#I wanted to contribute to the meta i guess

[sassasafreeaction]

While The Resurrectionist minisode gives us a lot of different things, one of the most important things that it gives us is the concept of plausible deniability and how important it is for Aziraphale and Crowley's relationship.

In the episode, Crowley drinks literal poison, and while he gets to be very silly, he also gets to be a more honest and genuine version of himself. He gets to do good, and when Aziraphale points this out, he immediately throws in the rebuttal - "Not kind! Off my head on laudanum."

Now, the next time he sees Aziraphale, he asks for holy water, so it's hard to say how much deniability the laudanum actually gave him. At the same time though, Crowley is still around and not eliminated.

The only real effect that a supernatural being seems to experience with poison is drunkness, which in a way I guess makes sense because alcohol is its own poison. However, it's also a poison that the two of them regularly partake in.

A lot of the more serious and genuine conversations that the two of them have happen while they're drinking, when they have that level of plausible deniability. It would be so easy for one of them to say something and take it back under the ruse of being drunk and not knowing what they're doing or saying, even though they both know that it takes an extraordinary amount of alcohol or a strong poison for them to actually be drunk.

The first example we see is in the bookshop after Crowley has delivered the Antichrist, and he's trying to convince Aziraphale to help him. When they had met up initially, Aziraphale had adamantly refused to help him, but once they're safe in the bookshop with several bottles of wine in their system, Aziraphale is honest for the first time about his feelings on the situation. "I don't like it anymore than you."

Sure, they sober up shortly after that, but it isn't until there is that liquid courage/plausible deniability in their system that he's even willing to dare to start to humor the thought.

(In Hard Times, you do have them sharing a drink together in Rome. It's the first time where they seem to genuinely indicate that they'd be interested in actively pursuing the other's company. There's less to pick a part because it's so short, but worth mentioning, especially because the entire time the two of them talk, they have a drink in their hand.)

The next time we see either of them drinking is right after Crowley has left the bookshop fire. A lot of people drink when they're sad, so that's not the most exciting, but he is drinking because he's sad about Aziraphale, his "best friend," and while Hell probably doesn't care because they have bigger things on their mind, it still gives that placebo level of protection.

Side note, there's a strong chance that if Crowley does remember the Fall that this is probably the most accurate description since he's the most open we've probably seen him in the show here- essentially talking crap at the Heavenly Watercooler with the boys and then ending up in a boiling pit of sulfur.

The Script Book has a line that I think is super worth mentioning as Crowley says, "Aziraphale? I'm trying to get drunk. Failing." It emphasizes how much of a cover drinking has become for them, and that the act of pretending is more important than genuinely being drunk. Also, Crowley doesn't try to hide from Aziraphale. He doesn't specifically say "I thought I lost you," but he looks absolutely wrecked. The way Aziraphale pauses in return makes me feel like he has to know, but also, they're idiots.

The two of them also share a drink before the Swap, and they get rather philosophical in regards to the Almighty. This is also the first and only time that Crowley uses the phrase 'We're on our side' and Aziraphale doesn't have a rebuttal.

At the end of Season 1, they're at the Ritz, drinking of course, and it's here where both of them tease at how they genuinely feel about the other. The drinking is on the light side though, so we don't get anything more concrete than 'To the World'. (Although the way that Aziraphale looks at him and says that phrase still makes me weak.)

Season 2 sees Crowley offering Aziraphale his first drink. The angel refuses but Bildad still gets his drink on. This is the first time that Crowley introduces the concept of not being on Hell's side.

(Also, he just watches Aziraphale pleasure himself enjoy some ox ribs which is freaking wild. I'm pretty sure everyone has analyzed the undertones of this scene to death, but there's drinking involved so it makes the cut.)

After speaking with Heaven and Hell, Crowley and Aziraphale get together at the pub to discuss their new plan. They both have a single drink, but you have the chest touch and Crowley talking about falling in love in the rain (ya know like he did).

In 1941, following the magic act, we have them drinking again. Crowley asks Aziraphale to retire the act, and then there is an important beat as they get ready to start a more serious conversation. As soon as Aziraphale decides to take them toward more serious territory, he tops off Crowley's glass. They again tease at the concept of 'our side' by discussing the morally grey.

Now, in S2E6, Crowley mentions to Muriel about taking Aziraphale for an extremely alcoholic breakfast at The Ritz, which to me suggests that even without Maggie and Nina talking with him, Crowley likely would have confessed.

However, in Episode 5, when Crowley is sitting at the restaurant, the first thing he does after getting Aziraphale's attention is ask if he wants a glass of wine. Aziraphale tells him "I'm at work and I have a meeting". I feel like this was almost the original confession from Crowley. Forgive me because I can't find the post, but I know someone has pointed out some of the other parts things that indicate this (Crowley's is the only table with a rose, him walking right into the 'smitten' phrasing because he thought that might make a good transition, etc. I'm really sorry I didn't find it right away when I scrolled and I gave up.) I think the wine speaks a lot to it though because it allows for the same song and dance of if this doesn't work out, I can always blame it on the alcohol.

Now you could say that the two of them just really enjoy alcohol and its a coincidence, but there are an angel and a demon who also happen to meet a pub. Gabriel gets himself and Beelzebub a beer, but the two of them never drink them.

Unlike Aziraphale and Crowley, they have the luxury of power to protect them. They don't need to have the plausible deniability because as far as they're concerned, they answer to no one.

Maggie, a human, also turns down alcohol while she's with Nina. Nina needs the liquid courage, but she doesn't. She has no interest in alcohol. However, Nina is in a sticky situation with her partner. Maggie carries a torch for Nina, but she's also brave enough to be the first one to offer a gift and indicate how she genuinely feels about her. They're both human, so they can be honest with one another.

I'm sure drinks will probably still be important in Season 3, but I wouldn't be surprised if they have a scene where either Aziraphale or Crowley actively turns down a drink because they no longer need to hide.

[calliecat93]

HAPPY SPONES DAY! 🎉

[wisteria-lodge]

About the gender in hp thing: I know JKR wrote the books wanting the patriarchy to have minimal impact on the world but even through a couple of the metas you wrote you can see that that’s not the case. In your character crying post there’s a clear implication that showing that kind of emotion is a weakness but also that it is not masculine. Equating strength with masculinity is foundational for cultures with strong patriarchies, and this idea infests every other aspect of their lives. Idk because of that and many other reasons I have a very hard time of writing the wizarding world as anything other than a patriarchy

This is a watsonian analysis vs doylist analysis issue.

I 100% do think that JKR went out of her way to really, really downplay the importance of gender in her worldbuilding - and this contributes a lot to the specific feel of the world. You could genderflip, idk. Neville. Snape. Draco. Hermione. McGonagall. and almost no plot elements or character dynamics would change. (Maybe James would bully Severus slightly differently? Idk. He honestly might not.)

Compare HP to something like His Dark Materials, another British fantasy series released at the same time, marketed to the same demographic... in which gender politics are REALLY important. Lyra conforming or not conforming to specific gender norms hugely impacts the way a lot of other characters treat her. So much of Mrs. Coulter's character has to do with how she's navigated the back ways and side avenues into power, because the patriarchy that runs *that* world is extremely explicit and plot relevant, and there's a lot she just can't do.

Now is JKR *good* at writing a gender-blind world? Not really no. So she's stripped out the importance of gender in a fairly surface way, while leaving evidence of the foundations intact. Everyone's a het couple, women take the husband's last name, Molly and Petunia are at home while their husbands work and there's no inverse of that situation, Fleur's father walks her down the aisle at her wedding, it's important that Hermione be able to tame her hair when she wants to, but for Harry it doesn't matter...

There is ALSO the narrative voice poking through and putting its own spin on everything. This is where we start getting judgment (for example) directed both at girls who are too feminine, and at girls who aren't feminine enough. Or sexual assault not really "sticking" if it's directed at boys. We don't have a character talking, in-universe, about how it's wrong for a woman not to want children. We just have a book where the only women who don't have kids (or take care of kids) are villains. Same thing with masculinity = strength = no crying. That's something the narrative framing / bias of the author brings to the table, but it's kept out of the mechanics of the magical world. I guess you could say Harry and Draco equate crying/fainting with weakness (but not explicitly anti-masculinity)... but then Lupin goes out of his way to separate 'fainting' from 'weakness' anyway.

Interestingly, gender is much more baked into the muggle worldbuilding. (Part of why I think leaving that aspect out of the wizarding world was a deliberate choice.) Smeltings is an all-boys school, so is St Brutus.' Dudley teases Harry about his "boyfriend" Cedric, Vernon sizes up Arthur and Mad-Eye by how masculine they are. At the beginning of Book 4, Dudley's diet is this very gendered conflict between Vernon and Petunia, where Vernon doesn't want a "little nancy boy for a son" - and that is one of the only truly gendered insults in the whole series. "Crybaby" almost counts... but the Slytherins tease Hermione for crying too, so idk. They tend to go for pretty gender-neutral insults, like "poor" "unimportant parents" "looks like a chipmunk" ... etc.

