#YES he was going to kill like a bunch of people including lots of children and innocents and stuff. YES he still deserved better. GUYS.

[allgremlinart]

looking for Jet content on here is like. its either "every decision Jet ever made was reasonable and healthy and if you condemn a single one of his actions you love genocide"

or "haha Jet is SUCH an asshole and a one dimensional villain who I am very happy died" like what if I threw myself into the ocean you guys.

[karrenseely]

Silver Linings

I just realized something. I learned about the existence of Trans people when I was 12 or 13 I think. I learned about us in a medical encyclopedia. It wasn't a lot to go on, but it definitely was enough. Two things happened when I saw that entry. First I wasn't alone, second I could do something about this.

I absolutely wasn't alone or the only one AMAB who was a girl. That lifted a huge weight off of me, I wasn't alone. People who've never experienced the feeling that you're the only one in the world that seems to not be the way everyone around you is, have no idea how hard that is, I sooo identified with the Last Unicorn as a child. Growing up, I had no positive examples of queer people. None. I can't recall a negative example either that was explicitly queer. There was nothing for me to reference what I was going through. I was taught like all young girls in our society that being a girl is inferior to being a boy (why? Why does our society do this? Even today? Whiskey Tango Foxtrot! We're not inferior to men, we never were, but for some reason some narcissistic AH somewhere decided this and then a bunch of other narcissistic idiots with power liked it and here we are living in a patriarchal misogynistic society, which is absolute BS). But I was also taught that being a boy who "wanted" to be a girl (yes I'm aware I was girl all along, though it took me a long time to understand that, because... society) was doubly bad and horrible.

So I was completely ashamed and terrified of anyone learning my secret because I was the only one and I knew it was a bad secret. I'm sure there are other things that happened that taught me this, experiences with my parents, peers, teachers. But I don't remember most of them, and I don't really need to go into it here, as the sadly important point is that I learned very young to be ashamed of myself.

No one ever talked about people like us. Ever. There were the occasional movies involving cross dressing and drag, usually men pretending to be women (notice that key word that differentiates trans people from cis people. Cis people when they cross dress in performative ways are pretending to be the opposite sex or a gender outside the binary. Trans people aren't pretending, we are the gender we identify with.) like Tootsie. I liked the movie, it was nice to see a man who could pretend to be a woman and enjoy some of it. But I never identified with that character, not in any significant life changing way. Because he was a man, he identified as a man throughout the movie and I was a girl forced to be a boy. And most other instances of crossdressing in media were treated as a joke, including Tootsie. "Hello [shame] my old friend, I've come to talk with you again." (1)

So learning I wasn't the only person in the world that felt this way was life changing. It gave me comfort, which I sorely needed. But the second part was just as important. I could actually do something about my body and I could be me. And that gave me hope. Which was sorely needed as I was spiraling downward rapidly at the time. Months later as the horrors of my body changing became more apparent I came out to my parents in desperation, which instead of recognizing me and loving and supporting me, was met w/ dismissal, and attempts to erase me and increased the shaming tenfold. But the one thing that kept me going. The one bright star in that horrible darkness was the knowledge that I could transition someday, not as soon as I'd hoped, not as soon as I needed, but someday. It felt like an eternity away, but it was there, telling me to keep surviving to keep going because I could be me when I got there.

Had I not learned of trans people, I honestly don't think I would have survived my first adolescence. I would just be another dead kid with everyone wondering why I was so depressed and weren't there any signs? (I often wonder how many of the children that manage to kill themselves are queer. Based on proportions of homeless youth, I imagine queer kids are a very large chunk of that statistic.) Just learning about the existence of trans people kept me alive. Knowing I wasn't alone and there was something I could do about it. It was horrifyingly frustrating that I couldn't do anything until I turned 18, but I would be able to do something about it. So learning about trans people saved my life.

Just that one concept, that trans people living their authentic lives existed, was enough to keep me alive. And here is the silver lining that occured to me. Despite all the negative, bigoted, horrible publicity, laws, and hate. Our existence is being talked about a lot. Which means, kids who need to know they aren't alone, that they are not the only one's that feel this way. Are finding out that we exist. Yes they'll need to do research and understand that we and in turn them are not evil, not monsters, not perverts, But beautiful amazing wonderful and caring people. And because of that, maybe. Just maybe, a few more trans kids will survive and maybe even thrive one day, because they learn they aren't alone and there is something they can do about it.

I hope so. I really hope that is the case. I also wish we didn't suffer so much that way, too many of us die. Maybe someday, that will change for the better. (1) Simon and Garfunkel, "The Sound of Silence."

[archivalofsins]

It's been a good while since the end of trial two and a lot has changed in the fandom overall. Even more will change over the course of trial three. I think in this area of uncertainty and impatience it's easy to forget everything that transpired.

Admittedly I'm kind of proud of my growth over this period of time and how the experience has impacted how I interact with fandom and the internet overall.

Not to sound incredibly old fashioned but I think there's still much to unpack from trial two before heading into trial three. So, the down time between the end of trial report and now has been greatly appreciated.

A lot happened.

Haruka's broken 50/50 as people highlighted the risks of him remaining unrestrained not only to himself but others.

People stating that anyone voting Yuno guilty was a pro-life conservative, politicizing her trial as pro-life pro-choice debate. Even going as far to state that Milgram was a sexist series for including her at all.

Futa's was just funny because it was a bold faced admission by the audience that they were in fact too much like Futa to properly judge him. Amongst other things.

Mu's trial was a bunch of people politicizing it in the opposite direction using a bunch of right wing buzzwords like calling it fake news, for some reason bringing race into it from headcanoning her victim as half black, then victim blaming like her victim attacked first so she deserved to die.

Shidou well fuck we need a doctor so go off king. Like it wasn't even about him it was about Mahiru I know who I really cared about here. I couldn't give one singular fuck about Shidou even now. Oh he might hurt Kotoko I don't give a fuck if he does his doctor role what he does in his off time is his business. Nobody was thinking oh my god what about the harm the guy with the medical degree can do to others here when they voted him innocent nobody cared. Like honestly he has a medical degree he can do a lot of harm but that wasn't our problem or main concern.

Mahiru ah see he hung himself and he's probably a cheater anyway. Yes some people thought it was justified to drive a man to suicide for being unfaithful. That was a weird hill for some people to build a house on but they did. I don't know a lot of people just conveniently forgot women cheat and can be abusers as well. I don't know how some forgot that but I wish I were them.

Kazui the guilty shrine- seriously a shrine? Really... Oh also men shouldn't be allowed to get divorces because it makes women look bad. Isn't that what abusive husbands were saying when women wanted divorce rights and fought for things like no fault divorce wild. No one was thinking there yeah go on cook me nothing that would be better than the poison you're trying to disguise as feminism. It'd be less detrimental too.

Amane's second trial really was like,

"Sure her mom kills cats and beats children but we can't forget she's a cult survivor too and being a parent is hard."

Bro as someone with an abusive single mom who did some shit and went through some shit um no that's not an excuse. You can't just go parenting is hard get me my taser or my childhood was hard too it's my turn to beat kids. Like not tobring up Oshi No Ko again but the Amane trial really was just chapter 141 to me in real time (read it because that got messy later in).

"She had to live through the cult too. She was having a hard time as well what about her upbringing? Do you know how hard it is to raise a child by oneself."

Her husband was at work not dead what the fuck did y'all mean by this???

What were these takes? Nobodies trauma gives them a free pass to traumatize others- wait we'll get to you hold up put those dogs back where they came from! She's a single mom of one girl meanwhile the woman with two sons and an absent doctor husband. Not doing any of this shit. She was my rock Shidou says fully meaning it. Yuno mom two kids haven't heard a word about her killing cats or beating kids. Wild it's like it's pretty easy to choose not to do the things she did. Every other shit parent here did decide to be shitty Amane's mom included.

Mikoto oh suddenly your trauma does excuse how you responded to a situation. Work hard, such sad boy. Yeah I can believe the stigmatized version of dissociative identity disorder in this one niche situation. Japan is so backwards of course they'd still write it like this they don't know any better. So, of course the other alter is the evil one and Mikoto is still the goodest of boys- Also dissociative identity disorder isn't real unless you have a certain number of alters that act x specific way that's why there has to be this many.

With a tiny hint of if the child is guilty let's just kill this man too~

Fuck Mikoto he's had it too good. Bitch could have went home in fact we see him do it in the video! Where the fuck was Amane gonna go the streets?! We saw how that worked out in her video. Snitch ass streets, if these streets could talk- Don't worry with snitch advisory they can even if you don't want them to!

Kotoko well if you think she's bad then you don't have real trauma. Also grooming can only be sexual actually I heard the term from twitter and never looked into the act of doing this ever outside of that context. God don't even ask me to define groom as a verb.

So on and so forth. It's been a lot and this all just shit I personally experienced.

Trial two showed us one of the worst aspects of humanity,

Our ability as people to use our own experiences as the blueprint for all life.

Our stubborn commitment to seeing something only one way. Because that's always been how we've seen it. That's always been how it was. Milgram trial two and the audience for better or worse put the definition of closed-mindedness on full display.

Regardless of how inclusive, progressive, or forward thinking people believed themselves to be in the moment. We saw what a commitment to only one way of thinking could cause and who it ends up hurting. I think trial two can teach people that even the most progressive leaning individuals can cause harm.

Even those who want to support marginalized individuals or are marginalized themselves are capable of causing harm. Because when we convince ourselves that the only voice that matters is our own we silence, belittle, and ignore the experiences of those around us. It doesn't matter what politically correct framing a person attributes to their belief if one is being closed-minded it will still harm others and the movement they're purporting to care about.

It will more than likely do more harm to the people one is attempting to help the most whether that is themselves or others. That's the only thing being closed-minded can do.

