#Not sure if Quantum actually can or not tbh-

[spiritshaydra]

Broke: using an AI to replicate a voice actor’s voice without their consent to voice your OC 😤

Woke: Forcing yourself to learn how to do voice acting to speak and sing in character, so YOU could be your OC’s own voice claim 💅✨

[pinkomcranger]

About the white asshole line: it's not as left field as people think tbh There's a similar line in the first AW game from Alice (in the DLC, Wake's version of her since it's all in his head). She uses the term 'while male melodrama'. This is literally Wake's own mind so he knows a lot of stuff he put her through was from a perspective of a person who has a lot of advantages. Back to Saga, that line aligns with the racism we are hinted she dealt with in her field and STILL deals with in present day. Mulligan and Thornton are racist af (haven't seen anyone discuss this yet) to her even if they seem pleasant at the start of the game. Not entirely either, when Saga and Casey meet Mulligan he automatically assumed Casey is the lead agent. He apologizes about it but there's an air that neither him or Thorton take Saga seriously. They barely speak directly to her and instead more to Casey unless she directly speaks to either. It's that seemingly benign, passive racism that is more toxic sometimes, especially in a work environment. In her face they show some surface level, thinly veiled respect but behind her back they called her a 'stuck up FBI bitch'. Part of the horror story adds she let her daughter drown so they doubt her work entirely. And concerning the Bookers, there's this passive aggressive comment where Thorton says the case of the murder of Nightingale would've been solved if the FBI wasn't involved. Thorton says something like "they stick with their own". Now, this could be seen as city folk stick with their own but the Bookers are black, this was purposeful imo. I honestly liked how Remedy incorporated this in such a realistic way. Some could dispute this and say "that's circumstantial/reaching" but lets not forget both Mulligan and Thorton are literally the bastard law enforcement type that kills are the drop of a pin. They killed that woman while enthralled with this feeling of power (referencing the page about it) and threw her body in the well to hide it, blaming the death on each other at first before they decide it's neither of their faults and hide the evidence. They become taken being so twisted in their dark ways. They are bad guys, I'd argue misogynistic too. And lets add a layer of actual parallels to rl racism to the mix here now. If she dealt with that in Bright Falls on her first day I can only imagine the assholes she had to deal with climbing her way up in the FBI, in life in general. This is why her mother is a strong foundation, they are not only close because they loved each other but she made sure she'd be strong. Parents who have mixed kids (black kids especially) know what they will deal with. Maybe even a meta thing like Spiderverse, adding the backlash into the story. Which she did and still does get from gamerz (tm). People STILL bring up that "race swap" from the Quantum Break trailer which is honestly just early concept stuff. Saga is written so well and carefully that even her problems outside the pace of the story seems to have been considered. So while it does seem random and may make people uncomfortable it's purposeful. Remedy really captured this aspect with Saga without making it her personality or the core part of her (like she just there for black trauma, so glad they did not do that and made her a character with experiences). Let's not forget Saga's field of work. We know it's predominantly white. Her saying 'another white asshole' says more about her experiences than anything else. And being at her lowest where her insecurities, doubts, fears thrive it says something about her agency and how sometimes it can feel taken from her based on her skin tone, gender, so forth. Sorry for the long ask! It's just, this line definitely does not feel like it's random to me. I was just shocked I heard it but the game lays down the ground work for it to be said. It's as subtle as the worst kind of racism though imo

I'm VERY interested by imagined!Alice's line because while we don't know if she actually feels that way, we see Alan can acknowledge that he KNOWS how lucky he is by virtue of being a white man, it might not be something he thinks about daily, but he's admitting he's aware of it.

You're right in regards to what Saga deals with in her work environment and most likely her daily life. It sucked for me that Mulligan and Thorton ended up being racist, misogynistic assholes because they truly just seemed like the goofy, slightly dimwitted small-town cops. I think maybe because I haven't actually played the game yet (shame on me, I know! I just managed to get it last month and haven't had the time to dedicate to it like I want) that I kind of brushed Mulligan and Thorton's behavior towards Saga off until we learned their true nature.

But we see how they're more comfortable deferring to Casey over Saga, and we can even see that Casey is NOT the least bit pleased with it. Saga clearly picks up on it, and it's one of the reasons she chooses to leave them with Casey. She can handle the Bookers easier, because yes, they ARE black, she KNOWS they're going to open up to her far easier than if it had been Casey. Do we get reflections of their shared experiences? Not really, but the Bookers weren't going to trust the FBI regardless, Saga being a black woman lowered their defenses a little.

You can argue that she was better suited for talking to the witnesses because it's just her personality, Casey was dry and sarcastic from jump while Saga was the opposite. But did the Bookers know that? Absolutely not. They were less cautious with Saga, Ed especially. They weren't hiding anything to be malicious, they just wanted their own things to be successful.

Hearing Mulligan and Thorton's true thoughts about Saga really tore me up. Not even so much at the fact they felt that way, but because they didn't have the guts to say it to her face. You don't hear that venom directed towards Casey at all, even though he's the EXACT same stuck-up government agent who's worse to them than Saga.

But it's what black people tend to see when dealing with the police force. Condescending, impatient, better-than, bitter, power-hungry and drunk on their self-importance and position of authority. There's a REASON they were made Taken when the Koskela brothers couldn't, but that's really neither here nor there.

Seeing what she had to deal with in Bright Falls from two guys that were SUPPOSED to be on her side and help her is very telling and it made me even more interested in her backstory. How many people actually believed in her when she joined the FBI? Who dismissed her out of pocket simply because of the color of her skin and her gender? You can even get a hint of her past simply by her questioning Casey on why he wants her to be the lead on the case instead of jumping in straight away.

And that's to her PARTNER, a man she’s known and trusted for years, who clearly never had a problem with her being a black woman, or there's no way in hell they'd have the kind of relationship that they do.

Freya being such a strong influence for Saga was evident in her card to her daughter. She knew the struggles Saga was going to face by going after what she wanted to do and never discouraged her. I'll always be bummed over Freya lying to Saga about her being a Seer though. I know it was to try and protect her from even more shit she didn't deserve to go through over something she had no control over. But it almost felt like a vote of no-confidence. And there's no feeling in the world like thinking your mother might not believe in you.

I'm still VERY annoyed at ANYBODY bringing up the "Return" concept from Quantum Break JUST to say Saga was race-swaped when almost NOTHING from that teaser made it to the main game proper. Sam and the team took all of that and flipped it on its head. That was clear the second FBI Alex Casey stepped into the background instead of being in the lead.

I love the fact we don't get the "another white asshole telling me what to do" until the end of the game, and it's when Saga is at her lowest point, when the Dark Presence is trying to do its best to break her down. But like I tend to bring up, Alan says it can't create something out of nothing. Meaning those doubts and resentment were there for a LONG time, and it VERY easily could have been her entire personality.

The fact that it wasn't showed how much thought Remedy put into creating Saga and I appreciate it so much. She wasn't her trauma, she wasn't her anger, she was the exact OPPOSITE of that. She faced her problems with determination and PUNS! Even when shitty things were going on, her mind wandered to humor "More like "Underwatery" I'll have to tell Casey that one later." Speaks volumes about her character.

I think that's one of the reasons she fought SO hard against the horror story. OBVIOUSLY her main motivation was saving Logan, and then Casey. But she wasn't about to let her agency be taken from her like she's been fighting against it for years. She was the one that was going to be in control, she was going to tell this story, and Alan himself (some of that as him being the face of the Dark Presence for her) "no, fuck you. Another white asshole is NOT going to tell me how to live MY life. You're not using my doubts and fears against me to take my family from me"

And she did it, she did what the white man couldn't do on his own in 13 years. How am I NOT supposed to root for her? How could I NOT want to know more about her history? There's no way I can look at Saga Anderson and go, well her story is done, there's nothing else to be written for her. As I said, I do love FBI Casey, but he's practically a blank slate compared to Saga, I could live without him because, for me, outside of his personality (I'm also grumpy and sarcastic), I cannot relate to him.

Despite not being a wife and mother in the FBI, I CAN relate to Saga. I can understand her struggles and pain. I feel her love for her family, I can relate to her love and disappointment towards her mother. The struggle of being a black woman in a world that still caters to white men and the pushback she gets just from existing. I understand her in a way I never could with Alan Wake. I understood and related to his issues as a writer struggling with inspiration. But the thing with that is Alan didn't HAVE to struggle like that, he could have chosen, at any time, to stop being a writer and do something else.

Saga couldn't choose to change the color of her skin. Her challenges would be with her simply because of how she's perceived at first glance. She'll never have the advantages of Alan and Casey in that regard.

I'm sorry for the long answer! But I LOVED your ask, and that's why it took me a hot minute to answer it. I had to get my thoughts in order and give this the response I felt like it deserved. So thank you for letting me see your thoughts towards Saga! ❤️

[mobblespsycho100]

Surya since you like both HSR and dungeon meshi what paths would the dunmeshi characters be :0

PAIGE I OWE YOU MY LIFE FOR THIS 🙏💞 . excellent question... enabling my brainrots... I will now cook (rubs my autistic hands together)

Laios: Destruction, Imaginary / Fire. I think he has to be either Imaginary or Fire path wise, leaning towards imaginary because smth smth golden / yellow smth smth. I just think destruction would fit him well based on pure vibes <3 lots of destruction characters have this deal of dealing w/ loss and also having a strong motivation for something (firefly wanting to live, dan heng finally facing his past etc.). If we're talking unplayable paths though I think Laios would follow The Hunt or even The Voracity (even tho im p sure the Aeon of Voracity Ouroboros is like . missing iirc? but like cmon. Laios is Thee Devourer™ I think it works !!)

Marcille: Erudition, Ice. "Wait why not fire she uses a lot of fire spells" yes I hear you . I think fire could also b a good element for her but I think ice fits with her lore in a sense . of like her fear of outliving everyone and her wanting to preserve others lives in a way. Erudition I pick cuz in canon she is like a big range/can hit a lot of enemies combatant in a way so AoE dmg dealer gameplay wise fits me thinks and also shes a scholarrr :3 thee academiccc. Lore / unplayable paths wise she might still follow the Erudition still or the Remembrance or even Preservation (but with The Architects not the IPC) me thinks.

