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aldi-spice · 3 months ago

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Retirement home anon again: I’d like to get your opinion on this (if you have one), it’s gonna be long sorry 💀

I bought Story of Seasons: A wonderful Life for the Nintendo switch which is a remake of the 2003 harvest moon a wonderful life.

I’ve bought other harvest moon/story of seasons games for the switch as well and honestly… I’m disappointed.

The character design lacks, they all look so dead and emotionless I don’t know how to explain it. The whole world looks like it’s straight out of Cocomelon. You also start with a gifted Cow and other things, that you’d normally not get in the originals and tbh it feels like they stripped all life away in all the newer versions, made it way easier in the beginning and tried to up the cuteness to a maximum which resulted in it looking like a kids show. The dialogs also turned so soft imo.

In harvest moon ds you straight up start with the mayor of mineral town insulting you and then the character (you) proceeding to try to kill him/punch him with an axe, a hammer, a scythe, even a watering can and in the end your dog bites him in the ass in a blackout screen.

It’s like how they took the sass out of the animal crossing characters with time and it just makes me sad. The new versions of the characters feel like lifeless copies :/

I‘m still hoping for more remakes and I’m still a big fan of the harvest moon/story of seasons franchise. But fields of Mistria honestly gave me the exact feeling I had when I got harvest moon ds on Christmas as a kid and started it up for the first time. I literally had a bit of a teary eye playing the demo and then the EA version of FoM 🥺

That’s also why I like FoM so much - it’s funny, it has innuendos, it’s made for adults/older teens despite it being cutely designed, the characters look and feel like they’re adults as well.

I‘m not trying to be mean to the newer games and I understand people enjoy playing them, hell I still buy them because I love the series, but they leave me hanging. ://

YESSSS I get it OMG it's so boring I have about 100 hours in PoOT (pioneers of olive town) and although I controversially found Harvest Moon One World better than Olive Town (I loved the open world concept and Jamil in particular), it was still kinda boring compared Stardew Valley which I bought as my first game for my switch back in 2019.

That day, I played SDV until 4 am, it was summer break and I just graduated highschool and it was magical playing SDV for the first time, I could barely put the game down for long enough to take care of myself lol.

And I get that exact same feeling again playing FoM, that kind of magical feeling where you're completly transported into a new world. I don't think ConcernedApe made SDV with children as a primary audience in mind, if he did he probably wouldn't have added depressed alocholic in there and I love it, I love a good story and good characters, inperfect characters with flaws, they feel way more real and more likable than the boring nice, polite ones we were getting in newer HM/SoS games. All I remember from PoOT is how claustrophobic the town feels, and how hard it was to decide who to marry because none of them was interesting enough, even Damon, the edgy biker boy, felt like he was taken straight from the Disney Channel. I want characters that I can call bastards, I want mean characters, they're the funniest to learn to love.

As for making the games way too easy, I'm not sure, I just remeber struggeling in older games but mostly because I was a child when I played them. I'm pretty sure you also could get a free cow in Animal Parade and in the tale of two towns but I could very well be wrong.

I'm not gonna lie, I never played Harvest Moon DS but that sounds hilarious, we need more of that back, and less Ned Flenders neighbors. That's another reason why I love SDV so much, Pam and Shane are so mean to the player at first (hell even Sebastian is kinda cold) but that's what makes them more compelling characters than the cast of PoOT, where frankly only the non-marriagable characters were interesting.

I think that's why I'm so obsessed with FoM right now, while yes the characters are so so nice, they're not boring and I don't even remember them by their niceness, Hayden is a super polite farmer, but I'd say his distinct traits are loud, open and so very passionate wbout farming, even his dialogue about being a good neighbor and lending you sugar is so much more memorable because he's so forward about it. I feel like most characters in this game can be described with a positive and a negative trait, which is what newer HM/SOS games lack, the balance between baby boy baby and bastard. And the dialogue in general is soooo good, I don't feel like I'm being talk down to, it feels like a normal conversation between adults, not between a child and their caretaker.

Laslty, thank god (NPC Studio) for the older characters, I feel like farming game fans are not in their teens (13-15) and more like in their twenties and up. We don't want to romace teens, we want something that doesn't feel illegal lol.

I totally agree anon, I love FoM so far and it has also made me super emotional playing this game. Ugh I can't wait for more content, I need to fall for this game harder.

#fields of mistria #harvest moon #story of seasons

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warrior-cats-rewritten · 15 days ago

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Allegiances Review, obviously spoilers under the cut.

Fucking RETIRE THOSE 2 ALREADY I ALREADY KILLED THEM BOTH OFF

Also WHY aren't they in Age Order anymore you are killing me Erin Hunter I am bleeding out

All that hype... For Wafflepelt? Really? You couldn't think of maybe any other suffix?

Stemtail is... Painfully meh. It's okay. I much prefer Stemsnap. ;)

Graywhisker is cute, actually. Though, I'm scrapping the Gray parts, and making him Spottedflame.

Surprised Hollytuft and Honeyfur managed to dodge the Babymaker Draft, and VERY happy that Twigbranch has also still managed to dodge it!

Though... I do actually wish with got Shellfur x Fernstripe babies, again all that hype for nothing.

Jesus Christ let Daisy retire already she's ANCIENT

Oh Sunbeam I'm so sorry they did this to you, you should be back home with your wife

My fear is they're gonna pass Moon off to Golden or Sun, especially Sun as they're blatant first cousins and it'd be another example of writers not caring. I had a feeling she'd be an only child.

... why Myrtlebloom??? She's even younger? Also what a BITCH with that name. Lol. Hi Sunbeam, here's my superior baby, Sunkit. He's Orange.

Glad to see a Hazel back in the game. I guess. 0 thoughts on Oakkit.

DIE ALREADY

... where's Lightleap. (Hi Redpaw)

Where. Is. Lightleap. Sprucepaw sounds adorable.

Birchfeather is a cute name! As is Bloompetal! Firbark sucks not gonna lie, and Whisperbreeze next to Whistlebreeze is soo not gonna cause a typo in the near future, no no we know these writers can keep track of who is talking from one end of the page to the next. Streamripple is nice.

No... no... NOOOOOOO

1. I did Poolkit first, she's with my Moonpaw as her twin. ;p

2. Ah yes. The cat that did not want an apprentice settled with the cat constantly trying to prove herself by doing dangerous, stupid (Affectionate) shit and had her pop out 3 babies.

3. I see someone was drunk when they signed the birth certificate, sorry Beehckit.

4. WHAT IS IT GONNA TAKE FOR OAK TO KEEL OVER

Beetleshine, BEESTING (fucking LOVE IT), Duskshine (also love it) and Ridgeglow. Genuinely, aside from Beetle's being meh, I love these names. Leafstar you suck but you're a great namer.

Wait... Wasn't Beepaw a boy? Too late, she's trans.

Needleclaw?! The fuck? I mean... Good for her, but with WHO? please tell me it's not Kite....

I love these names, and I'll be giving them to Turtlecrawl. God I hope we get another Robinwing

Damn... Cherry and Boris, I'm so not ready to say goodbye. All of New!Skyclan's founders are almost gone. I remember them as little brats, but yeah, Cherrytail and Sparrowpelt are great-great-grandparents. Mind you it's to the same cats but that's on the writers not caring

Living for the Curl suffix, though her name in WCR is Saplingbrook. Shame on Harestar though, making a "she-kit" a warrior.

Grassfur, pretty colour, what a wasted name. I made her Crownlight, and made her a trans molly. (Crown as in the top of a tree)

Branchleap is boring. Don't know why. He's very Skyclan coded though, haha. His name in WCR is Branchbelly!

Very happy for Songleap! Silkypaw sounds adorable! And Fluffypaw! Who are their parents?!

Wait are we finally getting random non attached cats again? Please? Pretty please?

Brookripple and Stripeheart are... Alright. They're not bad! I prefer Brookripple, though it doesn't roll off the tongue easily. Neither do, actually... Their WCR names are Brookwing and Stripefire.

Ah, fuck man... Nightcloud is old now... God I hope Crowfeather bites it this arc.

No comment on Appleshine tbh good for her.

Oh fuck here we go.

1. Why is Mosspelt still alive? She should have been protag, why are we away from Riverclan again? She's the oldest cat now, make her the Elder's Quest girl.

2. FLABBERGASTED there aren't more Queen's. As much as I want MinnowMouse, I think Riverclan needs youth. It's so dependent on its rapidly dwindling cast, they NEED new cats.

3. Troutshine is cute but getting sick of the Shine names now. Sorry buddy. Your name in WCR is Torrentclaw! Rapidsplash is going to get you sued by Pokémon when they choose to make a divergent kelpie!Rapidash, so to avoid that mess I named them (yes, Them) Rapidstorm.

Erin Hunter, how much time has actually passed?

How long was Sunbeam pregnant? Why are her irrelevant babies only now becoming apprentices, but the cat who was a newborn infant in Star now a mother? Did Sunbeam miscarry? Why is she not tawny anymore?

Why. Is. Floatshimmer (great name) a mother? Why not Brackenpelt? Or Nightsky?or Minnowtail? Or, oops, you're out of cats because while every other clan has a draft, only 1 of you seems to be allowed to bare children.

Glad to see an Eel and a Heron, but why the fuck is their mother HER?

She was 3 moons old as of Star, plus the 1.5 month on average for cat pregnancy, plus 6 moons for Sunbeam and Isn'tOrange's babies to grow up...

Floatshimmer should be...

10.5 months old. That is how much time has passed, give or take a few weeks.

Anyways I'm naming her Floatfang and I've decided she's very much going childless.

Oh my god what the fuck have they done

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hiraya-rawr · 3 years ago

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Who would main who? Modern AU HCs

A somewhat-extension to my Modern Acting AU hcs where Genshin is a popular series made into a video game based on the actors (but you don't need to know that to read this). Now the actors have to play the game, who would they main?

HCS 1 || HCS 2 || MASTERLIST 1

Kaeya

Would main himself honestly. Doesnt even mind that he's a starter character.

Probably whaled for Character Diluc, now he's got his brother on C6 with wolf's gravestone and CRIT artifacts.

(wonders why it's so hard to C6 himself 🤔)

He's the type to show off his own build and Diluc's build on twitter and instagram

Probably sacrifices Diluc on Barbatos' statue whenever he does a 10 pull (he'd stream it too)

Has all the other characters but probably stuck with himself, Lisa, and Amber (+Diluc) just to support the starters 😌

Diluc

Gives me F2P player vibes at the start of the game 😭 He only played because he's the actor for the series

Kaeya probably had to carry him when he started.

Now he's kind of hooked. This man is loaded and doesn't hesitate to buy primogems and kits 🤩 it's a secret though

I don't think he'd main himself, it's kind of awkward for him so he uses whatever new character he gets and builds them

He's friends with Jean irl so she's probably a regular on his team tbh

Kaeya gets ignored (he says it's bc he hates him but he actually just finds it as awkward as using his own character)

Zhongli

help 😭 this grandpa does not know how to play.

As mentioned in the hcs, he only plays on set where Xiao and Hutao are there to help him

Co-ops a lot because that's the only way he can go on with the game tbh

Xiao and Hutao piloting for him like it's their second account 😔

Finds his character super useful, Xiao helped him build his Zhongli, he's smart enough to know that he only needs to long press his elemental skill for a shield

Shield = protection = no die = wait for Xiao and Hutao to defeat whatever for him

He mains whoever Xiao and Hutao left on his party list tbh

Childe

Mains himself, pretty obvious 🤨

His party can go from all of the tall women or all of the tall men tbh

Did not pull for the Ayato banner. He's scared to ever lose 50/50 to an Ayato. Needless to say, he doesn't want one ever

Hates it if another character gets artifacts better than his so he has to work on his build all over again

Will definitely put the other Harbingers on his team once they become playable

Signora didn't tell him she'll die and leave the cast :( so he was pretty disappointed when her episode was released

Thoma

Tries to have everyone on friendship level 10 🥺

Please don't ask him who he mains, he doesn't want to hurt anyone's feelings

He probably has all the characters on at least level 50 just in case they see his account, so no one feels left out

In truth, he played the starters for a while before switching to Ayato, Ayaka, himself, and geo Aether (a rare Aether main!!)

Feeds the stray dogs in Liyue and Dragonspine

Ayato

I feel like he would main Ayaka just because they have a sibling bond on set. He also has Thoma on his team!

Ayaka probably also mains him and Thoma and they do co ops a lot

Also whales 🐳

He built himself to lvl 90 and really good artifacts but he doesn't use his character as often, kind of like Diluc

But whenever he co ops with Ayaka and Thoma, they each use their respective character!! Goes with the "travel together with friends" trope on genshin

Itto

He's kind of like Childe. Mains himself and works extra hard on his build.

But he also tries to level up all the other characters!! Doesn't care if it's a 4 star or 5 star, Itto will make you shine!!

Does damage showcase of 4 stars just to prove how all of them can be super strong

#genshin #ayato #diluc #thoma #kaeya #itto #childe #zhongli #genshin impact #genshin imagines #genshin hcs #genshin fluff #genshin fanfic #genshin diluc #genshin ayato #genshin thoma #genshin zhongli #genshin childe #genshin headcanons

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heniareth · 3 years ago

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I was really curious about what your opinions on the DAO companions are :) I know we have talked about some, but I'd love to hear more and about the others as well :D I hope it's ok to pose this as an ask :)

Sure! That sounds like a ton of fun. This might be a long one tho. Mind you, this is not the finished version of the answer. I'd like to link stuff and add a cut, but rn that's not possible. I'll update it when I can.

Edit: I have updated it ^^

Let's go alphabetically bc why not.

Alistair:

Sweet guy. So sweet. There was a moment when I was hard pressed chosing between him and Zevran (alas, Zevran won). Also, he's weirdly tall according to the wiki? How did I not notice that before?

