#And most players care more about the overall 'good' than the MOMENT

[breadedsinner]

I wonder how people *wanted* Sebastian to react at the endgame but I also don't want to know, you feel me.

[graveyardcuddles]

There's this post I saw on here about how if the player turns Shadowheart over to the Sharans, the rest of the party should all turn on you. I completely agree, and I think they should also mutiny against Tav/Durge if they tell Orin to just go ahead and kill the party member she takes hostage. Act 3 feels like the act where everyone in the group should care about each other the most and yet it's the act where they arguably feel most disconnected from one another. And this is all probably a symptom of the overall lack of reactions and responses to major events in Act 3 from the companions in general.

But another similar example that drives me insane is how, if you ascend Astarion and then immediately turn on him and side with the Gur, ALL of the companions will just be like "Nice work taking out the trash, team. Job well done. Another vampire lord vanquished, " without so much as a hint of emotion after you betray him, gang up on him and KILL HIM?? As if they hadn't spent weeks and possibly months traveling with Astarion, getting to know him, bonding with him, ect. As if they hadn't just all stood there and let him complete the ritual. But the moment Paladin Karen and the Gur show up, they just abandon all that over what? Some vague ideal of "evil is evil black and white no nuace" nonsense? (which is even more ridiculous if some of the other companions are evil like DJ Shadowheart or Minthara).

The only companion with a reasonable reaction is Halsin, who correctly points out you should have tried harder to stop the ascension rather than betray Astarion and kill him after it happened. I understand that not all of the companions have the best relationship with him. And I understand all of them very much disapprove of him ascending. So I don't expect the whole party to mutiny over this particular decision. But the fact that they ALL uniformly turn on him so quickly for these people they don't even know is disappointing. There should have realistically been some pushback/objections. Or at least some guilt and sadness and reflection over the fact that they all just had to kill their former traveling companion/friend that THEY allowed to become this threat they felt warranted putting down.

It feels like it should be an incredibly tragic and cathartic moment, and it just falls spectacularly flat. I tried to rationalize their reactions as just part of the shitty lack of responses the companions all generally have in Act 3. But at least with Shadowheart and the hostage situation with Orin the companions will still be ANGRY at you and express their disaproval. Whereas here it really comes off like they just don't give a shit about Astarion and never really did. It's depressing.

I feel like it unintentionally and very sadly lends validation to the idea that what Astarion says about no one else being like Tav/Durge. No one else will look out for him. No one else will have that same kindness for him. No one has a heart like them. I don't actually agree with this notion. I think based on the good epilogue for his spawn ending he's definitely capable of making friends and genuine human connections. But Tav/Durge HAS to come first. They have to be the example that shows him how.

Also why I can't stop repeatedly romancing him. Astarion needs Tav/Durge arguably more than any other companion. He has nothing and no one else.

[ushouldwatchhaikyuu]

Haikyu!! dumpster battle ramble akdbsjsbdd

warning for slight spoilers?? (i mention scenes but i dont say anything about who won or stuff like that lmfao) and also caps lock lmfao

aight. HINATA BEING TERRIFIED THAT KAGEYAMA WAS GONNA STOP SETTING FOR HIM. JUST LIKE HE SAID WHEN THEY FIRST MET. CAUSE HINATA WASN'T BEING NECESSARY TO WIN. AND HINATA TRYING SO HARD AND BEING NOT ONLY FRUSTRATED THAT IT WASN'T ENOUGH, BUT ALSO SCARED THAT IF KAGEYAMA SAW HE WASN'T USEFUL. HE'D LOSE INTEREST IN HIM AND STOP SETTING FOR HIM. nekoma cutting off Hinata's wings not only to stop him from flying, but to make kageyama stop helping him fly.

and kageyama sees that. realizes that hinata isn't being useful to him or the team. AND HE FINDS A WAY TO SET FOR HIM ANYWAY.

he sees Hinata can't get up on his own and everything is telling him to drop him- the most reasonable & rational thing would be to stop setting for him. and y'know what kageyama does? HE TELLS HIM "GO AHEAD, FLY"

HE SETS FOR HIM ANYWAY and finds a way to make him fly even higher. WHICH IS SO DKSBSKSJSJSKS IDEK HOW TO DESCRIBE IT. like not only does that tell hinata that no matter how much people try to stop him, kageyama will help him fly anyway- but it also speaks about kageyama A LOT. cause there wasn't a strategic reason to keep trying to use hinata- in fact, he could've used nekoma's focus on him on their favor and instead set for other players.

BUT NO, he chose to keep setting for hinata. because at that point it wasn't just about winning, for kageyama. yknow how important is that? kageyama, who only ever cared about winning, thought setting for hinata was more important to him than winning.

IF THAT DOESNT SAY A LOT ABOUT HIS CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT IDK WHAT WOULD

also??? kenma feeling like shit about doing that to hinata?? EVEN THOUGH HE CAME UP WITH THE IDEA. kenhina bffs they're so adorable wtf.

but then again the "we're just friends scene"??? WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK???? DKSBSJSK it made me feel stuff lmfao such a good way to portray their friendship & rivalry

also!!! kuroo, bokuto & tsukki crumbs!!! i love their friendship sm its so cool that they had their moments in the movie. bokuto was adorable sksnsjsjsj

the animation was also so cool tbh, specially that one scene of hinata and kenma staring at each other. yknow the one.

this one lmfao

ALSO everyone's talked about the scene where kenma keeps hinata in a birdcage but i still gotta mention it cause ITS SO COOL WTF

and everyone also said it but like. literally a kuroken movie (/p or /r). i loved how they showed that development of kenma's love for volleyball and how hinata felt so proud and happy and accomplished when kenma said their match had been so fun fksbdjdjdjdj HE HAD THE PERFECT REACTION.

also kuroo's laugh??? BEAUTIFUL and also a very good reaction lmfao.

yeah those r my main thoughts. overall a very good movie, perhaps the pacing could've been a bit more intense/nerve-wrecking for my liking? like i wasnt so "in it" as i was with many matches in the anime. still, i think it had a bit more of a focus on relationships and background stories and character development, specially through flashbacks, symbolism & but impactful quotes, so it's still chefs kiss. very much recommend watching it if u haven't.