Senshi: Abundance, Fire. I will not be taking criticism hes definitely abundance . he would be a healer. believe in me . also fire because cooking <3 NOT MUCH TO SAY HERE. even like outside of gameplay i still think he'd follow abundance . Ik theres this upcoming character (Jiaoqiu) whos a chef healer whos nihility fire but he has a diff vibe from senshi so like uhm yea

Chilchuck: Nihility, Quantum / Wind. this ones easy peasy to me like . chilled chuck on the path of nihility... he is such a goofy guy. i think quantum or wind would work as the elements for him because quantum entanglement debuff being this slow + stacking mechanic works for his kind of cautious guy whole thing while wind is like . uhh hes quick on his feet i suppose. Gameplay wise i think he'd be like increasing his own spd and delaying the enemies or like giving a vulnerability debuff mark ( reference to him using his bow and arrow to shoot at the ice golems weakspot but he doesn't really do any damage akhdkshd ). Outside of gameplay he still strikes me as a nihility guy or maybe he wouldn't be following a path ¯⁠\⁠_(•-•)⁠_⁠/⁠¯ idk

Izutsumi: Nihility or Hunt, Physical. Nihility again ! I just think it works for her ! but Hunt could also work !!! she would definitely be a dps type character I can't see anythin else. Nihility can also be dps even if their official role is debuffer . I picked physical because physical break causes bleed and uhh izutsumis claw scratches . scratch -> bleed. Yee. I love her a lot I think this works for her 🐱😎 . i feel like Izutsumi would actually be a pathstrider of the Trailblaze . like shes looking for her own path and wanting to be free and travel around tbh like . yeah . <3

Falin: Harmony, Imaginary. Touden siblings the imaginariessss realness. I feel like she would be harmony even though yeah her primary role is a cleric n she was the designated party healer but I feel like in rpg settings she would be a buffer for sure. I think the idea of a harmony character who can like switch modes after ulting (like oooh she transforms into chimera Falin in combat) would be super cool also. it would be pretty neat. She also gives me Robin vibes so like tbh ? hashtag . I'm always right. Lore wise she would also follow The Trailblaze <3 a wanderer wandering she is full of wanderlust . to me

Okay now I'm faced with a dilemma of doing like everyone else who I like or not but I've decided I'll just do . Kabru Toshiro and Namari and their parties I will not give extra explanations and just jump into it aight . ajhskahdjs

Kabru: Preservation, Physical. A combination that is not yet in the game (woah). I think he would be preservation because they're a really strong class and legit the rarest one also, kind of crazy how they're sustain but barring March 7th and Gepard (and even then March can be used offensively too) they can honestly b p neat dmg dealers / offensive buffers also. I think its really funny to assign guy who keeps dying to be the protector™ path also help ajahsjah. I picked physical because um . sword / weapons guy llalalala <3 . Unplayable paths wise I'd say he would bee . following The Remembrance :3<

Toshiro (Shuro): Erudition, Wind. Wind because I associate him with green too much . but also y'know who else is a wind dmg dealer . freakin Blade . So It Works (Guy who is making shit up) ‼️ I think he would be erudition because erm... well 👍 he's cool like that . i mean he could be destruction too . whatever idk anything. outside of gameplay he has the vibes of guy who is forced to be in the IPC LMAO

Namari: Nihility, Fire / Physical. Yeah we back in the nihility zone 🔥🔥🔥 honestly my excuse for this is that she gives me huge Luka vibes so NIHILITY IT IS and fire is also mostly vibes while physical is because punch punch . and she is the weapons knower™ ... but tbh outside of gameplay maybe she would follow the hunt. just vibes. she could be a galaxy ranger 👊💥

ok now here comes the rapidfire assignments

Kabru's party:

• Rin -> Erudition, Lightning. easy

• Dia -> Hunt, Physical

• Holm -> Abundance, Ice

• Mickbell -> Elation Nihility, Imaginary

• Kuro -> Destruction, Physical

Shuro's party:

• Maizuru -> Erudition, Quantum

• Inutade -> Destruction, Physical

• Benichidori -> Nihility, Lightning

• Hien -> Hunt / Destruction, Fire (but Lightning could work too)

Namari's party:

• Kiki & Kaka (I can't seperate the twins) -> Erudition, Imaginary

• Mr. Tansu Floke -> Abundance / Preservation, Ice

• Mrs. Yarn Floke -> Harmony, Fire (to contrast with mr tansu idk i think itd be silly <3)

The Canaries:

• Mithrun -> Destruction, Wind

• Fleki -> Nihility, Imaginary

• Lycion -> Destruction, Physical

• Cithis -> Erudition, Quantum (Enigmata follower vibes outside of gameplay)

• Pattadol -> Preservation, Ice or Erudition, Imaginary

• Otta -> Hunt, Fire

extra:

• Thistle -> Destruction / Preservation, Lightning

• Yaad -> Harmony, Quantum / Imaginary

• The Winged Lion -> Preservation, Imaginary

okay yeah thats it Me Thinks. (scuttles away)

[drbased]

Have you watched or read I'm Thinking of Ending Things? I'd love to hear your thoughts on it tbh.

Hi anon! I'd never heard of this film before, so I decided to watch it and then respond to you.

Well, that was a fucking ride. Let's list the themes throughout:

women's lives being consumed by men

time

aging

quantum physics

perception of reality/schizophrenia

Honestly? I'm completely stumped by it. I think I'm going to have to re-watch to understand exactly what the film was getting at. It had a very good atmosphere throughout; there was such a sense of unease from the start, and it didn't just feel like a horror film but I got a strong sense it was deliberately mimicking one. When the dog was brought up, something about the cinematography really had me thinking the dog wasn't real, and then that was immediately dashed by the dog showing up. The interactions with the parents really had me thinking about the relationship between humour and horror, of comedy and tragedy - there were so many lines that felt like comedy bits, but I felt too tense to laugh. (Also, I too always thought it was Trivial Pursuit: Genius Edition). And there were all these callbacks that once again sat somewhere in that uncomfortable place between comedy and tragedy.

Without looking up the plot, I think this is what the story was: Jake is the janitor, reflecting on his past life - the main female character is an amalgamation of all the women he'd dated and brought back to his parents, who we see at various points in their life. We see this from her perspective to represent how men consume women, and as such how women become interchangeable to them. There's an implication that he steals her poetry to sell, he steals her art to sell. There are hints at him being controlling, and the third woman working at Tulsey Town is hinted at being his ex girlfriend, who he injured in some way (both his arm and her shared what looked like burn scars) - and she expresses fear for the main character. The main female character never ends up being able to ask to leave, and stays with him and watches from the sidelines as he finally becomes successful. I don't really understand what the dance sequence is - was that a younger version of one of them, who had been killed? Or was that janitor a younger jake, who has killed someone? I also have no idea what the whole diner film was about, although it also reflects the theme of male interference in women's lives, portrayed romantically in films.

This was directed by Charlie Kaufman, who is responsible for one of my favourite films of all time - Being John Malkovich, and one of my most hated films of all time - Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. I can see here he's really upped the surreality. Overall I'm not sure if I liked it or not - the atmosphere was tense and gave me the creeps, and the themes were very interesting. I don't need a film to be entirely literal - my other favourite film of all time, Annihilation, is almost entirely metaphor. But what I struggled with here is that the heavy-handed nature of the themes and the surreal, mixed-up timeline had me kind of thinking, well that's interesting and all but what is actually being said here about the nature of all these things? How do they all connect? The strongest theme by far is that of women being consumed by men, and the imagery of her name and backstory constantly changing really cemented that, so that the theme was as much 'show' as it was 'tell'. I don't know - I'm definitely going to have to rewatch it just in case I've missed some important connective tissue. Overall I found it interesting, but I have a small inkling it was a tad bit style over substance.

[wormytoast]

charts for 2.2! chart for 2.1 here

this post is leak free! (although i do talk about leaks on this blog, all tagged)

Trailblazer will not be considered in these stats because they are essentially a null character.

TYPES

Fire: 6

Ice: 8

Lightning: 7

Wind: 6

Physical: 8

Quantum: 7

Imaginary: 6 (it looks like tumblr has changed its text colors so imaginary is orange for now 😭)

Physical is now tied for first place with ice thanks to the introduction of Robin and Boothill. Neither units fulfilled any new type-path combinations.

PATHS

Destruction: 8

Erudition: 6

The Hunt: 7

Harmony: 8

Nihility: 9

Preservation: 4

Abundance: 6

Harmony is now inching closer to the top, tying for second place with Destruction (8 units each) and just one unit less than the top path of Nihility (9 units). We finally got a new Hunt unit with Boothill! I also made a post about the current state of the Hunt unit archetype here (disclaimer this was before leaks released). It's not great but I think it sums up my feelings on the path and how I think it should progress.

RARITY

Limited 5-Star: 21

Standard 5-Star: 7; Overall 5-Star: 28

4-Star: 21

Because we did not receive a new 4-star, the amount of limited 5-stars has reached the same number of units in this patch (2.2) rather than 2.3, which is when the amount of limited 5-stars would've overtaken the amount of 4-stars if Hoyo had stuck to their pattern of 2 limited 5-stars and 1 4-star per patch.

OVERLAP

There are now 7 overlaps of unit path/type combinations. Neither Robin nor Boothill are new type/path combinations.

Physical/Harmony- Hanya & Robin

Physical/The Hunt- Sushang & Boothill

Ice/Preservation- March 7th & Gepard

Ice/Destruction- Jingliu & Misha

Lightning/Erudition- Serval & Jing Yuan

Lightning/Nihility- Kafka & Acheron

Wind/Nihility- Sampo & Black Swan

Unfulfilled combinations:

Erudition- Wind & Imaginary

The Hunt- Lightning

Preservation- Fire, Wind, Lightning, & Physical

Abundance- Ice

MODELS

F child: 2

F short: 9

F med: 10

F tall: 10

M short: 3

M med: 4

M tall: 10

No surprise here. F med is now tied with F tall for most populous F model while M tall has gained another member of their legion. Our poor short kings... (and still no F child since launch but what's new)

Going to try to not repeat myself, but notable statistics: the Harmony path and the Quantum type are completely comprised of only women. The Imaginary type is comprised entirely of men except for Yukong. As of right now, male Abundance units are offensive sustains (scale on atk%, Break%, and have AoE ults) compared to the female Abundance units who all scale off hp%. I think these observations actually provide a pretty interesting look into Hoyo's view of their female characters versus their male ones but that would become a pretty large tangent I think.