Let's get a bit more serious now, Alistair is a great guy. The only reason he's not the hero of the story is because he doesn't want to. He has all the qualities of a leader: he's good at dealing with conflict (as evident with the conversation with the mage at the beginning. He gets where he wants to get without antagonizing the mage, but without allowing him to trample all over him). He's a solid tactitian and knows how to make allies (he suggests to use the Grey Warden treaties, after all). I bet if he was in the leadership position, he'd even not bicker with Morrigan. His moral code is pretty tight; some might say too tight, but I think it's less about the moral code and more about learning to judge people by their actions, not by the labels they fit into (Morrigan is a proud apostate and therefore bad. Wynne is a humble circle mage and therefore good). He also has a bit of a black-and-white way of seeing the world. I empathize a lot with Alistair, especially with his experience with the Chantry and his subsequent reluctance to deal with it. I really wish I had gotten to know more about concrete experiences he had during his training as templar, but he seems reluctant to talk about it (gee, I wonder why).

Since I've only played the game once, I haven't really picked up on Arl Eamon's abuse towards him, which apparently exists (Isolde, however... I mean, even if he were Eamon's illegitimate son, he's a kid, ma'am, he didn't exactly get to chose his parents. So that's so not okay). Alistair's way of speaking about them both, however, is either sign that he has not come within a hundred miles of acknowledging how much it hurt him, or that he's already gone through the whole process and has decided to forgive them. The latter shows a very strong character; yes, he relies on the approval and leadership of others, he has his issues, but he's already started working on them.

That being said, irl Alistair would be like a little brother to me. I'd tease him relentlessly (all in good fun and I promise to stop if it makes him uncomfortable, but he's just so teasable). I still wish the videogame gave him the chance to take important decisions for himself. But that, of course, would somewhat defeat the point of the game.

Leliana:

Another sweet, sweet person. Her singing voice is amazing. Her belief in the Maker inspires me (I'm a religious person and seeing religious characters represented in a positive light is Very Cool. It's also sometimes a source of discomfort, because the Church has done a lot of very messed up stuff and positive representation can sometimes veer into apologetics for things that should not be excused, but that's a whole other can of worms. The bottom line is that religious characters sometimes work for me and other times don't and Leliana works for me very much bc she's an outsider inside the Chantry).

Leliana is best friend material, tbh. I'd love to get to know her irl, discuss theology and philosophy and maybe even politics? She makes mistakes and has prejudices, but, tbh, so do I. And I do get the feeling that she tries her best to learn. From the times she intervenes in a conversation between the Warden and an NPC, she shows herself to be compassionate and open to the needs of others. What I get from her character is that she genuinely wants to help, which is something that I adore of her. I suspect that she sometimes has a hard time deciding wether she's a good person or not. She has killed and seduced and worked for a morally dubious person, and she doesn't show the same nonchalance about it as Zevran (though they both do discuss their line of work in very... professional terms). This is, however, more of a headcanon than actual factual canon.

I also very much enjoy her girly side, like her interest in shoes and dresses. She's one badass woman who also looses her cool about the latest fashions in Val Royeaux. I like that. Between her and Alistair, a non human noble Warden has as good a help to navigate the Fereldan court as they're going to get. Leliana is also, I can't forget that, clever and insightful. It'd be easy to write her off as the innocent chantry girl, but she's so much more than that. Her kindness is paired with foresight, I think. She knows that taking on the trouble to help now can go a long way in the future. I just have a lot of respect for her.

Loghain:

This one's gonna be short bc I didn't recruit him. He's an amazing villain and would probably be a great Warden as well. He reminds me of Denerhor from LOTR; once a hero/stewart of his people, ambition and desperation have driven them both down a terrible path. I have also only little idea about his past. People say he lost a lot, and I believe it wholeheartedly; it doesn't excuse the fact that he plunged the country into a civil war in the middle of a Blight. I don't have a lot of sympathy for short-sighted politicians. I wish he hadn't made himself regent. That's what I take away from his character.

Edit: One thing I forgot to mention that really impressed me was his death. I had Alistair duel him (that was a rough duel), and then it kinda just jumped to a cutscene of my Warden nodding and Alistair executing him. That didn't sit well with me. I didn't want to kill Loghain, and less so in front of Anora. But what impressed me was that Loghain just accepted it. That takes a whole lot of guts. Compare that to Howe's death, and how he screams out that he deserved (more, probably, or anything but death) and it's crystal clear who the more noble of the two is. Loghain strikes me as very lawful neutral, and any neutral alignment has the particularity that it can be dragged towards good or bad, sometimes without the characters noticing it (which is interesting from a DnD perspective; neutral is often concieved of as just as stable as good or evil, but that may not be true. But that's a different post). Anyway, Loghain's death was impactful.

Morrigan:

I could kick myself for not maxing out her approval in the first play-through. I got to enjoy a bit of her friendship by the end of it and boy was even that little bit worth it. Friendship with Morrigan is something that is hard-won. It's all the more precious because of that.

Morrigan is full of paradoxes, I think. She's incredibly wise in some ways, yet also very short-sighted (”just kill them, don't solve their problems”. Morrigan, dear, I'm not going to gain a lot of allies if I kill everybody who poses a problem to me). She is so intelligent, but emotionally... not so. She knows so much about some things, and very little about the next. She's incredibly wilful and knows what she wants, but follows Flemeth's orders all the time through. She hungers for power and independence, yet craves closeness, but won't allow herself to have it. She asks you to prove yourself to her and is extremely critical of your actions, I think, because she's afraid. She bites the hand that feeds her because it might hit her next.

Like with Eamon, I haven't managed to catch the undercurrent of abuse that seems to permeate Flemeth's relationship with Morrigan. Except there are signs, because there must be something Morrigan is scared of and who has instilled all that rage in her, and that's Flemeth. Also, she clearly hates/does not care about her and wants her dead (unless killing Flemeth was part of Flemeth's plan as well? Hm.)

Morrigan is that one person who you are nice to, continuously, because nobody else is. And suddenly she becomes less cold. And then friendly. And suddenly you're asking yourself why everybody hates her, because she's a really good friend! I just wish the other companions came to a similar conclusion, especially Alistair and Wynne.

Oghren:

They did this man dirty. He has such great lines and I'm convinced he was a great person before Branka disappeared. He has that dwarven warrior spirit, and while he looks like Gimli, some of his most impactful lines remind me of Dwalin or even Thorin Oakenshield himself. He could be so noble had he gotten some character development, damnit!

Oghren as he is written is somewhat disgusting. I hate the lechering comments and the drunkenness. And still, I don't hate him because of those amazing lines he has when he's actually sober. It's frustrating and I'll give him that character development myself if the game won't. I strongly associate the song Whiskey Lullaby with him, bc that's how he would have ended up if the Warden hadn't taken him along (warning: the song talks about suicide and alcoholism). Like I said, they could have done such cool things with his character. As he is written now... it's just sad. Moments of lucidity drowned in alcohol and creepy jokes. As you can see, I don't blame the character for either. The alcoholism happens all too often irl. The creepy jokes... I put that one on the writers' tab.

I actually think Oghren could have been a great mentor figure (I know, I shock myself as well sometimes). Next to the Grey Wardens, the ones who know most about fighting darkspawn are the dwarves because they have to deal with them constantly. Especially a warrior caste dwarf like Oghren could have brought a lot of that invaluable knowledge to the team, especially since there are no Grey Wardens in Ferelden but two extremely green recruits. Next, you get the chance to give Oghren the command of the teammates you leave behind in the battle of Denerim with the reason that he has lead men into battle before. Where did that suddenly come from? Oghren should have been right up there telling my Warden that they were doing this wrong, that they needed more food (and booze) and a confident leader to keep the armies they've called together going. Oghren should have been able to tell my civilian city elf who got recruited into the Grey Wardens a six months ago how one leads an army. How one presents oneself to inspire confidence, how one doesn't crack under the pressure, how one gets the leaders of said armies (some who hate each others guts i.e. Dalish elves and humans) to work together. And, last but not least, Oghren could have had a great story about grief. This is a man who has lost most of what made him (and what he hasn't lost he's spilling down the drain with every mug of ale). This is a man who, if you take him into the Deep Roads, has to see what his wife did to his family, how his wife got absolutely obsessed, and can be forced to kill said wife or watch her die. All Wardens loose their home and families at the start of the story. It would really have rounded the whole narrative out if the Warden and Oghren could have recognised their grief in each other and hashed it out somehow. Such as it is, Oghren is a depressed drunkard and there is nothing we can do about that. I find that frustrating.

Rascal (a.k.a. Dog):

Best boy. 100/10. I wish we had gotten to see the reaction of the different origins to the mabari (because elves probably have a whole different experience with them from mages or humans. And dwarves just... I think they straight up have none? XD). Other than that, no complaints. The name Rascal was the one I gave my dog because you have to be a right rascal to survive what he did and play the pranks he plays. Smartest breed in the world indeed.

Shale:

Shale is one of those characters that I recruited rather late in the game, so I haven't had the chance to explore their personality and worldview, really. I didn't even get to take them to the Deep Roads (this will be ammended in playthrough nr. 2). As such, I don't have particularly strong opinions on them (or her? The wiki refers to Shale as 'it', but that sounds weird). But, because I know so little about Shale, I have a lot of questions. First, what were they like before they were a golem? Shayle, as she was called then, was the best warrior of her time if I remember correctly. Why did she become a golem? Was it to be able to eternally protect her people? Was the sarcasm the golem Shale exhibits also part of the dwarven warrior Shayle or did that come later (if for thirty years you have nobody to talk to but yourself, you better be entertaining. And I can imagine how it could make somebody terribly jaded as well).

Next, how attached is Shale to their golem form, exactly? According to the banter, they infinitely prefer it to a squishy fleshy form. If that is the case, however, why go to Tevinter to try and become a squishy dwarf again? It's not like that process could be reversed if they wanted to become a golem again; if Shale survives to the end of the game, the Anvil of the Void is destroyed and Caridin is dead. Was the whole spiel about their indestructible form a façade? It might have been, but not because Shale actually disliked their form. I think it would have more to do with the loss of their memories and with the very invasive experiments and alterations of Shale's body made by the mage Wilhelm. The loss of memories means that Shale is unable to remember life as a fleshy creature. They might be deflecting by pretending that they didn't care for that experience anyway because of the superiority of their golem form. The modifications made to their form by Wilhelm would have alienated them from their body. In light of this, it's significant that Shale asks the Warden to decorate their form with crystals.

All of this is, of course, pure speculation. I may have easily missed or forgotten details that would disprove the above thoughts. All in all, I like Shale and I hope we meet them again in DA4 (given that it's mostly set in Tevinter). It's a liking from a respectful distance, because Shale is tall and made out of rock and also way more experienced than I will ever be (they are literally the oldest member of the Warden's little Blight fighting squad).

Sten:

Sten is another person I'd keep a respectful distance from physically. That seems to be the what he would prefer, at least. I've enjoyed his character a lot, especially because he seems pretty clear-cut at first, but slowly lets the nuance of his person show (gruff and stoic, but then he has an eye for art, a sweet tooth and he likes cute animals). It's also very interesting that there's no moment when you learn "the truth" about him the way you do with Zevran or Leliana. There's no big reveal about his life under the Qun before coming to Ferelden. He says he was sent to monitor the Blight, but honestly? If neither Ferelden nor Orlais knew there was a Blight, how could the Qunari know? I think he's lying, and he takes his secrets back with him when he leaves Ferelden. And yet I think I know him enough to say that a Warden who has become friends with him has nothing to fear from Sten.

One thing I find very interesting about Sten is how he thinks. His conversation about how women can't be soldiers has been analysed a lot on this page I think. He seems to be arguing based on a different paradigma than the one the Warden has. He also seems to have a very clear-cut view of the world. What is fascinating to me is that, when arguing with the Warden and learning about their culture, he is not necessarily becoming more lax about his worldview. I think it's more likely that he is expanding his paradigma, the structure of thought through which he understands the world. I don't think that he is now convinced that women can be warriors as well. I think he rather understands that, in Ferelden, the relationship between occupation and gender is different than under the Qun. Which of the two he thinks is more right or more agreeable, I have no idea. I'm also not very interested in that. But I find it fascinating how he always seems to be looking on quietly, gathering data, classifying it and trying to fit it into his understanding of how the world works. I wouldn't be surprised at all if his original party was a scouting party to see how vulnerable Ferelden was at that moment to outside forces. One thing I don't understand with all of this is why he urges the Warden to meet the Blight head on. No smart soldier would suggest that, except if they are foolishly proud (and Sten doesn't seem like that kind of guy tbh). I get that the Warden takes way longer to gather allies than expected because they first have to solve all of their allies' problems. But surely Sten sees the need to have allies? Is he just that impatient? Does he have a death wish (à la, I lost my sword and am without honour, better to die sooner than later and in glorious battle)? Was he his group's previous commander and is he now having trouble following somebody else's orders? Or maybe it's his way to make sure the Warden knows what they are doing? To push them into becoming the self-assured commander their allies will need once they're all gathered? I really don't know. I like the last option best, however.

For me, Sten is my fellow, more experienced soldier. Like Alistair, he can potentially be the Warden's brother in arms, but he's definitely the older brother here. He probably doesn't take kindly to tearful confessions of how hard everything is, but I feel like he's otherwise a solid rock to lean on. I feel like the Warden can trust him to do what is necessary and count on him no matter what, especially after they get his sword back. His devotion from that point on is honestly so powerful.

Wynne:

Wynne was such a support for my Warden (except with the whole conversation about love vs. duty and that she may have to choose between Zevran and ending the Blight and that she should therefore break up with him. Wynne had a point. Astala was so not willing to sacrifice her relationship with Zevran. But the whole conversation came at a point where she was already so disillusioned that she blew up in Wynne's face (”can i please just have one (1) nice thing????”)). But all in all, Wynne is great.