Like... I'm trying to imagine a scene were Lucius lays into Draco for not being masculine enough, and I can't. I think that in a canon-compliant fic, a scene like that would feel odd. The conflict would need to be framed more like a "you disgrace the name of Malfoy with your weakness" or "never tell anyone outside the family what you're thinking" or "your believe yourself to be more intelligent than you truly are." Not "you need to man up."

[annabelle--cane]

there's a lot going on in the mag 58 supplemental, this one little scene does a lot of heavy lifting to set up martin and tim's arcs for the rest of the show, but I want to focus on these lines particularly because of how therapy comes back as a symbol in s4/s5.

broadly, in the context of the meta plot and not the individual statements, seeking therapy in tma is representative of trying to improve oneself and get out of a bad situation. later, when taking melanie to therapy, georgie suggests that jon should get some as well but, when asked, says she wouldn't be willing to escort him like she does with melanie, showing how she does wish the best for jon in theory but doesn't think he actually wants to get better, or at least that she's not sure enough to involve herself with him.

that view of jon doesn't come from nowhere, because here we have an instance of him rejecting that same offer, symbolically rejecting help in favor of digging himself deeper on his own (obligatory disclaimer that irl therapy is a very personal thing and says nothing about one's overall character, this is just an examination of a motif in fiction). the word choice of "he just says no" imo implies that martin has suggested this multiple times and jon keeps giving the same answer, continually reaffirming that he does not want outside assistance to pull him out of this spiral.

the fact that martin's the one advocating to go soft on jon despite repeated refusals for more sympathetic help is interesting to me, because I would guess that this conversation was instigated by jon aggressively confronting martin about trevor herbert two episodes earlier. we know he was stalking all three of his assistants, but that is the biggest and most threatening outburst we get from jon in this period, and in this conversation it is still martin being defensive and apologetic vs tim being frustrated and pissed off.

I've said recently that I'm pretty sure martin believed jon was self harming and/or suicidal at this point, so I can see why he would be particularly willing to give jon slack and try to prevent any big conflicts, but that still contributes to his current narrative role of "guy who is treated the worst but ignores it because he's also the guy who cares the most." in that way, he's a foil for georgie; she cares, sure, but not enough to ignore (perceived) risks. martin pushes for jon to get therapy even as he lashes out and rejects help, and georgie won't involve herself when jon asks if she'd be willing to help him see a therapist.

this motif comes back around for a final complication in s5, when laverne, melanie's therapist, winds up as part of her cult. melanie's effort to get better and get out did have lasting effects, she is separated from the watcher/watched system and is coping a whole lot better than she would have before, but those personal efforts still weren't enough to fully get her out of the whole mess. no amount of individual action could remove her from this structural problem, her therapist helped her a lot but also now thinks she's a prophet.

which also comes back to the above scene. tim and martin both write off elias as useless in this situation, so they start sniping at each other and talking about how to stop jon from doing what he's doing without even really lingering on how the guy who is actually in charge and has power over them all is making it worse by neglecting his managerial duties. I'm sure jon could have done with some therapy at this point, but that would have only dealt with, like, 10% of the archive gang's current problems.

[itshype]

How I Met Your Brother (DC x DP)

Dan joins the Justice League - not as part of his rehabilitation, but as a reward for doing so well.

Tucker makes the grave mistake of mentioning Dan in front of Jazz. And as an eldest sister myself I would not be happy about an alternate version of my sibling being left completely alone in the world, no support, no family to then be turned into a psychopath. And I would be furious for them to then be imprisoned - not for life but for all time?

However, unlike me, Jazz is the world's foremost authority on ghost psychology. She has Dan out of his Thermos and in a larger enclosure within the week.

Now, a lot of fics have Jazz as a magical therapist who can say a few sentences and make any bad guy cry. Sorry, not today though.

First, they resocialise Dan like a feral cat (solitary confinement does make people get loopy), sitting outside his enclosure and hanging out, doing homework etc. This sort of gets him to figure out emotionally that he's no longer in the timeline where everyone he ever cared about died.

Danny discusses with him how many nightmares he's had over just the idea of losing his entire support network the way Dan did and he can't imagine what he's been through. But no emotions are not, in fact superior to having negative emotions.

After a few months, he decides that he does in fact want to actively try and get better. He goes to a therapist (because family members can't do therapy!!!) who's just unhinged enough to get a kick out of counselling a ghost from an alternate timeline.

There's only one relapse. Clockwork fixed it and they don't talk about it.

A month or so later they let him out of the enclosure for good. They offer to symbolically destroy it but Dan thinks they should keep it just in case.

While Dan's humanity has returned, his actual human half is gone forever. But he's interested in doing something with himself. He can't get a GED, or a degree, or be an astronaut. Maybe something in entertainment?

Tucker makes the grave mistake of mentioning that the Justice League headquarters are in space. Dan isn't as powerful anymore now he's no longer a halfa, but he knows he's handy in a fight. He loves space and due to having them repeatedly and ineffectively implemented against himself - a deep knowledge of international war tactics.

NGL, this isn't where I thought this story was going. But Dan is now an international politics, war policy and foreign affairs expert, I guess.

He helps a fair bit on the team, but his key contributions are his encyclopaedic predictions of how different international communities will react to events. If an out of control meta in Paris takes down the Eiffel Tower, he predicts which countries will immediately 'crack down' on their superpowered citizens - that sort of thing. It's invaluable for their PR team and young meta safety.

He's a friendly guy, doesn't judge anyone for losing control of their powers or going 'too far' on a villain who hurt their friends and family. And he never shuts up about his kid brother who is apparently also his best friend. He briefly mentions a baby sister he's never met and that makes everyone pretty sad.

He doesn't consider this Jazz his sister. He's already had a sister named Jazz and isn't looking for a 1:1 replacement. This Jazz is more like a mum-friend. However, he never had a Danny or an Ellie in his last life.

"My little brother told me about the trick to this level in Doomed 17, want me to explain what you're missing?"

"Sorry, I really can't possess you, even for 'anti mind-control' training. That isn't how overshadowing works, you can't become immune without exposure to ectoplasm in dangerous doses. No, I can't get you some pure ecto, my baby brother would kick my ass to hell."

"Yeah, my baby bro and I both wanted to be astronauts, I died so it's not in the cards for me anymore, but he has a real shot still, we're all rooting for him!"

Most Justice League members think he's a dead eldest brother with living siblings he's still in close contact with.

It's all fun and games until he tries to take a bullet for Batman during an ambush and it's actually an amnesia ray designed to make Batman forget about a specific case until the bad guy can complete his plan.

"I killed you all before, and I will do it again."

[retributory]

Thank you for the post saying Binghe wouldn't care if he found out Shen Yuan replaced Shen Jiu, I saw a post on that danmei confessions blog that was something like "Shen Yuan being compared to Helen of Troy is accurate bc they both bring ruin to those around them, since if people found out about Shen Yuan then Cang Diong would want Shen Jiu's body back for a burial (so they would basically exorcise Shen Yuan out of it I guess and he'd die again) and Luo Binghe would break up with him for not being able to trust him anymore" and that pissed me off so much bc like. Worstie how can you read the novel and be this wrong about everything in it. Personally I don't think people know Shen Yuan replaced Shen Jiu (except maybe Binghe) but if they found out about how he was forced to due to the System, like he was a hostage and cursed by some entity, they certainly wouldn't blame him or force him to leave. I mean literally the only person who would mourn Shen Jiu is Yue Qingyuan, and he likes the current Shen Yuan too! He wouldn't want him dead either. Idk how some people can misinterpret a novel's point this bad but I wish they'd stop talking about it as if they're facts

yeah idk the average user on that blog appears to be reading entirely different novels and you go in the notes and people are nodding sagely as if the posts make sense. like if the actual text of the novel disagrees with you i think you're just wrong lol.

and yeah they . . . pretty much have already guessed it isn't shen jiu anyways. like they don't know who it IS, or what exactly the truth of the situation is, because the system and such are out of their scope of knowledge, but they're quite confident in running theories like "qi deviation-induced amnesia and personality change," so they don't consider him the same guy anyways. they were actively shocked it WASN'T possession (though the possession theory is kind of correct. lol). it's also so weird to think that cqms would (for lack of nicer terms) give a fuck at all if sy DID maliciously possess sj. in the original timeline it's made pretty clear no one comes to sj's defense except yqy, because sj specifically desires that outcome. sj isn't some helpless baby at the whims of everyone around him - he specifically and intentionally seeks to ruin his own life and the lives of everyone around him, or at the very least make them as miserable around him as possible. thus, no one else likes or misses him at all, and in fact every peak lord at that meeting was jumping for joy that they got Other Guy instead of sj, which is a contributing factor to why they just decide to simply not call him out on it.

i also think (says guy who posts about svsss 3 times a day) people are like. taking it too serious. you're not supposed to be seriously considering lines of thought like that because svsss is a transmigration parody novel of xianxia power fantasies - whatever exists in the background exists purely to support the world of this satire. and while that certainly is a fun topic for meta - i enjoy reading posts like that! - it becomes irritating when the meta is framed as if somehow you are in the wrong for enjoying a novel the way it was intended to be enjoyed by the author, and that the only True way to enjoy it is through enlightened meta-contextual analysis that assumes all the characters are actually different people.

