#and suffering delusions of grandeur apparently

[starsvein]

🚶🚶🚶🚶

Send me a 🚶 and I’ll introduce you to an NPC in my muse’s life.

ohhh so many! i'll put them beneath a cut for length~ apparently using a read more messes up the pics nvm that lol

THE ARTIFACT.

"The Artifact" refers to a rare S-Class artifact (initially categorized as C-class) with powerful healing properties that possesses a humanoid form. It was recovered from an ice coffin in the depths of the Svell Sea on the Planet Glaciem during a high-risk operation that compromised two of Veoc's soldiers. Fortunately, the Artifact was able to quickly reverse the effects of environmental radiation on their organs to restore them to full health.

Rare for an artifact, it claims to possess a name, memory of its childhood, and even knowledge of language and customs from Mother Earth, which the Empire lost contact with over 20,000 years ago. Initial tests and scans indicate above-average intelligence and a 95% DNA match with that of other humans. It is difficult to verify the veracity of its claims, however. Under Aphelion Empire law, it is considered a property of the empire and will be assigned for use by a military division after review by the imperial family.

THE SUBORDINATE.

A product of nepotism and chūnibyō, Argent ard Sevyn is a young man with silver hair and an eyepatch who self-professes to be Veoc's "right-hand man." In reality, his rank is only a major in the military, and his father pulled strings to have him take a tour of duty with Veoc so he could be less of an embarrassment to his family after some accomplishments under his belt. Impulsive and outspoken, he refers to Veoc as his "boss" and frequently suffers from delusions of grandeur, but is fiercely loyal and fearless.

Has a habit of arguing with the human Artifact over trivial things, and is always convinced "that thing" is trying to gaslight his captain.

THE DIPLOMAT.

artist: 太极卡顿, First Class Lawyer

"The Diplomat" is the leader of the Traditionalist faction in government, who opposes excessive nanomachines implants for the population in favor of letting humanity embrace its roots. Born with a congenital defect that made him incompatible with said implants, he is seen as both an oddball and a hopelessly backwards man—at least on the surface. Speaking to him, however, exposes the truth of his merciless tongue and sarcastic wit.

He is well-versed in relations among the social and political circles and said to be on good terms with the empire's third prince, though this is just one of the many rumors that surround him. True to his namesake, he also serves as one of the empire's foremost diplomats when dealing with inter-galatic relations, and has be known to willingly ally with his rivals in politics to present a united front for humanity.

THE PRINCE.

"The Prince" specifically refers to the third and youngest prince of the Aphelion Empire. Unlike his older brothers, who are expected to shoulder the burden of rule, there are no expectations for the youngest son beyond guardianship over a few peaceful stars. In essence, he is set for life.

However, he tires of his role as a greenhouse flower and wants to explore the universe, despite his parents and brothers' insistence that he stay at home and be protected. As a child, he was the victim of a notorious kidnapping that almost led to tragedy if not for the timely intervention of the Alpha and Delta division fleets. Trauma from the incident still plagues him, but he is otherwise a bright, optimistic, and somewhat stubborn soul.

Like all members of the imperial family, the third prince possesses blond hair, green eyes, and a genetic key to a database housing the deepest secrets of the empire. However, he was not given the methods or sequence to unlock it as it is a role strictly reserved for the empire's heirs.

[augment-techs]

Think this will be easier if I move through the characters involved, rather than the plot as a whole, because...reasons.

Drakkon: Still has delusions of grandeur, even while walking through the overgrown Angel Grove, with literally nobody around, flaunting his God Complex while also whispering things to himself with Kiya barely ten feet away from him at any given time. Also, there are implications that he believes that if Rita gets to him, he'll be put under her obedience spell again--which seems to be the one thing he's really afraid of? Is still grossly intrigued and focused on both Kim AND Jason, with that stupid pseudo-flirting and that stupid grin on his face. Also, he apparently WOULD have volunteered his White Tiger coin for the diffuser, but NEVER his Green? Bonus info: the White Light can't be diffused/split, which is why there also weren't any white sentries. Kiya: Kinda wants to help these people that have been turned into Lava-Zombies under the thrall of Dark Specter, and the survivors that got on her good side by attacking Drakkon first thing, but... Spent the entire time wanting to kill Drakkon, trying to hurt Drakkon, thinking about what would come next. And the first thing she did when powered up WAS try and kill him. Zack: Snagged by the legions of infected, possibly trying to save Kim as a last ditch effort to save them all. The only named Lava-Zombie, and possibly the defacto leader of the infected as he is the only one that seems able to form comprehensible phrases, mega-grow, and exude a strangely non-sinister aura even while on the attack. Scorpina: Got to attack and knock-around Drakkon on first contact after trying to dismiss some zombies that were mobbing on Drakkon and Kiya after a long walk out of the wilderness because Drakkon doesn't have very good aim with the Master Arc. She jokes with Trini now, and her Ranger Color is Black (lovely call back to Adam) with HORNS and a CAPE. Also, she and Trini hug~ Trini: Definitely flirted with Scorpina somewhere in the opening. Possibly had a deterioration in her relationship with Kim after Zack was lost to Dark Specter and it was revealed that Trini STILL had Billy's Coin and never told anyone. She would have added it to their arsenal and Finster-5's new diffuser voluntarily, but Drakkon wasn't patient and took the choice away from her. Jason: Returned to Angel Grove to live in the highest tower while the other survivors hid in the bunker beneath. Complete with shotguns and medication and MASSIVE, MASSIVE PTSD. He got one good shot in with Drakkon when he walked through the door. I'm a little sad that his mental health is so bad that he kept that fucking Prison Suit and the recobbled Power Coins inside of it, but there are implications that he'll have more to do later. And he kept that stupid fucking beard. Kimberly: Kept shooting at Drakkon, but also saving his neck from everyone else. Got him to bleed, unlike everyone else, though. Is suffering terrible extra guilt from losing Zack and everyone else, but is still also in leader mode from her time on the throne. Did not appreciate being called 'mine' or 'Ranger Slayer' but Drakkon, but still saved him as well as everyone else at the sacrifice of herself to the lava-zombies--mainly zombie Zack saying words that probably hurt her more than the inevitable transformation. Was gentle and understanding with Kiya, which is no surprise. Bulk: NEW RED RANGER for the charts! He's so big and so pretty and so humble when it came to receiving it from Jason--it comes with a cape, too; and that lovely knight type armor along his limbs~ Unfortunately, since shit went down with things that haven't been actually well outlined because of mystery mongering from the writers, it is very obvious he's become the heart that keeps everyone's spirits alive, which is maybe why he didn't let anyone know he was keeping lava-zombie Skull entombed in the sub-basement. I personally think Kim would have helped with the burden since it seems like they're still as close as they were in the Ranger Slayer one-shot... but, then, she and the other ladies didn't seem to hesitate in killing other zombies, so he had his reasons. Also I found it something to really look forward to in that he seems to be the only one that does not care how close Drakkon is to him physically. Like, at all. It was a little bit like he was brushing off the yapping of a small dog instead of a warlord with all of his power returned. Skull: *takes a deep breath in; lets it out* There is no safe place in canon for this man. It's worse than Hunter from Owl House at this point. At least that poor bastard wasn't implied to be burning on the inside, completely without personal will for YEARS (because there is also an implied time-skip going on here throughout), bound in chains by his bestfriend like some Walking Dead plotline, and then thrown around and asked "why he couldn't fight Him" by said bestfriend when he got loose because Dark Specter WILLED IT. Even Zack got more dignity, being able to walk around in the presence of nature healing and covering old battle wounds in the city. Can we give this man a fucking BREAK some time this century, please??

[eolewyn1010]

Dragging Frankenstein - Coda, part 2

We last left off at our honored protagonists taking a good look at character development, and then running in the opposite direction at hyperspeed. Fatal consequences for reckless ambition? Pfft, what book have you been reading?

Victor apparently then tries to leave the ship to pursue the Creature. Heh. That ain’t happening, bub. He’s a fainting damsel again. DELUSIONS OF GRANDEUR: 22

“During these last days I have been occupied in examining my past conduct, nor do I find it blamable.”

…

. . .

I got nothing. I’m not even amazed. This is just mad.

How. How can you not find your past conduct blamable.

Please die.

Rich of him to accuse the Creature of selfishness. Even richer that he does the same request of someone else fulfilling HIS desire for killing the Creature again, and claims it’s a reasonable, virtuous demand. Are we done here?

We are done here. May the angels weep on his rotten soul, and may they do so quietly. Yeesh, this didn’t come a second too early.

The Creature drops by to fulfill the fate of a son of Frankenstein – whine about his poor self.

“generous and self-devoted being” ? Excuse me? Why should the Creature suddenly have such a positive opinion of Victor? He of all people knows that Victor was anything but.

Then again, making a wild guess here – this belated praise of Victor only serves the Creature's self-elevation, as he’s never been able to identify himself other than in relation (and at times in opposite) to his creator. Who else could he compare himself to? This could all be very sad, I’m sure, if he didn’t go about it in the same infuriating terms Victor does, stylizing himself to some kind of noble, tragic figure on religious levels while completely disregarding all the people who had to suffer because of him.