[ralexsol]

Thank you for being the only reasonable person I've seen in this godsforsaken fandom

I think a lot of people are reasonably upset, but are taking a somewhat harmful approach to making things better.

It's difficult to see a show with such openly queer characters and not your own demographic (poc, disabled, women). They think that they should have a place there too, which they should! But you have to consider situations in part of a bigger picture of where we're at as a society.

Right now, the queer community has a lot of attention, and it's easier for pretty much all people to take a walk in their shoes. "I'm a man who loves women, you're a woman who loves women. Well, the only thing that's different is who exactly you love, but you still love, so I don't have a hard time imagining your circumstances."

And while poc have been crying out for attention for years now, most notably in 2020 with the BLM movement, it's much harder for a white man to imagine the experience of a black woman. And considering that if you do it wrong you're canceled, it's easy to see why people shy away from it. People say, "Oh, it's just a person! Act normal!", and yes that is true, but the white man may still accidentally perpetrate a stereotype. And then he's yelled at for not doing research first. It's a cycle that people can get stuck in.

As for physically disabled people, depictions of them are so stigmatized in media at this point that it's hard to know right from wrong. There are going to be mistakes made. That doesn't make it totally okay, but progress is a process. Disabled people have been silenced for a very long time, and they deserve a hell of a lot better. But if we just tell the Council to include them, how are the Council to know exactly what that looks like? We need to give them ideas, we have to guide them.

And as for women, yeah, there's definitely a lot to be desired. Frankly, they're a bunch of white guys; it's bound to happen. What we can do is clamor for more women who aren't only milfs. Yes, we love them, but regular, strong ladies like Jay are needed all throughout the campaigns. Give Jay some love. She's amazing. Condi does great with her.

The JRWI community has the unique position of being able to actually influence the creators. While Disney artists and writers are hidden away behind a big corporation and continue to pump out the same white, straight, cisgendered characters, we have one on one contact with the Council.

Tell me: if you went up to a Disney executive and screamed at them to include a black ambiguously bisexual or lesbian woman in one of their movies, do you think that would help the issue? No, they wouldn't care. They'd just say you're trying to brainwash their children again.

Meanwhile, the Council are a small group of four white, mostly cisgendered and straight men. And yet, they've included gay, lesbian, bisexual, nonbinary, unlabeled, asexual, transgender, and black people! That's awesome! We should be celebrating the fact that this podcast even exists! It's incredible.

Don't scream at them. That's counter-productive. Have civil conversations, encourage them to do more, show them what representation should look like while giving them room to be creative with it. Tell them what they do wrong and then point them kindly in the right direction.

I don't want this community to kill the podcast. I don't want all of this negativity to force Grizzly to leave - and I think it could get to that point if things continue the way they do.

Art is the best way to influence the Council. Draw the pcs with mobility aids! Give the poc characters love and attention, expand on hcs. Make ocs that showcase aspects of these lesser-represented communities. There are so many things you can do.

[lizzie-queenofmeigas]

Santis try not to be utterly fucking delusional challenge 💀 stop making shit up you're actually pathetic

Sansa never said shit about wanting Alys Karstark and the little Umber boy dead. She wanted them given as wards to other families and their lands/titles/castles given to people whose families didn't turn her little brother in to be hunted for sport. Y'know, like every other fucking lord on earth might use as the merciful approach for betraying their family resulting in their youngest brother being hunted for sport in front of an audience (and offering military backing to her multiple-time rapist).

It might not be as merciful as the approach Jon took but it's a hell of a lot better than what Ramsay did to Rickon, who the Umbers happily turned in, or what the Boltons did to the Starks with the Karstarks' help or hell, even the fate of Martyn Lannister, who the Karstarks brutalized and murdered. Tbh no one could blame her for Reynes-of-Castamere'ing them.

But she didn't even want to do that, she just wanted to reward the people who stayed loyal. And she dropped the issue once Jon made his decision.

Dany on the other hand killed people for refusing to appease her entitlement. "Rightful queen" of seven kingdoms her ancestors took by force with the medieval fantasy equivalent of nukes, that her family was later deposed from for being a bunch of incest-loving freaks who think being "the blood of Old Valyria (empire built off of slavery and burning people alive)" means you can ruthlessly abuse anyone you want with impunity? "Right yeah cool ig we'll all go back to the Incest Empire headed by the woman with three huge monsters flying around eating our children and we'll be cool with it bc she freed some slaves on another continent (and then used them to kill our friends and relatives)," says no one in their right mind.

The Targs deserved to die, yes including your favoritest platinum blonde baddie. Don't make shit up about other characters to justify how yours is totally morally/mentally sound.

And how is that the fault of a kid who couldn't be older than ten and a girl who didn't reach twenty? They were kids who had nothing to do with what their parents did, yet Sansa wanted to take their ancestrals home. One would think she would have a little sympathy, but that's not like Sansa.

Dany has the same rights to the Seven Kingdoms that Sansa has to Winterfell. Whatever you like it or not. You obviously support the Starks taking back their home no matter what, so why not Dany? What Dany did is no different any other male leader would have done, in fact she was far more merciful than a male leader (except show Jon but he is something else)

I know you prefer the actual colonizers Starks over the Targaryens, but be reasonable.

[ahmedmootaz]

To my fellow anon who just finished reading the same chapters I did, take my handshake in congratulations and sympathy.

To AhmedMootaz, take my tears and kudos as thanks for all the chapters and some questions in followup for the last ask on what if Ayin died .

If Ayin really DID die because of the Sweepers and they had to haul his corpse home somehow after X and Roland inevitably wope out the Sweeper nest, how would they store his corpse on the car that Roland fixes to bring it home?

Shove it in the trunk like a kidnapping?

Tie it to the back like a spare wheel?

Tie it to the front like a hunter's deer kill?

Tie it down on the roof of the car like luggage?

Strap it in using a seatbelt like a passenger?

Drag it behind them using a sled made of metal like an even more messed up Rudolta?

Drop the body in the passenger seat eother on top of someone's lap or just the seat itself?

Drop it on the floor in front of the passenger seat and below everyone's leg and behind the driver's and navigator's seat?

Something else entirely

Either way, the road trip on the way back is going to very quiet aside from maybe a bunch of crying especially from Ayin's kids and maybe Roland and X quietly talking about what they were gonna do now that Ayin was dead.

Hopefully they at least use Ayin's labcoat to cover him up in a makeshift funeral shroud. Although maybe they should just use Roland's suit jacket or X's labcoat instead if there's a large hole with bloodstains spreading out from it on Ayin's labcoat. Red really stains white. It's a good thing Ayin or his corpse at least is wearing black underneath the white coat. That hides most of the gore and blood.

But that's not the only question I have, I have more questions I'll send in the next ask since this one is already way to long.

(Ask Part 1)

Dear Anonymous,

Well, that was quick. So many people get inspired and send asks whenever I ask something that includes Ayin's death...I guess us Ayin fans are true sado-masochists, kehehe. And I will be taking those tears, thank you very much! Now I can fuel my future plans for writing! And thank you very much for the kudos as well. It makes me happy to know you enjoyed AiP.

First of all, are you feeling particularly evil today, Anon? I mean, all those violent manners of harming Ayin's lifeless body...I like it. A true Ayin fan; loving Ayin while wanting to harm him immensely, hehe. If you ask me, I'd think that Ayin's body would be treated very respectfully; he would be laid on the back seat on his back, his hands neatly tucked by his sides, while X's labcoat covers Ayin, just as Ayin had given X his own labcoat back in Chapter 8 when X had gotten drenched while bathing his girls. A poetic, painful parallel~

X would probably sit in the car's trunk while the older children sit in front of the back seat in the small space where you'd usually put your legs; I'd assume the older kids would at least fight the urge to look back at Ayin lifeless body, while the younger ones wouldn't be able to do so, which would...well, it would result in a lot more crying than needed.

I think X sitting in the trunk and letting the seat next to the driver for the kids would enhance the pain when Roland and X need to talk about what comes next; it would leave X blindsided and a little shielded from the reality that, yes, Ayin is dead, and his body is right there. There's nothing to do. Nothing that can save the one man who looked after him, and who left shoes so, so massive that almost nobody can ever hope to fill, and who left behind a grieving Distortion wrecking havoc on the City.

What a mess.

Seems like you have more pain to inflict on our Yinnie, so I'll be seeing you in the next ask! See ya'!

[jessepinwheel]

I have some disagreeing Star Wars opinions with you. But I really liked your oneshot Harmonic Oscillation. I find it extremely off-putting when I see people making excuses about the Tusken Massacre or having other people (Obi-Wan, other Jedi) find out and Anakin still getting off scot-free. (My opinion is: if people don't want to deal with the Tusken Massacre, write an AU where it doesn't happen, don't write something where the "feel good resolution" is forgiving mass murder including of children with zero consequences!)

I feel like you handled that, and depicting the selfish person Anakin becomes by ROTS (yeah, AOTC was a turning point), really well. It didn't feel like bashing, but rather a logical interpretation of Anakin's worst tendencies. The characterization felt believable.

I especially appreciate the lines "My love for you is unconditional. My lenience is not." That is powerful, and such an important concept that I feel too many people don't understand.