someone on that blog was like "why doesn't svsss expand on the lore and fights and characters!!!" because they don't matter to the story my friend. not every novel is lord of the rings. this is xianxia transmigration parody novel my friend. just read . . . an actual stallion novel. actually really do that because then you'll form a connection with sy because these things are written SO bad and then you'll understand him LMFAO

[appleflavoredkitkats]

let's talk abt c!fundy, as a whole:

i don't really know what i want the flow of this post to be. i don't really have any goals in mind, but i really, really, wanted to talk about c!fundy. i don't think i can intellectually cover his storyline arc by arc because, well, i don't actually think i'm capable of doing that in excruciating detail (especially for l'manberg and nlm) but. oh my god i need to talk about him. and my experience i had backing his character up ever since the pet wars.

takes about fundy as an underrated character only became popular around the time manberg ended. a big contributing factor to this is that dsmp recap and update accounts on tumblr and twt only started thriving by that time. so basically, a lot of pre-end of manberg stuff done by cc's who weren't tommy, wilbur, or quackity tended to be ignored, because nobody realized there were more pov’s to consider.

and tbh! as much as i was a bitter fan last 2020, i do want to acknowledge this isn't the fault of the fans. but of course this doesn't come without repercussions. a good portion of people only realized fundy was a spy for pogtopia only when he revealed it to wilbur. this comes as a surprise to me at that time because fundy confirmed as early as eret's election results stream that he was going to pretend to be a traitor.

but okay, that's well and settled. but i guess the bigger issue back then i grappled with a lot as a fundy fan was that many people described fundy's eventual reverence to schlatt and his “disownment” of wilbur to be out of nowhere or uncalled for. as someone who has paid attention to fundy to a tee ever since the pet wars, there is so much little things that occurred that built up fundy's dislike towards wilbur.

for one— wilbur's absence and belittlement of the pet war fiasco. although i'll give it that the pet wars is more of an exploration of fundy's character, especially as a friend to others, rather than something that proved wilbur's neglect. the elections was really where things start becoming finicky. from the mix of tommy saying fundy “would have been exiled from l'manberg if he weren't wilbur's son” (which caused him to create coconut2020) to him not siding with wilbur in the election debates, expressing his feelings of exclusion within l'manberg. there are so many moments, expressions of frustrations for how belittled he feels in the eyes of wilbur and tommy.

and, well, i think this is explored very uniquely in manberg, but in a more subtle way. yes we know about the disowning and the charged exchanges he and wilbur had, but i think that. his relationship with schlatt is one of the more undervalued things about manberg. we know about all the rampant dadschlatt headcanons with tubbo, but oh my god, i need more people to see that it is literally canon that fundy saw schlatt as a father figure and schlatt viewed fundy as his son.

that dynamic is so unexplored. the way fundy first started as a traitor, then almost got caught by schlatt with schlatt telling him that. he hopes fundy can be someone he trusts to make manberg great. man to man. schlatt has continuously raised the ranks fundy had in manberg, makes him tag along in different events. fundy made the schlatt throne and the decorations for manberg.

fundy gave up being a spy because he thought schlatt respected him more than wilbur. then, schlatt killed some cats during the festival and blew it all. i think, on one hand, it's funny this is all it took. on the other, fundy has shown to have massive reverence for the pets that exist in this server. the pet war especially, where it's not only fungi who he avenged but beelloon and niki's fish and farm animals and his own endermen. he himself even couldn't kill skechers. he was upset in nlm when tubbo accidentally killed his fox.

and again, wilbur's absence during the pet wars spoke loudly to him, so when he sees wilbur in schlatt for the first time, he drops him.

there's also sort of a meta angle with fundy being sidelined as a character. i always mention this in my own posts, but yeah. i believe cc!fundy mentioned during manberg that it was hard playing a villain because his views plummeted. and i also find it interesting that cc!fundy didn't stream a lot of pivotal moments in the dsmp during nlm, like schlatt's funeral and the butcher army fiasco. he wasn't even present during the disc war finale.

i can never in my life assume whatever cc!fundy wanted for his character, but i remember, before las nevadas was announced, i came to terms with realizing that i cannot control whatever cc!fundy wanted with his character. if he wanted to step away from the dsmp then i supported it, because if he didn't find himself having fun doing all that, or he thinks not a lot of people liked his character despite his efforts, then i get it.

doomsday isn't my favorite fundy moment. it's subjective, and definitely a hot take among the fundy community, but to me letting go and breaking down felt like a low hanging fruit for him, because genuinely i didn't expect it. there's no build up to it. not in the neglect department, no, fundy definitely has been traumatized enough. but i feel like the manner in which this was expressed felt too angry to be in character— which, tbh, is bold of me to say because who am i to question cc!fundy's character decisions. but genuinely there wasn't a lot of streams in between that and other emotional beats to warrant a heavy breakdown like that.

ok, before i get skewered, what i'm saying is that i think doomsday tends to overshadow everything else fundy did because a lot of fans really wanted some kind of villain arc like that from him. and as cool as the “i want to make them cry” thing is, i don’t think fundy breaking down angrily like that and giving up on everything is representative of his entire character, especially when we see the larger picture with las nevadas and his reunion with wilbur.

fundy is emotional, but not angry. he gets angry at wilbur for almost leaving during their reunion, but he pleads immediately after. he yelps “what the fuck?” at quackity when quackity belittles his achievements, but he pleads “i don't know what to do” softly when quackity compares him to l'manberg fading away.

fundy's character hopes easily, gets attached easily, which is why his breakdown to me feels like a puzzle piece that doesn't fit. to be fair, i can't expect all things in the dsmp to be executed perfectly! and if it weren't for las nevadas, doomsday would've probably been the finale for fundy's storyline, and it makes more sense to view it that way.

but imma just say, thank the fuck it wasn't.

my most favorite thing about fundy would be his consistency, especially with what kind of baggage his character brings within every arc. i think the las nevadas episode that showcases how quackity manipulated him into joining establishes exactly what fundy’s character is in essence.

when quackity compared him to the fading buildings in l'manberg, we got it. we got the confirmation i wanted on what his character is supposed to be, and that is— principally and representatively, he is l'manberg. wilbur's definition of what l'manberg's supposed to be. originally, l'manberg prided itself on peaceful unity that didn't rely on minecraft pvp as a source of power, which is the complete antithesis of the entire cycle of violence we observe in the dsmp later on.

of course, wilbur lets go of these ideas being realistic after they win, then completely gives up mid-pogtopia arc, because to him, l'manberg is a manifestation of his ideologies succeeding. if it doesn't, then l'manberg is nothing. so what does it mean then, in this case, if l'manberg was something wilbur promised to fundy?

well. to me that means wilbur succeeded. fundy is l'manberg. let me explain.

fundy, like tubbo, was present in all iterations of l'manberg. he was close to every single president, usually one of their backups whenever an event occurs. this also happens with las nevadas. he becomes blindlessly devoted to someone if they give him a lick of attention, something wilbur never gave him, but more importantly, his presidents promised him safety and prosperity. when he and schlatt fought before schlatt died, fundy mentioned he sided with schlatt until he ruined plans with manberg.

this is why he also believed in nlm, in las nevadas. he believes in the upturn of cyclical violence in the dsmp, unconditionally and devotedly. he created flags for manberg and lnv, hell, even gogtopia, and he as a dutch also inspired l'manberg's flag. while i also don't think he fully embodies the idea of peace (he is a prankster after all), he definitely embodies how that pacifistic mindset is viewed or treated in the dsmp.

which explains how he dies, i suppose. he dies diving into the l'manberg crater, after cutting ties with wilbur. it's metaphorical in one way, and sad in the other. on one hand, it makes sense. if the embodiment of l'manberg and its principles cut its ties from wilbur, especially considering that the dsmp ends a few months later without ending the cycle of violence, of course they would die. they would disappear.

it would explain why cc!wilbur explains the scene as fundy wanting to get as far away from wilbur as much as possible, not to end it all.

on the other hand, it's sad because… if your entire character is dependent on that toxic connection to nationalism, l'manberg, and wilbur, then, what are you? a few days later, fundy donates the schlatt sword he holds dear and calls an “heirloom” away to the museum. he stands in the rain and disappears from the dsmp forever.

sometimes i wonder what fundy would be, independent of l'manberg. to be okay with being alone, with not involving himself in countries with big plans of power.

it's a hard thing to figure out because we never see fundy after that moment. even before those moments, fundy defined himself always from the way he gets belittled. even the fact that he is a prankster gets roped into this, because he is often made a punchline to other characters like schlatt, phil, tommy, and more. no one takes him seriously. if everyone treats your existence as nothing but a joke, what part of you, then, is real?

we never got to understand what fundy's dreams mean, in the end. we've only seen two instances of this, although in the stream where he finds out wilbur is alive again, he mentions having multiple dreams seeing wilbur. i guess what i can offer is that fundy having such a useful power such as prophetic dreams just proves how he has no one to report things to.

it's like greek myth's cassandra. he's gifted with the skill of knowledge and foresight that he literally cannot use because no one takes him seriously. theoretically, he could have predicted dream's escape, charlie's death, but if he has no one he could trust, what's the point?

fundy’s so much more than what people see him as, inside lore and outside. his entire character explores what it means to be sidelined, to constantly question your worth because of other's input to the point you become it. and when we finally get the catharsis of him letting go, he becomes… nothing. he disappears.

it's sad to see fundy's storyline end this way, but as a fan, i think it felt complete. it felt right. a friend once told me closure is a luxury in the dsmp and fundy is not exempt from that. i'm happy cc!fundy was able to at least tell us a complete story like that, and i'm happy to have met so many fundy fans throughout my entire time here.

he's a great character. i'm happy that he at least exists and prospers in our eyes.

