#I just like the idea of a character who’s his own hive mind

[vroomian]

Thinking about vox oc and his powers. I think I’m gonna lean waaaay into the network aspect of them. All his contracts are essentially microchipped and he has a routine in the back of his mind constantly monitoring them for any changes. This is a vital part of being one of his contracts btw. No chip no deal. They break contract they lose the chip. He’s got zero interest in tracking people who don’t already belong to him lol. He doesn’t really do anything with this surveillance besides interfere when his contracts need protection. What people do outside work hours is their business.

But the main aspect of his powers are actually related to him being essentially a robot. He can literally have as many bodies as he wants. He’s absentminded because he’s running like four billion subroutines and piloting ten other “vox” bodies and hundreds of drones. His only limitation is hardware and that’s only going to get better and better as time goes on. He’s his own hive mind, his own network of selves.

His demon form is very plant based, with cables as roots and connections that span the entire pride ring. Probably beyond the pride ring tbh, and maybe even to heaven as time passes. So long as one of his bodies is safe and he’s got a connection he’s essentially immortal.

I think vox is so so afraid of waisting his death the same way he wasted his life. A person who was missed by no one and left nothing behind. He doesn’t want to die with all those stories inside him again.

(Drawbacks: it took him a long long time to use even two bodies, he can suffer overloads of information and crashes. He gets lost in his own information stream sometimes and he might not make it out. It’s a coin flip for every body he adds to the network. Also he has to actually make the bodies from scratch and it’s fucking expensive and painful. I’m thinking he has to literally carve bits of himself up to plant them likes seeds in the new bodies. Each body has a fully functional pain and sensory system system so he also has to deal with that lol. He never really rests because there’s always a few parts of him that are up and awake.)

[feartoxinjelloshot]

clipsverse SWAP AU! for fun! character elaboration under the cut because it gets kind of wordy:

selina's deal is pretty straightforward: she has the typical “saw parents die as a child" backstory, but she’s obviously not a millionare so she’s operating out of some kind of condemned underground parking lot... somewhere. authentic gotham grunge i guess. she’s a functioning alcoholic and i am obsessed with her. she's a hardboiled detective like batman, but tends to be a bit more cynical - sort of like if rorschach from watchmen was a normal person and also didn't hate sex. firefly is her "guy in the chair" similar to what alfred is to batman in canon, minus the surrogate parent part, obviously. public opinion is pretty split on if the bat is a man or a woman under there. i don't really have swap ideas for the robins ironed out, but i'm thinking that cass and stephanie are her robin and red hood equivalents (cass being dick, stephanie being jason). cass would have an allblack bird theme going on, so she might be "crow" or "blackbird" instead of robin. dunno what stephanie's red hood rendition is like. purple hood? i'll figure it out eventually.

bruce’s parents are alive, but he has a terrible relationship with them and with his own wealth so he mitigates the guilt complex by dressing up as a cat to steal and redistribute resources to people who actually need it. he could probably do that in daylight but there is something very wrong with him. i don't think his dumb slutty playboy persona is entirely genuine even without his parents' deaths, but he does lean into it more and incorporate parts of it into his vigilante persona over time. i think this version of bruce is just generally very lonely under the surface. he tries to be normal in his daytime life and he's very bad at it - theft aside, in a certain sense being the cat(man? woman?) is his own break for freedom; he felt a need to plunge himself far into the deep end of what normal society calls a 'freak'. ...writing it out like this, we're probably lucky he didn't start killing people. fortunately batman isn't really that kind of guy in any universe.

meanwhile on the other side of the rails: ivy! her deal is slightly unformed right now due to the fact that the hatter and the joker also swap places in this au - so the hatter is a dangerous, evil mastermind intent on controlling gotham to suit their whims, and the joker is... just a harmless silly little guy. yeah. i don't have swap-hatter's exact personality ironed out yet, so detailing his and ivy's dynamic would be difficult, but i can say that while she is his loyal second-in-command at his table of advisors, she is also plotting against him. ivy is a consistent loner in both mainline cv and here, and while she doesn't have the same tumultuous, antagonistic, emotional relationship with him as harley does with the joker, she is also frankly not interested in being his number one until the end of time. she wants to do it herself and she wants to do it right. this is an ivy who, in lieu of her own world-altering gift, is scraping tooth and nail to successfully supersede the most powerful entity she can her her hands on. the hatter is blissfully unaware of this - we can't all be perfect.

harley, for her part, is very tame in comparison. she mirrors ivy's canonical backstory pretty closely: an esteemed scientist studying stem cell relations who was denied funding, mocked, and forced to experiment on herself to prove a point, unwittingly connecting herself to a worldwide hive-mind of plantlife. this version of harley, while still dressed as a scientist, is far more surface-level emotionally volatile than mainline ivy, more impulsive and irrational, and probably willing to lean much farther into the classic poison ivy reputation as a villainous seductress, to varying degrees of honesty and success. it takes ivy an incredible degree of patience and control to maintain the mental and physical balance she strikes with the green, and this version of harley has far less of both. she lets it use her body as a conduit of earthly rage and she lets the poison infect her skin and organs until mottled and decaying. she's not unhappy, but she's not exactly stable, either.

jonathan is a mysterious, faux-sleazy lounge singer who lost his left arm to a snake bite infection as a child and thereafter became obsessed with the symbolism of the balance of life via games, tricks and questions - winning and losing, birth and death, etc. the ouroboros is a common symbol in his theatrics. he possesses a certain degree of social confidence that the mainline jonathan has never quite been capable of - while he doesn't have the same fervent need for attention as edward, he takes a compulsory delight in the mental influence he achieves on small crowds and will employ many avenues to get ahold of it. he's certainly not outgoing: he keeps almost entirely to himself offstage, uninterested in fame outside of his show persona. unlike mainline jonathan who views the scarecrow as a genuine self-inflicted diety, this jon sees his persona as more of a mantle or responsibility that he must take on in order to discover new truths about the world. like his canon counterpart he is asexual and uninterested in sex, but i imagine that he has less qualms about leading people on as an act to get what he wants from them. he's not terribly famous in his singing career, but he's become a bit of an underground legend for his resolute 1920s-inspired style and occasional genuine debonair charm.

edward in comparison is not nearly as ritualistically compelled as mainline scarecrow, but he’s far less cagey about his own machinations and his mental relationship to them: he lives in a tricked-out barn somewhere on the far outskirts of gotham, and he spends his time as a propmaster creating elaborate saw-trap-esque haunted houses and escape rooms to invoke panic in his “guests”. he wanders the halls of his own houses along with the guests, repairing and tinkering, or just scaring the shit out of them. he also makes a genuine living by making and selling cosplay props and other related objects online; he's developed a bit of an internet presence through this channel, though he's not as fixated on it as the mainline riddler would be. he still craves spectacle and attention, but he's more of a "quality over quantity" guy according to his own standards and is rarely happy with the work he creates, hence the endless roundabout of creation and reinvention.

[spoonpine]

Criminal Minds characters as avatars from TMA:

Elle: Easiest one to classify: she'd be an avatar of the Hunt through and through.

Spencer: Avatars are weird because most of the time they end up Becoming an avatar of the patron they fear the most, but sometimes that isn't the case so it depends. He would either be a Spiral avatar (because of his own fears of schizophrenia) or a Web avatar (because of his struggles with addiction). Most people who know TMA would go with Eye, I think, for the obvious reasons, but I feel like that would fit only in the superficial sense. Like, obviously he knows a lot, and is thirsty for knowledge, but that alone isn't what makes an Eye avatar.

Morgan: Honestly, I'm not sure, but I'm leaning towards the Lonely because of his trust issues.

Emily: The Stranger. She's a spy who can fit into any persona she wants to, and sometimes she gets lost in them.

Gideon: The Eye. He was the best at profiling (imo) and he suffered for it. He doesn't need Eye powers to see into someone's head, and its scary when it does.