She has a lot of flaws. She was very marked by her life in the Cricle and, for all her age, she has little experience living outside of it. She is also a conformist despite her strong moral core. In a way, her ability to find peace with her lot in life impresses me deeply because it speaks to a lot of strength of character. Sadly, however, strength can be ill applied and used to suppress. I think she has convinced herself that the Chantry is right under (almost) all circumstances to be able to rationalize the life that mages live. She's had her son taken away from her as a baby and an apprentice killed. Her reaction seems to have been to convince herself that this was right, or for the greater good (and now I'm thinking about the Guardian's question at the temple of Andraste's Ashes; are you wise or do you just repeat what others have told you? The answer is not as clear-cut as it might be). This is why she is so irritated by Zevran and Morrigan. By aligning herself with the Chantry, she is, in her eyes, good. Zevran and Morrigan are not; they do not conform to Chantry morality and they defend themselves tooth and nails against somebody who would try and convert them. This is something Wynne never allowed herself to do; she always did the "right" thing and it has cost her so much. I'm not saying she was right (it would probably have done her some good to rebel from time to time, and to trust her own gut instinct more), but in light of this, it hardly surprises me that she's so judgamental. She has to be, or she would be forced to confront all the evil she has not fought against all those years and all the hurt that has been caused to her by the very institution she protects (and thank God she only tries to argue and can appreciate it when people have found a good life outside of her comfort zone. If she tried to convince by force or, for example, drag her former apprentice back to the Circle... boy oh boy that would get ugly). If you think about it, Wynne really is a good example for what happens if you live by a philosophy of always choosing the lesser evil.

Something that I keep forgetting over her grandmotherly and dignified character is how damn powerful she is. She has escaped the carnage at Ostagar; HOW!? She protected those mage apprentices in the Circle tower for God knows how long. In the battle of Denerim, she wades through an army and comes out alive on the other side. The wiki lists her age at 40, I think, but that doesn't make a lick of sense unless 75 years of age are the Fereldan equivalent to 100. This lady, about whom people make grandmother jokes, did all that. It's impressive.

Zevran:

You know, I would really love to know what Wynne thinks about the events at Kirkwall in DA2. It might be a disaster for her, or it might pave the way for one last bit of character development. She certainly didn't want to return to the Circle after fighting the Blight. That may be an indicator of some change in her stance on the Circle of Magi.

Edit: I forgot that she is what the Circle considers a literal abomination! Holy cow, how could I forget that?? Anyway, her conversation about what being an abomination means is so... heartbreaking, actually. It's so tentative. So careful. "Am I an abomination? Am I the same thing that has killed my students? The same thing as Uldred? Am I lost and damned? Did I invite this spirit in? Is this my fault?" Like wow, Wynne is going through something huge right there. I love it. I have to continue playing the game to see what it ends up as, but it's fascinating and such a huge thing that she allows the Warden in on that.

Ah, Zevran, my beloved (he has stolen my heart so much it's not even funny anymore). He's funny, he's charming, he's so so loyal and it breaks my heart. Zevran is the one about whom I've read most meta: these three wonderful posts for instance, as well as this one about his possible lack of scars, and this one about his lack of freedom. All of these have influenced my opinion of him and they are great reads.

I have talked about Zevran with you before, so I'll just skip to the new stuff. I have come to conclusion that Zevran is an artist at heart. This is totally not biased by the fact that I also do art, but hear me out. One of his preferred gifts are bars of silver and gold. While those have the obvious utility of basically functioning as money (they can be sold to any silversmith or goldsmith and their value is pretty stable through time and in different countries), there's also this from his codex: "Zevran shows an affinity for the finer things in life—hardly surprising for an Antivan Crow—but his appreciation can be more poetic than he lets on. A simple bar of refined silver or gold, uncomplicated by a craftsman's hammer, is elegantly valuable." Tell me that is not an artist's eye that sees that gold and sees the beauty in it. Then, there's also the meta about Zevran the Seducer which I linked above and link here again. It talks specifically about how he lets himself enjoy the target and be seen in his enjoyment. Tell me that is not an artist's eye that beholds the beauty of something he is set out to destroy. Even his talk about his assassinations show this. He talks about it as an art, the way somebody would talk about the brutal intervention in stone that produces a sculpture. Yes, it's a rationalization of the act of killing and yes killing is still wrong. But he doesn't go on about it on a moral tangent the way Alistair or Wynne would (”this person was bad, killing them was necessary”) or even through the argument of survival like Morrigan would (”it was either them or me and it sure as Hell wasn't going to be me”). He talks about the pleasure of a job well done, of the satisfaction of striking the precise point and executing a plan to the perfection so as to minimize chances of discovery and to make a clean death possible. And pleasure in seeing and in doing, this I firmly believe, is absolutely fundamental for an artist.

My favourite part about my Warden and Zevran as a pairing is that Zevran precisely brings out that ability to take your pleasures as they come and to really savour them. Fighting the Blight is tough; it's so important to find good things amidst the chaos to stay sane. If Astala saves Zevran from himself by offering him a place to stay and a purpose, Zevran saves Astala from herself by keeping her from running herself into the ground trying to save the world.

There are some things I don't like about Zev. The incessant flirting, for example, sometimes makes me uncomfortable (it becomes enjoyable for me once the Warden and him are in a relationship, but before that? Nah, no thanks). I wish he would also leave the other female characters alone (and there's so many more shameless comments of his aimed at Morrigan, Leliana or Wynne than at Alistair or maybe even Sten).

---

And that's my take on the Origins companions (this was rather long. Whew ^^' I hope it was still readable and that you enjoyed it!!) Thank you so much for the ask!! It's been a joy thinking about this. I was worrying at first that the less prominent companions like Sten or Shale wouldn't get as much content but... well XD

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cobrakaisb · 4 years ago

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hi bestie! i’ve had this idea for a while, but i haven’t seen it. can you do like a head cannon of what miguel, robby, and eli/hawk would be like as an older brother? it can be totally based off what you think :) thank you <3

of course! sorry it took me a while but i needed to to be perfect. i also added two bonus boys at the end (hope you don’t mind). little note: i wrote this with a fem reader in mind because of the mentions of periods.

Having the Cobra Kai boys as older brothers

miguel:

you and miguel are so close

the age difference does not affect him at all

he is very protective of you before cobra kai

but once he joins cobra kai that over protectiveness 📈📈📈

let’s just say that this kid is bothering you

miguel definitely notices and scares them off

you act annoyed about it, but you’re highkey grateful that he did that

“my brother is the all valley champ so back the fuck off”

you were so excited for him at the all valley

you wore one of his cobra kai shirts and everything

miguel is so supportive of whatever extra curricular you do

karate? yes he stans, theater? you bet he’s at all your shows, dance? you know he’s bringing you some flowers, another sport? he’s at every game cheering for you

miguel knows about periods, and he has no shame in buying you tampons/pads

“hey y/n, i noticed you were running low so i got you some more” 🥺🥺

you wear his hoodies all the time

they are very big on you, but very comfy

you help him with sam

“i punched her in the face” “what why?”

“y/n what do you think about this?” “it looks great miguel. sam will love it”

when he dates tory you're a little on edge about it

“miguel, weren’t you like trying to win sam back two days ago?” “i like tory now” “okayy”

johnny loves you as much as he loves miguel

y’all hang out together

his friends are your friends and vice versa

your friends definitely think that miguel is cute but “eww that’s my brother”

when miguel is in the coma you blame johnny

“he showed mercy because of you! you did this!”

but then you cry into his chest

when miguel wakes up you’re at school

you don’t find out until after school when carmen picks you up

you hug him so tight, rambling about how much you love him

“i love you too y/n now get off me”

you can’t keep up with his love life

“y/n i’m with sam again” “what?”

overall your bond is amazing and you couldn’t ask for a better brother

robby:

you and robby both live with your mother (because we aren’t basic here)

you’re the odd one out (your mom does drugs and robby sells them)

“you got caught with molly? i thought you and sara were hooking up?” “the drug y/n”

when robby starts being friends with those punk kids, the two of you start to drift

you actually go to school, unlike him

“just skip y/n” “no robby”

it isn’t until he gets back on track because of daniel that you two start getting close again

“i’m gonna get back on track y/n i promise” and you believe him

you go to the skatepark with him

he skates while you read or draw or skate (whatever you’re into tbh)

when you’re on your period robby will buy you stuff, but he doesn’t like to

he feels so awkward about it

“um are these the right ones?” “yes thank you”

robby gives the best hugs (idk why he just does)

i feel like robby is also really good at reading emotions

like he knows when you’ve had a bad day at school or when you’re stressed about something

he also knows how to cheer you up :)))

“i know you did not just eat cereal with water???” “and what about it?”

when your mom comes back after being gone for days robby pulls you behind him

because he really doesn’t want you to be exposed to that

you cry into robby’s chest once she leaves

“why can’t she just be our mom?”

when daniel asks robby to move in with him he denies

but quickly explains that he can’t leave you

daniel tells robby that you can come too

“thanks for helping my brother mr.larusso, i really appreciate it”

you definitely walk in on robby and sam making out at some point

“hey robby- oh my god i’m so sorry” slaps hand over eyes and immediately leaves the room

when robby pushes miguel off the balcony it's the first time you’re genuinely scared of him

you visit him in jail, but it takes awhile for you to go

“i’m sorry y/n” “i know robby”

you just understand each other

when robby joins cobra kai he tries to get you in too

you agree to one lesson, and know it’s not for you

you have many arguments about this

“he’s brainwashing you!” “he knows what’s best for me, for us!”

robby feels so betrayed when he finds out you’re staying with johnny

the two of you definitely drift after that, but you find your way back to each other, you always do

eli/hawk:

okay so before he flips the script you defend eli, no matter what

you cry with him about the bullies and definitely try to fight kyler more than once

you wear his sweaters (fight me on it)

you encourage him to do karate

when he flips the script you’re very happy for him he finally feels confident in himself and you love that for him

now the roles are reversed

hawk protects you now

no one even dares to look at you because they are scared of him

i feel like he has a tattoo for you, whether that's your name or your favorite flower idk but he gets one for you

“um wow okay we’re doing that now” “do you like it or not?” “yeah but i wasn’t expecting it”

sometimes he’ll let you pick his hair color “how about purple” “maybe” 😉

he definitely flirts with your friends “hello ladies!” “hi hawk!” “get out!”

you’re the only one that is allowed to call him eli

“eli i need ten dollars?” “for what?” “a snack” *hands over the money*

“eli can i have your sweatshirt? i’m cold” “yeah take it”

“i can’t, me and eli are going to the movies today”

one day you’re sitting with him and his minions (you refuse to call them friends) at lunch

“so eli” -one of the cobra kais “shut the fuck up! you can’t call him that!” -you

hawk has a proud brother moment

anything that you do hawk is like “fuck yeah that’s my sibling!”

his friends are not allowed to look at you, talk to you, have a crush on you, or even think about you

“woah dude she’s hot” “that’s my fucking sister! stay away from her!”

“eli who’s your friend-” “NO!”

as eli he will buy you period products but is very shy about it

as hawk he will not be caught dead in that isle of cvs

“eli i need them!” “i don’t care! i’ll drive you there and you can run in and get them”

when hawk breaks demetri’s arm you don't speak to him for weeks

you confront him about his new behavior

“this is who i am!” “no it’s not! you’re not my brother!”

you’re crying and then storm off to your room

that breaks him

is highkey the start of his redemption

when he’s at the fight at the larusso house, and he sees demetri about to get his arm broken, he thinks of your words: “you're not my brother!”

literally motivates him to fix things

you see hawk and demitri and just know that your brother is back

you hug him so tight

“you were right y/n. i’m sorry” “of course i was. i’m always right” “gee thanks” “love you”

bonus demetri:

he is a nerd, you are a nerd

the two of you watch star wars, marvel, harry potter, etc. together

“daddy anakin” “please shut the fuck up”

you want to punch him in the face because he is so sarcastic

it gets on your nerves

bust out laughing when johnny makes fun of his pi shirt

“stop laughing” “if it’s funny i'm gonna laugh”

even though you’re a nerd you’re cool

like you have a lot of friends in your grade

“demetri if i don’t talk to you at the halloween party that’s why” gestures to his costume

listen to his rants about how eli’s changed

you try to give him advice, but it doesn’t work out

so proud of him when he joins miyagi-do

“i'm glad you’re stepping out of your comfort zone”

demetri tries to get you to join miyagi-do

if you do join great more sibling bonding

if you don’t join no biggie y’all are still besties

y’all go to the comic book store together

its sibling bonding time

you threaten to fight hawk after the laser tag thing

“hey asshole you leave my brother alone!”

you sign his cast first

you definitely write some inside joke that only the two of you understand

you see him kissing yas and do a whole 🤮

“so you dating yas?” “idk why” “just checking”

very obvious about your distaste for her

when him and hawk become friends again you’re very wary

“he broke your arm” “he apologized” “he broke your arm!!!”

eventually you and hawk are on semi decent terms

“demetri forgave you and that’s fine but i’m still not over it”

your relationship = the perfect mix of love and teasing

bonus bonus king bert 🙌🏻:

you are older than him by like a year

but you’re still besties for life

you’re very proud of him when he joins cobra kai

“im joining a karate dojo” “period pop off”

you always ruffle his hair

cheer for him at the all valley

“yeah bert!”

but also like you can’t watch

when he gets eliminated you cringe

he’s sad about it

“i just wanted to impress you” “im very impressed bert, you did great”

your opinion matters so much to him

he’s such a small cinnamon roll 🥺🥺

seeing him with the older cobra kai boys makes you soft

“y/n i’m going out with hawk and miguel can you drive me?”

bert admires you a lot, like you are his hero

y’all are the best sibling duo and that’s on period

#cobra kai #cobra kai x reader #cobra kai imagine #miguel diaz #miguel diaz x reader #miguel diaz cobra kai #hawk cobra kai #eli moskowitz #eli moskowitz x reader #hawk x reader #robby keene #robby keene x reader #robby keene cobra kai #demetri #demetri x reader #king bert #bert x reader

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novafire-is-thinking · 11 months ago

Note

This post is long, so I’m putting everything below a cut:

The Soundwave I intend to write is based on the Aligned Books Soundwave, not the games and tbh not Prime Soundwave either. I got really interested in his own character based off what I've picked up from Tumblr over a year now and I wanna do him justice in a way cus other than obvious characters Megatron and Optimus, he was another character in TF aligned lore that wanted a better future for Cybertron.