[galedekarios]

that interview is driving me insane i've been thinking about it for the past hour and i still can't wrap my head around it. i think what really gets under my skin is it just... contradicts with the text of the game. the most positive possible reading of the ending where gale blows himself up is that it was an unavoidable tragedy dictated by fate but even that's a stretch. to say it's a good ending?? or a satisfying conclusion to his arc?? i call bull. it's more infuriating because there is such a clear good ending for gale's character arc and it's the professor ending! his arc was about learning to accept himself as he was, to value who he is as he is flaws and all, and he's done that in the professor ending! and the god of ambition ending is a bad end for him but still ties into his overall arc in a satisfying if sad way (imo). the ending where he dies just... doesn't. which is fine as a tragedy but to imply it isn't exactly that, a tragedy, is wild to me. and it being so blatantly contradictory to the actual events of the game makes me think that whole thing was just catering to people who hate gale which like... why? people who don't like him don't care about his story so why pander to them like this?

uhg. i am sorry for blowing up your inbox like this i just feel like i'm gonna rip my hair out and need to express that to a fellow gale appreciator. i love gale's epilogue SO MUCH it made me feel for a bit like maybe the writers had actually changed how they felt about him but. nope! silly of me to hope for that. wish i could memory wipe that whole interview from my brain dark urge style.

don't be sorry at all! 🖤 i feel the same way in a lot of ways. altho i feel the need to mention that gale's writer, jan van dosselaer, was not involved in this interview.

i started to make a meta post about this yesterday, but reading things like this from gale:

act ii [after elminster] Player: An old man with a craving for cheese. Hardly the great wizard of legend. Gale: A wizard doesn't reach Elminster's age without enjoying their home comforts. Those who seek danger over cheese don't tend to live as long. Gale: For Mystra to have sent him... The severity of her bidding could not be clearer. Or weigh more heavily on me. devnote: reflecting on mystra sending elminster, of all people - a powerful individual, becoming reflective. Gale: Time seems so infinite when you are young... a month is an age, a year is a lifetime... it is a strange feeling, to realise how little of it one might have left. Player: You're seriously considering doing what Elminster said?   Gale: Of course - he offered the clearest solution to our problem. All I have to do is find the right place and time, close my eyes, and let go... devnote: Trying to sound upbeat, not fully engaging with what he's saying (that he's going to kill himself). Gale: Then the slate will be clean, wrongs will be righted, the Absolute will be gone... devnote: Trying to sound upbeat, not fully engaging with what he's saying (that he's going to kill himself). Gale: ...and I along with it. devnote: Still trying to sound upbeat, though this time the reality that this means he will die weighs a bit heavier

and:

act ii [act ii romance scene] Gale: I am terrified - I will not claim otherwise. My face could scarcely conceal it even if my words sought to deny it. nodecontext: Hushed, vulnerable Gale: There is no point in running from the inevitable. Better to meet it, on my own terms. nodecontext: Resigned

as well as this:

act ii [act ii friendship version] Gale: Yes... but there is so much to live for, and so few moments in which to house it all. Gale: Damn you. Damn you for giving me so much to care about. Our friends, our adventures... this would have been so much easier if it was just me. But it isn't. Gale: If there is a way - any way - to save all that's grown dear to me, I want to seize it. I just cannot fathom what that might be, other than to fail Mystra and condemn the world. Gale: Stay with me, will you? I don't want to think of it any more, but I don't want to be alone either.

act iii [before the netherbrain] Player: Gale... I think we should consider using the orb as Mystra intended. To blow up the Netherbrain. Gale: I'm getting rather tired of how often those I care about seem to reach the same conclusion.

when you have this:

and i just... couldn't finish the meta.

it's absolutely beyond comprehension for me how anyone could try to frame this as an ending that is the right one in "many ways", as the "guy who starts off annoying everyone", eating your "most priced possessions", having to "give back to the world".

for the founder of the company to say he wasn't "ready" the "first time", but he's finally "ready" now.

gale's death isn't only unnecessary, an instruction given to him by his former mentor on the behalf of a goddess, who would've sacrificed not only him but thousands of others to achieve her own goals, he doesn't want to die. he's terrified. he wants to live. he is offering this because he believes that his time has run out. because he wants his death to have purpose if it must happen. because he feels he made a mistake far bigger than he can ever make up for. because he doesn't want others to waste their chance at life like he feels he has. the will he leaves behind in the epilogue if he sacrifices himself isn't finished because he thought there would be more time. i could go on and on.

and again, the question is too... for what exactly does he need to "give back to the world"?

being perceived as annoying after coming out of what is presented as isolation and depression? asking for help with a now chronic impairment that feeds on his very soul and wreaks havoc on his body? for making a mistake? by that logic every companion deserves the same fate.

which brings me to the contrast to how most of the other companions are framed in this interview: k*rlach, "the labrador of the party". l*e'zel, "she's so young". ast*rion, "much of what he does it out of fear". sh*dowheart, "the jason bourne" and "victim of religous trauma". w*ll, "the true baldur's gate hero".

the difference is staggering. there's empathy here. there's at least a surface level understanding and/or appreciation of the characters there.

...and then you have gale.

it's alienating and disappointing to see devs have so little respect and care for their own character, as well as for the parts of their fandom who have grown attached to the character exactly for the strengths and flaws he has, for the struggles he faces and for the healing journey he can have if he is helped and lives.

[the-travelling-witch]

i originally wrote this when gushing to someone about my love for keishin but i thought i might as well post it here now that it's already been brought into existence

We can all agree that Ukai Keishin is the best coach Karasuno could have asked for and in this essay I will rekindle my undying love for him by rambling about why that is.

First of all Ukai “I’m not interested in being a coach” Keishin adapted the time of his shifts at the store as well as woke up at the asscrack of dawn to help on his family’s farm, so he could coach these kids, which we see is quite exhausting for him as Takeda (our hero) asks him about it. It’s pretty easy to assume that you would not go to that length if you did not care about these students. 

Keishin also got the Neighbourhood Association on board, initially as practice partners but indirectly introducing some very loyal supporters to the team (seriously these guys watch every match, even if they have to rush to the gym from their jobs), as well as opportunities to learn something new (think Yamaguchi’s float serve).

As a very young coach, Keishin might not be the most experienced at teaching but he makes up for it easily by being able to relate to his players, putting himself in their shoes and acknowledging that not every practice method works for everyone. We also see that the players don’t hesitate to approach him, like Hinata does during the Shiratorizawa training camp. When he calls his coach -well outside of practice hours mind you- Ukai firstly does not reprimand him for it but also gladly helps Hinata with the questions he has around building a balanced diet, since he knows it will help his players grow.

Sure, being able to empathise with the students is not always a good thing as a coach, as we see when he hesitated between choosing Kageyama or Suga for the setter position in season 1, projecting his own feelings onto Suga. But after Suga approaches him, he listens to what he has to say and compliments him for making such a tough decision.

Similarly, when Hinata first brought up the idea of changing up the quick, Ukai was against it too, but after listening to Hinata felt, he decided to trust in his players and try a few different practice methods, even going so far as to separate the two and introduce Hinata to his grandpa. I don’t think any coach would have taken the risk of changing up a useful attack if it wasn’t clear that whatever they’d practise for would pay off.

The summer training camp is a good example for the healthy mindset Keishin tries to impart on his students. Over the course of the whole show, he shows that learning and growing means more to him than winning. Mistakes, failures and losses are all part of the progress to him as long as you can take something away from them for the future. I don’t think Karasuno would have picked themselves up as well or as fast from the Aoba Johsai loss in season 1 if they didn’t have Coach Ukai.I also really love his mentality around food and that you need to eat plenty of good stuff to replenish your energy and give your body the fuel it needs. Also treats his teams to meals regardless of the outcome of a match.

