#I'm leaving this sorta....vague I guess

[magua-vida]

SLAY THE QUEEN THORN

I was inspired by Abby's sketch of a hypothetical Queen version of the Princess, so I tried my hand at it with a few vessels, including this one. I... ended up drawing something akin to a fashion design concept art rather than a practical design that won't be tiring to draw over and over after a handful of sprites later. I also had to use a bit more artistic license growing unnatural poppies on the dress and the thick twirly prickly noodles.

some explanations behind the process

For the "mended" Thorn, I pretty much just removed the foreground thorns and added the dirt.

rambling/fangirling/screenshots below:

The Thorn is one of my favorites. If I had to choose only five vessels to offer to Shifty and there's no replayable feature, she'll definitely be one of them. I'm one of those suckers who's into Hurt/Comfort stories. Almost like a masochist for those fics, you could say. If the climax to an Action-heavy story is the defeat of one party, then the catharsis of Hurt/Comfort is when the two characters... well, comfort each other- either due to hurt from each other or someone else. In The Thorn's case, she started off rather innocently, Damsel-like, but not quite. She still had caution. It was until she was literally stabbed in the back that she learned that it was a mistake. And when Long Quiet offered sincere regret and admission of fault, she stabbed him... but she didn't feel the relief she thought she'd get from it. I think many relate to having been betrayed and/or betraying someone they trusted, and the scratches are felt by many players.

The thorns curve inward, as if it's more painful to leave her than it is to approach her.

Poppies grow around along the bramble. Many mistook them for roses because they're red and there are brambles (tbh, I actually dunno if they're brambles or briars, I looked them up and I got confused, forgive me, plant enthusiasts ;.;) that grow around the patches of those poppies. Death and romance~

This brings back to Chapter 1 where Hero was kinda-sorta-maybe-definitely crushing on the Princess and wants to give her the benefit of the doubt, not only because of feelings, but for a reasonable cause of wanting to rescue someone who possibly may actually be a victim of circumstance.

Look, I have reasons why Thorn route is one of my favorites and it definitely doesn't have anything to do with both characters having massive trust issues and the capability to change themselves for better or worse and the emotional moments hitting me like a lovely diamond-dusted dagger. Both of them are rather cat-like with pointy ears too.

I appreciate that you're still given the options to leave or stab Thorn, as if the situation isn't pitiable enough. Even her tiara looks like a crown of thorns. It's as if she views the thorns as both a form of penance and a defence mechanism to protect herself from being hurt again, even though she's hurt by her own making this time.

I chose for the Long Quiet to save her and leave the cabin together.

This part stabbed me the most. Even when shown genuine help, she shrinks back.

This part burns a bit of the jadedness away. Trust is a scary thing, so is love. How can you be so sure that you won't be hurt by the one you love again? But just like what The Prisoner says, it's about trust- blind trust. Thorn looks more human than her previous self- less animalistic, softer. A part of The Damsel returns, even in the music.

I recall weighing on whether I prefer the version with the Voice of the Cheated or Voice of the Smitten. I vaguely remember wondering if there was an option to ask her if it's okay to kiss her. I guess the ideal would be is to have that choice, but I suppose the climactic moment calls for it and she doesn't mind it, at least. It's like the option to hug Astarion from BG3, but you're not sure whether he'd be comfy with it after being hurt so much. He gave approval for it too~

As much as Thorn is one of my favorites, I'm not attracted to her and any of the vessels. Instead, I ship her with the Long Quiet- the character himself. I don't really see myself AS the Long Quiet, more like choosing what actions on what he does and I separate myself from him a lot for many reasons. It's a bit like the Harry situation from Disco Elysium in terms of seemingly blank-slate protagonists.

Instead, I kinda put myself into her situation to feel how she felt in this route. The poppies not only felt symbolic of her nature as part of the Shifting Mound, but also specifically the end of the mutual treachery you've inflicted on each other, potentially beginning anew on a path of healing.

==============ramble-bramble over===================

[smytherines]

So here's a question

Curt had his watch to communicate with A.S.S., but why didn't Owen have any way to communicate with MI6 during a1p1? At least I assume he didn't, otherwise he would have been like "hey guys I'm actually alive down here" (unless he did? which raises a whole host of other questions)

If MI6 sanctioned either a rescue mission or Owen having his own individual mission that Curt just so happens to also be at, then presumably he would have some way to communicate with MI6? So as far as I can tell that leaves us three options:

1. Historically, CIA had more money and better equipment than MI6 so maybe Owen just didn't have that kind of technology to begin with? Or maybe it was damaged when he fell? (Although I have not seen a watch on Owen in any of the a1p1 screenshots, so if he did have that tech it wasn't a watch)

2. Owen had already been undercover in that facility for awhile (and the tech would've put him at risk of being discovered), and he blew his cover to rescue Curt. If it were a long term undercover mission it seems like Cynthia would probably get a heads up from MI6? But maybe not.

3. Owen went rogue to rescue Curt? This is the one I headcanon because it honestly makes the most sense to me. Cynthia seems surprised that MI6 didn't tell her Owen would be there (implying that usually she would know something like that) and Owen's reply is sorta vague and diplomatic (something like "that's why they call it the secret service")

It also raises the question of where Owen got the feather. I'm guessing there aren't a lot of big fluffy white feathers lying around in Russian weapons facilities because... why would there be? So to me the answer that makes the most sense is that Owen brought the feather with him, either to mess with Curt or tip him off that it's Owen under the hat and shitty mustache (or probably both), which I think strengthens the idea that it was intentionally a rescue mission?

And from a character perspective that just makes everything that happens in a1p1 so much worse-- that not only did Curt lie to him and leave him to die, but that Owen was only there in the first place to rescue him. That he put his life (and possibly his career?) at risk to protect Curt. That perhaps MI6 did know he survived, but didn't attempt to make a trade with the Russians either because he was so injured they thought he was going to die, or because he went rogue and was thus no longer MI6's problem?

If that's the case, I could definitely see that intensifying all the negative feelings Owen has about Curt post-fall. Owen telling himself that he loved Curt enough to talk his way past 20 Russian security officers to rescue him, while (from his perspective) Curt cared so little about Owen that he was willing to lie to him and put him in danger, and didn't lift a finger to save him. Just getting more and more bitter about it during his long, painful recovery and his time in Russian custody until Chimera finally comes along and offers him a way out

[mazzystar24]

So next episode, we have eddie, buck, Tommy and marisol at the restaurant. So who Is looking after Christopher? All of Eddie's baby-sitters are there!