Unfortunately, Megatron and Soundwave aren’t who you think they are, even in the novels.

The fandom has taken a lot out of context and painted Megatron as a hero of the lower castes, and while he did do a lot of good for the oppressed, the fact is he didn’t actually care about lifting up the lower castes. He merely saw them as a tool to help him get his way.

As for Soundwave, his motives appear to be inconsistent throughout the novels. In The Covenant of Primus, part of his passionate declaration of resignation makes it sound like he cares about the lower castes a little, but in the second novel, it’s clear that his motives have nothing to do with helping the oppressed.

I’d love to show you the exact passages as proof. However, this post is already long, and for a while now, I’ve been meaning to write posts that dive into the true motives of Megatron and Soundwave, and reveal the true nature of the Decepticon Cause in the Aligned Continuity. If you can’t wait for me to write those posts, I’ll gladly discuss this with you over DMs after my next writing deadline (Jan. 20th).

Of course I have to find documents of the books and read to know his personality more which isn't feasible until post May this year. He may be based off of other iterations of canon Sounders, but I kinda wanna do my own spin inspired by the books

I can help with that. I have digital copies of all 4 Aligned novels:

The Covenant of Primus by Justina Robson

Transformers: Exodus by Alexander C. Irvine

Transformers: Exiles by Alexander C. Irvine

Transformers: Retribution by David J. Williams and Mark S. Williams

Soundwave shows up in all of them, except for Exiles.

For better or for worse, I’ve read all of his appearances in the books multiple times like the crazy Soundwave stan I am. Every author has a different take on his character, so he’s not written consistently at all. However, I’ve found a way to merge all of them for my AU. It wasn’t easy, and it doesn’t take into account every little detail, but because I’ve pulled something from every interpretation, I’ve achieved a holistic take on Soundwave’s character that’s lacking in this fandom.

Anyway, back to the books: Justina Robson’s Soundwave is the interpretation you’ve seen praised by the fandom; it’s the version you can most easily twist to fit your goals for your story.

Meanwhile, the worst version—in my opinion—is the one in Retribution. In there, Soundwave is nothing but a mindlessly loyal sadist with no personality.

If reading all 4 novels to get a feel for Soundwave’s character seems too overwhelming right now, my offer to discuss his character in-depth over DMs still stands. However, like I mentioned, it’ll have to wait until after the 20th.

My version is like, what if Vehicon's have a hub database to store their bredren when they die in battle so that they can still learn and experience beyond the war? This needs a post on its own so imma just leave it for now

OH. I love this concept!

Actually consuming dark energon when you're alive makes you unable to join the allspark (canon from the TFP movie) so I just tell myself only Megatron and other unsavable mecha like Scourge have tried it @_@ AND STARSCREAM DID IT TOO 👁️👄👁️

True. Personally, I like to think that’s only the case when Unicron is alive/outside of the container. Or also, who’s to say Unicron wasn’t lying to Megatron just to discourage him from trying to escape?

Ye Ratchet was more like, "we have no idea what's going on among our troops, so let's find a 3rd party source for answers" of course he doesnt know much of human politics he's there to teach them about Optimus Prime and the old ways that led to the ruin if their world (I HC no one was really able to get into human culture besides KOBD and maybe Bumblebee? He seems much more diligent and focused than them though)

Yeah, Ratchet’s smart enough to put the pieces together and figure out which human political theories align best with the ones from Cybertron’s history.

now that I think about it I wonder: would it make sense for Soundwave and Ratchet to meet up (in a debriefing/planning session) and the two start arguing over Cybertronian history? Not saying Ratchet knows everything, but I wonder if he was well aware of the corruption in the lower caste

Lol, there would be arguing alright. Ratchet has one view of Cybertron’s history and socioeconomic decline, and Soundwave has another. Soundwave’s view is likely to be more balanced because he spent time amongst the high castes and the lower castes. Meanwhile, Ratchet only knew a life of privilege once he made it to Iacon to study medicine.

Ratchet is only gone for a few days, a week at best! It only takes hours for Soundwave to realise he's on the ship so he quickly informs Optimus properly of his whereabouts cus the solar flare may have made contact difficult with Team Prime

Oh, ok. I misunderstood this part: “but it turns into Ratchet adopting Knockout as his new student after so many years.”

I realize now that you meant this happens a few years after Ratchet’s abduction—sometime after he’s back with the Autobots.

It takes like, a day for the Vehicons to unionise so it happens fairly quickly while Soundwave is half aware (how likely is it that the Nemesis can be affected by solar flares? Cus Wheeljack's ship got affected by a solar flare in the movie)

It was a plasma storm, which I’m assuming is basically an extra powerful solar flare, but we don’t get solar storms as destructive as that in our region of space, as far as I know. Even so, the communication capabilities of a Cybertronian ship are bound to be more powerful than those of Earth tech. Judging from the fact that Wheeljack was still able to communicate with Optimus while the latter was close to the plasma storm, Cybertronian comms remain online for a lot longer than human comm systems do during a solar flare. (Unless the system is hit directly, like Wheeljack’s in the movie)

Soundwave isn't with Team Prime, just an associate! I wanna take Dreadwing's approach here, where he offered the forge of Solus but didn't take Optimus' offer to join the team even when he knew the truth.

Gotcha.

I truly want this Soundwave to be like, it's not about the side, but the intention they have behind their actions. Cus people can do good, but it may have alterier motives. Not to say this Soundwave will be paranoid, but he seeks the end of an old era to build a proper new one

The moral philosophy nerd in me is tempted to dive deeper into Motive vs. Outcome as it relates to morality and ethics, but this isn’t the time or place to do so. I will say that novel Soundwave cares more about the results of actions than motives.

Okay here I ask: what do I do with Megatron? I honestly don't know if like, he should die, he should be left to do his shit, he should be given therapy, I really don't know ;_; any and all ideas will help <~>

If Megatron sees no quick way of keeping himself in power, he’s going to sulk. I don’t know for how long, but that’s going to be his first response. As for what happens during that period, I have some ideas:

Option 1: Megatron’s sulking allows him to introspect, and he comes around.

Outcome 1: Megatron is repentant and ready to work toward a better future for all Cybertronians. Optimus, Soundwave, and everyone else forgive him enough to accept his help, and he goes through the hard work of proving himself trustworthy.

Pros: This one provides plenty of potential for conflict and the exploration of redemption. // Cons: It’s hard to believe Megatron would turn around so quickly and say yes to sharing power so soon after his defeat, and the population is even less likely to forgive him for his crimes.

Outcome 2: Megatron is still repentant, but Optimus, Soundwave, and everyone else agree to banish Megatron from Cybertron forever. He wanders the stars as Megatronus did before him, seeking to redeem himself by using his might to help those he encounters.

Pros: This one provides an excellent way to explore Megatron’s character in-depth and redeem him in a more realistic way. // Cons: It’s more challenging because it requires a lot more worldbuilding to fill in the gaps, and it’s likely to distract you from your main story.

Option 2: Megatron’s sulking allows the rage to build up, and he causes problems for everyone.

Outcome 1: An angry Megatron travels to the surviving Cybertronian colonies to rile up the populations—returning years later to a repopulated Cybertron with an army ready to get back at Cybertron for abandoning them during the Rust Plague. The army returns under the guise of justice, and to “take back their home,” but they find out the truth and realize Optimus and the others aren’t so bad. Megatron’s new army turns on him, and he’s killed.

Pros: This one eliminates the need to deepen Megatron’s character and enables you to bring some of the lost colony populations home. // Cons: Just like with the previous option, this may require extra worldbuilding and plotting that distracts you from your main story.

Outcome 2: An angry Megatron travels to the surviving Cybertronian colonies to rile up the populations, but someone more powerful confronts him. This individual never forgot Megatron’s atrocities on their world during the war, and they and their people do not hesitate to kill Megatron.

Pros: This one eliminates the need to dive into Megatron’s character and provides an easy way to get rid of him without a ton of worldbuilding. // Cons: This has absolutely nothing to do with your main story. Its only purpose is to explain why Megatron doesn’t come back.

Okay I had to properly draft everything

Everything was made on the spot and tbh I completed it with the motivation to share with you when I sent that first ask I hadn't even gotten past the Soundwave depresso™ phase

Okay so this was actually a mashing of my other unspoken concepts just so I can lead up to write Moto Moto Soundwave and Moto Moto Shockwave scenes

The plot: Soundwave grieves the dead and listens to Optimus confessing his woes to the stars, and he gets inspired to defeat Megatron with community, not tyranny

He does this by making a Vehicon Tumblr account and teaches socialism to the masses for 3 weeks

But then Megatron is about to leave the planet for dark energon and he knows "Shit that's good but that's also bad" because dark energon does exist and who knows how much more insane he'll be when he gets back with an actual chunk of it?

When Vehicons become a bit more daring and gossipy Megatron begins to presume there's a dissenter amongst them. So Soundwave covers his tracks by hacking a Sims 4 account and dumping his Tumblr ID upon it, which leads to the whole Sims 4 database hacking his own gamer set up (not connected to the ship) and taking over his account, making it a public forum for Vehicons to post anonymous questions and answer with their own accounts through his account while discussing more politics

(remember how RID15 has a Vehicon that's independent? I can't fucking find his name on the wiki so forgive me) He's the leader of all this, with his right servo advisors Steve and (insert robot name joke here)(Axel maybe?) Axel is in the Sims 4 database while Steve is servo on deck with the leader

Soundwave tries to stop Megatron from leaving by reminding him of the dangers of alien god meth, meanwhile Ratchet is kidnapped by Vehicon leader and Steve (I wanted it to be Soundwave but unfortunately it would be character assassination :< ) they question him about human politics and ask if Optimus will really light their darkest hour. Ratchet is confused and pissed but answers honestly and devises a plan with theme which /is not/ part of the script but any genuine aid to end the war, especially after what Soundwave's been doing, is accepted and necessary

So the two 'abduct' Ratchet and he tries to send a message to Optimus but it's static due to interference by a solar storm so Optimus worries. Meanwhile Megatron has to stay back due to the solar storm so Soundwave has some more time, but then he panics when he sees footage of Ratchet in an unused lab on the Nemesis. He lets him stay to teach the Vehicons more socialism, but it turns into Ratchet adopting Knockout as his new student after so many years

This leads to the Vehicon uprising now that Ratchet has made everyone sobber from the numbness with his life story, and Vehicon leader dude (Imma call him Hookshaw), Knockout and Breakdown are taking directly after him. Soundwave has no grasp on anything anymore other than Megatron asking him /what the fuck, why don't they fear me?/ While Starscream is screeching, trying to take control now that Megatron is no longer recognised as the leader

Hookshaw comes up to a confused Megatron, Soundwave and Starscream and reveals everyone is done with their bullshit and they want their homeplanet back. Soundwave gets doxxed and Megatron feels the second betrayal by his closest friend. The third betrayal is immediate as Optimus wlaks through the Vehicons and comes to stand beside Hookshaw, with Ratchet at his side. Soundwave is confused but walks up to them at Optimus' call and Megatron is dead inside but the gravity of the situation weighs heavy on him and he's filled with rage but Optimus stops him from committing a massacre.

Starscream tries to make himself leader but Soundwave slaps him into a wall

___________

Okay that's the plot of the first sedtion

Just to justify and build up to the Wave Husbands gay panic scene I really really really wanna write

Just five months left and I'm free of the horrors 😃💧👄💧😃

Everything was made on the spot and tbh I completed it with the motivation to share with you when I sent that first ask I hadn't even gotten past the Soundwave depresso™ phase

Two things:

When is it my turn to find someone whose presence motivates me to draft an entire fic in one sitting? 🥺

“Soundwave depresso(TM) phase” made me laugh. I see I’m not the only one who headcanons that Soundwave is prone to depressive episodes. (note: the depression isn’t funny—just the fact that Soundwave depresso™️ phase is definitely a thing to me too).

Moto Moto Soundwave and Moto Moto Shockwave scenes

If this is referring to what I think it’s referring to, I’m dead 💀 That scene is partially to thank for my disgust for romantic displays of the…dancing kind.

Anyway, moving on…

One thing before I comment on the plot:

You didn’t specifically state what you were looking for by sharing this idea with me, so I’m gonna slip into my default and share thoughts, personal headcanons, and light constructive criticism on a few things. I don’t mean to be hyper-critical; I’m just here to point out what could be changed to make things more coherent. Soundwave is my blorbo of blorbos, so I have strong opinions about him.

Soundwave grieves the dead and listens to Optimus confessing his woes to the stars, and he gets inspired to defeat Megatron with community, not tyranny

He does this by making a Vehicon Tumblr account and teaches socialism to the masses for 3 weeks

I’m going to assume right here that you’re not looking to write Soundwave in character, since Aligned Soundwave definitely doesn’t have socialist values. OOC Soundwave is cool; I’m just making sure we’re on the same page so that I don’t point out OOC things needlessly.

One of my pet headcanons for Soundwave is that he was one of the few who never got addicted to dark energon, even back on Cybertron before the war. A taste here or there, maybe, but nothing more.

I only share since it may useful or interesting for your story.