I don't read much swars fic (I'm kind of on and off) but when I do read it something I come across a lot is anakin confessing that he murdered a whole tribe of people and obi-wan is like oh :( but it's okay because you've stepped away from the darkness so your soul is still fine, which. no, I don't think the state of anakin's soul is really the important thing, more than the fact that he murdered a bunch of people and clearly doesn't feel like he did anything wrong, and also why the hell does obi-wan's forgiveness matter? (well we know why it's because anakin doesn't care about the opinions of anyone besides the people close to him) obi-wan has no authority to absolve anakin of what he's done, he's not the one who was wronged by anakin's murder spree--the tuskens and their tribes were.

like yes, I do think anakin could do literally anything and obi-wan would probably still love him. I mean anakin did horribly murder obi-wan's own family and that wasn't enough to make obi-wan write anakin off, but loving someone doesn't mean letting them do lots of murder forever (although anakin might believe differently)

so I wrote that little snippet. at one point I had the idea of obi-wan and bail going back in time together because their deaths occurred so close together, and while obi-wan was off telling anakin that murder is bad, actually, bail would be off telling padme that marrying murderers is bad, actually. obviously didn't write that because I couldn't come up with anything interesting to write, but that snippet would have been a scene in that story

I try not to bash characters in general (though some might disagree with me because some of the characters I write come off pretty poorly), because there's really no need to make up reasons why characters suck, and I especially don't need to make up reasons why anakin's moral fiber is about as structurally sound as an eclair. fundamentally, anakin's the kind of person who, when palpatine went "hey I'll save your wife if you kill a bunch of children", thought that was a reasonable thing to do. surely that speaks for itself.

[fuzzydreamin]

What The Companions Say About... The Children of Atom!

I'm posting these just because I find the companions in-game reactions to things rather interesting. You might be surprised by what some of them have to say about certain things.

These are just their dialogues for during combat and after combat or walking through areas inhabited by this enemy type. It does not include anything from specific areas, quests, or other dialogue.

⌨ Ada

⌨: I fail to see the logic in worshipping something that is clearly hazardous to your health. ⌨: These Children of Atom would certainly provide a fascinating subject for psychological research. ⌨: It's astonishing that the Children of Atom possess an uncanny immunity to radiation. ⌨: I wonder if these people are misunderstood or simply out of their minds? ⌨: Ma'am, we may want to see if these people possess any useful gamma-based technology.

☘ Cait

☘: These bastards are out of their mind. ☘: Worshippin' radiation. These nobs are a crazy lot. ☘: Don't even try and reason with these lunatics. Dyin' is all they need to understand. ☘: {Sarcastic} Whoever this Atom guy is, he sounds like a real piece of work. ☘: Better keep that Rad Away handy unless you wanna start coughin' up blood.

⚙ Codsworth

⚙: Nutjob sighted! ⚙: Watch out for their radiation guns!

⚙: {tsk, tsk - a sad fact} Children of Atom they call themselves. What terrible blasphemy. ⚙: These "Children of Atom" are terribly misguided. ⚙: {light hearted bravado} A right shame the looney bins have all closed down. ⚙: {jolly bravado/ Confident} My circuits are impervious to radiation. Feel free to stand behind me, mum. ⚙: {Concerned} Hope you have RadAway with you, mum.

⚕ Curie

⚕: These Children. They are very odd, yes? ⚕: So these Children of Atom worship radiation? Would not the sun be a more appropriate focus for their adorations? ⚕: I think these Children should seek psychiatric attention. ⚕: The Children's willing exposure to radiation makes them fascinating specimens. ⚕: Someone should tell the Children about the dangers of radiation, I think.

♞ Danse

♞: {This is an affront to you on multiple levels.} Humans that worship radiation? I don't even know where to begin… ♞: {Proud} Whoever this "Atom" is, I bet he's no match for the might of the Brotherhood. ♞: Keep that RadAway at the ready. You're going to need it. ♞: The Children of Atom are nothing but a cult filled with lowlife scum.

🕶 Deacon

🕶: All the comforts of a cult without leaving your irradiated crater. Join the Children of Atom. 🕶: Why would anyone ever join the Children? That's what I want to know. 🕶: Capital Wasteland. Exports: purified water, some decent tech, oh, and an insane suicidal cult that worships radiation. Thanks, guys. 🕶: I always feel unclean killing those Atom guys. That's probably just the radiation poisoning talking, though. 🕶: Great more Children of Atom.

☣ Hancock

☣: {Neutral} You know I like rads, too, but you don't see me killin' folks over 'em. ☣: {Amused} Never was one for cults myself. Too organised for my taste. ☣: {Neutral} The Children of Atom tried to recruit folks from Goodneighbor once. And only once. ☣: {Amused} Hmm. Nice area, plenty of rads. If it weren't for the nut jobs, this'd be my kinda place. ☣: {Concerned} I'd keep your RadAway handy round these folks.

☸ Longfellow

☸: {Disdain} Bunch of nut jobs, worshippin' radiation like that. ☸: {Disdain} I've seen some crazy folk in my years, but there ain't none crazier than the Children of Atom. ☸: {Disdain} There's no talkin' sense to this lot. They've gone off the deep end. ☸: {Disdain} Can't fathom it… why would someone pretend to believe in somethin' that ain't real?

⨁ MacCready

⨁: Why the hell would you worship radiation? Makes no sense. ⨁: I met plenty of weirdos in my day, but these bozos are off the scale. ⨁: If any of this makes sense to you, I don't even want to know about it. ⨁: Talk about delusional… these freaks think that the Great War was a holy event. ⨁: Don't even bother trying to talk to any of these psychopaths.

♥ Nick

♥: {Stern} Someone needs to put these children to bed. ♥: {Neutral} Hope you took your Rad-X. ♥: {Neutral} Never understood cults. I guess some folks just prefer being told what to do. ♥: {Neutral} Probably safe to assume these folks were looney before the rads.

✉ Piper

✉: {Pity / Neutral} If there were ever people more in need of the truth… ✉: {Neutral} Let's not linger, all right? I'm worried my teeth might start falling out. ✉: {Neutral} Worshipping the atom doesn't seem so crazy when you realise what it's capable of… wait, no, I hear it now. That did sound crazy. ✉: {Question} You got enough RadAway to share? ✉: {Neutral} Poor brainwashed dolts. Wish they'd listen to reason.

☀ Preston

☀: Those guys make raiders seem pleasant. ☀: They didn't seem to be in a talking mood. ☀: How do they get new members if they kill everyone they meet? ☀: Worshipping radiation… that's straight up crazy. ☀: I think those cultists are beyond reasoning with.

☢ Strong

☢: Some humans like glow. ☢: All humans sound same when they die. ☢: These humans not have milk of human kindness. ☢: Strong kill these humans.

☾ X6-88

☾: {Cocky} Nothing I love more than airing out these deranged lunatics. ☾: {Irritated} Hope you've got some meds for radiation poisoning. ☾: {Disdain} Why the hell anyone would worship radiation is beyond me. ☾: Spend too much time around these psychotics, and your skin will fall off. ☾: {Disdain} There's not a shred of humanity left in these fanatics.

-----

My Notes:

I do wonder how much of the Childrens' radiation resistance is simply down to those without it having already died or ghoulified. A bias result of sorts.

Cait confirms that coughing up blood is a symptom of radiation poisoning in the fallout world.

"My circuits are impervious to radiation." That's not how electronics and radiation works. How is this possible, Codsworth? I get you don't have skin to fall off or blood to spit, but that shit would still do some damage to the internals.

Danse. I don't think the Brotherhood can take on literal gods. Especially ones who may actually be real...

Also the "This is an affront to you on multiple levels." note, once again hinting at Danse's teeny little religious leanings.

"Too organised for my taste." makes me chuckle. The only cult Hancock needs is that of Dionysus.

"The Children of Atom tried to recruit folks from Goodneighbor once. And only once." Damn, you give em the Allan Lee treatment?

"I met plenty of weirdos in my day, but these bozos are off the scale." ... Some might say... the geiger scale? ... I'll see myself out.

"How do they get new members if they kill everyone they meet?" Great question! I have the same one for raiders though. And Gunners. And everything else in this game. I assume they're at least a little nicer in lore. They can't all be imports from the friendler southern cults.

Also, Preston, your list of things you dislike more than raiders grows quite a bit. For the anti-raider guy they sure aren't at the top of your list.

Strong thinks raiders and Gunners might have the milk, but not Children.

[marchsage]

YES to pryce deserving so many more consequences for kidnapping, traumatizing, and brainwashing six children to use as child soldiers; your theory that giovanni straight up did not know that pryce was behind it is super interesting too bc it's the only thing that makes sense for why he's like "here go train with your kidnapper again!!!" it makes sense too (and like. lance knows which is a whole other thing to unpack) because giovanni wasn't very...present for the gsc arc and pryce's crimes weren't exactly broadcast. a few other gym leaders and the dexholders are the ones that actually know what happened and there's no indication that that's ever really shared with the world after pryce is yeeted into the crack in time. love that analysis so much!

please lmk if you want me to delete/etc but YES!!

First off, thank you!! :) I love talking about Pokespe (especially the Kanto and Johto dexholders).

[general pokespe spoilers]

A really big part of Pokespe is, I feel, consequences. It's in the RBG arc when Giovanni loses to Red as a consequence of not caring about the Pokemon he hurt. It's in the Yellow arc where Lance hurts others without regard and gets defeated by someone who is essentially a parallel to him. It's in the FR/LG arc when Giovanni can't even reunite properly with his son (his illness isn't his fault, but fighting Red and causing chaos to the Sevii Islands sure is!).

There's also growth as another big part of Pokespe! It's pretty obvious in regards to the dexholders because you can see them change/develop over the arcs (e.g. Black). But it's also visible when the dexholders have to group up with past/previous enemies to fight the new ones. Surge goes from a dude willing to attack children (Red arc) to helping out (Yellow arc) and trying to rescue(?) kids (GSC arc). Other examples I can think of include N and Lorelei to an extent.

Pryce doesn't have either. His consequence was getting stuck in time, but that was more of a result from messing with time. He didn't face anything for snatching and "training" the kids. He didn't face anything for trying to kill Silver and Gold, unless you include Gold stopping his plans. And if he gets to return to his gym without any fanfare, then orchestrating that attack on the gym leaders in GSC (the train) had no consequences either.

