#If only people explored that and didn't just use the same corrupted characters from the trailer over and over 😔

[crossover-enthusiast]

I love that the thing that makes me think about Pibby again is the got damn Spooky Month crossover /pos

[rin-sith]

Let's talk about "Monster" ... and one of Odysseus' criminally underrated traits: his lack of judgment.

I was re-listening to "Monster" the other day and it kind of just hit me... Overall, that song isn't my favorite (it's somewhere in B tier; the lyricism is great, and the part after "So if we must sail through dangerous oceans..." absolutely slaps, it's just not one that I go back to frequently.) But there are some things I genuinely adore about it because I adore the way it progresses Odysseus' character arc as clearly not a "corruption" and how this is conveyed through the way the song is set up and presented.

First of all, I simply have to yap about how Odysseus isn't justifying his foes' actions the way that I have seen some people falsely assume. He's describing what they did or do and essentially saying, "They aren't letting themselves be stopped by guilt from doing what they think they have to do, so why should I?"

Polyphemus doesn't overthink whether it's right or wrong to kill some people because they harmed him or his sheep.

Circe may deep down feel guilt but isn't letting that stop her from turning men into pigs to prevent any more harm from befalling her nymphs at their hands.

Poseidon isn't losing sleep over drowning a fleet because that is what gods do to retain their infamy and status.

Odysseus and the rest of his soldiers didn't use the Trojan horse tactic out of malice or bloodlust, but out of pragmatism. It was the most efficient way to win a war that would have only cost more lives on both sides if they hadn't ended it then and there.

You look at that and you may think, "That's all very fair, but that doesn't mean any of those actions are justified" ... and you'd be right. None of the actions above are actually right or justified.

But the thing about "Monster" that I love so much is that it's specifically NOT something like, "These people I've encountered are all evil and ruthless and they are right and justified in being that way; I'll be the same." It's actually, "These people I've encountered act with ruthlessness; it clearly aids them in achieving their goal, and they seem to have figured out how to not feel guilt over their actions. I want to reap those benefits too. So far, I've been acting with mercy, which seems to have disadvantaged me. If they can do it, I can and should do the same to level the playing field."

Odysseus isn't saying that their actions are right, wrong, or justified. He's simply exploring why these people act the way they do. And he does so entirely without judgment.

I'm not surprised about him not judging Circe; while she was still wrong since she went overboard and struck preemptively against people who were not guaranteed to ever cause harm, she was pretty much redeemed in the end and her point is the easiest out of these to understand.

But the rest? Polyphemus killed his best friend. Poseidon drowned his whole fleet. The Trojan horse? It never comes up anywhere else but since he mentions it here, I think it's safe to assume that Odysseus feels guilty for using a tactic such as this. And still... Odysseus talks about his foes' actions with understanding and an open mind. He acknowledges their points of view—all of them, even if none besides Circe ever acknowledged or understood his.

The only time we genuinely see Odysseus act out of resentment is when he tells Polyphemus his name... After that, he never shows anything of the sort ever again. If he ever held any resentment toward any of his foes, I feel like this is where he lets it go for good.

Hell, even Poseidon, whom he would have by far the most reasons to resent, Odysseus doesn't actually judge or resent. I wrote a whole mini-essay on why the Vengeance saga proves that Odysseus doesn't actually seek or want vengeance on Poseidon. One might argue that he sounded like he was avenging his crew in "Six Hundred Strike" but it's important to remember that he offered Poseidon forgiveness one song earlier. He didn't lead with vengeance or resentment, but he rekindled his anger when Poseidon rejected his mercy.

My point is that Odysseus doesn't judge or resent any of the people who attempt to stand between him and his home... which shows incredible character strength in and of itself. This occurs later, but he acts similarly toward Calypso in "Not Sorry for Loving You" as well.

This is such an underrated trait of his, especially considering it fits perfectly with EPIC's themes, which revolve around seeing every perspective and balancing between ruthlessness and mercy. Honestly, I don't think those themes would even work with a protagonist who isn't so open-minded.

Coming back to "Monster," as we've established, Odysseus doesn't pass judgment on his foes. Similarly, he isn't saying that his decision to embrace ruthlessness and "become" a Monster (read more to find out why I put that in quotation marks) or any of his future actions as this Monster are justified.

I genuinely despise it when people call his arc a "villain arc" or "corruption" because that's pretty much missing the entire point. He isn't actually becoming a monster, corrupting, or genuinely changing his personality—hence why I put those quotation marks earlier. He is deliberately choosing to embrace a certain ruthless way of acting, fully knowing that it is not actually right or justified. "So what if I'm the Monster?" is self-gaslighting. He knows it's not "so what?" But he's doing it anyway because he has seen this way of acting aiding his foes. He literally says, "I must become the Monster / And then we'll make it home." He is convinced that this is what he must become because he keeps being told this by everyone.

From the top, his values or person isn't actually being corrupted. He's not really internally changing. He's merely adapting a way of behaving because he thinks it's the only way he'll still get home, and only because of that. It's really f*cking sad actually. Especially because he is wrong; his not being ruthless is not actually the problem, as we find out later.

Genuinely, his monster act lasted exactly 3,5 songs; in the second half of "Mutiny" it's already all gone because he is so afraid for his crew and what they're about to do to themselves that he instinctively goes back to wanting to save them despite how they just led a mutiny, despite how they don't listen to him regarding the cows.

Odysseus' entire arc can be described as, "He tries out mercy, and it doesn't get him home. He tries out ruthlessness, and it doesn't get him home either. In order to get home, he needs to learn balance, in Hermes' words "Every trick in his domain"." And that is also, as I believe, the main theme of EPIC: Neither ruthlessness nor mercy by itself is the solution. Both have their place; one needs balance. Or: treat people as they ask to be treated.

Only by the time of the Vengeance saga does Odysseus seem to have finally figured this out, and that's where he genuinely starts succeeding.

So no, Odysseus is no longer "The Monster" by the time of the Vengeance saga, no matter how much the visuals in "Six Hundred Strike" try to convince us otherwise. But he isn't "Just a Man" either. Did anyone besides me notice how he stopped calling himself this or justifying his weak moments like that in "Monster" and how he doesn't go back to it even after dropping the monster act?

And here we have the perfect segway into an essay I haven't written yet that might answer the question, "If now he's not a man and not a monster, what is he then?"

Well, technically Odysseus told us himself that one time he acted out of resentment... "Neither man nor mythical." But that's an essay yet to be written... I'll get to it soon, and there we might answer what actually happened in "Six Hundred Strike" and why the line "If you dance with fate I know you'll enhance your state", that I see is mostly overlooked, matters so much more than we probably all think.

Until then, know that I am not actually the first one to address the "Neither man nor mythical" significance. Credit goes to @glisten-inthedark; coming across her post on this matter genuinely enhanced my understanding of what happened so much and I need all of you to read it because it's a truly brilliant conclusion. I'll write my own essay on this topic soon, I promise. But without that post, I would've probably not come to this realization for a long while.

Either way, we end this essay with words that I will never tire of repeating: Stop villainizing Odysseus, y'all. It's not cool, not only because it's undeserved but also because it pretty much shows that you have successfully missed the point and core theme of this musical.

... See you when we inspiration for another essay strikes me. In the meantime, have a brief introduction to what that essay will cover in meme form because I can.

[crescent-usagi]

Devin May Cry Netflix

Look. I've never played Devil May Cry, not a single game. I knew very little going into this show. But man this was a really good and fun show!

All I see is a bunch of negativity coming from the DMC fan base, and look I can accept you wanting an proper adaptation of your video game; but that doesn't mean you have to be an ass hat to this new continuity.

