#and i just can't imagine dealing with all the consequences of that by choice

[discordiansamba]

it's an odd feeling, telling his nephew about himself.

but it is clear that the young man sitting across from iroh is not his nephew- as much as he might have zuko's face and body. even with the knowledge of his true self, he still treats him as a distant stranger- one that he must be deeply respectful of, but still a stranger. katara has kept him abreast of the situation, though he suspects there is something the young waterbender has been keeping to herself.

looking at lee, he suspects he can sense what it is.

he tells lee of zuko's agni kai.

he tells him what lead to it. lee looks surprised at zuko's outrage at the planned sacrifice of young soldiers. he is not sure he can blame him- he can only imagine what zuko's reputation is in the earth kingdom. to them he was only a banished prince, disloyal to his father and punished for it without knowing the exact reason why. he had chased the avatar with the intent of turning him over to his father, and then had helped conquer ba sing se.

iroh holds nothing back.

he tells lee of zuko. of how he let himself be redefined by his anger after the agni kai. but he also tells him that he helped the avatar escape pohuai stronghold, even if his reasons for doing so were less than pure. he tells them of their life as refugees. he tells them of zuko's choice under lake laogai, when he freed appa.

he tells him of how he chose to ally with his sister during the coup.

lee listens to him quietly- but it is like he is being told a story about another person. someone he's never met. when iroh is finished, lee exhales, as if he's been holding his breath all this time. it has been some time since iroh started speaking, but there is still steam rising from lee's cup.

"he wasn't happy," lee says, "-was he?"

"no," iroh admits, "-not for a long time. not since his mother disappeared."

lee cannot meet his eyes. he opens his mouth and shuts it, like there is something he wishes to say, but cannot manage. iroh sighs, and gives him his word as fire lord that whatever he wishes to say to him, he can say it without consequence. lee takes in a deep breath, and slowly lets it out.

"i don't know," he admits, "-if I want to go back."

and there it is, out in the open.

it would not be the first child iroh has lost to ba sing se. this is perhaps a kinder way to lose one. zuko would not be himself, but he could be happy there. they will have to deal with lan-wei and azula, but if that is the path he wishes to choose... then iroh will support it. he asks him only to think about it before he makes his choice.

deep down, he has wondered if a distant promise of happiness was what finally made zuko surrender.

"lady mai tells me this is the royal family's personal villa," lee says after a moment, "-but I don't know this place. I've never been here before, but there are portraits all over the place of someone who looks just like me. i can't get comfortable here."

"...I think I need to go home. to ba sing se."

"and if you go," iroh asks, "-will you be able to make up your mind?"

lee nods. iroh heaves a sigh. in truth, he does not want to let him go. but his nephew must make his own decisions. he is eighteen now. nearly an adult. the last time iroh tried to force him into seeing things his way, it did not end as he'd hoped. not for himself- nor for zuko.

"then go," iroh says, "-one way or another, you will find the answers you seek there."

[anthony-crowleys-left-nut]

i'm going through a bout of really struggling to keep up with my hygiene because of executive dysfunction and man this shit is MISERABLE. idk how people live like this just because. like imagine doing this on purpose 😭

[kindacreepy-kindaugly]

kinda feel like at this point I need to choose between him n everyone else

[ivvyela]

imagine with me, if you will, a nwh potential fix-it involving none other than the multiverse saving duo deadpool and wolverine.

i know, i know - but please, let me cook.

wade and logan now jump across timelines to "fix" things aka travel the multiverse for funsies and deal with the consequences later and somehow end up in a universe where peter parker doesn't exist, but spider-man does. and wade, blessed with the power of "i know this for the plot", immediately knows that is bull. shit. and sure enough, they find one very depressed, very lonely, and very jaded peter parker.

after much annoyance, light stalking, and following spider-man while he's on patrol, they get peter to spill how he ended up in this situation. and after hearing everything, logan breaks the silence with a simple, yet effective: "shit, kid. that... shit."

"yeah, well... now you know, so you can, like, leave me alone."

"nope, not gonna happen." wade shakes his head and tactfully ignores logan's imploring look of what-the-fuck-are-you-getting-us-into-now "i take my job as marvel jesus very, very seriously, so frankly, this is my job to fix your sorry little life, buddy. and if flat-out telling them you exist didn't work, then - "

"oh, i actually... i never told them."

"...come again?"

"i tried to tell them, but i couldn't. so..."

"i'm sorry... your best friend and girlfriend were crying, telling you to come find them and remind them of you, and you chose not to?"

"they're happy and safe without me! i wasn't going to ruin - "

"oh my god. you sweet, self sacrificial, idiot spider-baby. okay! we can fix this! we're no tony stark, but consider us your pseudo daddies for the time being, kid. let's get you your life back."

which is how one very emotional and determined deadpool, followed by a stoic, nonchalant wolverine (who, in all honesty, probably should be completely against this, but once wade commits to something, he can't be talked out of it, and the sooner he gets his fix from this the sooner he can go home, so fuck it we ball), end up in a certain cafe, all up in a poor barista and her friend's face with a cut-out yearbook photo of some kid, yelling "LOOK AT HIM! LOOK AT THIS BOY! HE'S SO LONELY! LIKE A SMALL, FORLORN, VICTORIAN CHILD! REMEMBER HIM, GODDAMMIT!"

(their efforts result in two confused and scared teens, and getting kicked out of said cafe.)

peter practically begs them to just leave him alone, that this was his choice, and he's fine with it, but both wade and logan know a lie when they hear one. they both know what being alone can do to a person, and peter is just a kid who got dealt the shittiest cards in life and at this point, it just feels wrong to leave him here without trying to do something. and maybe they both have a small soft spot for the teen, so what?

and peter knows both men can see through his broody, teenage angst front he's been putting up since the spell, and he's tried so hard to hate the two of them, get them to hate him so they would leave, but they're not budging, so really, there's no point in trying to push them away, right?

and so, he lets them in. he learns that while logan is stoic and intense and kinda terrifying, he's also someone who just wants to do the right thing for the people he cares about. he's also lost people, and he blames himself, but he's come out on the other side. he would tell peter about his daughter, laura, who wouldn't let him wallow in self pity because she is good, better than he has ever been. he never saw himself as a father, but she's still around, so he must be doing alright.

and at first hearing it would result in a pang in his chest, memories of thai food after walking into a smoke-filled kitchen, assurances that things will work out when everything feels hopeless, a tombstone that can never convey everything she was, but now... it's nice to hear that logan still had someone after losing everyone.

so, peter listens to logan's stories. in return, peter tells logan all about his mom.

and wade was brash and loud and conceded and really, really annoying, but he's... no, that's it. he's all of those things, but in a weird way, it's like all those bad qualities merge together to make him a good guy. and yeah, he can walk away at any point, he has absolutely no obligation to help peter, but he does it anyway.

("nonono, don't you dare make me some selfless hero type, kid. i know for a fact that every deadpool has a peter. i'm doing this for the me in your world."

"you're... huh?"

"bottom line, i'm a selfish bastard. i'm doing this for me, 'kay?")

peter didn't fight it. he's had experience with seemingly self-absorbed, deflecting type heroes.

wade doesn't replace him, not even close, but... still.

maybe peter will never get back what he lost. but, for the first time, peter sees a light at the end of the tunnel. that, maybe, he can stop being just spider-man, and he can start being peter parker again, too.