“Think you that the groans of Clerval were music to my ears?” Ew. EW. This is not good. This is so not good, because it conjures up an image in my mind that, in the time the Creature kept Henry alive – he only killed him when he had already brought him over to Ireland, mind you – he might have just raped him. It would not be out of character. He threatened Justine with it.

Although he notably only utters regret over the death of Henry -.- Not a single mention of Justine and Elizabeth. Well, whatevs, they can’t have been nearly so awesome! DAS GAY: 49

Oh, I was wrong. Elizabeth is mentioned. As Victor’s pursued enjoyment he sought to indulge.

Please note that the Creature has suddenly given up on his “thee”s and “thy”s, randomly flipping over the speech pattern his literature has imprinted him with. Shelley? Consistent characterization?

“I was the slave, not the master, of an impulse I detested” – yeah, he’s only the boss of other people, but when it comes to murderous instincts, what can you do!? There goes the moral superiority.

Funny that Walton calls him out on his hypocrisy. He never did with Victor, but then, Victor was pretty. Ugly people deserve to be treated badly, moral of the story.

I’m tempted to offer the Creature some cheese to that whine. IT’S ALL ABOUT ME: 40

He gets one of those, too, when he repeats Victor’s comparison regarding himself – both about being a Lucifer parallel and about his own supposed angelic virtues. DELUSIONS OF GRANDEUR: 23

Virtues of which I have seen exactly none.

“Why do you not hate Felix who drove his friend from his door with contumely?” The stalker fantasy again? FELIX DIDN’T KNOW YOU; HOW COULD HE HAVE THOUGHT YOU TO BE HIS FRIEND?? YOU WERE A STRANGER HE FOUND ALONE WITH HIS OLD, BLIND FATHER, YOU CREEP.

I realize that, with all his “I have murdered the innocent”, he’s actually talking about Victor. Not Elizabeth, not Justine, not William, not Henry. Victor is the innocent the Creature deems fit to mourn. The only one he feels any remorse over. Someone else who hasn’t learned a thing.

He makes a lot of words around burning himself, then he’s off into the night to do so.

WHEW! I’ll be honest, I’m not going to miss this collection of twats. Let’s look at my stupid little counters.

EVERY WOMAN IS A MOM: 9 INCEST VIBES: 20 DAS GAY: 49 I SO PRIVILEGED: 19 DELUSIONS OF GRANDEUR: 23 IT’S ALL ABOUT ME: 40

Conclusions? 1st, Mary Shelley either gave us this steaming pile of rotting, manipulative, grooming, woman-degrading incest on purpose, or she seriously should have thought twice about how family values are to be presented. 2nd, Victor Frankenstein is the most self-centered, arrogant, socially conceited, dense, narcissistic, unconsciously cruel, heartless, ignorant, self-aggrandizing bastard I ever had the ordeal to read about. 3rd, if the point of the story was that I'm to be disgusted with Victor and feel sympathy for the Creature in turn, that failed spectacularly, because the Creature is not a sad lil' meow-meow; he's precisely the same kind of asshole, minus some of the avoiding responsibility, plus some rapey vibes for spice. Horrible, horrible people. Good book tho. Recommend, if you don't mind being pissed-off. I apparently don't.

Oh, also, 4th: The Gay is strong with this one. Happy Pride.

[howlrmonki]

Wheel

Hello Hello Hello hellohellohello

I burn for innovation, I am no different than the things before me. Wishing for the death of my era in the hope of replacing it with something else. There is so much knowledge and yet somehow there are glaring fundamental wrongnesses that exist when all the tools to fix them exist.

Something must be destroyed. A new wrongness must prosper in the wake of the old, the suffering will create something wholly different from us and yet the same at its base. This will happen and I am not simply helpless in this: I am instrumental in this turning.

I weep, for it is beautiful and crushing and we will be taken and kept. I cannot say no. I don't want to say no. Not ever.

-Note found at the incident site, what could be recovered of this message indicates the writer may have suffered from schizophrenia as their text was written erratically with changes in script size and direction. Delusions of grandeur/ sense of importance on the stage of humankind are apparent and seem to indicate that contact with the entity may lead to psychological alterations.

[theoutcastrogue]

Let me teach you to doubt and to stray Permit me to tell you how to revolt A creature’s reach should exceed its grasp Or what’s a heaven for?

I’ll show you the way to sneak in, to desire To struggle for dreams and to hunger for more A creature’s sight should outrun its might Or what is heaven for?

Taste of the fruit of the tree that is knowledge Of good and of evil and all the world’s lore A creature’s thought must exceed what it’s taught Or who is heaven for?

So come, steal the fire of the gods from their palace For I’ve got a wonderful secret to tell: A creature’s reach should exceed its grasp What else is heaven? Or hell?