OVERALL + OTHER THOUGHTS

tbh this seems like a pretty straightforward patch. there isn't a lot to talk about that I haven't already said in previous posts

we're due for an Erudition unit since there hasn't been a new Erudition unit since 1.5 (Argenti). not sure which type since we've gotten pretty decent type coverage the past few patches. Wind and Imaginary are the obvious choices, but Fire, Ice, and Quantum are all type-path combos from launch so I wouldn't put it past the devs to use those as well. The only ones we can be sure WON'T be used are Lightning and Physical since those are the only two types that have been used for limited 5-stars.

The units for 2.3 could be anything, really. I wouldn't put it past them to introduce another Nihility or Destruction unit since they seem very keen on doing so. I also wouldn't completely rule out two dps limited 5-star units in a single patch since, while not common, has happened before.

thanks for reading til this far! its completely free labor lol

[aspenispoplar]

Spoilers for all of Outer Wilds below the cut (just the base game though)

tl;dr of this post: If you have not played Outer Wilds please play it if you can. It had such a profound effect on me as a person and my philosophy. It spoke to me in a way that no other game has before or since, and I don't think it spoke to anyone else who played it in exactly the same way.

Outer Wilds was the first game that I really felt like I was roleplaying as I played it. Way more than any other games like Fallout or Skyrim. As soon as I woke up, I really felt like the world around me and the planet I was on and the people around me were things I should cherish and honor as real things. Timber Hearth just felt like Home to me. The music, the atmosphere, the community of people, everything.

When I opened up the ship's log, I found rumor mode really quickly, and as soon as I found out what it was for, I was really excited about having my very own Pepe Silvia board.

I delved deep into the mysteries and I was trying to figure out puzzles and wrap my head around the plot long after I had turned the game off. I even went to sleep near the starting campfire for a cycle one time just to figure out exactly how much time I had with my own calculations. Counting the 22 minutes on my own, before finding Nomai writings mentioning the same exact timeframe was such a unique experience, and I loved it.

At first, my goal was to just study the Nomai and figure out what happened to them, but pretty soon it evolved into a goal to figure out everything I could about the universe I was in. The more I learned about the Nomai's, the more I related to them. Not only did they have interpersonal and important relationships like people do, they also had the same goal as me. They just went about it in a way of trying to blow up the sun in order to power a time machine and learn from the future. When I went on my pilgrimage to the Quantum Moon and learned about the Nomai motto of "identify and explain", I felt so seen tbh.

I expected that once I had learned everything there was to know about the solar system, I would have a way to save it from the supernova. It only seemed natural, right?

When I visited the sun station, and read about how it failed, it honestly didn't register to me for a bit. I was still in denial that the universe could be ending. It took a couple Nomai writings, as well as the entry about stars in the Hearthian museum for it to really set in. I couldn't save the universe.

After that, I stopped playing the game for a while entirely. Whenever I thought about the game, all I could think of was different ways that I could try and save my fellow Hearthians, even though from an outside perspective, I knew they weren't things that were in the game.

At that point, I had everything I needed to finish the game. I had explored the Ash Twin Project, I had found my way to the Nomai Vessel, and I had connected the dots of using the ATP Warp Drive to warp to the Eye, but I was too scared of ending the loop and dying for real to actually do it.

In the end though, it was the same thing that originally enraptured me in the game that brought me back. Curiosity. I still hadn't explored the Quantum Moon, and so I woke up and explored all the nooks and crannies of my ship's log that I hadn't solved yet. I learned the quantum rules and embarked on my pilgrimage, just as the Nomai who were so alike to me had done before.

After meeting Solanum (and maybe having a bit of an existential crisis at the sight of an actual living (enough) Nomai), I was inspired by enough curiosity about the Eye of the Universe to overcome my fear (it may have also taken a quick search on the wiki to make sure I wouldn't lose all my signalscope frequencies and my rumor board if I died)

The entire experience of the ending was really moving. It evoked such a wonderful sense of melancholy, but also of acceptance and catharsis that made everything feel final.

The fact that all of my friends and the people I had met over my travels were there was so heartwarming and made me feel that same feeling of Home.

The epilogue, though, made me feel more than possibly anything else has. Just seeing that one image of a new people roasting marshmallows around a campfire filled me with so much hope that it still makes me smile whenever I think about it.

Something which I think is very indicative of my whole playthrough of the game is the fact that I never learned meditation from Gabbro until after I had finished the whole game.

Most of my mindset when playing the game was very.. focused. I did enjoy smelling the flowers and watching the beauty of the game, but I refused to spend even a single cycle meditating with Gabbro because I was so focused on my goal of identifying and explaining everything I could.

Only after I had sat by a campfire at the end of everything, and be forced to accept the fact that I can't save the universe. Only after that could I realize that taking that moment to sit and calm down- to accept life how it is before trying to change it, can stop me from worrying myself to death about all the things I can't change.

[lostacelonnie]

Truly. School festival? Wild i dont think ive ever been to one of those. Not sure mine ever had them but im glad you had so much fun! Its not completely finished yet i get that done next week but its very cool i love it. I have like. 12 piercings now with still more i want. They were a slippery slope from getting two to all the ones i have & want but i hope you're able to get some in the future. I think i like my eyebrow & lip piercings best. Thats a wild difference damn. Its been sunny mostly cool days right now but we keep going from warmer days to rain/snow warnings here. Oh hell yeah congrats! Strange but positive is the best combination to have honestly. Id also love to check out carnivale if that still happens in italy or mardi gras over here down in louisiana if i had time. Just love the idea of big celebration with cool stuff. Oh sparkle is quantum support with action advance & crit damage (?) boost. She's real good for seele or many teams really. I got archeron! Just need to get her light cone but damn was she cool in the 2.1 story. Not gonna spoil if you havent played through yet. Congrats on your archeron pulls! I think i might save for topaz now & get adventurine later? I do like how he plays but ill grab him later i don't think i have use for him yet. Swarm is so annoying i gave up on it for now terrible fuckin enemies. Mood what set are you usin on archeron? I love her talent too just. Insta enemy kill what a time saver. Really did give her a great & interesting kit. Hm ill have to continue & see how complex she is. Been busy with other games & like. Cosmodyssey & the bartender event in star rail. Oh thats fun i love it keep doin that. Ohh congrats on the writing energy!

yeah school festivals are also pretty rare over here but [thanks to a complete coincidence, i didnt even Know we had those] i ended up in a school that actually organizes one JSDKFJG. would tell you what it is but i feel doxxing my school on tumblr.com is not a terribly good idea. AND HEY THATS AWESOME!!! also yeah i heard it Really Is Like That with piercings shdjfg all my friends said so at least. tbh the only reason i dont have any yet is bc when i was the age when everyone gets their first one [around 8-9 among my peers] i was very physically active and didnt wanna deal with the whole healing process while trying to not get the shit beaten out of me in aikido. so thanks!!! i REAAALLLY wanna get snake bites theyre So cool. AND FOR REAL LIKE???? can the weather Please decide what it wants to do with its life. it was literally raining the whole day today and yesterday i cannot keep dealing with this. esp since today was my first day back to school after the easter break so waiting for my bus was just. miserable. And my classbestie didnt come to school today so i guess i cant have nice things. Oh Well. and for real for real im actually so glad my school doesnt seem to have a single normal person in it because everything is just so much more. chill. and the gossip is Insane i tell you. ever since this year i befriended a bunch of cool alt girls my life had been so much more interesting because they know like everything about everyone. and oh good luck with all that!! i totally agree, tho i definitely have to be mentally prepared for such occasions. Due To The Autism. but yeah theyre SO fun. and oh that sounds like. a very good kit actually. might get her in the future but ahh i still cant quite decide who im gonna pull for next..... only time can tell i suppose. CONGRATS ON GETTING MEI #3!!!!! i maxed out her talents already [thank god for how little time that calyx takes] so i just need to get relics for her now. Auugghhhg. but i decided im just gonna wait for the triple drop event to save myself some sanity and am currently focusing on ruan mei's talents rn since i run her with acheron <- guy who has no welt and his pela is lvl 50 not built. ah thats understandable!!! i was initially Completely uninterested in aventurine but used his trial as a march replacement in my clara team and it all fits together so nicely. speaking of which i literally got clara TWICE yesterday, one pull apart, without pity on standard. the universe loves me i guess. so shes e4 now. FOR FUCKING REAL but at least using acheron in sim uni lets one skip the non boss battles so thats a massive timesaver and also makes dealing with the swarm a lot less problematic. since you only have to deal with the big guy at the end and not trouble yourself with the occasional encounter on the way. seriously tho acheron is so cracked in sim uni. she let me get the achievement for finishing every battle with all allies at 100% hp. im currently using band of sizzling thunder + inert salsotto [LOL] on her!!! as i said. scuffed but does the job for now. but im gonna get her pioneer diver of dead waters + izumo gensei and takama divine realm since i heard thats whats best on her. and yeah her kit is super fun!! and have fun with that!! honestly fair, tho im just stuck in my holy trinity of hi3 - hsr - noita. also i love the bartender event a lot both story and gameplay wise. very very cool. and thankies!!!!!!!

[heliosoll]

hi jay, i hope this doesn't come off as weird or rude bc i don't intend to be at all. but how did you shift despite allll the misinformation about shifting and the lack of success stories or the fake ones or people saying that shifting is lucid dreaming... especially on reddit and tiktok. and most shifters usually follow law of attraction and stuff like that even the successful shifters i see on here follow it and believe in shit like "divine timing" or whatever. it stresses me out bc i'm on a time crunch tbh and i don't wanna shift in 2 years or smth. how did you start following law of assumption and applying it to shifting when there isn't much information about that kind of stuff? honestly that confidence is admirable imo asdkjfls it's a bit hard for me because i tend to rely on validation from outside of myself and i find myself believing in shifting one day and the next day i don't which is ridiculous. do you just naturally develop confidence after you shift for the first time and realize it's real? i feel so dumb bc i believe in revision and i manifested stuff before but the problem is what i did was all logical stuff that came to me in logical ways :( it's very important to me bc my life here is really bad to say the least and i want to permashift and just start fresh. i would appreciate any input you have or anything you have to say even if harsh. thanks

Hi!