(and if there's a barista talking to her friend about how it's weird that two guys would show up holding a photo of an odd customer from weeks ago, demanding they remember him, and despite not knowing him she felt something, and her friend couldn't help but agree, well... that's neither here nor there.)

[autumn-hiraeth]

Just Say it Out Loud!

Hobie brown x reader

Headcanons. Angst. 1st part. 2nd part.

a/n: i loved all your comments <3. You can find more here “ Hobie's masterlist” ꨄ

Hobie hasn't stopped thinking about you and his daughter, ever since you met again he can't stop feeling guilty for everything he lost and everything you've been through. He never thought that he would be the type of man who abandons his children or his pregnant girlfriend and that thought is burning deep indise himself. Hobie can't help but look at the families and imagine that this could be him with his girls, it's obvious his heart hasn't stopped beating for you;Hobie brown still loving you and he's ready to say it out loud.

And that's why Hobie is right outside your door, knocking while holding a teddy bear in his hand. Hobie has been prepared for this moment, to see you again and is ready to apologize and tell you how much he loves you ; he wants a chance to love you and raise his daughter with you. But as soon as you open the door and see him, you burst his bubble of fantasies.

"You have to go Hobart" Gwen told him that he should be prepared for this, but hearing you speak so coldly breaks his heart. "Y/n...Luv...Listen to me...I.." you let down his defenses, Hobie is never intimidated but he has found that you make him nervous. "No, I don't want to listen to you and I definitely don't want you near my daughter" you mutter before slamming the door in his face, but you forget his stupid super strength.

"She's my daughter too" he murmurs preventing you from closing the door.

“ know I screwed up, I shouldn't have left ya that night, but I wanted to protect ya and I'm sorry if I left but I thought it was for the best even though it never felt right…I was wrong Y/N” “I don't care about Hobart, you made your choice deal with the consequences, she doesn't need you! ”

“She needs a father!” their screams manage to wake Rhea up, making her cry as she sobs for you, you sigh in frustration and Hobie calms down, watching you leave him in the hall to go calm down your daughter.

Hobie can hear you cooing to her and he can't help but smile at your loving voice. Feeling brave, he come in your flat.

On the wall there are a lot of photos, there are a lot of Rhea and in each one of them she is happy; Rhea is a happy kid. Hobie has no doubt that you have been a good mother and he also wants to be a good father to his daughter.

He's holding a picture of you holding newborn Rhea and he can't help but sob. He doesn't blame you because you didn't look for him, 'cause he knows that he was the one that got away, but he would have liked to know that you were carrying his kid.

“You have to go, Hobart” you watch him hold your first photo with Rhea and you almost feel pity because he will never know what it's like to hold his daughter. Hobie looks at you and then looks at the photo "you know she needs a father Y/n" "Hobart, she would only be in danger with you, I know it and so you do" "I know I can protect her, both of you" he murmurs but your betrayed heart doesn't believe him. "She just needs her mom"

+ Bonus

“Rhea, sweetie. C'mere with mom ”you call your little daughter. "Mommy!" Your daughter finally comes to you, but she is not alone, in her little hands there's a teddy bear, who is wearing a jacket like Hobie's. You can't help your heart melts. Maybe... Rhea has the right to know him.

But not today.

[unovaslankiite]

Me when I say that I would never make another RWDE post but then people says the most stupid shit about the show.

Erin Winn, Erin my bestie: RWBY is copoganda the diet-coke anime show. Look, I'm not gonna bash Erin super hard because ultimately, she's a former art director and not a writer of the show but come on. Did you work on the show with your eyes closed Erin??? If this was any other show written by any other writer, you would be rightfully calling this out. RWBY does not get the pass because the bigoted and racist writers gave you your unseasoned white chicken yuri after stalling for 10 years. Erin also does not get the pass to act as if Yang and Blake aren't cops and that Hunters aren't a form of cops.

This take is so stupid because it actively ignores the worldbuilding of the show and the entire fucking point of Hunters. Hunters function as a form of law enforcement where they are often commissioned by the government to help them out. As seen with Atlas and said in World of Remnant, Atlas employs Hunters to join the military and to work in law-enforcement. Like, did we all forget about the Ace-Ops being an elite group of Hunters working for the Atlas military??? Did we all forget that Team RWBY worked with the Ace-Ops???

Hunters act as mercenaries, they take jobs outside of dealing with Grimm and act alongside law enforcement or they are a form of law enforcement themselves. I'd argue they're a self employed form of super-cop where instead of being held accountable to an institution and having to follow a set of regulations, they are held accountable to themselves as an individual and can take on any job with as minimal regulations as they please. Like, imagine cops being able to be employed as individuals to serve alongside law enforcement and being able to take up jobs with as many or little regulations as they please. Thats just Hunters in a nutshell; they're basically cops who are trained by their respective Kingdom's government and who are allowed to carry specialized weapons. 'BuT wAiT, tHeRE's aCtUal cOps iN rWby, HUnTeRs aNd cOPs aRE dIfFerEnt sO tHerEFore RwBy cAn'T bE cOps tHemSelves' Ah yes, because RWBY has actual cops so theres NO possible way that our heros can't be co— Yo remember when Weiss arrested her dad in Volume 7???

Do you guys remember ArrowFell where Team RWBY helps locate and incarcerate a former Union leader??? This game is considered canon to Volume 7 and was written by Kerry, Miles and Eddy btw.

Are we all FORGETTING that in V5: Blake stormed into Mistral's Academy with a group of Menagerie's faunus and assistance with Mistral's COPS to stop Adam and the White Fang??? Like, Blake works with the fucking cops to stop a group of in-universe minorities.

Don't even hit me back with 'aDAm WaS gOInG tO bOmB tHE aCAdEmY!1!1! hE's a tERoRisT!1!1!'. It was the writers choice to have the in-universe minority freedom fighter to bomb a school, it was the writers choice to make Adam a terrorist and the writers choice for Blake to work with the fucking COPS. It was also the writers choice to have a former Union leader be a major villain for ArrowFell and to have Team RWBY be the central squad who was able to get him arrested. Oh yeah, speaking of V7, remember the time Weiss assaulted an unarmed civilian (who btw was visibly intoxicated) and smiled about it. As her friends quite literally stand by her and watch. Blake a character who shills about non-violence as the only way to solve racism, is complacent with Weiss using violence to solve a problem. Blake who clutches her pearls from her mansion in space-is-a-commodity Menagerie about the White Fang using violent forms of protest, does NOT reprimand or call out Weiss for her gross abuse of power.

Yang and Blake being the pinnacles of morality do... NOTHING about it. They allow Weiss to assault a man, DON'T reprimand her and run away with Weiss to escape the consequences. Ah yes, as someone who is a racialized person of colour who has to be wary of facing violence from cops, nothing SCREAMS progressive to me when a show's main character, who are fantasy cops, assault an intoxicated unarmed civilian and face no consequences for it. And before any of you guys defend this by saying he was being racist and this is self defense: yes, although he called Blake a stupid faunus, he was NOT verbally harassing her on the basis of her being a faunus prior to calling her stupid (dude was talking about Atlas being the best kingdom and complaining about the other kingdoms). He also did not get physically aggressive towards Blake (the man was standing a solid distance away from Blake and didn't throw anything at her) nor did he made any verbal threats to her physical safety. This is not self defence. Hot Take: Glorifying a person being a victim of unproportional and unjust violence at the hands of police in a progressive shade of paint (the unarmed and intoxicated victim was actually a RACIST so its OK that Weiss assaulted him), is not fucking the progressive take you think it is. The guy being a racist is being used as a justification against the fact that yes, Weiss DID assault an intoxicated unarmed civillian and the story is portraying it as a good thing. Please read between the lines, this is still a major issue. Blake and Yang not saying SHIT to Weiss, or actually none of Team RWBY and JNOR saying anything to Weiss is a huge issue. Blake also bringing an army of RACIALIZED MINORITIES to work with the ACTUAL cops of Remnant, is also a huge fucking issue.