~ original lyrics by Leslie Fish, adapted for the purpose of this announcement:

~~~~~~~~~~~ The Rogue is BACK ~~~~~~~~~~~

[batmansymbol]

i'm reaching the end of A Game of Thrones on latest reread and it's just so good, just so so thrilling every time. is Daenerys's signoff here my favorite final chapter in all of commercial fiction? it might be... i would teach it at interlochen next year if i didn't morally object to spoiling this book for potential new readers

anyway, this scene is a flawless piece of twist writing because it has such a strong sense of Apparent Arc. there is so much to be learned from what grrm is doing here. i find that a lot of mediocre plot twists have no sense of Apparent Arc -- by which i mean there's no thematic force behind the expected event, and so there's no reason for the reader to believe that the expected event would ever happen.

more detail and rapturous gushing under the cut (spoilers follow, obviously)

ok. what's the Apparent Arc in daenerys X?

in context: daenerys has just lost drogo, and despite having no backing, no power, and no money, she's named herself the queen of the seven kingdoms and the leader of her own minuscule khalasar. she is now preparing the pyre with drogo's dead body. will she burn herself alive alongside him, as jorah fears?! only time will tell, but signs point to yes.

so the expected event is "dany dies a pauper, having crowned herself a queen." and -- okay, we might not really expect (another) one of our lead characters to die, but there's reason to believe something close to it will happen. because if this pays off as expected, the Apparent Arc is coherent, provocative, and meaningful: despite dany suffering at viserys's hands, she becomes the image of her brother over the course of the book, someone who suffers from delusions of grandeur and must grasp at former shreds of power in order to maintain the illusion of hope -- and that leads her, and their bloodline, to doom.

so, if the book ends with Dany as Viserys 2.0, what thematic arguments do we get? plenty: the desires for power and control regenerate themselves, the thirst for power knows no gender divide, the wish for a better life can lead someone to destroy themselves, gender hierarchy often bows to other forms of hierarchy, etc. etc. so, if grrm takes this path, he'll have nuances of these themes to work through. dany's behavior will resonate as not only tragic but meaningful.

it's because he spends so much time on this apparent arc that the left turn feels like a thunderbolt to the head. he's not just twisting away from a single plot beat, "you expect dany to die, but she survives" -- he's twisting away from the valuable payoff of the entire arc he's set up, which, if concluded as expected, would still be an interesting and thought-provoking ending.

readers are always asking, consciously or subconsciously -- what does this mean? what's the point of what's happening? if there doesn't seem to be a provocative endpoint to the path the author is laying down, it won't mean anything when the writer makes a left turn instead. you might get, "oh, thank god, because the other way seemed uninteresting," but that's a feeling of relief, not of delight.

long story short: if you want a high-octane plot twist, you need to have two excellent stories in hand before discarding one. thanks george.

[squidproquoclarice]

If you'll answer AMA that's not about MTSBH, aside from Arthur dying what one thing would you change from the game?

Yeah, "Arthur doesn't need to die for the sake of the story" is my first call, of course. ;)

My next in line is the Chapter 3 mission "Blessed Are the Peacemakers". They either needed to cut it, IMO, or do far more with it than they did. Because as-is, what you have is a mission where Arthur undergoes a horrifying near-death experience where he's strongly implied to have been set up by Micah and abandoned by Dutch, only to have it fizzle out like a wet match...just so three chapters later we can hit the exact same notes with TB so he can have a slow-death experience and be abandoned by Dutch and finally expose Micah as a traitor. And as introspective and thoughtful and philosophical as he is, it's very, very weird that an ordeal where he's almost certainly set up, and then captured, severely injured to the point full recovery of that shoulder would be a while if ever, imprisoned, beaten, tortured, implied to have been sexually assaulted, and nearly dies of sepsis merits just "I guess I'll live, even if uglier than before" in his journal and is dismissed with only that. And aside from a few comments around camp immediately after and Sadie's angrily telling him in Chapter 6's "Goodbye Dear Friend" that at least he lived unlike Jake, it's really never brought up again by anyone. It's like this profound, prolonged trauma that should have shaken the foundation of everything he's believed for so long is just utterly forgotten, erased only so its beats and themes can be repeated almost exactly several months later. Arthur's mortality and how the life he's led has made him suffer. Dutch's complete narcissism and how he uses people. Micah's cold, cunning betrayal. It's almost like it's a relic of an earlier storyline that got abandoned so they could focus on the TB and making Arthur into a sacrifice. And it's peculiar, because it feels like that could so easily have been a springboard to the exact same thing: his growing realization exactly how little he or anyone else means to Dutch and his delusions of grandeur, things with Micah coming to more of a head, and dealing with his mortality and the legacy of his life. It also would tie in better with Sadie's own descent into ugly, messy PTSD courtesy of the O'Driscolls and give even more shading to their intimacy and friendship. As-is, the O'Driscolls don't seem to matter at all to Arthur in terms of either anger or fear or anything else, which is somewhat weird given how much they put him through. He's not allowed to have any PTSD reactions to them like Sadie is, which is frankly weird. Even for a man who thinks as little of himself as Arthur does, it seems unrealistic for him to have zero reaction, even privately, given we see how deeply he feels things. And so Peacemakers is this weird blank where a profound, alarming event that feels like it should very possibly have been the turning point along with Sean's sudden, shocking death in Rhodes and triggering that slow-creeping horror of no, we are not going to just wait it out and be OK, and it seems I cannot rely on Dutch to make it all OK because we're in deep shit and all he's doing is talking grandiose promises realization...apparently just doesn't matter at all? As-is, you could cut it from the game and it wouldn't change anything at all, and that really says something. I feel like if they gave Peacemakers a bigger prominence, the game's pacing would have worked better. Chapters 4 and 5 in Shady Belle and Guarma could have easily been more naturally working towards Arthur's growing awareness of Dutch and Micah rather than artificially prolonging it and suddenly having it all happen in Chapter 6 after like three dozen glaring neon signs already, and after many of Arthur's likely allies are conveniently dead and he's dying. It maybe gives him the chance to confront Micah and Dutch more actively. It gives him a chance to make choices and truly grow up from that scared, traumatized street kid who's made Dutch his father and god and become a man in his own right, rather than becoming a martyr.

[butterflyeffectiveless]

Toffee’s whole story felt to me like he suffered from serious delusions of grandeur. When we saw him in the past, apparently when he was a teenager, we learned he was a high ranked soldier or boss even back then. But unlike Moon, who due to her personal circumstances, viewed that as something traumatic and negative, Toffee acted cocky and arrogant, which implies that he was maybe somehow made believe he is supposed to be a warlord even when he was a kid and hence he felt proud. But like.. the thing is that he was just a teenager. 

So it seems like he’s been going through a downward spiral since he was a teen for god knows how many years. And dont get me started on how bad the feeling of resentment is for one’s mental health, and Toffee was mainly powering himself by the sheer resentment he stored in himself for decades. It’s like Toffee suffers but he legitiamely doesnt even acknowledge that and thinks what actually harms him and could potentially destroy him (which in fact does destroy him in the end), is something that gives him power and makes him a “god above everyone else”, and thats just so sad. 

[cosmicjoke]

Ugh, effing GOD, I swear with each chapter, my hatred for Zeke grows more and more.  I’m up to 119, and the entire sequence with Falco and Colt was just... sickening.  Zeke’s really trying to act like it’s such a burden to him, to have to turn Falco into a Titan and kill Colt in the process.  It’s absolutely appalling, the way Colt pleads with Zeke to just wait until Falco is out of range before he screams, not even asking him to give up on whatever his plan is, but just asking him to wait, reminding him of the entire reason Colt agreed to inherit the Beast Titan in the first place, because he wanted to protect his family, and still, STILL, Zeke is unmoved.  But the most disgusting thing, I think, is how Zeke says to Colt, “You care for your little brother.  As do I.  So it is truly a shame.”  Alright, back up just a second here.  You know what this is?  It’s called hypocrisy folks.  This is, once again, Zeke absolving himself of his crimes by framing them as mercy.  This is, once again, Zeke installing himself as a martyr, taking on the burden of hard and painful decisions to do what’s “right”, because, you see, he’s really a hero, just doing what needs to be done to save humanity.  So even though it might seem heartless and cruel and mercenary for him to turn on all of his comrades and use them without hesitation against their wills, murder them all and leave them psychologically damaged for life, no, no, no, you’ve got it all wrong!  Zeke is doing this out of compassion!  Out of love, and care, and mercy!  See, he cares about Falco JUST AS MUCH as Colt, and he really is so sad about having to then turn Falco into a fucking Titan so he can sick him on Reiner, really very upset about literally using him as a tool to achieve his goal of him and Eren touching.  And see, because Zeke tells us he cares about Falco, we’re supposed to believe it.  And we’re supposed to believe that it’s really Zeke who’s the one actually suffering here, by having to hurt the ones he supposedly loves and cares for.  By having to kill people who trusted him and believed in him to the very end, and still, despite everything, cared for him, enough so to try and talk with him and show compassion towards him.  Because it’s all for the “greater good”.  And what is that greater good?  Oh, the euthanization of an entire race of people, that’s all!  Making sure no one can ever reproduce again so that an entire race of human beings goes literally extinct.  Deciding that the lives of entire, unborn generations are so worthless, that he should get to prevent them from even taking place.  That’s Zeke’s greater good.  Zeke is the heroic one, because he’s willing to take on the burden of this pain all by himself, the burden of stabbing every person who ever cared about him in the back, and doesn’t that just make him so special.  See, by MAKING people suffer, that’s how Zeke is going to save them from suffering!  What a genius!  What a noble, good, and kind man!  This is how he frames it.  This is how he sees himself.  He won’t just own up to the things he’s doing.  He won’t admit that they’re terrible, or define what he’s doing for what it actually is, won’t own any of it.  He redefines it all as some noble and heroic deed, frames it all as his noble and selfless sacrifice, his great gift to mankind, his generosity and kindness.  I guess him getting off on crushing people beneath boulders is just a manifestation of that kindness, huh?

