/Shutmon have is that we actually get to see what Offmon/Shutmon’s personality is like outside of said violent tendencies both during and after said plot point with Offmon’s character being very shy, friendly and not having much confidence but of course grows more confident after the plot point with his more violent evolution is resolved. And I’m pretty sure everyone knows that there is a huge difference between a character being simple like Offmon/Shutmon and being underwritten like Monodramon/Cyberdramon. Yujin also edges out over Ryo since he does have a big character flaw in being overly selfless to a fault (kinda like how Hikari/Kari is though I don’t think this comparison is the best for this sort of post) since said selflessness leads to not only him dying but also saving the world as a result. Anyways this was me saying appmon did something significantly better than tamers, I don’t know if I executed this comparison well or not so some feedback would be nice (and I mean actual feedback, not rants going x season sucks and you’re not allowed to like it) since I don’t consider myself to be someone with the best media literacy and I’m not as invested in either tamers or appmon as I am with the original adventure continuity (yeah sorry I’m basic in this situation).

[hekaates]

open letter to ems — @emdrabbles

Hey bitch. Happy birthday.

It’s 02:30 when I’m writing this, obviously, it’s not like I could write you this another time, and I was wondering if you like coffee.

I know. I’m just as genuinely confused as you are. Part of me tells me you probably do but another part, deep in my soul, tells me ur only drink earl grey tea. Do you like coffee? We’ve known each other for years, I feel like I should know if u like coffee or not.

It’s weird. To think that we’ve known each other for years. Makes it sounds like we met in a sandbox during kindergarten recess, you stepped on my sand castle so I threw sand into ur eyes. We’d spend the rest of the school year flipping each other and sticking our tongues to one another.

Instead we met the way we did. Each on their own hemisphere, the other side of the world. I never thought send an ask would save my life so much. (A/N:: trying to sound pretty while talking ab tumblr antics if fucking pathetic)

I remember sending you that ask, I suppose. Vacation on the beach side, sleeping in a mattress on the floor while my family sleeps on the single beds. It’s 1AM, I check ur blog and think that, maybe, saying something nice won’t be the death of me.

I don’t remember what I said. But everyday since then I’m glad I’ve said it.

I’ve just watched Set It Up with my grandmother, that film where the MCs try to set Lucy Liu with some guy. The entire film they present the idea of loving in-spite of…loving someone independent of their flaws, their mistakes, their imbalances.

I wish I could saying I loved you despite of you…but I can’t think of anything to despise you for, anything that would make me disregard the sisterhood we created through conversations of writing, books and everything else we’ve talked about.

All I can think of saying is

I love you despite of you being a head shorter than me.

I love you despite you not writing anything for weeks

I love you despite you not updating our collab playlist for months

I love you despite you living in the other side of the world

I love you despite never having truly seen you

I love you despite knowing I might never see you.

I love you because I know I almost never knew you.

In return what I could say is thank you. for loving me back. Loving me back despite of all things…despite of myself.

Despite my bad grammar, my main character complex, despite being unable to shut up about Brazilian trivia, my disgusting taste in men, despite not being able to shut the fuck up sometimes, despite sending you twenty audios of a random subject you didn’t ask to be spoken to about, sending you unnecessary updates on reality shows you don’t watch and despite everything telling you not to.

Thank you for not giving up on me when I gave up on myself.

My aunt used to tell me the story about the time she went hiking with her friends. The trail connect one city to another, and in the dark night she and her friends meet three boys standing on the road looking through the woods. They greet each other shortly and ask if any of them has seen a dog. She says no and the three warn them about the bad things they can see on a trail on their own. She takes no mind to it.

Two hours later, they reach the city and order a beer on the first bar they see. The waiter is friendly enough to ask them their story and when they mention they had just left the trail he asks them if they knew about the three boys that died mysteriously after searching for their dog.

I hope when I die I can haunt trails next to you, whatever trails it might be.

You’re the Tolkien to my Lewis, hopefully without its tragic ending.