Yang and Blake are both complacent when their peers abuse their power as Hunters, and the latter has actively worked alongside cops... Yang and Blake are both content with maintaining the status quo and do not bother to call out corruption when it inconveniences them. But they're not cops because they wear ugly outfits with a bajillion belts instead of a police uniform!!! Yang and Blake are cops, period. Where's the post of how the propoganda in shows does numbers on your brain, I really fucking need it!!! — Sincerely, a person of colour who needs a fucking drink 🥃

[whencloudwavesbreak-if]

When Cloud Waves Break Pinned Post

LINKS: DEMO [UPDATED 30/03/2024] | COG FORUM

SUMMARY

When Cloud Waves Break is a work-in-progress murder mystery/Lovecraftian horror interactive fiction story. After returning to your hometown of Golden Gulf, your older sister is brutally murdered. The method? Poison. The location? The Twin Suns restaurant, on its reopening night. It's up to you to find her killer. But it won't be easy. Between dealing with your hostile brother-in-law, the police force interfering every step of the way, and your own memories about why you left, you're in for a rough time. And that's not even taking into account the weird dreams you've been having…

FEATURES

Play as male, female, or non-binary; straight, gay, or bisexual.

Customize your sister: choose her name, her personality, and determine your relationship with her.

Choose between four possible occupations: actor, doctor, soldier, or dilettante.

Learn more about the history of Golden Gulf, how your family ties into it, and what it has to do with your sister's murder.

And maybe stop a cult. Or join them. It's up to you.

ROMANCE OPTIONS

Officer Wyatt Pierce (M) "I've made many mistakes. But caring for you? Isn't one of them."

Description: An officer of the Golden Gulf Police Department. He also used to be your neighbour when you were kids. Time changes people though. Can you love who he is now?

Appearance: Greying hair - younger than he looks. Massive claw marks across his face, burned into the skin.

Personality: He's gruff and tired. Growing up in Golden Gulf, he learned to let many things slide. It weighs on him, made him callous. But then your sister died. Suddenly, he can't be callous anymore. Not with her dead. And especially not when you're here.

Officer Casey Young (NB) "I'll keep you safe. I promise."

Description: The officer from Augusta, sent to find and arrest the leader of the Burning Waters crime gang, Nina Wu. They don't trust many people. Maybe you can be the exception?

Appearance: Faded tattoo of a monkey on their neck; wild hair; friendly, but cautious eyes.

Personality: They are kind, with a spine of steel, and will always do the right thing. Even if everyone turns against them and they risk losing everything. Make them care for you, though, and the choice will destroy them.

Evelyn Ross (F) "You and me? It just feels too good to be true."

Description: Your brother-in-law's administration assistant. Duty and logic drives her every action. To her, love is a silly afterthought. Maybe you can change her mind?

Appearance: Petite. Lustrous, thick hair. Bright eyes. Glasses. Conventionally attractive.

Personality: Her calculating mind is her greatest strength, but also her greatest weakness. She's aware of all the possibilities stretching out before her, but also of the consequences. And it paralyzes her. But reassure her, become an anchor for her, and she'll lift you up in turn.

Jeremiah/Jessamine Callahan (M/F) "I'd forgotten what this felt like. Thank you for reminding me."

Description: The sole survivor of the wealthy Callahan family. You grew up with their spouse, Riley. They've loved and they've lost. Maybe you can help them learn to love again?

Appearance: Hair braided in cornrows; ragged and tattered clothes; an air of sadness that hangs over them like a cloud.

Personality: They aren't afraid to say what they think and have a very strong moral compass. But it can sometimes lead them to jumping to conclusions. Get them on your side though, and they'll follow you to the very end. 'Til death do you part.

Oscar/Ophelia Lovelace (M/F) "You are everything that I imagined you to be."

Description: The interior designer contracted for the reconstruction. Love wasn't enough to keep you in Golden Gulf. But maybe they can?

Appearance: Very tall and graceful; eccentric sense of style; an ever-present smile.

Personality: They project a polite and mild mannered façade. But their true personality emerges through their design work, which they are obsessively dedicated to. Catch their attention, though, and they'll never let you go.

ADDITIONAL INFO

OTHER IMPORTANT CHARACTERS:

Your Older Sister: She was many things, to many people. How did you see her? Was she self-absorbed? Naive? Arrogant? Or charming? But none of that really matters now that she's dead... Does it?

Benjamin Mullen: Your sister's husband. He's a difficult man to get along with. He also has a problem with you specifically, and isn't afraid to tell you so.

INSPIRATIONS:

Agatha Christie mystery novels, Lovecraftian horror, The King in Yellow by Robert W Chambers, the TTRPGs Call of Cthulhu 7th Edition and Brindlewood Bay, and Slay the Princess by Black Tabby Games.

[allastoredeer]

*Raises hand*

I liked your first deep dive! Quick question though, how do you think Lucifer reconciles his rose-colored memories of heaven with his learned fear of it?

In the show he came across as largely exhausted by dealing with them up until More Than Anything where we see him imagine the bright silhouettes of his siblings and those of the exorcist weapons moving in on Charlie.

It seems like, on some level, he recognizes the danger and corruption there, but the superiority from being an angel is such a strong part of his psyche that he can't let himself acknowledge it outside of these small moments.

Thank you!

I think Lucifer is exhausted with dealing with Heaven, but I think most, if not all, of that exhaustion relates to having to deal with Adam during & after the Exterminations. Considering only a select few people know about the Exterminations, such as Adam and Sera (it didn't look like the rest of the jury/counsel during the Heaven episode knew about it, they all seemed surprised), it'd make sense if Lucifer was working with Adam most of the time, as I can't imagine Sera involved herself in the Exterminations outside of giving Adam the go-ahead.

When I think of Lucifer and his relationship with Heaven overall, I think of ✨religious trauma✨

Growing up in such a strict, religious household (for lack of a better word), however corrupt it was, doesn't take away the happy memories he made there. It doesn't wipe away what he was taught and the rules that he molded his life around.

I think, while Lucifer knows that Heaven isn't all sunshine and rainbows, when he reminisces about Heaven to himself, he lingers on the good times, like his memories with the other archangels, the wonder and awe of creation, watching the galaxy expand, and all the times he spent with his family. All those tender moments he misses having. The ones that make his heart ache with yearning.

It's easy to put people/concepts/things on a pedestal, especially in the privacy of one's own head where you're free to rationalize to your heart's content, and I think when Heaven cast Lucifer out, a part of him believes they were right to do so. He thinks he deserved it.