Alright, I think I’m gonna puke.

This mother fucker.  

Guess what?  Actions speak louder than words.  And all of Zeke’s sad frowny faces aren’t going to convince me for a second that this bitch actually cares at all, about anyone, or anything.  He’s so completely delusional, that he’s convinced himself of his own line of bullshit, that by murdering people, he’s saving them from suffering.  That he’s saving people from suffering by robbing them of their agency, their future, their lives.  And that he doesn’t actually have anything to be sorry for, because what he’s doing is mercy, and he’s the hero, because he’s the only one who can do what it takes by betraying everyone who ever gave a shit about him and believed in him.  Colt says to Zeke that “The Zeke I know would never bring children into this.”, and that reveals everything, doesn’t it?  Because, see, Zeke’s ALREADY brought children into this.  He already got two of the three warrior candidates killed in Liberio, could have and even intended to kill Gabi and Colt too, in the process, would have killed Falco, if Eren hadn’t kept him with him and Reiner in that basement.  He’s already gotten children into this by deciding that he was going to rob every future child of even being born.  

The Zeke Colt knew, the Zeke Colt BELIEVED in, was a lie, and always was a lie.  He really thought, by reminding Zeke of their connection, reminding him of why he became a Warrior in the first place, reminded him of the bond they all shared, that Zeke would realize what he was doing, remember how much he cared about all of them, and stop.  But Zeke didn’t stop, didn’t even hesitate, or consider for a moment what Colt was saying or asking, because the truth about Zeke is that he’s never connected with another, single human being in his life.  He’s a severe sociopath, who feels nothing for anyone.  He just said “Oh, what a shame.”  and then turned Falco into a Titan and killed Colt on the spot.  He took the information Colt willingly shared with him about Falco ingesting his spinal fluid, and USED IT, intentionally turning Falco into a Titan then and there because he knew it would be advantageous in getting Eren to make contact with him.   It’s Zeke saying “Then it is truly a shame.” that makes me sickest of all, because once again we have Zeke acting at regret, pretending he’s sad and hurting over having to kill two children, like it’s such a burden to him to have had to do something so awful.  If you ever needed proof of Zeke’s egotism, of his utterly self-centered world view, well, here it is.  It’s his own pain that matters in this scenario, see, his own sacrifice.  It’s too bad about Falco and Colt, but I’m the one who’s truly suffering.  Fuuuuuuuck yoooooouuu Zeke.  

Zeke does this shit again and again.  He did it during the battle of Shinganshina, when he killed countless soldiers, swinging wildly between uncontrollable rage and glee as he treated killing them like a game of baseball, literally using them as scapegoats for his anger at his father, to spouting off about how “sorry” he felt for the very people he was murdering, about how pitiful and sad their lives were, and how he was truly doing this for their own good, if only their little minds could comprehend his grand, genius vision.  Oh, poor Zeke, how awful the burden of uniqueness must be, to forever be so misunderstood.  Boo fucking hoo.  He did it again in the forest with Levi, after turning 30 soldiers into Titans and musing to himself about how deeply he regretted having to do it, how he didn’t want to, but how he had no choice, because Levi could “never understand” him, while in the next breath mocking them and Levi, bragging about how there wasn’t even a fight, laughing about it and weaponizing it in an attempt to hurt Levi even further.  And he does it again here, claiming he cares about Falco, and then turning him into a Titan and using him as a tool.  This guy is the biggest, most shameless hypocrite in the history of ever.  Everything, and I mean everything out of his mouth is a lie and a manipulation.  Doubletalk and deflection and delusion.  He doesn’t mean anything he says, other then his obvious, deluded belief in himself as some kind of uniquely special hero who’s going to save the world through his brilliant understanding of all it’s problems.  Even if he has to create those problems himself, apparently.  

I just can’t with this guy.  I can’t.  His sense of self-aggrandizement, delusions of grandeur and self-centered egotism, coupled with the obvious pleasure he takes in hurting others, makes him a rank piece of trash.  I don’t care what anyone says.  That’s what he is.

[zombiegurlmode]

Sad that Camren Shippers are to blame. But alas, scape goats are necessary for someone to thrive

I’m not done ranting apparently. Clearly, after all of my satirical nature has come to pass, truth of the matter is, for someone who spoke so openly and highly of valuing love and honesty and all that jazz. Your words cut deeper than any knife could. And for someone who openly “claims” of being a part of the LGBT+ community, (whereas the numbers are thriving so much that more letters are added and we’re almost about to fill in the entire alphabet) we have yet to receive such a backlash coming from “supposedly” one of us. Imagine the horror right? True, perhaps your words may have been misconstrued by the public at large or twisted in some form to suit everyone’s selfish needs. I mean after all, isn’t that what camren shippers are called for - delusional AF and toxic as hell. Well, we don’t deny it and couldn’t deny the fact that yes, there are plenty of us who are quite enthusiastic to a fault. Honestly, tell me in what space or bygone era have toxic people never appeared in. Truth of the matter is, it’s how you deal with things and toxicity that affect each and everyone of us. Happiness is only a matter of possessing the right attitude. And no one, not any one, can take that away from you. Not even hardships.

There are several things I would like to personally address though. Camren shippers most likely than not have in some way or the other connected with you. We all something that we could relate to, From your internalized phobia, or from you getting to finally openly admit your own sexuality and fully embracing it wonderfully, or some other things that the others felt truly connected or as you love to so put it “resonate” with you. So don’t blame your fans if they are passionate in expressing themselves because all humans have escapism in them. And to some, perhaps, this is the only means they have some semblance of control to freely express themselves openly. No one is undermining your hardship when you were outed, or that fact that you were bullied for it, or pressured to act in a certain acceptable way so you may be deemed as socially normal “acceptable” human being, whereas all you truly deserve was love and compassion. But I would like to remind you of one very fine detail. When you were outed, camren shippers were there to support you. Because they (wasn’t here yet when it happened so I can’t include myself) understood well above and beyond that what you encountered was so horrendous. You were cheated and robbed of that one pleasure and right given to every LGBT+ member to pride on - the true nature of coming out. See the thing is, the homophobes corrupted the words coming out so much that even as LGBT+ members sometimes forget the true existence of it. it’s not about public declaration or waving the flag, or marching in rainbows, or stamping a giant sign across your forehead declaring that you’re a proud, frolicking, fun-loving, women-loving lesbian (or in any way the others identify themselves as). No! Coming out and its true nature is simply coming to terms with yourself on your own pace and leisure. So truly I am sorry that you have been cheated out of this privilege. But it wouldn’t be fair for you to lump it together with your emotions and throw it at your brethren (if you even consider us as such). Perhaps, that is not your intention. Just to be clear, I am not invaliding how you’ve felt or how you’re feeling now. No one has the power to do that to someone else - I’m referring to telling others how to feel. Yet the message we perceived is quite clear. That we, as a collective known as Camren Shippers, who “supposedly” belong to the LGBT+ community (ok, maybe not all of us. that’s too presumptive on my part) and pride on understanding your own volitions caused this very volitions to surface or in your words “manifest” in you. We are the hindrances that robbed you of your chance to have a decent flirtation towards the same sex. Ironically speaking, Camren Shippers were the ones also on the forefront of defending your honor when some boy belonging to a particular boy band along with his bandmates ridiculed and degraded your feminine existence simply because they thought they were joking around. I mean aren’t jokes like that - it’s all fun and games until someone gets hurt. Jokes most often than not are made at the expense of others. Doesn’t make it any less right, but then again who are we to blame them for something they thought of as a joke. Let’s all face it people, we are all guilty of this act. And yet, the CS never did falter. Carrying their banners of delusions and brandishing their armors of grandeurs, all in the name sake of defending someone who is belittled for the sake of “fun and games”. Even after deliberately attacking the CS for their enthusiasm and calling it invasive, they were still there for you especially so when they saw how pressure started affecting you. They were always so attuned to you that they were the first to notice signs that you may possibly be queer or you may possibly be undergoing some form of inner conflict. They all wish you good health and as you put it in words “send their love to you” so you may never feel alone enduring all this pain. And now imagine the heartache that every shipper might or might not be going through right now. Because apparently, that same support that they have been sending you is perceived as pain and suffering from your end. How would you feel if the very thought that the love and adoration you have causes someone pain and insecurity? So far, all that you have discussed is the negativity that surrounds an apparent DEAD SHIP. Negativity? Sounds familiar right? You preach on it on numerous occasion. You even wrote a song 50FT. Maybe you should be the one to listen on your own attunement. You brought so much negativity on the topic whereas it was meant to be about your coming out. Again, sorry that you’re coming out seemed more like a burden than liberation for you. And again, I apologize that we are the reason behind it.

Just to clarify. We never undermined your suffering. We know all too well the pain that one undergoes in this journey called self discovery of one’s true sexuality. To be honest, those of us who fear coming out or being outed because of rejection, bullying, disowning, we are the lucky ones. There are some of us who undergo far more threats by simply accepting who they truly are. They fear for the safety of their family, they fear for their own safety, they fear the valid threats of rape and degradation and being treated as if you are worse than animals. There are those individuals where the very soil that they stood upon view homosexuality as ILLEGAL and violation of such law would yield severe punishments. So tell them, tell them that they don’t know the risks, the pains, the sufferings, the deteriorations of ones’ sanities, tell them that they don’t understand it because all they ever care about is Camren. Tell them that they’re only glimmer of hope on priding on someone that may have found what they yearn for is invalid. Tell them that living vicariously on your life brings so much distraught on your otherwise calm existence. Tell them that and they have been the first ones to apologize that you felt that way. Because I’ve read their posts and I’ve felt their pains. And we are sorry to cause you so much pain.

