#and i want to be proven wrong btw i want to know that sense of community can still exist

[akitossohma]

heyy i love love love your post about lg’s morals you truly read the tea leaves with that one!!! i do disagree with what you said about lg being amoral tho i feel amoral suggests he isn’t aware of morals but he definitely is, and u did point that out in your post! no hate at all btw

hi!! thank you for your kind words :3. i believe you are referring to this post

this got very long and accidentally turned into a whole meta on lu guang and vein lmaoo. answer under the cut:

yeah honestly in retrospect i do feel that my use of the word "amoral" was a bit clumsy lol. this post is nearly a year old so it's hard to recall specifics but i think at the time i failed to consider the full definition of the word, which is not only a disregard for morals but also a lack of moral sense to begin with. and like you said, my own posts contradict that, as lg is shown to be well aware of the moral code. i also was trying to use it as like, a middle ground i guess? between moral and immoral. like my "at best" addition was me trying to be generous, but upon reflection that's sort of a false dichotomy.

for some context, the post you are referencing got posted to twitter (something i didn't know until ppl told me) and was lowkey a hit tweet (a bit scary ngl), and while most people agreed, a small handful Did Not Like it haha

interestingly, a couple of the tweets disagreeing did focus heavily on both the "amoral" thing and me saying lg wasn't a morally grey anti hero. bc i don't want to debate on twitter, i'm gonna take advantage of this ask to explain myself further hehe

DISCLAIMER: what follows is my current perspective and analysis based on available information. i understand everything i have said already and will continue to say going forward could be proven wrong in future seasons.

the main criticism i saw (again this was only like, three people, but still) was that i "disagreed with him being a morally grey anti hero but then proceeded to describe just that". i do understand why this was some people's take away bc the terms "morally grey" and "antihero" have kind of been blurred over the years. since i am by no means the final word on how these terms are to be used, all i can do is provide my understanding of the terms:

morally grey = a character whose actions are morally ambiguous

antihero = a character whose actions/traits are often questionable, but who, at the end of the day, can still be classified as a hero rather than a villain

based on my understanding of the terms (which does seem to coincide with formal definitions), lu guang would not be morally grey as i feel his actions are explicitly immoral (immoral = when the character's actions are definitively wrong and violate a pre-established moral code - i touch on this more in this post) and he would not be an antihero as i feel he cannot be classified as heroic in the grand scheme of things. yes he is complex, yes he is sympathetic, yes he has a capacity for kindness/selflessness and is largely motivated by love, but none of those things make him an antihero. if that were the case, any well written villain would be a antihero haha.

there's a whole other added layer of complexity here because lg is a) not the antagonist and b) not the story villain. for the sake of this argument, the "story villain" is defined as the individual who is the villain only in framing, whereas the "real villain" is defined as the individual who is unequivocally in the wrong by real-world moral standards. the same differentiator can be applied to heroes. so when i say lg cannot be considered heroic, that is what i am referring to. furthermore, vein and liu xiao, who appear to be working together, are currently both the antagonists and the story villains, but that is mostly due to us being anchored in lg's perspective. we don't know much about their motives/goals other than a) they want to maintain the timeline ("make the uncertain, certain") and b) they want csx dead. we of course root against them because csx is the hero & protagonist of our story, and bc they have proven to have very questionable morals themselves. however, based on the information currently available, i’d argue that it's possible to interpret them as very morally grey antiheroes in the grand scheme of things. we already know that they are working against lg because lg has disrupted the timeline and compromised the "certainty" liu xiao mentions. they will (most likely) always be the antagonists, but it would not take much reframing for them to no longer be strictly villains, if that makes any sense. ProWritingAid puts this distinction very succinctly: "A story's villain is always an antagonist, but not every antagonist needs to be a villain." imo the only "hero" this story has is csx, and i have a feeling he will remain that way, though like all things i've said, this could change.

and that leads me to my final point. i am well aware that the show initially frames lg as a hero and hasn’t fully positioned him as a villain yet. however, in my opinion, the ending of bridon arc marked a shift in how he is being framed within the narrative. i want to make it clear my posts have been less about the show's current framing and more about analyzing the ethics of lu guang's actions through an objective, real-world lens. and playing around with some reframing hypotheticals of course. this is something that unfortunately got lost along the way.

anyways, i don't mind it if people disagree or have additional perspectives, but some of the critiques felt like they were missing the point in one way or another. and some of them were straight up rude. sorry for this whole essay, i hope you don't mind!

[aggressionbread]

ok i feel like the thing about dashcon 2 is that the camaraderie just wouldn't be there anymore. the community's changed so much over the last 10 years and i think the thing that made dashcon what it was, was the community and willingness to band together? and the website just isn't that anymore

[thelesbianthespianposts]

Rachel Berenson is on the Villains Wiki and I’m mad

so I’m gonna go through this bullshit page and show how bullshit it is

Starting off, they call her an anti-heroine.

first off, I think that definition isn’t great, but also, Rachel has a LOT of heroic attributes. She’s brave, she’s strong, she clearly loves her friends, she’s determined, she’s loyal and she shows regret for her less heroic actions. Plus, in the more literal definition of anti-hero, (a character who works against the protagonist but isn’t the antagonist), she IS a protagonist. She never works against the animorphs except when she was cut in half and one half was all of her strength with none of her inhibition.

They call her a monster??? She’s a child. And while it’s true the war affected her psychologically, it did that to everyone else too. If you want a character that turned into a cruel irrational monster, look no further than her first cousin, Jake.

Like this is much worse than what Rachel has going on. (Not saying Jake is a villain btw I’m just calling out the hypocrisy).

The entry tries to characterize Rachel as some remorseless killing machine when it’s just not true. She constantly thinks about her actions. Honestly this page reads like she wrote it about herself because it lists all her insecurities as fact.

This is when she gets put back together, she has to come to terms with the fact that she is not pure killing machine, but not completely innocent either. And she’s scared!

This is my favorite Rachel introspection. The idea that she finds comfort in her hubris because it means she’s not alone is so important. She clearly hates herself for enjoying the fighting, but seeing that people throughout history also dealt with that makes her feel more human.

(Wrong use of whom, left out a was, terrible run on sentence)

(Before she dying?? Girl) But anyway, this blatant misrepresentation of Rachel’s conversation with the Ellimist is wild. It frames the conversation as if Rachel was mauled and the Ellimist came in to call her a mistake. That’s not what happens. He does say he never intended Rachel to be an animorph, but she had proven herself invaluable to the team. Then, he tells her something that invalidates this whole page, I’m guessing why they didn’t mention it.

“You were brave. You were strong. You were good.” It serves as a moment of relief, making Rachel know that her insecurities were wrong and that she was a good person, despite her actions. She dies with that knowledge, providing her with a sense of closure that’s really good narratively, and brought tears to my eyes.

Marco, albeit reluctant originally, enjoyed the war. Jake towards the end of the series definitely enjoyed escalating the war. Ax, with his authoritarian propaganda against yeerks ingrained in his mind enjoyed the war and even suggested using harsher tactics on yeerks several times. Rachel did enjoy fighting, yes, but it was always a topic for her self reflection. Her love for fighting was her big flaw she had to work through narratively. It makes no sense to use that as justification to call her a villain.

Anyway- have some of my favorite Rachel moments I didn’t already include

Her awesome shopping logic- she would never call it “girl math”

Love her aside about Cassie and Jake bc we know Cassie was insecure and thought Jake wouldn’t like her bc she’s Black, so it’s nice to see her defending it even to Tobias.

On that topic, I love this interaction. (Obvi the kind of dated “colorblind” thing isn’t great now but it’s the 90s so it’s how they would talk about it) but Rachel is so quick to assure Cassie that her fears are unfounded, but in a nice and comforting way that doesn’t invalidate Cassie’s feelings.