He didn't fall from Heaven first. He fell from his ego. He was so certain that giving Eve the apple was the right move. He believed, with all his heart (🎶or whatever angels have🎶) that he was doing what was best - for Lilith, for Eve, for Adam, for humanity.

But he didn't anticipate the consequences of his actions because, in giving Eve (and then Adam later) the fruit of knowledge, did shatter everything Heaven worked for. He shattered the order that the Seraphims, the other archangels, he, himself, had worked tirelessly to maintain. Evil, the entity that they've fought off since the beginning of existence, was now on Earth. In humanity.

And he did that. (And Lilith, technically, but I don't think Lucifer puts much of the blame on her).

Of course Heaven would cast him out. They had every right to. He ruined everything. He's the embodiment of pride because he believed he knew what was best for humanity, he thought he knew better than the Seraphims, the archangels, even God, and the shame he feels is in direct correlation of that pride because he realized he was wrong.

He was wrong.

I think when he was first cast out from Heaven, he was angry. He felt unjustly punished. He felt like Heaven was in the wrong. They were the ones making the mistake. So, he turned to the Sinners to learn about them, their lives, their choices, to prove that he was right, but all he saw was wickedness and cruelty.

Just like Heaven said.

He kept searching.

More wickedness. More cruelty. It got worse the more he looked, but he kept looking, and kept looking, desperate to prove that Heaven was mistaken. That they were the ones being harsh and excessive. But hundreds of years went by and his conviction started to fade and it was replaced by the biting, burning resignation that:

Heaven was right.

He was wrong.

His anger became shame. His confidence became humiliation. His inspiration became inhibition.

He tries to keep creating, to keep dreaming of a better world, to believe in humanity, but he's proved wrong time and time again until he just...loses hope. Loses his fire. Loses his will to dream. Loses himself in his memories, and shame, and humiliation, and homesickness.

Heaven was right.

He was wrong.

And he was foolish for thinking he knew better than them.

And the worst part is, he still misses his home. He misses the Seraphims. The other archangels. He misses the familiarity. Their rules were strict, but when you listened, when you abided by them, you were safe and secure and welcome. You belonged.

And that's the picture Lucifer was painting for Charlie when he told her stories of Heaven. How beautiful it was up there. How everything seemed so perfect. You were always surrounded by good and right and light. Whereas down there, in Hell, it's nothing but wicked and evil and darkness.

The difference between Heaven and Hell is in such stark contrast in his mind, having lived in both, he can't help but yearn for what he knew. For what he remembers. Thinking about it, while it fills him with a bone-deep humiliation to ever face his peers again, he still wants to go back to them.

And, of course, he made a new home with Lilith and Charlie. He has friends. He has the Sins. He made a life for himself in Hell, and it's a good life.

The problem is the Sinners. The reminders of his mistake. The source of his pride and his shame. They are supposed to be his, but he doesn't want them. Their very existence is a blight.

His definition of right and wrong, while not exactly the same as Heaven's anymore, is similar enough that he does look down at Sinners for ending up in Hell. He looks down at them for the sins they committed, which is hypocritical, because he's in Hell for the sins he committed.

But he's different, you see. He did it for them. He was trying to give them a better life and they were the ones who ruined it. They abused the gift he gave them. He was cast out of Heaven for them. He'd lost so much for humanity, and they still have the gall to make all the wrong decisions. They have the gall to continue proving how wrong he was.

And he hates them for it. It's irrational. It's selfish. It's prideful. He's still got some of that holier-than-thou angel mentality, just like Sera when she first met Charlie and Vaggie. "You are blessed to be here." "Of course this is just temporary, I'm sorry you can't stay." Just like St. Peter when he automatically assumed they were in the wrong place, and then told them to "keep their brimstone off the floor" during his song -- however cheerfully and politely he sang it, it was still pompous.

They were all welcoming, but oh so condescending (except, perhaps, Emily, but even she, I think, has that internalized mentality, as she was telling Charlie she was going to love Heaven so much she wouldn't want to go back down to Hell, which I read as still seeing Heaven as superior, even if she doesn't consciously realize it. I mean, of course! It's Heaven! Who wouldn't want to stay, right? It's where everyone wants to be). That's the mentality Lucifer grew up with, and parts of that is still squirreled away inside him, though it's directed at the Sinners. It's not the Hellborns' fault they're in Hell, after all. They were born there. He has comradery with the Sins, they were all a circus troupe once, they're all in Hell together. Lilith and Charlie are his family, the light of his life. Why would he have any animosity towards them?

But the Sinners? Being in Hell is all their doing. It's their fault they ended up there. All they had to do was forsake evil and choose good, and they couldn't even do that.

And no, I don't think Lucifer's thinking IS that black-and-white, I think he can understand Lilith's compassion for Sinners on some level, but I think he tends to lose himself in his emotions when it comes to the Sinners and defaults into the mindset that Heaven = righteousness. And if Heaven, the pillars of good, deemed a Sinner wicked, then there has to be some truth to it, right?

The Sinners have certainty proved themselves to be wicked time and time again, so why would it change? Why should he assume that every Sinner is different when they have been deemed "bad" by the pinnacle of good? The pinnacle of good would know what bad is. It just makes sense.

When Lucifer talks about Heaven outwardly, especially when Charlie wants to set up a meeting with them, he gets nervous. Anxious. Fearful, even. Speaking the words out loud, he starts reliving his trauma, except this time, he sees it all happening to Charlie. Charlie has the same conviction in her dreams that he did. She has the same pride that he has. The same firm, unmovable belief that what she's doing is the right thing. That this is best for humanity.

He sees himself in her, and thus, the only way he sees this ending is her being humiliated. Torn down. Cast out. Left nothing but a husk of what she used to be. He imagines Charlie losing that fire in her. Of losing her will to dream.

He sees her becoming him, and that terrifies him.

He, at least, understands what he would be getting into if he went up to Heaven (the very thought of going back up paralyzes him with fear, but he would know what to expect at least, he's lived there for most of his existence). Charlie doesn't, though. She's only heard stories. The stories he told her about how beautiful and amazing Heaven is.

She doesn't know the rules. She doesn't know how strict they can be, and him not being there with her to protect her from it scares him. He truly doesn't want her to be hurt by them like he was, because he now knows just how capable of hurting someone Heaven is. He'd rather be hurt again, then let what happened to him happen to Charlie.

He REFUSES to let Charlie turn out like him, especially for beings as detestable and vile as Sinners.

I think at the end of the day, Lucifer sees himself as the problem. He's the source of all the conflict (another aspect of his pride!)

Not Heaven. While they abandoned him and cast him out, he still thinks they were right to do so. It hurt, it humiliated him, it fills him with so much pain just thinking about it, but in his mind, they were right.

And he was wrong.

That, and keeping Charlie from making the same mistakes he did, is all that matters. 

[nevaroonie]

I Can't Love You

TW- Slight Nsfw, Cursing, jealousy, MENTION OF SH!, regret, referenced rejection, Cheating? WC- 1236 AN- Enjoy. Hope it was worth the wait

One person can only have one soulmate. That’s what the rules say.. That’s what should be possible. So why did Asher have a matching tattoo with Milo? His best friend. The one he knew better than anyone. Milo already had his mate. Why was he matching with him? Why was he cursed like this? He wanted nothing but the best for his friend. The one he wanted to love.. The one he wanted everything with.. 