But jokes aside this is wild like literaly the episode ended with bi buck reveal and straight away (bad pun I'm sorry) we have the promo that starts with Eddie high jacking the date. Like this has been approuve by the team not just PR like it has to have been approved. And if they didn't want buddie they wouldn't do it like that, heck if they didn't want buddie the bi reveal would not have included eddie and we definitely wouldn't have eddie interrupt the date (I know it's been said before but that is fanfiction territory and just wild!). I'm repeating all the points that shows that they aren't against buddie and that shows that we have a line following them in this journey and all the interviews and all cause im terrified they'll just not make buddie canon and only have eddie being BFF ally eddie but it would be cruel of them to taunt us like that and leave us hanging cause that is a lot like never seen before in any other show a lot!

Fr - this is how Chris is at a sleepover can still win🤭🤭

I love bad puns 🫡

Yesss totally like they’re having the very major moments (and whole storyline in 7x04) be VERY heavy in the Eddie involvement and that’s supposed to be subtle? Nooo they KNOW what they’re doing 10000%

I highly HIGHLY doubt they’d pull the straight best friend thing with Eddie and buck because they KNOW how committed the fandom has been

I totally agree they are DEFINITELY not against buddie (as you said in all the interviews things are looking really good for us) and if I’m 100% honest I do think they’re only being vague still to try to keep us guessing

Like I mentioned this before 7x04 aired but buck and Tommy kissing could make buddie becoming canon less of a shock to the fans so I think that while they kinda needed to do it that way to better communicate to the new audience and GA, sorta to set the scene, they’re kinda now trying to still maintain as much build up and shock for when they do make buddie canon if you get what I mean?

Also that last point of yours EXACTLY like buddie would be monumental, like I don’t think I can name a single queer ship like it and we are SO close

Also yes the fanfic territory is WILD Tim minear tell us your ao3 account 🕵️‍♀️🕵️‍♀️🕵️‍♀️

[coff-in]

thank you so much for doing my request!! if you’re comfy with a pt 2 I’d love to read it!! seeing reader cope with becoming a parent and how reader copes with getting raped by andrew … how the dynamic at home changes, andrew as a daddy and ashley as a aunt!! does andrew force reader to marry him? <3 if ur not comfy w doing it as a req then maybe ramble or do it in any other form like a hc! thank youuu 🥹🤍

notes from coff-in: it's past midnight right now where i am (as it it's closer to 1:00am) but i need to write. this is definitely a ramble but thank you for clarifying that i could do that! writing properly for ficlets and headcanons take a bit out of me but i want go give you guys the best that i got, you know? sorry, sorry... on to your ask!

[fem] reader-insert, [afab] reader-insert(?), NSFW, rape, talks/mentions of pregnancy and abortion, incest in the last bits but it's skippable really

the biggest thing that i wonder about is how [reader] met andrew and ashley. how long have they'd known each other? were they quarantined together (was [reader] quarantined at all)? i think i'll leave it up to the reader's interpretation/imagination but these things feel like they should impact the story, you know? um... [reader] doesn't really take to being a mother too well. she doesn't want to be a mother, so it makes sense. ashley wouldn't let her get rid of the child, either. she doesn't like [reader] all that much but she does try to recognize potential opportunities to keep andrew close in this... situation.

the last thing a parent wants to do is to make their child sad. if ashley could get close enough to andrew's child (she'd love the child ofc, it's an extension of her brother) then she could keep andrew close to her, too. any separation of them would also affect the child and until it's born who knows how that can go. ashley doesn't like [reader] all that much. she could come to like [reader], but when i was writing the original piece i sort of didn't write it with ashely in mind... so any relationship they build would be after the rape event.

andrew. andrew andrew andrew. he... he wants the child. it's possibly a new chance for him to have a new life. not necessarily an ordinary life (years of sexual tension between him and his sister build up somehow to him raping a women they sorta kidnap/escaped with from an apartment after demon summoning, murder, and cannibalism) but it could be considered close enough if you squint and tilt your head. again, when writing the original piece i didn't really write with andrew and [reader]'s deeper relationship in mind, just the surface level stuff

andrew has come to care for [reader] to some extent, and the child makes him try to enforce that bond and relationship. he would reflect on his own parents and their parenting and how he raised ashley when it comes to his baby. trying to figure what to avoid (i think putting in the effort would be way better than what his parents did, though. it's not even a battle). he gets touchy feely with [reader]; sleeping in the same bed, holding their hand or resting it on their hip, brushing her hair, etc etc some of the stiff we've seen with ashley. i think he'd also talk to the baby bump, too.

[reader] isn't expected to kill people anymore or to do excessive physical labor. i don't think she takes part in the cannibalism as much either. i'm kinda leaving her vague because i want you guys to really just imprint on [reader] i guess when it comes to this situation. andrew would be a fairly good dad though. uh... sort of dozed off a bit trying to think about him as a dad. he would be way more attentive that his own parents, that's for sure. he's the voice of reason along with [reader] (ashley is that "cool aunt" that the kid loves), but andrew is also still a bit of a doormat or pushover. he can't stay too mad at this kids.

do i think andrew would force [reader] to marry him? maybe. it would probably be good for taxes and other legal documents but i don't know if he'd put such a high value on marriage. i think he'd like the intertwining aspect of it, the legal binding it brings. i doubt ashely would enjoy this but it's also dependent on your relationship.

mixing this idea with incest ideas because i can't help myself right now, fell free to skip this: andrew and a sibling [reader]. especially a younger one. i don't know but i kind of enjoy the idea of him during quarantine (or right after) just... losing control one night. it's not violent or loud or out of hate; it's quiet and gentle and out of frustration. he takes his younger baby sibling while they're sleeping as a way to just let it all out. the tension and stress and repression of his feelings for them... he just lets them go. ashley's dead asleep and so is [reader], as ling as he's quiet there are no immediate consequences to this action. he raised [reader] since they were a fucking baby and what a wonderful adult they had turned out to be (as wonderful as a graves could be).

aaaaahhh, i'm tired. sorry for the weird sleepy rant response. i feel like i should mention again: i have never been raped nor do i know friends or people personally who have been raped. i haven't really read anything scholarly about it so take all i say with a grain of salt and an open mind. thank you for requesting, 'nonnie. i love it when people ask for expansions or explanations in previous posts (reminds me of devious anon, i miss them)

anyway my eye saight is losing focus so i'll end it here. good day/night/evening whatever you are

----

coff-in

[gok1bvri72]

♠️♥️《《°•~ WARNINGS ~•°》》♥️♠️

The following work will include name calling, wishing harm onto others, wishing others to inflict harm upon themselves, mass spamming, targeted harassment, social media spamming, eluding to struggles with stress vomiting, Lyney sharing similar experiences, trauma (mostly on Lyney's part) bonding, and sorta vague mentions of past attempts at su!c!de. If any of these things may trigger you, please do not proceed.