Just some funnies

[brokencages]

explaining my bpd neji headcanon

this started out as a self projecting hc for a modern au and then it spiraled and now i have a lot to say! sorry if it's incoherent and rambly that is simply who i am.

he displays a lot of symptoms common in (though not exclusive to) bpd. a pattern of unstable relationships, an unstable sense of self/identity issues, trouble managing anger, black and white thinking, fear of abandoment, self harming or suicidal behaviors etc.

first off is his black and white worldview in part 1. he believed in predetirmined fate and that you could do nothing to change it. he uses very extreme words, which i highlighted below, like never, always, unchangable, inevitable, useless, etc. all leaving no room for grey areas or other possibilities, even if deep down he doesn't believe it completely.

he cares for hinata but due to his views and his anger against the upper branch, it 'outweighs'/overshadows the good and he lashes out against her, this is reminiscant of splitting to me. the times we see him lashing out at her violently that had to be stopped by others were impulsive also, split seconds brusts of anger.

he has very little sense of self. from philosophy of fate being predetermined and unchanging, growing up in the lower branch being told his purpose is to protect hinata, and this scene:

it makes sense, it doesn't matter who he is or how he sees himself, since that never spared him or his father. he clings to the label of prodigy, which reminds me of when i struggle with my own sense of self, i latch onto a certain way i'm percieved or a character (cough cough neji).

his role is a genius and he will fulfill that, his role is in the lower branch and he will not escape that, and naruto's role is to lose, and he will not escape that. except when naruto didn't lose and that shattered his whole worldview.

when he previously devalued naruto, hinata, and lee for being weak and trying to defy fate, he was not only called out for doing the same (yk his projection/hypocrisy), but proven wrong, which led him to deeply respecting and idealizing naruto, swinging between the two extremes.

abandonment issues are kind of harder since they're not really shown, but the trauma lf losing his dad very likely resulted in that. so. and something that could be connected to it also is how he feels about weakness:

he's strong, and he's valued because of it. with what he said about how you must live in the boundaries of the judgements set by others and how he avoids being seen as weak, that could him not wanting to be abandoned if he's ever seen that way or if he goes beyond the boundaries of what others see.

during the kidomaru fight he also goes to great lengths to win, which yk happens in all the fights, but he also brings up how he can't lose BECAUSE he's a genius. he was fighting for his friends and naruto (and sasuke... sasuneji sneak...) but i think it's interesting how he still brings this up.

(btw i love the kidomaru fight so much btw it's one of my favourite fights because of neji's development and the scenes where his hair is all loose and when the bird flies overhead and the feather lands in his hand)

now onto self harming or suicidal behaviors! as far as i know it's a common sentiment that his death was suicide, and i agree. while it was to protect hinata and naruto you can't tell me he wasn't atleast a little suicidal T_T he believes that the only fate we share is death, and knows the only way to be rid of the caged bird seal is to die, that's a pretty easy road to suicidal ideation and one i personally relate to. with my chronic illness and mental health issues, i'd only be rid of them if i died, which did lead me to being suicidal and actually attempting.

okay i dont know how to end this but i think those are my big major points. looking at the diagnostic criteria for bpd he hits most. stress related paranoia or loss of contact with reality/dissociation is just an easy headcanon even if its not shown in canon.

okay bye ty for reading 🤍🤍🤍

[criminal-sen]

Hello!! Going back to that post about being ok with people asking you about your fic... can I? 🙏 I'm gonna 🫣

So when I first found Imperfect, I hadn't watched Bleach in... dunno... 10-15 years?? Gawd don't wanna think about it. So, I'd forgotten a lot of stuff, and I hadn't finished the last 3-4 seasons. So I thought a lot of stuff you wrote about was canon, and when I rewatched it all for the upcoming 3rd part of tybw, I was like... so when are you guys gonna mention this??

But anyway, focusing on the actual question, how did you come up with all the little details about Mayuri? Like the way he talks to AJ in their own internal world, the microdosing of Super Human drug in daily life and they way it feels, the ability to smell pheromones... it makes the story, which is already awesome, much more realistic to me. It's almost like he wrote it himself, it's so, so enjoyable. Love it sm, you already know 😊

Anyway, no pressure to answer, just been thinking about it for a while and thought I'd chance it!

Aw that's so cool u mistook my stuff for canon, I feel like it's Highest Honor for ff to be believable enough to trick someone>:3c Tho I'm sure it was kinda frustrating too, sorry for that haha (and I've also been fooled so I very much understand the feeling)

Future Sen here: when I say I'm long-winded, this is what I'm talking about. This is like.. the textbook definition of Verbose. So under a cut it goes, have fun with soooooo many words:D

Hmm so the microdosing Superhuman Drug just popped into my head right before I wrote it in (chapter... 5? I think? Where he's sitting in the hotel after a flashback), I think I was having a bit of a conundrum on how he could sit there and have such a long and detailed flashback in such a short time? And before I could do the obvious fix of having more time pass, as literally nothing was at stake time-wise, I remembered the Superhuman Drug exists. And the more I thought about it, the more sense it made for him to use it, to the point where I choose believe it's canon unless proven otherwise XD Like you can't tell me someone whose whole thing is Thinking wouldn't jump at the opportunity to do more of it in less time. As for the way it feels, hmmm idk, I just thought real hard and made it up. All we know from canon is what he explained to Szayel, and what Szayel experienced, which is just. Brain thinks faster, making time feel as though it's passing slower. And od'ing on it is Real Bad💀

Hheeeehooo What Next>:3 (btw im having a blast rn, ty for giving me a free pass to be sooooo long winded about this very niche thing XD) Right, Jizo communication here we go>:33333 So him talking to Jizo was based on what I read in a wiki about the Zanpakuto... rebellion arc? I think it's called (could definitely be wrong)? Where everyone's zanpakuto spirit is running amok? I just remember reading he didn't speak. And though I have mixed feels about the design (hence he is Moth in my fic XD), him not speaking really made sense to me. He just seems like such a fucked up little guy🤔 Like.. okay so I've mentioned this briefly in a chapter preface but want to elaborate... so I strongly believe he consents to being modified, cuz even Mayuri would probably have a hard time wielding a zanpakuto that fucking hates him. Which means he's loyal (arguably to a fault) and trusts Mayuri to do very fucked up and painful things to him. Which, to be fair, Mayuri does equally painful and fucked up things to his own body.. and that makes me wonder if Jizo isnt merely consenting but is of the same mind about this fuckery? Like idk if I can even say this in a way that makes sense🤦‍♂️ but I like to think they share this no-holds-barred, nothing-is-sacred delight for experimenting on themselves. Like Jizo is also a mad scientist in all but name>:3 (I decided on this version bc it Fucks Severly imho, but also bc it's FAR less depressing than the overly-trusting, Stockholm syndrome one, like i cannot deal with writing something that sad tbfh) Anyway, regardless of which version, he is an intensely weird Creachure. And I just can't fathom him saying fucking.. anything... that would even remotely make sense to anyone but Mayuri??? And the telepathy thing just fits Mayuri's whole.. fast thinking, Big Brain vibe. If a zanpakuto were to impart information to him through words, I can see him tapping his foot like GET TO THE POINT>:(

Lastly, the pheromone thing.. haha well this one's pretty short (future Sen here, i am a liar! It is not short😬) - I borrowed it from another ff. It's that one I mentioned at the end of.. who knows which chapter... Quantum Mechanics by Illegitimi (no link, sorry, might put one after i post)... which was Mayuri/Isane, and which I loved So Much back in the day, despite hetero romance being kind of a fuckin.. icky vibe for me in regards to Mayuri. No problem with it fyi, just usually wouldn't choose to read about it. Ugh I'm talking too much about it already but I have changed a LOT since.. 2016? Give or take? And I don't think I could stand it nowadays for a whole bunch of reasons. But. BUT. It was very well written and had some very cool hcs for him that I've clung onto. The pheromone one just fits him - if he could sharpen his ability to sense something, ofc he'd do it - plus it's very fun for romance and smut reasons, which is undoubtedly why the author thought of it. They also had that scar across his nose, though iirc it was kinda squiggly and not the upside down V that I made up. In my defense though, there's a lot I didn't borrow from that fic, too. Some highlights: Mayuri practiced feng-shui (like he'd spend his precious Sciencing time to do smth like that smh) he had these absolutely luxurious captains quarters, complete with a whole fancy bathhouse, like there was a waterfall and shit nsvdhshdv (I'll admit this was quite fun in the ff but i obviously interpret his quarters a lot differently)... and, last one I mention I promise😬 his paint rubbed off easily, big reason why I changed it tbfh cuz it immediately didn't make sense to me, like his hands especially? Is that different paint than the rubbing off paint? Or does he leave paint on every surface he touches, and discreetly wipe it up and reapply before anyone notices???? Expmain yourself, ff writer��� jk jk it was really good for what it was, and I still very much appreciate it for helping me form my version<3

Omfg I really... shit what time is it😭 (over an hour, I've been sitting here for over an HOUR jesus fucking.. goddamn) Okay well I don't get to blab v often about this stuff, and it turns out I have a LOT of words in me today! So it was a perfect storm😩 Well I hope this was enlightening, thanks sm for the ask, it was a very fun hour lol. And sorry for the uhhh. the amount of words:p

[yuseirra]

I went out for a walk and it helped me organize my thoughts, let me be bold about my theories/assumptions because I CAN and it's a now or never thing till it's proven wrong. But when I write these, I am confident to a degree. I get worried later, but I feel sure when I write them.

I believe Kamiki lied to Aqua to save him the pain of feeling sorry for him, the way Ai was very harsh when she left him.

Also, I believe Ai picked the right guy to love. This guy has a really tender soul. Or at least used to be, I think. He's very gentle in nature. Uh huh, he'd have been really good with their kids if he had the chance to raise them, him and Ai would have made a sweet family the way Ai pictured it to be. This guy's polite and sweet. Let me explain, okay?