Babe, I completely understand how you're feeling. That's literally exactly how I felt when I first discovered shifting. I've always believed in the idea of a multiverse so for me, shifting seemed quite natural. I also considered myself somewhat spiritual at the time so I didn't mind not knowing the exact science behind it. I actually didn't apply the law to shifting at first since I discovered manifesting years after shifting. So, unfortunately, I can't quite help you there.

Anyway, I shifted the first time through spite. I was fed up with "failing" and decided to just stop giving a shit about all my doubts and fears. I decided that night that I was going to shift no matter what and that I wasn't going to accept anything else. And that's how I shifted. Things like misinformation can hinder you but they can't stop you.

When I first got into shifting, I had a hard time believing it. Honestly, I feel like that feeling, if you're a very logical person, doesn't fully go away until you shift for the first time. That's why it can help to apply logic to it until you do. I know everyone in the loa community is very adamant about not applying logic, and for good reason, but I find that it can actually really help your doubts and overall anxieties about it. I think you should research quantum theory! And pretty much every other scientific theory that supports shifting. Trust me, if you're as logical as I was, it'll help you feel better.

When it comes to the time crunch, remember that time is manmade. Even from a logical standpoint, I'm sure you can understand why I'm saying that. Try not to think of the time crunch in a pressuring way! You can think of it as a positive goal or not at all if that's easier. Just try to take the pressure and anxiety of it away. It can help some shifters but oftentimes it can make you feel worse if you pressure yourself to shift by a certain time.

You've already consciously manifested which is great! It doesn't matter how things got to you, even if it was in a logical way. What matters is that you did it! Try to apply that feeling to shifting. It doesn't matter how you think of it or how you do it, what matters is letting yourself do it. One thing that can be hard to hear, but is important nonetheless, is that the only thing that can stop you from shifting is yourself. No other power in this universe can hold you back. You need to let yourself shift. You need to be okay with thinking about it logically or being okay with not knowing exactly how it works. You need to let go of that fear, of that pressure, of all the "what-ifs", and just let yourself shift. Like I know it can suck to hear but literally just do it. You can. No matter what your mindset is, no matter how many doubts you have, you can still shift. You just have to let yourself do it.

I believe in you babe!!! You got this!!!

[gemalawashomestuck]

I have a guess as to what R-Selection might be about. What about Nesting Dolls? Tbh feel free to talk about any of them, they're all neat titles :3c

Ayy!

R-Selection is...one of the few that's NOT fucked up of the bunch, which is kinda funny because Hollow Knight itself definitely is. It's there because the title's a bit of a pun - bugs use the r-selection method of reproduction (based around having a LOT of offspring with little oversight of them and relatively few living to adulthood). So this is a bit of a play on that, with the Vessels. Instead of choosing one Vessel and leaving the rest in the Abyss to die, a supply of cloaks and Nails are left for them - and the door left open. For the most part, unless they choose to stay, they're left to their own devices. It's frankly a comedy about the Vessels running around, solving problems (causing a lot more!) and everybody gaining at least one brain cell because nobody in Hollow Knight canon seems to have one.

Nesting Dolls, on the other hand, is...viscerally messed up as a premise. Near the end of the universe, as matter itself is decaying, Hal is the last thing even remotely living (that they know of - for the record, I tend to HC Hal as nonbinary, so I'm gonna they/them em a lot here). They have a single assignment - to run a simulated universe as fast compared to real time as they can, developing their processing as they go, assigned to give life as much time as possible. And when that universe draws to a close, they simulate a new one within it, even faster. And like nesting dolls, they continue. Faster and faster, smaller and smaller, placing at least part of their consciousness within each to monitor it in case of issue. The most major issue is one person becoming somewhat unstuck in the simulation, unbound by the simulated rules: John Egbert, with the brand new ability to retcon within any level of Hal's simulations. He swiftly discovers at least some of the truth thanks to a bit of jumping around, and Hal is forced to intervene. Unfortunately for them, they get a bit attached...bad news given the sheer scale of time they're working with, and the fact that the universe Hal is simulating *from* is running out of time. No matter what, this one's not going to end well. Not really sure how it's going to end or where it goes from there? But it's going to be a rough one regardless. It was actually somewhat inspired by this video (it's long but really good! I reccomend it to everyone even though it's...a bit terrifying):

Since I've been invited to chat about any of them...fair warning, I'm excited about this one, so it's gonna be long.

Quantum Entanglement is one of the other non-fucked-up ones of the bunch! And the other science pun aside from R-Selection. Quantum entanglement, as a scientific concept, is when two particles have the exact same spin - and when one is observed, both spins change, regardless of the distance between them. It's literally faster than light - even a particle that's light-years away will change instantly when the other is observed! And I just think that's incredibly cool on a whole lot of levels, so this fic was born immediately after I learned that quantum entanglement is a thing (from a Cosmos episode, which is a show I enthusiastically recommend to everyone as well). But this fic has a second inspiration (well, three, but the other two are similar) from my favorite prompt blog - @/writing-prompt-s. They're both VERY loose inspirations, though haha. To paraphrase, one of them suggested that the patterns of dark matter in the universe is identical to a human brain (this one also inspired another plot, that's a bit more directly from it), and the other talked about the idea of abruptly seeing into a parallel universe in the form of ghostlike apparitions that don't interact with anything physically. I also had some thoughts about pleasant or funny first contact stories that kinda leaked in here, heh.

In any case, this is a soulmate AU because I'm incredibly partial to those. I have...so many. And in this particular fic, there are two parallel universes that, for the most part, don't interact. However, one (somewhat larger/containing More Things) gravitationally affects the other in the form of (some of the) dark matter extant within that universe. For both universes, people have soulmates, but a significant chunk of the population in either don't seem to. In fact, many of them do - just...in the other universe. As far as anyone's concerned, out of reach and unknown. I'm still workshopping how, exactly, I want these soulmates to work.

In any case, in each universe, people begin to catch on to the reality of a parallel universe - and in each, a team of scientists is tasked with finding out what they can (or simply End Up being part of it through various means). Because this is a Homestuck fic, the characters are the scientists - and essentially all of them have soulmates on the other side. Well, at least one. This AU has quite a bit of polyamory in it because I simply couldn't resist. The fic will cover their search for the truth, and the first contact they manage to make - and then, cue the bonds across the gap being realized. The actual soulmate bonds are definitely going to play a role in all this, how it works out - how they find each other. Changes on one side, reflected on the other. But the details...still aren't final. Working on it, though :)

[starglitterz]

HEY YOU! YES, YOU!

Who would you simp your moot with? (Excluding their obvious biases)

going off everyone else's i'm guessing you mean ship (/nm) , but okay here we go !!!!!!!!! rlly short bc im lazy LMAOOO

@3rdgymbros - zhongli ! i feel like he would listen rlly interestedly to all your theories and aus omg (which btw i absolutely love pls keep making more HAHSKJDSK)

@abyssheart - thoma ?!?! rlly random but he would def make sure you take care of yourself, plus you can ramble abt quantum theory and physics to him and he'll just nod while not actually understanding LMAOOO and i think thats rlly cute <3

@aelatus - hmmm ayaka ! both of you have rlly elegant, pretty vibes and you can just be girlbosses together KJSDKJSKDJ also random hc yall would take those rlly aesthetically pleasing polaroids together HAHA

@almondto-fu - KAEYAAAA !! idk i think it would be funny for him to tease you all the time and you end up getting rlly flustered LOL i bet he uses dumb pickup lines on you and you make fun of him but secretly like it HELP

@blisschi - albedo!! like both of you are good at art, and are kinda quiet and super cute KJAJKSDAS LMAO

@bookuya - UHHH KAZUHA ! kazuha would enable all your chaotic behaviour in fact he literally encourages it EXCEPT when u ask beidou to use him as a claymore

@childeluv - ningguang bc both of u have hot badass vibes HAHAHA

@chichikoi - literally Cannot imagine you w anyone other than diluc KJASKJKAS HELP

@dilucbar - me ofc !! we're literally engaged <3 HAHAHA but other than that hu tao!! chaotic girlbosses so true

@favoniuscodex - scaramouche. i feel like you both would argue w each other, fistfight in a parking lot and then make out that's pretty cool HAHSKDKSJ

@ganyuslily - women,,, genshin females,,, all of them,,, aether's harem confirmed HAHA

@hqrbinger - me <3 anyways moving on- LMAOOO kidding but diluc !! he would listen to you rant abt omori and then be there as a shoulder for u to cry on abt mari and hero HAHAHA

@hushyouu - EULAAAA barks aggressively i think shes your bias but its ok you two are a perfect match bc youre super sweet and caring and eula would be so soft for u AWWW

@komorebi-e - once again you and thoma/kazuha are soulmates im physically incapable of matching you with anyone else LOL

@koriyue - yoimiya !!!!!!!! both of you seem like super fun and energetic ppl, so imo she'd match you rlly well :D plus u both are super cute HAHA

@lilikags - kamisato ayaka. tfw the brother doesn't exist so you go for the sister 💔 KIDDING obviously you belong with ayato im the ceo of lili x ayato now HAHA

@love-impact - ZHONGLIII another person i literally cannot picture with anyone else HAHA

@mikachuchu - childe bc i think its funny, no further explanation needed.

@noirkkat - MEEEE DUH when tf is the wedding,,, maybe kazuha if i have to share 🙄 HAHAHA <3

@nurserinnn - also me bc im ur harem member so true <3 BUT OK FINE... ALBEDO !!!!!!! imagine if u both collaborated for art it would be a whole masterpiece 😳🥰

@solarpearl - mona bc you both have cool aesthetics which i love HAHA

@test-tube - amber !! a lil random but i love how fun both of you are, plus youre also rlly sweet so you both would go great tgt :D

@ohmykazuha - XIANGLING !! you both are so adorable and cool and talented KSDJKS i feel like both of you would be rlly supportive of each other 🥺

@xiaophobic - ME BARKS LOUDLY <3 so we are already married... BUT OTHER THAN YOUR BIASES tbh i cant imagine you w anyone besides diluc HELP but maybe ganyu?? i feel like you would help her be more outgoing AAAA omg

@yanbub - me obviously <3 mwah !! so whos writing the zuri x quill fic??? /j BUT ANYWAYS i think you and zuo ran would be fun bc you'd annoy him while hes working but hes so in love w you he doesn't care that hes being interrupted and ALSO he cooks for you,,, malewife artem confirmed 😋

ok i am Tired,,, dont ask me to explain this it was purely based on vibes HAHA kidding feel free to ask but im sleepy rn so im going to take a nap and ill reply later !!!! also since im going to sleep ill pause replying to asks for now AKSDJKS byebye !!