Soundwave covers his tracks by hacking a Sims 4 account and dumping his Tumblr ID upon it, which leads to the whole Sims 4 database hacking his own gamer set up (not connected to the ship) and taking over his account, making it a public forum for Vehicons to post anonymous questions and answer with their own accounts through his account while discussing more politics

I’ve never played any of the Sims games, so I can only imagine how one might set up a network on the game. I’ll take your word for it. lol

I totally forgot about that Vehicon. It’s been so long since I watched RiD15, and there were way too many throwaway antagonists for me to keep track of.

Ratchet is kidnapped by Vehicon leader and Steve (I wanted it to be Soundwave but unfortunately it would be character assassination :< ) they question him about human politics and ask if Optimus will really light their darkest hour. Ratchet is confused and pissed but answers honestly and devises a plan with theme which /is not/ part of the script but any genuine aid to end the war, especially after what Soundwave's been doing, is accepted and necessary

About Cybertronians learning from human politics:

I can see it happening, but I’m pretty sure Ratchet’s Cybertronian pride and lack of interest in human affairs would mean he’d reference Cybertronian politics first. I’m sure Cybertronians had something similar to socialism.

I love the thought of Ratchet taking Knockout under his wing, but if Ratchet is with the 'Cons for several years, who takes care of the Autobots during that time? Or do they just miraculously get by without him?

Soundwave has no grasp on anything anymore other than Megatron asking him /what the fuck, why don't they fear me?/

I find it hard to believe that Soundwave would have 0 awareness or control over anything that’s happening at this point. He’s kept the Decepticons under his careful watch for eons, so unless he’s totally mentally checked out, he knows what’s been happening and has been guiding events as opportunities arise.

Hookshaw comes up to a confused Megatron, Soundwave and Starscream and reveals everyone is done with their bullshit and they want their homeplanet back. Soundwave gets doxxed and Megatron feels the second betrayal by his closest friend. The third betrayal is immediate as Optimus walks through the Vehicons and comes to stand beside Hookshaw, with Ratchet at his side. Soundwave is confused but walks up to them at Optimus' call and Megatron is dead inside but the gravity of the situation weighs heavy on him and he's filled with rage but Optimus stops him from committing a massacre.

The King of Blackmail getting doxxed is a total uno-reverse move. ahsjdjfk

Starscream tries to make himself leader but Soundwave slaps him into a wall

This got a genuine laugh out of me because just the other day, I told a friend that I’d have given a lot to see Soundwave make Starscream bleed at least once during the show.

Final thoughts:

I’m gonna be upfront with you: I have very particular tastes in Soundwave portrayals, and your idea is outside of my narrow tastes. This isn’t at all to say it’s a bad idea since everyone has their own tastes and takes on favorite characters; I’m just sharing my opinion to curb any future expectations. Also, just because it’s not my thing doesn’t mean I’m not still very curious.

Soundwave waking up and ditching Megatron is one of my favorite ideas to explore. However, it’s incredibly hard to pull off well unless the author dismisses parts of canon (which is always a valid option). I’m curious about where you see Soundwave ending up, now that he’s with Team Prime and the ex-Nemesis crew.

Finally, I’ll take WaveWave (romantic or platonic) over Megawave any day, so if that’s what’s fueling your fire, you have my thanks for choosing the Soundwave ship I can get behind 🔥

#✏️ the sounding board

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koropukgoro · 2 years ago

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a bit sillay rambling about non submas / megaten undercut cuz I do not wanna spam …

I’m begging pple to play persona 1 because it’s got the best dynamics between the characters of the whole series and overall just a very good plot and such about facing your true self / different masks people wear. Also it’s canon that you straight up murder the bad guy (based) and raid the police station for guns. I’m an old school megaten fan. I just love kaneko era megaten so much. Reiji is my fav persona character. He’s the tough scary delinquent guy who secretly has soft spots & genuinely cares he just struggles with trauma and the fact he made friends and they let him grow and helped with his trust issues… uwah.

I luv him a lot anyways big tall tough guy who’s used to being intimidating & scary to others (even intimidating to his friends) suddenly getting zapped teeny tiny… rubs my lil fly hands together eagerly. I love it. In SMT world no matter what timeline (mainline / persona / etc) bc of demons existing literally anything can happen maybe he flunked interacting with one and got cursed. Curses are fun esp since Eriko (another p1 cast member) is a huge occult fanatic and would totally try and find out which demon did it based off Reiji’s spotty memory. Mark also being so gentle and considerate of Reiji while he’s tiny cuz tbh I think Mark and Reiji have the best affinity canon wise they’re the closest to each other. Others would tease him or be a lil too rough with him cuz they’re expecting he can take it and usually he can but Reiji is 2 inches tall now and even if he’s a tough guy that is Not Tough Enough.

I also have this game I play sometimes called Grounded it’s on steam but it’s fun cute good GT survival game (you will need some beef to run it though) and I always imagine a scenario with Reiji as the pov during it. And sometimes Raidou. Raidou Kuzunoha is my fav fictional character ever and he is actually the inspiration for Ingo (and Emmet) how could he not be. Similar outfits. Almost similar personality (Ingo and Raidou), and the sideburns?,??? Plus Pokémon trainers are devil summoners in a sense. Yeah totally. Anyway I’ve even commissioned a lot of tiny Raidous before by friends hehe I’ll post some

This is by my friend Miles aka 8xenon8 on tumblr. They usually don’t do this kinda stuff but I’m the exception cuz we’re friends.

the rest of these are by my friend E2 (Ferretwanted) on twitter and they also put up a my autism GT moments so thank the stars

I’m obsessed & crazy

#Txt #should I tag this???? At all???#GT #megaten GT #I guess that’ll be my tag #I’m an insane little guy who loves little Guys.

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weakforarwen · 2 years ago

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The Sword in the Stone Part 1 opens with another unfunny Merthur scene, which is really just fatshaming, followed by more pointless Merthur banter (as well as Arthur's confession that he still deeply missed Gwen after seeing Percival looking cozy with a girl).

I loved how they cut from Merlin bragging about being a great secret keeper to Agravaine and Morgana invading Camelot. Oh, the irony.

The single dumbest thing the show did in all of the first four seasons (season 5 is on a league of its own when it comes to stupidity) was to make Arthur a brainwashed "simpleton" in the finale. What the fuck were they thinking?

Gaius would've never suggested that Merlin use magic so openly in front of Arthur, least of all to take away his free will.

Everything about Arthur being a "simpleton" screamed ableism.

It was completely unfunny and pathetic.

What spell did Merlin even use on Arthur? If he took away his will and made him more compliant, why was Arthur saying thank you and sorry all of a sudden? Merlin didn't even have to tell Arthur to do anything most of the time. And since when do people with no free will sit with their legs open like children and hug trees?

How could Merlin, who always talked a good game about using his powers for good, actually use the fact that Arthur was at his mercy to "teach him a lesson" on manners?

I also absolutely hate Tristan. The dude was insufferable, and casting a 40 year old actor as a 20 year old's love interest was so stupid. They had a bigger age gap than Merlin and Hunnith, ffs. Besides, Tristan and Isolde had no chemistry and were so transparently meant to mirror Arthur and Gwen in some way.

Arthur learned of Agravaine's betrayal the same way he had learned of Morgana's. He asked Merlin why it was always him being betrayed, and the answer is: "Yes, Arthur, it's because you are that stupid, and because the people around you don't care enough to make you see the truth, for some reason". Of course, Merlin immediately tried to make Arthur feel better about himself, but Merlin was equally at fault for Arthur not knowing of Agravaine's betrayal beforehand.

So, not only did Arthur lose Camelot, learn of Agravaine's betrayal, and have Tristan looking down on him the whole time, he also missed Gwen dearly:

Tristan: Well, I may have lost my cargo, but I still have my beloved Isolde. A: Then you're richer than you know.

The best part about this episode was hands down Arthur and Gwen's reunion. It was truly a beautiful and bittersweet moment. Kudos to Bradley for looking so heartbroken, yet relieved and happy, to see Gwen. He outdid Angel for once. Their hug was so painfully beautiful - like, I was physically in pain. This is one of the best Arwen scenes.

Arwen in The Sword in the Stone almost made the entire Lancelot du Lac fiasco worth it. I hate what they did to Arwen and Lancelot, and I hate Gwen's banishment, but there's something so beautiful and kind about their reunion. I love the idea that you can forgive someone who betrayed you even if you don't understand why they hurt you. It's not always possible to understand another person's actions, no matter how hard you try, and we have to accept that. We have to accept that we don't have all the answers in life and to live despite our fears.

It may feel foolish to forgive someone who hurt us for apparently no good reason, but if we don't want to lose that person, and believe they are worth forgiveness and well-intentioned, why not forgive them? It will only make us feel better, lighter. It's an act of kindness to ourselves and the other person that requires great courage. There's no point in holding on to resentment and pain even if it feels justified and righteous. There's no such thing as righteous anger tbh.

Sometimes, forgiving people we don't want to forgive, because we fear or know they won't change and will hurt us again, or because we can't understand how someone who loves us could hurt us so much, is actually the best thing for us. It's so hard to let go of that feeling of betrayal, that grief and anger and resentment.

The fact that Arthur put all those emotions and memories behind him and opened his heart up to Gwen again, completely and without reserve, was truly one of the bravest and hardest things Arthur ever did. I think people underestimate the courage, strength, and purity of heart it takes to make such a decision. If you're hateful, angry, bitter, or cynical in any way, you won't be able to do it. Arthur chose to trust Gwen with his heart and his kingdom, and to value her opinion above all others, again. It was an act of great love. Only someone who loved another person greatly and unconditionally would be able to swallow their pride and their fears to welcome them back into their heart.

My mom always says there's no pride in love. I'm not sure that's true, but Arthur made a good case for it. For me, that was the saving grace of Lancelot du Lac - the one thing Arthur did in this finale that showed his great heart. Otherwise, he didn't really prove himself.

#bbc merlin #bbc arwen #merlin #arwen #gwen pendragon #arthur pendragon #the sword in the stone commentary #the sword in the stone

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i-did · 4 years ago

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Do you know when the racism and ableism accusations against Nora started? Because back when I was active in 2016/2017 and don't think they were a thing, or were very low-key. Was it something she said or are people just basing it off the things she wrote in the books?

From what I remember, the first time I heard the blanket statement of “Nora is racist/fetishizes gay men” blanket statement was early fall 2019 (which is so ironic for the fandom to say on so many levels lmao). There wasn’t a catalyst or anything, just she went offline 2016 and no new content was coming out and the aftg fandom is such an echo chamber that… an accidental smear campaign happened.

Before then, I would see occasional “Nora used ableist slur” which… is funny (not that ableism isn’t serious) to me people care more about that than Seth saying the f-slur. IMO this is because with Seth, it clearly shows the character thinking it and not the author who is writing about what will be an end game mlm relationship.

But anyways! Long story short, it's the fact that she’s an ace/aro woman who wrote a mlm book, and based off of the events in canon. There is no “Nora called me/someone else a slur” it’s “Nora wrote a book where slur(s) are used” and “the Moriyama’s are Japanese.”

Below I put my own opinion on these claims and go into more detail:

CW for discussions of: racism, ableism, mlm fetishization

Fetishization: (and mentions of sexism at the end)

To one question in the EC about her inspo for aftg she jokingly responded how she wanted to write about gay athletes. On other parts of your blog you could see she was a hockey fan and an overall sports fan (anime or otherwise) but I've seen this statement taken out of context and framed as “she's one of those BOYXBOY” shippers. Considering how… well-developed both Andrew and Neil’s relationship is, and it takes them until like the 3rd book and there is a whole complex ass plot going on around, you can see how that's just. Not really true. And considering the fandom is like… 85% women (queer women but still women) and I've gotten into a discussion with someone who is a woman and called Nora a fetishizer and was ignoring my opinions as a mlm, and I really just wanted to say “well what does that make you?” it's a very ironic high horse. She didn’t write 3 all 3 books to put Neil in lingerie pwp or crop-top fem-fatal fashion show, fandom did.

Also, I talked to an ace/aro friend about this, and she talked to me about how AFTG spoke to her very much so as an ace/aro story. Neil is demisexual, Nora didn’t know of the word at the time of reading it, but she did get an anon asking if Neil was demi after, and she said “had to look it up, and yep, but he doesn't really think about it” (paraphrased). Obviously it would have been cool if andreil were canonly written as wlw by Nora instead, (which would have increased the amount of wlw rep and demi rep) but tbh I don’t think tumblr would have cared about it nearly as much and everyone would just call Neil a cold bitch–like people do with Nora’s other published book with a main character who's a woman. Plus they're her OC’s, not mine.

The fact is that 50% of all LGBT+ rep in literature is mlm, mostly white mlm, and not written by mlm. I’m not going to hold her to a higher standard than everyone else, she already broke a shit ton of barriers in topics she discusses that otherwise get ignored. I’m grateful to these books for existing even if it's a mlm story written by a woman. I still will prioritize reading mlm written by mlm–and vice versa with wlw– in the way I prioritize reading stories about POC written by POC. But credit where credit is due, this is a very good story, and a very good demi story.

Ableism:

To me, AFTG is a story about ableism and how we perceive some trauma survivors more worthy than others. Neil and the foxes using ableist language shows how people actually talk. Neil thinks shitty things about Andrew, like the others do too, and thinks he's “psycho”. The story ultimately deconstructs this idea and these perceptions of people. Wymack, someone who says the r-slur (which is still not known by the general population as a slur even in 2021 much less the early 2000s when the book was beginning to be written and what the timeline is based off of) is a character who understands Andrew better than most of the others do, and gives him the most sympathy and understanding despite using words like the m-slur and r-slur. Using these words isn't good, but it is how people talk, and this character talks. Wymack is a playful “name caller” especially when he’s mad, the foxes think Andrew is “crazy” and incapable of humanity and love because of it. They call his meds “antipsychotics” as an assumption and insult in a derogatory way, when really antipsychotics are a very helpful drug for some people who need them. Even Neil thinks these things about Andrew until he learns to care about him. All the foxes are hypocritical to am extent, as people in real life tend to be. Nora herself doesn’t use these or tweet them or something, her characters do to show aspects of their personality and opinions and how they change over time.