I looked back at those segments in 154 when there's a flashback of Ai leaving Kamiki and Kamiki talking about Ryosuke, and the way things are laid out looks really similar to each other. I'd say it actually looks like parallels to each other. The sides of their faces appearing(and we don't see their eyes) and then their backs turned at the viewer. When expressions are concealed like these, you can't read what the characters are actually feeling. And this comic has really powerful expressions that are very on point and let the reader "understand" and feel what the characters are going through.

that entire page where Kamiki talks to Aqua about having wanted to scare Ai? I think 80% of it would be all lies. The only part that I believe is the actual truth would be that he did give Ryosuke the address and he didn't know that he'd kill her, but that's probably something that's slipped out by mistake. The explanation he brings up for having done such an action is utterly ridiculous and dumb. There are so many ways to "make someone despair", and needless to mention that it's so wrong and terrible to do, its also not something that's guaranteed to work, nor is it practical in the first place. It's an action that has really low probability to achieve the said desirable effect. That's why I keep making speculations about this, it does not make sense. I bet most of the fandom would have felt the same way about what he's said as well, saying stuff like: "How could he have never seen it coming?" Yeah, right?? I think he isn't responsible for this happening to begin with. Any person with a sane mind would feel this way, and he doesn't seem that insane. I think Nino could be irrational to some extent but not this guy!!! That's why I'm convinced that it wasn't this guy who could have done this, but Nino after she's been thrown into the picture.

Kamiki would know what he's saying doesn't make quite a lot of sense himself. He's a fully-grown adult!! Over 30 now, and he should know enough to realize what he's talking about. He's just trying to push through because he's been used to lying for other people's behalf and he's pretty confident that he can fool people, the way he used to be ever since he was so little.

What he's saying is just a flat-out lie to save his son from feeling the slightest amount of guilt for having to socially kill his own dad. I think so. Him and Ai are a liar couple. Ai lied and made it really harsh, I think, in order to save her boyfriend from feeling too terrible about the breakup, she wanted him to hate her for it and move on from her quickly and save himself. What Kamiki's doing here's similar. He doesn't want someone he cares about (he does care about his children btw, gonna discuss about this later) to have any remorse or concern over him. He'd feel better if his children just plain wants him dead, that's his way of loving them, the way Ai was for him.

Aqua's reaction towards Kamiki's ridiculous claim is so blank and unmoved, he should have been ANGRY, grabbed him by the collar, scold him, make inquiries, but Aqua just moves on to ask if Kamiki believed Ai's words. And then we see Kamiki's face with eyes, in acceptance, saying he did, continuing to say "everything Ai's said is the norm." That's a totally different approach to the claims he's made earlier, it contradicts it, because just a second ago he claims he wanted to have Ai feel the same despair as him and scare her for having claimed she can't love him, but then, he says what she's said (the fact that she can't love him) is understandable and right. Those two reactions, I believe, can't be simultaneously established at the same time. What he says later is how he truly feels about the situation. He just plain accepted that he was never loved. It wasn't something so surprising for him.

I said this in another post yesterday but he's as much as a liar as Ai is, they both constantly smile to pretend they're all right.

That smile he floats is consistent through the entire time he's shown in the story and the only times it breaks is when it has to do with Ai and when she sees him through. And it starts to break the moment he sees her talking about him. Every expression he makes when he sees Ai in the video are his true feelings. His smiles, on the other hand, are his coping mechanism and are all masks.

If you see his behavior patterns, Kamiki smiles when he's in distress, that's his way of coping when something he can't fully comprehend happens. He cries as he smiles as he seeked for Ai's help in a flashback in 153, and he tries to float a smile when Ai says she's going to leave him. And the way he responds to these tough situations, when he faces them, are... soft. He tries to calm himself down and inquires Ai "Why.. is that so?" and his reactions after that too.. are very far from aggressive. He was always far from being so during the times we actually see him do things.

I don't know how his way of speech is in Japanese, but I have a feeling he'd be the type that speaks in a very polite way. When him and Ai meet for the first time, I think he used honorifics to her and attached a -san to her name? He was pretty polite when he talks to Yura, too, and I mentioned this once but he EVEN ADDS A -KUN AND -SAN TO TRASH LIKE RYOSUKE AND AN ABUSER LIKE AIRI. The guy killed the love of his life and the woman.. I don't even want to bring up what she did to him, he has all the right to show signs of bitter hatred towards them, but.. he doesn't... This attitude of his is also consistent of how he was as a child. As a little boy, he was mistreated but he tried to endure it thinking 'but they're happy'. I don't think that part about him has changed so much. He finds it really hard to hate on people, even when it can be justified. That's why, I don't think he would have harnessed any hatred towards Ai. He didn't even do that to Ryosuke and Airi!!! They're terrible people!!! If he can't do that to those scumbags of individuals, would he to Ai?? Would he?? There are people who are selfish and are strong towards the weak and weak towards the strong but I don't think that would apply to his case. Nope, I don't think Kamiki originally has it in him to harm ANYONE at all.

I wholeheartedly see why Ai really wanted to protect him. He's just so.. vulnerable and maybe even too kind for his own good. Ai has a lot of protective instinct and she's really caring towards others in the ways she could. Seeing a guy like this.. would have really made her wish 'oh, I really want to help him.' AND that's exactly what she does!!! She's even left a message to her kids about this!! Help this guy with me, she says.

Continuing on with the polite and kind bit, this characteristic of him is ACTUALLY THERE in his interactions with his children. He didn't get to be with them, but I think he was happy he got a chance to approach and talk to them, he probably wants to give them their mother back with everything he's got from what I'm guessing. I think he may have just wanted to pet Ruby's head that one time his eye sparkled white and smiled. He could have been a proud dad, he praises his kids every time he meets them, says they're pretty, they made a good movie, congratulates them, says they shine. He understands Aqua's character and pays attention to Ruby when her career soars.

It's similar to how Ai was really proud of her children and wanted to spend more time with them but couldn't. I feel they would have been loving parents if they had raised their children together. It's just as how Ai's pictured it. She knows what kind of guy her boyfriend is. She's the person who'd understand him the most out of anyone, ever in the world and she wanted to be with him while being aware of it. He says he is willing to give his life for her, he STATES that as a quote. So, she did find someone who's pretty good! The guy had sweet nature, is good with kids, also had good looks(she had to mention that as she left lol.. that too is also what hurt him though, she knew exactly which strings to pull to render him speechless), doesn't have that much aggressive tendencies, is polite, a good actor, shares a similar past and could relate really well to her,

he did suffer a lot and that made him a bit insecure but he genuinely loved her and she did too, and if things brightened up a bit.. if he could have been lifted of those burdens he had..they really could have had a future together. The important thing here is that HE is the one she wants. Ai is very serious about love, and she's intelligent, I feel. She figures what's good for her and she gets what she wants. And she wanted to be with him. I don't think her being with him would be concluded as a mistake. There's been so many horrible things that were thrown to the both of them but, they were both essentially good people who found each other and wanted to love. I want the story to end with that sentiment. The more I try to analyze the guy, I feel he may not been that bad... he actually seems to be a pretty tender person inside. If only they could have been happy... idk how, but maybe they can still, you know? Because as they say in the first chapter, this story is fiction, but most fiction has a happy ending. Also, what I could infer from the movie arc when that was brought up again was that "love" isn't fiction. It's something very real that can't be brushed off as fake. Kamiki knows Ai's always loved him now, and he'll try to do something from his end. Love goes both ways and theirs will too, in the very end.

[sgiandubh]

Little sparrow

One tiny thing went, I think, totally under the radar in that morning story that swept the fandom from Paris to Vegas and back.

This (with credit and thanks given to @margareth-lv, who captured the reference in her screenshot: my laptop is not that intelligent):

Famously sung by Edith Piaf, you couldn't imagine something more endearingly cliché, when it comes to immediately suggest being in the City of Love - ooh là, là, Paris (and then some more, as rightfully pointed out by other fandom historians and archivists).

La vie en rose (Life in Pink - nope, you can't be more cheesy, I am afraid) is iconic for a reason. It speaks about attraction (yes, that attraction), about whispering sweet nothings, about giving in but not quite yet. But then everything suddenly makes sense and things are being said and sworn, for life.

This is, in fact, a very serious song about a love covenant of sorts. But then, many French things look damn light, but are dead serious.

I know it by heart, of course, and if drunk enough (almost never) and prompted (almost always), I can deliver a decent version. But for the sake of science, I wanted to hear Emily Watts' version (by now, if you follow my #sundaysounds, you know how impossibly exacting I am).