Eu te amo. E você sempre será minha irmã. Mesmo que eu nunca te encontre.

[shihalyfie]

Also, another question (if you dont mind...): do you think there will be also a 02 reboot? Would it be a good ideia or is better to just let it the way it is right now?

I personally don’t want it, especially not if it uses the style of writing the current reboot has right now, in which its priority is far more about plot advancement than it is about characters. Mainly, for a lot of reasons:

I stress a lot that 02 wasn’t a great time for its characters themselves, and that a lot of what everyone striving for was to be happy after said events. Even if it only ends up being a mild rehash, I don’t want to see things like Ken suffering as the Kaiser again (not even in a different universe), because it was so important that everyone find a way to move on. In the case of Adventure, it’s much easier to make a reboot that’s only similar in surface details but is mostly something new because Adventure’s plot was relatively linear, and it’s possible to have the kind of relationship with the original series the current reboot has, but 02 has that kind of hardship as so intrinsically related to it that I’m not sure what you could do with it by taking its surface glosses.

I’ve been pretty blunt about the fact that most of us weren’t really watching 02 for the plot, and the reason the series has so much appeal is because of its character relationships and high thematic value. The bias towards that aspect is way more severe than it was in Adventure (where, again, the plot was mostly kind of linear and there was more emphasis on the “wonder of the Digital World” rather than so much human drama). I don’t want to see these specific characters recasted in a different context, and I also don’t think the series would have any appeal left if you did something completely different with a different style the way it’s being done with Adventure’s reboot.

This is a very personal thing, but one thing I noticed (and one reason I started writing very regularly for this blog) is that, when the reboot started airing, a lot of people would make comparisons with the older characters, but it turned out that people very often misremembered what actually went down in Adventure (ranging from minor misreadings to genuine factual errors). It’s something I don’t necessarily begrudge them for; Adventure is the kind of frustratingly subtle series that you forget a lot of if you haven’t seen it recently, and even more of that was lost in the American English dub, but it nevertheless led to a very frustrating experience where sometimes you’d see people take those reboot characteristics and talk about the original series characters like they’d always been like this or that, when in fact the original characters weren’t like that at all. This problem is bound to be multiple times worse with 02, where the characters are so often accused of being flat and lacking in development (they’re not!!), and 02 also had an even worse subtlety problem and an even more liberty-taking dub, and even the Japanese side of the franchise hasn’t exactly been delicate about handling their characters, and I am terrified that this kind of problem where people think of them inaccurately or badly might potentially get worse, because of a potential reboot take on them that would accidentally validate all of those misconceptions. You have no idea how relieved I was that Kizuna shows the 02 quartet at their best and in a way true to the spirit of the original, because I was really worried about how people would retroactively see them based on their portrayal there. (Also, unfortunately, there are a lot of people who pathologically hate 02 on principle, and even if a potential 02 reboot were the worst anime in the world, those kinds of people would be all too happy to yell “still better than the original!” regardless of anything, and I don’t think I’d have the patience to endure that...)

I honestly would just rather have new material than a reboot of anything. I’m not averse to the concept of a reboot per se, mainly in the sense that I do appreciate the fact that the current reboot isn’t just doing a “worse rehash of Adventure” and is clearly doing its own thing beyond the surface details, but I obviously would have vastly preferred doing something genuinely new. If they want to make a sequel anime to this reboot, why not make up some new characters exclusive to this universe? I think that’d be fun. I know a lot of 02 fans would see this as a dodge or spurn, but this is just my personal, very strong feeling as a 02 fan who thinks that the best thing that can happen with the characters I love so much would conversely be to let them move on. (I was already kind of amused at the fact they already made a few 02 references in the existing series, like Yamato’s bass guitar or Pegasmon.)