Racism:

As for the racism, I've seen people talk about how racial minorities being antagonists is inherently bad, which I think lacks nuance but overall isn't a harmful statement or belief. However, Nora herself said she wrote in the yakuza instead of another gang or mob because she was inspired for AFTG by sports anime, (which often queer-bait for a variety of reasons). I haven’t seen a textual analysis acknowledging the racist undertones surrounding the Moriyama’s as the few characters of color who are also major antagonists, but instead just “Nora is racist”. Wymack having shitty flame tribal tattoo’s is just… a huge 90’s thing and a part of his character design. Her having a character with bad taste in tattoo trends doesn’t mean she's racist. There is the whole how Nicky is handled thing, but that's a whole thing on it’s own. The fandom… really will write Nicky being all “ai ai muy spicy, jaja imma hit on my white–not annoying like me–boyfriend in Spanish. With my booty hole out and open for him ofc.” and as a Mexican mlm I’m like … damn alright.

I think there is merit to the fact that she writes white as the default* and unless otherwise stated a POC a character was written with the intent to be white is another valid criticism, as well as the fact that the cast is largely white, but everything Nora is accused of I've seen the fandom do worse. That goes to the debate of, is actively writing stereotypes for POC more harmful than no representation at all? And personally I prefer the lack of established race line that lets me ignore Nora’s canon intent of characters to be white and come up with my own HC’s over the fandoms depictions of “zen monk Renee with dark past” “black best friend Matt who got over drugs but is a puppy dog” “ex stripper black Dan who dates Matt” vague tokenism. I HC many of the upperclassmen as POC and do my best to actively give thought behind it and have their own arcs that also avoids the fandom colorism spectrum of “darkest characters we HC go to the back and fandom favorites are in the front and are the lightest.”

*I however won't criticize her harsher or more than… everyone else who still largely does this in fanfiction regarding AFTG as well as literature in general. This isn't a Nora thing, it's a societal thing, and considering the books came out in like 2014 I'm not gonna hold her to a higher standard than the rest of the world. She's just someone who wrote her personal OC’s and self-published expecting no following. I don’t know her race and I’m not gonna hold her to a higher standard than everyone else just because.

The criticisms I've seen have always been… ironic IMO, and clearly I have a lot of thoughts on it. I think most people say those things about Nora because they heard them, and it's the woke thing to say and do and don’t critically analyze their actions or anything, but just accept them.

#ask #aftg discorse #fandom culture #fandom politics #fandom psychology #mailob #damn cant wait for my words to be twisted lmao #sorry the ableism one is the shortest I wrote that one first actually

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jackoshadows · 3 years ago

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It's so depressing that the main cast of game of thrones didn't seem to care about the books or their book characters except for emilia and maybe kit. I wonder if D&D ever asked them not to read the books but the vibe I get from them is that they just wanted a paycheck. Them not caring about the ending is so heartbreaking tbh (I get that they can't say anything bad about it but going on cons and defending the ending or gaslighting fans by saying they didn't like it because it was over is so ew). I used to be defensive over the cast because they had to read that garbage but now I'm starting to dislike them the same way I dislike D&D

At a certain point, when the writing for one's character is so bad, there’s not much an actor can do about it. Ultimately the blames lies with Benioff and Weiss and also GRRM for not writing a book in ten years - for the whole run of the show.

I don’t think the older actors like Sean Bean and Peter Dinklage have read the books and that’s ok. They signed on to play the characters in the script they were given.

And yes, Benioff and Weiss did tell actors that the show was diverging from the books for later seasons and there was no point in reading the books. This was sometime after season 3 or 4.

And some of the younger actors did care for their characters they were playing and were so excited at the start. I was just thinking that the enthusiasm of the young Wheel of Time actors - reading the books, having a competition among themselves of who reads all the books first etc. - reminded me of the young GOT actors before GOT season one.

Just have a look at early/pre-season 1/2 Kit Harington interviews. He had read till book 4 I think and he understood book Jon Snow so well. I don't know about the other actors, I just listened to Kit's interviews back then because well he was playing Jon Snow. And he was so excited - he also got that a lot of Jon was very internal and that it was a hard character to play and like all actors, he was looking forward to that. And then D&D gave Jon a romcom with the Wildlings and then later dick and height jokes and reduced to swinging a sword around.

Even in the Oxford Union interview after season 5, Kit went on to say that he would like Jon to warg into Ghost because he knew that was where things were heading and all D&D gave him was lying on a table for two episodes and then become mopey Jon Snow so that Sansa could take over and show everyone how awesome she is with book Jon's plot. And what can the actors do or say when at the same Oxford Union interview, D&D bragged about enjoying killing off Barristan Selmy because the actor wrote them a letter telling them that his book character lasted a while and was rather important to Dany's arc? Ugh.

In later seasons, Kit and other actors said that they stopped reading the books or did not read them because D&D told them not to since the show diverged from the books and the show was doing it’s own thing.

At the same time, the actors also owe Benioff and Weiss a lot - it's GOT that made them popular. Especially the younger actors. Kit, Emila etc. getting marvel movies and other shows because of GOT. I don't expect them to ever speak ill of D&D or the show. They could be good friends. GOT is after all just a TV show. For actors it's just another job and they have all moved on.

Plus, we don't know what's happening in their lives. I remember how everyone was like Fuck Kit Harington after he defended the ending and then later folks were feeling sorry for him when he checked himself into rehab and donated to his charity. Real life >>>>> a fictional TV show. It's clear Kit was really struggling during filming that whole last season.

I used to get pissed off whenever Sophie Turner opened her mouth and then accepted that she was just a dumb teenager spouting off whatever she reads in these equally dumb tumblr essays written by Sansa Stans and now I just laugh at the nonsense she says - ‘Sansa is the Warrior of Winterfell’ will never not be funny, especially after season 8, where Sansa is comfortably sitting in the crypts shittalking Dany while Dany is outside fighting the White Walkers.

And at the end of the day, these actors have been playing these characters for 8 years. Considering how passionate we as fans of the characters are, imagine how much more passionate the actor who plays said character is going to be? They are going to defend them. We saw Kit's real reaction to Dany’s end during the table read. But at the end of the day, he would have wrapped his mind about it and rationalized Jon's decision and defended it just as Emilia has defended Dany's actions towards the end.

In a sense I get why Peter Dinklage said what he did. I have seen quite a few of Dinklage's films and characters he plays pre-GOT and often times, his character is either the butt of jokes or the story is a poignant tale of how society treats people with dwarfism and their ostracization from society - reflecting real life issues.

So having to play Tyrion - a main character, a hero, intelligent, popular, fan favorite - would have been refreshing for Dinklage. If he thinks people are hating on the show for Tyrion having won and attacking show Tyrion and the show for what happened to Dany - which fair enough, I have been doing - I can see why he would think and be angry and see it as people attacking the show because the pretty people lost while Tyrion won. From his perspective, he probably likes what the show did with Tyrion and I am not going to hate on him or criticize a disabled actor over this. Tyrion is also very important and rare representation and as someone who got the opportunity to play him, I think Dinklage appreciates the role.

What I specifically took issue with, was when Dinklage brought race into it - pretty 'white' people. Especially when the show treated it's poc characters so abominably and was a racist piece of fiction. The way the show killed off Missandei - and after she supported Dany to Sansa - the way Sansa stans cheered on her death for that, ugh. The way they used the Dothraki as fodder to save the ungrateful Xenophobic North - and wrote xenophobic Sansa as being in the right. The way Dorne was written, characters like Doran Martell and Ellaria Sand.

It was the white people who got to sail off into the sunset - the most undeserving white people, the white people who backstabbed and broke oaths and were evil - Bran saying why do you think I came all the way here - means he knew what was going to happen and still did nothing because he wanted to be King. Sansa basically broke oaths sworn before the Godswood and backstabbed and betrayed her family to become QITN. The new generations of LFs won. Fucking Bronn - the ultimate insult.

So why is Dinklage bringing that up? No idea and I am disappointed he made it about race for some reason.

But at the end of the day the only people to blame for the trash writing on the show are Benioff, Weiss and GRRM.

#asks

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jeonggukieandcream · 4 years ago

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I see red // Dracula x Reader // comfort.

Summary: On the very edge of tears and not knowing where else to turn, you go to Dracula for comfort. You don’t expect anything, you don’t even know how he’ll take this, but the sight of your pain is somehow too great for him to take and he enfolds you into red.

Or, the fic in which you ask for and receive a hug from Dracula.

A/N: This fic is a mood, honestly. I’m going Through It and Dracula hugs sound really good right about now. Dracula anything sounds good right about now, tbh...👀

Requests are open; modern era Dracula because the purple/blue light in his home is a really soothing vibe idk?

Word count: 1, 631.

You had known, going into your... relationship with the Count, that things wouldn’t be conventional. There could be nothing normal about the bond the both of you shared, though its origins and reasoning eluded you both. You had known that there would be no dates, only very late night walks through the empty, dark streets which ventured out into the graveyard. Or, if he was in a romantic mood and if the full moon was out, then he would walk with you along the beach with your hand tucked into his elbow. You had known that nothing would be as you were accustomed to and that going out to eat would involve a meal for one and Dracula staring at you from across the table, even though he knew it bothered and unnerved you (you suspected that that served as motivation more so than as a deterrent). You had known what you were getting into across the board, Dracula himself having warned you multiple times to make sure that you knew what you were agreeing to.

But that didn’t mean that it was easy for you, especially in moments like this when it seemed that all you could think about, all you craved, was Dracula himself. It didn’t matter what he was or wasn’t doing or whether he had or hadn’t fed recently. You just wanted him in whatever state he was in, and the thought of not getting that only made your nose wrinkle against the urge to cry, your eyes stinging from the same. You had always enjoyed affection, though you could manage just as well with the piles of blankets and pillows on your bed, but now did it seem to be almost a primal urge to go to Dracula and to ask him for something which would likely confuse him. That was not to say that he was naïve or to say that he knew not what affection was, for he had had sons many centuries ago whom had tragically returned to the dust whence they came, but you knew that the vampire would be baffled as to why you had sought him out for something you could ask any other mortal.

Frequently did he undermine or underestimate just how special he was to you, and you had yet to figure out why. You knew enough about yourself and about Dracula to know that you wouldn’t like the answer, whatever it was.

In the end, it took you not long to decide that you simply had to give yourself what you most desperately wanted. Life was easier when you were on your own side, this you knew, and you also knew that the longer you stayed away from Dracula and denied yourself what you needed, the longer you would feel the way that you currently did. Everything which was running through your mind in this moment, like a whirlwind of emotion with little rhyme or reason, could be boiled down to one thought, pure of intentions and gold of heart:

I want my Dracula.

The endearment even within your own thoughts made you smile and you slid off the bed, moving through your home in search of the prince of vampires. You adjusted your clothes as you walked, trying to somehow disguise or perhaps even rid yourself entirely of the tension which wracked your entire body.

You. Needed. A hug.

No, you shook your head, as if to physically correct your thoughts, as if you made to remove your own distress from your body. No, you needed Dracula’s hug. No one else and nothing else would do. The thought of him for all that he was only made you walk faster, your body alight with tension. You were beyond the point of being able to deny yourself anything and like a string was tied to his ribs and connected to your own were you pulled to him, your feet moving without any input from your conscious mind. You found him easily, sat upon the sofa in his impressive apartment. The blue light of the tablet he held cast a harsh light across his aristocratic face and you could only stand and stare. It was rude and you knew he could feel you, but he didn’t acknowledge you. You wondered what he was doing; choosing a meal? Reading a book? Sending Zoe a taunting yet somehow candid email? You knew not but it mattered not, for you only wanted one thing and you hoped you were going to get it.

As you crossed the threshold of the living room, the heart achingly familiar blue and purple lights only increased your need for cosiness and you longed to fold yourself into Dracula and to truly become one with him. You were safe when you were with him, a fact which never failed to make him chuckle. He could snap you like a twig if he so chose and you both knew it, but where Dracula found that to be most commonly met with fear, you only found safety in it. He could kill you in a heartbeat, crave your heart out until it was bleeding in his hand, rivulets of red running down the slender curve of his wrist, or... he could hold you and protect you, fond was he of what was his. You had always found an odd sense of comfort in knowing that Dracula could kill you, and so quickly you wouldn’t be aware of it, but instead he chose to keep you safe.

Dracula inhaled deeply and you knew he could smell your wants in the air. “Oh, my dear,” He glanced up at you from his tablet, his dark eyebrows raised, “There’s a shadow on your heart.”

You smiled humourlessly. “That’s one way to put it.” You sniffled and swiped a hand over your face, bidding yourself to not completely lose control around the vampire even though that was what you craved in this moment.

The display of vulnerability caught Dracula’s attention and he put his tablet to the side instantly, not even bothering to finish up whatever he was working on.

“You’re in pain.” It wasn’t a question but instead was it a statement of fact, spoken with utter confidence, so well did he know you. You were surprised by the emotional intelligence displayed by the centuries old war lord, though you knew that you shouldn’t be. You could only nod as you moved a hand across your face to wipe away your tears with little care for your own self; you were so sick of crying and yet that was all you could seem to do. “Come here a moment, Y/N,” One step and Dracula nodded in encouragement to coax you forward. In this moment were there no games, no plans, no ulterior motives.... there was nothing but vulnerability from both parties. “Come closer, come closer...” Every step birthed another encouragement and you kept going, one foot in front of the other. When at last were you within arms’ reach, Dracula leaned back in his seat and allowed you to take the initiative.