I imagined it as a clean, nice and pretty version, not unlike what Emily in Paris is to... well.... Sgian-dubh in Paris, for example 🙃. And I wasn't disappointed: it's light, it's unbearably tidy and it totally lacks Little Sparrow's (piaf means 'little sparrow', in French, btw) canaille erotic tension (for a comparison, if you feel brave: https://youtu.be/sKJ9bvdgNvk?si=zPs2H1vTCJm6Ilum):

No terribly plucked eyebrows and no lipstick overdose, here. Everything is impeccable and very, very, tame, in a non-existent Parisian summer afternoon, where the Seine never stinks and all the parks are carefully propped for the right artistic impression. Well, then - must be some random choice, I told to myself.

And then, I saw this:

And, being deranged, I immediately thought of this:

Forget me not.

For all of you who get my gist and perhaps even for Those Two, wherever they might be, I raise you one true Little Sparrow:

And for once, don't ask me to translate the lyrics, please.

This is Paris, fandom. And let it be my mistake and my sin, then, if I am proven wrong (I won't). I don't really care.

[lukolabrainrot]

I know you've put some of your theories out there about A, but does it really make sense to you? And, do you think N could also be in a relationship perhaps?

I just can't reconcile what's happening with L & A with the press tour. And I find it hard to believe that A is a crazy manipulator, when she seems to be fully integrated into L's friend group. Don't get me wrong, his friends don't seem like my cup of tea, but I think some of the fandom has gone a bit far with the negative assumptions made.

I wonder if he's just biding time with her atm, as if they break up it makes this awkward with his close group of friends?

LOVEEEEE this blog BTW

Xx

Thank you for the compliment and glad you are here!!

I will agree that a lot of the negative comments and theories around A have been really uncalled for! And it's never appropriate to go to someone's SM and spew hate. However, with the optics of everything since Papgate, and the more evidence that is coming out (especially this last week), I think it is becoming more clear that she IS a bit of a wild card on a PR level. That doesn't really have anything to do though with how well she integrates with his friend group. I think she does get along really well with R & S (particularly S), and that may possibly add an extra layer of complication for L when/if he wants to unravel from this situation. Lastly, and this is just an observation, but I think some of the adjacent people in L's life (like S/R/A) like to poke the bear, because some people in this particular fandom have proven easy to poke. They WANT a reaction, which I think explains some of their SM activity lately. Which is why I personally choose not to follow them and kind of just ignore them lol. Because at the end of the day, they really have nothing to do with L's skillset and his career.

This might be an opinion that a lot of people don't agree with, but I personally don't think N is in any type of romantic relationship rn. I think that rumor sprouted on SM and was further fueled by the DM narrative about N & JD (which I don't believe at all). I think she's busy with work, hanging out with FRIENDS, and MAYBE casually dating (but we don't really have any concrete proof of that one way or the other). I personally think (and this is just an opinion), that she is just focusing on herself and waiting for L to clean up the mess he made 👀

I still stand by my theories though that I made about A here. I also acknowledge that I 100% believe L/A are still in some type of relationship. I don't think they are in a super happy place though and madly in love. BUT I could also end up being wrong. However, the public optics of everything around L/A the last few months don't signal to me that everything is hunky dory with the two "lovebirds" (and hasn't been for a while I believe) 🤔

[randombrambles]

Okay...going to wade into the Sabezra discussion. May the flying spaghetti monster in sky have mercy on my soul...

I guess you could call me a "causal viewer" because, despite being a life long Star Wars fan, I'd never watched an episode of Rebels before watching Ahsoka. I just never got around to it and I've only watched a handful of eps of The Clone Wars too. But anyway once I started Ahsoka I was like "this show will clearly make more sense if I watch Rebels" so I started. I'm almost done season 3 of Rebels as of writing this post. And really loving Rebels btw. Part of me of like "why didn't I watch this earlier?" but on the other hand I don't have to wait for the next episode and I know the major spoilers already so I'm not going to get the rug yanked out from under me.

So back to Ahsoka and Sabezra...the big questions. Did I see the romance "coding" (not sure I agree "coding" is the right word but whatever, that's semantics) in Ahsoka? Yes. Sabine's actions definitely come across as her being in love with Ezra to me. That said I can also see the platonic angle, especially after having watched some of Rebels, so I'm not going to tell anyone they are wrong for viewing Sabine and Ezra's relationship as platonic. These things are subjective and open to interpretation until anything definitively romantic or definitively not romantic happens on screen. And at this point nothing definitive has happened either way on screen. Nobody has been proven right and nobody has been proven wrong yet. Sabezra is basically schrodinger's cat right now.

Next how did I interpret the "like a sister" line in Ezra's holo. Um...full disclosure the first time I viewed that scene I didn't even register that he'd said she was "like a sister" to him. I'd never even seen Rebels at that point so I didn't know Ezra yet. So as a causal viewer my take away from that scene was Ezra meant a lot to Sabine and Sabine meant a lot to Ezra. And I'd be wiling to bet that that was the takeaway for most causal viewers.

So on rewatch do I think the "like a sister" line means that Ezra truly sees Sabine as a sister? No. On rewatch, paying close attention to the body language, and after having watched some Rebels, I think Ezra is both struggling to find the words to tell Sabine how important she is to him and telling her what he thinks she needs to hear in that moment. The problem is that in English we don't have a word to describe someone isn't technically family but who isn't a lover either but who's also way more than "just" a friend. Sister is the best word Ezra can come up with in that moment but you can tell from his awkward body language and his literal scoff as soon as he says it that its not the right word. And yeah I think Ezra thinks that Sabine sees him as a brother so he tells her what he thinks she wants to hear right before he heads of on what very well could have been a suicide mission.

Do I think Sabezra is going to be made canon on Tuesday's final episode of Ahsoka (of season 1 at least). No, but hold on nobody panic!!! I also don't think that means Sabezra is dead in the water either. And frankly I'm kind of mystified as to why Sabezra shippers seem to think that the next episode is make or break for Sabezra when its clearly not? If there isn't a love declaration or a kiss or both (which is what I'm assuming people would interpret can them being made canon) its not like either Sabine or Ezra are going to marry someone else on Tuesday either. And since much of Ahsoka has been set up, meaning not much is actually going to get resolved in the next ep (Thrawn hasn't even left Perida[?] yet! I fear we are ending on a cliff hanger), we'll be seeing Sabine and Ezra again. There's no rush for them to get together romantically (and I know that's hard to hear for people who've been shipping for years but its true).

And further to the "there's no rush" point I actually have to say I that I think its WAY too soon for anything definitively romantic to happen between Ezra and Sabine yet (and again I get how hard that is for those who've been shipping them for a long time). And I say that as both a "casual viewer" and someone who's also watched a good chunk of Rebels now. For the causal viewer who hasn't watched Rebels, which is probably a big chunk of the audience for Ahsoka, they barely know Sabine, have just met Ezra and have only seen them interacting for ONE episode and don't know any of their history. A kiss or a love declaration would seem out of the blue at this point I think. And as someone who's getting into Rebels I still think its too soon. While I agree that Sabine is very likely in love with Ezra I don't think she's admitted to herself yet (that's why Baylan used the word family when he was getting her to hand over the map thingy imho) no way is she ready to tell HIM. And as for Ezra...dude is clueless that Sabine might might have non platonic feelings for him so no way is he going to risk ruining their friendship by blurting out that he's in love with her. And not only that they've been separated for 10 YEARS ffs. They need to get to know each other again before anything romantic can happen, again imho. I want Sabezra to become canon but I want it done WELL. Sabezra is a friends to lovers ship, they are still firmly in the friends stage right now, it needs to be a sloooooow burn.

And finally do I think Sabezra will become canon? Honestly...I don't know. I'd like it to, it would be really nice to have a non problematic ship, especially after the sequel trilogy robbed us of FinnRey and tried to force freaking r*ylo. But I think Filoni and the other powers that be over at DLF (he is NOT the sole person calling the shots here, keep that in mind everyone) are probably testing the waters right now and waiting to see what the audience reactions are like before they make any decisions. I'd be wiling to bet that by the end of Tuesday's episode the door will be left wide open for pretty much anything to happening shipping wise. So we'll just have to wait and see. Time will tell, it always does.

[depressed-teacup-inc]

At this point, I am literally just trying to see this season to an end

Hi hello, yes I’m late, time to review Revolution! Let’s go because at this point I’m getting tired of this show.

So basically the entire episode is Adrien’s trying to tell Marinette that he’s leaving Paris and trying to stop it, but Marinette doesn’t really listen, and is focused on stopping Chloe, who’s now mayor/dictator??? Yeah trust me the logic of this show is gone, somehow people are ok with the super demonized caricature Chloe being mayor like everyone didn’t hate her already (my guess is that this is supposed to be alluding to the current state of world and politics and lack of trust people hold in the government)? Love the lack of consistency and logic.