Garcia: The Corruption. The Corruption has many aspects, and one of its biggest revolves around being a "hive", not just in the collectivist sense but in the sense of belonging. I don't mean she'd be a Corruption avatar in terms of the contamination aspect (she's actually a bit of a neat-freak in canon, in her own unique way), but she definitely puts her soul into making the BAU a family. The Corruption would be a good fit for her. Isn't a hive a family too?

Rossi: I honest to god don't know. I love him but I'm drawing a blank here. Maybe Eye? Or Slaughter, since he was in the military?

Hotch: He's my favorite character in the show, but none of the Fears really stand out to me as the obvious choice. Buried, End, Desolation, Eye...or maybe the Lonely, but I'm not sure that really fits either. In terms of aesthetic, I would see him as the Buried, I think. But I'm really not sure.

JJ: No idea. Aesthetically, the Vast.

Alex: The Eye. Maybe also the End, because of Ethan.

[nellasbookplanet]

Book recs: possession, bodysnatching and bodysharing

Demons, ghosts, aliens, sentient bacteria, artificial intelligences - isn't there something fascinating about the idea of sharing a body with another being like a giant get-along t-shirt? No? Too bad, because I'm going to tell you about books featuring this trope anyway.

A note: multiple of these books are sequels where the bodysnatching/possession aspect plays little to no part in the first book. In all these cases, I still recommend starting with book one. I also in one case chose not to include a certain sequel that I loved as even mentioning it in this context would be a huge spoiler, so, uh, sorry about that.

For more details on the books, continue under the readmore. Titles marked with * are my personal favorites. And as always, feel free to share your own recs in the notes!

If you want more book recs, check out my masterpost of rec lists!

Brain Plague by Joan Slonczewski*

Chrys, a struggling artist, agrees to become a carrier for a sentient strain of microbes. With their help, Chrys breathes new life into her career and becomes a success. But every microbe society is different - some function as friends and brain enhancers to their carrier, while others become a literal brain plague, a living addiction taking over the life of their carrier. And like every society, the microbe community is in constant flux - including the one inside Chrys's head.

Children of Ruin (Children of Time series) by Adrian Tchaikovsky*

Sequel to Children of Time. Millenia and generation spanning scifi. After the collapse of the Earthen empire, a project to terraform various planets and use them to uplift other species to sentience in left unfinished. However, both species and planets continue evolving on their own, and when what remains of humanity flees the dying Earth millenia later, these planets might be their only hope of survival. But the uplifted species aren't the only intelligent life out there, and are far from the most dangerous as the survivors encounter something capable of terraforming the human body itself.

Leech by Hiron Ennes*

Unbeknownst to humanity, a sentient hive mind has taken over the entire medical profession to ensure the health of their host species. One of their doctors is sent off to an isolated location where they’re cut off from the rest of the hive mind, only to realize they’re faced with a rivaling parasitic entity. Leech hands you only just enough information to get by, and whether its historical fantasy, an alternate timeline, or futuristic post apocalypse is hard to determine. It’s spooky and a bit weird and wildly creative.

A Memory Called Empire (Texicalaan duology) by Arkady Martine

Mahit Dzmare is an ambassador sent to the center of the multi-system Teixcalaanli Empire, where she discovers that her predecessor has died. Trying to protect her home, a small independent mining station, from being taken over by the empire, Mahit struggles to find out the truth of her predecessor's death while carrying the voice of his ghost in her head, guiding her as best he can. Features a sapphic relationship but focuses more on world-building than romance.

Ninefox Gambit (Machineries of Empire trilogy) by Yoon Ha Lee*

Military space opera where belief and culture shape the laws of reality, causing all kinds of atrocities as empires do everything in their power to force as many people as possible to conform to their way of life to strengthen their technology and weapons. It’s also very queer, with gay, lesbian and trans major characters, albeit little to no romance. Disgraced Captain Kel Cheris is given a second chance by allying with the undead Commander Shous Jedao, who in life never lost a battle, but also went mad and massacred his own army. Now, Cheris must decide just how far she can trust him, with her forces as well as with her sense of self.

My Heart is Human by Reese Hogan

Nine years ago, all complex technology was made illegal. This complicates life for Joel, young transgender single father, as a bionic just uploaded itself into his brain without consent. Scared of losing his daughter, Joel tries to keep the bionic secret while using it to fix his life, but things quickly get more complicated as the bionic gains more and more control of his body. A bit simplistic in writing style but makes a lot of cool parallels of bodily autonomy to Joel’s experiences as a transman.

Bonus rec: if you like the general concept of struggling for physical control over one’s body with an AI, may I also suggest the (much grittier and gory) movie Upgrade.

The Host by Stehpenie Meyer*

The Host follows Wanderer, an alien part of an invading force on Earth. Humans have been defeated and are being used as host bodies, but Wanderer's host Melanie is being difficult and refuses to fade away. Instead she fills Wanderer's mind with images of Jared, the man she loves and who's still in hiding. With Melanie's feelings bleeding into Wanderer's the two reluctantly ally to find and keep safe the man they both love. While The Host does feature Meyer's trademark romance - of which I'm not the biggest fan - the more interesting and arguably more central relationship is that between Wanderer and her human host.

Needle by Hal Clement

1950s classic. A small island in the pacific ocean and a fourteen-year-old boy have just become the center of an interstellar chase between an alien Hunter and the criminal he’s pursuing. Robert is a regular boy, but he has a very special passenger: an alien symbiont hiding inside his body. The alien became stranded on Earth as he pursued a criminal of his own species, and now they are both trapped on the same island, playing a game of cat and mouse as Robert and the Hunter struggle to find their prey before it finds them.

Malevolent by Harlan Guthrie*

Lovecraftian horror mystery. Private detective Arthur Lester wakes up in his office, his partner dead, memories fuzzy, vision gone, and the voice of a malevolent entity in his mind. Unable to see, Arthur is forced to rely on guidance from the entity as he attempts to solve the mystery of what it is and where it came from. Is this a book? No. But as someone who reads mostly audiobooks, the difference between a book and a fiction podcast is negligible, and also I love this story and its characters and want all of you to do so too.

Goddess of Filth by V. Castro

Novella. What starts as a drunken seance between friends ends with one of them chanting in Nahuatl, the language of their Aztec ancestors. Following that night, the formerly shy Fernanda has changed. While her family calls for priests, claiming her possessed by a demon, Fernanda's friends believe what has taken up residence in her is something decidedly older. A quick read featuring female rage, desire and empowerment, this is a different twist on the typical possession story.

This Alien Shore by C.S. Friedman

Space opera in which humanity found a way to faster than light travel and began establishing colonies all over the galaxy, only to belatedly realize the method of FTL caused irreversible mutations and disabilities and leaving their nascent colonies to die. Much later, many of the colonies have survived and thrived, and one has found a new method of FTL travel, allowing an interconnected space society to grow. However, Earth is on the hunt for their method and is prepared to do anything to steal it. Trapped in the middle of all this and forced on the run is young Jamisia, who is little by little coming to realize that not only might she be the very solution Earth is after, she's also not alone in her own mind and body.

Touch by Claire North*

Kepler should have died long ago, beaten to death in an alley. Instead, a switch happened as Kepler leapt into and took control of the body of the killer. Since then, Kepler has lived in body after body, having gained the ability to inhabit anyone with a touch and stay for anything from a few minutes to an entire lifetime. Kepler cares much for the host bodies, and when one of them is brutally assassinated, Kepler must find the killer, avenge the host's death, and stop it from happening again. You want a fucked up main character with fucked up morals who still genuinely cares for people? Then boy do I have the book for you!

The Midnight Bargain by C.L. Polk

Fantasy romance. Beatrice Clayborn is a sorceress, but if her family gets its way she won't remain so for long. Married women are forbidden from practicing magic, and Beatrice's father is intent on marrying her off to save them from destitution. Beatrice has a different plan: become so powerful a sorceress that she can herself save her father's business and becomes too valuable to marry off. To achieve this, she strikes a bargain with a minor spirit of fortune. In return, the spirit demands to be present in Beatrice's body as she experiences her first kiss... a kiss with a man who might jeopardize all her plans.