This is a non-canon story, if you want the original DMC then go back and replay the games! Complaining about the story being different in this is like complaining that Sonic 3 isn't the same as Sonic Adventures 2. Its not meant to be exact, its meant to take the characters and ideas and use them in a way to reintroduce them to a newer generation of people.

A Majority of complaints I've see are about Lady being the main character instead of Dante when that's blatantly untrue. God forbid a WOMEN be important to the story. Another complaint I've seen is Dante being weaker then his game counterpart. This Dante wasn't trained to fight by his father like he was in the games; he has no idea how his powers work until the Rabbit explains it to him. He didn't even KNOW he was half demon! Lets allow the character to learn and grow and get stronger thru the series. While Lady has been training and is in a special forces unit for fighting demons. Even though Dante has been fighting demons for a while he has mostly been relying on his extreme healing factor and speed rather than actual technique from what we can really see.

I also see people complaining about backstories. majorly that we don't fully get Dante's full story just the clip notes of it. But you have to realize the creators were only given 8 episodes to tell their story. unfortunately that means cutting things for time and Dante's back story at this point is not the most relevant to the story. We get Rabbit and Lady's back stories because they are relevant to the current plot of the show (Lady's is more so used a mirror to Rabbits). If we are to get another season it would most likely be focused on Dante finding and fighting Vergil where we would most likely get to see the entire back story from both boy's point of views.

People seem to be forgetting that the goal is to get another season to keep exploring these characters. I'm sure that in the first video game Dante isn't the same person he is in the last because he had time to grow. These 8 episodes are introducing us (and Dante) to EVERYTHING. He will (hopefully) grow in future season(s). People are expecting to much from such a short season. Unfortunate as it is this is how streaming services do things, as much as id rather we get 12 episodes or more we are only given 8 and they have to make due with what they have.

And the immigration analogy. So much about this is hated but its because people are only looking at it at face value. Yes, Rabbits plan is WRONG but that doesn't mean everything he stood for was wrong. letting in every demon is a bad idea. Yes. But dose that mean all those innocent Makaian's should be dyeing and suffering to the corrupt and gruesome ruling class of demons? No. I would BET that this idea will be working towards Dante (or maybe Virgil?) becoming the new ruler/king of Makai after defeating King Mundus. Perhaps after kicking out the American invasion and closing the door to hell behind them and sealing it he will be left (maybe with his brothers help) to restructure and try and repair Makai. (pretty sure he and his brother get trapped in hell in the games? could be wrong I've only watched one hour long video about the games so I could be misremembering.) I would expect Dante to grow and change as a character before this were to happen but again that's the point of multiple seasons. The perfectionists solution to immigration isn't to let everyone into another country; its to fix the situation they are coming from.

While no we don't need politics to be part of the show it is not our choice as viewers to make. This is what the Director wanted to go with so it's what we are getting, if you don't like it then don't watch it and just enjoy the games. This isn't the games, and maybe if it was a reimagining of something I cared about and grew up with I'd view it differently but as a new comer to the series I really enjoyed it and will be looking more into the franchise as a whole. This show succeeded in its mission to bring in new people to the fan base, just as the sonic movie did for its franchise.

I really hope we get another season and this isn't just left as a one and done show. Please look at this is in a new lens and not as a connection to the video games. Allow them to tell the story they want to tell. Maybe I'll re-watch the show and have different feelings in the future but after a first watch I really liked it. The animation and soundtrack are spectacular and really nostalgic for me as someone who grew up watching AMV's on YouTube in the 2010's.

I don't normally post my opinions about things online and just keep to myself but this felt important for me to talk about. If anything I've said was wrong or you disagree with any of my statements feel free to let me know, just please don't be a jerk about it, like I said I'm not overly familiar with this franchise and I only watched thru this season once so I could also be misremembering or just have rose tinted glasses from a first viewing. I don't really know how to end this now. byebyyyyyeeeeee <3

[minamorsart]

Enter Merla: Queen of Darkness!!! 🖤✨

I was pretty disappointed when VLD didn't explore the culture and politics of the Galra Empire more, especially after Lotor took the throne, and I was also quite disappointed with Merla's cameo. So I decided to take a crack at her design myself! Some backstory below!!

I made her Acxa's twin sister because while I don't believe it was confirmed, I always thought that 80's Merla's character must have been divided into the four women who became Lotor's generals in VLD, so why not make Merla and Acxa related? Plus in every piece of fiction you need to have at least one set of twins ;) That's just da rules babeyy~

Acxa and Merla are from Planet Drule (a loyal territory of the Galra Empire) and are half-Galra and half-Drule. They are not of royal descent, and since they were children they were looked down on because they are half-breeds. As the oldest, Acxa takes on the responsibility of looking after Merla, who over the years begins to grow restless with the two of them settling for low-ranking positions in the army and living a less than satisfying life.

One day exiled Prince Lotor comes to oversee the planet just as Merla is planning a coup to overthrow the corrupt Drule king. The coup fails, and wanting to protect her sister, Acxa takes the blame even though she had nothing to do with it. When she is sentenced to death, Lotor, seeing the potential and skill Acxa possesses, offers to pardon her in exchange for her loyalty to him, thus saving her life (it is my personal headcanon that Acxa is the first of the generals to be recruited). She accepts and tries to convince Merla to come with her, but Merla refuses and insists on staying, saying that she wants to change things on Drule, and that by leaving Acxa is abandoning her. The two part ways on bad terms, and do not see each other for many years.

Merla eventually succeeds in taking the throne, her followers assassinate the king, and she becomes queen of Drule. She and Acxa have the occasional run-in, which is how Lotor and the other generals get to know her more. There is still lingering resentment between the two sisters, however, particularly on Merla's part. The events of VLD proceed as normal up until the end of season 5, and I personally would like to take out Lotor killing Narti and the generals turning against him. Now emperor, Lotor works tirelessly to unite his people and deal with the growing Galra factions which plot to rise up against him.

News of Lotor's ascent to the throne spreads throughout the universe, and soon Queen Merla is paying a visit to the Empire and demanding an audience with him. She knows all about the Galra factions, including Sendak's Fire of Purification, and proposes that she and Lotor marry in order to combine the forces of both the Galra Empire and Planet Drule. If Lotor accepts, the two nations will become stronger than ever and no one will dare stand against them. If he refuses, Merla will merely seek support from the factions, perhaps even form an alliance with Sendak, who will eventually try to take the Galra throne himself.

What can this mean for not only the Galra Empire, but for Voltron and the Coalition as well?? What can this mean for Lotor and Allura's developing relationship??? For those who haven't seen the 80's show, Queen Merla debuts in the US-made 2nd season. She and Lotor are actually engaged for a time! Merla is cold, cunning, and calculating like Lotor, and perhaps even a little more manipulative. She enjoys being entertained and can on occasion be condescending.

And this is not meant to create any unnecessary love triangle between Merla, Lotor, and Allura. While Merla has people in her life she cares for and she respects Lotor, her first priority is maintaining her seat on the throne and looking after her people, so she really only sees Lotor as a means to gain more power. Lotor recognizes this, because he mostly shares the same mindset as her and can see the benefits of marrying her, regardless of his own feelings. And how does Allura feel about this whole matter?? 👀 Only time will tell, though it is also likely that the princess may be too proud to ever reveal how she truly feels. At the end of the day, I just think it would be fascinating to explore more of the politics of the VLD universe and the complications that come with ruling an entire empire whilst trying to keep alliances and territories intact. Plus it would make for some fun drama! Particularly in the romance category hehe.