[coollizzylou]

Hey gw2 peeps I recently learned that this interview exists (it’s from late December last year)

And I think reading through it gives a lot of context for why the latest update(s) may not have hit the mark for more story inclined people.

(My own thoughts/analysis under the cut. I’ll try to be vague spoilers but it comes with the territory)

Ok first to get it out of the way: my thoughts. I like this update! I think the new part of the map is beautiful as always, and it feels a LOT livelier than the first part. The new meta is less intensive than The Road to Heitor and feels fun to drop in and to replay, which is nice. I love all of the events that focus on helping civilians. I’m glad we have a portal from the Wizard’s Tower now, too! I haven’t really dug into all of the new weapon proficiencies on all classes, but I am enjoying engineer shortbow in WvW! I think this update has a lot more than a lot of people are giving it credit for, because what’s here is more mechanical gameplay than story instance content. I’m ok with the player character being A Hero and not THE Hero, but I do wish the commander had more speaking lines because it’s the little things that make the story so immersive and fun for me.

Speaking of, I want to highlight a quote from the interview I linked above. The rest of it is really fascinating, but this part stood out as specifically relevant to the discussion being had.

We’re learning a lot about how we develop and release content on this cadence, which absolutely has a downstream effect on the player experience. The overall shape of development between expansions 4 and 5 are very similar (timelines, resourcing, etc), even if the content and features are not. This means that we’re able to focus more on refining our development processes than reinventing them. The better that we can identify production issues like undocumented dependencies, bottlenecks, resourcing issues, etc, means that we can proactively address those issues in future dev cycles.

From our experiences with Secrets of the Obscure alone, we’ve adjusted development schedules, review processes, dev resource allocations, documentation and communication practices, and more. All of these contribute, to some degree, to improving the quality of what we deliver.

So basically what I’m getting here is that SotO was a huge adjustment, and if I’m reading between the lines correctly, I would guess that the adjustment was probably a little rough (to put it mildly).

I think this is why the story instance content was weaker than what other updates have provided. It makes sense that if a speaking part had to be cut/diminished, it would be the player character’s. 10 different voice actors for each line of dialogue is a lot more difficult to plan logistics for than a single voice actor reading ten lines.

But it also makes me hopeful that the devs at Anet will continue to learn from whatever might have gone wrong, and I am really excited to see what’s next!

[yjzine2024]

Yellowjackets Zine - Applications Open!

You might have seen the poll going around for interest, and well, it convinced me enough to start this up. A zine for Yellowjackets! Yeah!

The plan is to make this a relatively small but hopefully exciting project to cross the current lack of things between seasons. Think you have a good idea? Submit it!

You can apply for the zine via this form

So far I'm thinking of keeping it at max 30 participants, but this mostly comes down to a first-come-first-serve basis. Fear not, I may include you if you have a really cool idea for a submission.

Guidelines for applying are copied below but will also be in the form.

Cheers!

What is a zine? "Zine" is short for magazine. What a Yellowjackets zine would entail is a small, digital booklet with artworks, writing, collages, lists, etc. related to the show that it's all connected to. There are zines that have a print run alongside digital versions, but to keep it all running smoothly, I'd like to keep this digital only. So I can't offer compensation in financial means. This is first and foremost a passion project, and also things would get tricky on a legal front if there were to be any money involved.

So if I want to contribute, it can be anything? Basicallly! But there are some hard rules I would like to be followed for it to stay coherent.

Canon Compliant. Writing or art, hard AUs aren't really something for this zine. It's a little celebration of the show that is there, and tonally there might be too much dissonance if AUs are included in this. Guesses at the yet to be seen months in the Wilderness, or in the present day are very much welcome!

Self-contained works. Putting chapter 1 of your fic in a zine isn't really ideal. For art this is easier to accomplish, but written submissions should be completed within the pages they are on.

Not just shipping. Yes, I know, shipping is big. But like I put in the first point, I would like to keep things more generally on events, plot, characters, and a neat discussion of it. There's of course degrees to how much you can ship within canon in a show like this. It's totally cool if you put something in that is (Basically) Canon (f.e. TaiVan but also JackieShauna) or Has Strong Potential (f.e. LottieLee, MistyNat). Don't come to me with something like Shauna/Walter. Explorations of characters and relationships are of course okay! But don't make it a smut fest.

Nothing too NSFW. This is Cannibalism Show (TM) we're talking about, so there is some leniency. But let's say if you would rate it as E on Ao3, then maybe try to get it a bit lower in rating or think of something different.

(Previously) Unpublished works. This may be a given, but a zine is the most fun when it's full of original content. You are of course free to publish what you made on your own accounts/profiles once the zine is online.

Other than that, it's pretty free to fill in for yourself! What can be published should be able to go in a hypothetically printed magazine, but if you would write fic, and essay, compile a mixtape list, make some meta newspaper article on the events, graphics, collages, a poster design, or banger fanart, it's all up to you as long as it gets you excited to work on it!

I'm splitting them up in written and graphic types of contributions, but there's room to give a pitch for your specific idea.

Practical stuff!

Max wordcount for written contributions should be about 2500 words. I'm not going to be too strict, but keep any overflow within reason.

Graphic works should be able to be displayed well on a 2100x3000px canvas on. This is the size of page I'm using at the moment.

How much time would there be to prep? For now I'm thinking of putting the final deadline on November 30 so hopefully everyone will have time to work on their submission (from scratch). I also gotta get the hang of a publishing design program lol.

[cyle]

I'm guessing the new Original Post implementation will strictly capture posts where the blog owner is the OP.

Has the team considered adding in an option where you can also see all the posts the blog owner has added to?

A lot of Tumblr's charm is the collaborative aspects of posts and I know most of my top bangers were made in conversation with other users.

I've actually been working on a little project to scrape all the meta I've posted on a blog into a single document and have run into trouble achieving this. It would've been easy if I'd tagged everything consistently but over the years my tags changed 😔

The Tumblr API doesn't have an explicit method to get purely original posts, so I used a 3rd party tool (Jet Black Code) to pull my original posts. To try to get my "added on" comments, I downloaded my blog backup file, hoping to write up some quick code to pick out posts where the last blog with content on the chain was mine.

Unfortunately, it's less obvious than I thought it would be because in those cases my contribution isn't actually marked with my username like it is for everyone else in the reblog chain. 🤔 I'll need to dig into it more to see if I can rely on the formatting of the final block for these cases.

i don't know if we've thought of that specific case, but that does sound neat. i know there are a lot of capabilities we're looking to add to search, like including reblogs in search results (which should be coming soon i hope), and improving in-blog search. in general, i'd love to spend a lot of time making our API better for the special things people want to do like that, but i just do not have the time. but maybe we'll be able to open up stuff like this as our capabilities improve.

[batcrooks]

THE BATCROOKS AWARDS 2024

After keeping meticulous notes on every Media Property™ I consumed in 2024, here is my roundup of the BESTS!! It should probably be one thing per category but I couldn't decide so it's lots actually. And I broke down video games into so many categories because I play a lot of video games!!!

Best Movie I Watched for the First Time in 2024 (Live Action and Animated Categories)

What I wrote about them: Parasite - sooo good so tense and dark and funny? Isle of Dogs - what a DELIGHT. it was so fun to watch this film, i didn't want it to end. the animation was so good. the logistics behind the making of this movie are simply unbelievable. i can't believe this isn't a more beloved film.