Overall, Keishin is much more encouraging rather than reprimanding. He will obviously tell them off when they mess up, it’s not like he coddles the kids, but he always makes sure to compliment them or nudge them in the right direction. Sure, he lets Hinata know that breaking into the Shiratorizawa camp was a reckless idea but also tips him off on how he can capitalise off the opportunity. Another great moment happens after Kageyama comes back from Youth camp and a fight breaks out as he returns to being the egocentric king for a moment. Takeda asks if they should step in but Ukai tells him that it’s necessary for them to communicate and sort out themselves. Knowing not to step in at that moment leads to Kageyama learning a lesson without which I don’t think they could have won against Inarizaki (and which would have left him lacking in the grand scheme of professional volleyball later on, I suppose).

Also, side note, despite the bleached hair and him saying he never was a model student to Hinata, we see him take out his piercings while he’s coaching and also see that he went back to his natural hair colour post timeskip (plus he still coaches Karasuno then, he clearly loves this job). Sure you could say he takes them out for safety reasons but I’m not sure he’d be the type to care much for that (I know I’ve never taken out or taped over my piercings) but even so, look at him being a good role model. (Not saying piercings and bleached hair are bad, I love them…. But sOcIeTy /lh)

There are of course many more great scenes I could get into for Keishin (since every scene he’s in is great) but I think these are like the major aspects that make me love him so much. We see that he goes to great lengths to support his students, be it through advice, getting video recordings of opponents and analysing them or working out the best practice strategies together with his students. Yes he’s new to being a coach but together with Takeda, I don’t know if Karasuno could have had a coach which fits in better with them than Ukai Keishin.

[adinafay]

Someone smarter than me needs to do an analysis of characters who can decide their own arcs vs the characters who rely on Tav for pivotal moments in their arcs and what that really means for the character/the overall narrative.

I am coming at this as someone who - although I have spoiled myself to oblivion - hasn't actually completed 100% of the game so maybe take this with a grain of salt, but for example:

- Astarion and Shadowheart have moments where they can be left to decide their own "good"/"bad" fate at a pivotal moment by the player either through action (having the rest of the party leave the room before Astarion pulls Cazador from the sarcophagus) or dialogue (letting Shadowheart make the decision on whether to kill or save the Nightsong). With either, they choose the "good" option, but is that always what they would do? Astarion literally has no choice because he can't see his own back, if he could would he still, on his own, resist that temptation? Is he actually choosing or just defaulting to the spawn path in that case? For Shadowheart, if she didn't have an audience of people she trusts and, clearly, trust in her would she still save the Nightsong? Or would she default to all of her previous teachings? -Wyll and Gale have their more pivotal decisions almost entirely based on Tav's input. I actually get frustrated everytime I have to make an opinion-laced choice when Mizora comes back to offer Wyll the information on his father. Wyll just goes along with whatever Tav says, and that's not a decision my Tav wants to make for him when they care most about freedom of choice. Also when you meet Karlach and there's no option to let him decide what to do? It's 100% Tav's call. Even if Gale is a modicum better he still relies SO heavily on Tav's input for his more pivotal choices, like what to say to Mystra when he goes to her in the temple. As far as I know neither of these characters have an option for their story to progress sans Tav's direct opinion. Does this say something about them as people, that they rely so heavily on another person's approval/opinions? Or is it just a [worse] writing/storytelling choice?

[fernsnailz]

OH ALSO. ik you said something abt how some aspects of your feelings on the shth game have changed - what would you say is different now? (again feel free to ignore this)

oh yeah! overall, most of my feelings about shth2005 have remained the same - that game is a contradictory mess and i adore it. i mostly have a few minor grievances with my big shadow 2005 analysis essay. i'll talk under the cut about some specific moments that i think a little differently on - if you haven't read the big shadow essay, i'd say read it first and then come back to read this post.

grievance #1: The Doom

"being Good or Neutral around Maria makes WAY more sense than taking the Dark path. The game’s morality system breaks so badly in [The Doom] that things start to make sense again."

i still mostly agree with my thoughts on The Doom, and the game's failure in design affecting the morality system is something that i think could prompt further discussion. but a couple of people pointed out that the hero mission is still an interesting indicator to shadow's emotional state on the darker paths, and i don't want to completely discredit that concept because i like it a lot.

The Doom's hero mission is grueling. 60 gun soldiers to defeat in a maze level is not something most players would be willing to do. but it may be something that shadow is willing to do on a darker path - rage leading him to hunt and eliminate every single human he can find is harrowing, and it's a malevolence that the darker paths of this game fail to really show. so as much as i dislike the morality missions in this game, i do think they're an interesting measurement of the lengths shadow is willing to go to if it means defeating his enemy. the guy just doesn't stop.

grievance #2: boy what on earth is that take about the hero cast

"They want Shadow to work for them because of a desire to prove their side of the cycle is the right one."

i'll be real with you i think there was a bit too much analysis going on here lol. the heroes want shadow's help because there's a literal alien invasion threatening to wipe out all life on earth. are they manipulative towards shadow? i mean sometimes, but i don't think most of them do it out of malice or intentionally, and i definitely don't think they really care about proving their side of the moral compass right during the Fucking Alien Armageddon.

the only hero character that i think would be deliberately manipulative (minus eggman) is sonic, and i don't think he would consciously realize it. best example i have of sonic's occasional manipulative attitude towards shadow is the whole "if he can't be forgiven, can you?" bit from the mr tinker arc in IDW. and this is really only something he does to shadow - sometimes he just wants to get under shadow's skin without realizing what he's actually saying. sometimes sonic's just an asshole! and i like that, it's an interesting aspect to sonic that i wish was explored a little more in shth2005, the game about his rival. idk that's all i have to say here

grievance #3: who is shadow even?

"to him, doing what’s “right” means giving as many people as possible that same chance at life. It’s not a justification of morals or a desire to be heroic that leads Shadow down this path - it’s just what he wants to do."

i've circled around my final opinions in my shadow 2005 essay a lot because honestly. i don't really know where i stand on these thoughts currently lol. shadow is inconsistent enough that i struggle to really pin down what exactly he deems as "right" or what he even wants to do most of the time - it's especially difficult to pin these things down when trying to cover shadow as a whole across the entire franchise, which is what i was trying to do here. because man, does this guy feel all over the place when you look at everything.

i think there's truth in the idea that shadow doesn't really care about protecting the people of sonic's world (this sonic channel story explores that concept a bit). at the same time, i think it's also entirely possible that this "i don't care what happens to others" attitude is a bit of a front he puts up (especially around sonic). and as silly and non-canon as i think the sonic twitter takeovers are, i do think they were kinda cooking something when they made shadow work at a soup kitchen. these are all somewhat different ideas and interpretations of shadow, but i think they're all plausible for this character. personally, i'd rather embrace the inconsistency then try to limit him to one worldview.

the only solid "truth" i can formulate about shadow's motivations right now is this: whatever he deems right, or whatever he wants to do, he decides for himself because it's his life. he doesn't do these things for maria, or for gerald, or for the rest of the world. his choices and actions are his own - maybe inspired by others, but not for them. and the things he decides to do are often inconsistent because he's an immortal, traumatized, teenage hedgehog - a paradoxical creation that's still learning how to live. he might be the ultimate life form, but it's more important to me that he's just shadow.