[ooapple-greaseoo]

Guys should I make a fanfiction about light because there's this little one shot that I read that really inspired me I'll link it in the comments once I find it again. But basically it was about how ryuk didn't want to tell light about one small thing and he didn't want to tell it to him not because he wanted to mess with light like he usually does but because not to put spoilers but it wouldn't have done light any good.

Basically my idea is to essentially explore that idea that the amount of time light has throughout his life changes multiple times based on how he is feeling and how he is mentally. Not just starting from the beginning of death Note but going all the way back to his childhood. I want to explore how his life as a police chief's son made him feel bored and that his life was monotonous but also how it affected his morals and how those morals got extrapolated to a major degree because of the corrupting nature of the death note. I also want to explore themes of loneliness and not being understood in the way that is so unique to him because he doesn't feel emotions like everyone else because at least what I've seen in the anime light doesn't seem like he has friends so I'm going to explore the friendship between him and L when he gets introduced obviously because in the same way that light is L's first friend is the same way L is lights first friend. Because the way I can understand their friendship is kind of like persona 5's main character and akechi goro because they have such a unique friendship that there are things only they can understand about each other that no one else can.

Also mind you I haven't watched death Note in years and this is my first time getting back into it. So if I do write this there may be some points that happened in Canon that I will forget. And I might explore the relationship between light and Misa because their relationship is very important to the plot because Misa doesn't love light she's obsessed with kira but light isn't kira and she very willingly lets herself be used by kira / light because even when light doesn't have his memory he still uses Misa and Misa lets it happen. Then I would also go into how light feels about misa's obsession because obviously he's using her that's plain and simple but he sees the necessity of having a girlfriend in the society they are in especially a girlfriend who is very highly regarded in that society. I want to explore how he feels like relationships aren't something he wants but he sees it as a necessity to get by.

Is this a good idea or no?

Also I don't know but I MIGHT make this a lawlight fanfiction. But it's not going to be in the way that it's going to be the primary focus of the fanfiction or making their personalities and beliefs change to suit the stereotypes that a lot of people put on to the relationship when writing fanfiction. The way I would go about their relationship would be kind of like how Misa and light mutually use each other but instead of obsession like misa has for light it would be a mutual understanding between l and light that they're both using each other but it's beneficial for both of them and that it's a two-way street rather than essentially a one-way Street like Misa and light.

[yanderefairyangel]

I feel like what's making Lumera, and the Divine & Fell Dragons work for me is that they're essentially Sothis, Rhea, and the Nabateans if the writing allowed them to TRULY haunt the narrative in terms of what they went through and lost.

Like, so much from Lumera feels like a realised Rhea & Sothis combo, which is wilder when you realise she's dead for most of Engage's story, but IS lets her (again) HAUNT THE NARRATIVE extensively.

Enough of her influence and death fleshes out Alear's existence and motivation in the story, and the people who surrounding them.

That even applies to how Rafal and Nel from the Fell Xenologue adds that extra love for Fell Dragons that Veyle already had beforehand.

plus there's just how Engage in general treats and explores its dragon and divine cast, kinda fills the void that both 3H titles just didn't commit to filling with the Nabateans outside of Heroes giving Rhea and Sothis more love than said 3H titles.

I genuinely can't stop thinking how much Engage really makes up for how little Fodlan's setting DEPENDED on not doing much with one of Fire Emblem's core aspects, its dragons.

Yep my thoughts exactly !

The issue with 3H is that it refuses to explore the Nabateans even though the whole Nabatean/Agarthans conflict is literaly at the heart of everything that happens in Foldan !

This weakens greatly the Nabateans, especially characters like Sothis who just straight up doesn't do anything in the mid game anymore even thought the early game gave you the impression there would be a greater role for her (but nope)

So while everyone complains that Lumera "dies too early so we don't have the time to get attached" what they misses is that : IT. IS. THE POINT. When Alear meets Lumera, they don't remember anything, the point is specfically that when you lost Lumera you don't realize the loss right away but with her haunting the narrative you grow to care about her only to discover WHY Alear cares about her, I have talked about it but

Ludo- narrative dissonance CAN be used to enhance the narrative and since Alear's amnesia is heavily implied to be dissociative in nature it makes sense that the player and the character are put in states where they aren't in harmony : because Alear themselves aren't in harmony when Lumera dies. They forgot everything when in comes to episodic memories but they still retain subsoncious memories, which is why they still fear the Corrupted at the begining of the game, but the player doesn't know why they dislike the corrupted yet, it's only later they do. This is the same reasoning here, Alear cries because they still love Lumera subconsiously, but at the same time they like episodic memory they don't have the full context, it's as I explained, their past selves manifesting when seeing the only person who cared for them dying, but we the audience, we don't know anything when this scene happens. But later moments allows us to look at this scene differently, and by the time we reach chapter 25, we have grown to care enough about Lumera to feel in harmony with Alear when she dies this time, meant to also reflect how by this point, Alear made the peace with their past, and when replaying the story this recontextuallization only makes it better !

Engage doesn't simply let Lumera haunt the narrative, it plays a game of sprinkling elements here and there which makes the re-experiencing the story even better, because every bit becomes recontextualized and shows the amount of care but into every of Lumera's lines. Each one of them reflect what happens to the story later on and set the outline for chapter 25.

Meanwhile 3H gives us dragons but does nothing with it. I know people complain about Alear and Veyle but I never thought they would argue that Seteth and Flayn conviniently losing their power to turn into dragons is somehow a better diegetic excuse than Veyle getting rid of her stone because of her trauma and complicated self acceptances issues and Alear losing theirs because they gave it to Veyle and then the stone breaking when it serves as yet another element liking Alear to the notion of hope (since Veyle search for them and that their stone being intact means they are still alive so she can still hope)

Flayn and Seteth's relationship is cute and all but is that all there is ? If the Nabateans weren't ... idk KINDA IMPORTANT DUE TO HOW THEIR HISTORY AND THE AGARTHANS WANT TO TAKE REVENAGE ON THEM CAUSED 99% OF THE CURRENT SITUATION IN FOLDAN that wouldn't be such a problem

This is very frustrating when you take into consideration how many games that have dragon as an important lore but actualy dont shy away from exploring everything about them, and for game where they are more minor like Sacred Stones, they still got their moment and it's at least justifiable

But the Nabateans are way to important to just be left like that yet 3H just doesn't want to use them

[azquine]

I was really hoping I'd be able to move Mythic Quest up a tier on my TV show tier list, but with things wrapping up, it seems like it will have constantly just missed the mark. There were sparks of this show that I absolutely LOVED and wanted to put right at the top, I mean there are some really interesting characters who give great performances and some spectacular episodes that match some of the best of Community does, and I fucking LOVE that show.

But there was always something in the majority of MQ's content that doesn't quite connect the dots for me, some sort of consistency that wasn't pulling together. To a lesser extent I get the same thing with It's Always Sunny, but that is more because the characters will always be awful and slump backwards to where they were, which I can respect as a core aspect of the show. With Mythic Quest change DOES happen, people change their job position permanently and we get the appearance of growth, but it never really feels like there is any gravity to it, their actions and dynamics with other characters don't feel like they shift with the changes in roles. I mean, David had some really interesting character shifts this last season, he's being a bit more pushy and morally grey, but there's never a payoff where attention gets drawn to this in respect to another character. There was potential for this to happen in the poker episode, Brad steps onto David's territory with a plan and ends up on the back foot. But it didn't really feel like it was about how David has changed. It was about the contained plot of the episode and how that affects the current season going forward, not the wider scope of the show.