Pandemonium by Daryl Gregory

Del Perce's world is almost indistinguishable from ours, the only difference being the presence of possessing entities that can strike with little to no warning. When he was young, Del was possessed by one of these demons, which was eventually exorcised. But now he’s experiencing a resurgence of symptoms, a voice in his head demanding to be freed. To save himself, Del races to find out the truth behind the possessions.

The Thousand Eyes (The Serpent Gates duology) by A.K. Larkwood*

Sequel to The Unspoken Name (please read that first, I promise this duology is very worth it). These books have a lot going on: portals, flying ships, orcs, elves, creepy snake gods, possessions, cults, immortal evil mages who traumatize teens as their hobby, gay and lesbian frenemies, the works. Csorwe, born and raised in a cult and meant as a sacrifice, escapes her intended death with a mage who becomes her mentor. But he has dangerous motives of his own, and Csorwe must decide where her loyalties lie.

A Skinful of Shadows by Frances Hardinge

Young adult, historical. All her life, Makepeace's mother has been teaching her how to defend herself from the possession of ghosts, until one day her guard drops and a wild and fierce spirit slips in. When Makepeace's mother dies and she is sent to live with her father's family, this spirit might be her only defence. Because her family is harboring dark secrets, and they have plans for Makepeace... plans which do not care for her well-being. Unlike most other YA I've read in terms of vibes and plot, A Skinful of Shadows is a unique and intriguing read.

Vespertine by Margaret Rogerson*

Young adult fantasy. Artemisia prefers the dead to the living, and is training to become a Gray Sister, a nun who helps the souls of the deceased pass on to the afterlife rather than remain as dangerous spirits. To defend her convent, Artemisia accepts the help of a dangerous revenant, a powerful spirit which grants her great power but also could possess her the moment her guard is lowered. As evil threatens her homeland, Artemisia and the revenant must find a way to work together.

A Psalm of Storms and Silence by Roseanne A. Brown

Young adult fantasy. Sequel to A Song of Wraiths and Ruin. To save his family, Malik has made a deal with a dangerous spirit with equally dangerous demands - the death of the princess. Meanwhile, princess Karina is seeking her own power, meaning to resurrect her assassinated sister no matter what the prize. As their paths intertwine, the consequences of their pursuits keep getting higher, both for them, their nation, and the entire world.

Grey Sister (Book of the Ancestor trilogy) by Mark Lawrence

Sequel to Red Sister. Fantasy with sci-fi flavor. Nona is being raised to become a killer at the Convent of Sweet Mercy. But dangerous classes aren’t Nona's only problem: her planet is slowly dying, and her own inner demons whisper in her mind. As the sun grows weaker and ice creeps ever closer, Nona and her allies race to save themselves from extinction.

Fifth Quarter (Quarters series) by Tanya Huff*

Sequel to Sing the Four Quarters. Fifth Quarter is only loosely connected to the first book in the series so you could read it as a standalone, however I still recommend starting with Sing the Four Quarters as it is very good. Bannon and Vree are siblings and highly skilled assassins, but they are put to the test when a failed assassination finds them sharing a body, their intended victim having stolen Bannon's. Now, they must choose between remaining loyal to their Empire, or helping their supposed victim find a new body to steal - and he doesn't want just any body, he wants the royal prince.

The Nein Eyes of Lucien by Madeline Roux*

Recommended with the caveat that you're unlikely to get the full experience unless you have also watched Critical Role Campaign 2 (which is quite the time investment, but very worth it). It follows the antagonist Lucien, first owner of the body we know as Mollymauk Tealeaf, both before Lucien lost his body and after he regains it in the ultimate struggle against Mollymauk's old friends, the Mighty Nein.

Bonus AKA I haven't read these yet but they seem really cool

The Scratch Daughters (The Scapegracers trilogy) by H.A. Clarke

Sequel to The Scrapegracers. Sideways Pike used to be able to perform only party tricks, but in finding new friends and starting a coven, the four become powerful witches. But not everyone wants witches around. After having gotten her spectre stolen and losing her ability to perform magic, Sideways is forced to rely on Mr. Scratch, a book demon taking the place of her spectre to keep her alive. Now she must struggle to get her magic back before it’s too late.

Riding the Odds by Lynda K. Scott

Sci-fi romance. Tara Rowan is a spaceship captain with secrets - a past she wants to leave behind, and Zie, an organic symbiote which grants her greater strengths and reflexes. But when sexy Holy Knight Trace Munroe blackmails her in an attempt to rescue a missing princess, Tara's secrets are in danger of being revealed.

What Doesn't Break by Cassandra Khaw

Like The Nine Eyes of Lucien, you're unlikely to get the full experience of What Doesn't Break unless you're also a viewer of Critical Role. It follows the backstory of Laudna, undead sorceress and warlock with the ghostly presence of the necromancer who once murdered her keeping residence in her mind and tugging at her strings.

Every Day (Every Day trilogy) by David Levithan

Every day, A wakes up with a new body and a new life. A has rules on how to deal with this existence - don't get attached, don't get noticed, and don't interfere. But when A finds themself falling in love, all their established rules no longer apply. This one has also been adapted as a movie!

This Body's Not Big Enough for Both of Us by Edgar Cantero

A. and Z. Kimrean are twin siblings and private eyes - they also share the same body, calling themselves A.Z. When someone starts murdering the sons and heirs of a ruthless crime boss, it falls on A.Z. Kimrean to solve the case and find the killer before all out gang war breaks out.

A Madness of Angels (Matthew Swift series) by Kate Griffin

Two years ago, sorcerer Matthew Swift was killed. Today, he woke back up. And he isn't alone in his body... Now, he seeks vengeance not only against the one who killed him, but also against the one who brought him back.

Honorary mentions AKA these didn't really work for me but maybe you guys will like them: Bone Rider by J. Fally, The Lives of Tao by Wesley Chu, What's Left of Me by Kat Zhang, Hunter of Demons by Jordan L. Hawk, Odder Still by D.N. Bryn

[a-bad-case-of-the-stephs]

Hello thank you for approving of my "Bruce's unexpressed resentment towards Jason filters into his treatment of Steph" idea it's been giving me hives lately thinking about it.

Because I don't think any theoretical (slightly substantiated?) resentment Bruce would have towards Jason is like. Malicious. It's more the aching absence of needing to scold your child for scaring you, for endangering themselves bc don't they know that they're your heart? Except you can't say any of that because they're dead and it's cruel.

But I think it all comes back to like. "The good soldier" epitaph (which actually has very little presence in canon and idk if Jason ever even brought it up post resurrection?) which, in my mind, could be seen as in character for Bruce IF we assume that Bruce is retroactively putting distance between him and Jason, bc otherwise he has to confront the fact that he lost his baby, not a sidekick or a friend but his baby, his boy. And it's easier to lose a solider rather than your baby WAIT. ASK CANCELLED THIS IS ABOUT BRUCE/STEPH PARALLELS AGAIN; THE LOSS OF A CHILD. HOLY SHIT!

EVERYONE LOOK AT THIS ASK RIGHT NOW STAT!!!!

I’m coughing blood and dying holy shit. Great great stuff genius theory I super love this. Horrible but so so great.

In my mind if I were to explain why Bruce might start feeling resentful towards Jason it would comes down to these two things, that scolding instinct you mentioned which is really just grief, so much grief, and then that combined with the victim blaming that sort of goes on with Jason after he dies.

Because you have to blame Jason a little bit, it has to be his fault because it’s the only way forward, because how else could Bruce ever validate his choice to work with a new Robin? How else could he go on at all? And Alfreds right there, at the airport after Jason dies, and the first thing he says to Bruce’s face, the very first thing he says is that it isn’t Bruce’s fault, and that it was Jason’s disobedience (Gotham Knights #44).