While he was by no means stupid, he was most definitely at a loss when it came to the expressive nature of modern society. It was hugely disorientating, one experience which Dracula had managed largely on his own before you had figured out that he was experiencing culture shock of a sort, and you had done your best to help him with everything. It was this assistance which had largely led to the relationship which the two of you now shared. You stood before him now, your eyes fixed on his knees. “Can I - “ be held by you? Become one with you and never be my own person again because everything’s too much right now and I need you? Have a hug? All these and more ran through your mind and you almost choked on a sob before Dracula sighed and reached for your wrist. Long fingers wrapped cleanly around your wrist and you were pulled forward, forward, more and more... you sank gratefully onto Dracula’s lap.

Immediately did you bury your face in his neck. You pressed a kiss to where his pulse should echo from within and Dracula chuckled as an arm wrapped around your shoulder. He had always appreciated the irony of you doing that, and when you left little mock bites along his neck, that, too, made him smile. You had always been an odd little thing and you showed your love and affection for him in strange ways but he adored that about you.

“Will you tell me, Y/N, or do I need to work it out for myself?” Dracula’s voice rumbled through his chest; despite the smoothness with which he spoke, it seemed as if the words grated through his vocal chords, like metal on metal, and you shuddered as danger crept your spine. You pushed it down, you pushed it back; Dracula was the safest danger you had ever known.

With your eyes closed, your arms around Dracula’s broad shoulders and the scent of him surrounding you, you told the vampire all. You spared not a sentiment, you left no thought unspoken... you bared your soul to the vampire and when you were done, when you had taken yourself to the point where words ran dry, he pressed a kiss to the top of your head, held you tighter, and simply allowed you the comfort you had so desperately been craving. All the while, his mind worked on helping you in any way that he could, for he was more than a beast and he would do all for the only person who could see him for what he truly was:

One of a kind.

The last of his kind.

#bbc dracula #bbc dracula x reader #bbc dracula imagine #dracula #dracula x reader #dracula imagine #dracula 2020 imagine #dracula 2020 #dracula 2020 x reader #claes bang

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ifeelallwrite · 4 years ago

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Let’s talk about Hospital Playlist. (KDRAMA REVIEW)

note: does contain spoilers

When people ask me what is my favorite Korean drama of all time, with no doubt, IT’S HOSPITAL PLAYLIST. This drama has the comic relief, the emotional scenes, realistic characters-just to name a few. No toxic relationships and petty revenge fights. Nothing else will stop me for saying that this is the ultimate feel good drama.

SYNOPSIS: The drama shows insights into the daily lives of doctors and nurses working at Yulje Medical Hospital. It focuses on 5 doctors who have been friends since medical school, who also play together as a band.

This drama encompasses so many elements and characters so bear with me yo this might be real long

Hospital Playlist is produced/written by the Shin-Lee PD and writer pairing, whose previous works were the renowned Reply trilogy and Prison Playbook (which are *chef’s kiss*) I really like that all their dramas really highlight humanism, and puts emphasis on creating a heartwarming and realistic series. There isn’t always a major conflict to be resolved, but instead it showcases how different people-in this case mostly those in the medical field-go on about their daily lives. I also liked their reasoning to produce a medical drama which was that hospitals were where the most dramatic moments occurred, for example during births, deaths or sickness. And since we are still in the Covid-19 pandemic, it ties in greatly to be paying homage to all the medical personnel saving lives. Hence, props to those who were involved in this meaningful masterpiece <3

The drama is not the usual 16 episodes, but has 12 episodes for each season (SEASON 2 IS COMING SOON YAAS) Good thing is I felt that they were still able to weave a dynamic storyline in the first season even with lesser episodes. The writing was just top-notch with the witty humor bits. Additionally, the music is AMAZING. I love the concept of the main characters being a band and playing different songs every episode too.

Okay, now onto the characters. I thought that every character in this drama was well rounded. Starting of with the main five characters, also known as The 99ers, whose distinctive personalities and natural chemistry make all of them extremely likeable. All main characters are professors of different specialties, and I find the male OB-GYN (Seokhyeong) and female neurosurgeon (Songhwa) very refreshing. Also, I like Shin-Lee dramas always have characters that might be realistic yet hardly seen in other dramas or films. For example, Professor Ahn Jeongwon. Despite being a chaebol (inheritor/heir), he isn’t depicted as a spoilt brat or a cold character, instead as a warm Pediatric doctor who uses his wealth to secretly support patients in need. However it makes him stingy to his friends LOL

To be honest, I really thought I was gonna dislike Junwan due to his cold and tsundere nature. I pretty much believed that he was going to be the party pooper type of the bunch, but with the writer being a master of character development, he turned out to be really sincere and hilarious at times. Same for Ikjun, who apart from his enthusiastic and happy go lucky exterior, cares the most about the people around him. Although Seokhyeong seemed detached and introverted, he shows a emotional side to his friends as well as his mother. Songhwa is literally a girlboss though haha she’s smart, capable and gets along with everyone well. And she’s the most sane out of the bunch.

With all the main characters, we have the relationships. Junwan is the first to date seriously with Iksun (the dog or Micky? jkjk) who is Ikjun’s sister. When it first happened I was like not again Jung Kyung Ho (bc he dated his best friend’s sis in prison playbook too LMAO) I think their relationship was realistic and open. It also showed a more sensitive side to Junwan who would do anything for her. I especially liked how he said he didn’t need access to her phone because he trusted her. Yet as all couples do, they have their fair share of ups and downs. Like conflicts on getting married and a long distance relationship as Iksun moves overseas for graduate studies. I don’t really know how to take the ambiguous ending for these two, as Junwan receives the returned box (that has the ring he sent) I really hope nothing bad happens to these two though.

I’m sure we all love Wintergarden couple though, tbh they’re kinda my OTP at the moment 🤣 It was pretty much a ‘will they won’t they’ relationship with a relatively slow build. I think Gyeoul turned out to be one of my favourite characters. Shin Hyun Been did a good job at portraying her as a straightforward but innocent Resident, who is pretty much openly crushing on Jeongwon. The scenes they had together were adorably awkward (and the scene where he gives her chocopies omg) And when Jeongwon battles his inner conflict to become a priest, the final decision where they kiss was beautifully shot, with the actors both showcasing their emotions extremely well.

Then we have Chihong who pursues Songhwa, his professor. Midway through the drama, it is also shown that Ikjun and Songhwa might have had romantic feelings for each other. Songhwa ends up rejecting Chihong’s confession. In my opinion, Chihong was quite a interesting character but I didn’t really like him at the end. (I like the actor though) He did a real jerk move during drinking games, insisting on Ikjun to confess his feelings towards her even though he is already trying not to put Songhwa in an awkward spot. Although his character did end up making a cool exit and when I thought about his incredible story of soldier to doctor, I kinda regret disliking him that much. As for IkSong, In the final episode Ikjun confesses to her one last time, and we are left waiting for Songhwa’s reply. As much as I love this pairing, I don’t think that the ship will sail or maybe not as quickly as we think. I believe Songhwa would meticulously consider the sacrifices to their friendship or other aspects and might not be able to bring herself to it, but I hope it’s otherwise.

Lastly not forgetting Seokhyeong and Minha, another Professor+resident pairing. This one’s a bit ambiguous though, mainly because there hasn’t been much romantic development. To me, the most impactful scene came from Minha who had been irritated by continuous night shifts and was on the verge of a breakdown. She ended up remarkably saving a patient, starting off surgery on her own for the first time. Oh man Minha was such a lovable character, I remember feeling so bad for her but extremely proud of her for her accomplishment. Although Seokhyeong seemed a bit aloof and distant (which was intentional bc he’s an introvert) I think the backstory and all the hardships he faced with his family really made me feel for him. I hate to break it to you, but I’m not so sure if the ship will sail because of the phone call from his ex-wife and Minha’s somewhat rejected confession. But who knows, they might pull off a twist 👀

Apart from all these characters, there are more characters HHAHAH However, I think this is the killing point of ShinLee dramas. Unlike typical dramas which usually focuses on a main character and 2-3 side characters, they like to cast a diverse range of actors (especially those from theatre/musicals and lesser known drama/movie actors) while actually give their characters personality or a reason to be there. I’ve seen many dramas where extras or side characters were kind of irrelevant thus making me feel that they weren’t needed to build the storyline, yet ShinLee dramas hit different y’all. Every role, no matter how small, holds significance to the drama. It really seemed like a collaborative work that shows off every actors skills (and not forgetting staffs) and teamwork.

Anyways because there are way too many characters and too many scenes for me to mention them all, I’ll just talk about some honourable mentions heheh

1. Sunbin and Seokmin confession scene (ahh so cute)

I kinda sensed that they liked each other at the start but I didn’t know Seokmin would ask her out on a date at the end. Even though it’s kinda awkward that they are dating and working with each other though (both are in the same department) but hey the confession was cute and awkward and just warm and fuzzy 🥰

2. MAMA ROSA IS THE QUEENN

I think we all (would) love Mama Rosa because she’s a real one ☝️ (probably the coolest mother ever) She’s feisty, hilarious and kind to others. Plus her friendship with Ju Jong Su was just adorable and super wholesome. The scenes where they were supporting one another through tough times and hanging out with each other when they felt lonely always put a smile on my face. Oh and how Mama Rosa treated Gyeoul was extremely sweet. (as well as Seokhyeong’s mother) Despite her tough exterior, she’s a likeable character for being a strong but caring woman.

3. Just Do Jae Hak

I seriously love this guy so muchhh omg he’s so funny

Do Jae Hak has a funny amd clumsy personality, though it’s clear he’s been through a lot and is strong willed person. From admitting his indecisiveness to counselling Jun Wan on his love issues, there’s literally nothing to hate about him.

4. Uju and his dadd

The father and son chemistry between these two is so good omg. The scenes with these two are so adorable and heartwarming (not to mention hilarious) It’s amazing to see how Ikjun cares so much for Uju despite his hectic workdays while going through infidelity issues with his ex-wife. Uju is matured for his age and shows his love and appreciation for his dad too, making their interaction a great portrayal of a healthy family relationship💞

5. the food stealing the show🥘

Who doesn’t love food and when a show has great food scenes? Some of the best scenes are definitely when the 99s gather to eat. It really showcases each character’s personality with the tiniest details as well as highlight warm delicious meals. Just don’t watch this when you’re hungry at 2am in the morning guys you’ll be drooling all over your screens HAHAHA

Of course there are way more aspects, like Hongdo and Yoonbok, Ikjun and Iksun’s pigeon jokes and raps, or Jeongwon drunk crying in the chicken shop with his brother (who was his coach in Reply 1994 when he played Chilbong LOL)

Most importantly, I think it is the themes and messages that you get from the drama that really create such a lasting impression. Not only does it hit you in the feels with the hardships of hospital patients, or the hardworking doctors+nurses who are working long shifts saving lives, it also tackles topics of friendships through the possibilities of platonic and friends-to-lovers relationships. However I think the biggest lesson for me came from Seokhyeong, who learns to live his life doing what he want, with the people he treasures. Although the drama might seem slow at times (mainly because there isn’t really a main plot line/conflict occurring), but this drama would still bring you on a journey where you would laugh, cry and finish the series, begging for season 2 ✌🏻

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mmikmmik2 · 4 years ago

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If you were to sort the Infinity Train cast(s) into the Major Arcana a la the Persona games, which Arcana would you give everyone?

anon I had SOOOOO much fun thinking about this, thank you so much for sending me this. I sorted all the major characters, plus a few other entries, based on a mix of Arcana symbolism, Persona series character archetypes, and general vibes. I came up with answers I feel pretty good about for all but four of the Arcana. (Was really tempted to say Strength is every human character who doesn't board the train because they can handle their problems on their own lol.) This is going to be a long-winded post, so I thought I’d post just the list as an image (which hopefully won’t be too blurry!) rather than wrestle with Tumblr formatting trying to make a short list, and put a big text wall under the readmore talking more about my picks.

If this list does end up illegible, the same info is under the readmore as text! Plus some characters for Magician, Strength, Justice, and Death that I didn’t want to add to the “official” list because they’re more based on headcanon. (Although my reasoning for some of the “official” picks is pretty weak lol.)

One-One as 0. The Fool

Oh my gosh, what am I?

IT is great at fleshing out character backstories and families, so One-One at the beginning of S1 is one of the few characters who really feels like a blank slate. He's got a lot of his baggage back by the end of the season, and I think One and One-One are more similar than they seem at first glance, but S1 does seem to have been very formative for One-One and how he thinks about what he's supposed to be doing and how he relates to other people. So it does kind of feel like his fool's journey.

Alrick Timmens as I. The Magician

The magician begins the journey... by beefing it on a dirt bike, dying, and sending his wife flying off the deep end. Rip.

Alrick was an engineer like Amelia, so I could see him suiting some of the themes of the Magician, like conscious thought and manifesting ideas. His apparent playfulness and insecurity are similar to the Magician characters in Persona.

Kez as II. The High Priestess

“We can’t make this decision for you, Kez.” “You know what to do.”

I thought really hard about making Kez the Magician because just like every Magician since Persona 3, she's dumb, horny, and insecure dlkjasfdkl

(and also her showing up at the start of the story arc and being helpful but also super needy is very Magician)

But the idea of "intuition" really does suit Kez. Sometimes her intuition is as bad as her conscious reasoning, but I think that's a lot because she's so confused about what happened with Jeremy, and Morgan making Kez feel like she did a bad thing by helping him.

Tuba as III. The Empress

She made me feel like I was warm all the time.

Tuba's a mom. Sorry, this one's not that deep, haha.

Simon Laurent as IV. The Emperor

Highest number! I'm the leader now.

Simon has a lot of issues, but the one that felt the most prominent to me was his unhealthy relationship with power, authority, dominance, and rules. Another quote I considered using here was what he said in Grace's memory of meeting Amelia: "I never thought I'd get to see the Conductor with my own eyes. He's perfect! Everything finally makes sense again." In his emotional crisis, he thought everything could be fixed just by the existence of a huge, scary, powerful, male authority figure, even if they weren't doing anything helpful or informative.