After looking at Giovanni's actions in the arcs he's present in, it feels very implausible that he would've spared Pryce if he knew. He smashed a Magmar, left Yellow during the big final fight, and a bunch of other things. Kidnapping Oak, Green/Blue's parents, etc. Giovanni was willing to do a lot of things, unforgivable or not, in the FR/LG arc just to find his son.

It's also a bit weird like... At most, I assume Giovanni knew Pryce in the context of a gym leader. Like you said, he wasn't there for the GSC arc, and while Pryce's crimes were known to some gym leaders, it's probable that he didn't pay attention because he prioritized finding Silver. In fact, what were the crimes mentioned? He kidnapped kids, but did anyone know besides the dexholders? At most, people would know him as the guy that tried to control time and kill gym leaders.

In the translation I read, Giovanni says something along the lines of Silver training under his two teachers. So.... who knows whether Giovanni knows. Maybe he just misinterpreted the relationship between Pryce and Silver. It feels like a weird mix of contradictions.

Lance's case is weird because, in a show-don't-tell way, I don't doubt he cared enough about Silver in their mentor-mentee relationship. In the HG/SS arc, Silver at least has faith that Lance would have information on Team Rocket. Lance also mentions, like I said in the previous ask, that he, Pryce, and Giovanni are all tied together by Silver. The other two have such an impact that it feels like it'd be a weird connection to make if he wasn't that close with the dexholder.

Side note but Lance and Pryce feel like weird parallels where they both did bad things for the "benefit" of Pokemon. Lance did it for the cruelty of humans while Pryce.... is Pryce, I guess. He has a more selfish view of it where only his Pokemon should be treated with love and care.

Back to Lance solely, in GSC, I don't think he ever knows about Pryce being the Masked Man since he only shows up to give Silver information. In HG/SS, it feels like.. a mix of knowing and not knowing? It's contradictory again, like Giovanni's case. Maybe he knows and prioritizes the world. Maybe he doesn't know all the details. Maybe he doesn't prioritize it at the moment because Silver looks well-adjusted (he isn't, but that's something else entirely).

I think it'd be neat if Blue/Green was considered a mentor to Silver instead of Pryce. We got hints of that mentorship in FR/LG and in HG/SS. Blue/Green's the Viridian gym leader, he mentored Silver when they were looking for Giovanni, he (kind of) helped out when Silver learned his dad was Giovanni, they're fellow dexholders.... I just think that's pretty swell :) Any of the Kanto dexholders would be a "worthy" mentor figure honestly.

[carogdraws]

Idea 5: Vanessa visits the graves of her victims and sees ghosts

An idea that I've seen exceedingly few fics try and cover is Vanessa encountering the ghosts of the people whom she (as Vanny) murdered after the 3-star ending.

I am unsure as to how one would make this situation happen. Maybe it could be a dream.

A scenario that I like most has to do with the idea that Vanessa visits the graves of the children she (no vanny) killed. After she was freed, she reported the location of the bodies so that they could recieve a proper burial. Vanessa knows that it isn't enough, she doesn't think that she will ever be able to do enough to atone for what she did to all of those children (it wasn't you, it was Vanny.) At the very least she tries to go and visit their graves once a week, making sure to bring flowers for them everytime. Vanessa doesn't say anything during the visits, what is there to say? "I'm sorry?" Yeah right, as if SHE is deserving of forgiveness...

I really like it because there are a lot of things you could potentially cover, including:

How would the ghosts react to seeing the freed Vanessa? Would the children be enraged? If so, what would they do?

Or would they be able to see that the person in front of them is not really the same as the one who murdered them, not mentally, at least? Maybe (relating back to idea 2) the children who were taught by her would be able to convince the other children of this.

How about the therapists? They would likely be more willing to listen, being adults trained in understanding psychological conditions.

One could discuss how Vanessa has been dealing with having 2 sets of childhood memories, a fake abusive one (put there by Glitchtrap for reasons of trying to make her more obedient, which ended up failing) and her true, standard, evidently normal one. (in this universe patient 46 and their tapes didn't exist, save for that one line about lying about childhood, just pretend it was in one of Vanessa's tapes)

And, of course, we can't forget Vanessa. What would she do? It is most likely that she would curl up into a ball and await the punishment that she thinks she deserves (she doesn’t). After all, it is HER fault, right? (No, it’s Vanny's.)

If you include Gregory in this encounter, he, being the "no fear" gremlin that he is, would probably try and start to defend his… uh… paternal guardian of unspecified rank in some way, either by trying to explain that Vanny is no more, or try and actually fight the ghosts.

As you can see, there are many ways that I think someone can make a mini story out of this concept.

Indeed so 🤔

It's a great idea for an angst story, since Vanessa feels a lot of guilt for something she never really did (in a mental sense).

Now, this had me thinking a little. In Afton's Return, I never really planned that Vanessa would be haunted by angry ghosts (in all honesty, the ghosts in AR are actually the most chill version of them, not many other AUs have them constantly visiting and nagging Michael and, consequently, Charlie who stayed behind). But, I did plan a sequel where a whole bunch of ghosts the characters thought were gone make a comeback and are on the hunt. Maybe it could be a great time to add these children too, as I was trying to figure out what would be the main type of souls encountered by one of the three groups in the story. And yes, the main characters are separated into three groups, exploring three different Freddy's locations in this story... :)

[hereforyourdispleasure]

🍉,🍓,🍰,🍫- Darian

🍟, 🍕, 🍪, 🍻, 🍷- Mark

🍩,🌽, 🍒 - Alir

🍋, 🎂, 🍔, 🍰- Adrian

I'm gonna post this now because it's been sitting in my drafts for weeks. Sorry Alir 💀 looks like I didn't have motivation to answers their's

Darian

A particular piece of jewelry he refuses to part with?- He, Mark and Alir have matching rings. He did get a necklace and a couple rings from Dani but refuses to risk damaging/losing them. He has a few funky things- 80s style bracelets, pop culture themed jewelry. But he's honestly not much for actually wearing them. The jewelry collection will be added to in near future though apparently 😰

Any particular scents he likes?- Petrol station. That's all I'll say. Pine and sea salt too

Something he counts as unforgivable?- Killing/knowingly endangering his friends. If someone's done it, he just won't move on from it, you'll always be untrustworthy to him. Yes this includes himself, even if he was trying to avoid endangering people

Where does he go to think?- The bunkers. Everything always leads back to them. Sometimes around other people, if he wants some sort of outside input (but there's also the chance of him thinking out loud around certain people is a plot. It definitely was when he did it once or twice to Baphomet)

Mark

Guilty pleasure?- I don't think he'd see any point in covering it up, he just likes puzzles. Likes making them mostly

How does he spend a lazy day?- Ahahohoho. Don't be silly. This man is always working. He'd probably just hang around with Darian and Alir, or his friends in his department. If not, there's always new machines to be working on, security systems to update. He's a busy guy too

Something sentimental?- He doesn't really do sentimental. But he takes pride in his work, and feels sentimental about particular creations. He'll always adore any gifts Darian and Alir give him though

Comfort ritual/how he calms down after a rough day?- Rich kid shit. Fancy bath, go out for a meal

Adrian

Most painful memory?- Really depends on what age specifically we're talking about, because Adrian technically refers to the age range of late 18/19 to 21. 18/19 Adrian is obviously still getting over a death. Is he over the events that lead to him getting picked up by commission? Probably not. 20 Adrian has a hell of a lot going on, doesn't really have time or any need to focus on the past. 21 Adrian though is in the direct aftermath of seeing basically all his project co-workers be ripped apart, nearly ending up the same way only to be saved by another reality being for some reason and being blamed for the whole project. So yeah, probably that

Is he different to first perceptions of him? How does he surprise people?- Mmm yes and no. He's very aware of his reputation and the assumptions and perceptions of him. And he'll lean into the ones he sees as useful. They aren't exactly false, he can easily live up to the perceptions, and very much has done. But as I've said before, Adrian was the one that took in Alir. It'd be cliché to say oh he's just a mean guy with a soft side. He's an asshole because of 18 years of losing every chance of living a good life despite fighting for it, and he's tired and obviously being manipulated. But he's not the "has a soft side prick 🥺", he just has the common sense to not blindly follow everything. He has morals. Sometimes. Even if it really doesn't seem like it. Because he is still Darian, he is still Dante

Are there any recent trends he would love or hate?- He'd hate tiktok trends I can't lie. At this point he's barely had a chance to be on the internet. If he saw a bunch of people younger than him doing weird dances or jokes that 100m other people have already done, he'd probably avoid the internet altogether. He'd love shit like the tidepod challenge just because he'd want to see stupid people get consequences

Something he counts as unforgivable?- Honestly most crimes against children. Hypocritical of him, yes, because of the noncanon rp. But he'll absolutely not deal with prolonged and serious suffering when it comes to young people. Any mistreatment because of discrimination? Not even a second thought, they're already dead to him. Then obviously sexual assault, stuff along those lines

[bellmo15-blog]

Villains In Fiction Act Like Villains? *Gasp!*

So, there was a post I saw on Twitter last night that was poking fun of some of the sillier complaints people have about Disney Star Wars and the post contained screenshots of posts from Ticktok complaining about how certain factions, the Empire in particular, had been depicted in Star Wars media recently and these shots contained a bunch of fickle arguments such as “where is the war in Star Wars” as if people don’t understand that war isn’t all just big explosions and screaming “FOR QUEEN AND COUNTRY” at the top of your lungs. You know, it was the stereotypical “Disney Star Wars bad” kinda stuff you’d expect to see at this point. However, there were two particular screen shots in this post that bothered me the most. This shot from opening of The Force Awakens where the First Order assaults the village on Jakku which ends with them all being executed, and another shot from one of the recent episodes of The Bad Batch showing that the Empire has started experimenting on kids with that same episode also showing Cad Bane kidnapping a literal baby.