Best TV Show I Watched in 2024 (Broadcast and Internet Categories)

What I wrote about them: Severance - SOO GOOD what a FUN SHOW. it has all the good tenseness of a thriller but it's also so funny in its absurdity. i must know more!! the work is mysterious and important Game Changer (season 6) - this season is very high concept. there have been some very funny ones and a couple eh. Sam Says 3 and the one where they had to find the buzzers were both top 5 episodes

Best Video Game (Multiplayer)

What I wrote about them: V Rising - VAMPIRES!! i loved this game for its tight and unwavering focus on being about vampires. you could build a house but it was always, always a vampire house. you can have a horse but it is a vampire horse. incredible. pretty cool combat and magical spells, some questionable level-up mechanics. mostly fun boss fights almost completely ruined by the final Dracula fight being so so overpowered. really enjoyed this one thanks Abiotic Factor - this has been a very cool survival crafting game, maybe one of the best. it reminds me of a lot of different games. mechanically it feels a bit like Raft, in that it has very unique setting and base building and a narrative thread and handcrafted things to explore. of course it has all the half life vibes but also way more SCP stuff than i would have expected and that's great because it is always fun. as of writing we are doing the reservoir section, which has been a lot more stressful than previous sections, but i think we'll probably get through it alright. with only a few exceptions (how long it took to unlock food recipes for example), the progression of craftables has been good. for the mostpart, resources haven't been very annoying to obtain (other than silver and carbon). the vibes are just so good throughout and so many things have been delightful. since it is early access, i'm not going to knock a star off for the Issues. it is an optimistic five stars. about 52 hours and we have completed all the early access. genuinely sad to stop playing it so i guess it was good!! the last chapter was a bit stressful but it was fun how many new gadgets we got to play with for a little while there. anyway it is now tied with v rising for best multiplayering of 2024

(have a lot to say about video games)

Best Video Game (Cat Plays) (Games I Played With an Audience) (Of Sourdeer)

What I wrote about them: The Roottrees are Dead - so good, better than Hand With Many Fingers. hope more games like this keep existing. the amount of info you got to trawl through was so fun. honestly considering replaying it when the steam remake comes out someday, which seems crazy for a mystery game but there was so much i doubt i'll remember everything. Lorelei and the Laser Eyes - a little heavy on the kind of arbitrary spookiness? I dunno how to explain it but it just often feels like games are spooky Just Because sometimes. The same as feeling like this and other games try to tackle high brow stuff Just Because. and the control scheme is WHACK lol. if it just had a "back out" button it would be fine tho. but this is another game that has made me feel so clever very often. it helps to play with multiple people contributing to the tricksy puzzles. It does seem to be a very meta video game which would be fine but it actually doesn't seem relevant to anything? The instruction booklet, the gameboy game of the maze, the ps1 games, the implication that the video game we are playing right now is also licensed in universe. It's INTERESTING but what does it have to do with the auteur filmmaker and the death of materialism and whatever they go on about all the time. But I'm really liking it so far. A good variety of puzzlers and lots to look into, have only felt stuck a few times. Comically long to-do list though. Could have maybe used more elegant level design? Only deal with one floor at a time maybe? Or at least less. But maybe having so many floating mysteries is part of the vibe actually. in the end i think it is firmly in the second tier of plays game, Very Good with a few flaws. most appreciated for being a rather long puzzle game. more of those please

Best Video Game (Sour Plays) (Games Sourdeer Played With an Audience) (Of me)

What I wrote about them: Hypnospace Outlaw - watched sour play. what a WEIRD THING!!! it was so finely crafted which is funny to say about something so absurd, but they really didn't skimp on anything in this. it really rewards exploring everything, and while i feel like it was maybe a little too loose i think there was just enough guidance with the cases to get you through the story that was happening. very chaotic The Rise of the Golden Idol - while i think overall it is not as good as the first one, i think that is mostly just because the first one was a brand new thing that shocked and awed us. the art style was a bit of a downgrade but still had the expected Vibes and the mysteries were just as satisfying to put together (if not as Cool thematically). i'm very glad to have future installments to look forward to. i can't even rate it a star lower because the gameplay is so good. i love golden idol. I.D.O.L.

Best Video Game (Singleplayer)

What I wrote about them: Dredge - really good!! addictive. 100%'d it Arco - i really liked it!! it was like a combo of West of Loathing and Chroma Squad gameplay-wise. it was really good stories and characters i liked them a lot. the pixels were so cute. i accidentally devoured the whole thing (about 13 hours) so fast but i think theres some replayability there sometime. make a few different choices and see what happens. Animal Well - a DELIGHT!! this game had moments where you felt soooo clever but it did also have some times that were a little hard or fiddly. i loved how it had no (very little) music but so much atmosphere. it was very pretty to look at. the backtracking could be annoying sometimes. but i like that it explained nothing and you could still figure out so much. i've gotten to the credits now as of writing (7.5 hours) but i know there's probably a lot hidden around i will try to find some. i see you smiley faces. i just have to remember how to get back to you. 10 hours later: i have gotten all the achievements which is 100%. to me. sourdeer had to help me get the last ten eggs but i think that overall it was a good difficulty throughout. if you dont try to do the rabbits and all the stuff sour is telling me about that is after even the second credits. so a Nice Game, Brent (Billy Basso)

Best Book I Read for the First Time in 2024

What I wrote about them: Children of Time - considering making this a top ten book. i really liked this one. (editor's note: there are diminishing returns on the sequels. The first one is so fun and innovative, but I don't recommend them past that. The second one is OK) Return of the Thief - yaay a satisfying ending :) it was really bold to introduce an entirely new character to be the POV for the last book in a series but it worked out really well i thought. a good character. everything all tied up in the end :) sad to finish, these were a lot of fun. it is sad that not a single one of these had a female POV. Eddis and Attolia were great but compared to the towering amount of male characters it doesn't seem great. but it is forgiveable. finally someone was gay in this one. so that's nice lol. (editor's note: i read this entire series for the first time this year and have chosen the final as the representative.) Assassin's Quest - Oh ok we are serious now!!! Actually fundamentally a bit less serious because there are dragons now but it made it work. Ended really bittersweet and if I didn't know the characters will return someday I would have been pretty thoroughly bummed out about it. Excellent fun book really elevated the other two. Fantasy books really get you drinking the divine right of kings koolaid. Will start on the next trilogy now, have no idea what to expect from it except that it isn't about any of these characters afaik but same world. It has been a real treat to stumble on to long completed series this year. (editors note: final book to a trilogy)

And that's it!! If you want to see every media I consumed this year and my star ratings and comments about them, here's a link to them! (It's a spreadsheet)

[gammaraydeath]

how do you guys write these fandom meta posts character studies and stuff like i want to talk about characters so bad but i never ever do bc i fear being judged soooo badly like someone is going to read my take and think im the biggest idiot in the world. it's easier to find people i agree with and just go along with what they say but then i end up feeling like i have nothing meaningful to contribute bc it's already been said. putting myself in situations that make myself sad for the hell of it i guess

[cheese-water]

Generation Loss being a tv show makes so much on a meta level. Like remember how Ranboo said there’s a reason why it’s streamed on his twitch channel, and how we all thought it was because he was secretly broadcasting it? That was disproven quickly with Showfall Media publicly promoting the viewpoint and the existence of Squiggles on the broadcast.

So let’s look at the the episodes through the lens of a tv broadcast instead of a twitch stream. It becomes clear why Ranboo always gets himself into these wacky situations and miraculously survives till the end unlike his friends. Ranboo is the main character. Ranboo is the protagonist.

Compare them to another tv protagonist, like Ted Lasso. Sure other characters contribute to the story of each episode, but we as a viewer always follow the main character’s highs and lows, successes and failures, rights and wrongs. They are how the plot moves forward and conflict is created and dissolved. There’s a reason why we don’t see Sneeg’s escape attempt, Ethan Austin and Vinny being freed from the machine, Jerma’s demise; because it doesn’t matter. We don’t care. Showfall doesn’t want us to care.

Our viewpoint is Ranboolive. Who cares if a couple side characters die when the main character is about to solve the next puzzle. He is what keeps the show running, an essential cog in this beautiful machine. He will keep this broadcast rolling whether they like it or not.

Makes you wonder how many other “viewpoints” there are. Are they similar television channels, different people, sets, situations all at the press of a button? Is Showfall Media just beginning of interactive experience entertainment or is it one of hundreds of other programs following the same protocols, each baring a long list of missing persons cases that have yet to be solved? Who really was the “Founder?”

I guess we have to wait and see…

[asherlockstudy]

bit of a weird ask but connected to one you answered earlier about rhett's fear of link coming out.

your metas about wonderhole seem to revolve around the idea that wonderhole is a means of r&l testing the waters for coming out - or at least, trying to indicate to *some parts* of their audience that something's going on. how does this tie in with rhett not wanting link to come out? like is it that he (rhett) is trying to come out, but only in a really cautious and planned out way? which is why he came up with that side of wonderhole (i say 'he' because he's usually the more creative one but idk!!!).

thank you for all your metas btw they're so interesting and you notice so much!! 🫶

Okaaayyyy sorry for the late answer! This is probably 3+ weeks overdue! This is by the way the cynical post I promised a few days ago. These weeks have been horrible and it's still not much better but I finally had the opportunity to complete this. My answer unfortunately is not a pleasant one. This answer will be a little sensitive, even for my standards. Be warned and steer clear if this is not your cup of tea or idk pretend this is my headcanon and I believe none of what I am saying.