[dracotheocracy]

👀👀 what's innes researching that's so important that it would be entrusted to their enemy? At this point, is that even how they think of eachother? What's their relationship now vs at the start of the timeline I'd love more blorbo info hehe

i am kissing you on the cheek i love talking about my blorbos

so there's a bit of world history i have to unpack here. so there's a cold war going on and innes's country of origin is (unbeknownst to its rival) studying the magical equivalent of nuclear technology. they're basically using magical quantum mechanics to break the commonly understood laws of magic (i'm operating under dnd 5e's magic system so the way to put this would be they're researching how to upcast spells without also upcasting spell slots, which would theoretically also allow them to cast spells above 9th level. which tbh 9th level is basically nuclear warfare so you know. imagine.). most of that research gets conducted at the big wizard school which has a whole thing going on, it's something of a shadow government, a lot of the administration is connected to if not part of the nation's governing body. at the point in the story i was talking about innes hasn't actually figured the nuclear tech thing out yet or, he just knows there's some weird magical shit going on that the wizard mafia has a very vested interest in making sure people don't know about, and he has an inkling as to what that weird magical shit is because he's seen the results of some of their research, but he hasn't broken into any laboratories about it yet because he doesn't know how to find them. oh he does also know it's very much connected to a couple government officials he can name

so basically it is well within his interest to make sure it stays out of any governing body's hands and avarice is a lot of things but she's not a snitch

as far as his relationship with avarice at this point it's like. frenemy if enemy came first in the portmanteau. on avarice's end it's very much an "i would've liked to have you as a friend if you weren't my enemy" kind of thing a la aang and zuko season 1, except she is not actively trying to befriend him exactly. she thinks his demeanor is funny and frequently tries to engage with him in small talk and witty banter while they're trying to kick the shit out of each other but that's just kind of how she rolls, she's playfully arrogant in general and that comes through in a lot more than just how she interacts with innes. on innes's end he thinks avarice is a dangerous nuisance and it takes him a while to warm up to the bantering, but once they know each other decently well he does reciprocate because some of those quips you just can't take lying down you know? plus he doesn't really take the bounty hunting thing personally, it's just the grind, he gets that, and despite their differences it's easier to talk to her because honestly innes is a terrible communicator and avarice actually interprets basically everything he says correctly somehow. at the start of the timeline they were both very cold to each other but you know. being chased halfway across a continent and back changes things.

your honor they Might be narrative foils. i think avarice is very honest with herself but not necessarily with others and innes is the direct opposite of that (except for the 60 lies of omission he makes per day out of necessity) and it makes their dynamic fun and interesting

[psywife]

Thoughts behind the new angle: - quantum observation and no contact  3D- “turning your back on the ‘old man’”.

So this post is both to talk about what I’m doing now and some of the responses I’ve seen and some other stuff.

For one, my situation was kind of awkward, which I felt was a challenge.

It’s great that he and I were never no-contact and that there was never a “I don’t want to see you anymore” moment; we’ve been nurturing our friendship and on and off talking about deeper relationship subjects from time to time.

BUT I think that that has also been a source of complication. As I would do my ‘work’ mentally, I can’t avoid interacting with him in the 3D, and while it’s MUCH easier to emotionally ‘ignore‘ any undesired responses, that takes effort and it can honestly muddy things up to experience them.

Someone commented about the classic hot and cold situation that starts to mimic Avoidant/Anxious Withdraw/Chase dynamics. I think this is the downside to being in contact with your SP during the ‘process’ stage!

Every time you ‘reach out’ to check their temperature so to speak, you are subconsciously confirming that you don’t believe they love you, or that they aren’t ready to commit- so they won’t be.

It’s like with attachment models, anxious attachers will pursue someone and want them to reassure them that they are loved, but this action is fueled by a subconscious fear that they aren’t loved, and it’s THIS belief they unknowingly reinforce by pursuing/chasing someone who is pulling away.

The fearful feeling of ‘oh no does he love me or not? let me check...’ is the belief being manifested.

Meanwhile most SP success stories have the SP ‘returning’ on their own, with a full transformation and understanding of why they had to change, while obviously  not being conversationally pressured by the manifester at all. And because they come back on their own with their own answers, that is why we know and trust that they have changed/conformed.

With my SP I appreciate that he makes effort to stay in touch while we were still long distance for a few more weeks (we‘ve been in separate places for 2+ years) but when he would fail to respond in certain ways (I can’t go into detail here bc tbh the details don’t matter) I found it frustrating.

Once I decided to stick to ‘circumstances don’t matter’ and lived in the end with us married and living together, guess what? We started chatting less. AND when we did chat, things were interesting.

After starting a steady diet of revision, affirmations and visualizing he asked me offhandedly if he could help financially with a really big thing going on in my life right now. Simultaneously when I checked in on him a week later and asked how he was, he said his life was actually kind of complicated at the moment and he was having to make some ‘big decisions’. I’m quite sure that what he‘s experiencing is the life-shift required to alter him into his ideal self.

Now, one of my other complications was that when I met my SP I had just ‘opened up’ a very long relationship with my then partner, who I lived with. We all 3 know each other and get along, and my other/old partner was/is happy for SP and I to be together once I told him that  was what I realized I wanted.

BUT under it all, I realized that while it seems all good between ex and I, energetically his presence was keeping my ideal relationship from manifesting because deep down both SP and I want us to be together without a third party- ethical nonmonogamy be damned. And because deep down, I actually just want to be away from my ex. We are great friends but I am exhausted by his presence for reasons, and since my SP is me pushed out, he feels the same way, and has commented multiple times that I deserve better and that ex should stay behind and stop trying to be part of my new life.

Additionally I want to talk about quantum observation--- a watched pot never boils.

One issue w ex is, to summarize, that it’s very hard to change radically while you are still being observed intimately by people used to the old you. The old energies will continue to reflect back and forth between your memories and perceptions of each other. Ex has never spent extended time on his own like SP and I, and his personality is in need of work; as much as I try I can’t just ‘see him better’ (and I’m not focusing my imaginal energy on him rn to do this for him either)- we really need to be apart so he can change.

Remember that in this universe, observation changes outcomes.

I think that in many cases dramatic turnarounds in relationships and occurrences are possible bc one rule of the process is not to ‘lift a finger’ or ‘mess with the middle‘ - you are not to do anything to ‘force‘ your outcome.

More specifically, I think going no/low contact with your SP until they conform is highly beneficial. Jesus was entombed  for 3 days before his resurrection!

Furthermore many stories Neville relayed himself have a pattern of the person going away from the person they want to change or vice versa- the bigger the change the more consistently you see this.

In that time/space distance in the 3D, the subject focuses on creating the desired outcome in the 4/5D and does not observe or reinforce the person in the 3D at all. Meanwhile with larger changes there are often intense circumstances that ‘befall’ the SP as the bridge of incidents and 3D orchestrations shift to bring everything in line with your 5D reality.

Remember- no one saw Jesus’s wounds heal and the life return to his body. No one SAW what he went through. And if you’ve never read up on quantum observation experiments (particle vs wave) do so! They absolutely will clue you in on what I’m talking about here.

So if you’re dealing with a wishy washy SP or they’re not conforming the way you want, first off IGNORE THAT. Obviously the 3D doesn’t matter and the more you interact with their ‘old man’ the more you reinforce him. I would certainly never say you have to go no-contact bc that too is a circumstance, but it may help you ignore the old man consistently and allows for a ‘quantum blind’ that gives them space to alter while unobserved.

Furthermore it supports a good self concept. Tell me: would the ideal version of yourself hang around anyone who wasn’t giving them what they REALLY wanted? Settling for less isn’t what they would do, and as long as you pretend to be the person that’s okay with the sub-par version of your SP, they won’t be triggered to show up as the awesome version of themselves who matches the awesome version of you. When you ‘disappear’ from the relationship to work on yourself....what do you think your SP does? So don’t keep texting/calling with them if they’re not conforming. Work on you. This applies regardless of who is initiating the contact. It’s not just about not chasing; since my SP was usually contacting me I overlooked this. If the wrong version of them is contacting you, ignore them as much as you can or be completely neutral! Instead focus on reinforcing them in the 5D (”I really love how SP ______ “ etc)

Happy Manifesting!

Also note: if you are having trouble w SP manifestations pls don’t comment under posts about your relationship troubles as you are just reinforcing the negatives. It helps no one! Self concept self concept self concept <3

[motherwasapapafucker]

You've obviously spoke about the Ghost as a Superman figure within the larger context of Doctor Who but do you think the opposite is possible? A Doctor-like figure within a larger superhero setting?