With each season I would hope that this would be the one that pulls it all together, that the previous few were all just buildup and THIS is where the show is going to find its feet. But it never quite did, and now it's the end. I loved it, there is a lot I'd love to rewatch and play about with, but I can't lie when I say that I'm both unsurprised and a little disappointed that what had the potential to be fantastic didn't quite get over the line for me. I really do think that this issue could have been fixed if the show had more room to breathe, more episodes in a season to really explore where the characters are at, how they play off of each other in that space, and make any changes feel like they happen naturally instead of a sudden transformative earthquake at the end each time. Brad's career path would be an amazing journey to watch just by summarising it, but there is something missing in the in betweens which makes it feel like random tugs rather than a planned path, which, granted, is how life often is, but a story should feel more like the former! Throwing himself onto the sword for Jo while claiming it's for his own benefit? I love that, but it could do with either those benefits being shown to us, or a hint that he was lying when saying that. Because we assume that it's a lie, but I don't recall there ever actually being a nod towards that. Brad returning as a low level worker with a scheme only David is suspicious of? That could have been great, but it was missing either a payoff for that original plan, or a confirmation that there never was a plan and he just wanted to drive David nuts! But he instead goes with the opportunity that falls in his lap and corrupts Rachel to the money side so he can work as her puppet master, which would be great if they made the corruption intentional from the get-go, something slow and season spanning as she places her principles aside for the sake of stability and a glimpse of being GOOD at something. Then, feeling unfulfilled, he leaves to work with Dana, which, cool, I like the relationship that was building there. They actually seemed to be getting along, he was starting to like her as a boss, she was starting to be more morally grey like him and Jo. But after the poker game, he seems to go 'fuck it' and sets her aside for a romantic interest who he is suddenly willing to throw everything away for. (Which, BTW, what happened to Dana's war path? That was supposed to be something!) I love the back and forth we saw with Brad being pushed to turn his back on everything while at the very same time he softens up and becomes more vulnerable, but, again, when he drops the scheme for the sake of MQ, WE DON'T SEE WHY! He ends up back where he started, but we don't see the real reasoning behind the steps, which, yeah he keeps his cards close to his chest and it's okay if you want to keep it mysterious, but that doesn't mean that you can't have implications! And this issue isn't unique to him. People with pick up and drop different plotlines, and we never see why, or where the dropped stuff goes! The characters are the shows biggest asset, but there are crucial things missing to properly understand their actions.

Anyway, with the show ending I'll probably get that MQ episode Teirlist I was meaning to make properly underway. That might make me better understand the patterns this show has with its seasons.

[dani-luminae]

You gripe about human star love interest for asha which is real funny when your fic is basically a role swapped version of that idea...

By "your fic" I'm guessing you mean Love from the Stars? The only similarity there is that there's a main character of color associated with the stars.

Lia isn't a wishing star, either. She doesn't grant wishes. Sure, she'll used her powers to aid others in times of great peril, but that's not the same as Star. She didn't come to Auradon because of a wish either, she came to explore and Ben just happened to be hurt in front of her so she decided she would go with him.

Also I feel there's a massive difference between "lovingly crafted story for relatively small audience" compared to "product of global multi-million dollar company with a fandom that's not known for being kind to WOC."

Because honestly. My criticism isn't the concept itself. Funny human/Genie-like/Peter Pan clone Star could have been really cool! My problem is that, had he been in the movie, fandom would erase Asha completely to focus on her white boy love interest. It happens all the time.

There's a similar criticism of mine with the "evil power couple Amaya and Magnifico" concept art. Amaya is significantly more brown-skinned. I can just imagine the hoops that fandom would leap through to pin all the evil happenings on her and say Magnifico's innocent and was completely heroic until she "corrupted him." They already jump through hoops to say that Asha's the bad guy bc she doesn't like her "benevolent" ruler literally keeping pieces of peoples' heart and souls hostage.

In summary, human!Star isn't a bad idea in and of itself, but I just know how horrible the fans would be in erasing Asha from her own story.

Contrast that with LFTS, in which I and my mutuals would break kneecaps if anyone even tried to lightwash/remove Lia from the story.

Which is a world of difference.

[midwinterhunt]

Attack on Titan rant incoming

This was the first anime I EVER watched, like, 12 years ago. I'm not even sure the first season had a dub when I started. I was there for the titan running crack memes, for the unholy amount of Eren/Levi shipping, the- fuckin- aot high school spinnoff thing! So I like to believe my perspective on where this show has gone has merit.

And yes, I know how infamous it is, and that a lot of people cheered over it finally being over and dead, but just hear me out.

I would NOT recommend this show as someone's intro to anime, but little 14 year old me didn't have someone holding my hand I just picked the first eye catching thing on netflix back when they first introduced the concept of shows that were stream-only.

And I was MESMERIZED.

The music made me feel Brand New Emotions I didn't even have names for, the setting was full of mystery and creatures that were like nothing I'd ever seen in media before, and the main character was a yappy little underdog without a chance in hell who I WANTED to win. It was a story about adventure and survival and the hope of a big beautiful world beyond all the carnage. A lot of people hated it right off the bat for the gore, but I liked it. It was just the right thing at the right age for my brain to latch onto it and drag me into the world of fandom at large.

And then in the same breath it slammed me right into hiatus hell.

By the time the second season finally got produced and released, my intense interest had died down a bit and I was mostly still watching out of quiet curiosity. It introduced the idea that titans were not a different creature that some humans were some kind of hybrid shifter of, but all titans are just transformed humans. The whole premise of the story shifted in a really interesting way, which isn't something media does very often. Sure there are false narratives, but in aot, the shift felt different. It was laying something down and you could feel it happen, but there wasn't really a way to understand.

It began to introduce more political/religious corruption elements, and that maybe giant monsters weren't the only threat. Which was still on theme, what with the idea of wanting humanity to survive and wanting their dreams to come true and to go out and explore, but now it was being challenged with perhaps humanity is on its own darker. This all tracks.

And even still, it still follows when they discover there are humans beyond the walls and the sea. That they AREN'T the last of humanity. The theme still carried, even though we found out everything we knew about the setting was a lie.

And then suddenly it became a bad WW2 allegory.

Literally, when I read the chapter that shifted focus to Marley, I thought there had been some kind of upload mistake on the website I was using. Or perhaps it was a flashback? I was SO CONFUSED. And then as the pieces were revealed I was just kinda stunned.

Only one specific race of people could become titans, and the rest of the world was just the real world. And we see Marley, a military hyper nationalist country who makes the Eldians/Children of Ymir (arguably an ethnic religious people) wear marked armbands and live in Internment Zones because the Eldians used to be dictators and they brutalized the rest of world with their "devil powers" so this oppression is Good Actually and i just..... (O_O;) (;O_O)

I just didn't know how we got from Kid Wants To See Ocean to a holocaust allegory where the victims are in this situation because they did something and just... if they were going to draw those similarities they really... I just wish they hadn't painted their oppressed class as having done anything

MOVING ON

because that point has been made many times by people far more equipped than i

Eren's fall from grace was also really interesting. Because most of the time when a story has their MC fall from grace, it's because outside forces backed them into a situation where they had no choice. And Eren... well the story fully admits that there was just something Wrong with that boy from the start and if we hadn't been so caught up in his underdog story we would've seen it coming from a mile away.

From episode one he's been saying "I'll kill every last one of them!" so really he told all his friends and the audience that he was the kind of person to commit a genocide

And can we talk about how crazy of a choice that was? Member of an oppressed class being killed by the whole world decides to kill the whole world in turn? Especially after he went across the sea and intimately got to see the humanity of the other groups of people and learn just how precious they all were, he still chose to set in motion the events he foresaw. He KNEW the Rumbling was a self fulfilling prophesy long in advance and still chose to fulfill it because there is Just Something Wrong With That Boy. Bold choice on the author's part.