For these reasons I will keep my answer under a cut:

Toxicity & misalignment between Rhett and Link (Rhink edition)

First of all, I confirm that this is the general idea behind my metas. However, I have also said in various occasions that Rhett and Link do not seem to be on the same page at all. Based on everything I see, Rhett actually does not want to come out. He only “agrees” to it because he is cornered into an agreement since Link wants it very much. It wasn’t even hard at all to see it in the “who’s the worst husband” GMMore but I have been having thoughts about Link’s marriage… ever since I started watching GMM in 2016 basically. Moreover it seems both a divorce and a coming out are desired in his case. But the problem is that also little of this is half meaningful to him if he does not do it in order to be with Rhett.

Except Rhett does not want to do it. At the same time, Rhett can’t really stop another human being, let alone his best friend and business partner from doing something so pivotal for his wellbeing and his very life. The problem is that these two share a heavy private past and present. If Rhett completely rejects the idea and downright refuses the prospect to ever be part of this and openly be with Link, this can be received as betrayal, rejection and separation from Link and it can cause huge resentment that might ruin their relationship, their friendship and their business. As in, this can literally make them part ways both as friends and as business partners, which would not only be most likely costly to Rhett’s personal happiness but it would also be 100% the doom of their career and income. Additionally, the level of heartbreak and resentment a betrayal or separation between the two would risk producing could cause very unpredictable and volatile responses from Link, as we know he is capable of. Who can guarantee to Rhett that Link won’t out him alongside his own outing out of vengeance? And if this happens, then Rhett will lose everything he would fear he would lose if he came out on his own terms anyway: family, career, money plus in this case he will also lose Link because if they reach that point when Link outs him out of vengeance, I think their relationship is probably beyond a salvation point.

But even if Link breaks up and comes out on his own and somehow retains the level-headedness and magnanimity to not reveal Rhett’s contribution to his sexual awakening, it’s still not a good situation for Rhett or their partnership. First of all, even just Link coming out will be a risk for the stability of their viewership and the fan support. Second, do you think Link could come out on his own in his forties and 99% of their loved ones and fans would not be able to make a guess about what the trigger of this awakening was? Link would be like “oh I was walking down the street and suddenly after 40 years of life I saw this cool bloke and everything changed for me no it has nothing to do with the guy I have attached to my hip since I was six years old and I always act obsessed over I swear we only Plato besties” Yeah...no. Eventually fans will understand but more than anyone else friends and family will also understand. Once this happens, even if Rhett does not follow, he will be subjected to 10 times more scrutiny and suspicion than whatever he was getting so far. Family and friends will wonder how much he knew about his best friend, Link. People who suspected both and were eventually proven right for one half (Link) will become sure they were right about the other half too. For example, Rhett’s father who did not approve much of Rhett’s too tight friendship with Link, he suddenly finds out that indeed Link was in the closet all along, he will only feel vindicated and he will almost certainly be convinced that his own son just hides. They will all think like that because almost all of them were suspecting that for both of them, so when they get confirmation for one part, they will take it for granted that the other half confirmation is pending. Rhett will be scrutinised and monitored by everyone. In the end, it will be like he did come out too. Rhett and Link’s lives and choices are so intertwined that a single coming out will simply be no much difference. What one does also affects the other. Even if Link comes out on his own, Rhett is going to confront pretty much the same problems.

Rhett did not expect all this between them would go that far, he did not expect Link would find the guts to pursue such a huge identity change publicly. Rhett allowed himself to be swept away by the affair, because he rested in his miscalculation that their motives and goals would always align. He thought Link felt and saw things the way he did and that he would compromise for a secret affair forever, easily covered by their very close friendship and committed 24/7 business partnership. It was the perfect hideout, beard if you will, for an affair that nobody would be able to prove since they had always been extremely close anyway.

Except Link has an allergy to lies and he spent the largest part of his life tormenting himself by lying. I suspect the by far biggest reason he lived with lies (including religion and his romantic life) was his fear of losing Rhett as a friend. Furthermore, Rhett was Link’s point of reference for most things so besides lying to him, everyone else and to himself, Link genuinely tried to imitate Rhett - his role model - very hard. He did everything in his means to be a great business partner to him whether it was in religion or entertainment, he tried as best as he could to be “effective” as a straight husband and he struggled super hard to be a proper devout Christian - so to have all the package Rhett wanted. But when Rhett abandoned the faith and after they started the affair Link now had what he wanted the most all this time and he didn’t care nearly as much for anything else or going back to another lifetime of lies. You must have seen how he has developed a pretty fierce hatred for lies and for not being “true to oneself”. Link started wanting it all out, the truth, the ability to live their love.

Link was greatly disillusioned by Rhett’s hesitation to share his aspirations. Rhett probably initially did not want at all but the strain it caused made him comply for all the reasons I mentioned above; the more determined Link becomes, the less Rhett can do but follow.

The only thing Rhett could do to control this out of hand situation was to warn Link that he agrees to it but only if he takes care of how and when exactly it will happen, with the argument that he tries to prevent as much collateral damage as possible. Link agreed even though all this delay torments him because he too knows that acting way too impulsively and independently from what Rhett wants is risking to lose him forever. This is Rhett’s only weapon that Link fears: “You can come out on your own or out me without my will if you want, but just so you know, if this happens it’s over between us”. Link on the other hand is like “If I get convinced you are lying to me and don’t truly intend to do this with me, then it might as well mean we are essentially finished anyway, so I will come forth and do it myself and hell mend us because I have nothing to lose and just so you get the message I will show you again and again I can do it at any moment”. This is how they still keep each other at check. And if you think this is a toxic as hell situation, well you are right. Their relationship is toxic. Given its circumstances, it is statistically near impossible to not be toxic. The unique problem with them and their relationship is that if they stopped it and broke up, with everything that ensued, things would perhaps become even worse for them emotionally and even pragmatically. So they are literally trapped in every single way.

Whoever thinks things slip out of Link unconsciously like so many people believe needs to reconsider. All these small non-coming out coming out jokes and comments he makes are his intentional constant reminder and warning to Rhett, who is equally tormented by it just as Link is from the delays and Rhett’s hot and cold behaviour. If all this is real and if we are being realists, all these and several other aspects I can’t even bring up because this will become a monster post are causing very significant strains to their relationship which they both try to ignore, fight and reconcile over constantly but it is not always that easy. They have big fights. They did recently. They did in spring 2023. And in between, I am sure. And it is usually close to the making of their “coming out” scripted content.

I have said so much already. I will say this too. Link is not in a good place. Despite starting 2023 by saying he is living his best life again and again, this is not reflected anywhere. (Perhaps at the time he believed this because he expected the scripted videos to come would produce much more desirable results.) Link even makes some slightly concerning statements; including how he sleeps to avoid remembering his problems or that he makes plans of going away (that tend to NOT involve his loved ones, not even Rhett) and that waiting for the next plan is what he lives for. Link is heartbroken by Rhett’s hesitations and constant postponements. He can’t help but compare Rhett to himself, who’s ready to drop it all (ALL, even family and career) at a moment’s notice and lands again and again to the conclusion that Rhett does not love him as much as he does or even that he does not truly love him. This hurts him deeply and causes most of the resentment you see bursting out of him against Rhett or in general sometimes and it seems so out of place.

The fact that Link doubts Rhett’s true feelings can be observed several times throughout their content. Around 2017-2019 Link would implore Rhett publicly to open up about his feelings and thoughts, causing discomfort to Rhett. But the most important evidence came with the invaluable EB episodes of spring 2023 which were very charged. At some point in spring 2013, Rhett and Link took different weeks off for vacation and as a result they both did one single-hosted EB each. In Link’s episode, Jenna was asking him questions by the fans. One was “what virtues he values the most”. This is what Link replied:

I think sincerity... I’m sure that’s not the only one. There’s got to be at least three other ones that tie with that but that’s what I am going with today. You know. Don’t give me lip service. Mean it. Want it. Put your heart into it.

This is clearly Link talking about something way more specific than just general sincerity as a trait in people. He visibly has a particular situation in mind, he wants “someone” to mean what they have said to him, to “want it”, to “put their heart into it”. The implication is that Link expects them and wants them to want and put their heart into that certain something as much as he does. Don’t tell me it doesn’t fit… perfectly, right? Link therefore has great doubts about whether Rhett truly wants to set their plan in motion and blames him for doing too much empty lip service to keep him "sedated".

Another time, in a GMM Rhett read in a not so serious context that “For Link passion is the most important thing”. Link replied seriously; “It is. For you it is not” and he looked at Rhett with a complaint on his face. Rhett’s expression fell but he ignored his comment. Here's a link with screenshots.

Link really does not say things randomly anywhere near as much as people think. The following recent example must have been interpreted by most as a typical nonsensical Link segway for a podcast topic, except it was not nonsensical at all. It was the truth, at least in the way Link perceives it, and maybe the truth in general as well:

Link makes the segway to a fan's question personal by claiming Rhett would like to be the third person in Link's relationship with Christy (as in, remain the secret affair). Link himself changes the subject promptly in this case and Rhett does not comment at all, while normally he is amused and inquisitive about Link's nonsensical statements. Notice Rhett's standard by now approach to not react at all and let the situation diffuse... he was talking lately about how good of a diffuser he is.