And these complaints, they got to me. Like they actually got to me and not in a good way. Because ignoring the fact that the sequel trilogy actively goes out of it’s way to show the audience that the First Order is A LOT more brutal than the Empire anyway and this opening assault is a great way of showing that and this wasn’t even the first time in cannon that Cad Bane had kidnaped children, they were acting like the Empire being as evil as it is is a new thing. No it is not! This is the same group of people who killed Luke’s aunt and uncle, blew up an entire planet, tortured Princess Leia for information and would of killed her two if Luke, Han and Chewbacca didn’t show up to save her, Darth Vader killed some of his own men just because they fucked up at their job, blackmailed Lando into luring our heroes into a trap and set up a shield generator on a planet they likely didn’t ask the consent of the local Ewoks beforehand. And let’s not forget the Galactic Empire is also being led by a man who manipulated his best solider from childhood, planned a mass genocide on a group of what’s basically Space Samurai wizards and any Jedi that DID survive often ended up working for this new regime to basically hunt down and kill any Jedi who survived Order 66 and let’s not forget Palpatine basically lied his way into power. The Empire experimenting on children in The Bad Batch is no different from how they acted in the past BEFORE Disney brought the rights to this franchise!

However, this post of the Star Wars fanbase just being the Star Wars fanbase also highlights a bigger issue that extends to all works of fiction. Apparently, we can’t have villains in fiction who are irredeemable assholes that do some really horrible shit anymore. And I really have to wonder, do you people NOT know some of the really horrible shit villains have done in fiction over the years. Do you also know that some of them also have no real motivation to do half the shit they do other than “just cause” or because of “insanity?” This really isn’t a new thing or anything!

Don’t believe me? How about we bring up Green Goblin from the first Sam Rami Spider-Man film? This is a villain who literally becomes a villain though a science experiment gone wrong leading to him going insane and he actively takes joy in the horrible stuff he does. Does he have a reason to continue doing evil shit after killing off the Oscorp executives who screw him over at one point? No. Is he still a joy to watch on screen? Yes!

Or how about Risky Boots from the Shantae series. Does she have any deep or personal or sympathetic reason as to why she does half the shit she does in this series, including kidnapping Shantae’s Uncle, stealing her genie magic out of her, inverting Shantae’s Genie Magic to turn her evil or helping the Empress Siren just for the sake of a ship? As far as we know, no! She just really likes being a pirate and stealing shit save for the one time in the series she had no choice but to work with Shantae to stop the Pirate Master. And that’s fine! Because she’s still an incredibly entertaining villain.

Or what about Bowser from the Super Mario franchise. Does he have any detailed reasons as to why he constantly goes after Princess Peach? No! And yes, there is the Super Mario Bros Movie where he wants to marry Peach but that’s a different cannon altogether anyway.

And what about Commander Tartar from Splatoon 2 Octo Expansion who wanted to commit mass genocide on the entire Inkling and Octoling race just because he wasn’t happy with how they had become the new dominant species on earth and wanted to replace them with a new race?

“But Bellmo, we need our villains to be sympathetic otherwise what’s the point of half the stuff they do.” No no no. You can NOT just sit here and tell me making a villain Sympathetic instantly makes that character likable or justifys half the shit they do. Because even the ones who are do some pretty horrible stuff.

Don’t believe me still? How about Magneto in the X-Men movies? Now one look at this guy and you might think that he has a noble goal. He wants mutants to be respected and the X-Men universe mutants are seen as freaks or monsters. Well guess what, Magneto does some pretty awful shit in these films just for that goal. In the original X-Men he was more than willing to sacrifice Rouge, who casual reminder is ALSO a mutant, just to turn a bunch of people into Mutants despite the fact that we see before this point that it does NOT end well if a normal person get’s forcibly turned into a Mutant. X-2 despite helping to stop a plot to wipe out all mutant on the earth he then ends up turning that plan on its head and try’s to have all non mutants wiped out instead. Last Stand he rally’s a bunch of mutants to his side because of a recent “cure” for mutations and his plan is to literally go to the source of the cure, who is a literal child, and probably kill him two. And that’s not even counting some of the stuff he does in the First-Class saga such as being more than willing to blow up American and Russian boats with mislles, thinking the best way to stop the apocalyptic future we see in Day’s of Future Past is to kill Mystic because her actions in the 70’s lead to what happened and willingly working for Apocalypse because he has nothing left anymore. Yeah, I don’t care how much of an activist for mutant rights Magneto is, if I was a mutant I’d be going straight to the school run by the telepath in a wheelchair. Which is ironic for me to say considering Magneto is arguably one of the best parts of these movies. He’s incredibly well acted and his dialogue with other characters is great to listen two.

“But Gannondorf is a sympathetic villain in Zelda Wind Waker. He had good reason for doing what he did.” Yeah, a sympathetic villain who lied his way into the Hylian Royal family and plunged Hyrule and the Sacred Realm into chaos. And that’s just in the Adult Timeline. Don’t even get me started on how he basically used Zant to try and take over Hyrule again in the Child Timeline or how he actually kills OOT Link in the Downfall timeline.

Look, the point I’m trying to get across with all this rambling is that I don’t get why villains acting like villains is such a shocking thing to people nowadays. What, are we going to complain about Heroes being Heroes next? Villains doing villainous shit isn’t a brand new thing nor do they all have to be sympathy to justify the shit they do either. But then again, we live in an age where media literacy is deader than my hopes for that Sands of Time remake to be finished. I know I said this already a while ago but I swear to God, I will NEVER forgive what a lot of overly critical Youtubers from the 2010’s into now have done to an entire generations ability to consume media.

[the-firebird69]

So the idiot is the black guy that goes to the house but that's what we wanted to do but he wants to do that to look weak and he's doing tons of stuff to look week the question is what does he have if he looks weak and he's doing it on purpose so people are going after him for it

Hera

You can see it in the movie Joe dirt is carrying his ass around in a casket while he's doing Tommy boys movie and it's because of what we're saying right here it's coming up real quick in Pennsylvania

Zues

I need to get you if that's the last thing I do

Dan

I guess we know where to look

Terry c and yes I know about your stupid name game with me a little worm

Look you're this brutish loser going around ruining stuff I'm going to figure it out no we see you have stuff and you're acting weak and stupid and you're going around and doing the math incorrectly and we're doing it for a while and we're losing stuff and it must be to you

Trump

Look at this smug circle of assholes you're sitting here discussing that you're passing stuff around that you took we're resting and putting people in prison right down the street and incinerating them for it

Mac

Where to wear that I guess not and we're just going to keep doing it

Trump

We're going to keep finding you and going after you and we're going to keep on incinerating you

Mac

I sort of get something we're going to die anyways you don't care you keep instructing people to harass us to do stuff and then you say it's us then you have a great time

Dan

I'm so get what you're saying you think I'm defeating you across the board but you've come real enemies and I have to actually defeat you and there's a huge pain you've got everyone's attention and you keep on telling on yourself and you keep riding on what we're doing and exposing our programs you should not be led to run around and today was a joke Tommy f is fired from Walmart again and he's trying to go after the juice to put it somewhere warmer and he got arrested I know because we arrested him and we followed your ass around and you were pretending you were a sheriff and you got fired and you're going to get arrested in a minute for impersonating a police officer Dan you're a little children will kill you everyday and I guess you're going to kill and you don't remember it you don't remember yesterday you fell off the roof dead and today this morning someone disemboweled you say you remember it and you're trying to find the felon and you were told who it was and you know who it was so what's your problem pal or punishing you and you won't listen to it at all and your brain is going to get better around till you're not you at all Philly soon fairly soon

Mac

I guess I don't want to listen and I don't care anymore I don't want to get hit and I don't believe I get hit for that but he says it's like the number one reason and I don't think it happens at all sort of get something I used to have people do stuff like that and they get hit

Dan then I do the good job so I guess it's going around and it's coming back nothing I can do about it

You make it a lot faster and final which is what we're going to do and it's coming up because moonrakers coming up and you people are talking about poison and it's going to come back on you and a whole bunch of people get rid of you permanently including Stan that's what it's for cuz they figure out where you going to try and poison

Zues Hera

It is according to the movie it does look like what happens we go through a whole bunch of stuff before that he says it's not really far away the attack on the planet toys will lead to attack on Titan and other flicks which don't take long three or four flicks a day and so to see something it lousy people to be here don't do anything right trying to intimidate him and he's sitting there telling me I'm going to die and I can't overcome it I keep trying and it keeps doing it it says that I'm sitting right on him and being dangerous and that's what happens it's a way to preempt in the military works very well it says most of my clan will die they keep trying to get here and croak soon they'll be out and it's time for me to go. That's the idea he says that's the purpose of it that's why I did to tell you about it because you're a schmuck he says I'll tell you what I have seen people with energy and all sorts of stuff I don't get this at all he's going after us and we're dying nobody cares it's a stupid thing to do and a roosters are crap it's worse than Carney stuff

Probably what it is says no he's threatening me so your dead.