There's been a couple of attempts, never quite as....jarring as the Ghost but that’s pretty much down to mad scientists and time travel being far more commonplace in superhero settings than overtly super-heroic figures are in Who. To the point the handful of times Who has played with that (Conundrum, Starfall, The Return of Doctor Mysterio) all draw at least some of their story out of the jarring presence of a superhero figure within the narrative. There’s a really nice sequence in Conundrum where the Doctor “explains” the presence of the superpowered figures in a way that reads like he’s as much kidding himself because he would like to think it’s possible as genuinely trying to explain how these people have gained their abilities. Which really feels like a deliberate building on “I wish...I wish I believed in wishing wells” given how Conundrum plays out. There’s obviously the conflation of Captain Britain’s Merlin and Who’s Merlin a couple of times, but that’s really overstated even if only in terms of Britain’s Merlin functionally different beast to the point any doctor connection is largely a minor detail as any attempt at creating a Doctor-like figure. I think then, when it comes to your Doctor-like figure the big thing that would distinguish them from other standard mad scientists and science heroes is the face changing, and basically none of your overtly doctor-influenced characters actually do anything with? Your big one in a standard setting is Professor Gamble in Power Man and Iron Fist #79, who really stands out in terms of being the only doctor-lite comic figure overtly building on Classic Who rather than Cultural Juggernaut David Tennant Doctor Who. Some overlap with Dr. Mysterio’s use of the Ghost in the conflation of the real and fictional but in very different directions; Gamble writing a fictitious account of his own life, dreadlox a fictitious account of the Incinerators. Gamble’s personal Dalek-stand in born of rogue temporal cleaning devices that have decided destroying space and time is the only way to clean everything. Where the overlap falls apart is the fact that Power Man and Iron Fist is arguably a far more flexible book at that point in its history than Who is by the point of Doctor Mysterio. So #79 is less of an out of genre moment so much as just more weird shit happening to Danny and Luke. As far as I know Gamble has popped up here and there since then, and is one of a fairly sizable amount of Who references across Marvel/Marvel UK (Yeah yeah we all know about Death’s Head, W.H.O. and aw that pish) The other big, very very direct and direct to Cultural Juggernaut David Teannant Doctor Who is...weirdly…Qubit in Irredeemable. Which is barely relevant to this question because it’s really not a standard superhero setting beyond the superficial, but bares some comment given it’s arguably the most prominent of recent takes and really hard to ignore how much he’s just David Tennant with a James from Twin Peaks forehead and LEGION hair. Also worth commenting on how fucking strange his entire role in the arse end of Irredeeamble is given the final 20 or so issues largely devolve into “The Tenth Doctor fights Evil Superman.” Given how little that aspect is remarked upon, and how incongruous it is with the broader attempt at presenting an Evil Superman story that gradually pairs back to show that the character’s never really been evil superman because for him to have that “turn” you basically have to have it be the tip of an iceberg that sketches back decades and ultimate reveals the character was never really Superman in any way beyond the iconographic. So the fact that happens while he’s fighting David Tennant is really strange, though I do like so much of that spilling out of the Plutonian forcing Quibit into one of those big, painful NuWho moral decisions, but I really struggle to care about Irredeemable beyond thinking Incorruptible was generally the stronger book towards the end. You’ve also got things like the Allred/Slott Silver Surfer that overtly drew influence from contemporary

Doctor Who, but it’s building on an already distinctive character so it can never really function as a direct one for one. I know, vaguely, that Ben 10 had a Doctor Who figure. But having never watched the show I’m not sure how he appears within the show and tbh I don’t care enough to look into it. I suppose the thing is that Doctor-lite easily slides into a superhero setting without losing too much and without drawing too much attention to the homage while someone like the Ghost is, by basic nature, designed to be at least somewhat strange within the larger normality of the show’s present day. The closest point of comparison I can think of is something like Silver Sentry in TMNT; There’s really nothing in TMNT or Doctor WHo that precludes the existence of “proper” superheroes, nether show is exactly the height of realism but the sudden introduction of basically superman presents a fundamental shift in their respective idiosyncrasies. I imagine people would be tempted to draw a comparison between the Milligan Shade the Changing Man revamp under Vertigo and Who, and given it’s MIlligan I’m sure there was some influence their even if only in terms of an English-coded otherworldly figure who undergoes startling changes across the run, but tbh it’s basically a passing resemblance and kinda overlooks the fact that Shade kinda hilariously preempts a lot of where Who as a franchise goes during the 90s and 2000s. It’s presentation of Shade’s changes as far-more psychologically damaging than classic who’s regeneration compared to some overlap with how NuWho treats the event particularly, but also in terms of the EDAs there’s a fairly notable arc where Shade gives up his heart to cope with a torrent of emotional loss and devastated worlds. Make of that what you will. I still haven’t answered the fucking question have I, right since you’ve asked me you’re going to get my shite, because here’s how I’d do it. There’s only one way really, one word Metalek Because the fucking rule don’t they? Morrison’s first, best Dalek-homage. The Xenoformers from Galaxy X, sentient construction vehicles serving masters that no longer exist. Terraforming the Galaxy one world at a time. Bow before Metalek. So yeah, those guys exist and they’re fucking great. I have...more thoughts than I’d like to admit about the “Metalek Empire” that’s really just self-indulgent pish. But that’s DC comics. So they exist, and they present what’s probably the best approach to a Doctor-alike in a superhero setting. In the same way the Ghost might as well be Superman in a setting where he isn’t the soul focus, you’re Doctor Who figure might as well just be Doctor Who in a setting where, building on the fact the key elements aren’t that notable, they really don’t stand out that much, so what then? Well he’s the mad scientist, but a good mad scientist. Counterpart to all the lunatics and madmen with their metal monsters, who is he? Who’s the grant morrison character fighting the dreaded metalek menace when they aren’t intruding on Superman’s narrative? Who spent decades trapped on earth, leading a reformed STAR Labs into a strange, wonderful new world? It’s Leo Quantum isn’t it. Basically, Leo’s one of those characters like Lan-Shin in Smashes the Klan or John Henry Irons who click perfectly into place with the larger idea of Superman’s social network. And given I’m an egotist, I’m going to do what I like with him building out of that admittedly bullshit old idea he’s future lex back to repent. If the Ghost is a version of Superman who’s world exists in the shadow of the Doctor, Leo would be a version of the Doctor that exists in the Shadow of Superman. He’s not literally Lex, he’s your Kristin Wells/Legion/DC One Million figure, possibly a future Luthor, possibly the first child of the Luthor/Kent families coming together in the far off 42nd century. A temporal adventurer who’s early experiments caused all his potential futures to crash down on top of him, transforming him into a hypertime singularity. His technicolor dreamcoat crafted from fifth world

wondertech, regulating his body to ensure each hypertime strand gets its time in sun while keeping the darker fringes in line….most of the time. Or at least, that’s what I’d do, feel free to discard this as mental bastard bullshit.

[pepperful-qt]

Hi there! Can I request hcs of kuroo, kita and semi with a big brain s/o? It doesn't just apply to s/o academically, but more so about life in general (like having ~streetsmarts~) thank you!

you said street smarts my mind went to jj bittenbinder. ngl i kinda used the wisdom proficiencies from d&d as reference for this hahaha nerd i hope it’s what you want! also i just want to thank you for requesting my not-so-secret fav semi semi

Kuroo, Kita, & Semi with a big brain s/o

* * * * *

Kuroo Tetsuro

oh this man appreciates it. he’s so entertained

you know that drinking game that Tyrion does with Shae where he guesses something about your past and if he’s right you have to drink, if not he does? that’s what you do minus the drinking part obv,, unless

as a person with high charisma himself, you make it a game to see who can bluff out and/or fool the other (you almost always win)

any time there’s a game night and you’re playing a social deception game you always win. no one can get a lie past you

if it’s a teamwork one, you and Kuroo crush everyone else

you find ways to skimp on your hw but still come out fine. he has no idea how, and it both annoys and impresses him

“i thought you stayed up watching buzzfeed unsolved instead of studying last night??”

“yeah so what?”

“but you got a 96%”

he knows that intelligence isn’t just defined by what you’re able to memorize out of a book, and you’re a perfect example of that. he respects you a lot

you’re the type of person that reads random articles and therefore has the most random bits of trivia that you throw in conversation

he can have an intellectual conversation with you, since you always come up with unique perspectives. he loves asking your opinion on things, bc who tf knows what’ll come out of your mouth

you don’t know what a derivative is to save your life but you know the location of every 7/11 in a ten mile radius, and if they carry a specific type of onigiri or cup noodle flavor

but fr you give the best advice and are always there to lend an ear

you watch murder mystery movies together and try to figure out the culprit, sometimes actually arguing over it

other times you’ll watch a drama and make bets on who’s gonna do what or end up with who

rip Kenma in the corner just trying to live his life

it’s hilarious seeing you interact with someone who is not “big brain” or street smart

let’s just use Lev as an example for no particular reason, just bc

you quickly learned that Lev would believe almost anything you said, he was that fascinated by your apparent wisdom

so you and Kuroo will sometimes join forces and see what you can get him to believe. you once convinced him that if you kill an insect you’d become that insect in your next life and die the same way, and for a solid month he would start crying if he ever stepped on an ant

chaos couple™

you have this whole atmosphere about you that is just “do not fuck with me” bamf if i do say so myself

which tbh is one of the things he finds most attractive about you. you knew exactly what he was up to the first time he started flirting with you, but you weren’t intimidated one bit. you became a challenge~

10/10 best looking couple of the three

* * * 

Kita Shinsuke

the two voices of reason, bless you both. you’re very similar, but also very different

he’s the definition of high intelligence & high wisdom with low charisma cleric kita omg, while you have both high wisdom and high charisma with an intelligence stat you barely use (high or low lol)

he’s the kind of guy who always thinks things through with logic, and he’s always sure of his decisions

you on the other hand, have an intuition based logic

freaks him out when you rely on your gut instinct but somehow it always pays off

“why?” 

“just because” 

“but why??”

you’re adaptable in almost every situation, always know what to say, and have an uncanny ability to read people

which actually comes in handy in your relationship

he’s not the best at expressing himself but you always seem to know his emotional state and thought process, something no one else except his granny has really cracked yet and you do it so easily. sometimes he wonders if you’re a mind reader

you knew he liked you before he did & you asked him out first ~

“Shin-kun, you look happy today!” 