Yet he was forced to watch him be happy with someone else. Someone who also shared the same tattoo. Someone who loved him just as much as he did. Is it wrong he wanted to be in their spot? Is it wrong he wished that was him? Wanting to hold him when he’s down. To kiss his bruises when he’s hurt. To slowly undress him and tell him everything he loved about his short stature 

To imagine his body, under him.. Making all those noises.. Those thoughts were taken away by the one he was with. The one he called sweetheart. The one who had all his heart.  He wanted to be his sweetheart. He longed to be them.  And all he was forced to was watch from the sidelines. His heart burned, every time he saw them together. 

The marking they shared burned every time he saw them together. 

Asher grabbed his shoulder. He wished the mark would disappear. It was a constant reminder of what he couldn’t have. A reminder of what he lost. He wanted to rip it off. Maybe if he scratched his skin raw enough it would disappear. He wanted to disappear.. What was the point if he couldn’t be with the one he was meant to be with?

But that's not how it works it just stays. It would never be that easy and he knew that. He let go of his shoulder. No point in beating a dead horse am I right? If there was no point in beating one why did it hurt so much? His best friend had found the love of his life. And here he was crying about it. Why couldn’t he be happy for him? 

Why did loving him hurt so much? The man he grew up with and slowly fell in love with. Maybe if he just said how he felt all those years ago. That night Milo asked to speak to him. Why was he so concerned with what the others would think? He would’ve been happy. He would’ve had Milo.. His soulmate. Fuck what everyone else thought. 

But he was a kid. Who’d rather hurt his best friend than deal with the consequences of dating inside the pack. and there was no changing the past. He is only learning to deal with the consequences that came from the choices he made. And he was supposed to be here for his friend. It was their housewarming party. 

He knew how important something like this was to him. He never had the stability for a place like this. And this was a big step for him. He needed all his friends to be here with him. And his.. Mate. Asher could feel his heartbreak as he referred to them as his mate. He moved his head from the steering wheel. He was already here, he just needed to drop off the gift; come up with some lame-ass excuse, and leave. And cry on the way home. He couldn’t be like this every time he wanted to see Milo. he reached into the back of his truck to grab the gift. 

The gift itself was wrapped in dull purple paper with an oddly placed matching bow. However, the gift itself was a photo. The photo was taken just before Gabe's death. They even got the resident troublemaker to join in. It was a nice photo a happy photo. The frame surrounding said photo was a hand-carved hyacinth frame. Painted black to hide any mistakes made. 

As if Asher's bandaged ring finger didn’t state that enough. The gift had come from a place of regret and selfishness. Though Asher would never admit it to himself. He opened the door to his truck as he was making his way towards the door. He didn’t see David’s car anywhere. Guess he didn’t get here yet. 

—

Milo looked around. Where did ash go? He just saw him. He went around asking the guess asking where Ash went. But no one knew.. Maybe he stepped outside? If that’s so no one here is good at finding any fucking body. He sighed and walked outside. Lo and behold nothing.. He should have known inviting him was a bad idea. 

Maybe part of him hoped he had moved on. Hoped he had grown, and found someone else. But Asher can be stubborn and so could he. Milo took a seat on the porch, Asher was always good at hiding his true feelings but never that good. The longing glances.. Short-sighted glares. It doesn’t take a genius to see he was still in love. Still in love. Still in love with his technical soulmate..The one person whose heart he broke.

I Can’t Love You 

Those words still haunted his dreams. Even in the happy relationship he has, there are nights when he can’t help but wonder what he and Asher could have been. What their relationship could have been if Asher didn’t say those words? He would get to wake up to the image of Ash every day. And comfort him through his worst. 

But he doesn’t get that option. Asher made that choice for him… no they both were screwed over when the universe gifted them these magical scars. He placed his hand on his chest. The marking that's supposed to tell you that’s your person. The one you grow old with, the one you can hold in the cold. Undress in the evening. To place kisses up and down their body. 

And he wanted that. With asher.. He loved his sweetheart but his heart would always belong to Asher. The one he fell for first. The one he couldn’t love. The one he would have waited for. The one he would still wait for. But for now, he was content sitting on the sidelines. He’d wait till Asher came around. Even if it meant ruining what he had now. 

He knew that they knew. They knew they would never have his heart. Maybe a little but never fully. And he hated that he let things get this far. But there was no point now. They had a home together. They slept together. They killed a shade. They survived the worst night of their lives together. They did everything he wanted to do with Ash. well maybe not the worst night part. 

But his point stands. He will never love his partner as he loves much as he loves his true soulmate.  And maybe that made him a bad person. No.. that made him a bad person and he knew it. He let go of his chest. He had a party to get back to. Maybe when the time is right.. He’ll take that last risk. Forget what he had.  And run into his arms, and just kiss him so hard. But for now, he can’t do that. All he could do was tell himself   

‘’ I can’t love you.. Because loving you hurts too much. ‘’

[koalas-koalas-everywhere]

You know what? I'll say it. I cannot understand what on earth made Patrick attracted to Kristina.

And this isn't (just) because I personally find her irritating. It's that, of the attractive qualities she does have, they are not the kind of traits that would appeal to Jane.

I mean. She's him.

Worse than that, she's him making what in hindsight he sees as some of the worst mistakes of his life, and that's even before she pulls the Red John stunt. He consistently talks about his era of defrauding people and pretending to be a psychic with shame — it's left such a sour impression on him that "there's not such thing as psychics" became a catchphrase for him, since he feels compelled to always clarify that when asked if he's one. He also becomes downright hostile to people who believe in them — though mostly when they try to insist that he has a gift and he's just in denial... oh! like Kristina did!

Jane wants someone better than him. As in, morally. He said as much in his video for Erica Flynn, but, more than that, we see it in all his other choices/romantic interests — Angela, Lisbon, Sophie Miller. (From there, and this is one aspect of my "Lisbon is Jane's second Sophie Miller" thesis, you could even extrapolate a little more and say that he likes people who save him, but let's stick to facts for now.) Even if you wanted to argue that they're not so good, or that he likes at least one of them because her flaws make them equal, I think his view of them is marked by admiration for the ways in which they're more noble or stronger than him.

The only thing I can imagine he finds attractive in Kristina is that they're intellectual equals — in every way. They're not just both very smart, their intelligence manifests in the same way, to the point that they chose the same profession in which to scam people with it and were led to the point of helping the police, as Jane said, just to keep the thrill alive.

I know that the most popular result in that one poll was that, though she wasn't a psychic, she at least believed she was, but, to be honest, though I voted that option too, I'm not so convinced now. More to the point: Jane doesn't believe that. He thinks she's faking it. And I don't blame him — she makes her "gift" out to be such a sacred thing, says she can't lie about what Brava says, but this is the second time she's let Jane abuse one of her seances to catch a perp. So most of his interactions with her are about getting her to admit it. Catching her in the trick.

Maybe that's the point, though. She's an intellectual equal who presents a challenge. You could say that she can scratch two itches in one for Jane — to figure her out and to start to move one from Angela. If anything, the... little appeal I can see her otherwise presenting to him makes sense in this regard. I think we all agree that the reason he and Lisbon don't get together until the later seasons is that he just won't be emotionally available for a committed romantic relationship until RJ dies. In this sense, pursuing Kristina makes sense — he could get some sort of solace from her, without suffering long-term consequences from it, since he wouldn't have had a future with her anyway.