And halfway through watching the final few episodes it hit me: The Rumbling is just an allegory for nukes. It left the world flattened and scorched wherever it touched. And I don't know how this story being japanese affected the tones and contents of the story, but I really feel like that plays a role here.

And by the end I was in love with the story again, for reasons I don't fully understand. By all accounts it became a disaster, but seeing the same characters age with me, and become politically aware with me, and choose various different paths to dealing with war and violence at the same pace I did, I think that did something to my brain.

The homestuck kiss shocked my systems a little

And then they threw out Interdimensional Superpower-Granting Parasite, and then proceeded to never explain it. While at the same time also erasing everyone's titan powers and failing to achieve world piece thus rounding back to their theme of the nature of humanity. And in the epilogue scene, they show the far future post apocalypse and how the power came back but didn't show anything after that and I just reallyneedanswers!

My point? This show had ups and downs, we can't do anything about the bad ww2 analogy, and I want a futuristic post-apoc sequel exploring the nature of the worm thing!

I guess this was less an insightful analysis, and more just my general thoughts on where the story went.

[mirkwood]

i know u didn't rb that post, BUT I WANT TO KNOW what u think of ur melkor and feanor :)) so !!! 18, 13, 22.

Well I actually just did 👀

Thank you for the ask, you're too kind and thank you for your patience again <3

Let me put this under here :

For Melkor :

13. What's an emoji, an emoticon and/or any symbol that reminds you of this character or you think the character would use a lot?

When I think about him these emojis come to mind: 💥☄🌒😡🌫❗🕳👺

Listen there's no in between with him, he is either not big on emojis OR he overuses all of them. it doesn't matter the context. he puts them everywhere. he's talking about sth serious? he will put the crying laughing emoji. followed by random emojis (mairon can't stand it). that depends on his mood though.

But if he knows that you have one emoji that you hate, he's gonna use that ALL. THE. TIME. Everywhere. hes annoying.

18. How about a relationship they have in canon with another character that you admire?

Well i really like his dynamic with Mairon, even if we're not talking about it in a romantic way.

I think it's interesting because look there's this big bad guy who has a lieutenant and they both only like each other. I also think they balance each other out well, they are similar but not so much that it makes them clash this is more feanor/melkor.

And Melkor definitely needs the order and everything Mairon has to offer. Look at him, the chaos is everywhere. They both have a lot to offer to each other and I think that's the main key for their dynamic here.

Also. "The corruption of Mairon" yes okay but i think he WANTED to be corrupted, Melkor just offered him this opportunity. It's another version of them that can be pretty interesting, it all depends on how you want to see their dynamic/relationship.

My thoughts are all over the place about them but I have to sit and ponder more to give you a better answer tbh.

22. If you're a fic reader, what's something you like in fics when it comes to ths character? Something you don't like?

I really like when people write him as ruthless and relentless, but also. let's not forget that this guy is a loser. so I like it when people add that side of him in their fics. Because he's literally just fucking around and finding out most of the time. Let's be real kfjsdkdjfsd

Something I don't like. Well I don't really know. I haven't read anything that I didn't like. The only thing I would like to see more of is melkor who is just a wreck tbh. Like emotionally and mentally i just want to read about him dealing with those feelings (even though he doesn't really know how to do that!!!)

I'm currently writing a piece that kiiinda resembles what i said above and I have to say it's very interesting to explore that side of him.

For Feanor :

13. What's an emoji, an emoticon and/or any symbol that reminds you of this character or you think the character would use a lot?

Emojis that remind me of him : 🤬💎🔥☄🌪

BRO USES THIS 💀💀💀 EMOJI ALL THE TIME!!!! CONTEXT BE DAMNED

Also he's such a dad he uses 👍🏻 this one too. Like. Whatever the convo. He will send it.

AND THIS "........" DAD MOMENT!!!! OK.....👍🏻

I feel like he'd also use "lmao" too but only in a sarcastic way. like when he gets pissed off he uses it TOO MUCH.

18. How about a relationship they have in canon with another character that you admire?

Listen....... basically I can talk about him w melkor here since this question doesn't specify the kind of relationship.

So i think it's SUPER interesting bc i've seen people saying that they are the two sides of the same coin (and it's def true. they both follow their emotions more than being logical. boh of them also go against the Valar for their own reasons etc.)

I think feanor ofc has every right to hate melkor but at the same time. it's like you are hating a part of yourself bro bc they are so similar. Also they both have a passion that is unmatched. like I am not even seeing this from a shipper perspective, that's right there.

Their dynamic, even though it's barely discussed is sooo good and I think if melkor wasn't such a fuckass dipshit and feanor wasn't so impulsive it would be sooo interesting to explore another side of them where they could work together or sth. Think about it.

Then again, you can also see them exactly as Tolkien intended (feanor, who hates melkor for sooo many valid reasons. melkor who just loves manipulating and lying and being a bitch) and still enjoy their dynamic idk i think it's very promising.

I AM RAMBLING. DOES THIS MAKE ANY SENSE.

22. If you're a fic reader, what's something you like in fics when it comes to ths character? Something you don't like?

I will admit i haven't read many fics w feanor (yet) so I wouldn't know.

But I'd love to see him portrayed as very soft and gentle with his family because he definitely IS!!!!

Need more soft dad feanor in my life fr.

[studynxiety]

06/09/2023

Lately, I have been tired. I am not sure if it's burnout, a random depressive episode or executive dysfunction. All I know is I haven't been really doing as much as I could be. I didn't want to admit it since I was still doing enough to get 80% on most tests and things could be worse.

Looking back, however, I haven't really done much that enjoy lately. I don't remember the last time I turned on some good music and wrote away, burning the midnight candle for something that made me alive. And there has been this constant knot of anxiety at the bottom of my stomach. So, things haven't been vibrant but things aren't exactly bad. It's like waking up on the wrong side of the bad; nothing's horrible but everything's off nonetheless.

All this is to say, I think I need to bounce back and I'm done being passive for this year. I've always been ambitious and I'm going to start pursuing things I want again. I woke up today feeling weirdly motivated so I've decided to start the 100 days of productivity challenge!

Things I hope to achieve from this challenge:

Become good enough in Physics that I can enjoy it again

Finish at least half of the CS50 course

Study for SATS

Make a complete compilation of which Unis to apply to

Finish at least two WIPs

Get better at French

Extra/Less-prioritized goals:

Get abs

learn to cook

Sketch/Draw more often

I think there will be two main obstacles in the way of me accomplishing these things. The first will be finding time. Most of the goals I've mentioned are things I have been putting off for more immediate concerns or just, generally, people needing me for things in the present that need to be dealt with but don't have much of an impact in the future.

The second problem is my undeniable internet addiction. Okay, I feel like internet addiction is too broad; my addiction to constantly consume some form of creative media, be it in the form of books, movies, TV shows, anime, cartoon, comics, or fanfiction. I really need to cut down on that. I think this will be the most difficult part. I'll try cutting out serialized content and instead explore more indie books and movies again. They're usually less addictive but fulfilling in the same.

As always, I'll be ending this post with some talk about the most recent shows that I have been enjoying, which is kind of ironic given the previous paragraph is me just complaining about my inability to stay away from them. Lately, I have been into the ongoing Kdrama "My Lovely Liar." I think the chemistry between the main characters is great and the mystery is alluring. An 8/10 in my books.