[bonesandthebees]

Ok, so, I've never watched any of the qsmp streams, but I read your rambling about it and read your one shots abt it, and uh do you have any advice on how to get into watching the streams? Like where do I start? How to catch up on missed lore? Stuff like that

well there are a lot of different POVs you can choose to catch up on and which one(s) you choose will definitely affect your understanding of what's going on. if you want to just catch up on the primary major story beats overall (federation lore, main egg lore) this channel on youtube has made 3 videos so far summarizing the lore as it goes on. I haven't watched these videos myself so I can't say how accurate they are or if they leave anything important out, but I've heard positive things!

now if you wanna catch up on more individual lore/character dynamics and all that then you're facing a bit more of a challenge. I believe quackity has most of his qsmp vods uploaded on his vod channel so you can definitely check those out for his story stuff. if you wanna understand my fics better wilbur has the smallest number of qsmp vods out of the cc's at least somewhat tied into the storyline so it shouldn't be too hard to catch up on his stuff. his vod from day 1 of the qsmp has one of the funniest moments from any wilbur stream ever (yes I am referring to that moment he was talking to max) but I don't think you need to watch a ton from any of the day 1 POV's after the first hour or so.

while phil is the pov I watch the most for qsmp, he's definitely less involved in the plot. but unlike what I keep seeing some people on twt and tumblr say, he DOES participate in the rp and does care about the lore. he just doesn't go out of his way to get super involved in it and likes making 4th wall breaking jokes. but yeah if you're looking for more lore based stuff, phil might not be a great pov to watch as your primary.

now bad is the english speaking cc most involved in the heavy federation lore stuff, so his vods are definitely good to check out if you're looking for an english speaking cc to watch. jaiden's also definitely tied into it and has her own very interesting plotline going on atm involving the federation, but she doesn't stream as often so there are a few more gaps with her compared to bad who's been daily streaming for months now.

now for the cc's who don't primarily speak english, it's definitely a bit more of a challenge to watch those POVs if you don't speak the cc's language, but when many cc's are in a group they'll usually switch to english since that's the most common language on the server. also there's the translator that most of them have up on their screen, but it's not super accurate and a lot of the time cc's forget to switch it between languages so I don't rely on it much. for lore stuff, cellbit is a great choice because he's been heavily involved in investigating the federation and solving puzzles and all that since he first got on the server. from the french side, baghera jumped into lore stuff pretty quickly too so I highly recommend her pov as well

again I don't know how detailed/what the summary videos do and don't include but if you see clips from certain streams on that summary video that look interesting, I definitely recommend going to the vod itself and watching at least a bit of it. the group dynamic between all the players on the island is so delightful to watch. so many great friendships have formed bc of this server and it's so much fun to watch them grow in real time.

more than anything though when you're trying to catch up, go through the tumblr tag! follow people who liveblog a lot! follow the updates accounts on twitter! I actually don't catch many streams, but I'm usually pretty up to date on the big plot stuff happening on the server at all times just from what I see on my dash. read posts and check out the tags to absorb info via dash osmosis. that's how I caught up on dsmp when I first got into it back in january 2021 lol

hope this helps :)

[concorp]

hello! I’m new to watching aypierre POV, and want to get into his lore and know more about his character. I’ve already watch a lot of his vods (he’s very funny) but I feel like I might’ve missed a bunch of details since I was relying on the translator xd. I feel like you might know a bit more then me, so can you tell me a summary of q!aypierre’s character? If not then that’s fine too! Thank you!

-anon!

hi! yes. there’s a lot of various little things, but here’s some of the major stuff:

a major plotline of his has to do with ayrobot. for backstory on ayrobot, i highly recommend this video by ash.

but as for what’s happened on the qsmp itself. pierre had strange dreams for awhile, and eventually found out that it’s flashbacks of the federation, and cucurucho specifically, experimenting on him. he finds out from fred that cucurucho has “a special place in their heart for him”

he makes a supercomputer and a program to get information about his past from the federation. this happens just in time for when the federation erases his memories of his dreams in order to keep him from looking deeper. the computer restores his memories, as well as is slowly finding logs of the federation spying on aypierre as far back as 2015.

in addition to this, we as the audience see a memory that it seems pierre is still unaware of: he and ayrobot underwent some sort of mind transfer. it is still unclear exactly what this entailed, other than they exist in the same body now. how separate they are is also very unclear, other than ayrobot briefly taking full control during purgatory.

the other big thing is aypierre’s relationships, namely his love life.

at the start, he pretty much just wanted to get anyone into his bed, all the time. but things changed with maximus. he truly fell in love with maximus, and eventually asked for an exclusive relationship. to which maxo agreed, but in part due to using aypierre to get materials for his nuke.

there’s a bunch of stuff that happens here, but a lot of it is maxo lore that aypierre was unaware of, so i won’t go over it here.

a few months into their relationship, a whole month of which maxo is entirely absent for, maxo breaks up with pierre, feeling guilty for leading him on when he’s convinced he doesn’t have a future.

pierre is devastated, and through spying on maxo finds out about both his code infection and the work in progress nuke. pierre helps him get the last materials he needs regardless.

to which at the end of purgatory, of course maxo used it and died. pierre doesn’t know this and is still looking for him.

as for other relationships. he’s of course good friends with the other (active) french speakers, and while probably not the most responsible, a decent dad to pomme. he also seems to have a soft spot for pepito, being the first one to meet pepito and taking care of pepito on pepito’s first day.

but absolutely the islander he’s currently closest to at the moment is bad. he was the only player to defend bad when he was accused of stealing furniture. the two are absolute enablers of each other and escalating pranks. especially against tubbo.

overall. pierre is known for his create machines, and ability to abuse mechanics. he has a massive factory producing all sorts of stuff under his chateau.

also. there’s the furry club. which he started with maxo. it’s technically cover for a cult worshiping lobo nocto. but also it’s just a furry club. his fursona is a unicorn named mcfurry. he’s currently working on a furry fight club under the main club.

[traceofexistence]

here's some Karlach meta that is about Karlach and not her abusers.

What we know lore wise, is that Karlach is very big in size (210cm tall) that is like a tall basketball player in human terms, and teiflings are like humans in size (as they were humans themselves once)

so she's big for a tiefling.