♠️-Lyney with a reader who is being spammed on social media by old friends of theirs wishing harm upon them-♠️

♥️《《STORY IS SET IN......MODERN AU_》》♥️

♠️》》STORY IS......NOT PROOF READ_《《♠️

♥️《《STORY IS......ANGST TO COMFORT/FLUFF》》♥️

I myself have been getting spammed in my dms by an old friend of mine who just will not leave me alone and keeps coming in with alts T-T This is a way for me to cope.... I tried to keep reader as gn as possible! Please tell me if I made a mistake T-T

Your hands were shaking as you read the previews of the messages on the screen of your phone. You didn't even want to click on them.

'You dumb ass fucking wh... '

'Go suck a cock you whine...'

'Quit being such an attent... '

The little number icons on the apps kept getting bigger as the notification sound on your phone kept going off.

'Bling! Bling! Bling! BlingBlingBlingBlingBling!'

You wanted to chuck your phone outside. The noise was terrible. You never thought you it would make you feel so sick to your stomach.

(('Why are they dog piling me??? What did I do???'))

You thought to yourself,

(('A-Attention seeker? Whore?? Faker?'))

More and more foul words piled up on the screen, one after another. Tears welled up in your eyes as your hands shook. The keychain you so lovingly clipped to your phone clicked up against it's case.

The halls of your school were empty at the moment, but it felt more stressful than it ever had when it was full right now. The only sounds you could hear were the sounds of your twitter getting spammed, you snap getting spammed, your youtube, your tumblr, your instagram, your discord-

'Bling! BlingBling! Bling! BlingBlingBlingBling!'

'LISTEN HEAR YOU CUN...'

'With all due respect you ...'

'GO DIE IN A FUCKING H...'

'Nobody wants to talk to ...'

'Just take a swan dive off...'

(("Hey is everything alright?"))

One of the exchange students... you could tell by his heavy accent. His name was Lyney, right? He came from France with his siblings a few months back. You guys talked from time to time, you were never really close enough to be considered friends though. You must've not noticed him approaching because of your tunnel visioning.

(("Y-Yeah. I'll be fine, thanks."))

You lied. He wasn't your friend so you shouldn't bother him with your issues. He saw right through you though.

(("If it were nothing would you be crying?"))

Your phone went off again, this time your pinterest. The sounds began to flood your ears again.

(("I'm just fine really! It's no big deal."))

You reasoned, you didn't need to drag someone who hardly knew you into your personal problems. It was none of his responsibility.

(("Someone is spamming your social media accounts, correct? Perhaps... a group of people you used to associate with?"))

You gulped, were you really that easy to read??

(("It's only an educated guess though! I promise I'm not stalking your accounts or anything-"))

Lyney fumbled, his face grew a light pink out of embarrassment.

(("Don't worry it's fine. And yeah, you're right. But it's fine! I can just block them and move on."))

The blonde frowned, his lavender eyes filled with almost a sort of sympathy or empathy. You weren't sure.

(("That doesn't mean the damage hasn't been done. I'm sure no matter what you may had done it shouldn't warrant... well... that."))

He referred to the constant pinging of your phone, gesturing to the device in your hand. Nervously you hid it behind you back, sweat forming on your brow.

(("It's fine really Lyney! I'm fine."))

You smiled nervously and shifted, that feeling of anxiety in your stomach only bubbling worse and worse. It felt like you were going to throw up again.

(("I suppose I shouldn't press it out of you, but if you ever need someone to talk to I'll always be here, okay? Even if it takes some time, I'll still wait."))

Silence settled in, even the sounds from your phone began to cease for a moment. The two of you simply stood there for a while in an awkward quietness. You began to process what he said.

Was this a joke? Was this a cruel prank sent to you by one of your old friends? Was this supposed to be more punishment for a crime you weren't even aware that you committed?

Tears began to bubble up at the rims of your eyes again and pour over, like a child's toy tea cup being filled beyond capacity. Sobs began to softly shake your chest, you were so done with all of this.

These people surrounding you calling you toxic, saying you were over stepping boundaries they never even set, yelling at you no matter how many times you apologise, saying they will stay with you no matter what then running away when your true self becomes too much for them to bare. You wanted to know what was so wrong with you so you could stop pushing people to this point unknowingly. You wanted them to tell you want you did wrong. You were sick of not knowing how to stop any of this.

A pair of warm arms embraced you, pulling you into a soft hug. Surprise filled your eyes as Lyney began to stroke the back of your head gently. You felt a lack of malice behind his intentions, only a genuine want to help. But you were still scared. Scared that maybe you would become close then push him away somehow too.

(("There's nothing wrong with you. You're just yourself and not what they wanted you to be. That's a feeling I know all too well."))

He began,

(("But if they aren't willing to accept you for who you really are, then they were never friends with you in the first place."

You furrowed your brows, something didn't make sense.

(("H-How did you know who was spamming me and why?"))

Lyney sweat dropped, breaking the hug to awkwardly scratch the back of his head.

(("I overheard them planning to spam you at cheer practice... that blonde guy with glasses isn't very good at keeping his voice quiet."))

You tilted your head in confusion,

(("Why come find me to comfort me though?"))

Lyney opened his mouth to speak but no words came out. Shutting it again, he furrowed his own brows in thought, piecing together a sentence in his head.

(("Whenever something bad like this happens to me, it sucks to only be surrounded by negative thoughts and it easy to spiral. Only hearing bad things about yourself, you began to believe them. When you hear someone tell you to do something over and over, you feel inclined to do it and sometimes... you actually... do... do it."))

(("You mean you-?"))

(("Yeah. I'm glad it failed though."))

You and Lyney sat in the hallway infront of your locker for a long while, not speaking very much. You two went from practically strangers to knowing some very personal stuff about one another in the span of about 10 minutes so it was a lot to process. The blonde spoke up again though.

(("If you ever have thoughts like that... maybe call me instead? I'd hate if I lost a classmate to that."))

You nodded as Lyney opened his phone to show you his number. You began to type it to your contacts as more notifications flooded you screen again. Lyney's eyebrows furrowed as he read the previews of them in disgust.