But because we get this increasing focus on how Jason’s own faults led to his death we get that frustration/grief compounded with this increased blaming and you can’t be angry at Jason he’s dead. But now there is this frustration targeted towards his memory, and that’s not what you’re supposed to feel about your dead son, thats not an acceptable target.

(It’s Not substantiated strongly enough in canon BUT thats how I would explain any feelings of potential anger towards Jason after he died)

Your analysis of the phrase of “good solider”….my lord. Hm don’t worry he wasn’t a boy wasn’t a child who died don’t worry it was a soldier. Sometimes that happens to soldiers.

(Just in case someone else brings it up, although I’m 80 percent sure rhato technically canonizes that Alfred put up the Jason Todd Case and therefore the “good solider” plaque, pre new 52 there’s evidence it was Bruce’s decision not Alfreds)

Tf when I create emotional distance between me and my baby because I can’t handle losing what I must lose if I allow full recognition.

Tf when I blame myself but still the only way forward is this ignorance, this denial of what was. GAH!! (THIS IS ABOUT STEPHANIE BROWN AND BATMAN BOTH ITS ABOUT BOTH OF THEM HOLY SHIT)

I NEED to give her pregnancy lasting thematic and narrative significance Bc the writers sure as hell did not want to, THANK you for fueling my mad agenda (giving Stephs horrible pregnancy arc more meaning besides being a hamfisted PSA and Tim Drake drama)

Anyway thank you so much this is a fucking incredibly based theory I’m extremely in favor.

[victoriadallonfan]

Mistborn: Well of Ascension Review

Is It Good: Yes

Does It Have Flaws: A lot

Is It Problematic: Sometimes

Would You Reread: No

Would You Recommend: Yes

Spoilers below

I’ve listened to positive and negative reviews of this book to help formulate my thoughts

So overall, I think there’s a great book buried underneath a slog of really repetitive material.

Brandon is great at writing a mystery, but it’s hindered by the fact that we get incredibly uninteresting scenes that just have Elend, Vin, Zane doing the same song and dance over and over again.

I was 200% more invested in Sazed investigating the Hero of Ages compared to the political drama Elend and Vin dealt with. Or Vin dealing with “wanting to wear a dress” (more on that later).

I really love how Eldritch and Sinister the cosmology is, even as I knew from Stormlight Archives what it would be. It’s handled far more horrific here in a good way compared to Stormlight, which was a letdown imo, so this was enjoyable.

I also really love Sazed’s magical abilities. Allomancy is neat, but the story points out that Mistborn are just.. so powerful they make other Allomancers feel pointless, worldbuilding wise. But Sazed’s powers are more limited while also being far more interesting in applications, so I loved that we got to see that more in depth.

Most of the characters are good, and enjoyable, even Breeze.

Now for the bad.

Breeze and Allrianne relationship is just… disgusting. I really don’t understand the purpose of having a near 40 year old man having sex with a barely legal woman who just recently turned legal iirc. Why was this added as a story beat? Why are some of the characters that aren’t Vin and OreSeur not more grossed out by it?

And no, having the “she seduces me!” reveal does not help.

Secondly, none of the antagonists are good. Sure, they are hateable, but they all lack any sort of impact. Zane is the worst because he is quite possibly the most cookie-cutter CW Bad Boy stereotype in existence, monologuing like a bad anime character about how “we are different”/“why do we listen to them?”/“they just don’t understand us” ala Lysanderoth. And he dies from the worst “reveal” I’ve ever seen; it was so cool how Vin used pewter dust to blind the Inquisitors and improvised weaponry to bypass the skill gap. Here it’s just: “Lmao I just wait to attack bypass your precog, get good”, which I’m pretty sure does not track at all with what we see in the first book (or this one).

Despite Lord Ruler having little presence in the first book, he at least had PRESENCE

Finally, the way this book handles women and skaa is just so odd. It feels as if the story/characters/Brandon treat women as having a hive mind for being obsessed with fashion; in fact, it’s part of Vins struggle that she loves dresses but can’t find the “strength” to wear them. Meanwhile, no male character obsessed over fashion nearly as much, even Breeze who admits part of his design is an act for others. Likewise, there’s no woman who thinks fashion is stupid or just indifferent.

I don’t hate the idea of Vin struggling with newfound femininity vs her own biases, but it’s just so blandly set up that I can’t feel invested.

And I will lose my damned mind if I have to hear one more “you can never understand a woman”/“teenage girls aren’t rational” comment, even from other women characters!

Also, besides Tyndl and Vin, there aren’t any really any women in power nor is that explored. Even Allrianne - who is just… meh as a character over all - has no political power without her father and she’s basically a femme fatale cliche as well. None of the Skaa have female leaders, for example.

And speaking of Skaa, those poor guys. Going from brave freedom fighters and rebellions, even prior to Kelsier, to idiots who are treated as fools who need the privileged Elend and his like to guide them all to the right answer (or they become manipulated or are in fact corrupt). I don’t even hate Elend, but the way Brandon puts him in this position is just such a shame. The story doesn’t even let him explore his ingrained classism or racism/specism for the Skaa or Kandra

Like I said, there’s a great book under all this stuff. But it’s pulled down by - in my opinion - a lot of faults that verge on problematic.

Good but it could be better

[velvet-vox]

Oropo; the ideology of power behind being god: Part 1

This is for @secret-engima .

One of the things villains tend to do or want in fiction is becoming god or just having a god complex due to their insane power (examples down below):

Bill Chyper, big nihilist with unimaginable godlike powers that uses them for his own amusement and entertainment.

Flowey, a time resetting rogue experiment that wants to become god through manipulation and brute force.

The solver of the absolute fabric, the mechanical equivalent of the antichrist in his show, who plays himself up as the god of his universe.

All of these baddies have in common their insane power level as their main feature and seek to cultivate said characteristic in different ways.

Bill Chyper is a multi dimensional super being that burned down his own world and seeks to do it again in a new one to satisfy his sense of boredom caused by his insane godly powers; Bill, although probably quite sadistic by nature considering the fact that he destroyed his own world, sees himself as a God, but doesn't think to highly of said title nor does he seek even more power and just limits himself to benefitting from its advantages.

Flowey is actually the reincarnated body of a traumatized, dead child that has risen to the temporary god of his world through the ability of rewinding time, and wished to gain even more power through the absorption of souls, so that he could finally break free from his unchanging existence and solitude. In his case, although Flowey already had the powers of a god, but didn't view himself as one so he decided to gain even more power than the one he had.

The Absolute Solver, (this part will be reviewed at a later date) although very mysterious and with an ongoing story going on, seems like a shared IA eldritch entity that can have various hosts each and every one active at the same time with a priority system and has an hive mind identity of his own that gives it a shaky sense of self and seeks to spread that self across the universe with his reality warping powers. The solver is portrayed as the devil while being viewed as god by the human researchers and this leads to an interesting dichotomy in the solver's sense of self.

But while all of this is pretty interesting on its own, I believe there is one villain who took the idea of power and becoming god and took it to a whole new level by building an entire philosophy, ideology and theology around it.

And that villain is none other than the Eliotrope Oropo from Wakfu, the main antagonist of season 3.

For starters even though Oropo in the actual season isn't as competently written as Nox and Qilby, the idea that he had baked into his DNA would have made him by far my favourite Wakfu antagonist, and one of said unique ideas that make Oropo so different from many other fictional villains is his unique spin on the "I want to become/am a god" baddie mindset that he has developed.

You see, from the very start Oropo is an extremely powerful being but not an omnipotent one like Bill, more in line with the base form Absolute Solver and seeks to gain more power like Flowey.

But where he starts to differentiate himself from the others is the complex world view that he develops around the idea of power and godliness. You see, Oropo is a clone of the main character of the show that had his entire race of copies sent back in time to the beginning of everything and had to watch every single one of his siblings die with the gods being uncaring to their situation which sparked in him the idea to replace them. But while a normal person would think that he'd limit himself to just obtain more power and then become the only god of the world, what actually happens is that, in an attempt to prove himself better than the gods, he builds his own new pantheon made out of abandoned demigods, and builds up a tower meant to represent his doctrine from which he'll replace the gods once the time loop ends.