Now. I don’t want to criticize Marinette too much, because technically, yes, she was busy trying to handle the Chloe situation (which in itself makes absolutely no sense and by all accounts shouldn’t be possible) but I will note that despite Adrien clearly telling her something was wrong multiple times, she never seems to care or understand? Like he told her multiple times that there’s something wrong, but she never seems to care or do anything about it until it actually affects her (which is unfortunately in character)

But apparently people are criticizing Adrien?! Saying how he’s awful for lying to marinette about having to leave and left it for the last minute? And frankly, the show kinda does it too (in the next episode, many of Adrien’s classmates discuss how awful it is Adrien didn’t say anything and how could he keep this from them like that)

LIKE??? BITCH??? Two points:

1. Adrien’s dad is Gabriel fucking Agreste?!

Like wow what a shocker the child of a man that has proven to abuse and isolate his son on multiple occasions has a fear of asking others for help in his situation because he worries nothing can truly beat this actual billionaire who’s also his legal guardian? And also is implied to have legit magic control powers over him, sentimonster style?

2. This really isn’t that of a big fucking deal

Like I do not get why this show keeps saying how “Adrien lied to marinette!!! He didn’t tell her he’s moving away!!!! How could he!!!” And how literally everyone and their mom is seeing this as an awful situation for marinette, when in actuality, all she knows is that Adrien will now be living a couple of hours away from her (due to the bullet train between Paris and London) and that he won’t literally be with her every second of the day.

Like I get it for a 14 year old yes this might be a huge fucking deal, but Alya even says so herself! Adrien is in London, they’ll just get a couple of tickets for the train and figure it out from their! And even in the worst case scenario where Adrien stays in London, there’s the option of a long distance relationship (that’s just as valid a relationship as any and would be a refreshing take on how not every relationship is super conventional and in person)

I just really don’t understand why the show shows Adrien genuinely going through some horrible shit from his father (like full on white room torture in the episode after) and then all the show focuses on is how this affects marinette and how sad she must be rather then the genuine psychological damage this must be doing for the kid! Like no one in this show remembers the amount of control Gabriel has on Adrien or something.

Anyways rant aside, before the entire going to London thing happens (btw congrats adrienette shippers for the kiss) there’s a whole thing where Chloe makes a deal to be akumatized by Monarch so she can send people to detention (it’s painted as a torture chamber but it’s literally people walking around with a video of Chloe saying they’re ridiculous, so basically P.E. Class), and then there’s a big fight where Ladybug and Chat Noir almost detransform because they used up their lucky charm and cataclysm and are trapped (btw the lucky charm had no fucking point to the story, why was it underwear? Frankly it was kinda creepy if the writers to have panties as the lucky charm for nothing but a weird joke, and not even connecting to the messages of unity and everyone taking action but ok)

But like… they just don’t?! Like I swear to god this show makes no sense anymore, Ladybug and Chat Noir just say they’ll never give up and fully transform and recharge again, and now they have no time limit and full powers?!

Like, the entire principal (just like Gabriel said) of the miraculous time limit, is that Kwamis need to recharge after one use, and that adults can lend some of their energy and power to Kwamis and therefore have them last longer to the point they don’t need to detransform, hence “only adults don’t need to detransform”

But now it’s apparently a purely emotional thing and not physical? Ladybug and Chat Noir somehow grew up by saying they’ll never detransform again (I do not at all see how this is a moment of growth to them) and now they just don’t detransform, despite the fact they are physically still kids?

Like by the shows logic of emotional maturity, Gabriel shouldn’t be able to hold a transformation at all then, because he’s the farthest thing from emotionally mature.

And also, it kinda makes all the stakes in fights now null and void? The biggest stake and challenge in each fight from day one of miraculous was “there’s this bad guy, you guys have one chance to use your special powers to beat them, think smart and solve this puzzle” but now it’s just gone??? It would have worked if the akumas overtime became more intense and hard to beat but clearly that’s not the case as even akumas powered up with actual miraculouses can be beat by a normal ladybug and chat noir.

The best thing the show could have done here is rather then make the becoming adult thing emotional maturity, have Ladybug and Chat Noir notice their transformation seems ti be slowly lasting longer as they age (have it be a metaphor for puberty and growing up or something) and then actually make the fights and villains more difficult and compelling so by the time Ladybug and Chat Noir no longer transform back, the priority isn’t for them to keep their secret identity (which sucks and anyways doesn’t matter) but to stay alive!

But anyways I digress, when has this show ever pulled a logical move?

Which speaking of…

I have no fucking clue what they’re doing with Chloe anymore.

They spent. Entire SEASONS! PLURAL! SEASONS! After the introduction of Audrey Bourgeois, telling us how “no Chloe is irredeemable her actions are never justifiable she’s just evil and bad and she has no other reason for doing anything and she’s so bad she’s cooperating with monarch and Lila look how evil she is hate her so marinette looks better in comparison”

To now… suddenly pulling this scene?!

Like. WHY??? Why would you purposely demonize Chloe despite the very real opportunity she had to get better and be complex, only to now pull a “whoops wait look guys deep compelling character!”

And while I heard people say this is the show maybe finally making Chloe get her redemption arc after hitting rock bottom, I can’t agree? The show is known for its repetitive nature, and if the show is to redeem Chloe and suddenly make her a good person or give her a compelling reason for acting the way she did, marinette looks bad in comparison, for not having as compelling reasons to do just as bad things:

Example? Marinette and Chloe in season 3’s Animaestro, trying to sabotage Lagami and publicly humiliate her in front of Adrien so she won’t “win him over”.

If Chloe has an explanation for this behavior (she’s taught to be cruel and mean from a young age by an abusive and neglectful mother, and because of her equally neglectful father, she learned the only way she’s heard and anyone cares for her is if she lashes out, and someone will just throw money on the problem) what reason does marinette have? She was raised by perfectly loving and doting (maybe too doting) parents, who from day one have taught her to be kind to others, and to do good.

Both characters did an awful thing, just one character has a genuinely compelling explanation for said behavior, while the other is pure jealousy and wanting the guy for herself by all costs.

So no, I don’t think the show will redeem Chloe for that reason: because it would force marinette to admit her wrongdoings and therefore force the plot to develop!

So this just makes no sense? It feels like a case of the show wanting to have its cake and eat it too, wanting the show to remain the same, Chloe to remain awful for no reason, and for marinette to stay the hero by comparison, but also have the bragging rights to say “we write complex character you guys!”

It makes no sense is my point.

Anyways besides these huge inconsistencies, leaps in logic, and bad writing, I don’t really have anything else about this episode to say? This show has officially come to the point for me where I genuinely think nothing will ever change or be able to fix how wrong everything is (from characterization of everyone except for marinette, the plot, the rules of miraculouses, the LOVE SQUARE)

[good-beanswrites]

🎬: About Es being a past prisoner and the secret 11th prisoner in your AU. But advance apologies if I'm overstepping into your AU!

I had this idea from a story that pretty much did the same thing. Going off there are novels/manga on Milgram and there being another Es and their own prisoners running another Milgram (but differently) I imagine this Milgram projects has been going on for a while, and our Es was from a previous project who might have gotten the worst verdict (or the most spared out of everyone), and was given this final task as a warden for the next group of prisoners. This is why they so readily agreed and had their memories wiped for this Milgram project instead of being weary on a shady project on judging an almost crime, they've already been through this.

(BTW is it bad and worrying for one of our ten fav prisoners to be the next Es if this is legit...)

Anyway, that's why Es is in Milgram in your AU, I guess? And the lore drop that Kotoko picks up on them being the 11th prisoner, I can imagine her also talking to Kazui since he's a policeman to see if she could cross out any theories on who Es is (Did they look familiar. Possible missing child. Any cases to do with an almost crime by a child other than the 10 of them here). Kazui knows Kotoko wants to investigate, but reminds her that, like in their prison while the trial is on, the facilities they're in have high security too. They do have the freedom to move about, but still limited.

If they're trying to investigate Es, maybe Fuuta, Kotoko and Mikoto can try to do the hacking on the comp Mikoto's allowed to use to Photoshop some shots for the MVs and photos (Fuuta and Kotoko seem to be able to search up info they need I think...). Yuno, Mahiru and Muu can work on charming the staff to see if they can spill more deets on Milgram. Not sure how much the group can gather, but oh boy fun times in Milgram can turn into another sort of stress in this AU...

No worries!! Like I said before, this whole au has been a fun collaborative project, so there's no overstepping :) I am sorry I won't be writing a lot on the ending until we get more info, but that's just the perfectionist in me who doesn't want to be proven wrong 😅 Still, I love tossing around and digging into ending scenarios, I really love this!