Karlach lost her parents in a young age, the assumption is that she was a teen. (a very crucial age to have guidance and support)

she's not the smartest cookie in the jar, and there is a line she says that indicates she didn't finish school (whatever level of education there is in fearun). her actor Sam even suggests that she dropped out school the moment her father died(her mom died before her dad)

we know also that she's an immature person, we can see that based on her reactions and wording, and kiddo enthusiasm at times, and also in terms of romance.

what immaturity mean in her case:

prone to be manipulated

prone to affiliate with the wrong crowds

prone to use substances (soul coins) without thinking of the consequences

emotionally vulnerable

a kid without guidance is more likely to be taken advantage off

there is also something that Sam said that puts in perspective the point about her size, and I think it is an extremely valid point.

Sam has a friend who was a very big build when he was young, and while as kid he was a good kid, with well meaning parents overall. because of his body type he was clocked by gangs for recruitment. and his parents had to do extra work to protect him from something that had nothing to do with their parenting, or his character but his body type. because as Sam pointed out when you are 14 and look like 20 and even big for that age, gangs want muscles, and a 14 year old doesn't have the maturity to see the red flags and flee. Sam said that story specifically to put Karlach in perspective for us, they also of course told us that their friend is a whole grown up now with family of his own, and he managed to avoid the wrong crowds as his parents did the utmost to protect him. Karlach did not have that, because her parents were dead at the time she needed them most.

see for example the orphaned tiefling kids in act 1, they do petty crimes all around because there are no adults around who care to guide them.

Karlach probably started in the same way in her teens, because of her huge body she got into protection/intimidation (her friend Fytz asked her if she's still in the business of intimidation, so we know that was something she was doing)

and when she was old enough and deep enough to not have an alternative, G got her, a slaver, an abuser, and a master manipulator. Karlach was in need of a decent job, he gave her that. it was what she could do, it paid well, and it gave her a lot of freedom too, being the bodyguard of someone like him certainly opened doors for her way easier.

on top of that in terms of her romantic life, she never loved, and she was never loved, as she says herself whatever walked on two legs she would climb aboard, no strings attached. her first fantasy out of the hells is for her to fuck her way through baldur's gates, two at a time. the way she can not manage her own feelings when she meets us and falls in love for the first time. all those things are indications of her immaturity.

she also trusts very easily, whoever will help her. G was someone who helped her so she trusted him, protected him, did his bidding. she was fully aware he was one of those shady fucks who had his tentacles everywhere, she says so when we ask her. but in her naivety she thought he cared enough for her to keep her around.

instead he manipulated her quite easily to do the job until he didn't need her anymore, or more precisely she was more valuable sold to a devil and experimented on, to him, than being his bodyguard. he could find plenty of muscle if he wanted to. but someone who could go through mutilation and survive enough time to get his prototype?

she trusted him so much that if he was to tell her his plan, she would probably agree to do it, get an engine for a heart and all. but no he betrayed her he didn't even inform her what will happen to her, he just made a deal without her, he treated her like a thing, like a tool.

and lets not forget that when we meet Fytz, she tells us that he told everyone that Karlach just left, he LIED about what he did. blamed Karlach made everyone believe she just abandoned everyone without a goodbye.

he sold her to slavery, and then assassinated her character, so nobody would look for her.

she was the perfect victim, she didnt have anyone who would look for her, and she was completely in the dark of what he had planned to do.

Karlach was not a bad person, she was just loyal to a horrible disgusting abuser.

she tells Jaheira, that she wished she had met her before G, that way she would put her talents in good cause instead of doing what she had to do.

she never wanted that life, she never chose that life, she had ambitions, and she had heroes she looked up to.

I dont think the game through Karlach really puts in perspective the amount of torment Karlach suffered in hells.

they way she mourned her heart that her mama gave her, it is the only concrete enough indication of how torturous and sadistic the process of the engine installment was.

there is not reference that her heart is kept somewhere, and she can go and retrieve it. from the mourning what I personally get is that her heart was extracted and then mutilated, and thrown to the imps to eat. and Karlach was conscious during the entire process so she could feel all the pain. physical and mental

zariel made karlach her possession, all the tattoos and burns scars, the carving on her horn. she was marked, so everyone could know who her slaver was.

and then she made her an addict as well (soul coins)

Karlach managed to survive slavery, and escape, but the impact that had on her is unimaginable.

so yes she tries to live, she tries to leave the past behind her, Faerun is like a child's play in comparison to what she had to do to survive in the hells.

so she becomes loyal to the first people she meets. the first people who showed her compassion.

but she also is being upfront, she doesnt hide who she is, who she was, what she has done to survive. when we asked her about the asshole she tells us all about what her life was like.

when we ask her as tav what she thinks she would be doing in not for the tadpole, and she asks us back, and if we choose the adventurer answer, she's thrilled about us doing all kinds of shit, and wants to join us.

she's the type of "wherever life takes me" as long as it's not the hells, but even that, we can convinces her to go so a little while until we find a way to fix her.

final verdict is that

Karlach is best girl, with a past, and also a victim of abuse and slavery. and all the blame goes to the abusers and slavers and nobody else, especially not her.

[itsprjc]

Well, Season 2 of TDI Reloaded (TDI Rematch) has had its first four episodes out for about a week. I figured I’d share my thoughts about what we’ve gotten so far:

-The challenges are a little more fun than in Season 1. They have a good amount of variety and the often led to really fun moments between the characters. From the Skunks clogging the toilet slide, to basically all the Rat Faces being carried by Caleb, and of course the AB questions challenge. My girlfriend and I straight up paused the episode each question to try and guess the answers. (We got over half of them right.) As for my personal ranks on the challenges:

-Taking it to the Rim Reaper (Ep. 2): Memorable concept, without going too overboard with it. Also, I’m a bit of a simpleton sucker for the pratfalls.

-Choosin’ for a Bruisin’ (Ep. 4): Great challenge for both character insights and just playing along with it during a first-time viewing.

-You Poor Saps (Ep. 3): I technically prefer Ep.1’s challenge, but this one led to so many gold character moments.

-The Pink Painter Strikes Again (Ep.1): Solid start. Simple challenge, nothing too crazy.

-Animation is pretty much on the same level as Season 1. The facial expressions are GOLD! I’d argue some parts feel more dynamic than Season 1, like the slide moments in Episode 2, but overall, no complaints.

-The characters feel like they never left:

-Priya: I kinda get why she’d fall hard for Caleb, as keep in mind, she’s been stuck with this training with hardly any friends. This also explaining why she instantly jumped to befriending Millie when it seemed they got along. It’s clear that she does value the friendship as she was the only one to give Millie a chance after Episode 2. She also did work as an effective leader in the same episode, instantly taking advantage of the challenge’s slide order rule. Overall, I’m okay with Priya.

-Bowie: I dig his plot. Bowie made it clear at the end of Season 1 that he’s willing to bend the rules…and it’s clear that he probably cares about Raj more. Since people are more weary of him after the finale, it makes sense to have his conflict be more about whether he’d play dirty again. Also, this joker in Episode 4! As a captain (assuming those roles are official) I feel Priya’s more effective, though.

Millie: It’s clear she had alot more learning to do about being a good friend. (I still say both her and Damien could have taken the two-point slide together if they were both weary on the third.) Though her elimination was pretty anticlimactic, unfortunately. I do prefer her in Season 1, but I’m not against the plot they gave her.