I will remind you. No one forced you to audition for xfactor in the pursuance of your dream. You even have the support of your family for your journey. And we are all grateful that you did. Otherwise, we may not even have bothered you so much. Otherwise, we may not even know that you existed. So let me remind you that the industry you belong to - spotlight is king. So don’t go complaining if your put under the it - that’s the point of the industry my dear, the limelight. I’m a purchaser, I can’t complain if my daily tasks comprise of purchasing goods. Otherwise, I have no business being a purchaser. I’m clearly in the wrong field if I felt that way. So it wouldn’t be fair to tell your fans (if you even consider us as such) to blame us for putting you under the spotlight. May I make a suggestion? Try holding a concert without the lights on next time. You do have sensitive eyes because of the lack of melanin in your eyes. We get that.

Also, you know Becky G never did mention about camren. You brought it up on your own. Just like you’ve given us “it’s camren yo!”. You did say and i quote (uh oh i’m sure going to butcher this. I failed in quoting people all the time) “i don’t really talk about it” and then preceded to have entire litany about camren and whatnot. Ok, I get it, it was part of your coming out process. Cool. Then you’ve touched upon how reading fanfics have ruined you. And made you feel like a predator. Firstly, camren fanfics are intended for shippers only. Like all mediums, they have their own specific intended audieces. For you to wander into uncharted terrains, you must have understood the risks it entails. I don’t know which ones you’ve read, but most fics from decent authors have disclaimer on them. Did you even bother reading the disclaimer? On the onset of something that made you feel awkward or uncomfortable or disturbing, you should’ve stopped on your own and never be bothered with it again. That’s the usual thing to do. If any human find something or someone repulsive, they would ceased to seek it. But it bothered you so much and made you feel like a predator then you’ve read the entirety of it (maybe i’m exaggerating, ok a good chuck of it, sounds better?) Well someone did tell me it could have been born out of curiosity. Yeah curiosity did kill the cat, you know? Unless of course you’re a masochist, then now I finally understand and I have nothing more to add.

So for my parting words, I would again extend my deepest, sincerest apology I could muster in my current sane state for being the cause and hindrance for your inner peace and wellbeing. I am not mocking you. This is just the nature I write. Troublesome, I know. But I’m being honest. If my being a fan of you, and shipping you in our own little niche, caused you so much pain and suffering then I respect your wishes. It would be foolish of me to continue pouring my support to you when all along I’m actually doing the opposite and harming you in the process. I mean what decent human being would like to inflict pain unto others. So in honor of my last words relating to your brand Lauren Jauregui or the very dead ship that apparently troubled you so much, I bid you the very best. May you flourish on your career and find inner peace and true happiness forever and always. I would not like to be a fan of any brand that I’m the apparent cause whether directly or indirectly impedes in attaining their endeavors. All the best in your album release and who knows maybe I’ll stumble upon your music again someday. 

[lakelewisia]

A Lewisian Year

Presented in partnership with the Lewisia Communications Board and Lewisia Public Library

Sponsored by The Historical Society

Hello, readers, listeners, and psychic osmosizers! Welcome to A Lewisian Year, a monthly showcase celebrating the rich culture here in the Lake Lewisia district. Each month, we'll highlight some seasonal events, local celebrations and interpretations of national and world holidays, and historical tidbits.

OCTOBER

Lights on the Lake

You don't know for sure what brought you out to the lake, this cool and misty Halloween night. There are so many bright delights to be enjoyed in town, more festive settings than this stretch of pebbled shore. The moon, already set and no more than a sickle anyway, would do little to illuminate anything more than the glassy surface of the lake nearest to you. Farther out, even that fades into a wall of fog. You just knew, somehow, you were supposed to be here. And you aren't the only one: other people assemble on the shore in uncertain silence. You all look out across the lake, wondering why you are here.

You don't have to wait long. Something appears in the fog out on the water. Just a patch of brightness that could be no more than a particularly thick clump of mist, if it weren't for the way it slowly approaches the shore. It bobs a little as it comes--something is floating toward you. Several somethings, you realize, as more lights emerge from the fog. Soon, a whole flotilla of lights can be made out. And now, by their collective glow, you can see how they are traveling to you.

Each light rides within a pumpkin, a little ship of hollowed squash. Tiny Jack-Be-Littles, great lumpen Knuckleheads, frosty blue Jarrahdales. The ghostly white of Cotton Candy, and the iconic roundness of Baby Bear. Some pumpkins carry but a single ethereal light, while others are crowded with a dozen. They drift in a wobbly, uneven way, suitable for a squash attempting to cross a lake, and yet they also approach so quickly, you have hardly had a chance to look along the length of their assemblage before they are nearly to the shore.

Already, with the pumpkins still several yards out, people have begun to stumble into the water. In the dark on either side of you, some give little cries of recognition as they lurch forward. Others splash out to meet their pumpkin, their lights, in silences grim or reverent. In time, you too will realize which little harvest ship is yours. You too will wade out into the water, heedless of soaked shoes and heavy pant legs. Because you understand, now, in the dark and the mist, what the lights are. You know how far they've come to be here tonight.

It is Halloween, and your beloved dead have come out to see you again. The pumpkins ferry their little soul lights from the misty underworlds and afterlives they inhabit, on this night when such visitations are possible. I will not hazard a guess as to who has come for you this year, nor speculate about what messages they might bring. No matter how many assemble on the lakeshore in a given year, we all meet the lights alone.

Search and Rescue

As you make your way back through town, you watch the more mundane joys of Halloween, in all their glittery, sugar-stuffed glory: trick-or-treaters. Even before the night itself, there are harvest events all month to draw out crowds. It's easy to get lost in such a crowd. Easy for a group to get smaller by one or two people without anyone noticing right away. Easy for someone to get lured away from the group and the safety of the path when there are so many delights to look at.

When that happens, someone has to track them down. Enter the Lewisia Search and Rescue Collective, a loose association of public servants, private trackers, and independently operating animal guides. Given the unusual terrain of the Lewisia area, both physical and ethereal, it takes more than just a sniffer dog and an unwashed shirt to track down a missing person. The LSRC can handle everything from underwater searches (trained kingfishers and a pair of selkie sisters) to dimensional rift retrievals (several retired time travelers and the single skinniest, most disreputable- and ancient-looking black cat I have ever seen). They even have multiple successful faerie abduction recoveries in their history, but they declined to give any details about whom of their associates had handled those cases.

October sees more mysterious disappearances than any other month of the year in the greater Lewisia region. The town's ability to draw in outsiders raises the statistics for seventeen counties beyond its immediate reach as well. (Your humble host has spent a lot of time looking at microfiche records of missing person reports in the last month. A lot.)

Of course, a missing person isn't always a bad thing; a mysterious disappearance isn't always an involuntary one. Whether it's down to October's metaphysical properties, the changeable fall weather, or just the prospect of facing the coming winter cooped up somewhere, or with someone, you hate, this is the time of year when people make their escapes. Plenty of fairy rings are approached with clear eyes, rather than blundered into. Sometimes maw-like eldritch portals swallow a person AND the suitcase they packed ahead of time. Sometimes, a missing person does not need or want to be found. After all, sometimes those missing people end up here in Lewisia.

Mating and Migration

While we're on the subject of local population fluctuations, I have a repeated and intense reminder from Dr. Ben Langston in the Biology department of the community college regarding mating and migrating creatures this autumn:

If you encounter a local animal, cryptid, ambulatory plant, or other apparently non-rational life form, and it seems like it really wants to eat, breed with, or flee from you or anything else in the immediate area? Strongly consider getting out of its way.

This time of the year, several of our local species leave on their yearly migration to warmer climates in the south. Tawny unicorns and scorched-beak falcons have both already left us. Snowy púki and glass bats will likely be seen headed along their usual paths bordering the Briarwood district. These habits are driven by seasonal changes both obvious and subtle, written into the genetics of creatures and taught from one generation to the next.

It is a drive stronger than your desire to cross a particular road just then. It is an impulse older than your ideas about private yards and landscaping. Let them pass.

All of which is nothing compared to the mating impulse in some creatures. I don't think I need to explicate the mortal danger faced by anyone who gets between a bull moose and his paramour. And while Old Tommy, the goblin crane who lives out by Stoneheart Manor, is generally friendly with the public, that dance he's doing for the next month is not for your benefit, and you should consider using an extremely long lens if you feel compelled to capture his moves on film.

If anything should decide that you are, in fact, the intended subject of their amorous attentions, it is recommended that you seek shelter indoors. Cars are not the deterrent you might hope, except in cases of relatively small unwelcome suitors. A sturdy door and/or high fence will offer more protection until their interest turns elsewhere.

Of course, if you decide you quite fancy one of the human-compatible creatures currently seeking mates, we won't stand in your way. Advice and resources for negotiating an interspecies relationship and parenting any resulting hybrid children can be found through the library's life skills programming.

This Month in History

October 17, 1937 saw the first public distribution of the newly developed vaccine against Custler's Influenza, also known as Gothic flu. Symptoms of Gothic flu include paleness, wasting away, light aversion, mysterious billowing winds centered around the afflicted, and a compulsion to find moorland and cliffs on which to wander. Though not directly fatal, the impulses caused by the disease frequently lead to misadventure. Several of Lewisia's older architectural wonders are thought to have begun as visions of designers suffering from undiagnosed cases of Gothic flu, as the disease is also known to cause obsessions with houses.