Because that would make a lot of sense why they're so willing to subject themself to the whole experiment! They remember how tough their experience was, and are confident they can care for the new set of prisoners while doing their job. I'm imagining they get the opportunity to return as guard, and get to have a nice talk with their own guard first. Once they fully understand what it's like, they're know they can handle it and sign up. It adds a bit of drama, too, since they must have been really young committing their crime in order to complete a years-long experiment prior to this one. They would have been like 10? Oof. (Now I wanna see their three trial songs 👀)

And like you said, that also brings up the question of the new warden. Though I think it's based on verdict results, I can just picture Jackalope keeping an eye on everyone during filming. He studyies their interactions and personalities, keeping his own set of notes on who would make a good successor. (I'm not going to go through every character but there are pros to any choice, it's very fun picturing them all taking the job.) Haha, on the other hand, maybe the reason Kotoko keeps bringing up her role as Es' partner/bringer of justice is because she did discover the truth. She drops as many hints as possible so she can be chosen next 😅

Ooh, I love her working with Kazui on an investigation! The fact that eh may know details on recent crimes (and almost-crimes) is super fun to work with. He's the last person who's going to spill a secret, so the group could go several trials without realizing Kazui had actually heard all about their situation this whole time.

(Getting sidetrack for a sec, I'm suddenly realizing that he and Kotoko may have heard things about the crimes in canon, too. They're a bit unclear about how much time passed between the murders and arriving to Milgram, so maybe he heard some things. I don't know how well-connected Tokyo police departments are, but Yuno, Fuuta, Muu, and Shidou are all nearby. There's definitely a chance he caught word of the vigilante nearby, and she heard about the odd policeman's suicide. Both of them could have heard about the tragic housefire, the disgraced doctor, or horrible schoolgirl murder nearby.)

Anyway, I like that idea of Kazui wracking his brain for any similar cases. Though, if he had, Milgram may have had the foresight to wipe parts of his memory, too. Maybe he does end up using his call to reach out to Hinako and have her look into it from the outside. Sadly, Kotoko seems the type to sacrifice her personal call to reach out to a connection who can help as well. I'll have to think about how closely Jackalope monitors those calls, hm.

I'm going crazy over prisoner investigation team !! Kotoko and Fuuta had the online knowledge to find some good info, and Mikoto and Kazui seem like they'd have a huge network of people they can ask for info and favors from. Haha, I'm torn whether Mahiru would have flirting down to a science or if she'd refuse to do it since it wasn't real love 😂 Still, she's very good at reading people and could definitely help the others charm and bribe their way into some restricted areas. Amane and Haruka can also charm with their innocence/cuteness (though I'm not sure Amane would). Shidou seems very organized, he'd have a plan and backup plan and backup-backup plan ready, no matter what happens. I think it's even funnier, then if Milgram had run several experiments prior. Jackalope would think this was just another runthrough, and for the first time the ten subjects decided to organize together and Cause Problems.

I think there's a beautiful irony in a story featuring ten prisoners planning a jailbreak to save the prison guard...

[taylortruther]

ok so i just read your original thoughts on hoax (absolutely brilliant btw!) but i just have some questions. if joe didn’t believe in their relationship, why would he stay so long? why would he stick through and go through so much with her for six years if he didn’t believe? i wasn’t really sure if the faithlessness you mentioned was coming from a place of manipulation and deceit or if she just felt he didn’t put as much care into the stability and seriousness of the relationship (possibly without even realizing.) i honestly don’t know much about him but from her music i don’t get the sense that he’s purposefully cunning or cruel towards her in the way that some of her other exes were. while i’m sure he knows everything about her and her triggers etc, i’m not fully convinced he would use them against her in such a conniving and mean way? open to being proven wrong and open for discussion 💘

well, i can't prove you right or wrong, because we weren't in the relationship! but you can be in a serious relationship, and still have doubts for various reasons. you might stay because you're in denial, or afraid of change, or want to try and work things out, or because you're afraid of hurting the other person (and yourself.) it's not necessarily an intentionally manipulative or cruel act. people often stay in relationships even when they're uncertain about the outcome lol i'd actually say most people have had at least one experience being with someone they knew was wrong for them. knowing doesn't always lead to action though. it's scary to leave someone you love!

but so much of hoax reminds me of these verses in so long london:

My white-knuckle dying grip holding tight to your quiet resentment And my friends said it isn't right to be scared every day of a love affair Every breath feels like rarest air when you’re not sure if he wants to be there You swore that you loved me but where were the clues? I died on the altar waiting for the proof You sacrificed us to the gods of your bluest days So how much sad did you think I had, did you think I had in me? How much tragedy? Just how low did you think I’d go ‘fore I’d self implode? ‘Fore I’d have to go be free?

doesn't this tell us a similar story to hoax? as she said in lpss, love is staying with someone through gray skies, for months. and in the song itself, she sings, "no other sadness in the world would do."

[avaisnerdytoo]

RICK AND MORTY SEASON 7 FINALE

*I TYPED THIS WHEN IT CAME OUT AND NEVER POSTED IT CAUSE PERFECTIONISM IM SORRY BUT IT'S KINDA COOL ALTHOUGH ITS BEEN LOW KEY SAID ALREADY

Read Chapter Titles for Easy navigation:

There is a lot to unpack, I want to cover some character insights, some connections to philosophical concepts I found neat, and some implications I feel the show gives regarding future seasons!

I'll write a lot, so I recommend reading the chapter titles to see if something catches your eye, I understand why you may be less interested in reading a whole thing.

Let's jump in.

BRIEF INTRODUCTION:

This has the foundations to be one of my favorite episodes they have ever made. It is like a therapy session made an episode.

I feel this single-handedly pays for the lack of Morty we saw in other sections of the season.

I think even with most of it being a simulation, the episode still has a lot to say about other characters too. Even if it was all through Morty.

Nevertheless I won't drop the fact that this is an episode of Morty, where his mind, his feelings, and his unconscious are the narrators, which means that the way it speaks of Rick may not be quite accurate, but I'll get there*

Cause I do think the writers are still consistent with Rick for a good portion*

MORTY'S DEFENSIVE LAYERS: short chapter

Dr. Wong once pointed out that the whole Smith family uses rationality to avoid emotion (a fact I sometimes really identify with btw), and this is best shown here, where the layers of Morty's ability to resist the simulation and to place protective barriers over what he feels, is a lot stronger than we realize.

You coooould argue that's simply the way the hole works, but I personally interpreted it as more...

I think we are being told that Morty has also learned (if not mastered) the ability to build the same protective walls as the rest of the family, however his ability to defeat the simulation is also not to be understated, especially if only like 3 people have survived it in years.

RICK AND DIANE (WHAT IS A REAL DIANE LIKE?): Short to Medium Chapter*

It is made clear that this representation of their relationship is not to be taken at face value, but I somewhat doubt the writers are interested in truly making Diane a part of the show. I hope I am proven wrong, but if I assume this is one of the very few instances of her we will see, then I am willing to take a leap and assume some of what we saw, could make sense within their relationship.

Diane was shown as fun, decisive, adventurous and challenging, to me, she showed a lot of Summer traits, which fits right in line with Rick's observations of her.

On the opposite end, I do think there is a big layer of Morty's own bias regarding how he'd assume someone capable of keeping up with Rick's style of character should be, and with the rest of the episode in mind, it is of no surprise he followed them across the main montage.

I feel Diane was an enabler to Rick, I doubt young Rick could be described as pathetic though, more like responsible. And Diane would probably be as well, but I do see a scenario where someone that grabs Rick's attention and respect has the resourcefulness of Summer and the courage to jump into action.

MORTY IS ALONE ALONE, A-FREAKING-LONE + an observation for Evil Morty* Long Chapter*

We know this already of course, Morty is a kid neglected by his parents pretty much, not out of malice but out of immaturity and naivety. The bond between Summer and Morty is good, and has improved, but I do not think there is a world (nor there should be), where Summer should take care of Morty more than how a sister can. (In another dimension bro would be a strong candidate to get Fairly Odd Parents)

This evidently leaves Rick as the only figure in his life with any room to provide protection, love, advice and all the things adults should do.

Which is a very shitty deal... Because Rick is far from equipped at any of these.

His experience, even in the crazy sci-fi multiverse he lives in feels very real, I consider Morty as the most complex character, and he was designed from the start to be the closest thing we -as the audience - can have to a surrogate.

It hurts to see him so adrift, of realizing day by day that there are a lot of challenges he will have to conquer alone, we know he can, but it doesn't mean it is nice to have to do so. (I may be half projecting here though cause I big time identified with him here).

It is clear Morty is really holding back to the scary world out there, he wants Rick to protect him, he wants to be looked after, he wants what we all do, to be loved and heard. Acceptance is necessary for growth, and at this moment, it is clear Morty believes no one will be there for him. (Hopefully that is proven wrong but more of that below).

I think I may now understand what Evil Morty argued when he sympathized with Rick over achieving his goal of ending Rick Prime, and still feeling unsatisfied. (that's a theory*).

MORTY'S PERCEPTION OF RICK

+ the struggles of adapting to a changing family member or friend

+ will it have an impact on the next Season?

Long chapter

Actions speak louder than words, but words matter too, and when those necessary actions come sparingly, expecting anything from the person who's bringing you conflict becomes harder.