(("Such primitive language."))

He said, clicking his tongue in distaste. You simply swiped them off your screen as quickly as you could each time.

(("Do you like cats?"))

You asked,

(("Hm? Yes my sister and I love them! We actually own a few! Mine is named Rosseland."))

He replied enthusiastically. With a smirk you set his contact photo to a picture of a cat that just tasted broccoli much to his dismay.

(("Why such an atrocious image?? Is that what you think of me? Is my fashion that outlandish??"))

You shook your head,

(("That's the face you made when you saw the messages they sent me."))

Lyney sighed dramatically,

(("At least save me with a decent name!"))

Much to his horror though, when he looked down he saw you had saved him as "flagrant cat man" as you snickered obnoxiously.

(("Oh come on! Fine I shall name you something JUST as distasteful!"))

Looking at your phone number he furiously typed it in. A few moments had passed and he then asked you a question.

(("Do you also like cats?"))

You gave an "mhm" in response as he snickered evily. Flipping his phone around proudly, you were saved as "Impolite Feline of Dookishburg" with an image of a bawling cat.

(("Uhhh why that image?"))

You asked, perplexed.

(("Why that was the face you were making earlier of course!"))

He teased,

(("Is my crying face really that ugly!!))

He nodded dramatically with a sigh,

(("I daresay it is comparable to that of a banshee's tear stained face!"))

You playfully smacked his arm as you two began to laugh merrily. Perhaps things were going to get better. Maybe you shouldn't worry about those jerks anymore, after all, you found a real friend in the young man sitting next to you. Things aren't going to get better immediately, but that doesn't mean they won't ever get better. In times these, you can only press forward, but now you feel comfort in knowing you won't be alone.

(("Hey, do you wanna meet my sister and brother?"))

(("Sure!"))

[mixelation]

I’ve been wondering. What is actually keeping the akatsuki members stay in the akatsuki and not just defecting? For kisame and itachi it makes sense, but with people like sasori and kakuzu, who you can assume have been missing nin for a long time, why don’t they just up and leave? What’s making them stay on and work with the circus that the akatsuki is and listen to pein?

I think this question is one that Akatsuki fans largely actively avoid delving into, because it's very frustrating to answer. Like I'm not even 100% sure why Deidara can't just leave whenever he wants if he hates it so much. I mean, yes, in theory he could end up with a bunch of very dangerous people hunting him down.... but also the in-canon reason we seem to get is "he's bound by high school rules of combat bc Itachi was mean to him." So I think there must be parts that Deidara does enjoy, because he sticks around even after it gets both his arms blown off and the one other artist ninja dies and they give him an annoying idiot to work with.

If you want something vaguely canon, there's this video which goes into how different members were recruited. It is actually, as far as I can tell, a bunch of cut-scenes from a video game, so it is what i would call "canon only if you like it." But it's animated well and some of the characters do state reasons for why they go with Akatsuki. I'm not going to rewatch it right this second, but for example, I think Sasori says something like he wants to meet interesting people and see if he can find new art. (He finds Deidara. YOU'RE WELCOME.) Just keep in mind that because it's video game cut scenes, every encounter is set up to be the lead-up to a fight, and then there's a fade to black for the actual fight because that's the part where you're supposed to be playing the game.

For me I think there's multiple reasons, and different characters are going to weigh them different in their motivations:

It's basically a missing-nin union. It's a shit show and Kakuzu might kill you at any given moment, but there's steady work and theoretically protections from hunter-nin, and also even if your coworkers are assholes, you can call in their expertise. I think this was part of the pitch to Hidan in the video game movie: yeah he's immortal, but that doesn't mean he's immune to being imprisoned or sealed away or blown up and buried in a hole. Even immortal dudes benefit from having a partner.

Opportunities to do interesting things. I think several characters felt their talents were under-appreciated in their hometowns, but Akatsuki encourages people to be the best horrible monsters they can be. Oh, you want to blow up a castle? We have three jobs for that, AND you'll get a paycheck out of it. Also: even missing-nin need a sense of fulfillment. Like Kakuzu has gotten along fine by himself for decades, but I bet he secretly finds managing Akatsuki's finances to be satisfying.

Meet interesting people! You're immortal? So are THREE OTHER PEOPLE HERE-- Oh, you're into art? Guess who we just recruited--

All of these characters grew up in ninja villages, so I think they at least subconsciously perceive this sort of vaguely structured mission-system as how work is supposed to be done. And I think this cultural aspect of it means that they're predisposed to at least kinda sorta agree to some baseline rules, because that's just what you do. So, in my personal take on Deidara, I think he hated the structure and rigid rules of Iwa, but he's not against getting paid to blow shit up, and Akatsuki is a lot more loose with mission parameters so his art isn't completely stifled. He likes having cash to buy art supplies and hot meals, yeah. On the flip side I think Sasori liked having a lot of rules and structure; he just didn't like when the rules restricted his art, or when social rules meant he was "going against human decency even for a ninja" smh. So I think he'd actually be pretty willing to compromise certain things for the sake of buying into the ninja union, as long as he could still be churning out art.

One thing I think would be interesting to explore is what the consequences of Orochimaru defecting are. Because it seems like there never were any consequences for him, but no one looked at his example and went, "Oh, so I can just leave at any time." Maybe instead it had a unifying force, like EVERYONE is pissed they can't hunt him down and skin him alive. Deidara is like "oh, he just.... lost a fight to Itachi and left....?" and Sasori is like, "Yes, and now if any one of us multiple S-rank threats find him, it's on sight." And Deidara is like: "Well, only a COWARD would flee like that anyway, yeah."

[ennas-aesthetic]

Read your newest part of the retired!dream, loved it! Dream finally knowing what it feels to be truly loved was so heartwarming🥺. I'm a bit lost though, when did Dream get that scar? He said he kept it but I don't remember in the comics him getting injured

Aaaw thank you! I put Dream through the wringer in my last fic, so I guess he deserves the happiness he gets in this AU. :'DD

Re: the scar on Morpheus' cheek, that's actually a GREAT question, but I'm afraid we're going into spoiler territory for this one. So this is a fair warning to anyone and everyone who might see this and not want the Sandman Comics spoiled. Spoilers Zone from here on out:

You're sorta correct on Morpheus never getting injured in the comics. The Endless are more than humans, more than gods. It would take an entirely eldritch and primordial being to hurt the Seven enough to make them bleed.

Which is why the one time Endless blood WAS SPILT, it was both blood-curdling and terrifying, because YOU KNOW that it is a grievous threat indeed.