However, the most significant moment for me, a moment that felt like great vindication, a moment that made me think “Damn how wrong can I be in what I think after this???”. What happened is that I predicted what Link would say in a personality / deeper thought question and then minutes later Link went ahead and said exactly that! They were talking about the power of being invisible in an EB in 2023 again and they were asked what they would use this power for. I immediately thought : “Link wants to be able to go to Rhett while Rhett is not aware of his presence and find out whether Rhett's feelings for him are true and how Rhett truly interacts with Jessie when they are all alone".

And here's what Link said a few moments later and made me lose my mind:

Link: Gain access to. Information. And, um, I decided to invest the limited time I have in - as an invisible - to learn what people think about me. Really. Like, I wanna put myself in positions where people - Rhett: Give me an example. Link: Like, every relationship that I have, I’m talking work relationships, friend relationships… I mean, it was a quick answer but- (…) Link (after some non-significant joke part initiated by Rhett ): I feel like I know what Christy thinks about me. I don’t feel like it would be fair to spy on my wife. Rhett: But I feel like maybe you can predict what all these people say about you without you being there… Link: Yeah… maybe there’s not much to learn and maybe it’s only… maybe I don’t want to learn it.

So Link said. exactly. that. He wants to know what people close to him truly think. He says "work relationships, friend relationships" (Rhett checks both boxes) and only excludes Christy (with a reasoning that is also intriguing). He does not exclude Rhett. Rhett acts clueless but his remark makes me suspect his cluelessness is not 100% genuine. Link ends this by reconsidering his choice, mostly because it made him vulnerable in Rhett's presence, and realises he probably does not want to know the truth after all, which again hints to a specific charged situation that bothers him instead of a generic tactic used on all his acquaintances. Read my original post for a detailed analysis of this moment. It's relevant to what is being discussed here.

Long story short: despite the reassurances he privately gives Link, Rhett is not quite ready to come out and it is obvious to Link, who is heartbroken, drenched in his doubts and fears and trapped indefinitely in a situation he wants to break free from, a situation that leads to the deterioration of his emotional and psychological well-being and to outbursts of aggression or anger that in return further strain his relationship with Rhett.

Rhett takes a lot of it stoically but he also reaches his limits often. He thinks Link wrongs him or misunderstands him more than his behaviour justifies. He is seriously worn out by Link's menacing playing with fire. Sometimes Link's outbursts hurt him and then he responds by also hitting Link to his weak points. He has severe anxiety too, which Link exacerbates.

A juvenile example of how this ongoing chronic toxicity makes them hurt each other is in the latest EB and it might seem insignificant because it's founded on silly banter; as Rhett recounts his experience as a novice archer Link says that maybe he is parts elf. Rhett plays along, saying his ears are pointy anyway. Link quickly reconsiders this odd compliment (elves are aethereal and natural archers), as he often loathes to stroke Rhett's ego (which he considers the big culprit of the problems in their relationship - Link spent much of his life deifying Rhett and Rhett took advantage of that and then took Link too much for granted) so he turned it to the unnecessarily cruel reconsideration that maybe he is parts orc actually. This remark hit Rhett under the belt; an insecurity, his appearance. While obviously Rhett ages like fine wine and Link visibly agrees, it doesn't change the fact that Rhett cares too much about the impression he makes to other people or that for a long time he didn't look his best or, also, that objectively he is the less beautiful half of the duo. It isn't very clear but Rhett is hurt by this and he always is hurt by it when Link makes fun of his appearance - it is honestly such a bad thing to make fun of when you are the public figure companion, let alone most likely the lover. You can tell Rhett is hurt by the way he retaliates in milliseconds: "Well I've told my wife to call me Legolas". So, immediately he snaps back by reminding Link that he is desirable to somebody else and that he has sex with that somebody, thus hitting Link on his own insecurity. They know each other's weaknesses and anxieties and unfortunately they make use of that a lot.

When I say Rhett does not want to come out, it's not that what he feels for Link is a lie, I don't think so. We have several examples of Rhett demonstrating jealousy or neediness for Link, even genuine moments that slip out of him. However, he mostly keeps himself at check and is not very expressive about his feelings to Link, hoping to restrict him a bit in this way. Maybe Rhett is just hyper aware and terrified of all the things that can go wrong. It's also true that apart from the wives, the rest of Rhett's family environment is going to be way less tolerant to such a revelation than Link's family. Rhett fears his parents might cut the communication with him, even disown him, and his brother is a pastor. You might say, who cares, he is an adult, he does not need their approval! Of course he doesn't but we can't just expect from people to not care what will become of their relationships in their family. Also, from all the kids, Locke seems to be the most conservative and has a close relationship with his grandfather. Maybe Locke's reaction is what Rhett fears the most, let alone their relationship was never very easy to begin with. I think Shepherd is going to be fine. Link's kids, I think Lily is bi herself so she will maybe understand and Lincoln and Lando are mild young people, unlikely to have way too strong reactions. Sue is a sweet understanding woman and Charles would definitely be a problem once but he has mellowed with age. So Rhett feels there's more at stake for him than for Link.

Then it's all the other risks, how the viewers will respond, how many viewers will turn their back to them. This is not just about being anti-LGBT. A lot of viewers - even allies - will feel they were taken in for years or will disapprove of the affair being a secret from everyone for years. Most people watch Rhett and Link to enjoy these two friends and family men do silly and inconsequential stuff, to lay off their everyday worries and burdens. Such a reveal will be a huge nasty shock for many, no matter how pro-LGBTQ+ they are. A fall in viewership or subscriptions will endanger their Mythical corporation. A hundred people are paid by them. It's truly not easy at all, which is why Rhett tortures himself by overcurating their strategy and Link by overbearingly monitoring him.

Link saying how Rhett will hit him in the legs under the desk often to control what he's saying is another Link joke that is totally the truth.

Then again another reason Rhett is hesitating so much more than Link is that - let's be honest - Rhett is sincere when he says he is really attracted to women. Rhett likes women and he enjoys being intimate with his wife. If they are pursuing a fully committed relationship, which I think they do as they both want to commit to the one they love, it is a lot harder for Rhett to make the move of no return because it means giving up on women probably forever. I think in theory Rhett considers himself ready to do it but in actuality it is harder for him because he probably ends up losing more than Link does. More conservative family at stake, sacrificing his love for women. It is just a lot and I don't blame Rhett for having so many thoughts about it. They are edging their 50s, that's the time a person wants safety and stability, not to embark on a huge odyssey of a journey. Plus, maybe Rhett suspects (and he won't be wrong if he does) that this will not prove all that easier for Link when shit hits the fan, it's just that Link is so impulsive and wants to escape his marriage badly enough that he does not consider much all the adversities and everything that might go wrong. Rhett is painfully aware of all the dangers, maybe even to the point of somatizing anxiety. He fears so much that he curates and curates and curates their scripted videos strategy and he finds obstacle to every negative hint to the point that Link thinks he is disingenuous. It's almost certain to me that Rhett wished they could keep being secretly in love forever because they had the ideal cover-up; best friends and business partners. They would remain lovers and friends and partners forever anyway, all while keeping fans and relatives happy as well. Rhett also seems to be worried that Link is getting more unpredictable and a little "difficult" as he ages ; it's cynical but maybe he is also concerned what he gets himself into in the future.

But again I don't think it is that Rhett doesn't love Link enough or that he doesn't wish deep inside he were more carefree and braver too... He's just very scared and stressed and his concerns are logical. And in the end, he still is trying to do it. It’s just that he has to fight and defeat himself in order to achieve it.

[bnhaobservation]

I think that Shigaraki was absolutely right about the Hero Society and he should have been allowed to destroy it along with his LoV friends!

Well...

Tomura was mostly right on Hero society but Tomura destroying it sadly wouldn't have created a better world.

Something Tomura is often scolded for how he has no plan, he has no real aim to build up something, anything.

He's kind of an anarchist, he's against all forms of authority and seeks to abolish the institutions it claims maintain unnecessary coercion and hierarchy, advocating for the replacement of the state with stateless society. He doesn't really want to rule, he just wants to destroy the rules that currently exist because they're wrong.

I doubt though he would manage to mantain an anarchic state of things were he to destroy Hero society.

My guess, had he managed to destroy society fully and not just partially in the Paranormal Liberation War (where he was not yet possessed) we could have had two possible developments after.

The first is that Re-Destro and/or his underlings of the Meta Liberation Army (like Trumpet, Skeptic and the nameless Heteromorph guys) would have eventually tried to take control (maybe poisoning Tomura or tricking him in any other way and having the rest of the league follow shortly were they try to oppose).

While Tomura claims people must be free and the MLA seemed to claim the same, hence they could join forces, the MLA isn't anarchic but it's more on the Darwinist side. They apply biological concepts of natural selection and survival of the fittest to sociology, economics and politics and believe that the strong should see their wealth and power increase, while the weak should see their wealth and power decrease. For them what makes a person weak or strong is their Quirk so of course a Quirkless person would be worthless for example while people with strong Quirk should rule.