It's really stupid we keep doing it and we keep getting killed I can't figure it out you keep saying you're threatening me and going after certain people and then they kill you so you're sitting here on me and they can see it and I need your dad he says and you're going to be again until you're gone I don't care how many times I say it doesn't make a difference still going to be dead and you're going to be very soon he says figured out something else there's nothing else he can do but I'll tell you what I'm sick of the attitude around here and his attitude and he could care less I'm spraying people on to have a bad attitude and people know it and they don't want to tolerate my baby ass anymore I suppose that's probably true but I have to say I can't stand anyone

Dan

They can't stand you and you're a b**** and you're an idiot and you f*** things up didn't want you around they don't want you around them I understand it you're a f****** you don't belong here either you're going to figure it out pretty quick no you're so God damn dumb

Zues

A whole bunch of lawsuits on this guy Dan I want to drop the boom on him all over the world

Hera

I sort of figured out something this guy is not giving him a break everyone's promising to do him in he gets killed he just comes back except normal behavior there's something up there but and you're making a big deal out of it and I suppose we should erase them before The secret gets out whatever they think they have. I'm presenting about 20 lawsuits tomorrow five of them are on Dan five on Terry cheesman five on Trump and five on bja know these incessant fags, the group lawsuits and they're pretty big and they're hefty and they carry criminal charges with them if you don't show up all those people go after you with their armies including us

Bitol and Goddess Wife

There's a huge number of people who are going to be going after you Dan when they read this post no they're going to have to already and it's for what he said before and he posted it well he didn't but it's above

Mac

[sixstepsaway]

Im having a lot of fun thinking about how Izzy is open with his thoughts to Ed, but Ed doesn't reciprocate, and then Ed is open with his thoughts to Stede who ALSO doesn't reciprocate and how this is what fucks up both their relationships. If either of these relationships was more secure they'd have avoided so much trouble we wouldn't have the story, which is why they aren't secure. They're all a mess!

Very fun to ship steddyhands and think about closing this circle. Stede being open with Izzy while on the outs with Ed and Izzy not sharing absolutely anything bc after the finale he doesn't trust anyone anymore much less Stede.

Fuuuuuuuuck yes.

I know that logically the show is not going down a Steddyhands or Blackhands route. I know that. We're not going to get that. I doubt we'll even be indulged in getting some Blackhands love triangle content or, like, flashbacks or a chunk of time where it is canon before we get endgame Blackbonnet (and, honestly, after what Ed did to Izzy in 1x10, any post-s1 canon Blackhands would need a lot of work to make go without it being deeply concerning).

But the more I analyze what the show gives us and how the characters act right now (and I acknowledge that growth could easily nullify a lot of this? Characters developing is important, and that's how we'll get our Blackbonnet endgame and it'll be good, but) I can't see a lot of ways for Blackbonnet to end up together in a good place without the inclusion of Izzy.

Ed and Stede have, up until this point, seen each other through rose-tinted glasses, to the point Ed didn't give a fuck Stede had left his family, and Stede didn't give a fuck Ed had killed a bunch of people including his own father.

Now Stede is going to have to see Ed as someone who tried to kill seven of the nine people Stede cares about most (seven of eleven, if we say Stede also cares for Ivan and Fang now, which I like to think he does) and willingly maimed his most loyal companion.

Ed is going to have to see Stede as someone who ran away and abandoned him and clearly has a habit of doing this, and Ed being Special and someone Stede Actually Loves did not change that he did the same to Ed as he did to Mary. Mary having his children didn't change he did it to Mary, either. Nor did the fact he loves his kids stop him doing it to them. Loving them does not stop Stede running away from that person like his ass is on fire. Nor does any semblance of commitment (marriage and children).

This relationship will, because of this, need a lot of work, and most of that work is going to require communication. Ed will need to talk about why he did what he did (Izzy's words, how he was feeling etc) and Stede will have to talk about why he did what he did (ruined Blackbeard, the guilt over leaving Mary and the kids that he's been carrying this whole time, probably a splattering of maybe not gay panic (he didn't seem to be panicking he was kissing a man) but definitely a bit of kissing someone I am not married to while I still technically have a wife panic, especially considering he was not super thrilled Mary was sleeping with Doug, even after he fucked off on her).

Closing that loop with Steddyhands is galaxy brain because Stede is open to hearing whatever people want to say about and to him, unlike Edward "You know we speak our minds on this ship until you say something I don't like and then I call you a dog and chokeslam you" Teach, and Stede is also a lot less reserved around Izzy in so far as he's willing to seem like a complete cunt when talking to Izzy ("oh it's you" "iGGy" "tell your boss he can suck eggs in hell!"), whereas he seems to rein his more abrasive sides in around Ed, and the most bitchy he really gets is that sideways comment of, "In hindsight I kinda shoulda known," about Jack being mutinied on and his, "Ed, do you know this guy, he's a real dick!", but that could be assumed by Ed to be Stede pretending to be Blackbeard (which, I do not think he was. Ed embodied Stede, but Stede just chilled in his clothes and remained being Stede).

(Relatedly: I find it very funny that the thing Ed was most fascinated by and attracted to in regards to Stede early on is that Stede told him to go suck eggs in hell, but really Stede was saying that to Izzy, it's Izzy's face he snarled those words into, about some boss he had never met and had no desire to meet, and it was Izzy he was calling Iggy and telling to fuck off. I imagine if Stede had told Ed to go suck eggs in hell to his face, Ed would've come in his pants on the spot, and I also imagine that if Ed found out/realized Stede was actually mostly saying that to Izzy, he'd be utterly baffled that Izzy hated Stede rather than wanting him for himself, idk.)

It's especially fascinating to imagine closing the loop with Stede actually letting himself be bitchy and a bit abrasive around Ed, because judging by the fact Ed readily lets Izzy be abrasive as fuck and rude as hell to him and all he does is pull these faces:

the first of which is downright fond

the second is "you called him a ponce, do you really think he's gay? i'm hoping he's gay"

and this one which is my personal favorite because it's just "idk where those fingers have been, iz" and his eyes sweep back and forth between each finger like "are you going to jam these up my nose next" it's so funny, i love this scene so much it lives rent free in my brain it really does

and after izzy storms off to grab stede he just does this

and it just reads like "hm, we were overdue a shitfit weren't we mate but the fingers were surprising"

(also, related to the conversation about timelines in another meta, though idk if i'd call this post a meta per se, i noticed that stede's bruise from the hanging goes right up under his chin, so the cravat definitely isn't covering it up in 1x05, it's just gone, and presumably completely healed

six weeks my ass)

anyway, Ed's expression when Izzy does his lil tizzy at him tells me that this is something that Izzy does. he broods and eventually blows up and tells Ed how he's feeling and he's mean and grumpy and Ed often finds him being a lil bitch to the crew or to hostages or whatever and it's just. normal.

and that also implies, since Ed kept him around, that Ed likes that about him.

in fact i think the fact that when izzy starts his tirade Ed is just like "*points* that's blackbeard" kind of proves it's something he finds more down the realm of playful than offensive, and actually izzy even smiles a little when he says that, like he's finding it amusing and he'd be playing if the situation wasn't so god damn dire and they werent all probably about to die and if they hadnt lost a bunch of their guys to this

(and i mean, this could be that con struggled to keep a straight face after either something taika did between takes or just the way taika delivered the line "I'm Stede, remember?" but I prefer Watsonian analysis of scenes that make it into the show for my metas)

So, conclusions: Ed finds Izzy's temper and abrasive attitude and temper very endearing and downright amusing. Izzy enjoys the way Ed plays with him (because he's Ed's to play with) and this scene might have gone differently if Ed wasn't actively not-really-leading them into their deaths.

We don't have any canon confirmation of whether Izzy and Ed were ever in any kind of relationship before, if they've ever been sexually intimate etc. All we know is David Jenkins says Izzy is in love with Ed, and that when Ed slammed Izzy into the wall, Izzy reached out to cup his cheek and say, "There you are."

I don't, for the record, think they've ever fucked or even kissed in the past. I do, however, think they've been surprisingly intimate, judging by the way Izzy felt comfortable cupping his cheek, and we already know that Edward's fucked Jack--

(and I know some people think maybe Jack was lying to rile Stede up, but I don't think he was. Ed and Jack are very handsy with one another, they sit very close together, they have excellent chemistry when they're fucking around together. Jack's an ass, but Ed talks at length about how he saved Ed's life in the past and how Jack is his old friend, and they talk about serving together under Hornigold in a way that makes me think they spent a lot of time in close quarters. However, I do think Jack probably fucked Ed because there was no one else around to fuck and they wouldn't make berth somewhere with prostitutes any time soon so he might as well pretend Ed's a girl, whereas Ed fucked Jack because he was hot and he'd saved his life and he wanted to because he's into men. Which is two very different vibes, and if Ed's used to that kind of treatment (him liking a guy sexually or romantically or intimately, and the guy being his bud but either not being gay/bi/etc or simply refusing to admit he might be so putting it down to "it doesn't count at sea"), then it makes sense he wouldn't really feel comfortable leaning into any relationships with anyone, even Izzy and Stede (who he didn't admit to feelings for until 1x09 because it was the first time he thought maybe, if he was lucky, Stede might be feeling the same?) and so for him it's just sex and maybe he wouldn't want to go there with Izzy because being cast off like that by Izzy would just be far, far too much?)

--and the way he flirts with Stede is a guy who knows how to get other guys into bed when he wants to (when they're not oblivious blondes and sporting fine fabrics), so he clearly has experience etc, and I don't think it's beyond the realm of possibility that he's attracted to Izzy, and that Izzy's attitude and personality is, actually, something Ed is and has always been into (which would also make the intimacy of the toe scene even more chilling but let's not go too deep about that here).

To dig into the idea of that further, it wouldn't surprise me if the "Izzy, I want you to handle this yourself," "Oh, Edward, can't I just send the boys? 🥺" and the "you are an insane shell of a man posing as blackbeard!" "😏 i'm not blackbeard, he is. I'm stede, remember~?" could actually be their idea of flirting, something they've always done. Except, as I've said up there already, Izzy was genuinely riled up because Ed had sacrificed multiple of their crew to this insanity and was highly likely about to get everyone killed by the Spanish, so although the flirting was familiar and slightly pleasant, it couldn't continue.