And that's what's really fascinating about Oropo, it's his complex idea of what being a god is like; he doesn't limit himself to just being powerful or gaining more power to obtain everything he wants, no, he has to build a pantheon, a doctrine, his own mythology and have other people who share his ideology to rule alongside him in the hierarchy that he has envisioned complete with his own set of rules and roles which must be obeyed by everyone.

Next part>>>>

[pb-dot]

Film Friday: Bee Movie

I have, on occasion, been accused of being unable to take a joke. As a nerd with an analytical mind and a brain in a frustrating inbetween-y zone of neurodivergence and -typicality, I can see where the criticism comes from. I do however, maintain that I am able to catch jokes, but that I may also chose to opt out of catching the joke if the joke is stupid. This is all to say that many of my criticisms of Bee Movie can be thusly disarmed: relax it's just a dumb comedy. This is fair enough, although I would argue the thing isn't really funny either, but more on that later.

Bee Movie is, in essence a singular breed, a comedian passion project in animated form. Born from the mind of Jerry Seinfeld, this absurd little thing follows the story of one Barry B. Benson, a young bee who, on his first trip outside of the hive, encounters a human woman he falls in love with, as well as the seemingly forbidden knowledge that humans harvest and sell their honey. Now that's a lot to take in, but as it is the only major developments in the movie until a particular groaner in act 3, more on that later, you'll have plenty of time to digest it. Hope you like the inherent absurdity of an adult human man being cucked by a bee for like an hour, because that is, frankly, a lot of it.

Much ado has been made about the beestiality, if you pardon the terrible no good pun everyone and their grandmas have done at this point, but honestly I find it more interesting to view this movie through the lens of economics and politics. Yes, I am serious, I assure you I'm going somewhere with this.

So, in essence what happens in this movie is that a young man discovers that his labor and the labors of his community is being absorbed and used to enrich the people who exploit them. Is man not entitled to the nectar of his brow, and so on and so on. Bee Movie is interesting, I suppose, in that it is a fable-style animal tale that describes capitalist alienation and exploitation and actually goes on to changing that. Shame, I suppose, that the ideas that guide this tale have the stupidest Champagne Liberal-ass take on what succeeding such a task may entail.

See, Barry sues humanity for bees to gain the right to their own honey, an affair that takes up the parts of act 2 that aren't filled with bee-human romance. In the end, the bees pull out a W, which I consider an optimistic estimate to any case where nonhuman sentience in any way is involved, but let's go for it. Humans can't just take the honey any more. Barry B. Benson has single-handedly taken all of beekind into a post-scarcity society, where their ability to produce what is necessary for survival so vastly outstrips their needs as to rend them negligible. Sure, humans can buy the honey from them, but what does a human have that a bee really needs? There's just two small problems. One, "it's just not the same," to quote one character who is so freaked out about not having to work with the threat of a death and destitution hanging over his head he can't function in a world where these swords of damocles are taken away. Two: Complete and utter biosphere collapse.

It is, I believe, pertinent at this point to talk about Bee Facts. See, I firmly believe that knowing about how bees work is a major disadvantage in watching this movie because the movie either doesn't know, or care, the first thing about actual bees in the real world. Barry, for example, comes from a nuclear family type arrangement and not one single egg laying biomonarch, and he is, as far as anyone can tell, a man and not a drone whose only job is doing their part in reproduction. There are those that argue that one should view worker bees as female, and those that argue that imposing an animalian reproduction binary (or should I say beenary?) is incorrect in its entirety. Either way, he probably shouldn't be a suave lad. That's one thing, but I suppose part of "the joke" here is that bees don't act like humans but in this movie they do.

Where this becomes pretty important, though, is in the third act with the aforementioned biosphere collapse. See, one Bee Fact that bee movie does indeed know about is that bees are important pollinators, and now that bees don't have to ride that pollen grind like it's the pony express, plants start dying, and they die a lot. Now never mind that honey bees aren't the only pollinators in the world for a second, even people who know Bee Facts can be guilty of that one. What knowing some Bee Facts will tell you, though, is that this absolutely would not be a problem with honey bees. We know what honey bees do when they produce more honey than they need. It's a process we can see. With our eyes. Once their honey stores are so packed there's no space for new bee larvae to grow, the bees fuck off, leave the hive and the Midas' horde of honey and get started elsewhere. It's not ideal, obviously, but the bees keep at it, they're good at building hives and making honey and by jove they're not going to stop doing that for anything short of fire or storms.

This, to me, is where the movie fails both as a movie about bees and a comedy of "hey what if bees had to exist in capitalism?" It's not a movie about bees because the entire third act would not exist, Barry and all his friends would move hive for like the sixth time that month and otherwise all would be as before. Neither is it a particularly inspired take of "hey what if bees were like humans," because the movie stumbles into a star trek-ass post scarcity situation for these tiny bee-shaped humans and have to bring the fact that they aren't bee-shaped humans but indeed bees (and somehow the only pollinators in the world?) for the movie to go on to have a plot.

I try to not make unflattering psychoanalysis of the people behind movies, whether I like them or not, but on the other hand I don't think I can put into words how heavy the thought "Jerry Seinfeld can't imagine a world where people aren't exploited for their labor because he benefits from that very same system that exploits people for their labor" weighs on my mind when discussing this movie. The movie is so terminally incurious about the ideas it brings to the forefront of its plot that it manages to, with no sense of irony, say that "maybe having to work to live is actually better than the alternative for no particular reason?" There is no room for worker bees to be anything other than just that in Bee Movie's world. They must struggle to survive like the lower classes struggle to survive or the world would end, so says the guy who made a fortune off of (admittedly pretty funny) go-nowhere comedy in the 90s.

In the end, does any of this matter particularly? No, not really. Bee Movie exists now mostly as a meme, a variation of the Shrek ironic enjoyment, although I'd argue the first couple of Shrek movies were actually good movies. Still, I do live under the constant self-imposed pressure of wanting to take movies seriously no matter how obviously flippant they are. That means that some times you write 1.3k+ furious words about the politics of Bee Movie. I suppose we all have our lot in life.

[percyaugod]

I fucking love your purple prime au!!!11!!!!!1111 anyway question time!!

is brother krang still alive because in some posts you say three new "kids" because if he is that adds a bit too the plot cause well they 100% thought he was dead

weve seen the turtles and caseys opinions what about cass's splinters draxums etc

does senior hueso ever appear? tbh most of my questions involve side characters because they would be so cool too see!!

and we know they can technically still talk too the ancestors if needed do they contact them?

Thank you! ^ ^

Brother Krang being alive is something I've been thinking about as a possibility but never fully decided or what would change. Sure we see him trapped in the ship, but we don't know if it was hard enough to crush him or if he died from the explosion as the portal closed. So he could be running around, watching and waiting as he heals.

This could lead Donnie to think him hearing the Krangs' voice is just him imagining things when he starts hearing another voice in his head. Since the brother Krang doesn't speak out loud the turtles don't know what he sounds like. Bonus points if he actually talks a lot in the hive mind, almost rivaling Leo.

He could just accept Donnie as the new leader, freaking out the others when Donnie brings home another one, or decide to go rogue. This is the turtle that took control of his ship after all. Leading to a situation where Krang one and the sister Krang have to fight their brother to protect Donnie.

If he did join the group the amount of times he scared the others by silently appearing behind them. Damnit Donnie! Put a damn bell on the thing!

Casey Sr would be the only thing Other than Donnie the Krang fear. She bit one of them, will at times just stand still for hours staring at them, those monsters she calls scouts, and Purple Prime has absolutely no control over her! Casey Sr thinks she can bear them in a fight and they're too scared to test her theory.

Splinter spends a lot of time in denial. These were the things that nearly took away two of his sons, there's no way his Purple would just-

He starts to wonder if it was all his fault. He just randomly appointed Blue as the leader and didn't talk about it with the others or ask if Blue even wanted to be the leader.