Dream gets the scar on his cheek during The Kindly Ones (volume 9). When he goes to Nuala after she called him for a boon, the Furies through Lyta Hall were able to enter the Dreaming so they may destroy it. After he comes back, Dream confronts them and demands them to leave; in retaliation they struck him with their barbed scorpion whip on his cheek.

Below is what the scar looks like up close.

In the next few panels Lucien actually asks him if he would be keeping the scar. In turn he says this:

And (hoooo boy prepare yourselves for this one) until his last conversation with Death, you can actually see that Dream still DOES have the scar here. He has it until he... well, you know what happens after this conversation.

The scar is quite significant arc-wise for Dream. In the panels above he says that Alianora foretold that he would receive two scars: one on the cheek, one on the heart, the way he did to her. This is expounded on in Sandman: Overture, where Alianora, his former lover, got a scar on her cheek when she defended and rescued Dream from the two gods who held him prisoner. (Of course, the scar in her heart was when Dream tire of her and grew cold and distant. Seriously, if anyone reading this hasn't read Overture yet, check it out. It'll reframe everything you know about the original comics in the best, most heart-breaking way possible.)

In the AU, while I'm keeping the details of HOW Dream gets to walk away very vague, I'd like to think that most of the events during The Kindly Ones STILL happened. I'd also like to think he kept the scar because while his self-destructive spiral was averted, Dream still hasn't fully healed and processed his issues, and thus considers it to be a literal symbol of self-flagellation. He is fully capable of erasing it, but it remaining there is a choice he made.

What he hasn't calculated is that people will be kind and caring and concerned. What he hasnt calculated is that being human means being subjected to the mortifying ordeal of being known, to reap the rewards of being loved. 😌

Hope that answers your question! :DD

[wingedcatgirl]

hey there everynyan it's time for a new pinned post again

i'm mintleaf wingedcatgirl, it/she, local snuggly transfem catgirl #2424. i'm an adult but i've made it a policy that the entire internet is not just inherently entitled to my exact age on demand. if you truly must know, i'm sure you can dig up some birthday post i made before i had this policy and work it out yourself.

you may know me from being gay and not going to bed on time.

things i'm into include final fantasy xiv, fallen london (character list down below the cut), balatro (i'm making a mod! go look at it! it's fun!), tales of symphonia, terraria, kingdom hearts, puyo puyo, miraculous ladybug, cats (the animal, not the musical), and being queer and awesome. i write fanfic sometimes and am also vaguely attempting to work on original fic, so hello to writblr as well. a works list is below the cut

we're plural, but the headmates currently don't talk much here. this may or may not change in future. you can always say hi if you wanna

if you wanna find us elsewhere for such reasons as *gestures vaguely at fucking everything about this webbed site*:

your most reliable option is dreamwidth; we don't post there much but we do check regularly so a comment on any of our posts will get our attention

you can ask for our discord @ if we're friends (read: have interacted twice ever) or our server links if we're acquaintances (read: you're not a spambot)

we also have a sorta dead and disused forum, trouble cube. It's There™

but tbqh we don't plan to leave tumblr unless we're forced to. by the entire website being shut down, for example.

below the cut, some lists:

list of some things we're making:

Leaf Story, an OC insert fanfic of Tales of Symphonia (blog tag for it, also)

Minty's Silly Little Mod, a mod for Balatro that adds a new suit (3s) and a bunch of random other stuff because we thought it was amusing

we'll add more to this when we actually do stuff instead of letting it sit on our WIP pile forever

our fallen london character list for fellow fallen london enjoyers:

Inessa Fonseca, the Curious Lady (main, Light Fingers, Midnighter, non-canon Seven-Fold Knock someday when i feel like tormenting myself)

Inessa Fonseca in a rather more dire timeline (Seeking alt except the Seeking is canon so maybe the other Inessa is the everything-except-Seeking alt? Heart's Desire)

Lucky Kity (cat, Bag a Legend, I saw @waterlogged-detective's Boots the Cat and was like "CAT!!! i have a recurring cat character what if there was ANOTHER cat in london")

Lila Rossi (sure, crossover roleplay account for our Nemesis alt, i guess) (don't expect her to be as active as dire!Inessa and Lucky)

sideblogs we have:

@elakha-house-cube, the roleplay blog that currently consists mainly of asks from one friend

a lewd sideblog. mostly for reblogging. you can ask for it if you're cool

[greatwyrmgold]

If you follow me, there's a decent chance that you have either read Ward or read/watch Oshi no Ko. Both of them have final arcs which are hard to describe without spoiling lots of the plot, but they both focus on self-sacrifice and suicide in a way that makes me want to compare them, so...spoiler alert I guess.

Ward focuses heavily on the mental health of its superhero (and villain) characters, to the point that the big threat that the final arcs revolve around—the Titans—were arguably created by those characters' depression (and also the space magic that gave them superpowers). Turning into a Titan is...sort of like involuntary suicide, where your humanity vanishes and your superpowers take over, and there's a lot of stuff in the middle that I don't want to explain, but the end result is that the superpowers need to be stopped before they destroy humanity.

Wildbow fans: I'm leaving a lot of details out because I want this to be sorta comprehensible to people who have never seen the word "parahuman".

Anyways, a plan is concocted, explained to the protagonists but not the audience. And from our perspective, the plan seemed kinda discordant with the themes of the work. Ward (and also Worm) tend to be negative about heroic sacrifices, seeing them as a form of suicide, not a heroic action but a symptom of the mental health problems that lead someone to fight a dragon with spiders and mosquitos.

So when the plan to save humanity seemed like it was going to be "have all the traumatized superheroes/villains kill themselves in a game of space magic chicken" (it made more sense in context), a lot of people were very Concerned about the direction it went.

Luckily, there was a twist that made it not space magic chicken suicide, and also tried to tie up a theme which had been mostly abandoned in the back half of the story. I'm not super satisfied with how the twist was handled or how it resolved that theme, but at least it's not about a bunch of traumatized people killing themselves for the good of humanity. I hear people who binge-read that whole arc in a couple days instead of a couple months liked the twist better.

Oshi no Ko's last arc or two has been a mess.

Aqua had a plan where he would trick the world into thinking Hikaru Kamiki killed him, for reasons that I don't want to explain because they're not directly relevant and also stupid. Everyone was expecting him to survive his convoluted plan to kill himself for the good of his sister, because a lot of weight was put on people around Aqua wanting him to live a happy life and not sacrifice him for the people around him.