Other than that, I've been watching "The Boys." Currently, in season three. It's one heck of a show and it's just so believable and feels like a mirror to reality. The corporate greed of pharmaceutical firms, the corruption among the people who have sworn to protect us, and how hard the world works ... only to maintain the status quo. I think it's very interesting and directly draws parallels to the real world. It's definitely a 10/10 for me. The world building, characters, humour; everything hits just right.

That's all for today. I'll do some chemistry, look over the CS50 course and fill out some forms for some official stuff today and kickstart the productivity challenge tomorrow. I'll try to be more active on tumblr during the 100 days as I need something to keep me accountable. Here is to hoping for better me's and better days and better outcomes.

[bookmuseum]

[REVIEW] Anthills of the Savannah by Chinua Achebe

2/5 stars (★★)

"What must a people do to appease an embittered history?"

I know I would have enjoyed this book more if I was given more context and historical background, but unfortunately the copy I had just threw me right into the fray with zero introduction. I knew about Achebe from his brilliant short stories and, of course, from Things Fall Apart, which is a masterpiece, so I thought I wouldn't need the added context to appreciate this work that's been hailed as "tremendous" and "brave" and shortlisted for the Booker Prize. I was very wrong! Right from the get-go I realized that I needed more information to even understand what was going on, so I found myself scrambling very last-minute as I was reading the book to look up the history or anything that'd help me make sense of just what the heck is happening. My two-star review is mostly a reflection of what my edition's lacking; I feel like if I had a more scholarly version with supplementary readings and a proper introduction, I wouldn't have disliked this story as much as I did. In that same vein, there are also sections where Achebe uses local phonetic ("pidgin") dialect, which is totally incomprehensible to me as a non-African. I know I'm not the priority at all, so I'm not essentially complaining about it, but it would've improved my reading experience greatly if there were some footnotes or a sideways translation explaining what's being said because I genuinely couldn't figure out half of the dialogue, and that's coming from someone who is relatively used to reading that kind of alternative language speech in books. Sounding the words out didn't help either. Again, as a non-African I know Achebe didn't have me in mind when writing this, which is completely fair, but language is such a vital part of any text, so it was a bit of a let-down to not understand most of what was being said, especially when it came to the parts where Achebe is obviously trying to explore an important theme or is being satirical but the humor just went way over my head. (Like what was that part about Mad Medico? Was I supposed to laugh or roll my eyes? Which is it?!) To me, those instances that switch to the dialect contrast heavily with the white man's English that Achebe draws attention to, which I suppose is the desired effect (class disparity and all), but from a reader's perspective, it was dicey and awkward.

Anthills of the Savannah had an interesting premise and sociopolitical themes, especially revolving around the relationship between a country's regimented government and its intelligista: “It is amazing how the intellectual envies the man of action.” The fictitious postcolonial West African state of Kangan and its political elites is led by "His Excellency," a the dictator (perhaps a reversal of the democratic "Uncle Sam" since he is only referred to as either Sam or honorable mentions) who, like they all do, claims to be enlightened and wants what's best for Africa now that the British/white man have "left." The book happens about two years after a successful coup d'état and opens with a cabinet meeting between His Excellency and his board members, who also just so happen to be made up of some of his childhood friends. The childhood friends to political elite dynamic was very fascinating, especially once you got to know a little more about Ikem and Chris. Achebe didn't give us much insight into His Excellency/Sam as a character -- what was he like as a little boy or a young man in college with them? -- which was effective in making me feel distanced from him as his corruption increased throughout the novel, but it made me quite bored of him in general despite being the plot's "antagonist." In general, I appreciated Achebe's commentary on dictatorship:

“[T]he most awful thing about power is not that it corrupts absolutely but that it makes people so utterly boring, so predictable and … just plain uninteresting.”

Over the course of history, especially colonial and African history, several dictators have taken control of their nations with apparently good intentions -- tale as old as time. But with the passage of this unavoidable and penultimate time, their greed for absolute power always rears its ugly head, causing them to betray the people they said they would protect, as well as themselves. Achebe's portrayal of the Kangan dictator was sound, especially the parts when he talks himself into thinking it'd be best if he established himself as a president until his death after all or when it's revealed he pretty much had zero idea of how to control a nation when he first took power. His friends mention how he was set to be a doctor but then he suddenly transferred to the military and now they ended up running an entire government. The tongue-in-cheek irony and cynical bemusement at how the most unexpected things end up happening wasn't lost on me, at least. There's that part where Achebe "reveals" Sam's been an egotistical asshole all along (shocker) who, on top of being incompetent, was also more interested in staying popular among the upper echelons of society than actually doing any of the reforms he promised he'd do, which cost a lot of lives and triggered much unnecessary suffering that he rightfully gets called out on. It was witty and a perfectly fine, albeit satirical, look at political corruption in a supposedly independent postcolonial Africa, but none of it was enthralling enough to keep me interested. Some of it was also quite confusing to follow; I still don't totally understand why the people of Abazon rejected Sam's leadership other than to add to the plot once the drought came and ravaged everything. It all felt cut and paste, like I've read a version of this story many times before -- and Achebe most probably wrote it, making this book feel like a cliché of its own genre. I saw a Goodreads review say, "It has the feel of a book that's assigned in school so that everyone knows what the template is and can appreciate when new writers come along and transcend the template by tackling its themes in fresh and more interesting ways." Yeah, exactly that.

As I also mentioned before, the beginning of the book itself is rough on the clueless reader— you're thrust in medias res during a political meeting you are not the least invested in and, while the story does become more engaging once you get to know some of the characters and main players, it still feels rather flat overall. Maybe it's because I knew Kangan was fictitious, but everything felt so surface-level in terms of world building. I didn't feel like any of it was real; it was more like a shadowy imitation of reality that utterly lacked emotional depth or a sense of believable groundwork. For example, it felt a little too on-the-nose and caricature-like that Chris is the Minister of Information (what exactly does that mean?) and Ikem was the editor-in-chief of the National Gazette. Achebe barely portrays them enacting these supposedly officious and big deal roles throughout the book, but you had people saying everyone knew them and what they did without actually showing us what that exactly is. Their power felt made up and unsupported, which is not good when you're writing about dictatorial cabinet members. Most of Ikem and Chris' scenes even show them as like regular everyday citizens who occasionally talk about the political climate, but in a way that makes you think they're just casual observers rather than literal major players. (Chris especially spent more time having sex and talking about how attracted he was to his English major girlfriend rather than doing anything "official" or even remotely resembling governmental policy). Achebe didn't even give us many scenes where Sam, Chris, and Ikem interacted all that much either, so even though I was curious as to how they worked together as characters, (so much angst potential there!) Achebe didn't really give them a chance to develop before everything went to shit. (In such an underwhelming way too, considering all the historically dramatic routes Achebe could've gone with in portraying just how corrupt a dictator-led government can get). The multiple betrayals and double-crossing in the book fell totally flat because of this; I didn't care at all when Ikem, who was always the more volatile and outspoken of the trio, became increasingly more vocal with his criticisms of Sam’s actions, started going off the rails and playing with political fire (not much detail on how he goes about doing that though). On the other hand, Chris tries to be like a mediator and clings onto his initial hope that Kangan still has the chance for better future under Sam’s continued rule, but Achebe quickly undercuts that when Ikem loses his position at the publication and Chris as a result has to go on the run. We don't get much time or introspection into how the characters feel -- their government's in ruins, their lives are upended, and their oldest friendship is severed, can you blame me for wanting a bit more emotional reflection? -- before Achebe kills all three of them off-screen ignobly. (Not that I would've been satisfied if Achebe showed me Sam getting executed; I cared so little for him). So much drag-worthy build-up for basically no emotional output. AotS has no sense of drama or organic exhilaration. I liked the university "lecture" scene and how, as the speech progressed you could feel it fanning the flames of a rising tension, but that was about it. (I knew it wouldn't really amount to much and I was right).