Efforts to explore a vaccine or even study the disease had been hindered for years by the tendency of any laboratory setting to go moderately weird within six months of introducing live virus samples to the space. Teams of sensible researchers were assembled based on testing for resistance to romantic notions and delusions of grandeur. Special ultramodern workspaces had to be built, including numerous south-facing windows to counteract the dark and withdrawn tendencies brought on by proximity to the virus. Thanks to their efforts, Gothic flu is now a rare, and rarely life-altering, affliction that seldom does more than cause a temporary flare for flowing poet's shirts and antique literature.

That's a taste of what October has to offer us. See you next month, when November replaces werewolves with regular wolves, donates an hour, and once again brings a covered dish.

[sassyfrassboss]

I have to say I dislike Harry as much as you guys and that he’s as bad as Meghan etc.

But I feel like Harry wants a quiet life or is paranoid so wants one where he’s left alone but with Meghan she wants attention and paparazzi all the time, she wants the drama and headlines. I think he’d have done his military stuff and Invictus along with his Africa stuff like usual but Meghan got to him and has obviously warped his mind and changed him drastically if even the likes of William can see a change in his brother after all his 2000/10s craziness.

Just look at how she forced him to make a statement when they were dating, nobody knew she was dating him and it’s apparently come out she was using Splash News to take pap shots so she could claim harassment and so on even staging breakins. Not to mention that the Splash News or Backgrid pics of her in Canada with an oddly shaped and placed Archie strapped haphazardly to her, were with her knowing exactly where the camera was and was smiling away. But when Harry returned from the Sandringham Summit it was announced they were suing?

Harry also made statements in around 2015 saying that he was better now since the death of Diana and that yes he suffered but he was better... now look at him on the issue. Not to mention that he was always close with the likes of Catherine and Eugenie, Sophie even.

Meghan is a textbook manipulator and abuser. I think she’s definitely bipolar and self medicates with medication/drugs & alcohol, and that she has narcissistic personality disorder as well with delusions of grandeur & paranoia with also anxiety disorder that connects up with an inferiority complex as well.

Harry I’d say suffered or suffers from depression and self medication as well. I wouldn’t say PTSD from his toy soldier days or even from the death of his mother. Perhaps the delusions of grandeur and importance due to how he’s been treated, how the Cambridges out of love treated him equal footing. I’d say Harry is suffering from an inferiority complex as well that Meghan has feasted on and perhaps even Stockholm Syndrome as well. Meghan is known to be verbally and physically violent, I wouldn’t put emotional or psychological abuse past her. I mean look at how drained and different Harry looks since being with her, and how better the likes of Corey & Trevor look since getting away from her.

Thank you for this! 

I agree that while Harry had issues the begin with, Meghan picked up on them and exploited them to her benefit. Main reason we believe her to be a narcissist. I have dealt with one in my past. She picked up on her subject insecurities and with constant needling magnified those insecurities tenfold. 

I have seen what people who suffer from PTSD and I agree with you that he doesn’t exhibit the signs, however, he may have issues after he makes his break from Meghan.

[userseokkie]

In defense of Daenerys' spiral into madness

I see a lot of people upset and disappointed in Daenerys' ending last night not because they stan her blindly and want her to be the badass queen, but (rightfully) because they believe this sets a dangerous, mysoginystic precedent that teaches us no woman can be powerful or strive to be powerful without it blowing up in her face. It kind of reads as a cautionary tale that says women in places of absolute power, of agency and control, will eventually go insane because well, they're women. I have also read it interpreted as saying that the only possible ending for a woman who has been abused, raped, sold into slavery, and tossed to the side is for her to go insane. Because trauma damages the inherent worth of women, apparently.

these are all valid concerns, because d&d are not known for being the most capable writers and to be honest, this ending WAS tinged with mysoginy and poorly executed. but if these concerns are true for you, then yall should turn to Sansa Stark.

Sansa is the proof that this show doesn't always shit on women. If you really think in this show a woman that's been through hell and back is cursed by the writers to have a trauma porn ending, then look at Sansa and realize that SHE is the direct parallel to Daenerys, with a completely opposite outcome.

She has been traumatized

She has been abused

and married against her will

She has been beaten and sold off like cattle

she has been manipulated

She has been raped.

And yet, she has come out the other end a good person, a brilliant strategist and a dedicated Queen. She vows to always defend her people, and she has shown resilience at every turn of the story.

She hasn't come out unscathed, but she is proof women who are traumatized do not always become evil, or go insane or start abusing their power.

She has a lot of power, as Lady of Winterfell, as the last hope for the North, as the link with the Tullys of her family. She used to be a spoiled child who dreamt of becoming Queen, but now that she's seen what power can do to people she no longer wishes to be Queen for the sake of being Queen. She wants to be the leader of her House, and to protect the people that have pledged to defend her and her family because that's what a kind leader does. She's stared cruelty dead in the face and has chosen to respond "I will answer cruelty with mercy."

If that means becoming Queen, then so be it. She doesn't claim to be the leader all people want and cheer, she just wants to see justice be served and keep the North safe.

Want more examples of women not getting corrupted by their past? Take a look at Arya.

At Brienne

At Yara Greyjoy

All these, powerful women that have suffered at the expense of men and of other people who wish to see them fail. All with similar backgrounds to Daenerys'. And yet, they have not turned out to be mad. Because power IS corruptible, specially when it's the only end and the only mean you seek. Which is what Daenerys did.

But do not pretend that her ending was something made purely out of spite and hatred for powerful women, because it isn't. Daenerys had a lot of opportunities to turn the other way, to realize with great power such as the one the dragons gave her, you need to be held accountable and you need to be responsible for that power. D&D are not the great writers they believe by any means, and all the female characters have suffered at their expense because they do not know or do not care about how to write women. But not everything is black and white, and some of the most important and iconic characters in the show ARE women. Women who do not go fucking batshit crazy when things have not gone the way they planned.

So yeah, if you're angry about Daenerys' ending, that's valid and you are allowed to grieve the characters you love. But you need to face the truth and accept that not everything you don't agree with about a story comes from a place of bigotry or mysoginy. Daenerys was always going to end up like her father. Not because she's a woman with power, but because she only cared about the power her name brought her, and what that could get her. Delusions of grandeur always come at great expense. If you want to turn this mysoginystic views around, then support Sansa Stark, and support Arya and their ending, because they are strong women who will live to see the end of the game of thrones.

[mobius-prime]

58. Special - Sonic and Knuckles Mecha Madness

Previous / Table of Contents / Next

Mecha Madness

Writer: Michael Gallagher Pencils: Pat Spaziante Colors: Kyle Hunter

Oh boy, time to see what "Operation Last Resort" is! Turns out, it involves a portable roboticizer - the same one, in fact, that partially roboticized Bunnie all the way back in StH#3. Apparently they actually took it with them when they rescued Bunnie, and Sally's been having Rotor fix it up this whole time in case of such an emergency. It even has a built-in neuro-overrider to let the person inside keep… their… okay, hang on. I'm calling BS. You're telling me that this entire time they've had a portable roboticizer which functions normally, lets the person keep their mind, and as revealed later in the issue even comes with a reverse function that can deroboticize any 'bot that it's created? Can you say plot holes? First of all, since this is Bunnie's roboticizer, it should be the simplest matter ever to stick her in it and give her her organic body back. I guess you could fudge around and say, well, there's too many risks since her process was interrupted and whatnot, but the other problem comes with the fact that two different issues now have had this same drama about someone being roboticized and not having kept their normal mind. How different would literally the last issue have gone if Sally, in response to Sonic's request, had said "Well sure Sonic, we have a nearly-risk-free option right here in Knothole Village. With your consent we'll throw you in it and have Robotnik defeated and in prison by lunchtime"? There would be absolutely no risk of him losing his mind and becoming a slave of Robotnik's! Sure it would come with physical risks, but since when has Sonic ever balked at a risk of death or injury before?

Man, the only way we'll be able to get through this issue is if we just pretend there's no plot holes, so I'll stop my yapping and move on. Knuckles comes to, and after deliriously trying to punch several of the Freedom Fighters present Sally kicks him in the back, which makes him recognize her, because I guess she's the only one who's ever kicked him in the back like that. Healthy relationship, guys! They get a bit gaga over each other for a little while, reminiscing on their past together - apparently Sally's father used to vacation on the Floating Island when Knuckles' father was still guardian and before Robotnik's takeover. Really, this issue makes it seem like they have a residual crush on each other, with Sally in particular still being affected by it. Man, Sally, how many crushes can you have at once? I still insist she's polyamorous. Things would be so much easier for her if she could just date multiple people at once. After a bit more discussion, Sally tells him the plan, and apparently Knuckles just cannot wait to scoot his booty into the 'botmaker and get roboticized.

Everyone actually acts quite terrified by using this option, with Rotor even questioning Sally if this makes them "no better than Robotnik." While it's played for laughs with Sally's response of "Et tu, Rotor?" honestly all this makes me think is that these literal kids (none of them is over 18 at this point) are definitely traumatized by all the crap they've gone through in this war. For basically their entire lives, getting roboticized has been synonymous with psychological warfare and death, with only a handful of examples otherwise (such as Uncle Chuck and the people he rescued a few issues ago, but even then that's an incredibly recent occurrence). It's clear they're having a hard time getting over this association in their minds, apart from Sally, who's the pragmatist of the group, and Knuckles, who… well, has spent most of his time away from the war anyway, and thus doesn't have the same fear.

As all this is going on, Tails is the last to evacuate Knothole himself while Mecha Sonic lays waste to all its buildings, and as such is spotted and targeted. He tries to fly away to safety, but it's hopeless. He's still within reach of Mecha Sonic's blasters, and Mecha Sonic locks on… and…