But, uh, nope. Chapter 163 has the little crow god whose word is gospel chide Aqua for wondering whether killing himself was the right choice, and chapter 164 basically confirms that Aqua is dead. There are two chapters left, but two chapters isn't really enough to sell us on the 180-degree turn that it would take to walk back all this support for Aqua's suicide. Not when those chapters are a couple dozen illustrated pages each and not a novella, not when the circumstances of Aqua's suicide are spelled out so clearly.

Ward had a lot of concerned fans leading up to its conclusion, but it kept things vague enough that it came out alright in the end. Oshi no Ko had a lot of fans concerned for the same reasons, but where Ward kept things vague until it was time for the last reveal that turned those concerns on their head, Oshi no Ko steadily clarified that those fans were right to be concerned.

[cinnamon-bunni]

🖊 !! (for the oc thing) :D

okay uhhhh i wanted to say something very quick about Angel but then i realized it would need some background info of his character sooooooo in short summary:

Angel has always had a vague fascination of humans but always just in the wrong lens, if that makes sense. more of just like, he enjoyed things from a distance (including the horrors that are brought upon by the humans), without thought of how it affects the humans down below. basically, in a cartoony, more-evil sorta sense, he's basically like "wow humans are so resourceful just look at them go <3" while they drop nukes on each other and shit at some point he starts to have empathy and realizes they're real people down there? and that, even though hes an angel and has been told this his whole existence, he is not in fact Better than humans. he gets character development before the story even starts and goes through his whole character arc to learn to respect life that isn't his and that even the smallest of life matters (he also gets really into biology (specifically botany, ecology, and even microbiology!)

anyways so thats Pre-Amnesia Angel (who is good and loves Earth and stuff). I'm sure as you would guess, Post-Amnesia Angel remembers none of that shit and is back to hating Earth and having a whole superiority thing over humans (in case you're wondering, the whole story is based around him having amnesia)

anyways while Lucifer is like "hiiii :) can you get inside of my house please :) and stay in there :) and never leave :) ily <33" Angel is going "Shut The Fuck Up im Trying to Remember Things" and its just a grand ol' time really <333 (i love them so much because if Angel even gets a fraction of his memories back, Lucifer is wiping his memories again. like if he even remembers his love for plants he is done for 😭)

ANYWAYS i said all of this just to give a little fun fact (which perfectly sums up Angel's character arc) that Angel used to love golf; but now with his new found passion, he loves mini-golf <3

[alitgblog]

didn't play last week's episode until yesterday but I'm all about consistency so here's vol 9 ep 9 thoughts

I had so much false hope they'd do casa right following season 8 where at least your og li didn't leave. like sure there's the loophole of being single, but he recoupled with someone so even if you were still together it would work (it's just that it forced you to couple with a casa boy for drama there but I sorta just ignored the guy I brought back 🤣). but alas, no...

said it before and I'll say it again, casa is the biggest drama love island loves to put on, so why do they keeping fucking it up 😭

you at least get a little bit of sadness from the guy you left single, unlike Elliot s6, but he leaves so quickly and you don't even get a special goodbye from him? you get a special goodbye from Kat's partner??? and he's so vague about it too, not even for gems wtf

Easily if the goal was to remove Kat's partner but still keep Uma with Hamish, for whatever reason, I think just have the islanders vote who to keep between single islanders and then keep Chen/your OG LI if you twisted. If you stuck, then maybe Kelly twists and then the islanders vote between Kat's partner and Finn.

Or even better, just have the LI make a mistake! I love a good "I need to explore this" storyline. Ok fine, I guess that's annoying for most people, but I still think giving the LI's some dimension is great, and this would also help differentiate him from the casa boys' plotlines, because as it turns out in the rest of this volume, yeah they're merged for sure.

So I twisted with Stefan and it feels like there's less history between him and MC (i.e., it's as if I stayed with Chen). I'm of course delusional and changing it in my head, trying to gain some meaning, but it's hard because he's been so "I'm here to win you and you only back" and all of a sudden he's exploring things with Uma? See if it was Chen or even Marshall/Cassius I'd be less upset at that.

like this statement makes less sense to me for Stefan but would make sense for chen. what do you mean "early on" this is the second season you're together?

Oh and speaking of Uma, so I guess Hamish chose to keep her as a friend to stay safe? I don't hate that, if not for the fact that it was Uma. He should've brought like a Lulu type as another LI for MC (ideally not Lulu bc there's too many S5 people already and Eddie's not even here yet).

Anyway so yes I'm mad at Stefan and he's like trying to apologize saying "I'm choosing with my head and my heart and it's with you" and like ok sure, bud. Sleeping only in the hideaway is all I'm saying. he just goes on and on about how compatible he is with Uma but is gonna stay with MC anyway, like if I was watching it I'd suspicious he just knows MC is his ticket to win

Now to the real routes in S9, Hamish kiss???? Ahhhhhh. The problem with my current MC, Kara, I don't think she'd be with Hamish. If Stefan steps up his game, I think she goes to Stefan, and if he doesn't, she's walking out of the villa and reconnecting with Chen. However, the Hamish route is so enticing. it's so cute and fun, and I'm relying on the rest of yall to play and post it about it so I can live vicariously through you.

Finn is another route I'm lost on. I just like him with my S5 MC (and that's in part bc she's like a less possessive/hot-headed Kat). So I'm going through his route but I know he's not endgame for my current playthrough. That being said, ooo the gym scene

and she didn't even kiss him he does this

I don't know if it's different if you're in a Kelly route, but Kelly has kind of faded into the background and the problem with that is I don't remember how she feels about Finn, so I have no idea is it snakey that MC flirts with Finn? I refuse to believe they settled things off camera bc she seemed so into him.

oh God don't mention liam

it feels like they replaced the gem choice stefan/Chen drama with Hamish/Lyle drama that all feels a little similar, specifically with how it seems like a nonproblem? like they just don't get along ig

poor marshall tf? he so downgraded this season. I kinda would've liked if he had a reformed bad boy storyline but he's kinda just in the background imo

personally I think Marshall and Hamish should have a bromance happening since they were friendly in S6. I know fusebox doesn't believe in showing as friendships anymore but they should. and I know Marshall isn't in everyone's game but I'd be okay if Lyle and Hamish made up and then they become close friends instead.

like I said, didn't do anything in the hideaway, but I'd see yall post about the sexy crossword that killed me 🤣

excited for movie night 😈

anyway I think most likely movie night guest is Max just based off the shape of the preview, but imagine it was Eddie? like the guy known for stalking people and knowing everything that's happening in the villa is the one who reveals all in movie night.

no but I think if he comes back he'll be like a Logan sort of situation. I also hope that Kelly and Finn don't settle for each other because they seem like just good friends, but I wonder if that means Kelly will choose to recouple with Eddie in the final recoupling, and Finn gets dumped if you don't pick him. Probably not considering how the Theo/Claudia storyline went, but it's an idea, especially if Eddie is not an LI because he definitely needs more time to convince me he's changed.