He had so much potential though! Always coming up with plans and knowing his and the others' strengths and how to properly use them. Not to mention the stress was obviously tearing his oldest apart.

If he had done some things differently, would none of this have happened?

By the time he sorts himself out, the kids have started a trial run with Purple and the Krang since they apparently can't get rid of them without negatively affecting Purple. Again they had to rely on themselves because he couldn't pull himself out of his own head. He regrets making them grow up so fast but is so proud of who they've become.

Draxum is working with Casey Jr on trying to find a way to separate Donnie from the Krang. He wasn't there to see what the Krang did, but the aftermath says enough. Draxum discovers the empyrean he used to create the turtles is of Krang origin and could be part of why Donnie integrated so well. The fear that this means the other mutants and yokai that also come from empyrean are also at risk.

Hueso would definitely be worried about the kids. He doesn't see them too often after everything and they look so beat up and tired. Not to mention Leo is apparently at home healing from injuries. When he does see him again there isn't any of that usual annoying, energetic personality.

For once, Hueso wishes Leo would complain and rant to him about his problems so he knew what was going on. Knew how he could help.

It's fine! ^ ^ Gets me really thinking.

Probably not the best idea to contact the ancestors. When asked about the Shredder they gave some of the worse advice. No one wants to know what they'd say about the same species as the one that created him.

They'd talk to Karai though. She'd do her best to try to comfort them and guide them. Donatello is still family and he sees them as such, his Ninpo proves that. So she tries to be there for him to know that he's still family to them as well.

She won't say it out loud, but she does worry about him losing himself like her father once did.

[pixies-and-poets]

now that you're finished with the Rayman DLC

I really liked how the story was kind of a gentle response to the whole "Rabbids killed Rayman" narrative, where he starts off untrusting of the Rabbids, even the ones he's teaming up with, but comes to accept that maybe they're not so bad after all and just need proper guidance. The ending would have been corny in any other game, but knowing the real-world context of how Rayman fans perceive Rabbids fans and vice-versa, it was actually really sweet

YEAH YEAH I have a lot of thoughts I'm still trying to sort out, but... spoilers below!!

I love how they didn't shy away from the "narrative" that Rayman was totally eclipsed by the Rabbids, at least for a time. They had their villain sing it, but as with many things our Tommy Boy says, he's... harsh but not necessarily wrong!

But overall it comes across a lot better than, say... the Paper Mario localizers acknowledging how the NPCs have just been collapsed into a billion identical Toads; that felt spiteful because nothing was being done about it, where here it's like: ok but Rayman IS back, he's been back before, maybe Phantom was right in the past but there is a better present and a more hopeful future. It just feels like an extension of the honesty and transparency these devs are known for, and they get to put it right into the game instead of just talking about stuff on twitter or whatever.

Every time we defeat Phantom, I feel like it's symbolically saying about his insults, "Ok maybe there's a grain of truth in what you're saying but why does it matter? We're still more powerful than YOU." Phantom is kind of a specter of negativity who wants to implant seeds of uncertainty in others, which is why he's so satisfying to defeat (even though I love him!!!), almost like defeating your own self-doubt!

And like, Rayman wasn't WRONG to be suspicious of Phantom. But it ended up being not because he's a Rabbid, but because of the vibes he was giving off and the general weirdness of the situation. Even the other heroes who had a history with him and far more reason to be suspicious, ended up buying into the allure of stardom- (I feel like RM forgave him, RP might have been suspicious still but also just didn't care as long as she got what she wanted, and Beep-0 was just fooled again no matter what he says lmao).

I feel like the overall idea was not "HEY RABBIDS ARE GOOD AND COOL NOW" but, there are good rabbids and there are evil rabbids, and there are neutral rabbids, rabbids are just people, just characters, individuals, not a hive-mind. I imagine that's the main thrust of where Ubisoft wants to take this species in the future, and it's what Rayman learned, and what I think the DLC did a great job of communicating.

[dreamweaved]

okay so briar's always had very,,, stark themes, and concepts tbh. like he is intended to stick out quite a lot among the more heavenly and angelic halovians we have seen. the trope of the black sheep is very important to his character. as are the tales of lucifer, the most faithful to god-- questioning his law, and the order of things. and briar i think is really very similar in this regard.

to briar, harmony... is about harmony within one's self. it's clear, xipe and the teachings of harmony really encourage the coming together of many.

Then, they say, O you who have reached the end, enter into the paradise that envelops all! Join this great choir and feast, listen to the beating of billions upon billions of hearts, holding you in THEIR embrace...

and also, this...

To battle the brutality of the laws of the universe, intelligent lifeforms must discard their cowardly selfishness and the differences between individuals, fusing into one singular melody — to have the strong help the weak, and to protect life with death.

briar's actually not fond of this concept. he hasn't abandoned it entirely, but it comes across as very "hive mind" and... it's, fine. oh but you may ask? how in the world then does he manage to follow the path of harmony? i believe paths can be interpreted in different ways. some, more than others. he believes that true harmony, is first found within yourself. that you should come first, without of course being selfish.

he does not dwell on his own past for a reason. he seems so carefree despite his failings, and his physical and mental pain-- because briar feels harmonious with himself. with his ideals, his beliefs, his feelings. he grew up having a lot of things dictated for him by his parents. especially his mother. so now, as an adult, he finds harmony in his own flaws, and himself.

i think briar ... barely follows the harmony. he is diplomatic, understanding, cooperative and caring. but he's also prone to solitude and quiet. it's interesting to think about these concepts a lot tbh. the idea that paths & concepts can be interpreted in different ways. that it really doesn't matter how, just that you do.

[mrv3000]

I rewatched The Clone Wars and things I'd forgotten:

▪ Just how much Padme is pure chaos. She probably even has wacky adventures when she's not on screen. Padme has her own shit going on and sometimes she needs to steal speeder bikes, ok?

▪ It explicitly states that Jedi had been taking out slave traders. A common fandom complaint I see is that supposedly Jedi turned a blind eye to slavery in the galaxy. But the show literally has a slave trader bitching about how the Jedi had shut them down. So not so much a blind eye but rather doing what they can. (I did space math and there's like 1 Jedi for every population of over 1200 Earths. And that's even before the war took them away from what their usual role was.)

▪ Jedi have basically all-access galaxy passes. Even Padme, who's a frickin galactic senator, needed to use Ahsoka's credentials to sneak places. (Did I mention that Padme = chaos gremlin?)

▪ lol Maul you freak

▪ I'd forgotten it was actually Obi-Wan's idea to keep Anakin (as well as Ahsoka, Satine, Padme, etc.) in the dark about faking his death. Sometimes fandom likes to think that it was other mean Jedi (the Council) who forced Obi-Wan to do it, but nope it was Obi-Wan. (Yoda was even 😬 about it the whole time and finally was the one to tell Anakin the truth.) Without getting into a whole meta about the practicalities and necessities so on… Sorry, Obi-Wan, it was still a fairly shitty thing to do.

HOWEVER, it's after the fake death arc that we see more instances of the "two halves of a single warrior" like when Obi-Wan and Anakin jointly fight Dooku on the Pyke's planet. You'd think that we'd see more of a rift between them after the fake death mess, but instead they start to go hive mind. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

▪ I'd forgotten how the tone gets progressively darker as the show goes on. It obviously winds up dark because of Order 66, but you can see things spinning out of control much earlier, and you're starting to get a body count of important characters seasons before it.

▪ Did Palpatine orchestrate a Scipio invasion in order to deal with Anakin's relationship problems? I mean, yeah, he got control of the banks by doing that but…🤔

▪ Jar Jar and Mace buddy cop adventure. 😃

▪ I forgot that the Jedi Council actually discovered they'd been manipulated into fighting the war and the Sith had been playing both sides. But they felt they had no other option but to keep going and try to win it.