The "world" of Kangan felt flat and superficial. You can safely make the assumption that Achebe based it on his own native homeland of Nigeria, but aside from a few good descriptions of the cultural life, cuisine, and Kangan natural environment, none of it ever felt authentic. True, there were some good bits of social, political, intellectual, and even psychological criticism that Achebe sprinkles in here and there, but that's exactly what they felt like: sprinkles and frosting over an otherwise bland landscape. Yes, there were a few good lines that made you remember what Achebe's trying to achieve overall like, “Free people may be alike everywhere in their freedom but the oppressed inhabit each their own peculiar hell.” (That reminded me of Anna Karenina's iconic opening line talking about the difference between unhappy and happy families). But I genuinely found myself falling asleep for most of the book. The big profound lines felt scattered and forced.

That being said, I was surprised at how AotS had concrete feminist themes, which were best represented by Beatrice (Elewa and the other female characters, not so much). Beatrice was easily the most interesting character. I was only able to keep my eyes consistently open when Achebe was writing from her perspective. I could talk a bit more about why I found her so compelling, but I think I'll leave it at that.

[unnursvanablog]

The Uncanny Counter, season 2 / kdrama review.

This is just my opinions on the season two of the kdrama The Uncanny Counter, pretty much spoiler free.

I've often felt that one of the charms and appeals of kdramas is that there is only one season. There are emotions, there is plenty of quiet character moments, angst, and a beginning, a middle and an end all in one season that American show would stretch out over 5 seasons. It's not really in the kdrama formula to have a season two. It just doesn't seem to work all that well (although series like Kingdom or Age of Youth have managed it or series that are independent continuations of each other like the Reply series). And I think this second season of The Uncanny Counters sort of proves that. The story was over. It had a beginning, middle and end. It doesn't need more.

The plot here is predictable and there is nothing there that adds to the narrative of the first one. There is a lot of room for character development, but the drama doesn't use its time well at all instead giving us rather silly, fluffy moments between the characters and overall, it just feels rather poorly done. As if the people behind this didn't really care or didn't feel like it needed to bother with the plot all that much.

Instead of giving us more time to delve deeper into the characters they give us a cardboard cutout of them and a few romantic moments between some of the characters that are totally cute or sweet but add nothing to the story itself. Nothing that happens really matters. There are no puzzles to solve or mysteries to uncover, backstories to explore (like why the bad guys are bad) which pretty much takes away a lot of tension from the narrative. Everything is easy. There is no real desperation or intensity in the story. The struggles they had that made them interesting in the first season are no longer there. There is no battle going on here.

Many of the characters don't work the same as before and neither do their superpowers. The character who struggled in the first season doesn't struggle now. So Moon seems almost invincible and way too rugged and cold when he was the soft heart of the story last season. He doesn't even feel like the main character here or the sensitive as the heart of the series and we are not following him learning more about his powers. But there was still no decent successor to him to fill that main character, fish-out-of-water role so the story has no anchor or focus.

Our characters have nothing much to do but try to fight some very dull and colorless bad guys. They are not being given time to grow organically so they will change with the narrative. They have changed, without us getting to see it as it all happened off screen between the two seasons, to serve the oh-so-generic, bare-bone plot that this new series has to offer.

While the plot of the first series felt like a story that has been retread a little too often, it also managed to find some fresh and exciting angles on the very common underdog superhero story with some good tension and humor along with a great lovable cast and characters. And although the actors and characters are still lovely, the story here doesn't really nothing to say here. Not about human greed or corruption or humanity. At least not in an exciting new way. Everything is a little too simple or convenient to hit it's mark properly.

On the surface, the series is cool, flashy, with funny moments and some really cool special effects and fight scenes, but that was never really what made The Uncanny Counters, or any sci-fi for the matter show fun to watch. People may start watching genre shows for the setting; dragons, swords, superpowers and all that but people keep watching for the plot and the characters. The character struggles, seeing those less fortunate stand up for something bigger than them, people coming together and working together using their powers makes for an exciting narrative and hopefully a good story. It's so much more than just some superpowers. The previous series seemed to understand that, but this feels very much surface level to its approach to a story.

This series seems rather dull. The story is missing something and both the old characters and the new ones we are meeting do not have the same charm and depth as in the previous season. There isn't really any story going on, very little momentum or character moments that move the story forward. It just sort of tugs along. Everything is too easy, too predictable and there is very little real conflict going on, apart from cool fight scenes, or characters growth which makes it really boring to watch because nothing really happens. Or matter. There is nothing about season two that stays with you after watching it. If you have nothing to add to a story, don't make season two.

[dontgofarfromme]

Rewatching EXU bc the Dorian message got me thinking abt them and I missed them, things I have noticed as of ep 1:

Dorian has always been the wildest combination of lying liar who lies and guy who can't lie to save his life. He won't tell you shit about himself however he constantly flags that he's rich by accident and doesn't realize it.

The number of characters all from small towns/areas (or not from this plane of existance) all with minimal experience in big cities!! The exploration of newness is an overarching theme. I also forgot how closely paralleled Opal and Dorian especially are on some fronts in this respect, there's a naivete to both of them, which Opal just spills all over the place and which Dorian tries his best to cover up. Theres this sense esp this early into the show that they've just been let out of a restricting cage for the first time and are riding high on it, but also have some gaps in their understanding of how everything...works. Orym is an interesting contrast bc you get the feeling that while he may not have experienced the city himself and has lived his whole life in a place with leaders that could be trusted, he seems aware of the potential dangers and corruption in the world but actively chooses to give people the benefit of the doubt despite this.

Fearne was always chaotic but I think she's actually become more chaotic as time goes on. Ashley plays her as slightly more reserved here.

Forgot how much Dorian and Orym sort of teamed up as the slightly more restrained ones early on. This obviously goes out the window a bit later on Dorian's part, but the contrasting reasons for not wanting to steal shit for Poska are interesting--Orym has a clear moral objection and suspicion of Posla's intentions, Dorian seems to both have some 'grew up rich' sympathy for her targets but I think also has some worry around doing an illegal thing in general (another compare/contrast between him and opal, she's raring to use her newfound independence to do whatever the hell she wants; and also maybe a consequence of his history in a pretty restrictive environment).

Ruidis + Catha on flag of the ship they rob 2:07:15. The ship is called "the Blightstar" and Aabria says "this looks like...the ship is named after Ruidis, yeah." *Travis voice* WEEEOOOOWEEEOOOWEEEOO. It's also from Issylra, not a place known for trade, so it's weird that it's there.

In the same convo Aabria says Orym is "extremely well-traveled," but earlier in the ep Orym says he's only been to 2 "city taverns." Was the traveling for work with Keyleth or in the 6 years after he left Zephra, or both? I am shaking this little guy upside down so all his secrets fall out of his pockets tell me everything!!!!

Truly the entire "He's a real sailor! He's kept us aloive! Many toimes I would've doied if it weren't for him!" is hilarious

Do we know what Dariax's compass is for? Does he actually follow a deity?

I fully don't remember who did all the murders on this boat or why they didn't take the crown with them while they escaped, I can't remember if we ever figured it out?

It's really interesting how often Dorian tosses the ball to Orym for input/final decisions from like day one. It feels almost like he's looking for either someone who knows what they're doing or a moral compass outside himself and he's pretty convinced Orym's got both those things covered.

Orym, questioning all his life choices: we stole an oily dark crown from a ship full of corpses with evaporating assassins and a monster in the hull.

Opal, having the time of her life: Yeah!!!! We did that!!!