[vanlegion]

Fuck... I'm still kind of in my feels over everything. Like, I was laughing, I was crying, I was gasping a little at certain points. I feel like certain things were exactly how they needed to be. Like full circle kind of deal. I also feel like some things were just.... left open and vauge... and while that's sort of okay, it leaves ME feeling open and vague. Not like, empty but... Kind of? I don't know if this will make sense (maybe for some of you it will) but this was WAY the Fuck Better than the Trollhunters Movie that sorta fucked up the entire series, and left me with such disappointment.

Legit never felt that way about a movie or show or series ending before until that moment. I thought maybe it had just been me, and it was like, I missed something or I felt it was off - but no, the whole fandom pretty much said it negated everything the show was/had done to yeah.... RVB's retcon kinda does hurt, and while I kinda liked how PlayBackChurch explained it, overall it was still alright. But while I'm feeling better about how this movie/season went, I guess I was just hoping for... Fuck I dunno. There's still so much left up in the air. Fuck I need an Epilogue for this finale. I need the Epilogue I *wanted* for this series. Gonna Violet Evergarden this shit.

[a-vctlan]

mauve, azure, lime and tangerine if you wish !

COLORFUL INTERVIEW

[ mauve ]  give one random headcanon about your muse / one of your muses.

they say write what you know, and i try to stick to it when it comes to portrayal interpretation / inspiration. barret wallace, along with corel town as a whole, are based on old portuguese colonies, with main inspirations being cabo verde/angola, with barret's native language being portuguese creole.

[ azure ]  is there a specific character or type of character you want to write but never have? why?

i really do respect the people that can pick up easy going characters, or characters that exist solely to have a good time or joke around. they have a place, and sometimes i wish i could be a part of it however i have a bad case of Must Think About Everything All The Time and even when i try to joke i take it at least a little bit seriously. at my core im an angst/horror writer i feel...

[ tangerine ]  do you speak other languages? if yes, which?

so, depends on how far you stretch the meaning of "speak"...

my mother language is russian, tho i was home taught and very loosely at that so while i speak it ok, my reading is on a 6th grade level and my writing is non existent. i am trying to at least use it more with my parents via texting, but without predictive text i wouldn't be getting anywhere.

the "native" language i grew up around was continental portuguese, so this is what i'd actually say is my native tongue - its the language i speak every time i leave my house, ya know?

then there's english, which i learned as an edgy 13 year old desperately translating breaking benjamin / three days grace lyrics through google translate so i could understand the actual meaning in them... now look at me now! i use it to bully people online with feelings >:y ( and make friends i guess )

spanish.... i'm giving myself a solid 6/10 on, i'm understandable and the more i talk the better my pronunciation is.

french is a 2/10. i have beef with and only speak as little as necessary in order to check clients in. which is annoying because theres a lot of really good french music out there and i sorta vaguely understand it, but my brain refuses to absorb any of it out of spite for my 8th french grade teacher :\

[multiplicity-positivity]

tw: brief mention of dr-gs

hey, does going into headspace have to be a first-person POV to count? because most of my (the ex-host) experiences are 3rd person, don't really feel that immersive, and I can't usually access it unless I'm actively trying to. I've only ever had the fully immersed thing happen once, and I was high at the time. even when I leave front, I'm sorta stuck vaguely observing everything. it seems to be a leftover from when I was host, I guess I never got the full "perks" of retiring haha -🌲

hey, that’s totally valid. a headspace is what you make of it, and in general it is 100% imagined. headmates can experience headspaces in first person, third person, or even in second person through the eyes of another system member.

there is no harm or shame in using drugs to help immerse yourself in your headspace or to aid in accessing it, as long as you can do this safely. remember headspaces are visualization tools. so any way you visualize your headspace is valid. there’s no one “true” or “right” way of viewing or experiencing a headspace.

lots of hosts it seems have trouble accessing their system’s preexisting headspace. we recommend checking out some “safe space” dbt resources for learning more about how to visualize an inner world. also be on the lookout for a post of ours on headspaces. ralsei and cecil wrote it a while back, and it looks done to us, so we’ll go ahead and post it.

🐢 kip and 👻 ghost

[employee052]

semi vent fic

intentionally written incredibly vauge but if you know this blog, then you can probably guess what its about kashjdlkasd

also, they are not talking about something in particular. this was written both to collect my thoughts and calm down so im sorry if something sounds wrong or theres a spelling error.

---

a man in a green jacket sits down on a grassy hillside near a thicket of trees. a mop of teal green and white hair swaying against the wind as a comforting gust washes over the landscape. the forest of pine and oak rustling in tranquillity as the cloudy blue sky ahead provides shelter from the sweltering sun.

the man in green closes his eyes. taking a deep breath before sighing out all the remaining stresses and anxieties from his system even for just a moment.

behind him, another figure passes by, their brown sweater feeling almost fitting for the surroundings as their white hoodie string flows along with the wind..

the figure sits down beside the man in green and stares out into the nature ahead of them. 

the two sit in contemplative silence for a moment. letting the silence ease their nerves as they simply basked in the comforting presence of polite company.

the man in brown breaks the silence. "do you ever wish to join them?" he asks, words vague like a secret struggling to be kept hidden. 

yet the man in green understands his question. "yeah, sorta." he responds honestly, fiddling with whatever is beside him on the ground.

"i hate feeling like i'm missing out on something," he continues, "maybe its the anxiety speaking? i have no clue."

another contemplative pause.

"a part of me wants to join them, but…" brown trails off, looking off into the forest as if he was looking for something.

"but?"

"... it feels weird, trying to join them. maybe i just enjoy the more private parts of it all." 

green nods understandingly, a small empathetic smile on his face. "felt."

"it feels like everything is going so fast in there." brown continues, " things are always starting, prompts being made, stories being written, art being drawn. its hard to keep up."

"yep, that and it feels like whatever i make isn't good enough compared to the likes of giants and creative geniuses there. i know im a good artist, but compared to everyone there? i feel like an ant." 

the two go silent as the sound of leaves rustling in the wind grows louder, the wind picking up as though it were a scene in a film. both men let the words exchanged settle into their minds comfortingly, understanding the other for a moment or two.