Julia & MK: I’m putting them both together because they’re basically a package deal this time around. Overall, live their dynamic. It was a sudden jump from animosity to friendship, but that’s just because they know game when they see it. They have so much fun just being underhanded together, and it’s honestly a refreshing take on villain alliances. While I’d say MK is the breakout of the two, since she’s the brains of the whole alliance, Julia’s dialogue is so on point that it hurts. My hopes is that MK does succeed in backstabbing Julia, but she doesn’t even get mad. She just respects a player and roots for her to win…underhandedly, of course.

Emma: Compared to Millie…honestly not that mixed. I’m glad she cut the chord with Chase early and she got him booted in a clever way. The one thing that’s kinda backwards is how she ends up being a poor judge of character in Episode 4 when she basically red Chase like a book in Episode 2. But then again, I guess that’s just chalked down to being used to his sorry butt the most?

Chase: Everybody (including me) called that he’d be an early boot…and he was. I’m perfectly content with that, as it’s clear that character development was never the end-goal with Chase. And the moment he left, the Skunk Butts became the de facto best team. Props on his ballsy attempt to outrun the balloons in challenge 1, though.

Zee: All I wanted from Zee in Season 2 is for him to still be Zee…Good news, Zee is still Zee. I honestly got worried the “soda influencer” plot would be a cheap and easy way to make him an early boot…and they make him Papa Zee instead. I love this lanky boy.

Ripper: My one complaint on Ripper is that he feels like he’s really not there that much. In Episode 2, he disappears for a good while until the mid-end. And he doesn’t really get to interact with his new team that much. The only real time he interacts with the other skunks is when he asks about how to approach Axel. Let’s talk about Ripaxel…I honestly really wanna see what they do with it! It is a little sudden how it starts, but in its defense, so was Rajbow. Their interactions in Episode 3 were fun to watch, and that POEM. Hey, fanfic writers…Raj and Ripper having a poetry battle…think about it. Despite him disappearing sometimes, what we do get from him is enjoyable. Here’s to more!

Wayne and Raj: My boys are untouched! The one blessing is that they NEVER went for some stupid jealousy plot! (Wayne cares too much for Raj for petty stuff like that.) And they are arguably goofier than in Season 1. (Shoutouts to them wanting burgers after seeing the slides and the “Cyclone-Spin Cycle”) It is funny how many people (again, including me) wanted to see their mischievous side more, but instead the boys are even bigger boy scouts with their understandable disgust at cheating. While I still think one leaving earlier is more likely, I really, REALLY hope that they stick for a little. Imagine them against Julia and MK for at least an episode or two! And while I still would love a Damien VS. MK finale, Wayne or Raj VS. MK works great! Fair and honest player against a crafty cheater. It would be gold!

Damien: I’m really holding out for him since he’s pretty much jogging in place a bit. Sure, he wants to take more risks, but it’s not to a great extent. Then again, the season’s only gotten started. I just hope his crafty side comes out more later. He’s not too afraid anymore, so now he needs to push his brains to the forefront.

Scary Girl: I dig the “Lauren” design. Unfortunately, the “normal” bit wasn’t really used all that much, as she barely had a presence in Episode 1. She had some small scenes, but nothing outstanding until she got herself eliminated. Though given how she was enjoyable, but pretty one-note last season, I feel she works well as a first-boot. Will she return to stalk everyone? Who knows. Probably.

Nichelle: I dig her more confident attitude. Part of me wishes we saw her gaining that confidence DURING the season, rather than all that development being off-screen, though. It makes sense for her to train beforehand, but I would have just as easily liked her having a bit of fire in her and then training throughout the season. As she is, I like how she’s so done with her old Hollywood life. Hopefully she does interact with Damien more, as they seem to have a friendship growing.

Axel: Besides MK, Axel was the biggest relief of the S1 pre-mergers. She’s still hostile and hardcore, but I find her showings of care towards the team being well-needed additions. Examples being her helping Damien back to camp after the four-point slide, and her warning her team to be cautious about getting stuck with the sap. I already said my piece on Ripaxel, so my personal hope is that there is a survival or stealth challenge where the two have to work together. (Ala Hide and Be Sneaky, Eat, Puke, and be Wary, or Hurl and Go Seek if you wanna count the “zombie” thing.)

Caleb: Caleb was simple, and he still kinda is. I like how paranoid he was in Episode 1, but overall he’s just a more effective Justin. I do prefer him over Justin, as he can be a massive asset to the team, as shown in Episode 3. Like Zee, I’m fine with him as is, and can only wait and see what he does in later episodes. Will his alliance become genuine romance or just a tool for Caleb to outlast Priya? Probably the ladder, as he doesn’t seem to show any romantic interest in her that feels genuine.

And that’s Total Drama Island Rematch so far. Tomorrow should be the debuts of Episodes 5 and 6, so here’s to a great season. I was honestly shocked at how much I loved this cast, and how refreshing it felt seeing the show after a seven (eight if you ignore Ridonculous) year hiatus. I will be making sure to watch the series again when it comes to MAX in seventy years. As for whether or not I wanna see the Gen 4 cast again…I’ll probably be content with them stopping their run after Season 2. Reloaded and Rematch work as just two halves of a nice little package, and I really don’t want them to risk having this lovable cast go through what Gen 1 did. If we do get a new season, I’d be fine with them having a new cast. Fans will probably like them as much as they do with Gen 4.

[thedandelionthief]

What characters do u think get done the most dirty by the fandom?

sigh okay. this is a difficult question because i think all of the characters have been misinterpreted by the wider fandom at some point, but presently these are the major offenders (in no particular order):

tsukasa: tsukasa is probably my least favorite character, but i still recognize the mischaracterization this fandom puts him through. i think it’s getting better, though the flanderization is inevitable with someone as popular as him.

there are the people who see him as nothing but a self-insert angst machine, who ignore the trauma of female characters in this game for the sake of giving it to him (i’m looking at you fans who still think tsukasa canonically has an eating disorder). there’s nothing wrong with highlighting the sad parts of his story, but let’s please examine what is actually there if we’re speaking about canon.

this type of fan has also caused plenty of people to hate him outright or ignore his struggles which isn’t good either. he is a 3-dimensional character with flaws, memories, and goals just like everyone else!

and of course there is the rampant over-sexualization of tsukasa and rui, which is even funnier considering tsukasa has shown less interest in romance than practically every other character. he’s genuinely oblivious.

nightcord:

lumping all four of them in together because i consistently see the worst takes about them. highlights include “mizuki is a cross-dressing boy who pretends he’s a girl to avoid bullying”, “ena is whiny, abusive, and deserves everything shinei has done to her”, and “mafuyu is simply ungrateful and her depression is used as an excuse for her to be a bitch”. kanade opinions range from “she is a poor wet cat who has never done anything wrong in her life” to “she is a master manipulator who solely uses mafuyu for her own gain.”