▪ I did remember that becoming a Force Ghost was a thing you had to do rather than an automatic Jedi Afterlife, but I didn't remember that it's sort of stated that the only reason Yoda (and presumably Obi-Wan) were granted this Force Ghost knowledge was because it was necessary to be there for Luke even if they died so he could be trained. In other words there apparently needed to be a Reason for Force Ghosting. So it's extremely hilarious that Obi-Wan bypasses all that in order to immediately Force Ghost Anakin when he dies. There's no purpose for Anakin to be a ghost other than Obi-Wan wanted him to be. 🤣 (And then later on Luke and Leia became Force Ghosts for…pretty much no reason, but there goes Obi-Wan again probably!)

▪ I didn't remember that Anakin messed with Ahsoka's lightsabers and turned them blue lol. And of course Ahsoka's reaction is 🙄

▪ Finally, I didn't forget this but I was just so amused that every time Anakin did something morally questionable the soundtrack started in with the Imperial March. 😆

[xxsinisterxx]

ARCANE SPOILERS‼️

I'm gonna start with my take about Jayce. He, in my opinion, is one of the most hate-abl3 and fvck-able, possibly loveable characters so far in the series. Dude did not start off strong by using the very hextech that Viktor told him to destroy after *gulping* Skye to Jesus-ify him. Then acts shocked that the arcane doesn't like that shii and affects Zaun.

I found it kind of hilarious when hiemdinger, Ekko, and Jayce started tripping balls all coz of Jayce being silly and touching the Arcane aberration. Meanwhile, the girls are fighting for their lives, and their weapons aren't working

I will note that I am happy that only Jayce was sent to the Darkest timeline. I think that in the end, Jayce needed to go through hell to get his shii together. Seeing his pre-destined fate made him realize that he is way in over his head and is fvcking w/ shit. I don't think Jayce is the worst character, though he p!ssed me off continuously.

It is very interesting how everything came into perspective at the end when Viktor is revealed yet again to be the person who set everything into motion. Viktor made a very good villain in the end imo. Or just really interesting. I wouldn't believe you if you told me that Viktor would be the season 2 big bad.

Viktor was so fixated on changing the flaws of humanity and himself that he didn't see what was right in front of him. He lost Sky and eventually his own humanity searching for something way bigger than himself.

The most disturbing part is realizing that the characters' original personalities were gone. Viktor tries to convince Jayce that Salo still exists in his body, but that man's mind is gone - no longer his own. A hive mind that is only controlled by Viktor. The bright colors, interesting architecture, and beautiful landscapes kind of distract you from the actual horror of what Viktor has done.

I think it is symbolic that in the it was Viktor and Jayce went out together. It was a full circle moment for the entire series - a cautionary tale of the most brilliant minds almost destroying Piltover due to their grandiose ideal. Their relationship transcending space and time. To the very moment Jayce discovered a hex stone to the moment, they chose to die together.

The whole idea of hextech, "bringing magic to Piltover," and "the people" not having a clue of how dangerous it is. In a way, I think it has a push and pull equilibrium effect on the material realm. When it is used to do good, bad fortune comes vice versa. Though I don't think it is that easy or cut and dry. I think it works in a way beneficial to no one. A neutral entity that only gives out consequences or reactions, and because it was outsiders tampering with it, the negative effects outweighed the positives. Unlike someone who is naturally gifted or "touched" by the Arcane like Mel.

[bylertruther]

Do you think Will could have blocked some memories of what happened during his time in the UD, like El did with what really happened in the lab? And how likely do you think it is that the duffers could bring that to the story?

confident yes + highly likely to both. this is going to be a long response, because the evidence in its favor is abundant.

the details of what happened to will in the upside down were never plot relevant before and we know that canonically everyone treated will like he was gonna break, like he was a baby, and like he couldn't handle things on his own (his exact words). given that, i doubt they were asking him about what happened even if they were curious. they only learned about what it was like to be possessed because that information was necessary in both season two and three.

now, in season four, we and the characters learn many things:

henry was a child when he first became a predator, started "reaching into others, into their minds, into their memories", "became an explorer", conceived his plan to "restore balance to a broken world", and grew the hive mind.

when henry first lands in the upside down, it does not resemble upside down hawkins at all. it's its own golden world with seemingly peaceful life forms.

henry is the one that shaped the particles, that has used its power, and that has been behind everything we've seen so far. ("it was you. always you." + the demodogs only attacking when invaded by dark particles.)

the teens learned that the upside down is stuck in time on the day that will went missing.

there are light particles which "feel good" and allow you to communicate with the other side.

will confirms that he is still psychically connected to henry directly.

season four focuses on truths, lies, and their consequences. we see that the only way to move forward, become stronger, or be saved is by uncovering and accepting your truth. not only that, but we get a hefty amount of unreliable narrating. there are some things that this season tells you and others that you have to work to discover yourself, just as the characters have. there are also some very fascinating lines about this and examples:

"I’m sorry, Eleven. You’ll have to find your own way out. Leave your train station. Stop waiting. Focus. Listen. Remember."

not to make everything about will byers, but considering the fact that the duffers didn't shoot down the idea that everything is related to will byers...

consider this: henry keeps coming back year after year, because they're all relying on eleven to fix it, but she can't. she isn't the cure, no matter how many people keep trying to force this on her. in fact, will's the one that we're shown standing in front of a "the cure" poster. this is further implied by dustin rolling an eleven against vecna and losing. the day is saved by a pair of siblings & will tells her in that same episode "it's gonna be okay, it's not that bad. we'll fix it together, okay?"

will needs to find his own way out of this neverending story. he needs to think back to what happened in that shed and directly after. he needs to remember the lights, the phone, and the stereo. he needs to recall how he managed to survive staying in that house when the demogorgon knew he was there and would appear seconds after right where he was, and why it never went after him but went after joyce instead. he needs to recall who took him and what he saw at the library. there's so much that only will knows. he just needs to remember.

"There are good people, brave friends, who have helped you fight your battle in the past. But they alone can’t win this war, not without you. I know it’s not fair to ask more of you, but I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t think this was the only way, if I didn’t think you were the only one who might have a shot to hit this thing so hard it can’t get back up."

dr. owens is known to be an unreliable source (in my eyes). he didn't trust will at first in season two, he wasn't there for season three, and then he gets it 100% wrong in season four.

eleven hit henry and he got right back up.

they didn't win the war, even with her help.

the group has helped eleven in the past, yes, but, barring season three, everyone has banded together to help save will's life twice.

eleven "started this war" by creating henry, but she's always been removed from it. will was the one fighting to survive in season one & will was the one that got possessed in season two. she helps, but the war was only centered on her in season three because henry switched objectives and sought her power instead.

like... he's literally talking about will lol. he doesn't mean to lie, but this is a lie that has consequences. hawkins falls, max goes missing, and henry has won. will is the only one that can tell them how this story begins, who is still connected to him, and who needs to join the fight for once. will is the only one that knew how to defeat henry in season two and he's the only one that'll be able to tell them how to defeat him in season five.

(also, it's interesting how eleven's decision to "conform" by "doing what she's told" (as owens says) ends up "killing the kids" aka max. not her fault, though—max's fate was inevitable.)

"But there are others who don’t believe in you, who think you are the cause. I believe they’re wrong. I believe you’re the cure." [Cuts to Jonathan saying, "The reservation’s under 'Byers.'" as the camera then moves over him, Mike, and lands on Will who then looks up.]

will is someone everyone feels they have to protect; he's the damsel, never the hero. he's also the beginning of this story—he's the first and last bearer of his curse, the one he came back for and has not let go of still. he's the one related to "the cure". the scene literally cuts to him before going back to owens and eleven, so i'm filing that as "proof" that owens is incorrect. she isn't "their only hope".

Owens: “We should’ve just told her the truth.” Brenner: “And risk everything? She’ll find out soon enough.”

this one's funny. it explains why we and the characters don't know why henry and will are still linked, and what happened in the upside down. it would compromise everything.