Which brings us back to the actual topic at hand, which is that if Ed is into the guy who told Blackbeard to go suck eggs in hell, and Ed is into Izzy's attitude, it stands to reason that if Stede actually let his bitchy side out around Ed and where Ed can see it, and actually allowed the guy to see him be "go suck eggs in hell"!Stede, Ed would be fucking losing his shit over how into Stede he is.

(There's a lot of chemistry between Ed and Stede, but in season 1 it's very sweet and gentle? I love Blackbonnet, but there's not a lot of crackle between them. I don't feel like they'll be ripping each other's clothes off in desperation, which is something I'd really like to see lmao. It's sweet, it's a cute first love that feels like it's between thirteen year olds, which makes sense because they're both experiencing love for the first time! Again, this isn't a bad thing, and I like it as an establishing moment for them, but they are grown men, and Ed has been flirting his ass off with Stede since the moment he met him trying to get that man to fuck him, and I hope that in season 2 the tension between them from Ed going Kraken and trying to kill Stede's crew, and Stede having bailed off on him, will allow in a sort of almost-lovers-to-adversaries-to-lovers pipeline that'll let them be crackly and show a physical and sexual side of their excellent chemistry.)

But Stede doesn't want to let Ed see that side of him because I imagine it never went down very well with Mary or the rest of the society he was meant to be a part of. Stede literally had two modes at the party, one was "tries to fit in, fails horribly" and the other was "goes full bitch and everything burns because of it", so I don't think his full bitch mode went well in the years before he met Ed, and also Ed was completely enamored with Stede just from knowing he 'passive aggression'-d the party guests into self-immolation.

So, I just imagine Izzy getting in a tizzy and he's yelling at Stede and Stede just lets rip and bitches right back, and Ed is looking between the two of them like "what." and afterwards, when Stede has established Ed was very turned on by him being an abrasive shit, he's just like, "You like it when I... act like Izzy?"

and the bottom falls out of Ed's entire world

Because I mean, yeah? You're telling me that Izzy wouldn't tell some pompous pirate who thinks he owns the place to tell his boss to go suck eggs in hell if some dude came along to demand Izzy go to his boss's ship? He absolutely would!

So then you have Stede realizing it's actually okay to not spend his entire life trying to be Sweet and Kind and Caring and Placid and Even-Tempered and Nice, that there's more to him than being nice.

And I would argue that a big downfall of Stede on that beach with Ed is that he thinks he has to be nice all the god damn time. You rewatch that scene as Ed is gushing about running away to China and how he'll go get a dinghy and they'll go and they'll be together. Stede's holding himself really tiny, almost childlike actually, and he's quiet and distracted and the best he can offer Ed in return to the idea of China is, "I think so?"

and to me that reads as someone who is not comfortable being honest about what he wants, needs and feels. Which ties right back in to your message in this ask about how Stede isn't honest with Ed, because it's true. I don't think it's Ed's fault Stede doesn't feel comfortable being honest about how he's feeling, mind, I think Stede is just... very used to being carried away by the currents? The biggest thing he ever did that wasn't that is something that hurt his family and nearly got him and half his crew killed (running away). In the flashbacks when he offers his hope of running away to sea up to Mary and she gets upset with him, his instinct is, "I'll get it stopped," and he may not have actually done that, but he said what he thought she wanted to hear, which was that he'd give that idea up.

Stede said he'd run away to China with Ed because he didn't feel comfortable admitting he didn't want that. Stede wants to be a pirate! He doesn't want to give the life up, he only just got the life he's been dreaming of and how he feels about Ed doesn't change that. More than that, he was already feeling fucked up over hurting so many people, including his family, and he already was thinking he should probably go home and try and fix the damage he caused. He loves Ed, I truly believe that, but he didn't want to run away to China. He wanted to sit on that beach with Ed for a while longer, then escape Privateering Academy and go back to the Revenge, or maybe go back to Barbados and fix his mistakes. He didn't want to go to China but he said he would anyway.

He's not dishonest, he doesn't seem to lie to Ed (or anyone, I've talked about this before), but he does put on a placid smile and stay nice and try not to hurt people with his words, probably because he's been hurt by words so much in his life, he doesn't want to perpetuate that further, and because he was raised to be placid and nice. His "I think so?" is probably him trying so fucking hard to be honest, but instead of his doubts coming out, all he manages is, "I think so?"

So Stede should be able to learn to not always be nice all the time, and then you have Ed realizing that ah, shit, he is into abrasiveness which, ah, is Izzy's calling card, and Izzy still just blinking because Stede met his fire and anger with his own (which must be quite something considering how rough Izzy can get, you tell me he wasn't getting a bit of something sizzly out of his encounters with Stede in 1x02 and 1x03. The way he growls out, "It's Izzy," is just. Mwah.) and that was kinda hot too.

and then there's just; communication time. Because Stede might not feel comfortable telling Ed what he's feeling, but he might just yell it at Izzy, who will happily also yell back, and yell his feelings at Ed, who often tells Stede his feelings.

So yes, that's quite a closed loop and I am into it anon. And also the way you framed it as Stede being on the outs with Ed and letting Izzy in because of it.

But also:

Izzy not sharing absolutely anything bc after the finale he doesn't trust anyone anymore much less Stede.

mm, yes, good soup. Someone in the tags of one of my posts said if they were Izzy they'd never speak again and that really stuck with me.

This response turned a bit rambly, I apologize for that, I just got talking I guess 😂

[phoenixyfriend]

Time Travel ft. Leia and Vader

(Helped by @atagotiak)

I was reading a bunch of different time travel fics, and my brain slotted in that one "Vader hands over the Empire to Leia and is now her most devoted sycophant" dynamic and mixed it with the "Luke and Vader time-travel and Vader does the right thing but only because it would make Luke sad if he didn't."

I landed on "Leia time travels to prequels era, but her least favorite family member has also traveled with her, though it takes him a few months to find her because he has less resources without the entire Imperial Navy, but he's still a scary Sith in all black with a breathing mask and intimidating cape."

"Tiny angry lady who wants to force democracy and her giant Sith father whom she hates but has resigned herself to pointing at threats like a tank who inexplicably loves her" is a delightful dynamic.

The first few months included a lot of concern about "why do you know so much about Sith if you're not trained or looking to be one" and then Vader shows up and calls her 'daughter' and she insults him and it's like "Oh. That explains it."

Council Member: We have a Sith in the Temple. Vader: Former Sith. Leia: Listen. He is your best chance against Sidious. Also, do you want Dooku dead? Vader can make him dead. Council Member: Your father i-- Leia, scrunching up her face: Don't call him that.

Like Leia is deep in conversation when the Temple starts panicking because Vader just. Showed up? He snuck in, somehow? So Palpatine wouldn't catch him on video entering through the front door? And people try to keep her away from the trouble, because there's an entire array of Jedi Masters to deal with this Surprise Sith, except she can sense exactly which Sith it is and once she shouts "oh you have got to be kidding me!" she just starts running and, well, it's Leia. Nobody can stop her.

(Leia does have less combat training, at least less force-assisted combat training, than the Jedi. But then the Jedi don’t want to hurt here here. She's not fighting her way down, either, she's just running really fast and all the best fighters already left. They had a head start. So Leia's mostly running past random padawans and the like.)

She shoves her way to the front of the group of Masters who. Well, they're certainly ready to attack. But Vader is just standing there. Doing nothing. Still intimidating as fuck but he's not doing anything.

And then Leia bursts onto the scene like "You motherfucker."

She hits her head on a clipboard and whines because UGH he's a walking WMD and they could REALLY use him against Palpatine but also. She hates him so much.

She tries to hand him off to the Jedi council but he insists that he will only take orders from Leia herself.

Jedi: Wait, what. Leia, completely ignoring them: Did you follow me here? Vader, through the mechanical wheezing: I have no loyalty to my master and no empire to serve. You are all that I have left. Leia: Me? Me? I'm all that you have left? You committed a genocide that killed all the family I had except for the twin brother you later mutilated! Jedi: Wait what Vader, going to one knee: I pledge my loyalty and blade to you and only you, daughter. Leia, ready to explode: I. I just. Jedi, some of whom really want to say things but are slowly realizing that they just accidentally acquired a Sith Lord by proxy: What. Leia: I hate you so much but I can't even get rid of you, you're too useful. Vader: I live to serve. Leia: Yeah. Got that. Fuck. Someone get him a full medical rundown, I don't know the last time that mess of a life support system was updated. Jedi, agitated again: WHAT Leia: Listen, I don't like him, but I'm not stupid enough to throw away the second most dangerous person in the universe when I can point him at the most dangerous person in the universe. Especially not if he's going to listen to me. Jedi: But... he's a Sith. Leia: Please trust me when I say this: you might be able to take him down eventually, but he will take dozens of you down with him, and right now he's... honestly, I'm pretty sure he's more depressed than malicious. Jedi: You hate him. I can feel it. Leia: Yes, but I can be professional about it. Vader: They have not yet d-- Leia: Nope! No talking! Not until I've had a chance to process this mess!

There is a whole lot of Leia snapping at Vader to stop it whenever he starts giving off vibes like he wants to take the most violent shortcut possible.

She is not the gentle hand that Luke would be.

Leia isn't a Jedi or working for them but she's wormed her way into being an ally. They don't 100% trust her, especially not with Vader just showing up and declaring her family but like

How do you say no to a WMD walking into your house and saying "I will fight the monster you cower from at night."

There's a lot of Leia snapping off an admonishment that sounds just a little too odd and then when questioned she just says "He knows what he did."

tbh I'm not sure how long it takes for them to tell anyone that Anakin is Vader. They might hold it off in hopes that Anakin can just retire to be Mr. Amidala after the war is over.

Well, Leia hopes. Vader just lets Leia make that call and then glowers at his younger self every time they're in the same room.