overall, people don’t understand how mental illness works. or trauma. or… being a teenager.

ichika:

probably the least popular character despite being the face of the game. it is nearly the 4th anniversary of proseka—long past the time to stop complaining about her being the lead singer of leo/need.

even the other leoni members have risen in popularity (from what i’ve seen) over time, but ichika has stayed near the bottom of the popularity polls. it’s a shame, because she is such a sweet and genuine girl! she’s awkward, tells bad jokes, loves hatsune miku, and would do anything for her friends. she represents so many of us players, yet many don’t seem to connect with her on a personal level. it’s sad

rui:

i’ll keep this one brief because we all know what people do to this poor guy. the cannibal psychopath thing has kind of faded into obscurity, but he still tends to either get the angst treatment or the super flirty tumblr sexyman treatment which… i don’t even understand how that started? is it because he likes to tease his friends?

lastly, i think this fandom has a problem with only caring about the female characters when there’s angst involved. whenever leo/need gets edgy sets, or more more jump has sad moments, people suddenly start paying attention to them. i don’t understand why we can’t just let the characters (especially the girls) exist and be happy sometimes! they’re not defined by their past trauma. that’s actually antithetical to the message of this game! it is neat to get a new perspective on a character through their backstory, and it can be cathartic to see them struggle, but that’s not all there is to these girls.

—

thank you so much for this ask! it was very interesting to think about.

[aerithium]

FFXIV Shadowbringers Review!

★ Score: 8.5/10 ★ Date Finished: April 29th, 2024 ★ Final Thoughts: This expansion is so good it made me lower my rating of Stormblood. I'm that serious. From the very second you truly enter this expansion, you are utterly entranced by it. The extremely subtle build up in Stormblood explodes in your face within the span of a quest and all of a sudden you are the intro card to Shadowbringers. The beginning area is beautiful and the game does an amazing job of slowly letting the player realize they are in an entirely different world and then perfectly introducing that world. I found it odd how accustomed I became to the First after playing 3 expansions in the Source. This expansion genuinely leaves me at a loss for words. The stakes are high from the get go and you are quickly shown what those stakes drive people to do. At times the story could seem repetitive, kill one lightwarden and then on to the next, but the story, dialouge, and new areas make these overarching tasks different each time. The entire expansion is just banger after banger when it comes to the dungeons and trials. Especially the final two, I was sucked into the story and enraptured in each cutscene until reaching the final conclusion. The characters were written beautifully in this expansion, a sort of contrast from before. I found myself caring for each major character in this expansion, more than I did before. I feel as though we learn a lot about some of the Scions personalities, strengths, and their weaknesses. But the character that shocked me the most was my own, how the hell do you write a "self-insert" so perfectly. Square Enix and the devs for this game have done an amazing job at making sure the player's character truly stands out and that the journey feels unique to them. Wrapping up on the good notes, the music is stellar across the board for this one. I could probably listen to this ost on repeat. I find that my only complaints are a few slower moments, sometimes in areas I didn't care too much for but that is very subjective to each individual. Areas I disliked might be other's favorite parts of the game! Overall this expansion blows the previous 3 out of the water, provides great plot points, introduces new characters while building on previous ones, and brings in a lot of intrigue with the final cliffhangers.

[crispy-ghee]

I did think the show was at it's best when it was pushing the rivalry between bird and johnson, and I think the making him more of an asshole in season 1 would have worked better cause it could be from magic's perspective, then he gets fleshed out in season 2, but even then he still didn't get fleshed out as much as he could have been. Also the way they cut that episode where it goes from him seeing his dead dad, to buss romancing the new girlfriend was such a bad tonal shift. They could have cut that and had his mom appear, instead of holding her until the last episode. You don't introduce her with less than five minutes of screen time and then give her a 10 second big emotional payoff, you don't do that with an audience who isn't familiar with the real life people.

Another major issue for me was how they focused way more on the managerial side than the players, to the point that they would cut out a lot of the playing moments to focus on what buss and his family are doing. We know way more about the managing staff than most of the guys who are actually on the team playing basketball. And I think that's best exemplified by the fact that the final episode doesn't end on magic and the team, but on buss and his daughter.

Another thing I noticed, and I don't know if it was just me, but they seemed to continuously undercut the serious tone of moments if they were for characters that weren't the main focus, like that scene I mentioned with larry, them playing good vibrations over jeff mckinney's accident, which are just the ones that I remember really standing out to me as weird to do for actual real life tragedies.

I just think it was badly written overall.

All that said, I do like rewatching all the larry bird scenes.

I think these are all super valid points, and I agree with basically all of it. I understand them trying to focus on Buss because it was about the building of a dynasty, but that doesn't mean that it was compelling at all and it felt like they were interrupting the more interesting parts of the story. Especially in cases like, yeah, cutting from Larry's father's suicide to Buss and his girlfriend. I definitely felt like I had to sit through almost all of the family and business drama stuff just to get to the stuff I actually wanted to see.

Their approach to Larry's mom was really frustrating to me bc it diminished her role in his life a little bit in exchange for the dramatic punch of his father's death, but the fact that she wasn't seen *at all* during the episode they set aside for his backstory was baffling. I think maybe they were trying to have it be like they were saving seeing Larry's soft side to juxtapose it against when he was at his most "villainous" to the Lakers, but that didn't mean having to cut out his mother completely until that moment. Especially since she got so little screen time even then.

Part of me wonders if it was supposed to be just a taste of seeing her influence before presumably showing her hand in Magic and Larry's eventually friendship in the next season (which is now not happening), like they were trying to foreshadow something, but to be honest, I think it's largely the fact that there was too much shit happening in the second season. Literally too many plot threads. So all this stuff got relegated to only a few minutes.

I do enjoy the times when it actually is about Larry and Magic, because that's the most fleshed out/interesting thing that they had, though I do think that there's some interesting stuff about the politics of the team if only they'd approached it right. But they really wanted to make a show about the business drama first, it feels like, which sucks bc it means that the big charismatic people, the players, are second banana to the team owners and the coaches. Also again, I just...I did not care about the family drama. At all. I'm sure other people loved it, Buss is undoubtedly an interesting man, but I wanted to pull my hair out every time it cut to it.

I think they were trying for something that could've been interesting stylistically/presentation-wise, but also it came across as really messy and half-baked at a lot of points. There were moments where it really shined though, but it didn't always work. It's definitely disappointing.

I'm with you on the writing hahaha a lot of deep sighing and frustration on my part while watching. The pacing was so weird, a lot of moments that were supposed to hit felt entirely unearned or out of place.

And also liking rewatching the Larry Bird scenes. As weird and exaggerated as it was, I think you could tell they were having fun with him. If only they'd gotten better wigs and the actor didn't feel like he had to make his own mouth smaller by pursing his lips all the time ahahaha (I still think about how that was gonna be Bo Burnham and I get sad)

[jymwahuwu]

Respectfully I wanted to care about the Cloud Quintet, I really did, but they felt more like good acquaintances than friends.