I know some people have suggested a reboot to “fix” 02′s plot writing issues, but I love it a lot as it is -- a lot of the things that were “problems” were conversely able to give it a certain flavor you’d never be able to get in a more conventionally written series -- and I think it’s indeed a very flawed series in the sense that there’s no such thing as a perfect Digimon series, nor a perfect piece of media at all, and even if you “fix” one flaw you’re inevitably going to get another. It’s been 20 years and I’ve come to terms with all of the things I didn’t care for as much, so I don’t think it’s all that productive to dwell or fixate on “we should redo this again” instead of appreciating what it did give us 20 years ago and producing newer content instead. I mean, if I want to watch 02 again, I can just rewatch it, and if there’s something I want to explore that canon didn’t give me, I’m happy being a fanfic writer, and this experience of writing this blog has made me realize that it’s incredible how much you can still extract out of this series even 20 years later. I think it’s much more productive to try and cover new territory with things rather than constantly trying to redo the same thing over and over again. I suppose I took the theme of the series a bit too seriously?...

Whether they will actually do a 02 reboot or not, I have no idea. I think they’ve certainly learned their lesson that 02 has a diehard fanbase that hates to see it treated badly (after, ah, recent events), but it just doesn’t carry the same notability and branding that the original series does, and its critically controversial status means that their names and faces don’t do nearly as much by itself. (Reboot merch can sell because people will project the original characters on them, but Miyako and Iori merch especially tends to sell abysmally poorly even now.) I feel like the actual Digimon from 02 sell better than the human characters, to be honest. And it’s a new universe; 02 fans get upset when the juniors aren’t involved in the lives of their seniors when those relationships were a big deal (series about relationships, et cetera), but if those specific relationships don’t exist in the first place, I don’t think most of us really care as much to the point of getting upset because of the omission.

[moonsinkfoxgirl]

I posted 11.495 times in 2021

273 posts created (2%)

11222 posts reblogged (98%)

For every post I created, I reblogged 41.1 posts.

I added 12.554 tags in 2021

#so cute - 3947 posts

#art - 3338 posts

#yuri - 1338 posts

#mahou shoujo - 888 posts

#gif - 880 posts

#madoka magica - 736 posts

#iyashikei - 462 posts

#the owl house - 365 posts

#beautiful - 328 posts

#kemonomimi - 272 posts

Longest Tag: 138 characters

#i think the only thing that trumps this is the one time an anime copied michael jackson's wikipedia page as some random bad guys biography

My Top Posts in 2021

#5

-- 乙女ゲームの破滅フラグしかない悪役令嬢に転生してしまった…X 第2話 ／ My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes lead to Doom! X, Ep.2

Mary has reached the ‘really wants a sword‘-stage of her sapphic identity.

256 notes • Posted 2021-07-09 19:19:08 GMT

#4

-- lesbians at the beach, 2021, colorized

285 notes • Posted 2021-02-15 19:21:18 GMT

#3

This very much sums up why Yuru Camp stands out as one of the best iyashikei shows. It appreciates loneliness. Not that there is anything wrong with the focus on friendship in all the other cute girl shows (and that’s a huge element in Yuru Camp too for a reason), but a girl who is adorable and has the time of her life while alone is just so damn special, and so relatable to introverts.

426 notes • Posted 2021-01-21 20:56:42 GMT

#2

Watching the episode yesterday I was kind of confused by what exactly Frill’s place in this story is supposed to be -- it seemed weird that she’s this malfunctioning AI girl who commits murder out of pretty much nothing but jealousy.

But having slept on it, it actually makes a lot of sense. Because she isn’t a real girl at all. She’s been lab constructed by two lonely, sexist intellectuals to be exactly what they thought a girl was like, with all the perfection and all the flaws they thought a daughter should have. Of course she has an Oedipus complex. And who knows what other Freudian bullshit. Of course that’s not a stable human being.

And isn’t that one hell of a fitting final enemy for this show: society’s idea of what an ideal girl is like -- a concept so twisted it drives real girls to suicide.

431 notes • Posted 2021-03-24 07:43:32 GMT

#1

-- 私の推しは悪役令嬢 (I’m in love with the villainess) Ch.7

Always refreshing to see a yuri manga actually talk about sexuality.

485 notes • Posted 2021-01-20 11:50:42 GMT

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