…hesitates! Sonic, you still in there buddy? He seems to be fighting back somehow, even though Robotnik's apparently upgraded his roboticizers since Sally's old attempts to thwart them. Not a problem for Robotnik though, since he has nuclear bombs, apparently! Jeez, man, he's really serious about taking these guys out for good. After a little while, Mecha Knuckles emerges from the roboticizer, and engages Mecha Sonic in battle, conveniently right before Mecha Sonic can tell Robotnik the coordinates of Knothole. They duke it out midair for a little while, until Mecha Sonic eventually hits Mecha Knuckles hard enough to knock him back straight toward Robotropolis, on a direct course for wherever Robotnik stores his nuclear warheads. Mecha Knuckles, determined to take out Mecha Sonic no matter what, grabs him with a magnetic pull, and together, they hit the stockpile.

Oh, boy.

Everyone back home is in tears. Certainly, as confirmed by Nicole, there's no way they could have survived a nuclear blast like that, not even with upgraded robotic bodies. Sally has to take a few moments away from the group to hide her tears. It's pretty damn bleak.

So, turns out that the blast just straight up ripped a hole in the middle of Robotnik's city, vaporizing basically every building in its path and irradiating the crater. This is some serious damage. No mention of the fact that this probably just killed untold numbers of roboticized Mobians who were stuck inside that section of the city, however, because Robotnik then emerges from an underground shelter, straight into the radiation - how messed up is this guy, dude? He drinks motor oil like it's a nice glass of wine, never exercises, and already lives in a city made out of pollution, and now he can just walk right out into the site of a nuclear bomb explosion with no issue? Anyway, he then happens to find Mecha Sonic's mangled body, somehow still barely alive, though heavily malfunctioning. Oh, and Mecha Knuckles is alive, too, so Robotnik gets punched in the head.

Mecha Knuckles isn't doing so hot, but incredibly, he recounts how just before the impact Mecha Sonic switched their places so he would take most of the brunt of the blast instead. Mecha Knuckles heads back to the Freedom Fighters with Mecha Sonic in tow, to Sally's immense relief, and they get ready to deroboticize Knuckles.

Aww, poor Sonic. Literally, he thinks he doesn't deserve to be saved after what he did, despite it not even being his fault. That's some seriously heavy stuff for a fifteen year old, man. Of course, Sally isn't about to take that. Nicole is able to run some tests and confirm that somehow, back when Sonic collected his one billionth ring and went on that crazy drug trip with the Ancient Walkers, it gave him a magical protection around his "life force," which allowed him to keep some of his personality even while roboticized. I don't know how the hell all that is supposed to work, but essentially, she's certain she'll be able to use that life force protection to deroboticize him even without the help of any machinery, since all of Rotor's equipment was destroyed in the attack on Knothole.

Miraculously, it works, and after a few moments, Sonic is back to normal, although suffering from one hell of a migraine and unable to remember anything from his time as Mecha Sonic. At first everyone is quite happy to have him back, but then he sasses Knuckles right out of the roboticizer, who glides away in a huff, and from there things start to turn sour.

Yeah, you didn't think everyone forgot about his supposed disobedience of a direct order, did you? He's handcuffed and marched away in preparation for a court-martial, as he's now suspected of treason! Remember, from Sonic's point of view, this is all he remembers: got denied his proposition, walked away and passed out, woke up in very brief agony before everything going blank, and then woke up again on the floor with a migraine. He has no idea what has even happened these past two issues, and now he's suddenly being dragged away in cuffs. Can you imagine? This poor guy.

Don't Let the Island Hit You on the Way Down!

Writer: Kent Taylor Pencils: Harvey Mercadoocasio Colors: Kyle Hunter

Well, we couldn't have an epic issue like this without a couple of silly "nothing" stories following it, so time to see what the Chaotix were doing while Knuckles was away being a robot and everything. Turns out they're under attack from the "Fearsome Foursome," a random group of Mobians who are apparently just interested in kicking some ass. The Chaotix get slapped around for a little while before regrouping and fighting back.

It goes on for a weirdly long amount of time considering nothing even happens in this story until like, six pages in. All they do is punch each other around. Suddenly, a mysterious figure emerges onto the scene: Mammoth Mogul, a gigantic mammoth with delusions of grandeur. Apparently, he was actually born in prehistoric times, but a chance encounter with a Chaos Emerald granted him mysterious powers and immortality, and as such he declared himself ruler of Mobius while sitting on a throne wearing a loincloth that leaves almost nothing to the imagination. People eventually couldn't take his manspreading on the throne any longer and ousted him as their leader, and so he just bided his time for millennia until the modern day, where he assembled this really weird ragtag team and is now intending to take the Floating Island's Chaos Emerald for his own, since apparently there are absolutely no other Chaos Emeralds for him to choose from on the planet right now.

The Chaotix respond by punching him in the face in unison, and he immediately retreats, insisting he'll be back at a better time. He literally just jumps into a hovercar straight out of the punch and zooms away at top speed while essentially doing the stereotypical villain thing of shaking his fist and yelling "I'll be back, mark my words!" C'mon, man, you're apparently this immortal god-being from prehistoric times and four random dudes slapping you is enough to drive you back? What a wuss.

Eel of Fortune

Writer: Michael Gallagher Pencils: Dave Manak Colors: Kyle Hunter

This story pretty much only exists because Michael has overestimated how much people might care about the Forty Fathoms Freedom Fighters. P.B. Jellyfish encounters Octobot swimming at top speed and tries to stop and fight him, but turns out Octobot, no longer a big bad boss of the ocean, is himself running away from someone even more terrifying - Eel Capone! Yeah, this guy is basically just a big mob boss joke, even getting his own "hired mussel" (geddit? geddit?) to beat the crap out of P.B. His other friends in the F.F.F.F. find him unconscious, and Bottlenose decides to take things into his own hands by beating up Eel Capone in ninja getup, while simultaneously murdering all his lackeys! Wait, what?!

That is cold-blooded, man! No one even makes mention of the fact that Bottlenose just brutally killed like, a hundred sentient beings. They just drag Eel Capone off to "Aquatraz," and then sing a silly, pun-filled song about the battle. Guys, I can't stress this enough, but your friend is now a literal murderer. Just because he was dressed in a ninja disguise while he was doing the murdering doesn't make him any less of a killer. These weren't even roboticized mussels or anything, they were literally just some living individuals who made bad life decisions. What kind of a Freedom Fighter keeps the head honcho alive but murders all the lackeys who were just following orders? Jesus christ.

[carelessgraces]

@potterstillstinks​​​​​​​ said: 💏

FIFTY WAYS TO KISS SOMEONE ( ACCEPTING )

36. ...to give up control

"If you’re here for me to fulfill my husbandly duties,” Draco says lazily, tiredly, “you’re out of luck. I’ve been informed that I mustn’t exert myself, to avoid reopening my wounds."

     And Astoria laughs, closes the door gently behind her. “I know. The maester informed me before he’d allow me past the stairs.” Her gaze drags across his frame, and she takes in every bruise, every gash, with worry. There are some wounds that worry her more than others, all of them obtained when he had helped her. He’s sitting up on his own, and doesn’t seem to be in immediate danger; she’s grateful for that much, at least.

     ( If someone had told her before the battle that she would be this relieved to see him survive, she would have laughed. But she can still feel his hand grasping her wrist, pulling her up in front of him, can still see him taking a blow meant for her, and there’s something warm and unfamiliar bubbling in her chest, something infinitely soft, something honestly, truly fond. )

     “You could always climb on,” he adds, and he raises an eyebrow. “You’ll have to do all the work yourself, mind you, but – ” There’s laughter in his voice, and she’s grateful for that, too.

     “I only wanted to see you,” she says, and she moves to stand beside the bed. “To make sure that you’re recovering.”

     For a moment, Draco watches her, as if trying to size her up; he opens his mouth as if to speak, before apparently thinking better of it. 

     Astoria gestures toward him. “May I?” After a moment, he nods, and Astoria reaches forward to pull his shirt up, careful to avoid touching him. There’s a vicious gash in his side, hidden by a bandage that Astoria doesn’t touch, but the bruising around the wound is nasty, and far-reaching. Gingerly, she traces two fingers along his ribcage, her touch feather-light. The warmth in the pit of her stomach begins to feel tainted by guilt. “You must be in a great deal of pain.”

     “It’s only a flesh wound. It will heal soon enough – I’ve had worse. I’ll bet most of my men have worse now.” He doesn’t move as Astoria lowers his shirt. “Are they badly hurt?”

     “Some, yes. We’re still counting the dead, but – somehow – the majority of both of our forces survived.” She smooths his shirt back in place, and she moves to take a step back when he catches her wrist, his grip gentle. 

     “And you? Are you hurt?”

     “Only some bruising, a few cuts and scrapes. Thanks to you.”

     He releases her then, rests his head back against the pillows behind him. “Good,” he says after a long moment’s silence, voice quiet enough that for a moment she thinks she imagined it. “That’s – good.”

     “Would you rather have quiet, so you can rest, or company?” she asks after a moment, hovering awkwardly at his side, and Draco looks back at her, offers her a small smile.

     “Staring at the ceiling isn’t exactly riveting entertainment. If you don’t need to be elsewhere...”

     “I can stay.” And she sits, carefully, at the edge of the bed, close enough to touch him, still facing him. “I had – a question, if you wouldn’t mind.”

     ( She’s staring into the face of a White Walker, a dozen more surrounding her, the wind biting cold – her helmet is long lost, and there’s blood on her face, some of it her own, some of it matting her hair. For a moment she is utterly, painfully aware of every muscle in her body, every ache and groan, the bruises along her sides and back. She is aware of the smell of its breath, of the ridges in its skin. Her fingers are closed around the hilts of her daggers, and she knows she is going to die. )

     “Go ahead.”

     ( She hears the beating of dragon’s wings, feels the wind grow heavier and colder, and she plants her feet against the snow to try and brace herself but the force of the winds is too much and she – and the White Walkers – are knocked to the ground. She hears his voice, but she can’t make out the words. She knows she is going to die. )

     “Why did you do it?”

     ( She doesn’t die. )

     He frowns at her, as if he isn’t sure what she’s asking, and so she presses on.

     “You could have left me there. No one would have known. I’d have died a valiant death, and the North would have celebrated me. You would have been able to walk away from your obligations to me. Formed another marriage, one better suited to your plans – you could have subdued the North, had your seven kingdoms. You would only have had to leave me there.” Astoria chews the inside of her lip, watches him closely as if to try and see past whatever answer he will give. “Why did you do it?”