Atticus as V. The Hierophant

I like to think that our stones are sturdy and handsome, like the Corgis that crafted them.

Atticus is a figure of traditional authority who deeply loves the history, society, and culture of his people. He often provides spiritual wisdom and encourages Tulip to get out of her own head and engage with the world around her. Also in Persona, Hiero is the Dad Arcana so it's very funny to me (a) to make the little dog be Hiero and (b) that the little dog really does have the strongest Wholesome Dad Energy of the whole cast.

Jesse Cosay as VI. The Lovers

Don't tell me what to do. I'm not going to be a part of anything like this, on or off the train.

This was my first and easiest pick lol, Jesse is sooooo Lovers. Like, the focus on choice and personal values and relationships? Yep, that's Jesse. It works on an "actual meaning of the Arcana" level and a "vibes with the Persona characters" level lol... popular, upbeat, and having such an identity crisis.

Lake as VII. The Chariot

I'm my own person, who is getting off this train!

I don't know if Chariot captures all the ways Lake grew over the course of S2, but I feel like they had the most externally focused conflict of all the IT characters, which suits Chariot. They've been fighting to stake out their personhood from start to finish, and they took action and used their willpower to achieve that goal. Also they have at least a little jock energy which is a prereq for Chariot tbh.

Frank as VIII. Strength

I dunno, I kinda imagine him as a simple man and easily underestimated, but with a lot of heart. The Cat may say they're keeping things casual but I don't think she'd take him with her on her private vacation unless he had some kind of inner toughness that would let him stand toe-to-toe with her.

Morgan as IX. The Hermit

I need to be alone right now. Kez... maybe... we can talk later.

I like that Morgan embodies toxic self-isolation and stonewalling and rejection, but that she seems to be moving towards the positive aspects of Hermit and taking some time to calm down and process and think. I like it when characters can embody the best and worst of their Arcana.

Tulip Olsen as X. The Wheel of Fortune

We have to adapt to the changes in our lives. It's the only way things can get better.

Tulip has a lot of themes and conflicts, but this one is a clear standout as the most important. I also like it for Tulip because, while she has to handle a lot of difficult and even traumatic situations, some of the change that challenges her isn't as unambiguously bad as e.g. the death of a loved one. It really is just change itself she's struggling with, and that's Fortune babey. Also, from the perspective of the train itself and lots of other characters, by reversing Amelia and One-One's positions again and changing how One-One administrates the train, Tulip is the one giving the wheel a spin. That's fun.

Lucy as XI. Justice

One of my friends once described the Justice characters in Persona as "the ones the player character is ultimately accountable towards", and I like to think of Lucy as kind of being that for Grace (...since Hazel has excused herself). Lucy is the Apex kid we see Grace interact with the most, the first Apex kid Grace admitted to herself that she had harmed (see Grace very briefly showing distress and then regret when Jesse points the harpoons at his face and she stops him), and the first person to confront Grace when she came home in The New Apex.

Min-Gi Park as XII. The Hanged Man

I don't know if we'll sell a single album, but we'll figure that out as we go.

Min-Gi sacrifices his "realistic", "sensible" goals for a more personally (spiritually, even?) enriching life that's beyond his control and outside of the expected norm. Like the Hanged Man, who dangles foolishly upside-down, but as a deliberate choice and in a state of serenity and enlightenment. I also think this arcana suits a reading of Min-Gi's character development as starting off going slower as a way to stall and live in denial, but then going slower with deliberation. Compare his arrogant insistence on refusing to act in The Astro Queue Car to his patience and care in The Castle Car and The Train to Nowhere.

Jeremy as XIII. Death

This isn't about the death of his family - I'm thinking of his reluctance to admit his number was going down. He cared about Morgan and Kez, and it's possible both that he may have really wanted to stay with them despite his exit and that that might even have been a healthy choice - they're real ass people with feelings and everything, not holodeck characters. But I also think Jeremy was using his life with them to avoid moving on out of that fog (because it was hard and it hurt and he didn't want to think about what that would mean for him and Morgan) and Morgan was enabling him.

Ryan Akagi as XIV. Temperance

Maybe the experience is the point. I wasn't just rushing you. I was rushing myself.

I think this one speaks for itself. Also, the other quote I considered putting here, from The Art Gallery Car: "You told me I can't appreciate the song without taking in the rest of the album. I need the whole package."

The Cat as XV. The Devil

I always do the right thing.

Honestly, this is one I really wasn't sure about. The Cat isn't a great pick for a lot of the meanings of Devil. She is definitely consumed by material comforts, and the short-term rewards of ignoring her issues at a long-term cost, though. This is more of a "vibes with Persona characters with this arcana" pick... Devil characters tend to start off being somewhat exploitative or even antagonistic towards the player character, and gradually showing a more conflicted and genuine side.

Amelia Hughes as XVI. The Tower

There's a hole in the universe where Alrick used to be.

Amelia's life is defined by catastrophe and upheaval - both those she's suffered and those she's inflicted on others.

Hazel as XVII. The Star

I'm going to keep loving you like you're still here.

When I think of "The Star" as a small but inextinguishable light in the darkness, Hazel seems like the obvious choice. Although we left her deeply wounded, I think she still has a flicker of her hope, faith, and purpose.

Grace Monroe as XVIII. The Moon

But it's unfair for me to tell you how to understand yourself. I mean, I don't even fully understand me.

Grace is probably the most complex and dynamic character on the show and hence one of the most difficult to place. I considered Empress, Strength, Devil, and Judgement for her... I think ultimately, lies and illusions are the most unifying theme of her character arc. Also, from a Persona angle, her pursuit of status out of a lack of true self-worth reminds me of Ai and Mishima.

Alan Dracula as XIX. The Sun

Brought together by the majesty of a superpowered deer!

I'm sorry dkjasfklads this is largely because I thought it was funny to have this completely inexpressive dead-eyed deer as Sun akfk but also... like... it kind of works okay!!! Think about the genuine joy and comfort and positivity he brings to Lake and Jesse (and me)!

The New Apex as XX. Judgement

"Then what are we gonna be?" "Guess we'll have to figure it out?"

This is kind of a Persona mythology gag again because of Judgement being a group social link near the end of the narratives of P3 and P4, when the protagonists have pierced through the lies and actually figured out who the villain of their game is and are ready to really start making progress.

0 as XI. The World

Ah, train does it again!

It's an ending and the completion of a journey, but also the beginning of a new one. And the world is literally what the passengers receive at the end of their train journey. Welcome home.

#infinity train #infinity train spoilers #protagonists of IT #Anonymous

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steve0discusses · 3 years ago

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S5 Ep 15 Pt 1: The Gang Gets Lost in India

Ah, back to Yugioh classic. Sort of. We’re going into the second filler arc before Bakura, which I have been told is kind of nonsense. And youknow what, from the first scene--this is the first scene by the way--yeah I can see the nonsense.

We got Yami cosplaying as the Chrysler building, we got Yugi saying WTFWTF, we got...this thing?

This thing tells us “Join my game, Yugi!” and then the demon just kinda bounces.

K, bye, I guess.

(read more under the cut)

Waking up from this nightmare, Yugi reveals that he has outgrown his good pajamas. Or maybe he just overused them like I did to my favorite pajamas during quarantine (which, not gonna lie, I hand sewed my favorite pajama pants back together 2 or 3 times like they were the Velveteen Rabbit. Quarantine pajamas and me were like best buds for a year there.)

RIP Yugi’s good pajamas.

It’s fine. I’m fine.

I can get used to Yugi in his normal ass old man pajamas without any cute stars on them. I can accept this. He’s getting older. So much older that for a second I thought he was learning Hebrew, by the looks of his books on his counter. I thought...wow, is Yugi actually attempting to learn a language spoken around the time of ancient Egyptians???

But uh...I went a searching and unfortunately that’s not Hebrew, and if that is a language, I don’t know what it is. Pretty sure it’s just random marks because this show has to be translated in so many languages. Man. For a second there that looked like really sneaky world building, but nah, Yugi is still kind of a dumbass who has yet to attend a solid year of school.

Also, I got to take in this mustard yellow as if I’ve seen it for the first time.

It has strong building blocks energy. It’s...so much yellow and it’s extremely the vibe of that one set of animal crossing decorations that I have because it’s a very common recipe, but, can’t figure out for the life of me how to fit into any room.

What am I supposed to do with these, Nintendo? Other than recreate Yugi’s Muto’s haunted game store/house?

Like I live in the Bay area and we have wild painted houses so you can see them through the fog (back when we...still had fog, RIP California) --but this is a little much. This is such strong Protagonist energy but as a house.

Also, I’ve don’t think I’ve brought this up before, but like...Yugi is loaded, right? Like he’s way too good and humble to ever say he’s loaded, and they sort of make it seem like he’s not (when compared to Seto Kaiba) but damn, this location of his real estate sure is something. That and Grandpa’s tiny shop seems to run on a constant deficit and his family just doesn’t care.

We flash back a bit to Gramps sneaking out, and Yugi is like “oh great, my only Father figure I ever talk about is getting a backpack together and just...leaving without any notice, huh? Without telling me you were going to go? Didn’t think that would maybe be a little off putting?“ and Gramps is like “Yes?”

Like Gramps nearly died going to an amusement park a few episodes back so I can see why Yugi is a little bit concerned.

Down the street at a little town lottery, Joey is getting further into gambling (I don’t know what those little street lotteries are called, it’s in a lot of anime--but kinda looks like mom lotteries for moms.)

I’m not sure why India is on Joey Wheeler’s bucket list, seems a little random, but he went to Pegasus’ country, after all and that’s barely even a country.

Joey going nuts on a lottery machine instead of going to school was pretty peak filler, so I’m not really minding this stuff so far.

And then, just to spook me, check this out:

I can’t believe they even let them back into a classroom. In my nerd school, if you missed one too many days, you were sent to the bad schools to be someone else’s problem. But in Yugi’s case...that either IS his school or...Yugi is failing International School, which is just a thing he’s allowed to do, because, as I said before, this kid has got to be loaded. Even Seto Kaiba was like “I’m not spending money on this school anymore. That outfit is like 50 bucks a jacket.”

Youknow, I have seen all the other characters knock on Tea’s choice of cute ass monsters for the last 5 seasons, and she has never once changed them out. She is holding onto this scary seraphim thing with the many wings like every child with their first Pidgey. She does not care.

Also how is this thing cute?

like the front of this orb has a face with hearts on it but like...it is kind of remarkable what Yugioh decides is cute. Magma golem: not cute. this thing? This thing that looks like it’s a chibi version of the last chapters of the bible and will sound the trumpets of the second coming? So cuuuuute.

Tristan used to be the Janitor/hall monitor/square archetype. Like hell he can walk around with that 00′s R+B soundtrack.

Joey appears in order to get us the hell out of school, and the art team retires this school background for the rest of what I assume is this entire series.

Goodbye school. Maybe you’ll come back with Bakura. Which would be weird, since rumor is that arc takes place in ancient Egypt.

On their walk home, Tea lets out in an inner monologue that no one could hear that after 5 straight seasons of his BS, she’s sick and tired of Pharaoh being the center of attention all the time and she needs a freakin break.

TBH, as she was thinking in her head like “Pharoah is just so freakin much” Yugi switched over to Pharaoh and was like “WHATS UP TEA, THINKING ABOUT ME??” and I thought for a split second maybe he read her mind with his Pharaoh powers.

And like...maybe he did? Seems like a thing he can just do but chooses not to tell anyone about. I mean would you tell anyone? I wouldn’t.

So, unlike Miho in Season Zero, who at least had the decency to try to take her Mother to Australia, Joey Wheeler has wisely decided that the 3 other ticket holders will not be the 3 other members of his immediate family. That would have been the most awkward trip between Serenity, his mother he hasn’t really spoken to in 7 years, and his absent father who was written out of the series for being a raging alcoholic. They would have not even made it to the plane.

Instead he’s gonna take the ghost in Yugi’s head and call that an adult (two tickets in one, really). It’s honestly not that bad of a plan, since his only other father figure, Grandpa, is MIA, and his only other, other father figure, Roland, charges like 300 dollars an hour and wants stock options and health insurance.

And honestly they should have taken Roland because he’s one of their best plane guys.

So they take the smallest little Amelia Earheart plane in the world, going from Japan to (checks map) India...which 2 times the distance this plane can go and it crashes...which is exactly what would happen if you took a teeny tiny plane over the Himalayan mountains without refueling that thing.

We call this a magical incident later in the episode, but this is just basic math.

So, fun fact, (and probably why I discuss planes so often on this blog) two of my Grandfathers were pilots (well, three, since my grandmother remarried another pilot), which sounds like a crazy coincidence until you recall that their generation was in WW2 and we just shoved children in planes for 20 years and called that normal.

Anyway, to save on travel costs, my engineer Grandfather built his own plane out of junkyard parts, which, as you can imagine, is a living nightmare, and it was held together by like duct tape and gasoline (which at one time used to be cheap). Tempted God every day that Howls Moving Castle touched the sky.

And while I only know it from photos since I wasn’t exactly born yet, it looked exactly like this plane. So looking at this, all I can think is...yeah...that’s what you get for flying to India in a tin can car. To this day I cannot trust any plane of this size.

So, they climb out of their wreckage virtually unscathed and into familiar Californian territory.

At least Joey thought about bringing a tent.

It’s interesting how our cast has become so accustomed to this that they’re not even all that shell shocked. It’s just another day in the life.

So next time we shall find out what India has in store for us. Or if we’re even in India...because again...feels a lot like this BG team doesn’t do any research into their landscapes and every place feels a whole lot of the same. But...at least they didn’t put any Arizonan mesas in India.

#Yugioh #YGO #yu-gi-oh #recap #photo recap #S5 #Yugi Muto #Joey Wheeler #Tristan Taylor #Tea Gardner #School?????#A really ass plane #gambling #And a trip to India

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