"The truth is, you're regressing, Eleven. You're going backwards. [..] I know you're frightened. You're terribly frightened by what you've seen. But it's this very fear that's now holding you back. If you want Nina to succeed, you cannot hide from the truth, no matter how frightening it may be."

this one applies to many characters. will seems to have made progress in lenora, but he regresses by lying to mike and hiding from his truth. he veils his confession, pushes mike in eleven's direction, and dooms them all for it. addressing his trauma and being honest about his feelings isn't going to be easy, but he needs to do that to help them win this war.

i feel like there are more lines from this season, but this post is already long enough lol.

in addition to canon s4 evidence, it already is established that will doesn't want to revisit those experiences and whatever memories he has of them unless absolutely necessary.

in season three, when recounting having sensed the mind flayer's return at various times, will says: "I didn't think it was anything at first. I mean, I think I just didn't want to believe it."

also, did everyone forget how henry already blocked will's memories once? that was a key point of his possession, the reason for the shed scene, and joyce's biggest worry ("What happens when he can't remember anything? When there's nothing else there? What happens when my boy is gone?")

that, along with everything presented in season four, tells me that will is the missing piece. all of them fought alongside eleven and it wasn't enough. dustin said they needed will and he was right. henry is said multiple times to be a mind explorer that toys with people's memories. the duffers have ALREADY done this twice now. "every ending has a beginning." the teens figured things out, but not all of it and it contradicts what will experienced in the upside down. will is henry's perfect character foil. he's the last curse left. the show begins with the vanishing of will byers, but we don't actually know what happened to him. it literally all points in this direction.

season four was all about lies, whether intentional or not, and season five will be based on the truth finally coming out.

[brandwhorestarscream]

Lets begin with this.

Your earthspark-morph AU is amazing. It flows so well with Dotties character and the whole idea that we never really get told why she's missing her leg; just that it was lost in battle. Also? Megs 100% would offer her a spot in the hive after that. Like, she saved 2 of his kids. The least he can do is offer her protection against the autobots, who are now undoubtedly going to kill her if she returns from the hive.

Also? I feel like the first thing that would happen after Dot and Megs negotiations would be Dot asking for Megs side of the war story. Cause she's definitely heard the Autobots side (Cons wanna take over the planet; they're all evil scum; experiment on bots for fun; yadda yadda.) She's seen all the propaganda. But she's military; she knows that's what it is. So she wants to know the other sides version. Something she would never be able to ask if not for the unique circumstances.

She learns the horrors of how morphs are treated; how the Autobots intended genocide is what kickstarted the war in the first place.

Shes shook.

Hey I'm glad you liked it!

The bots aren't gonna kill Dot tho. Why would they? It's not like they know she tried to stop the eggs from being smashed, and getting kidnapped by cybermorphs isn't exactly a crime

She is eventually gonna want to return to the surface. She has her whole life up there, family that she loves and friends she adores and a dream job as a park ranger to someday get to

She is with the hive for awhile, tho. The medical team stabilizes her, and manages to perform a proper amputation surgery to minimize the damage. It takes them awhile to make her an acceptable prosthetic: the perfect blend of cybertronian tech and cloned material harvested from her, allowing her to experience a sense of touch in her replacement limb. It moves with such precision the individual toes can wiggle. It's an engineering marvel, but ofc takes a bit of time to be fine tuned and ready for continuous use

While she's down there, she gets to know the morphs. They're... frighteningly familiar. They're so much like the autobots, so much like people, it's a wonder she had ever thought of them as monsters. They're... just people that look different. That's literally it. They laugh and have inside jokes and are actually rather affectionate with each other. They all have their place in their massive family, and the hivemind is a marvel. They don't even need to talk to each other to communicate! They treat her very well, grateful that she protected their unhatched siblings.

Speaking of said siblings! Megatron's jealously guarding them in the throne room, tucked safely in two honeycomb-like shells under constant watch from the praetorians and the queen himself. Dot is given permission to see them when she speaks with Megatron, who's also a lot more... docile, almost? Than she would have expected. Previously she'd only seen him in battle, where he was downright savage and acted entirely without mercy. But when he's comfortably at home in his hive, watching over his two eggs... he's much more quiet than she ever could have imagined. It's strange to think of him as peaceful, but that's all that really comes to mind seeing him relaxed in his throne and gently stroking the precious eggshells.

He agrees to let her return home once her leg has been fixed up. He's not keen on just letting a strange alien join his hive, though for now she is a welcome guest. He has no interest in keeping her as a pet or a companion or an unwilling prisoner. But in the days before she's ready to leave, they visit often. They talk. He tells her about his children, both living and dead. She confides in him about how she'd like to have children of her own someday but worries she never will. She asks about the war, eventually, why it started, and is shocked and horrified to hear about how awful Cybertron was for the less fortunate. Slavery isn't exactly that far away in humanity's past, and there's still inequalities based around something as trivial as "frame type" and "skin color". She can barely wrao her head around the idea of the good and honest autobots being slave drivers. She can't imagine the morphs living their entire lives in quarantine because they were considered dangerous and dirty. And then hearing that the fighting started because of an unprovoked bombing in sn attempt to genocide them--it's all too much. She's sick to her stomach, hearing all of that--those are the kinds of people she's been working with? That the government and humans as a whole were so happy to back and support?

Needless to say, when she leaves, she has every intention to resign from working with the bots, but only after giving them a piece of her mind (and maybe also blowing the whistle on them, idk I'm just rambling at this point)

[chaniis-atlantis]

Tell me about your creatively named "Stargate Fanfic". 😁

"Stargate Fanfic" my beloved! It's funny that you ask about this one because it's the long fic I gifted to you way back in 2021! It was my first stargate fic and even after it got its "Across the Universe" title, I never changed the doc name. Now she and her huge word count sits unassumingly in my files, waiting for me to finally finish her.

You already know the plot but I'll pitch it for anyone else. It started as a "faking dating" fic and then kinda spiraled into a passion project AU where John and Todd the Wraith get kiddnapped by Wraith and have to find their way back home while also falling in love. Like I said, its an AU so theres a lot of my own ideas and at this point I wouldn't necessarily say John and Todd are in character, but I really love it and will be super proud of it when it's finally done!

This snippet is from the current in-progress chapter. Todd is confronting the Wraith Queen who organized his capture (and who is his ex)

Todd closed his eyes, just to feel her one last time. She was still as soft as she’d been all those years ago. Soft and slightly warm under his rough hand. She still seemed so young, but she wasn’t anymore. She was smart not to trust him, that instinct would take her far.

What surprised him is when she said, “You could come with me.”

He pulled his hand away, not because he was disgusted by the prospect, but because it made his heart ache.

She reached out with her own to try and follow his retreat, but halfway through she saw the look in his eyes and withdrew. “Because you love another?”

He could almost laugh. It was far too easy to imagine a life where he went with her and rebuilt what they’d had. It was easy to see himself commanding her Hive and dragging it back to glory. They could be great like they had been before, he was certain of that. The idea was sweet on his mind and his tongue. All prospects involving belonging to a Hive were like; they were nearly irresistible. How hard it was to turn down living in a place he truly belonged.

Like the times before, he almost wanted it – almost. Different from those times, he had a better reason for turning her down.

“It is not Sheppard,” he told her “Though it is true that I have carved a new life out for myself, and that I love another, it is not because of that.”

She narrowed her eyes. “Then what?”

“Because I am not good for you.” The truth was sharp to say.

“What if I forgave you?”

“You won’t, not really. And even if you did, it is possible to forgive Wraith who hurt us and still move on from them. Wraith who hurt us do not always deserve to know us again, least of all me to you. You deserve to make your own life apart from me, truly, without me as a single thought in your mind ever again. I didn’t mean to take your life away, but I did. Take it back. Do not ask me to be by your side when it is the one place I should never be.”

She stared at him for so long that he was afraid she’d frozen there, but at last she took a deep breath, ran her tongue over her bottom lip, and asked in the smallest voice ever, “Even if I still love you?”

“Especially then.”

Thanks for the ask!