"what do you suppose we do then?" asks brown, looking to green for guidance.

green pauses, looking back at brown through his yellow glasses. 

"as much as i want to continue trying to join that stream of creation and excitement, i think ill keep things slow, personal, calm even. i hate feeling rushed, and when i want to do stuff with you in it, i want it to mean something. and not just because i don't want to be left out."

brown looks at green understandingly. a comforting smile on his face as he nods.

"ill still do things where, if it comes up ill do it. but i think im good being left out of everything for now. i enjoy doing things at my own pace."

he looks into browns eyes, "and what about you? what's your take on it? im not making a decision without your side."

brown's eyes widen, eyebrows raised as he tries to gather his thoughts together before replying.

"well," he starts looking back into the forest like it was his audience, "i agree with what you said honestly. so there's not much i can comment on."

"as much as i enjoy being the centre of attention, i enjoy it when we get to make something together at our own pace. the pressure of trying to do better with every piece as opposed to just creating for the fun of it all feels suffocating most days." 

brown looks at green suddenly, eyes swimming with nostalgia. "truth be told, i miss the early days. where you would draw me on a notebook, and it would be just us together creating. with you at the pencil and me as the muse."

"nothing to fear, nothing to think, just us, enjoying each other's company."  he says, almost grandiose. like it was a long forgotten time before all the mental turmoil and struggle hit them both like a truck.

green says nothing. opting to think back to those days with a smile. the calm and slow origins of what would later accumulate to the two on the hill, looking out into the forest.

"remember character ai? when you were talking to me there?" brown starts again, a playful grin on his face. "those were some good stories. while the bot never truly got my character down, your guidance really pushed our story into something cohesive and enjoyable. it might have been the first time i wrote with anyone else before…"

green grins, "i'm glad to hear it! and i had fun as well. really."

"maybe it was because it felt like you actually were there with me telling a story, even if the bot butchered your character a lot." green shrugged.

"psh," brown started, "a bot could never get my character down! I have too many facets to myself that putting it into a simple chatbot is like an isolation of my features! reduced to nothing but a few key traits that could never begin to even represent me as an individual!" 

"i know i know…" green sighed, "honestly, it's why i haven't gone back to that bot in ages. it's like your character finally solidified in my head, and now i'm the only one who can write you right. or at least you as my narrator anyways."

"your narrator. talk about sap, nerd." 

"oh can it, dork. you know what i mean."

the two quietly chuckle under their breath. sharing a quick friendly smile before they settle back into sitting calmly on the hill.

"so… we continue like this then? just us, the parable, and a few friends here and there with the occasional prompt or two?" brown asks.

"i suppose. maybe one day i'll be strong and determined enough to go back into that stream of creation again. but im content just sitting at the shore banks dipping my toes into the water and letting the breeze cool my face." green answers, the wind picking up like a crescendo of emotion. the two looking out into the forest with a soft smile and an easy heart. ready to take their time and savour all they can in the moment.

"i understand." brown replies. taking green's hand comfortingly and squeezing it, silently comforting and reassuring him.

…

"also, great use of metaphors by the way." he adds slightly jokingly

green rolls his eyes. "jeez thanks. and i assume that my english test on shakespeare is tomorrow too, sir?" he teases, his voice light with genuinity as he scooches closer to his friend and rests his head on brown's shoulder.

brown scoffs, "and to think i enjoyed writing with you." he jokes back, knowing full well that they both carry no real bite at these taunts. resting his head against green's shoulder as the two stare off into the forest peacefully. 

[crashlapine]

so uh, adventure time spoilers even though it's been a good decade i guess

elaborating on the tags on that last reblog, i've been goin in hard on marathoning the original adventure time series. i say 'original' because the fionna and cake thing apparently got made into a full-blown series of its own that takes place quasi-post mainline adventure time or something? who knows. been trying to remain spoiler-free

anyway. what the fuck is this show dude.

like i've always heard people mention it gets heavy, but vague memories of what i remember watching as a kid (back when cable was something i had access to, roughly during just seasons one and two) all made it very hard to put aside the original impression i had that it was just some funny quirky thing i used to watch. some fun little show where "mathmatical!" is a family-friendly exclamation for adventure and all swears and expletives are substituted with random g-rated humor

like, willing to bet everyone at this point is at least sorta familiar with the post-apocalyptic setting/backdrop running underneath it all; i remember back in its airtime when everyone treated it as a big deal, how folks here loved to theorize about it before the explicit confirmation in-show

but... now, actually sitting down to watch this all in order, seeing this silly thing slowly turn into this heavy episodic mess about loss, manipulation, the legacy you're expected to leave behind, identity (and a lack of ties to one's own), and god knows what else... the post-apoc theming's much less a Shocking Reveal, and more just... "yeah, that's just the setting. life goes on. this is how we've dealt with the fallout in trying to rebuild society, fixing our mistakes" since s03/s04.

as funny as it feels to get into a long post about a show aimed at kids and teens, we also have literal episodes like [spoilers] finn getting his own dominant arm completely torn off while trying to chase down his absent father, with the only thing stopping him from bleeding out is a mix of Cursed Artifact and Pool Of Healing fantasy tropes, going on to spend the next episode, and i mean the full fucking runtime of the episode [s06e04, "The Tower"], in a dissociative/depressive state, absentmindedly building a tower to the heavens above in some vain revenge-driven attempt to find his father again just so he can rip /his/ arm off as eye-for-an-eye payback, operating off the vague notion the dude escaped earth's orbit and is just 'up there' somewhere. the only thing that stops him and snaps him out of that state is passing out from a lack of oxygen at the elevations he reaches.

like, imagine tuning into a rerun of a random episode of this show and eleven minutes of /that/ is what you get, devoid of context. there's no adventure there. this isn't fun. but you can't bring yourself to fault the kid, either, seeing the events of the past dozen episodes that built up to that point. this little story arc is hardly the only time this kind of thing happens, and the consequences of each one of these events is never neglected by the writing team. it resonates through the rest of the story, constantly

all taken together, it feels like the main motto of this series season four and on has become some reassurance to the viewer that "life can throw a lot of shit your way, and we don't always know how to handle these things. but for better or worse, life goes on. it has to."

marathoning this series properly has been a trip that resonates close to home too often in too many ways, as weirdly high-fantasy complete nonsense as it can be. feels weird to acknowledge that.

i'm gonna miss this show dearly once i'm through with it