Assuming this is from the perspective of Jing Yuan (who was still very young compared to the others and a bit naive) then it falls under the unreliable narrator trope, because when I was relatively young I just assumed that the people my mom would occasionally hang out with were her friends and vice versa. Even if that was the case then it should have been made a little bit more clear.

Anyway, this particular plot was not good, interesting perhaps but even then not spectacular which most likely turned away a lot of players because this was the second "world" we're in and the plot isn't making sense then what is going to be the rest of the game?

Like it's hard to care about them, Jing Yuan is one I genuinely feel bad for since these guys essentially fucked up his perception of bonds which in turn made him more reserved because this man has no friends (to the extent of my knowledge). Jingliu really got stripped down to the 'I can fix her' as the other anon put it, like she has so much potential and they waste it.

I remember Inazuma, I genuinely hated the entire thing like sure it had its moments but that doesn't excuse the overall bad plot. It was like pulling teeth to bring myself to finish Inazuma when the last arc happens. Anyway I hope in the future someone looks over this person's writing and catches the major inconsistencies.

You are right.

It was painful for me to read the story of Blade's character, the eerie and anxious description, being killed thousands of times. I once guessed that Jingliu might have suffered from Mara, which is why such a tragedy happened, but when she regained consciousness, she felt resentful and sad, and wanted to bury Aeon of Abundance at all costs.

But… after the truth is revealed, NO? When a close friend makes a mistake, even if you want to take revenge, there should be moments of unbearability and hesitation, right? Give me some descriptions of emotional struggles. No. It's like telling me they're unfamiliar to begin with. I…I don't see the feeling of friendship in them? Jingliu and Bai Heng actually have a better relationship, while Yingxing is closer to Dan Feng. And Jing Yuan… was very young at that time and was like a child in this team. A team of friends, actually 2+2+1.

Moreover, the story of High Cloud Quintet has been hidden in several versions. The truth turned out to be that resurrecting their close friends led to an accident and eventually we were separated and hunted each other? Is this…is it necessary to hide it for so long?

I want to read about the impermanence and sadness of fate that push us into this. We were once intimate and the dreams we had together no longer exist, but fragments still remain in our hearts.

Ah, every time I search for comments saying that this is a beautiful and magnificent, sad mission, I just want to close my eyes.

(This image shows a display of close friendship).

[sergeifyodorov]

Sidney Crosby for the character ask

actually i do have a very specific first impression of sidney which is that i was . can’t have been ten, probably closer to seven or eight and i was living w my dad and hockey was on and it was pens vs a team that was not the leafs, and i knew he was a leafsfan so i was like “why are you watching hockey if it’s not your team” and he was like “sometimes i like to watch it for sid the kid” and i was like. a kid? and he pointed out what must have been a truly baby sidney and i remember clearly thinking I Hope He’ll Be A Leaf Some Day… truly my delusions have always been there.

IMPRESSION NOW

well GOAT obviously

beyond that he is such a good leader and obviously just a huge awkward dorky sweetheart -- there are no stories of bad encounters with him, like, ever. i think my general vision of him is just someone who is so stubborn and willful and good, who has pushed all of himself into doing hockey and doing hockey well and has negotiated some kind of reward from the universe for it. definitely has The Tism. if i were a hockey boy i too wouldve jerked off to posters of young sidney.

also is aging incredibly as both a player and as a guy… i don’t think either sidney or the audience are ready for silver fox sidney crosby. but the time is approaching far more rapidly than either of us would care to admit

i do however believe that the instant he retires he will vanish into the distant nova scotian woods, or perhaps the sea, and we will never hear anything about him again.

FAV MOMENT

much like ovi, sidney is Old and thereby has an abundance of Moments. Here are some:

sidovi duelling hat tricks night (it was both of their moments, come on)

That one anecdote about him walking with reporters coatless somewhere in the negative tens, followed by them going through the tim hortons in the rink and people stopping and realizing who it is the moment that he goes into the elevator

2010 olympic golden goal

this isn’t technically a Sidney Moment but the steve dangle tweet about “has sidney crosby passed the torch followed by sidney crosby ripping out his opponent’s heart and eating it has been happening for the past six years” (the tweet itself is also about four or five years old)

The entirety of his Fucked Up Teeth era where he had to wear the fishbowl and fought a bunch of people . I think we don’t remember enough that Sid used to be an absolute bloody menace -- I’m pretty sure he’s either the only rookie or one of the only rookies with 100 pts and 100 PIM in a season.

he did the michigan before it was cool btw

IDEA FOR STORY

well let’s go back to the disappearing into the woods thing. have you guys heard of sable island perchance

well u see. there is an island off the coast of nova scotia

it’s got an electoral district and everything. Or it’s part of one. Which is weird because only a couple of researchers live there periodically.

anyway. king under the mountain type au where post-concussions sid decides instead to leave hockey, go back to nova scotia and become a lighthouse keeper/researcher. living on sable island, skating once a year on the thin-ass ocean ice when it freezes. disappears when the sport of hockey needs him most etc

in fact in this au he leaves in 2012, and because there’s no hope of his returning the penguins are. Substantially worse in the following year, not only breaking hard from the playoffs but also doing a leedle light tanking to get themselves a similarly touted prospect… 2013 first overall pick nathan mackinnon.

natemac who is and has always been a sidney fanboy numero uno AND a sicko who wants 2 win above all else. natemac who gets himself immediately into a war of wills with geno because geno wants sid to live a good life, a long and peaceful life away from where he has been and natemac who knows that there is something else going on. that sid gave up, but he is not lost.

so nate and geno play out nate’s rookie year; nate breaks in the offseason for sable island in search of sidney. cue geno coming along.

nategenosidney roadtrip 2 return to hockey nightmare psychosexual experience for everyone involved (geno has to contend with his feelings for sidney, a dear friend and colleague who he wants to both protect and win alongside, as well as his frustration towards nate, this doughy-faced and overemotional young firecracker… a lot like a certain sid, back in the day.) (sid has to deal with his feelings for geno, a respected teammate who he wanted to become captain after him but so clearly would rather not have that spot in his life replaced, and his new affection for this nate guy, someone who is so earnest and so competitive and so insane in exactly the same way as him that he’s not sure if it’s deliriously endearing or driving him nuts)(nate has to deal with his huge awfully enrapturing celebrity crush on someone he has always wanted to play with but who is apparently unavailable and has to deal with this sort of weird captainrookie mutual bullying homoeroticism he’s developed with geno)

i think this just ends up in a threesome tbh but who am i to say

UNPOPULAR OPINION

honestly… i do not find him that particularly attractive… i think it is maybe something to do with yalls competency kink (can’t blame u). the lips and the ass are great though he’s just almost too pretty for me. 

also i am a sidstache truther

FAV RELATIONSHIP

genuine tie between nate, geno, and ovi

FAV HEADCANON

go read jes ticklefighthockey’s entire archive right now and then go read her entire ao3. THAT is true sidscholarship i do not feel as if i am anywhere near capable of that level of it