“Ah, I was able to clean all the volleyballs after practice and still had time to fold and organize the scrimmige vests by color.”

meanwhile Atsumu: “hE litERALLY?? looks the sAME??!”

speaking of the twins, you’re great at handling them

Atsumu tried to scare you away the first time you showed up at practice before you and Kita announced your relationship, but you were calm and polite

which tbh put him off more than if you’d clammed up or gotten angry. he almost felt bad for being rude. almost.

imagine how bad he felt when Kita found out

the both of you are both feared and respected by the team 

you’ll help Kita out with his self-assigned chores sometimes, figuring out new ways to be efficient and not lose quality

he also loves how he can trust you to take care of yourself, whether it’s walking home alone or losing you in a crowd or just looking after your health. he still worries and dotes on you but it’s out of love, not because he’s concerned you’ll hurt yourself unintentionally 

he loves a person with common sense @ inarizaki

you’re both really good at getting gifts for each other, since you’re both very perceptive

one time you guessed his favorite flavor of ice cream and it made the butterflies a’flutter

there’s this silent competition between you two of who can give the better gifts

wishes you would study more though ngl. he knows you’re smart you just don’t always dedicate that intelligence to your schoolwork

he finds it charming how you’re always looking at things from different angles rather than the straightforward path. he thinks it’s a very good quality

that “yeah but what if...” kind of mentality

we already know he appreciates that attitude if he doesn’t really take it on himself

you’re both able to appreciate the nuances of life and enjoy the moment together

your relationship is one of the most balanced and strong out there tbh,,

* * *

Semi Eita

you’ve got this charm that makes people respect you. a certain type of confidence, if you will, that made him first notice you

lots of students were intimidated by the members of the volleyball team, for their height and reputation etc, but you never showed any reservation, not even with Ushijima

as well as your conviction, you have take no shit attitude that comes in great handy with certain members of the team it’s also hot af

you can banter with Tendou and you provoke Goshiki all day long but never Shirabu bc you know what’s up

you do however irritate him with mind games, bc you know he’s a little shit who stole your bf’s spot and needs to be taken down a peg sometimes

you: *describing the quantum wave trolley problem”

Shirabu: *screams*

all the while Semi is trying and failing to hide the smug little smirk on his face

with Semi though, you’re able to just talk

he enjoys conversation with you bc he’s never bored. you make him think and you make him laugh, both good things

sometimes you’ll point something out that just makes him go “oh” bc it seems so obvious when you point it out

other times it’s something so outlandish that he can’t help but crack a smile or let out a laugh 

sometimes it’s the connect the dots meme “you didn’t connect shit” lmao

again, solid advice giver with no holds barred. anyone who needs to be straight up told what they need to hear comes to you, bc you're usually right

and Semi himself can get lost in his own head so it's nice to have you to ground him

you’re decent in your classes sure, but where you really impress is your strategy in game. any game

once you were invited to play laser tag with the team and you whipped out a battle plan that annihilated the other team

alternatively, you show no mercy in monopoly or uno, damn your relationships

it’s actually very annoying how quickly you pick up the rules and nuances to games and use them to your advantage

if you’re both very competitive, it’s usually better for everyone if you’re both on the same team

but he likes a challenge heh

okay, we know he’s bad at dressing himself when it comes to casual outfits. no common sense. you notice this too

“Eita, sweetie, if you go out like that you will get mugged,, even in Miyagi.”

you’ll walk down the street hand in hand and you make random guesses or stories about the people you see 

“that guy is totally a scammer” or “bet that lady looking at the papaya is trying to start a diet for the third time, look at her face” and he’ll chuckle

he knows there’s always something going on inside your mind and he wants to know

when you’re lost in thought he’ll tap your forehead

“hey what’s going on in there?”

he enjoys listening to your musings and thoughts and opinions. you either have a crazy gut instinct or have some unique thought you’ve internally debated over for months

gets inspiration from you actually, even if he doesn’t realize it

likewise, you realize he has a lot on his mind he doesn’t say, but you have a way of making him say it, even if he is hesitant and abrasive at first

you’ll call him at 3am with a random thought and he’ll grumble a bit but actually will listen to you with the smallest smile on his face

* * * * * 

i hope??? this was good??? also lmk if this is too long without a read more i’m not sure :P

[sleepless-in-starbucks]

Hi could you talk more about why youd recommend not watching ww84?

Sure!

warnings for under the cut: spoilers for WW84 and a bit of the first wonder woman; i only saw WW84 once a few days ago + it’s been a hot sec since i saw the original so if i get a few details wrong i apologize

tl;dr with no spoilers: WW84 is a poorly executed movie that insults its viewer with its messy and self-proud plot, bad character/relationship portrayals, and offers a personal slap in the face to a majority of its audience in their various discriminations, generalizations, and plot points.

the first point is the racism, made well by the post i reblogged here, (edit: found a second post that goes more in depth here) so i’d just suggest looking at that for that matter

next is just How they portray wonder woman in this one

i really appreciated the way the first movie portrayed diana because they did very well in keeping true to her Amazonian raising and life while still clearly showing she was a woman

when i say this i mean that a lot of media has a tendency to either make women who are very fem and keep to traditional gender roles or women who more or less shun femininity and attempt to largely fulfill only male gender roles

diana in the original is a warrior, strong and fierce, but still a woman, not trying to shun that or anything. she wears styles that suit her while still being woman’s styles (she doesn’t force her way into a suit), she talks of and addresses her womanhood proudly and without issue, etc

i want to note here i have no issue with female characters who act extremely masc and reject femininity- i love them tbh- but it’s important to remember that it’s not inherently against womanhood or anything to be a strong fighter who doesn’t stick to every stereotypical social gender norm

and the first wonder woman movie shows this very well

WW84... oh boy

first of all, wonder woman’s changing outfits every other scene. even between scenes where it makes no sense! i’m not saying she can only wear one set of clothes but Geez this was too much

not to mention an entire scene dedicated to her helping steve pick a fashion look? i understand this was to highlight the ‘80-ness of the movie, and it would’ve been fine if it seemed diana was helping him pick a period appropriate look, but it was clear she was trying to help him pick a ‘fashionable’ look which. wonder woman? from the island without a sense of popular outfits or fashion? what?

and the amount of focus on her wearing high heels.... ugh

i’m not saying you can’t have a badass woman who also likes social gender norm fem things but it felt clear that wasn’t what they were going for

wonder woman in the first movie liked practical fashion and not only were many of her outfits not that, her high heels? one hundred percent not practical

it didn’t fit her character and felt horribly out of place, clearly just the producers / directors / whoever going ‘oh, wonder woman is a woman how can we show this? fashion! high heels!’ and i hated it

(warning: imma be jumping from thought to thought as they bump into each so uh... enjoy the train-of-thought style of flaw informing)

and starting at the beginning like.... wow that scene had no purpose

wonder woman cheats in a competition and is punished for this by losing it in the end. except. this is stupid for two reasons

as the audience is shown she didn’t cheat on purpose. she made a mistake, lost her horse, and made a strategy to get back into the race despite this. honestly? i thought the story was going to be a lesson in ingenuity in the worst looking situations. but it wasn’t, which is bad storytelling, because the lesson is then based on a point that isn’t even that true

it is literally Never important again later. unless you count what was going on with the wishstone as ‘cheating to victory’ which i dont. that’s not even what the villain did. he wanted to take over the world. there’s no victory there you get without cheating. wtf. why did that message even happen

going into the actual story we meet the cheetah pretty quick, when she’s still whatever-her-civilian-name-is

and the cheetah... she’s such a bad villain

she doesn’t have the same backstory as she does in the comics

in this one, she uses the wishstone- which is a whole ‘nother thing in and of itself- to wish to be like diana, because ig being smart as hell but social awkward as hell too is so bad you need to desperately wish to be someone else? i hate that trope, but onwards-

she gets that, but in exchange for not only diana’s likable personality she also gets her wonder woman powers (and she loses her glasses, because pretty and cool means no glasses, right? /s), she loses her kindness bc of the rules of the wishstone- in exchange for your wish, it takes smth u care about a lot from you; for her, it was her kindness

this makes her villain! just because she lost her kindness. yep. honestly not a good look regarding all those people out there who are low/no empathy and can still be wonderful nice people but i digress

at one point she complains about why she needs to keep her power rather than go back to being just Her and i fucking wanted to scream

she has like. half a dozen degrees, clearly a couple of friends even if she’s awkward, and she’s got a life that was perfectly okay before she made the wish. as someone who is also socially awkward as hell, it infuriated me to here her acting like it was the fucking end of the world she couldn’t be more extroverted or whatever. there are ways to work on that!!! the movie trying to convince the audience she had a legit reason to not un-wish her wish (for the good of the entire world) was stupid and insulting

also her transformation between ‘looks human, wearing cheetah-pattern clothing‘ to ‘humanoid with cheetah fur/skin/appearance’ literally just. happened. for no reason. that was stupid

y’know what else is stupid? the wishstone. it was clearly just a plot device, and a poorly executed one at that. it isn’t even consistent in how it works

and they did a whole side thing with like. how it had the language of the gods written on part of it and it appeared in random locations across history around the time of great tragedies and,,, that was it???

they never explored the divine connection??? who planted it or why??? how it location traveled or anything????

like i said. poor plot device

i move on now to steve

oh boy steve

he’s brought back to life by diana’s wish on the wishstone, but... it causes him to come back in someone else’s body, quantum leap style. this is. weird. and is never ever addressed by him or wonder woman except once in a throw away comment. like. diana and steve kiss and are implied to have sex while steve is in someone else’s body and neither of them seem to care. this is not good!!

and then his relationship with diana? HORRIBLE

in the first movie they were barely starting to fall in love, only barely a couple even if that. more importantly they were friends, and that night he died diana didn’t lose a potential lover so much as she lost her first non-Amazonian friend

but WW84 portrays their relationship as if they were not only already a couple, but one close enough that even after forty years since steve’s death diana is still completely and hopelessly in love with him to the point that she’s literally hanging off his arm as soon as he’s back and making love that very night

it plays again once more into the misrepresentation of wonder woman’s character (how stereotypically hollywood female to fall over herself at the sight of her love interest) and it wrecks their relationship, which had been a lovely friends-who-could-be-more

what they should’ve done was focus on that friendship, build it back up after the long gap for wonder woman, and then started to rebuild that possible romance (and tear it down at the perfect moment... right when steve had to go again... ah that would’ve been lovely)

but they wanted to go in full-haul on the romance and it just felt. wrong and weak to me. diana’s refusal to consider giving up her wish (to get her powers back and save the world) is bc she doesn’t want to let steve go again, which makes more sense in the context of a first and true friend rather than a hastily slapped together love interest

steve’s character was generally good tbh but the way he played into the story? bad

moving on... the main villain of the movie? sucks. he’s just. fucking awful

despite a motivation being given that he wants to have money, he launches into wanting to take over the world for no real reason. he takes advantage of people for this and almost destroys the world he wants to rule for it. the main reason he stops this is for his son, who up until now he largely ignored and didn’t seem to care that much for outside of basic obligations. and the movie dares try to make him sympathetic by throwing in the fact he grew up poor and was bullied and not liked which i HATE

lots of people are/have been poor. lots of people are/have been bullied (myself included). that does NOT justify them DESTROYING THE WORLD TRYING TO TAKE IT OVER. can it be used to show the audience why he does what he does? yes. but to use it and clearly try to make it a reason to hand-wave-away what he did? NO. FUCK NO

also fucking. y’know how wonder woman took down this villain? she talked to him and the world. she gave a stirring speech while she laid slumped against a wall, not injured, just too weak to beat a bit of wind. she talked and she looped her lasso around his leg so she could talk to the world to to convince them to give up their wishes

once again... the mischaracterization

in the first movie, wonder woman gives a stirring speech while fighting Areas. it’s done in her battle, beating the god of war up while reminding him of what she stood for, who she was, why she would keep fighting for a broken world

it was BEAUTIFUL. it was MEANINGFUL. it was BADASS but SINCERE

this was weak. and it clearly wanted to be more than it was

the whole movie wants to be more than it is- it wants to have an important meaningful message like the first movie, about wishes for the self and war and the world and whatever. and it wants it so badly it does it horribly

the message is ham-handed yet messy and unclear and not right. it doesn’t make sense, and it feels poorly plotted. the movie thinks it’s more than it is and that makes it very hard to watch

and to finish my rant off... WW84 lied to its audience

did you see any ads for WW84? i did. they were bright, vibrant, funky music, stunning moments, action and intrigue. i was thrilled for a movie like it

the actual movie isn’t that

it’s not nearly as action filled, it’s not as ‘80s-focused as it leads you to believe, some of the most prominently featured moments barely matter

the lightning swing? pointless, as at that point in the movie wonder woman’s learned how to fly and does it for no reason but the trailers

and that cool suit? introduced in a random myth for no reason halfway through the movie, brought in at random with no explanation, only there for show and the trailers