In the long run this would just end up replacing the ruling powers in the Hero society without changing much the general idea.

The second option is that, as he has always planned to do AFO would take control of Tomura and rule from his body.

AFO is autoritarian and totalitarian, in short he wants to promote a dictatorship with him as the sole rule of the world. As 'all should be for him' a person value would be tied to how useful one would be to him. There would be no freedom.

So yeah, Hero society wasn't good, but in comparison, for the masses it's better.

At the end of his manga though, Horikoshi tries to 'replace' Hero society with a more collectivistic one. People should view themselves and others as members of a collective unit who should hold collective responsibility for the helping other people. They all should do their best to reach out and save people, not just Heroes.

If this could be realistically applied to everyone yeah, it would be a better society because no one would be left behind... because people like Tomura, Himiko, Touya, Jin, Iguchi would have been helped not abandoned... but in the story it mostly works in his story because people get 'magically' inspired by Midoriya to reach out and do their best, Uraraka's Quirk program 'magically' fixes everything, and Hawks' new Hero ranking somehow also 'magically' inspire people.

I guess Shouji also gave his contribute against Quirk racism but Hero society had already magically confined it solely to rural areas and, anyway, even if Shouji gets a award for his efforts in finding peaceful solutions for conflicts surrounding discrimination, we aren't told he has drastically reduced conflicts, just that now Shouji solves them pacifically. How it's up to speculation.

I don't want to sound bitter but the problem is that the story tackled real life problems like abuse, homeless, discrimination, manipulation and so on and then said 'If everyone cared and nobody cried / If everyone loved and nobody lied / And if everyone shared and swallowed their pride / Then we'd see the day when nobody died' so everyone should be inspired by Midoriya to care!

I'm of course oversimplifying the message, but somehow I feel the story made the solution too easy, case in point how Uraraka tells Togata and the others (who have no preparation whatsoever to deal with kids with Quirk troubles) how they'll surely spot signals (with the implication they also surely will be able to fix whatever problem there is) when in real life professionals can miss signals and fail to help.

I get optimism but when it's over the top it ends up downplaying difficulties too much in a way that feels unreal.

Sorry, this wasn't exactly what you were asking and, I fear, I ended up letting my bitterness for the ending be a tad too evident, but I wanted the story to just give a better world to Tomura and Co, and this would have helped me to believe something could be done for the others in similar conditions too, and the story instead went and killed Tomura and Co and then told me 'but fear not, because now we'll stop people from turning into Tomura, because now we'll be nicer and we'll try hard and look, didn't we save random kid with tragic backstory in a blink?' and it only felt forced to me.

But whatever, maybe it's just me.

Sorry again for derailing in my answer so much and thank you for your ask!

[laurellerual]

Arya Lady of Harrenhal during the Long Night

At the bottom of my inbox there's an anonymous message from months ago that says “could you do Arya with Nymeria during the long night? Fighting together?”. I haven't replied yet and the reason is that when I think about this scene, the image of GOT 8x03 pops up in my mind. Will Arya fight through the Long Night, sword in hand? I'm not that sure.

Then the other day I came up with this idea that I proposed to you in a survey: “Winterfell falls, the northeners have to escape South, Harrenhal is the main citadel, Arya as lady of Harrenhal during the Long Night”. And I must say I'm surprised with the result. It won "I see where you are coming from, and I like it" with 33% of the votes.

But many, rightly so, have chosen "I'll wait for you to elaborate", so here we are.

A role

So Jon and Dany are the ones with the army and the dragons, Tyrion is the smart one with the experience and Bran is the one with the magical powers (sorry I'm simplifying, just to summarize). It's not hard to imagine that they'll find their place in the White Walkers storyline.

And Arya? Use the valyrian steel sword she doesn't have to slay the undead? Will Jon allow her to be on the front lines? Is Arya really stupid enough to think she can do it?

She will be at most 12/13 years old and the only sword lessons she has received are those of Syrio, she is not a great swordswoman, especially if she has to face adults on a battlefield. The things that the FMs are teaching her don't seem suitable for this kind of situations. I guess she could contribute by warging Nymeria and leading her pack, but if that is the case it wouldn't be necessary for her to be physically there.

Whatever this role is it must be relevant 'cause Martin counted her among the five key characters, one of the first to be created and then decided to waste a lot of ink by telling us about her.

Harrenhal

I start with the assumtion that the Battle for the Dawn will take place in the Riverlands, that it will not be possible to stop the White Walkers at Winterfell and consequently there will be an exodus of people from the North to the South. If you don't agree or you want an explanation about it, you can read my last post: Harrenhal during the Long Night.

And which of the main characters has a strong relationship with Harrenhal?

Thematic connections

The girl has a long and complex relationship with her mother's native land and a strong thematic connection with water that you surely have read about in other metas. Most of the major events in Arya's life take place here.

Not only the Red wedding, meeting Jaqen, the Weasel soup, the separation from Nymeria, but also Mycah's death in which she realizes for the first time that her father is not as powerful as she thinks, that the injustice of the world is deeper than she thought and that especially for the nobles the suffering of the smallfolk is totally irrelevant.

Harrenhal is the castle of which she becomes the ghost. And she really is the ghost of Harrenhal, standing in front of that Heart tree, probably like her late aunt years before, as she hears a voice from the trees reminding her of her real name.

Useful knowledge

Arya knows these lands directly, crosses them, lives them, knows their inhabitants, their opinions and sides in the war. It isn't a theoretical knowledge but a practical one. As Jon Snow recalls "The map is not the land, my father often said".

But it's even more intimate than that because Arya dreams of those lands every night, she sees them through Nymeria's eyes. The wolf is currently the only undisputed ruler in that lawless place. Do you remember the image of Harrenhal tormented by the tremendous howl of the wind and wolves outside the walls?

Arya also knows Harrenhal on all its levels. She physically scrubbed the floors of every floor of every tower and she scoured all the walls in search of an unguarded gate.

She has experienced the classes and roles that exist within the castle and its management. She had to deal with armigers, cooks and blacksmiths. She has worked her way up the chain of command from the humblest of servants to cupbearer and lord's messenger.

Skills and leadership

In the books we see her many times in positions where she is the person who has to make decisions, lead a group, organize little plans.

One of the main themes of her journey is justice, mercy, power and its abuse.

Then there are more or less direct parallels such as the one between Arya and Aegon the unlikely or the list of things that would make Aegon/young Griff a good ruler according to Varys.

Let's see some quotes in the books that tell us about these aspects of the character:

The one thing Arya could do better than her sister was ride a horse. Well, that and manage a household.

His father used to say that a lord needed to eat with his men, if he hoped to keep them. “Know t

he men who follow you,” she heard him tell Robb once, “and let them know you. Don't ask your men to die for a stranger."

Arya had loved nothing better than to sit at her father's table and listen to them talk. She had loved listening to the men on the benches too; to freeriders tough as leather, courtly knights and bold young squires, grizzled old men-at-arms.

Whenever her father had condemned a man to death, he did the deed himself with Ice, his great sword. “If you would take a man 's life, you owe it to him go look him in the face and hear his last words di lui,” she 'd heard him tell Robb and Jon once.

Can I be lord of a holdfast?

And here I stop because there are many others. If you are interested in this, there are meta only on this topic around tumblr.

An interesting that that connects Ned's teachings and those of the FMs is the concept that power and service are closely related.

Now let's see what FM training consists of: the ability to blend in with people, listen, gather information, learn many languages. We can add her natural ability to make friends and allies of all kinds.

This seems like the perfect package to manage a castle full of frightened people from all over the world (there will be people arriving with Dany as well), from every social class, every side of the war, who have nothing in common but the hope to survive.

Disconnected thoughts and possible parallels

This would be a very poetic situation that completes the parallel with historical Nymeria by placing Arya at the head of a group of refugees fleeing their destroyed home. In addition to giving her the possibility and the power to carry out the reflection on justice in a place that has seen so much injustice.

It's also funny how Lady Whent is introduced with great expectation right into Arya's chapters, where she thinks she can ask for her help. Yet she will never meet the Lady of Harrenhal.

And isn't it funny how she decided to name her direwolf after "some old witch queen in the songs"?

From the Alys Rivers wiki page: In 132 AC during the regency of Aegon III, a number of broken men and predatory outlaws began to gather at Harrenhal under the rule of a sorcerous witch queen. Mmmh interesting… this sound familiar, the Brotherhood without banners?

There is also Sharra, another witch queen of the Riverlands from the Age of Heroes.

Conclusions

In this place where Shagwell the Fool sang about Weasel soup maybe in the future there will be songs about Arya and the ten thousand wolves.

Thanks for reading. Mine doesn't want to be a theory that speaks of the character's endgame, but of its role during the Long Night. Let me know if I've given you something to think about, if I've convinced you, if you have other ideas on what this role might be. Or if you want to write a fanfiction with this plot.

Edit: I just discovered an old thread with a similar topic. I haven't read it yet, but I'll leave it here for the record.