That's the best way I can describe how Morty feels about Rick, I'm sure he values that time in Season 2 when Rick sacrificed himself for him, but there are also hundreds of variations of that event where Rick belittled Morty, and that has pretty much been the pattern since then, there are objectively worse things Rick has done than good ones...

It's unfortunate this is all Morty has, he clearly genuinely loves Rick, but I feel this episode, if followed upon through the Canon is a big eye opening for Morty.

This whole episode was a therapy session, like any process, it has to be explored through analysis, brought to the conscious mind, and peeled slowly across the stages of grief...

...

Actually, this episode was more like an Ayahuasca Trip, because it surfaced key aspects of Morty's psyche and feelings, but it only did that, unlike therapy which would keep exploring them to find how to coexist/diffuse.

There is soooo much left on the table, and the worst part is that I think this realization is incompatible with who Rick is becoming, which is reallyyyy unfortunate timing.

But completely understandable, and arguably real, on Morty's part, I feel they are being set up to be on distinct emotional paths which WILL require Rick to take more direct action.

If the idea that your closest family member can shatter the illusion of reality by saying that which you want to hear... Fuuuuck

If you ever watched Lucifer (the TV Show) there's a similar moment there that reminds me to this 🤔

SIMULATION THEORY MADE FUNNY, BUT STILL VEEEERY REAL

not character exploration just a comment on the episode

As a small comment one of my favorite tropes explored in the episode is the whole looped, "Are we out of the hole yet?", because that is the very foundation of the paradox of simulation theory, they technically explored it back in Season one, but the weight of it felt more significant here.

If you're told you live in a simulation, and then given the option to escape, all Matrix style, you don't become Neo, you instead become eternally unaware of when you're in the real world, you aren't shown the truth, it shatters your perceptions completely.

It's not that kind of show of course, but imagine the weight of experiencing, in this case, growing up, going to college, possibly losing a family member (with the worrying lack of Jerry in those scenes), getting a job, forming a life that is ripped away...

I love the running gag at this point of this occurring... The Roy Game, The Vat Of Acid Episode, The Beth and Space Beth Lesbian Simulator (my fav), and now this.

Only this one is given that weight though, even Morty begins to wonder whether he was just outright born there...

---

NO WAY I WAS DONE ALL THIS TIME

I'm sorry I didn't post this when I typed it, I had more ideas and I wanted more photos but I maxed out what I could use and my perfectionism got the better of me.

Hope there is still something here for you all 🥺🥺🥺😖

[horizon-verizon]

I'm confused about something so I thought maybe you or even someone else could clear it up for me.

Maybe it's because I didn't like any of the characterization, themes, and lore that were handled in the first season of hotd - so I gave up on it completely and basically view it as a bad fanfic adaptation - but I genuinely cannot understand how everyone suddenly pull out the pitchforks over that clips with daemyra and the most likely DV scene that will follow.

Daemon was never a "great" guy in the show. He abandoned rhaenyra in the brothels, dragged her reputation to his brother, choked her after her miscarriage because his ego got bruised, wasn't honest with mysaria, dismissed Laena when she expressed being unhappy, was a deadbeat father to his daughters etc

The only "good" scenes he had with Rhaenyra were in the driftmark trial episode because that was the closest to seeing him and rhaenyra acting as a united front, so I can't understand the sudden outrage when from s1 his character was already setup to being a scumbag.

And don't get me wrong, I know he isn't like this in the book. I know the show suffers from a horrendous writing. My surprise is people needing a new 2 seconds clip to have the epiphany

The only "good" scenes he had with Rhaenyra were in the driftmark trial episode because that was the closest to seeing him and rhaenyra acting as a united front, so I can't understand the sudden outrage when from s1 his character was already setup to being a scumbag.

I have been speaking about how I prefer bk!Daemyra over show!Daemyra for months (bc both are written in so much bad faith to diminish female agency and ambition) and I was shocked at the video not bc I don't expect the abuse from episode 10 to get worse or continue but because all of a sudden I was publicly proven right when I have been screaming for months!

But you asked about why some people were totally taken aback. That's because there was still a lot who bought into the whole "the two sides are evil, it doesn't matter why the war began" shit. Truly and duly. Some assume that the writers of the show were always acting in good faith while writing their version of the story just because they said they were trying to not be like GoT and make a feminist retelling. Because they don't understand the principle of benevolent sexism or try to. They didn't take Condal that seriously that first time, connect it to how it was only possible bc Rhaenyra or subscribed to it and never thought he'd write Daemyra "that far", esp with how many more tender and violence-less/stress scenes the two had together on screen.

Like if you count how many scenes Rhaenyra has with Daemon that are purely tender or self affirming, it'd be a little more than with either Viserys and Alicent while making sense (bc Alicent with Rhaenrya at the Sept didn't make any sense to be called "positive"). Or consistently leaning positive before epi 10. Some already knew and acknowledged that Daemon was not a "great guy, but" sat in their comfort zones, seeing that these two seemed to be each other's "haven" of sorts, not paying attention to much else and misunderstood these two. It's like when people ship show!Louis and Lestat so hard they forget that these two made a vampire child to fix their relationship or sense of selves and are angry, surprised and shocked when that vampire child begins to act out, go on a rebellious killing spree, resents them for it, and tries to kill one of them. And I ship bk!Dameyra, btw...just not at the expense of Rhaenyra or even Daemon, bc she was def in the wrong for trying to kill Nettles & misjudged Daemon. And if Daemon had doen anything to Rhaenyra, the greens, septons, maesters all would have broadcasted that shit...yet we get silence...

They understood the "twin flame"-y, they-understand-each-other-and-are-the-same aspect of the orig story and those scenes...so after epi 10, they also hoped the choking scene was a fluke of sorts. Bc reasons below.

Others don't want to think much about these characters and either use this as an excuse not to, they they just want to consume the story thorough the show, or have read the books and just wanted to maintain their joy levels with how much they loved the show.

Some wanted to really give the show the benefit of the doubt so they can continue watching it, some don't want to know/brianwashed out of knowing what DV looks like, or undermines it anyway.

Some argue that because Daemon has an ego issue and so he's always going to blow up on people. true to an extent--no canon proof of it affecting Rhaenyra or his girls, though...so...HotD did cross a boundary.

Some refused to think about why people hated episode 10, some have even said it was just part of Daemyra's semi-erotic back-and-forth dynamic (even thought Rhaenrya was clearly not ready or expecting Daemon's choking her out and tried to get herself out of it). Same people might also say that Rhaenyra "giving it back to him" with rubbing it in his face how he didn't know abt the prophecy was "enough" to invalidate the domestic abuse of the scene.

Some were really caught up in Daemon's idgaf attitude. Don't get me wrong, i love a character like this...but if they have the stuff to back it up and have a line.

Some "pulled out the pitchforks" to say, "I told you so" about how the show is writing against Daemon [✋🏿guilty] and Rhaenyra sexistly, but that comes with no real surprise on their part. Others to say they always knew Daemon was the devil and how tb or Rhaenyra defenders are stupid idiots for saying the greens had no right to the throne, how Rhaenrya was "weak", etc.

I'm sure there's more, but i forget.

[helpmeimblorboing]

Just listened to Chappell Roan’s Good Luck Babe (great song btw) and this idea popped into my head.

The characters depicted are from my upcoming story Crimson Redux, and its eventual unnamed prequel book. This story, however, is non-canonical, though it shares some elements with the canon

Harry Jones bit back a sigh, lifting up one of his hands to shade himself from the burning hot sun - and wasn’t that a rarity, this deep into England Of the Stormy Skies ? God must have special-ordered it solely to piss his most-devout sinner off

He flinched slightly at the sting of pain that runs through him - his back was no longer what it once was - as he leans back to reorient himself, preparing to lift with his legs, as his dad always told him to, before… well… before that had irreversibly fractured their relationship

It was one thing to know your father doesn’t actually love you, and another to see it in action

For a moment, he pauses, memories washing over him with enough force to drown, to batter, to beat to death for who he was. In the distance, Lisa shouts at him to hurry the fuck up

That jolts him back to his senses, and he spares her an answering shout that was perhaps a touch more vitriolic than strictly necessary, before returning to what he had been doing prior to his little trip down Painful Memory Lane - staring at the pile of boxes stacked up on his doorstep and wondering how anyone, let alone a man gracelessly approaching his forties, was supposed to be able to move them

Before he could communicate that to his wife, however, he is suddenly acutely aware of a presence at his side, before a painfully familiar voice sounds out, so close that Harry could hear the almost painful lack of recognition in them, “You need some help with that ?”

His breath catches in his throat, and all of a sudden, bile wells up inside of him, burning the edges of his being like paper being held over a candlestick. He turns away, desperate to avoid his gaze, but it’s too late

He feels the other man stiffen beside him, hears the sharp intake of his breath (he still gasped the same way. The only difference was that now, there was no love in his throat. Not for the man who betrayed him), and then, perhaps most painfully of all, hears the fear as the other man asks, tentatively, like he was praying to be proven wrong, “Harry ?”