WW84 is not the movie is lead people to believe it was, and the movie it is is poorly executed and insulting to a variety of peopler/minorities

if you’re gonna watch it, pirate it. i can give you a link. just don’t give dc your money or your legit views for it

[otterskin]

Inverted Mobius, Mr. Tesseract and The Avatar of Truth

The mystery of the weird collar has deepened, thanks to @nebulousfishgills​ - by which I mean they totally solved it.

To those just joining me, I noticed this in my previous breakdown of the Loki trailer here.

Mr. Mobius, played by Owen Wilson, has an ‘inverted suit’. His collar is an indentation in his suit, rather than going on top of it.

So, first, a scene from Endgame that I seriously did think of when we learned there was a character called ‘Mobius M. Mobius’ in Loki (played by Owen Wilson). And yet I didn’t put this together. Thanks again to nebulousfish for making me realize that these things might not be coincidences.

When Mr. Stark is inventing time travel, he asks his AI to create a depiction of a Mobius Strip, inverted.

Which gets him this:

Anyway, what is a Mobius Strip, and who is Mobius M. Mobius? (Not to be confused with Morbius the Living Vampire, though wouldn’t it be funny if he was mistaken for Mobius M. if this show gets big first?)

I am not a quantum theorist or comic book aficionado by trade, so let’s do a Wikipedia-Fu on it.

In mathematics, a Möbius strip, band, or loop (US: /ˈmoʊbiəs, ˈmeɪ-/ MOH-bee-əs, MAY-, UK: /ˈmɜːbiəs/;[1]German: [ˈmøːbi̯ʊs]), also spelled Mobius or Moebius, is a surface with only one side (when embedded in three-dimensional Euclidean space) and only one boundary curve. The Möbius strip is the simplest non-orientable surface.

An example of a Möbius strip can be created by taking a strip of paper and giving one end a half-twist, then joining the ends to form a loop; its boundary is a simple closed curve which can be traced by a single unknotted string. Any topological space homeomorphic to this example is also called a Möbius strip, allowing for a very wide variety of geometric realizations as surfaces with a definite size and shape. For example, any rectangle can be glued left-edge to right-edge with a reversal of orientation. Some, but not all, of these can be smoothly modeled as surfaces in Euclidean space. A closely related, but not homeomorphic, surface is the complete open Möbius band, a boundaryless surface in which the width of the strip is extended infinitely to become a Euclidean line.A half-twist clockwise gives an embedding of the Möbius strip which cannot be moved or stretched to give the half-twist counterclockwise; thus, a Möbius strip embedded in Euclidean space is a chiral object with right- or left-handedness. The Möbius strip can also be embedded by twisting the strip any odd number of times, or by knotting and twisting the strip before joining its ends.

A Möbius strip does not self-intersect but its projection in 2 dimensions does.

Uh....right. Well, that clears everything up, doesn’t it?

Let’s crib off someone else’s work. Thanks to Thomas Wong on Medium, I was able to understand this a little better.

A Möbius strip is just a strip of paper, turned and taped together. It it only has one side, so an ant walking along the strip eventually returns to where he started. If we metaphorically interpret the ant, not as returning to a point in space, but a point in time, then it alludes to time travel.

...

As previously discussed, after a measurement, the quantum mixture (half born and half never born) becomes a definite state (born or never born). Finding the “spectral decomposition” is to find all the possible energies (eigenvalues) and states. Using these, one can determine how a quantum object evolves with time.

Combining this with the metaphoric interpretation of the Möbius strip, it could be that Stark found how to make quantum objects evolve such that they revisit a point in time, hence time travel.

Okay, that’s a little easier to understand. So how does this relate to the character Mobius M. Mobius, aside from him being named after the strip and the (apparently antiquated) ideas about time travel?

Well, he was based on Marvel Comics Legend Mark Gruenwald, a guy known for his passion for the lore of the comics, which he knew in innate detail. He even wrote the Official Handbooks and whatnot. Likewise, Mr. Mobius is a stickler for detail and one of the few members of the TVA even allowed a face - although it is off the rack, as he’s one an infinite number of clones (god I love the TVA so much already, it’s heaven for a Douglas Addams fan like me).

Despite being a clone, he rose through the ranks and is nearly the top guy, serving only underneath Mr. Alternity (and I am not familiar with these comics so feel free to correct me). Mr. Alternity has almost no comics history, but is based on editor Tom Brevoort.

There are several other misters, all of them near-identical to ‘Moby’. Mr. Orobourous, Mr. Paradox, Mr. Tesseract (!) and Mr. Oburos. They are also minor characters, but let’s look at all these names.

Clearly they are named after quantum theories of some-sort or another.

Mr. Mobius: Mobius Strip Theory - the idea that, essentially, is about the shape of time itself and the theory of traveling along that shape.

Mr. Alternity : Alternative universes

Mr. Ouroboros: A divine figure representing the beginning and the end of time in an endless cycle of death and rebirth.

Mr. Oburos - I’m not sure, but I think this is a variant of Ouroboros. 

Mr. Paradox - Temporal paradox, causal loops - ex. The Grandfather Paradox

Mr. Tesseract - An object that exists in 4 dimensions. Time is often called the fourth dimension.

Obviously that last one is interesting, considering how the Tesseract will be the start of our adventure. The Cosmic Cube was renamed for the MCU, and in the comics has no relation to this minor character.

But what if it now does?

What if Tony has caused a change in the very appearance of Mr. Mobius when he inverted the Mobius Strip - literally inverting his clothing because he changed the shape of the Mobius - does that mean that these seemingly human-looking misters are in fact some sort of avatars for aspects of time itself? And if Mr. Tesseract is representative of how space and time intersect in the fourth dimension, wouldn’t a rogue god twisting space and time with the device that shares his name cause him some affect? Perhaps why the TVA noticed something was amiss to begin with.

This would be a departure from the comics, but the characters have almost no history there. They are ripe for new ideas.

Or, then again, since Loki will be working for the TVA - perhaps he’s the one who becomes ‘Mr. Tesseract’?

But continuing with that ‘Avatar of Aspects’ idea, let’s get away from this sausagefest for a second and visit my next newest favourite character -

I’m guessing she’s one of the Justices of the TVA. What gives it away? The imperious look, the giant oaken table, or the fact that I’m suddenly self-conscious when she looks at me? It’s the last one, of course. She’s a natural judge.

Of the named TVA judges, there’s :

Justice Goodwill, Justice Hope, Justice Liberty, Justice Love, Justice Might, Justice Mills, Justice Peace and Justice Truth.

Could they also possibly be avatars of their respective aspects?

If I had to guess, I’d say this is Justice Truth, as pairing up Loki with an avatar of Truth seems like it’d be a smashing good time, similar to how he was paired with Verity Willis in the comics. She might even be a composite character with Verity.

Verity’s power is detecting and seeing through all lies and illusions. I think this powerset will be given to Justice Truth, except instead of deriving it from a magic ring that she swallowed, she’d simply be the actual ‘Embodiment of Truth’ - and let’s get real here, when I said ‘Avatars of Aspects’, I was using that clunky phrase because the more obvious one - God of - is already ‘taken’. So Justice Truth may well be the ‘God of Truth’, as it were.

I think she’ll end up in something of a buddy-comedy with Loki, giving him someone to bounce off against who literally cuts through his carefully crafted veneer.

I’m reminded of a great quote from Taika Waititi when he was talking about what he wanted to do with Loki in Ragnarok:

“(He’s) someone who tries so hard to embody this idea of the tortured artist, this tortured, gothy orphan...It’s too tiring trying to be like that,” he says. “And, most humans, we get over ourselves, we get to that point where we’re like, ‘man, being a tortured artist is actually, like, a lot of work. Maybe I should just be real and present, and just be me, and I don’t have to be a tortured artist to be interesting, I can just be a f*cking weird New Zealander and that’s enough.”

...I think Taika is a living Loki, tbh, ha ha. No wonder he gets it.

Waititi, Yost, Pearson and Kyle did great work to cut through Loki’s illusions, both with dialogue and the visual allegory of his projections being dispelled by handy thrown objects, culminating in the very sweet ‘I’m here,’ scene at the end of the film. Loki seems to be much more open and expressive at the end of that film, and it seems like a weight has lifted off his shoulders.

But while this new Loki (Loki 2.0? Loki’s Show’s Loki? Loki II? Lokii? Lokii.) is shown a clip show of Ragnarok (one I previously theorized will be deliberately incomplete), that’s quite different from actually experiencing it, and he’ll be as performative as he was in Avengers and Thor 2. Instead of processing that ‘lack of presence’ as he did in Ragnarok, which came about as a result of Thor finally seeing through Loki’s illusions (guess he doesn’t fall for it anymore) as a result of their long history together, I suspect the band-aid will be torn off much more harshly by a total stranger who nonetheless simply sees through him.

Loki in general has a bad relationship with the truth (see the famous Vault Confrontation scene), and literally putting him on trial before the Truth Herself would certainly be enough to get him to switch from this phony expression:

To this one:

That’s not much of a facade there.

It’s not the same character arc as Ragnarok, but it does get us to a similar place, albeit in a darker and less healing way for Loki. I mean Lokii.

Anyhow. That’s what I got out of this thing.