But even that's a bit hard to swallow when you take into account that Kristina is pretty much making a mockery of everything Jane went through, including learning to regret tricking people for its own sake. Again, seeing this from his perspective, which is that she's faking the psychic thing — he'd have to think that she's looking at a man whose wife and daughter were killed for pretending to be a psychic and... well, doing everything she does. Every single thing about her would be offensive in this situation.

I don't know, man. The best I can some up with is that he's really eager to start to move on for some reason all of a sudden, and she's the first person who interests him without fascinating him so he'd have to deal with long-term consequences for their involvement.

*I suppose you could argue that, later on, he'll also feel a spark towards Erica Flynn (an honest one, I believe, which is why I'm counting it and not the widow form Ladies in Red). I wonder how much of it isn't Kristina Reprised — someone he knew he didn't have a future with, in this case, because she was a criminal and a user, and for the same reason he didn't need to fear the consequences of getting near. Erica had too much self-preservation where Kristina had too much pride.

[howlsofbloodhounds]

I was thinking about the concept of gods having only as much power as the number of followers they have and how that would end up making Nightmare even more dependent on Killer because no fucking way anyone who hasn't been conditioned into seeing their abuser as god-like would worship that asshole.

But also he can't let Killer know that he's basically the sole source of his power because of course Killer is gonna use that against him. If Killer finds out that he's in control then he'll think that the game has come to an end. Just like it happened with Chara. And he'll get rid of Nightmare without a second thought.

Though, of course, escaping Nightmare wouldn't solve the issue of other gods who struggle getting followers seeing him as an easy target after that. Literally because of the conditioning he underwent with Chara and then Nightmare.

Having one stable source of power who is also pretty much immortal is quite the catch in general.

It's kind of like with his SAVE, LOAD, and RESET powers and it is connected to those as they're the one granting him a semi-immortal status. It's something unique to him that will make him wanted in all the worst ways.

There is no AU I will ever make where Color won't end up having to fight off a bunch of overly persistent "suitors" with a broom I'm afraid...

“Yup! Sometimes I have to beat the ladies off with a stick!” but it’s just color smacking people away with his walking cane, either because they genuinely wanna get a piece of killer or because they wanna use him for something. Imagining the protectiveness makes me very happy 🙏.

I honestly think people could do a lot more with killer viewing his abusers as god-like. such as with Chara, somehow still living inside him, whispering, watching. giving their commands and orders with a sweet, sharp smile.

always feeling watched by them, only able to escape them and drown them out when in Stage 2–where he’s too apathetic and numb to be capable of caring of what happens to an unreal world and unreal things (people)—feeling removed from people and consequences and himself.

uncaring about change or redemption, unable to comprehend the idea of happiness or safety or normalcy, just playing along in the game control or be controlled, kill or be killed, as he thinks he must.

finding control in the smallest of ways, searching for something new, anything to make him feel even a bit real—only to pull back or react violently if things start getting too real, or too close, or too emotional. too invasive and controlling and painful. knowing its not safe to listen to chara too much—knowing itll cost him greatly under nightmare if he did.

he can’t do the things Chara wants him to do without going against nightmare—yet saying no to chara and trying to resist them feels impossible, as if something in his mind still hasn’t accepted that they’re actually gone this time. not when he can still hear them, feel them.

as if they really were an omnipresent angel they claimed to be. or at least we are, to stage 4. to it, what is the difference between us and Chara. nothing.

the way parts of him live in fear of the next Reset if he doesn’t uphold his end of the Deal, the next “bad ending” if he dares to try and make his own choices and do what he wants and have hope—paired with whatever conditioning and indoctrination nightmare puts him through. up until color, of course.

{ @stellocchia }

[merp-blerp]

Just thinking out loud about The Thunder Saga and everything connected to it.

I get why people are mad at Eurylochus for opening the windbag, but I don't understand blaming him for the crew getting caught by Poseidon. Sure he definitely sped up the event, but even if they were inches away from Ithaca right before that moment like they were in the original Odyssey (which seems to be hinted at with Ody saying "And I'm getting closer to you"), Poseidon would've gotten to them eventually anyway because he's a god, a major one at that. And gods get their will no matter what consistently, even if mortals try to twist it like how Ody does when opening the bag a second time. I can only assess what sagas we have currently, so I could be really wrong as future sagas come out, but I think Aeolus must've known that fact and that was the game he was playing. As if he's saying, "I'll help you, but I can't stop Poseidon with a bag. The Winions will even make it extra hard with a treasure rumor." The bag was supposed to aid the crew home, not stop Poseidon, so they would've had to deal with Poseidon anyway in Ithaca, which probably would've made more casualties because they would've brought their trouble to the whole kingdom. Remember Ithaca is on an island. Poseidon is the god of the sea, so Ithaca would be a perfect target for him to destroy because of that. But it's not his will to do that; he wants to play games with Ody to avenge his son. The only reason why mortals feel like they have a choice and can manipulate fate is because the gods like to play games; it's still their will if Ody wins a game like he does in "Ruthlessness" because it was their will to play in the first place, and they can win if/when they want to. Just 'cause Poseidon "lost" in "Ruthlessness" doesn't mean he actually did, he just let Odysseus go. For now. If his will changes and Ody gets no consequence from him it's on his terms, not Ody's. Just like with Circe, as I've talked about.

But back to Eurylochus, I adore the parallels between The Thunder Saga and The Ocean Saga. During The Ocean Saga, Eurylochus only opens the bag, not for treasure, but to give the crew closure, as we know thanks to Aeolus's "Now they wanna get the bag open so they can have closure". Especially if they were close to home, I imagine his thought process might've been that opening the bag was wrong but morally okay since the journey was almost done and Odysseus was sleeping so it seemed like it wasn't a big deal anymore in his eyes. But that's more my hypothesis. In terms of canon, his trust in Ody, which wasn't high to begin with, was dwindling, as Ody bragged about how no men died in war and then several died with the Cyclops. "Everything's changed since Polites, so". In The Thunder Saga, it's similar, as Eurylochus knows killing the cow is wrong, but they've all lost hope on getting home with their captain going to extremes to get there himself, killing them slowly like with Scylla. They know that deep down the whole time Odysseus wanted to get home himself mainly, only bringing the crew because he cared out of the kindness of his heart, and now that his heart has changed they know they won't get to Ithaca if the gods keep messing around (and they do). This post pointed out that Eurylochus was likely just trying to provide for the crew and himself in their final moments before another trap emerges and Odysseus decides to continue to sacrifice his men if he feels it has to be done again. Eurylochus isn't dumb, he knows their goose is cooked if they kill the cow, especially with Ody in his ear telling him, but they'll die either way, in the hand of the gods or Ody. They will die and not see home, but at least they can die not starving, and go on for a bit longer. They had nothing to lose. Eurylochus had doubted Odysseus this whole time and he does so till the end. When Eurylochus says, "But we'll die", it's not a plea to stay alive, it's him confirming out loud that Odysseus will not choose his men over Penelope and Telemachus. He's reaffirming to Ody that they'll die; almost like he's finishing Ody's sentence "I have to see her". Odysseus couldn't say it, but Eurylochus could since he'd known they'd died for so long already. In the live stream animatic, the crew attempting to kill Odysseus near the end of "Thunder Bringer" isn't them trying to escape their fate, but trying to bring Ody down with them so Ody won't get his choice. They've long accepted the fact that Ody isn't to be trusted and they all are going to die, but Ody is, for lack of a better word I can think of, cheating in the crew's eyes by having an out thanks to Zeus. In their view of fairness, they all have to die if they aren't getting home. It's a last attempt at a mutiny. It fails because that's not how Zeus wants his game to work, and he gets his will.