He turns around, resigned to this conversation, to this humiliation, only to reel back as if struck. That was him. Intellectually, Harry had already known that. But that was him.

Beautiful as the day Harry met him. As the day he last saw him, shouting obscenities at him through his door, face twisted up with rage and yet still so, so beautiful

“San…”, he swallowed, his throat suddenly dry as a desert. Santiago’s expression shuttered, eyes going cold and hard as he evidently remembered why, exactly, they had lost contact, “…Santiago?”

“It’s Serenity now, actually”, his voice was hard and cold, his gaze sharp as a knife. A pause, and then his upper lip curls in silent judgment, his voice venomous as he speaks, “You’re looking well”

“Thanks”, Harry breathes out, suddenly feeling like a butterfly pinned to a child’s science exhibition, left to slowly starve to death, alone and cold, “…I… you too…”

“Mhm”

He looked like he wanted to say more, but before he could, Lisa, apparently well and truly fed up with the delay, once again tells him to hurry the fuck up before she dies of old age out here, you ancient prick

He shouts something right back, his mind too preoccupied with the demon from his past impossibly standing right before him to pay much heed to what words were spilling from his lips

When he turned back, Serenity was staring at him, an unreadable expression in his eyes, an amused smile playing at his lips, “Who’s that ?”

“That…ah…”, he flinches as shame burns through him, razor-sharp and searing hot, “That’s my wife”

Abruptly, Serenity’s expression seems to distort with rage, eyes going wide and fiery. But it passes as quickly as it came, his features settling into the kind of placid neutrality that meant that someone was trying to keep themselves from shouting, “Ah”, he said, somehow managing to make the syllable sound like a litany of curses, all of them deserved, “You’re… straight ?”

He sucks in a shape breath at that, pressing his eyes shut. A beat, and then another, the awkward silence growing tense and painful. He prepares to tell Serenity that that was none of his business, but Serenity takes it upon himself to shatter the tension before he could

“Don’t tell me”, he hums, and he sounds… almost amused, “You’re not, aren’t you ? You’re gay as the day is long”

The unspoken I told you so lingers between them, existent as a flashing neon sign, painful as a cattle brand.

Harry tried to speak, but the words caught in his throat. No matter. Serenity seemed intent on speaking on both their behalves, the smile playing at his lips almost cruel now

“Well now, isn’t that interesting ?”, he hissed, amused spite coloring his tone, “That’s almost exactly what I told you, all those years ago. Curious”

It wasn’t I told you so, exactly, but it was close enough to hurt

Serenity hummed, before going silent, as if contemplating something.

The unspoken weight hung between them for a second, two, three. But still the silence didn’t end. Harry finally chanced another glance at his face, before flinching back as if struck

The look in his eyes wasn’t cruel anymore. It wasn’t even amused. It was just… pitying. Like Harry was a man dying of an incurable disease (even the thought of incurable diseases made him flinch, a reminder of who he was, of the fear that had made him hurt the one person who truly cared about him so badly) and Serenity was a doctor who knew there was nothing he could do for him

The silence stretches on, but Harry didn’t have the strength to break it. In the background, Lisa seemed to have given up on getting her husband to pay attention to her, and was now leaning against the hood of their car, scrolling through something on her phone

Harry’s lips part, as he tries to muster up the strength to say something, but once again, Serenity beats him to the chase, “You are… so small, Harry Jones”

There was no resentment in his voice. No pain, no amusement, nothing. Just a cold, empty truth, a fact as axiomatic and immutable as the sky is blue

Somehow that was worse. Resentment would mean that some part of Serenity still cared, that there was something resembling a chance. But there wasn’t, was there ? This bridge was well-and-truly burnt, the river it had arched over dried up, its ashes already washed away.

He should know. He had set the fire himself

Before he could say something, Serenity simply smirks - not a malicious expression, just the small, secret smirk of someone hearing a joke that was funny, but not enough to openly laugh at - and shakes his head, saying, his voice low, “Well, then. I suppose that’s it”

He leaned back, his eyes drifting over to Lisa, before flickering back to Harry. His crooked smirk seemed to double in size, “Good luck, babe”

[multiversal-pudding]

HEY WANT MY CURRENT HCS-UNTIL-PROVEN-WRONG/ “THEORY” IN THE SENSE OF “Source: It would be dope?”/ MESSY MAD RAMBLINGS RELATED TO MURDER DRONES?

TOO BAD YOU’RE GETTING IT ANYWAYS

(Btw this is like. Mostly based on other people’s theories and stuff- also this is going to be basically the opposite of something polished and readable? Think of this less as “prediction looking to be accurate or logical” more “these thoughts have been rattling around in my head and I want to unleash them”)

I Feel like given Liam’s previous stuff like Internecion cube, there’s a damn good chance Absolute Solver is basically an Eldritch entity, be it some kind of super-ai that spiralled past any of the designers wildest intentions to the point of basically becoming a god, or possibly the other way around with JcJenson maybe having done a “humans gonna human” in deciding to mess with the forces Beyond Human Understanding, then try to sell it/utilize it in making stuff to sell (IE using some kind of “entity of growth” to make a repair program that. Seemed like a good idea at the time). Either way, As someone who likes that freaky kinda cosmic horror bodyhorror entity stuff, I’m down for it-

Honestly, I think I kinda like the idea of Absolute Solver not being spread from the Disassembly Drones, but rather the other way around, with them having it loaded but mostly disabled outside of regenerative capabilities specifically to protect them from the Worker Drones from using it (directly) on them (granted as V learned rather painfully, this does not exclude them from throwing various pointy objects at you, it just keeps them from pulling that *snaps your head backwards and crushes you into blood* thing Doll pulled)??

Somehow, with its dialogue implying it knows something bigger about Uzi’s Mom/the world as a whole with its “cute little puppets” comments, J’s specific wording of telling N “the worker drones are corrupted” (which. Granted could’ve also been talking about them being deemed “Rogue AI”, but still-), the strange organic elements and extreme power associated with it? (Which. If the DDs are built with containing a neutralized version version of it in mind. Is this connected to the fact they have literal human organs stuffed inside them??)- this doesn’t feel like a tool. This feels like some underlying element at play, and probably one of the main suspects explained so far that could either be A) something that’s strong enough to make Copper 9’s core collapse, B) could be something that would want and have the power to collapse the core of a planet, and/or C) could be a reason why something/someone may have considered it worth wiping out humanity just to try to kill it

As for where it came from in the first place/how it spread- again, maybe the humans dug too deep, accidentally released something but only realized it was a problem later or. Hell, maybe part of it was that the WDs did some digging/experimenting of their own on top of it- we know that two of the main AS-related characters other than the DDs, Doll and Uzi, both have a running theme of nametags/ associated numbers with their mothers, plus the fact that robot babies exist as is in the first place is confirmation they have been trying new things on themselves already

If WD experimentation with AS started before the Murder Drones Arrived/the possibility of it was present- Given the extreme power of AS we’ve seen, it could be possible that the drones starting to unlock this power could be a reason other than paranoia that JcJenson considered it worth the time to exterminate them (though. TBF I I think they might just be callous jerks anyways, semi-reasonable underlying logic or not-)

If experimentation with AS started/continued after the Disassembly Drones arrived- Judging from the fact that Khan already had a closet labelled “Nori’s Kooky Insane Stuff”, iiits possible Uzi might take after her mother in terms of “maniacal engineer”-ness… who’s to say Nori didn’t decide to pull some Sci-fi bullshit of her own of a more “human experimentation” direction? Like. Hell, Uzi made a huge frickin’ gun as her “maniacal engineering” moment- If the parents help construct the baby, technically Nori also built a gun-

Sidenote- like. It might just be a “make the MC more visible” thing, but- as someone else already pointed out, it would be interesting if it turned out the reason why Uzi was short and didn’t have a hard hat was related to her not being a normal Worker Drone/in some way built to have some kind of adjustment made with this element present in mind, something the AS may or may not already know while Uzi doesn’t (there would be a lot of horror to be found in that idea… and also maybe a little dark-humor? In a “ARE YOU KIDDING?! THAT’S WHY I’M SO SHORT??!” Way?)

So- maybe the experiment was what introduced it into Doll and Uzi/their mothers? That is, if it isn’t already present on some level in all the drones as is and the experimentation only brought the existing potential to the surface- imagine finding out everyone was born pre-infected with some crazy eldritch horror woven into their brains, and that what at first appeared to some spreading parasite was simply some people being able to tap into what’s already present in everyone one way or the other…

CONCLUSION?!

…I’m running out of red string and pushpins :|

(but I do have some potential AU fodder maybe should Episode 4 come out and completely change everything maybe?)

TL;DR: talk to me about Murderdrones I am sooooo normal I promise :) <- Lying