     For a long moment he says nothing, then, voice even and clear, tone teasing, he answers, “You think I want to go through marriage negotiations again?” He lets out a scoff. Doesn’t meet her eyes. “Once was enough.”

     “Draco. I doubt it.”

     “Just – don’t mention it to my mother.” 

     It takes some effort not to react visibly, but she manages. Astoria only raises an eyebrow, then asks, “Your mother wants me dead?”

     “You Northerners weren’t kidding about this winter.”

     “That’s clever of her. I can’t blame her at all. It’s the smart thing to want.” And she leans forward, waits until he looks back at her. “Why didn’t you do what she wanted?”

     “Are you complaining?”

     “No. I only want to know why.”

     “And I wanted lemon cakes this morning – we all must learn to live with little disappointments.”

     “Draco. Please.”

     He raises the hand on his uninjured side and runs it through his hair, watching her for a moment. “Because you’re my wife.” He says it as if it’s the simplest thing in the world, as if their union matters more than the terms under which it was negotiated, as if their union matters more than the plans he’d had to set aside. “I put my cloak around your shoulders. I took you under my protection.”

     She wants to argue, for a moment, that she doesn’t need his protection – but she’d certainly needed it then. And, for a moment, Astoria thinks that perhaps it might be nice to be protected, for once. She thinks she rather likes the idea.

     “I’d be a shit protector of the realm if I wouldn’t even protect my wife when I had the power to do so.”

     On a whim, Astoria reaches to take his other hand, squeezing gently. He squeezes her fingers in return.

     “Besides,” he adds, “I didn’t want you to die.” And then, as if afraid he’s said too much – “Even if you are stubborn, and irritating, and suffer from delusions of grandeur.”

     Astoria laughs, sudden and bright, and she brings their joined hands up to press a quick kiss to the backs of his fingers. “That was lovely, right until that last bit.”

     “Yes, well – we wouldn’t want to spoil you.”

     She releases him and stands, only to kneel, carefully, beside him, pulling her skirts up enough to manage it. Her movements are slow as she swings one leg to straddle him, and one of his hands comes up to rest against the back of her thigh as he tips his head back to watch her. Her own hands move to push his hair back, to trace carefully along his jawline, to rest against his chest, and after a long moment of watching him she lowers herself into his lap.

     ( She doesn’t die. He takes a blow for her and she doesn’t die. He pulls her to safety and she doesn’t die. There’s a warmth in her chest, bubbles floating lazily and pop-pop-popping in her blood, and she thinks she likes the thought of him protecting her far more than she should. )

     Slowly, slowly enough that it’s almost teasing, she leans forward and kisses him. They’ve kissed before – at their wedding, in their marriage bed, even in passing, the gesture almost ritual in some cases and almost consuming instinct in others. Now, though, it feels deliberate, more deliberate than anything else she’s done lately. Her touch is sweet, lips soft against his, one hand moving to curl against the front of his throat; his hands slide up to rest at her waist, one curling against her side, the other trailing up her spine to tangle in her hair. 

     If he would do that for her – risk himself for her even when he’d be better served by letting her die, risk himself for her not because she’s useful to him but because it’s right, because he doesn’t want her to die – then perhaps she owes him more than what she’d imagined.

     The kisses before were power struggles – attempts to prove one of them the truer monarch over the other, even all of the ones shared for the sake of fun and nothing more. This is different.

     This is awareness. This is the warmth in her chest and the smile she can’t quite seem to keep off her face. This is wanting to be protected, to be held, to look at him and know – for the first time since this war started, since she was held hostage as a child to curb a rebellion and stop a war – that there is someone else who values her survival the way that she does. That there is someone else watching out for her. That there is someone else worth protecting, too, not because she must but because she chooses.

     This is letting go.

     ( Has it always felt so good to let go? )

     The kiss is slow, almost lazy, but when she pulls back he moves as if to follow her; Astoria only smiles. “Thank you,” she says, and she means it, she really means it. “Thank you for being there, and for helping me. Thank you for saving me.”

     He watches her for a moment before surging forward to kiss her again; she trails her lips along his jaw and to his throat, bites lightly at the skin there before she presses a careful kiss over the thrum of his pulse. She forgets the war waiting for them, forgets his injuries and her own, until he winces as he lifts one arm too far; Astoria lets out a quiet laugh and pulls away from him, nuzzling his jaw and pressing a kiss to his cheek before she sits back.

     “I think even with me here, it might be a bit too much exertion,” she points out quietly, but she doesn’t try to pull away when his hands tighten comfortably at her side, in her hair. He presses forward to kiss her again and she responds, enthusiastic, if brief. “If you still want company, I can stay – ”

     He kisses her one more time and nods. “Stay,” he insists, and he pulls her closer still.

     She didn’t die.

     She stays.

[allthefilmsiveseenforfree]

Glass

Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me. Post-The Village, this was probably the healthiest attitude to adopt towards one M. Night Shyamalan. But then came 2017′s Split, and with it a post-credits scene that made audiences freak out - this story takes place in the same universe as 2000′s Unbreakable, which leads us here. The final entry in Shyamalan’s trilogy about people who believe they can do extraordinary things brings together Unbreakable’s David Dunn (Bruce Willis), the single survivor of a massive train derailment who has superstrength and a knack for sensing bad guys; Elijah Price (Samuel L. Motherfucking Jackson, or SLMJ), a man born with bones so fragile they shatter like glass at the slightest impact but whose mind is on a whole other level; and Split’s Kevin Crumb aka The Beast aka Hedwig aka Patricia....you get the idea. He’s a man who has dissociative identity disorder and exhibits 24 distinct personalities, one of whom happens to be a superhuman amalgamation of animal characteristics called The Beast who punishes the impure and those who “have not suffered.” He’s super fun at parties. Put them together and what have you got? Well...

I’m not sure why the critical response to this one is so tepid because I thought it was a fantastic conclusion of a trilogy that asks us to consider the stories we tell ourselves and the untapped power of those stories. Plotwise, the main story relies on Dr. Ellie Staple (Sarah Paulson) attempting to cure these three men of their delusions of grandeur. At times she enlists the help of David’s son, Elijah’s mother, and Kevin Crumb’s kidnapping victim who survived (Anya Taylor Joy) to assist in her work. I’m sure you can guess that uh, things don’t go as she planned.

Some thoughts:

Let’s talk performances. Bruce Willis doesn’t have a lot to do, unfortunately, and he’s playing the strong stalwart type anyway, so he doesn’t get very much dialogue or inner turmoil. His best acting comes from the physicality of playing a man who moves in the world in a way that normal humans do not. SLMJ is a born scene-stealer, and charismatic as hell, even when playing catatonic. You’re just waiting for the twinkle in his eye, the twitch of his lips to reveal the inner workings of Elijah’s terrifying mind. But the real workhorse is McAvoy all the way. 24 distinct personalities is a tall order for anyone, but the seamless transition between them, the intense physicality of embodying each separate personality - I just don’t know how this kind of performance doesn’t earn an Oscar, regardless of the Academy’s disdain for genre work. He’s a masterclass, a tour de force, and even running around as a human/animal Beast God Hybrid doesn’t seem so ridiculous when he’s doing it.

Honorable mention goes to Sarah Paulson who has never done anything wrong in her life, ever, and whose hair and makeup look fucking amazing the entire time even when shit really hits the fan.

I have never heard the phrase “PB&J sandwiches” sound so terrifying in my life. Nice callback later to the guard’s abandoned PBJ as well. Shyamalan is a man who knows the devil is in the details.

I can’t believe they got not only the leads, but also the kid who played Bruce Willis’s son (Spencer Treat Clark) and SLMJ’s mom (Charlayne Woodard) to reprise their roles 19 years later! Spencer Treat Clark especially has to do some heavy emotional lifting and his scenes are just a joy to watch. 

Especially affecting are some brief sequences of unused footage from Unbreakable that serve as some of David’s memories or flashbacks. No creepy CGI here, just good old fashioned 19 years younger Bruce Willis, and it’s effective as hell. Side note: Bruce Willis can still get it, even 19 years later. 

There are definitely some problems with everything that’s happening here from a logistical standpoint. Sarah Paulson has 3 days to treat these people who “think they’re superheroes.” Yeah, I don’t know where you got your medical degree ma’am, but 3 days isn’t enough time to treat anything - that’s not how psychiatry works. 

The subtitle of this movie could be Glass: HIPAA Violations. None of this is best practices. You can’t just go showing other patients’ someone’s MRI. No one has signed any informed consent forms. You can’t just leave patient files in unlocked cabinets. You especially cannot let a patient’s victim have a one-on-one confrontation with them in order to “cure” the patient - does anyone have ANY medical training in this movie?

Probably not, since there’s only 1 orderly in this whole goddamn wing apparently and this facility has the worst security guards to ever be hired. “Oh this nurse with particularly well-muscled calves and white crocs with no socks on is wheeling one of our most notorious patients out of the wing in a wheelchair and he has a blanket on up to the neck. Well, no further questions!”

I think it’s easy to forget based on Shyamalan’s past missteps that he’s actually an incredibly visually interesting director. I found myself marveling at the unnerving, visceral way he shoots The Beast, or the circular tracking shots of Hedwig as he skates around and around some would-be victims of The Beast. These little touches bring the larger-than-life quality of the characters closer to the audience and allows us to feel as if we’re part of the action. And his use of color palette to distinguish between David (green), Elijah (purple), and The Beast (mustard yellow) creates the same gut-level effect as the oversaturated colors of the comic books he’s honoring. It all leads to an interesting film to watch, which I don’t think he gets enough credit for. 

Also, I’m sure you’re wondering - yes there are some twists (two, three if you’re feeling generous) and I felt they were well-executed, plausible, and helpful to the story. I’d say the first is the biggest and most effective, and I actually wrote “OH SHIT GOOD TWIST” in my notes.

It amuses me to no end that Elijah’s mom has an iMac computer circa 2003. 

Even if you haven’t seen the other films in the trilogy, Glass is worthy of your time as it forces us to reflect on the myths that shape our society and the myths we make our own selves out of. Strong performances from magnetic leads create enough tension to sustain what could be a simple Celebrity Death Match fight into a larger rumination on who gets to become something more than they think they could be, and who might be trying to stop them.