They are all puppets of the fate the gods have chosen, whether that fate benefits them or not.

(The only "exception" to the "Will of the gods" rule so far is Ody and the baby, since Jay has said it's "ambiguous" whether or not the baby is spared. If not exactly by being dropped, I'm sure he'd die some other way honestly because the gods want that. It'll probably come up again in a later saga—"ambiguous" is too cryptic of a word to use when everyone assumed he died in the first saga)

This is all just my take, by the way, no one has to agree with me.

[lavathein]

Why is Sylvie angry?

I want to elaborate on this point a little bit, as some people either don't quite understand or are a confused by the plot.

Read more about the relationship between Sylvie and Loki here: sylki meta

"TVA is in danger"

If TVA is in danger, then literally EVERYTHING is in danger. TVA cannot be destroyed or simply abandoned, because the Multiverse will begin to self-destruct. Time Loom is overloaded with too many branches. Previously, they were simply cut off, but now everyone finally understands that this is wrong and we need to find another way.

By the way, it is very interesting that the organisation that used to destroy everything can now become the biggest defender.

Loki Time Slipping to the future and saw that the situation is getting worse, there is complete Chaos in TVA, the Loom is overloaded, and the Evacuation is taking place.

They have very little time to deal with this problem. Loki is interested in this, because if this is not done, then everything, everyone will come to an end.

Sylvie did not see all this and does not even imagine that such consequences could be. She had a terrible life to live and TVA was to blame. From her point of view, it was just a terrible organisation that had a dictator and he was the only one to blame for all the problems.

She killed HWR and dismissed Timeline. It's really free will, so everyone can do whatever they want, she can do whatever she wants. Has she been living on Timeline for a while and is everything okay? Yeah. Nothing terrible is happening. (The time difference from TVA makes itself felt)

And then Loki appears. Their last meeting was difficult, neither of them understands why, each of them made this choice. They also have a time difference. Let me remind you that Sylvie does not know what happened at TVA and she cannot know what happened to Loki. They are both confused.

But she agrees to talk. The conversation is not going well. Sylvie concludes that Loki is worried about the TVA. This immediately creates a barrier between them because she had been hoping that the TVA was a thing of the past, that it was all behind them. However, it turns out that it's not, and this fear and threat are still present.

Loki focuses on TVA because he was pushed away. It's always easier for him to avoid a difficult topic, and the TVA problem is a real threat and he can't ignore it either.

Sylvie does not back down as soon as she learns that the branches are going to be pruned. She helps and even takes the step to come to TVA. She's seen Loki and Mobius stop these Minutemens, so that gives her a little bit of confidence… BUT! It was a failure and many branches were pruned. She is very hurt by this and angry that what she fought against is coming back.

Again, she does not see the danger that Loki was about to tell her about. She has just witnessed the TVA doing what they have always done. This cannot inspire confidence or a desire to be in this place.

But this situation does not give her peace of mind. So she takes another step.

I think she was following Ravonna, because she heard in the final ep2 that they were searching for her. Again, let me remind you that Sylvie does not know that Ravonna is not an ally at the moment.

When she finds Victor Timeley, she sees that Loki is going to take him to TVA. She interprets this in her own way and becomes very angry.

From her point of view, the situation is as follows: Ravonna, Loki, and Mobius are working together. That is, she thinks they have a plan and want to bring He Who Remains back to TVA. She is very annoyed by this, she does not understand what is happening at all. Loki tries to explain, but using "TVA is in danger" only makes her angrier.

Let me remind you that even Loki was not happy with the idea of taking Viktor to TVA, but he understands that there is No Choice.

When Sylvie accuses Loki of collaborating with Ravonna, Loki looks very confused and says openly that isn`t the case. Sylvie thinks about it.

I also note the fact that none of them attack each other. Loki shields Victor because he believes that Sylvie will not harm him (Loki) - and he is right, she doesn't.

But no one will back down, so you have to get out of this situation, but she doesn't like to do it and it's clearly visible:

Later, she finds everyone. She overhears their entire dialogue and finally realises that Ravonna is not an ally. Mobius also tells her that Victor needed at TVA because It`s in danger. She uses magic in time to rescue the situation.

She doesn't kill Viktor. Loki did not interfere at this point and trusted her to decide for herself. Let me remind you that a lot depends on it now, but he still makes no attempt to stop her.

These are the first steps towards trust and understanding of each other's actions. But it's a very good example of what happens when, instead of talking, people start to get angry or silent. This leads to complete misunderstanding and hurt.

This is a very real and live conflict. They could have avoided a lot of this if they had talked, but there are many things that get in the way, and the global threat is taking over.

They are growing, and I like that. I love watching deep stories. The characters have to have a path to reach some purpose, to learn about yourself.

[bhaalble]

Sorry I keep posting about this but I really can't get over how there was a missed opportunity in not giving Gortash and Wyll more of an interpersonal relationship. We know Ulder didn't have a very high opinion of him but I do think depending on how Gortash was playing his cards his ideas might've held some initial intrigue for a younger version of Wyll Ravengard. Gortash has a tendency to position himself as a man of the people, reinvested in the safety of every day Baldurians. There's a way where he could even posture himself as an alternative to the Flaming Fist and their (mostly deserved) reputation for only protecting the patriars. I think at a glance that idea would catch Wyll's interest, considering his start as the Blade of Frontiers was largely about protecting those who no one else bothered to protect.

There's also Gortash's status as an outsider, something that I think would directly connect him to Ulder in Wyll's mind. Two men born outside the nobility, who unlike most of the politicians they work alongside had to work for every drop of status they got. Wyll left Baldur's Gate before Gortash's political career took off properly and he was allowed to be a little more open about his explicitly fascist politics. I think giving him some lingering fondness/reflexive defensiveness of Gortash could've made for some extremely interesting Act 2 and 3 conflict with him and Karlach. I don't think he'd be extremely defensive about it to her face, he'd be of course horrified what was done to her. But imagine him privately confiding in the player that he knows how easy it is to get in over one's head with devils. Is it not just as possible that he made a deal, like Wyll, with the best of intentions and, like Wyll, that deal had devastating consequences? It may be too early yet to cast judgement when he's not around to defend himself.

And then. You know. You find his dad under Moonrise and it becomes pretty clear.

I think it could really be another avenue through which to examine Wyll's personal connection to the city, especially the city's nobility. By Act 3 he is of course fully with Karlach on the stomp this fucker train. But there's a new weight now to the interactions with Gortash where he's present. Gortash is at first full politician trying to win him over. Wyll, you know how difficult your father can be, I don't WANT to tadpole him but you've seen for yourself how easily he can tunnel vision on his views of right and wrong. Baldur's Gate faces unprecedented problems, is it so unlikely that we need unprecedented solutions? Depending on player choices I can even see him leveraging his history with devils (and escaping them) to offer Wyll some alternative means to get out of his contract. Perhaps even reverse or cover up what Mizora's done to him appearance wise. The chance to be welcomed back into Baldur's Gate as its pride and joy, fully human, with a father finally happy to embrace you and a city in desperate need of heroes. All you have to do is swallow down the fact that it'll be premised on a lie.