I do feel like Leia tells Obi-Wan the truth first

Imagine. Imagine a Vader who’s past still isn’t known. But has gotten somewhat comfortable around the Jedi (not really but the bar for what counts and comfortable for him is low). And Obi-Wan habitually banters with darksiders, right? If Vader’s guard is down for a moment and he, without thinking, references an inside joke...

Might be the most fun in terms of ways to tell Obi-Wan "We're time travelers and Vader is what happens if you let Palpatine drive Anakin off the edge"

If Vader has decided to pledge himself to her orders after destroying her planet, then fine. She can work with that. She's not going to be happy about it, but she can make it work.

The Jedi Temple hates having Vader anywhere nearby but he is actually very good at hiding himself from people, including Palpatine And for all that Leia seems perpetually irritated with her apparent bodyguard, he does seem to listen to her.

Jedi council: We still haven't figured out how to handle Dooku Leia: Do you know his location? Jedi council: Yes. Leia: [sigh] Leia: Vader, deal with it. Alive if possible.

(Leia does need to clarify an acceptable level of violence against the people protecting Dooku.) (She needs to clarify... many things.)

Leia always says "Vader" and one time a poor fool just asks why she doesn't call him dad and she snarls out "He is not the man that raised me, and I am glad for it."

Someone less foolish later prods more compassionately and she lets them know she was adopted and didn't properly meet Vader except in passing until she was nineteen.

"And then he tortured you." "And then he tortured me, yes." "Damn." "Didn't even find out we were related until a few years later when he chopped my brother's arm off." "You... wow." "I know."

At least one exchange that is L: You mean when you tortured me? A: He did what. V: I was not aware of our relation at that time. L: Not the point! I am fully aware of your interrogation methods and I refuse to let you be the one to acquire the evidence for-- A: Wait no go back he tortured you? L: Move on, please, we already have. A: That means I'm... oh Force, I'm going to torture my own daughter what in the actual fu-- L: We're moving on.

(“I end up torturing my own daughter” If Leia’s feeling especially spiteful I can see her saying “you mutilate your own son too”)

Concept: Leia is very free with traumatizing details of her past re:Vader and Anakin thinks that it sucks but doesn’t think much of it bc Sith. And then some time later he finds out...

(I love characters who use the traumatizing details of their past to shut down conversations.)

It's such a wonderfully horrifying concept for him to try to awkwardly comfort this girl he kind of knows because having a Sith for a dad sounds like it would suck and Leia seems nice, even if she's kind of weird and uncomfortable around Anakin, but he saw her flinch around a few other tall people wearing black robes the way she stiffens around Vader so maybe it's just that!

It is not.

Vader does get a significant amount of medical treatment. Including a bunch of "holy shit, that's a lot of drugs" and similar. There is so much lightning damage.

hnnng I'm just really in love with the image of Tiny Tiny Leia sitting behind a desk for some fancy negotiation, the picture of professionalism, while Vader just stands behind her shoulder, looming, glaring expressionless death at whoever came to speak with his baby girl.

Not that he would call her that, because she'd just hate him more and he's really not sure how to fix that problem, other than doing whatever she asks with no complaints and hoping she appreciates it.

Vader: [looks at children wandering by, has complicated emotions] Leia, tired of his shit: What now? Vader: I killed them, once. Leia, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath: And you're not going to do that again. No killing children. Vader: I know that. Leia: Great. I am... regretting asking. I am so very much regretting asking.

I do really like the idea of someone asking Leia once if she wants Jedi training and she says, no, actually, she's fully aware of the fact that she's angry little ball of hate sometimes, especially towards her bio father, and she'd like to refrain from putting herself in a position where she knows enough about the Force to Fall. She wouldn't Fall. But it does make people shut up.

[emblemxeno]

Edelgard’s Weird Family History

It’s honestly exasperating talking about Edelgard’s Brady Bunch family but like... let me explain in detail why it irritates me with a comparison to a similar situation in FE Fates. Here’s a small thesis on Garon’s concubines in Fates.

Fates Concubines

“Garon had lots of concubines who were vying for power and his favor. There were many children sired by Garon who lost their lives in various ways, the most notable of which being involved in concubine feuds and murdering one another. Along with this, Xander’s mother Queen Katerina was well loved and respected. Because of this, the second queen, Arete, and her daughter Azura were treated badly by the other concubines and Nohrian aristocracy. All of this was relatively unknown among the Nohrian common folk. The Nohrian siblings’ dynamic and way of life was shaped by these experiences.”

Supporting the Thesis

How do we know the concubines existed? They are confirmed by all of the Nohr siblings. 

How do we know they were vying for power? Many of the Nohrian siblings’ supports confirm this, among which are Camilla/Niles and Leo/Elise. 

How do we know there were once more siblings and that they lost their lives in various ways? The JP version of Leo/Elise confirms the concubines had their children kill each other, while the Fates drama CDs confirm that other siblings were lost by execution, falling in battle or getting captured by Hoshido. 

How do we know that Arete and Azura were mistreated? Azura and the Nohr siblings confirm this, and Azura’s entire personality is a result of people treating her badly during her childhood. 

How is this unknown among the common folk? Both Niles (Niles/Camilla) and Laslow (Drama CDs) reveal they never knew that such a thing occurred and react with shock when they learn. Not only that, but the common people and the Nohrian nobility are basically cut off from each other, the former living in an underground city/shutting themselves away and just trying to survive, while the latter lives above ground. 

How do we know that these experiences shaped the dynamic of the Nohrian siblings? Many supports and story moments show this. Xander’s denial and inability to question things in fear of risking his family is because of his relationship with Garon and his regret of losing his other siblings. Camilla’s desire for love resulting in her unconditionally giving love to Corrin and her retainers is a result of her mom only loving her as a tool. Leo’s need for affection and validation from the family he has left (specifically from Camilla) is a result of being aware from a young age that he wasn’t loved by his mother. Elise’s pure and innocent outlook contrasts this because her mom was the least involved in the concubine feuds.

There are multiple sources and dialogue in Fates that you can use to support the initial analysis. Let’s try to do the same with Edelgard’s family.

Edelgard’s Family History

“Ionius had many consorts but had married for political reasons. He sired eleven children, his 9th child being Edelgard. Edelgard’s mother was Anselma, who Ionius had met at the officer’s academy on a romantic evening at the Goddess Tower. They fell in love, but Anselma was content with remaining a consort. Then Ionius tried to consolidate power to throne by taking power away from the Seven Noble Houses and consort kin such as Arundel. In the ensuing power struggle, House Hrym was destroyed, leading the other houses as well as Arundel to start an insurrection. During this time, Arundel took Anselma and Edelgard to Faerghus to escape political strife. Edelgard then returns to the Empire and is then experimented on by order of Those Who Slither in the Dark and the Nobles of Adrestia. All of Edelgard’s siblings were crippled by disease, went insane or died. Ionius could do nothing but watch in horror as all of this happened. As a result, Edelgard bore a second Crest and swore to create a world where such meaningless sacrifice is never again sanctioned, for the sake of her family.”

Supporting the Thesis.

Who exactly did Ionius marry for political reasons? Beats me. Why would he have to marry for political reasons as the emperor? Was Ionius unpopular and needed to do something to fix that? I don’t know. Nothing ever clarifies that.

Why does Edelgard say that her father and mother met at the officer’s academy, when it’s noted that Edelgard is the first Hresvelg in ages to attend? Is the word ages being exaggerated here? I don’t know.

Why is Ionius taking power away from consort kin including Arundel when it would no doubt negatively affect the one that he loves, Anselma? I don’t know. Maybe love wasn’t as big of a deal for him as political power was?

Why is only Edelgard noted to be taken away from the Empire’s political problems, and nothing is said of her siblings during this time, even by her? Who knows. Where does Ionius’ wife, the empress, go during all this? Who knows.

Why are the Adrestian nobles ordering experiments to make a stronger emperor when they just took away power from the throne? The best answer that I could give is that they want a powerful emperor they can control, but nothing really supports that part of the theory because Edelgard and the nobles mutually hate each other. Couldn’t the nobles just do what they want to do if the emperor was made that politically impotent? Probably! Then if what Edelgard said was true, why didn’t they do it already? I don’t know!

Why does no one but Edelgard and Hubert acknowledge the existence of the other imperial royal kids? Wouldn’t her noble classmates like Ferdinand at least be aware of them, especially if there were that many siblings older than Edelgard? No fucking clue.

If Edelgard swore she would change the world where such things wouldn’t happen again, why is she working with the perpetrators? Because she needs their power to topple the church. But why would she need to topple the church when the church preaches against abusing power blessed by the goddess i.e. Crests and tries its best to treat everyone equally? No fucking idea. 

Conclusion

See what I mean? Edelgard’s family history is so damn sloppy. Some important aspects go unexplained and other important aspects are contradicted. In contrast, with the Nohrian royal family’s internal politics and power feuds, where everything noted to be important is supported by the text with no major contradictions in sight.

But the worst part is, that even if you go with my approach and say “Edelgard is a known fucking liar and information that solely comes from her mouth shouldn’t be taken at face value” well... then you’re left with ‘well if Edelgard did lie then what’s the real truth’ and you don’t get answers because the game doesn’t care despite those things being integral to the main cast of two routes. 

Plus you have to suspend your disbelief that Edelgard is such a genius that she’s able to construct an entire false history regarding Adrestia’s hit sitcom “How I Met Your Consort Mother”. And Edelgard has her moments yes, but I don’t think she’s really that smart. Or maybe she is and I just can’t wrap my head around it.

So, yeah. Pick your poison. Suspend disbelief that Edelgard is such a fucking genius and/or liar or resign to the fact that the game’s writing can be really sloppy. Or pick both.

Or pick none, and believe that Edelgard is actually telling the truth about everything in regards to her family and what happened to them, with explanations that would make even a hardcore Watsonian like me dizzy with confusion.