Speaking of evaporating assassins, hey Orym...I do wonder if any of this poked at those memories for him

The fact that Orym's first battle maneuver was bait and switch, I continue to sob over this halfling oh my god he's just doing his best to keep everyone else safe.

I've been doing an awful job of keeping track of plot points in cr3 and I'm p sure they mentioned it but the nameless ones have 40 pounds of smuggled refined residuum from Zephra, def ties into the box they got recently in cr3.

How do the baby ankheg and the big ankheg line up is it that the ship the CK rolled was one Poska's group was targeting anyway but the CK interrupted and took the crown before anyone else could?

It's really interesting that while Orym has been the one trying desperately to steer them right and keep them away from unnecessary dangerous theft etc through this whole episode, in the end his decision to take the residuum (honestly a fair and understandable one!!) is a solid 50% of what puts them on Poska's bad side. It's about what's right for him, not what's safe--he's consistent!

[arcane-temp-fandomblog]

the conflict about the future of Hextech aka is it possible to achieve the dream

I really like the conflict Arcane is setting up around the question 'can technology in itself be the source of good'. And imo. it clearly answers that 'no, it can't', technology is just a tool and in itself does not create a better or worse world. The configuration it enters with different character convictions shapes how it influences the world. Jayce's fascination with developing hextech comes from the time he felt impossibly powerless and scared of loosing those closest to him.

And he sees magic as a tool to never make other's feel as powerless to save loved ones as he did. For him magic/hextech just by existing makes everything bad and painful go away.

And imo. Jayce is very, very wrong.

It's not about the magic, it's about the user. The magic didn't save his mother's life, the mage using it saved it because he decided to help someone less fortunate - a scared child and his dying mother - without any need for payment etc. A selfless act.

But Jayce doesn't see it as such, he sees magic as the thing that does good and doesn't factor people's intentions. But in flashback the source of good and beauty lies in how you choose to use it, not the magic itself.

And here comes the delicious Act 2 of Arcane, where 'the conviction that hextech/magic is the source of good' is explored by putting hextech's future into framework of different characters around Jayce.

The cautious and reactionary Heimerdinger, that comes from the place of fear. All magic is source of corruption. Which again imo. is wrong, and clearly Piltover shows that corruption can exist without magic.

This is main point of contention between Heimerdinger and Viktor.

Viktor sees any time where magic isn't used to help people as potential loss of life, and active choice to not help. For Viktor the use of magic or 'the magic of hextech' lays not in the technology but in how it influences the world. It can't be passive. Hextech dream is only the goal if it helps people, that's why through all Act 2 he pushes Jayce to make the hextech technology influence real lives - creating real change in the world.

It's the same non-passive stance as Mel btw, which makes the scene above with Viktor and Heimerdinger and scene that follows it with her such a delicious juxtaposition of all 3 possible paths for hextech.

Mel also sees hextech as only creating real change in the world if it is used, she's just like Viktor in that regard. In contrast thou, Viktor is direct antithesis of her statement 'everyone wants the Hextech for themselves'. She does want hextech for herself and honestly, this does not make her a bad person - she's just illustrating another path to answering the question 'can hextech be beautiful and save lives' by mere virtue of existing. Plus in comparison to all other members of the council she is active, not reactionary to technology.

I mean they're not even subtle in how they arrange the scenes in the story, where Jayce is constantly being thrown between Mel's and Viktor's perspective.

This issue of Jayce seeing 'magic/hextech will automatically generate the good' is compounded with how he believes in the good of the system of Piltover. Which worked out for him (albeit barely if it wasn't for Viktor's help), the fact that he never really failed and was cast away by the system reinforced in him the idea that Piltover is the city of progress and all other values it proclaims to symbolise. This is something he very strongly shares with Heimerdinger, but Viktor coming from the undercity sees a completely different view of Piltover and it's flawed values.

That's why imo Jayce may not see mixing with the council partaking in backroom deals and preferential treatment by association in direct opposition of initial hextech dream that is selfless and works for the good of all regardless of where you are in the society. Since hextech is the thing that makes things good, not user of it - as if the touch of hextech technology magically makes everything bad into everything good, everything corrupt into good. Jayce in the end is very naive about the reality of the world he lives in and misconstrued the idea of what is the source of good in the world - the tools, not the actions.

Imo. it's made pretty obvious in the storytelling that Piltover system and helping people is mutually exclusive, or more aptly you need to choose which bed you end up in.

The thing I like about Arcane is none of the options presented to Jayce by Heimerdinger, Viktor and Mel is path to evil, but not all of them lead to capturing the magic he witnessed as a child.

So lol, I think Jayce set himself up for a big slap in the face with his naive perspective in act 3, because he already messed up. He's such a disaster in the making, I love his characterisation. The Piltover system says - become like one of us and we'll help to realise your dreams, so how come you've felt more on track with pursuing your dream when you went against the council in act 1? What a moron. And imo. narratively speaking there was actually a correct choice who to spend the night with to follow path to recreating magic from his childhood, it was not with the council.

[egg-emperor]

Given the sanitization of fandom in recent years, can you imagine the reaction to Sonic Adventure 2 if it were released today, given its very dark themes of violence, murder, government corruption, terminal illness and attempted genocide?

Especially since it features Gerald's execution and shows an unarmed, terminally ill CHILD being Mercilessly gunned down by GUN(no pun intended) on screen? Do you think people would try to "cancel" Sega for it?

Well from my experience, the people who get at fan creators for exploring dark themes tend to ignore and downplay any of the sort that actually already exist in canon that makes them uncomfortable (Eggman being abusive and genuinely evil being another one of them) so I don't tend to see them react to it. Or they like how it exists but only so they can try to say the Robotnik family tragedy is the reason Eggman is evil, despite that being obvious bs in every way as the very same game even disproves that lol

BUT when they see similar themes in canon they do condemn and try to shut down the creator and put them on a load of blocklists alongside actual criminals etc. So I think because SA2 existed before they were fans and they can also use it as reasons to say Eggman is not so bad, they're hypocritical in acting like it's fine for themes like that to exist in the games but then act like bad stuff happening to kid characters in fandom is crossing the line, or they just pretend it doesn't also exist in canon in the first place.

So if SA2 had been made today that could've been a different story because people would have to properly acknowledge how messed up the plot points in SA2 were and couldn't just pretend it didn't happen. And assuming they'd pay actual attention, they'd find it harder to use it to say Eggman isn't so bad or has tragic misplaced good intentions behind his actions or something. So I wouldn't be surprised if they said Sega was fucked up and bad for including those themes in a kids series.

But as it goes right now, the mindset in them often seems to be hypocritical along the lines of Sega being allowed to write the grim plot line of a 12 year old girl being terminally ill and being shot to death and her grandfather being executed by firing squad, so long as you use it as reasons to try to excuse Eggman's villainy as a result- but if you acknowledge and write the villain Eggman being a villain and the abusive person like he also is the games then that's an unforgivable crime! Logic 100 lol

I'm also still baffled by the reaction I got of "I can't believe you wrote Eggman being abusive towards a little girl you're so sick" towards my concept of him manipulating Sage, the ageless AI that just looks like a child- yet an actual real child like Maria having a terminal illness and being shot to death in game is fine in comparison. Even though if that is, my concept should be more than okay since it's already literally based on actual canon story events too!

It's a shame because all the darker aspects of the games used to be fully acknowledged and portrayed in fandom much more often and that's why we had so many cool edgy darker fan creations in the early 2000s - early 2010s. Now none of those creations of the sort seem to be allowed in the fandom space because people insist on ignoring all those parts of canon and insist on all fan creations being positive and pure. Really wish we could go back :')