I think it'd be a good way to bring forward the conflict of Wyll's act one personal quest, both by reiterating the conflict between Wyll and Karlach. And also by doubling down on the question that quests introduce. What will win out: your fear of the devil and your desire to buy into your own image as slayer of dragons killer of demons (and the heartless)? Or your own innate goodness and desire to do the right thing, even at extremely high costs?

[peonarcya]

I think the biggest problem with "Velma" is that it doesn't feel like the show belongs to "Scooby-Doo" franchise.

Let me (try to) explain.

"Scooby-Doo" always was a light detective for kids with fun characters and interesting plot, but, of course, without anything drastic. So, when you imagine a "Scooby-Doo" cartoon for adults, you want to get similar plot with the same characters, whose personalities don't change. You want to see the same story, but with more mature additions.

For example, it would be great to see character developments that we haven't seen before. Imagine if "Scooby-Doo" characters face some internal problems and insecurities, some hard choices that come with serious consequences. They have to deal not only with crime problems, but their own too. For example, what if someone from Scooby gang is accidentally involved in crime and has to hide it from their friends. What if someone feels responsible for that crime. What if something happens that they can't trust each other. There are so many possibilities.

Also the detective line should change too. It should break the pattern. More complicated plot, more mysteries, more dilemmas, more plot twists. Real murders, for example, or real horrors. "Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island" is very close to what I'm talking about.

But what can we say about "Velma"? Well, it contains lots of typical "adult" jokes... Cringy dialogues that are written by how-do-you-do-fellow-kids screenwriters... Also we have stereotypical adult-cartoonish teenage characters, who are always mean and sarcastic and basically lose their original personalities. Daphne is a bitch, Fred is a rich asshole, Shaggy is a "beta male", and Velma herself is... well, definitely not quite charming nerd you expect her to be. And Scooby-Doo is absent. Detective line could be interesting, but the pacing is already horrible.

If you look at it, "Velma" is a typical adult animated sitcom. I can even say that it isn't about Scooby-Doo gang at all. The creators just decided to insert the main characters from "Scooby-Doo", so the show will get a lot of hype. But in reality it's just original characters who don't have anything in common with "Scooby-Doo" characters.

Some might say that this is a parody show, but, well... "Scooby-Doo" doesn't really fit for parody cartoon, especially with such tasteless jokes, weak plot and annoying characters.

[spork-supremacy]

Thunder bringer

Okay so I like Epic the Musical and when listening to the Thunder saga when it came out, and when listening to Thunder Bringer I thought "Hehe, this could so be a Ras convincing Jay thing," mind you this was pre-DRs2-Pt2 leaks so no actual spoiler just a kinda verbal animatic I made through ✨notation✨, less of an actual analysis.

“Pride is a damsel in distress

Hiding away where only I can undress her

Try all she can not to confess in the end

It's all the same once I

Apply all the pressure”

(in context this line is zeus mocking odysseus so of course he’s comparing pride to a ‘helpless woman’) 

In my context pretty much the same thing but it’s Ras mocking Jay in front of the other administration agents

Just imaging him circling Jay as he tries to intimidate him

“Thunder, bring her through the wringer

Show her I'm the judgement call

The one who makes her kingdom fall”

I’m thinking Ras sicks Jordana and Cinder, and the other wolf warriors on the agents and kinda forces Jay’s hand into revealing his power

Also the ‘her’ quickly changes from meaning pride to referring to both it and jay real quickly

“Lightning, wield her, use and yield her

Show her what she can't conceal

For true nature will be revealed”

Continuation of above thought

Tries to convince Jay to join through showing how he could gain by showing the respect/fear he could earn from others

“Tell me, Odysseus

If I were to make you choose

The lives of your men and crew or your own

Why do I think they'd lose?”

Jay doesn’t give two shits about his job and probably doesn’t like most of the agents, finding them annoying or incompetent, but they are all he has so he can’t admit it.

“Enlighten me, King of Ithaca

Since hunger was far too great

I wonder who'd take the weight of the damned

And suffer a gruesome fate to the

Thunder Bringer, here to ring your

Ears until your deaf with fear and

Spear you while your death is near

Lighting wielder, here to yield your

Time for you have passed your prime

Sublime you for your act of crime”

(these last lines are about eating divine cows and getting punished for it, consequences yay)

Once again more battle scenes as jay slowly losing control of his power as he had been repressing it before.

There could be a good chance the administration or just Jay, betrayed the wolf clan or cheated them in some deal so this could be punishment.

[ZEUS, spoken](Ras stand in)

Choose

[ODYSSEUS, spoken](Jay stand in)

Choose?

[ZEUS]

“Someone's got to die today

And you have got the final say

You?

Or your crew?”

[ODYSSEUS]

“Please don't make me do this

Don't make me do this”

-Jay still has a conscience and prefers most consequences of his actions being more of an indirect result.

[SOLDIERS, Penelope]

“When does a comet become a meteor?

When does a candle become a blaze?”

“ (I can take the suffering from you)”-Penelope bit

“When does a man become a monster?

When does a ripple become a tidal wave?

When does the reason become the blame?

 (Let me take the suffering from...)

When does a man become a monster?”

-Just imagining all the agents behind him are murmuring about the choice he will make, they slowly are starting to understand though, that they are not surviving this and they slowly start to compare him to a monster

- Also as he deliberates there is just a faceless voice (Nya, of course it’s Nya, granted a vague memory/ idea) calling out to him to chose the selfish option because it will lead to less personal suffering.

[EURYLOCHUS](literally can be any known agent, maybe Prentiss because he works directly under Jay)

“Captain?”

[ODYSSEUS]

“I have to see her”

[EURYLOCHUS]

“But we'll die”

[ODYSSEUS]

“I know”

Jay probably was found with his Yin pendant and later researched the meaning of it, or was told it by another person in the administration from Ninjago. So that plus not caring much for his coworkers, probably means he’d rather risk them for one person who may actually like/love him.

This I think is weirdly consistent with early show Jay at least, selfish mf 

He also just needs to know who he is engaged to.

also the guy touches Jay's shoulder and pretty much gets immediately electrocuted after he says "I know"

“Thunder, bring her through the wringer

Show I'm the judgement call

The one who makes her kingdom fall

Lightning, wield her, use and yield her”

Here Ras makes Jay kill his agents by himself to further prove that he has switched sides and because it could be a nicely emotional shot as he leaves everything he’s ever known behind.

“Show her what she can't conceal

For true nature will

 be revealed”

Maybe a good close up on Jay’s face as his regret and fear slowly turns into him enjoying the thrill and buzz he receives from electrocuting everyone and finally being free of his personal hell.

I also imaging an electromagnetic field growing around him and engulfing everyone into a kind of electrical storm it creates.

Bonus idea i thought of when we only had the first snippet of song:

“Lightning, wield her, use and yield her

Show her what she can't conceal

For true nature will be revealed”

This little section taken out of context

I just think it would be funny if over this showed a Jay vs Nya fight in the tournament and once she figures out who she’s fighting, and he kinda picks up that she is starting to hold back more. Dude probably thinks she’s into him and doesn’t want to wreck his ‘pretty face’, so he tries to seduce her. Like, mid-fight. It kinda works.